Tag: Rugby

Last season’s Top 14 runners-up Montpellier will look to continue their recent improvement when they take on Toulon in the weekend’s big game.

Elsewhere, two sides who have started the season well, Castres and Stade Francais, go head-to-head earlier on Sunday, while Saturday is headlined by the clashes between La Rochelle and Clermont Auvergne, and Racing 92 versus Lyon.

Saturday
La Rochelle vs Clermont Auvergne
Grenoble vs Bordeaux-Bègles
Pau vs Perpignan
Racing 92 vs Lyon
Toulouse vs Agen

Sunday
Castres vs Stade Francais
Montpellier vs Toulon

La Rochelle vs Clermont Auvergne
Stade Marcel-Deflandre

League leaders Clermont head to the Stade Marcel-Deflandre to face La Rochelle looking to increase their buffer at the top.

Although Les Jaunards lost their unbeaten record in their previous away game, they responded superbly by comfortably beating Toulon at the Marcel Michelin.

They should be favourites heading into this encounter too, particularly with the hosts struggling for consistency in 2018/19 so far.

To La Rochelle’s credit, their last contest at home saw them produce their best performance of the campaign by beating Lyon 30-13, but Clermont are an altogether different beast.

Last season’s result: La Rochelle won 51-20
Kick-off: 14:45 local (13:45 BST, 12:45 GMT)
Referee: Ludovic Cayre
Assistant referees: Vincent Blasco-Baque, Patrick Pechambert
TMO: Denis Grenouillet

Grenoble vs Bordeaux-Bègles
Stade des Alpes

It has been a tough start to the campaign for Grenoble, who gained promotion from the Pro D2 last season by defeating Oyonnax in a play-off, but this encounter offers them a chance to claim a second victory.

Bordeaux have displayed an improvement since their three-match winless run, gaining impressive victories over Clermont Auvergne and La Rochelle, but picking up results on their travels has been an issue.

Losing to Agen was a particular disappointment and you get the sense that another defeat to one of the strugglers would be a significant blow to their top-six ambitions.

Last season’s result: Did not play
Kick-off: 18:00 local (17:00 BST, 16:00 GMT)
Referee: Jonathan Dufort
Assistant referees: Laurent Cardona, Jean-Luc Rebollal
TMO: Mourad Zitouni

Pau vs Perpignan
Stade du Hameau

Similar to Grenoble, Perpignan have endured a poor start to the campaign, but their situation is even more perilous than their fellow promoted outfit.

Without a win in six games, Christian Lanta’s men are rooted to the foot of the table and face another tough task by heading to the Stade du Hameau.

Confidence is low and it is likely that they will head into the European break without registering a victory in the competition so far.

Although Pau have not exactly been outstanding in 2018/19 and were outplayed by Stade Francais in their previous home match, they should have too much for the Catalans.

Last season’s result: Did not play
Kick-off: 18:00 local (17:00 BST, 16:00 GMT)
Referee: Cyril Lafon
Assistant referees: Cedric Clave, Jacques De Lemos
TMO: Philippe Bonhoure

Racing 92 vs Lyon
Paris La Defense Arena

One of the big games of the weekend takes place on Saturday evening as Racing, fresh from their victory in the Paris derby, look to make it three victories in a row.

The 2016 champions have secured two successive triumphs, after overcoming Castres and Stade, and appear to be finding their rhythm.

Despite being shocked 40-17 at home by Clermont and losing 30-17 to Toulouse, their components are coming together nicely.

Finn Russell appears settled at fly-half and, although Lyon should present a stern challenge, the hosts will fancy their chances of being in the top two by the end of the weekend.

Last season’s result: Lyon won 20-17
Kick-off: 18:00 local (17:00 BST, 16:00 GMT)
Referee: Thomas Charabas
Assistant referees: Vivien Praderie, Richard Duhau
TMO: Cedric Marchat

Toulouse vs Agen
Stade Ernest-Wallon

After a positive start for Toulouse, it all went a bit wrong against Montpellier and Castres. Ugo Mola decided to rest a number of stars when visiting last season’s runners-up, instead targeting their home encounter with the 2017/18 Top 14 winners.

It appeared perfectly logical and all was going well when they went 22-3 ahead early in the second period, but his players contrived to throw it away and ended up succumbing 26-22.

Fortunately for Les Rouge et Noir, they have an opportunity to right the wrongs of the previous two weeks when facing Agen.

Philippe Sella’s men have not performed well on the road in the first six rounds and it would be a surprise if they came close at the Stade Ernest-Wallon.

Last season’s result: Toulouse won 30-10
Kick-off: 20:45 local (19:45 BST, 18:45 GMT)
Referee: Julien Castaignede
Assistant referees: Tual Trainini, Frederic Chazal
TMO: Eric Gauzins

Castres vs Stade Francais
Stade Pierre-Fabre

A potentially thrilling Sunday opens with the defending champions taking on a side who have enjoyed a good start to the season.

However, Stade’s opening to the campaign was slightly undermined after going down to their Parisian rivals Racing 92 at the Stade Jean-Bouin last weekend.

They still reside in second position but could be overtaken by a host of clubs, including Castres, should they falter against Christophe Urios’ men.

It is another tough game for Urios’ charges, who have faced a number of the title favourites already, but they have shown few weaknesses so far this year.

Last season’s result: Castres won 28-6
Kick-off: 12:30 local (11:30 BST, 10:30 GMT)
Referee: Pascal Gauzere
Assistant referees: Maxime Chalon, Bruno Gabaldon
TMO: Eric Briquet-Campin

Montpellier vs Toulon
GGL Stadium

Not too many onlookers would have foreseen Toulon struggling this badly and it could get worse when they go head-to-head with Montpellier on Sunday.

Patrice Collazo’s men succumbed to their fourth defeat in six games when they went down to Clermont Auvergne in Round Six and they face another tough trip, this time to last season’s runners-up.

Vern Cotter’s outfit are improving and secured successive wins heading into this encounter, leaving them in sixth place in the Top 14 table.

Another victory will move them into the top-four and it is difficult to look past them. Although they began slowly – seemingly suffering a hangover from the previous campaign’s loss to Castres in the final – they are starting to display their capabilities and should be well-placed domestically heading into the Champions Cup.

Last season’s result: Montpellier won 43-20
Kick-off: 16:50 local (15:50 BST, 14:50 GMT)
Referee: Pierre Brousset
Assistant referees: Adrien Descottes, Jean-Claude Labarbe
TMO: Akim Hadj-Bachir

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Exeter Chiefs overcame a stern challenge from Bath to continue their winning start to the Premiership season following an excellent 39-24 triumph at the Rec.

Todd Blackadder’s men started impressively and deservedly went 10-0 in front through Freddie Burns’ penalty and Rhys Priestland’s try, but Exeter hit back to lead at the interval. Gareth Steenson’s three-pointer got the Chiefs on the board before scores from Stuart Townsend and Don Armand gave them a 15-13 buffer going into the final 40 minutes.

In a topsy-turvy encounter, two more Burns penalties to Steenson’s one took the hosts back ahead, but Rob Baxter’s men showed their quality in the latter stages.

Dave Ewers duly touched down to set the 2017/18 beaten finalists on their way before Ian Whitten and Jack Nowell also went over to seal a bonus-point win, despite Chris Cook’s late consolation.

It was a disappointing result for a gallant Bath who, having rested several players against defending champions Saracens last weekend, targeted this game and it initially paid dividends.

Although the hosts were tested early on by the Devonians, Blackadder’s men were physical and showed that they were up to the challenge. Zach Mercer secured a turnover at the breakdown and the team were soon rewarded for their defensive endeavour as Burns kicked them in front from a long-range penalty.

Bath were also displaying variety in attack with forwards looking to off-load and excellent hands from flanker Tom Ellis sent Semesa Rokoduguni clear. The Fijian-born England wing then chipped ahead and Priestland was on hand to collect and cross the whitewash unopposed.

At 10-0 up, the home side were in control but a couple of mistakes allowed the Chiefs to level matters. Firstly, a scrum infringement saw Steenson reduce the arrears from the tee before Burns’ pass was intercepted and finished by Townsend.

Although Bath’s full-back for the evening regained their advantage with a second three-pointer, they were too loose in possession and Exeter pounced, turning the ball over at the contact area and launching an attack. After a few phases, play was shifted right and Steenson’s grubber found Armand, who stepped inside the final defender and touched down in the corner for a 15-13 lead at the break.

Unperturbed, the hosts responded at the start of the second period via Burns’ penalty, but the visitors were immediately back in front through the boot of Steenson.

Matters worsened for Blackadder’s charges when Rokoduguni was yellow carded for a deliberate knock-on, but they managed the 10 minutes well and restored their advantage after another successful effort off the tee.

Only after the wing returned did Exeter up the intensity and win the game in the final quarter. The Chiefs were not at their best but they went back to basics, sending a maul surging towards the line, and Ewers was on hand to score.

They were not done there, however, and effectively completed a fine win as Nowell got on the outside of the defence and off-loaded to Whitten, who did the rest.

Nowell then inked his name on the scoreboard to rubberstamp the victory, despite Bath going over late on via replacement scrum-half Cook.

The scorers:

For Bath:
Tries: Priestland, Cook
Con: Burns
Pens: Burns 4
Yellow Card: Rokoduguni

For Exeter:
Tries: Townsend, Armand, Ewers, Whitten, Nowell
Cons: Steenson 4
Pens: Steenson 2
Yellow Card: Whitten

Bath: 15 Freddie Burns, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Jackson Willison, 12 Cooper Vuna, 11 Joe Cokanasiga, 10 Rhys Priestland (c), 9 Max Green, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Tom Ellis, 6 Zach Mercer, 5 Charlie Ewels, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Tom Dunn, 1 Nathan Catt
Replacements: 16 Jack Walker, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Anthony Perenise, 19 Elliott Stooke 20 Josh Bayliss, 21 Chris Cook, 22 Max Wright, 23 Darren Atkins

Exeter: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Devoto, 11 Santiago Cordero, 10 Gareth Steenson (c), 9 Stuart Townsend, 8 Matt Kvesic, 7 Don Armand, 6 Dave Ewers, 5 Sam Skinner, 4 Dave Dennis, 3 Harry Williams, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ben Moon
Replacements: 16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Ollie Atkins, 20 Tom Lawday, 21 Jack Maunder, 22 Joe Simmonds, 23 Ian Whitten

Referee: Christophe Ridley
Assistant referees: Simon Harding, Jonathan Healy
TMO: Geoff Warren

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Ahead of Saturday’s final Rugby Championship games, we are putting our head on the block and picking our winners from the two matches.

South Africa and New Zealand open proceedings at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria before Argentina host Australia at Estadio Padre Ernesto Martearena in Salta.

Elsewhere, the big leagues in Europe continue this weekend with the Premiership, PRO14 and Top 14 taking place.

RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP

South Africa v New Zealand

Preview: South Africa and New Zealand will conclude their Rugby Championship programme for 2018 in what should be a thrilling contest in Pretoria on Saturday.

Prediction: After their stunning win in Wellington, the Springboks will fancy their chances in their backyard. However, lightning will not strike twice and the All Blacks will take this one, albeit narrowly. New Zealand to win by six points.

Argentina v Australia

Preview: Argentina will be hoping to pick up back-to-back wins over Australia in Salta on Saturday, something they have never done in their history.

Prediction: We feel all the pressure could actually bring Australia together in this final outing. Wallabies by three.

PREMIERSHIP

Northampton vs Leicester: Northampton by 8
Sale vs Newcastle: Sale by 7
Wasps vs Gloucester: Wasps by 5
Harlequins vs Saracens: Saracens by 12
Worcester vs Bristol: Worcester by 5

PRO14

Scarlets vs Ospreys: Scarlets by 10
Dragons vs Cardiff Blues: Cardiff Blues by 5
Leinster vs Munster: Munster by 3
Benetton vs Kings: Benetton by 7

TOP 14

La Rochelle vs Clermont Auvergne: Clermont by 3
Grenoble vs Bordeaux-Bègles: Bordeaux-Bègles by 7
Pau vs Perpignan: Pau by 20
Racing 92 vs Lyon: Racing by 14
Toulouse vs Agen: Toulouse by 23
Castres vs Stade Francais: Castres by 10
Montpellier vs Toulon: Montpellier by 15

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Glasgow Warriors consolidated their place on top of the PRO14’s Conference A, while there were also wins for Connacht and Edinburgh on Friday.

Edinburgh 37-21 Cheetahs
Murrayfield

Edinburgh survived a scare to see off the Cheetahs 37-21 after leading 20-7 at half-time.

The hosts headed into the match off the back of a narrow victory over Benetton, while the Cheetahs came in hungry for victory after a narrow defeat to Cardiff Blues.

It was Edinburgh who got out of the blocks quickest. After two early penalties from Simon Hickey, they scored the first try of the game 20 minutes in, with Ben Toolis stretching over after a lengthy spell of pressure.

However, 15 minutes later, the Cheetahs hit back, with a scintillating break from Rabz Maxwane leading to a try from Nico Lee.

Edinburgh responded immediately afterwards and had the last laugh before the break, showing brilliant hands in the build-up to a try from Darcy Graham on the stroke of half-time.

However, the South African outfit came out all guns blazing in the second half, with Maxwane leading the charge.

The winger scored two tries in quick succession in the first 10 minutes after the restart, with Tian Schoeman’s conversions putting the Cheetahs in front. The lead lasted only three minutes, however, with Hickey’s penalty tipping the tables once more.

In the 65th minute, Edinburgh gave themselves some breathing space, with Mata crossing the try-line following a pick-and-go from a scrum. Hickey added a crucial conversion to extend the lead to nine points.

A late yellow card to Charles Marais was followed by a Jamie Ritchie try from a rolling maul to cap off the hosts’ victory.

The scorers:

For Edinburgh:
Tries: Toolis, Graham, Mata, Ritchie
Cons: Hickey 4
Pens: Hickey 3

For Cheetahs:
Tries: Lee, Maxwane 2
Cons: Schoeman 3
Yellow Card: Marais

Edinburgh: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 James Johnstone, 12 Juan Pablo Socino, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Simon Hickey, 9 Henry Pyrgos, 8 Bill Mata, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Magnus Bradbury, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Ben Toolis, 3 WP Nel, 2 Stuart McInally (c), 1 Rory Sutherland
Replacements: 16 Ross Ford, 17 Murray McCallum, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 Luke Hamilton, 20 Jamie Ritchie, 21 Sean Kennedy, 22 Jaco van der Walt, 23 Chris Dean

Cheetahs: 15 Louis Fouche, 14 William Small-Smith, 13 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 12 Nico Lee, 11 Rabz Maxwane, 10 Tian Schoeman, 9 Tian Meyer, 8 Stephan Malan, 7 Junior Pokomela, 6 Niell Jordaan, 5 JP du Preez, 4 Justin Basson, 3 Aranos Coetzee, 2 Jacques du Toit, 1 OX Nche
Replacements: 16 Joseph Dweba, 17 Charles Marais, 18 Günther Janse van Vuuren, 19 Walt Steenkamp, 20 Daniel Maartens, 21 Abongile Nonkontwana, 22 Shaun Venter, 23 Ali Mgijima

Referee: Marius Mitrea
Assistant referees: Manuel Bottino (Italy), Ian Kenny (Scotland)
Television match official: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)

Glasgow Warriors 36-8 Zebre
Scotstoun Stadium

The in-form Glasgow Warriors breezed past Zebre 36-8 at Scotstoun Stadium, having led 10-8 at half-time.

Dave Rennie’s charges headed into the match on top of Conference A and made it clear from the get-go that they were in no mood to give that up.

Just five minutes in, a spectacular Adam Hastings break led to the first try of the game from Huw Jones, which the fly-half converted.

However, Zebre found their way into the match as the first half progressed, with Apisai Tauyavuca’s unconverted try handing them a lifeline six minutes before the break.

The two sides then traded penalties and the match remained relatively even until 51 minutes in, when Johan Meyer was yellow carded for a high tackle.

Glasgow made the extra man count, with George Turner peeling away from a maul to score in the corner.

Shortly after the hour mark, the hosts all but took the game beyond reach, with Greg Peterson scoring their third try before Jones burst through the Zebre defence and set George Horne up for their fourth.

75 minutes in, Pete Horne capped his birthday and Glasgow’s night by adding one last try to their tally.

The scorers:

For Glasgow Warriors:
Tries: Jones, Turner, Peterson, G Horne, P Horne
Cons: Hastings 4
Pen: Hastings

For Zebre:
Try: Tauyavuca
Pen: Violi
Yellow Card: Meyer

Glasgow: 15 Ruaridh Jackson, 14 Lee Jones, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Rory Hughes, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 George Horne, 8 Matt Fagerson, 7 Chris Fusaro, 6 Adam Ashe, 5 Jonny Gray (c), 4 Andrew Davidson, 3 Adam Nicol, 2 George Turner, 1 Oli Kebble
Replacements: 16 Grant Stewart, 17 Alex Allan, 18 D’Arcy Rae, 19 Greg Peterson, 20 Matt Smith, 21 Tevita Tameilau, 22 Pete Horne, 23 Niko Matawalu

Zebre: 15 Edoardo Padovani, 14 Gabriele Di Giulio, 13 Giulio Bisegni, 12 Tommaso Boni, 11 Paula Balekana, 10 Francois Brummer, 9 Marcello Violi, 8 Jimmy Tuivaiti, 7 Johan Meyer, 6 Apisai Tauyavuca, 5 George Biagi (c), 4 Leonard Krumov, 3 Eduardo Bello, 2 Oliviero Fabiani, 1 Cruze Ah-Nau
Replacements: 16 Massimo Ceciliani, 17 Daniele Rimpelli, 18 Roberto Tenga, 19 Samuele Ortis, 20 Giosué Zilocchi, 21 Riccardo Raffaele, 22 Maicol Azzolini, 23 Giovanbattista Venditti

Referee: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Lloyd Linton (Scotland), Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Television match official: Charles Samson (Scotland)

Ulster 15-22 Connacht
Kingspan Stadium

Connacht returned to winning ways with a 22-15 victory over Ulster, having led 14-5 at half-time.

Captain Rory Best and Jacob Stockdale were each playing their first game of the season for Ulster, but their party was spoilt early on when Tiernan O’Halloran scored the first try of the game five minutes in after a superb lineout move.

Following a lengthy spell of pressure featuring a series of scrums, Connacht were then awarded a penalty try in the 20th minute, but shortly afterwards, Ulster hit back, with Stockdale finishing after a cross-field kick from Billy Burns.

However, Ulster’s indiscipline would come back to bite them again, as they lost Marcell Coetzee on the stroke of half-time for 10 minutes due to a high tackle. Straight after the break, Matthew Rea collided in the air with Cian Kelleher and was red carded.

John Cooney and Jack Carty then traded penalties before Bundee Aki gave Connacht more breathing space 72 minutes in, scoring an intercept try from halfway.

Nick Timoney did score a late consolation for Ulster, with Cooney converting, but by then, the damage had already been done.

The scorers:

For Ulster:
Tries: Stockdale, Timoney
Con: Cooney
Pen: Cooney
Yellow Card: Coetzee
Red Card: Rea

For Connacht:
Tries: O’Halloran, Penalty try, Aki
Con: Carty
Pen: Carty

Ulster: 15 Peter Nelson, 14 Angus Kernohan, 13 Angus Curtis, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Billy Burns, 9 John Cooney, 8 Marcell Coetzee, 7 Nick Timoney, 6 Matthew Rea, 5 Iain Henderson, 4 Alan O’Connor, 3 Tom O’Toole, 2 Rory Best (c), 1 Andrew Warwick
Replacements: 16 Adam McBurney, 17 Eric O’Sullivan, 18 Ross Kane, 19 Kieran Treadwell, 20 Sean Reidy, 21 Dave Shanahan, 22 Johnny McPhillips, 23 James Hume

Connacht: 15 Tiernan O’Halloran, 14 Niyi Adeolokun, 13 Tom Farrell, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Matt Healy, 10 Jack Carty, 9 Kieran Marmion, 8 Paul Boyle, 7 Jarrad Butler (c), 6 Sean O’Brien, 5 Quinn Roux, 4 Ultan Dillane, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Denis Buckley
Replacements: 16 Shane Delahunt, 17 Peter McCabe, 18 Conor Carey, 19 James Cannon, 20 Colby Fainga’a, 21 Caolin Blade, 22 Kyle Godwin, 23 Cian Kelleher

Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant referees: George Clancy (Ireland), Sean Gallagher (Ireland)
Television match official: Olly Hodges (Ireland)

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Following a 32-30 victory for New Zealand over South Africa in their Rugby Championship game, here’s our five takeaways from the Pretoria clash.

Game of two halves alright: We all know the highveld becomes a factor later on in matches but this had little to do with that. 6-6 at half-time, it looked like being a low scoring contest with defences showing their quality. Enter the second-half as between the 40th and 62nd minute there was 36 points scored before the All Blacks crossed for two further tries in the final six minutes. What a half, what a match.

Great escape from All Blacks: We saw last week how the Springboks’ physicality suffocated the life out of Australia. It was a repeat effort from the South Africans, for the most part, on Saturday as New Zealand were given a gruelling evening at Loftus Versfeld, losing so many of the key battles before they somehow crossed the finish line with their noses in front. How New Zealand won the game after being 30-13 down on the hour mark while South African tails were up shows their quality and also a great deal of character as it seemed an impossible task.

Faf again wins the battle: He made Aaron Smith’s life a misery in Wellington and once again today De Klerk claimed the scrum-half bragging rights. From the first opposition scrum he stripped the ball from Smith’s grasp before going on to dominate the territorial and box kicking game with smart option taking. Sale have missed De Klerk and will welcome him back with open arms in England but forget hero’s returns, he deserves a hero’s goodbye from his Bok team-mates and fans as the scrum-half has been simply excellent throughout this Rugby Championship.

Many positives for Springboks: We’re still scratching our heads how the hosts lost that game as personal battles were won, they dominated the statistics and it looked like New Zealand were out of answers at 30-13 adrift. There’s no question that back-to-back wins over the All Blacks would have been a huge psychological fillip for the Boks ahead of the World Cup but they can take so much from this performance. In Pretoria every player to a man impressed and Rassie Erasmus will be incredibly positive and proud of his men as it’s still so early in his tenure. Make no mistake, South Africa will be genuine Webb Ellis contenders when the tournament rolls around later next year.

Richie handles the heat: There was plenty of hype surrounding Richie Mo’unga following his impressive Super Rugby campaign, but his first tastes of international rugby weren’t up to his usual high standards. Steve Hansen has stood by him though and rightly so as his class is there for all to see, with the coach not afraid to send him into the cauldron that is Loftus with his side needing direction. He certainly provided that with solid carries with ball in hand, excellent touch finders and the calmness to knock over the match-winning conversion.

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A late Ardie Savea try helped the All Blacks to a hard-fought 32-30 victory over the Springboks in their Rugby Championship Test in Pretoria on Saturday.

In a tightly contested match, the home side made a bright start and dominated the early exchanges but two Handré Pollard penalties were all they had to show for their efforts before the All Blacks struck back with two penalties of their own from Beauden Barrett, which meant the sides were level at 6-6 at half-time.

South Africa upped the ante on attack after the break and eventually held a 30-13 lead by the hour-mark before the world champions’ late comeback saw them score 19 unanswered points during the final quarter.

If the truth be told, the All Blacks were far from their best as they were under the cosh for large periods although they did well to fight back and eventually outscored their hosts by four tries to three.

The Springboks were the dominant side early on and took the lead in the fourth minute when Pollard slotted a penalty from 52 metres out after Kieran Read was blown up for offside play on defence.

The All Blacks conceded several further penalties over the next 10 minutes and the Springboks were soon camped inside their opponents’ 22.

In the 13th minute, Damian de Allende was held up while crossing the All Blacks’ try-line but, once again, the world champions strayed offside on defence and Pollard doubled his team’s lead when he added the resulting penalty.

South Africa continued to dominate and had the bulk of the possession and territory during the next 10 minutes and kept the All Blacks pinned inside their half thanks to accurate kicking out of hand from Pollard and Faf de Klerk.

New Zealand soaked up that early pressure and opened their account in the 26th minute courtesy of a penalty from Barrett after Eben Etzebeth infringed at a lineout 10 metres inside South Africa’s half.

And 10 minutes later, Barrett drew his side level when he added another three-pointer of the kicking tee after illegal play from Francois Louw at a ruck.

Just like the opening half, the Springboks were fastest out of the blocks after the break and four minutes after the restart Steven Kitshoff got a pass out to Jesse Kriel, just outside the All Blacks’ 22, and he did well to shrug off tackles from Waisake Naholo and Ryan Crotty before outsprinting the cover defence to score the opening try.

Pollard added the extras and also slotted another long range penalty three minutes later which meant the Boks were now leading 16-6.

Five minutes later, South Africa went further ahead when Siya Kolisi made a brilliant line break before offloading to De Allende, who dotted down under the posts.

Once again, Pollard was successful off the kicking tee but the All Blacks responded shortly afterwards courtesy of an Aaron Smith try after Codie Taylor tore the home side’s defence to shreds with a superb run in the build-up.

Despite that setback, the Boks did not panic and in the 59th minute Cheslin Kolbe ran onto a pass from Willie le Roux and dotted down in the right-hand corner but only after confirmation from the television match official after desperate tackles from fly-half Barrett and Rieko Ioane on defence.

Pollard retained his perfect goal-kicking record by slotting the conversion which meant the Boks had their tails up with the score 30-13 in their favour.

But despite that huge margin, the All Blacks showed why they are the world champions as they came back strongly during the game’s closing stages.

Two minutes after Kolbe’s try, the All Blacks created space for Ioane on the wing and he cantered in for an easy five-pointer after an inch-perfect long pass from pivot Barrett.

The All Blacks finished stronger and they spent most of the final 10 minutes inside South Africa’s half. And after an extended period camped deep inside the Boks’ 22, Scott Barrett barged over the whitewash from close range in the 75th minute with Richie Mo’unga’s conversion making it a three-point game.

Just before full-time, the All Blacks were hammering away at the Boks’ try-line before Savea showed his class to dot down under a mass of bodies and, once again, Mo’unga added the extras with the last act of the game to clinch the win for New Zealand.

The scorers:

For South Africa:
Tries: Kriel, De Allende, Kolbe
Cons: Pollard 3
Pens: Pollard 3

For New Zealand:
Tries: A Smith, Ioane, S Barrett, Savea
Cons: Mo’unga 3
Pens: B Barrett 2

South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Francois Louw, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Damian Willemse

New Zealand: 15 Ben Smith, 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Ryan Crotty, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Beauden Barrett, 9 Aaron Smith, 8 Kieran Read (c), 7 Sam Cane, 6 Shannon Frizell, 5 Scott Barrett, 4 Samuel Whitelock, 3 Owen Franks, 2 Codie Taylor, 1 Karl Tu’inukuafe
Replacements: 16 Nathan Harris, 17 Tim Perry, 18 Ofa Tuungafasi, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Ardie Savea, 21 TJ Perenara, 22 Richie Mo’unga, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown

Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Jérôme Garcès (France), Matthew Carley (England)
Television match official: Graham Hughes (England)

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Exeter Chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter praised his players after they claimed an impressive 39-24 victory over Bath at the Rec on Friday.

In a typically charged match, Bath started the better with huge physicality and a first-half try for fly-half Rhys Priestland.

But Exeter are never down for long and scored the next five tries as Stu Townsend and Don Armand crossed in the first half, with Matt Kvesic, Ian Whitten and Jack Nowell all going over after the interval.

Bath got one back through replacement scrum-half Chris Cook but it’s Exeter who stay perfect thanks to their suffocating second-half performance, with club legend Gareth Steenson also kicking his way past 1500 Premiership points on a memorable night.

“The first half was a little bitty,” said Baxter after the match.

“However, the players took hold of the situation by going for the corner about 60 minutes in and they kicked on from there.”

Bath director of rugby Todd Blackadder believes his side were their own worst enemies.

“We keep continuing to hurt ourselves a little bit, which is the most frustrating thing, but I can’t fault the attitude or the effort,” he said.

“For the second week in a row, it’s just skill execution and a little bit of game management that have let us down.”

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Following victories from Gloucester, Leicester Tigers and Sale Sharks earlier in the day, Saracens came from behind against Harlequins to keep up their unblemished Premiership record.

Northampton Saints 15-23 Leicester Tigers
Twickenham

Leicester Tigers saw off Northampton Saints 23-15 at Twickenham after taking a 20-10 lead into half-time.

The game got off to a relatively even start, with Jamie Gibson forcing his way over from close range for the opening try of the game 15 minutes in following a line-out drive and George Ford slotting penalties over before and afterwards.

However, Tigers took control in the closing stages of the first-half, with Adam Thompstone’s clever flick-pass setting Jonah Holmes up for a break from around 40 metres out, which led to a 31st minute Ben Youngs try.

Within another 60 seconds of play, Leicester were in for another try, with Holmes the catalyst once again. This time, he started his run from around 75 metres out and evaded several potential tacklers before setting Jordan Olowofela up for the finish.

However, after a lengthy build-up, Saints scored their second unconverted try on the stroke of half-time, with David Ribbans getting it.

The second-half was a relatively uneventful affair, with Leicester finally scoring the first points 16 minutes in through a Ford penalty.

Saints refused to go down without a fight, with Mike Haywood peeling off a maul to score a 69th minute try, but it ultimately proved to be nothing more than consolation.

The scorers:

For Northampton Saints:
Tries: Gibson, Ribbans, Haywood

For Leicester Tigers:
Tries: B Youngs, Olowofela
Cons: Ford 2
Pens: Ford 3

Northampton: 15 Harry Mallinder, 14 Ahsee Tuala, 13 Andrew Kellaway, 12 Luther Burrell, 11 Taqele Naiyaravoro, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Teimana Harrison, 7 Lewis Ludlam, 6 Jamie Gibson, 5 Api Ratuniyarawa, 4 David Ribbans, 3 Ehren Painter, 2 Dylan Hartley (cc), 1 Alex Waller (cc)
Replacements: 16 Mike Haywood, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Ben Franks, 19 Tom Wood, 20 Mitch Eadie, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Fraser Dingwall, 23 Tom Collins

Leicester: 15 Jonah Holmes, 14 Adam Thompstone, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Kyle Eastmond, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Guy Thompson, 6 David Denton, 5 Harry Wells, 4 Mike Williams, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs (c), 1 Greg Bateman
Replacements: 16 Mike Haywood, 17 David Feao, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Sam Lewis, 20 Valentino Mapapalangi, 21 Sam Harrison, 22 Tom Hardwick, 23 Jordan Olowofela

Referee: JP Doyle
Assistant referees: Adam Leal, Roy Maybank
Television match official: Sean Davey

Sale Sharks 20-7 Newcastle Falcons
AJ Bell Stadium

Sale Sharks came back from 7-3 down at half-time to see off Newcastle Falcons 20-7.

The match got off to a relatively slow start, with 33 minutes passing before AJ MacGinty opened the scoring with a penalty.

However, Falcons drew first blood in terms of tries, with Will Welch scoring from a pick-and-go three minutes later following 20 phases on attack.

The tide turned once more when Logovi’i Mulipola was sent to the sin-bin for 10 minutes for an early tackle on Marland Yarde.

Sale wasted no time before capitalising on their numerical advantage, with James Phillips forcing his way over under the posts after a lengthy build-up.

Falcons lost another player to a yellow card shortly afterwards, with Micky Young receiving a 61st minute yellow card for a high tackle.

The match stayed relatively evenly-poised until 65 minutes in, when a well-worked move following an attacking line-out saw Bryn Evans go over to extend Sale’s lead beyond a converted try.

Seven minutes later, they all but sealed victory, with James O’Connor’s pass sending Rohan Janse van Rensburg through for the try.

The scorers:

For Sale Sharks:
Tries: Phillips, Evans, Van Rensburg
Con: MacGinty
Pen: MacGinty

For Newcastle Falcons:
Try: Welch
Con: Hodgson
Yellow Cards: Mulipola, Young

Sale: 15 Sam James, 14 Byron McGuigan, 13 Luke James, 12 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 11 Marland Yarde, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Will Cliff, 8 Josh Strauss, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Jono Ross (c), 5 James Phillips, 4 Bryn Evans, 3 WillGriff John, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Ross Harrison
Replacements: 16 Curtis Langdon, 17 Alexandru Tarus, 18 Joe Jones, 19 Andrei Ostrikov, 20 Josh Beaumont, 21 Gus Warr, 22 Mark Jennings, 23 James O’Connor

Newcastle: 15 Simon Hammersley, 14 Vereniki Goneva, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Sinoti Sinoti, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Michael Young, 8 Mark Wilson, 7 Will Welch (c), 6 Gary Graham, 5 Tevita Cavubati, 4 Calum Green, 3 Logovi’i Mulipola, 2 George McGuigan, 1 Adam Brocklebank
Replacements: 16 Kyle Cooper, 17 Sami Mavinga, 18 David Wilson, 19 Will Witty, 20 Ryan Burrows, 21 Sonatane Takulua, 22 Joel Hodgson, 23 Tom Penny

Referee: Tom Foley
Assistant referees: Anthony Woodthorpe, Tim Wigglesworth
Television match official: Trevor Fisher

Wasps 21-35 Gloucester
Ricoh Arena

Gloucester claimed all five points away at the Ricoh Arena with a 35-21 victory over Wasps, having led 20-7 at half-time.

Wasps headed into the match in fine form, with four wins in the bag from five games. That looked set to continue early on, when Dan Robson charged through a gap at the ruck and raced away from the attempted cover tackle to score the opening try of the game.

However, it was to be the hosts’ last of the half, as Gloucester stunned them with tries from first Ben Vellacott and then Charlie Sharples.

Former Wasp Danny Cipriani, who was instrumental in the build-up to Vellacott’s try, setting him up with a great kick, converted both tries and added two penalties before the half-time break.

Wasps were in no mood to go down without a sting in the tail and started the second half off with a try from Elliot Daly.

Then, 61 minutes in, Juan de Jongh touched down from Craig Hampson’s kick, with Billy Searle’s conversion narrowing Gloucester’s lead to two points.

However, as the match headed into its closing stages, Johan Ackermann’s side took control once more, with Sharples scoring his second try of the game, diving over in the corner after an offload from Jason Woodward.

A 74th minute try from Lewis Ludlow gave Gloucester their fourth try and put the cherry on top of the cake.

The scorers:

For Wasps:
Tries: Robson, Daly, De Jongh
Cons: Searle 3

For Gloucester:
Tries: Vellacott, Sharples 2, Ludlow
Cons: Cipriani 3
Pens: Cipriani 3

Wasps: 15 Rob Miller, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Elliot Daly (c), 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Billy Searle, 9 Dan Robson, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 Nizaam Carr, 6 Ashley Johnson, 5 James Gaskell, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Tommy Taylor, 1 Ben Harris
Replacements: 16 Tom Cruse, 17 Zurabi Zhvania, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Kearnan Myall, 20 Thomas Young, 21 Craig Hampson, 22 Michael Le Bourgeois, 23 Gaby Lovobalavu

Gloucester: 15 Tom Hudson, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Billy Twelvetrees, 12 Mark Atkinson, 11 Matt Banahan, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Ben Vellacott, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Lewis Ludlow, 6 Jake Polledri, 5 Gerbrandt Grobler, 4 Ed Slater (c), 3 Fraser Balmain, 2 James Hanson, 1 Josh Hohneck
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Ollie Adkins, 18 Ciaran Knight, 19 Freddie Clarke, 20 Gareth Evans, 21 Callum Braley, 22 Owen Williams, 23 Jason Woodward

Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys
Assistant referees: Andrew Jackson, Wayne Falla
Television match official: Claire Hodnett

Harlequins 20-25 Saracens
The Stoop

Defending champions Saracens scored a 25-20 comeback victory over Harlequins, having trailed 13-9 at half-time.

The visitors came into the match with a perfect 25 points from five games, but this time they were made to sweat from the get-go.

Marcus Smith and Owen Farrell traded early penalties, but then 34 minutes in, with the score at 6-6, Danny Care stunned Sarries by running half the length of the pitch to score the opening try of the game.

The boot of Farrell kept the champions within touching distance, but then, after Smith missed a penalty kick of his own, Joe Marchant was able to gather the ball mid-air and score a comical 54th minute try to give Quins some breathing space.

However, Saracens refused to lie down, and after another Farrell penalty put them back within striking range, Billy Vunipola finally scored their first try in the corner on 68 minutes following some quick hands.

The boot of Farrell kept the scoreboard ticking and Saracens were able to hold on for a narrow win, although they now trail Exeter Chiefs on points difference at the top of the table.

The scorers:

For Harlequins:
Tries: Care, Marchant
Cons: Smith 2
Pens: Smith 2

For Saracens:
Tries: B Vunipola
Cons: Farrell
Pens: Farrell 6

Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Nathan Earle, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Paul Lasike, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Danny Care, 8 James Chisholm, 7 Chris Robshaw (cc), 6 Renaldo Bothma, 5 James Horwill (cc), 4 Matt Symons, 3 Kyle Sinckler, 2 Max Crumpton, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements: 16 Dave Ward, 17 Lewis Boyce, 18 Will Collier, 19 Stan South, 20 Semi Kunatani, 21 Charlie Mulchrone, 22 Demetri Catrakilis, 23 Alofa Alofa

Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 David Strettle, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Alex Lozowski, 11 Alex Lewington, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Billy Vunipola, 7 Mike Rhodes, 6 Nick Isiekwe, 5 George Kruis, 4 Will Skelton, 3 Titi Lamositele, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Christopher Tolofua, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 Christian Judge, 19 Maro Itoje, 20 Schalk Burger, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Marcelo Bosch, 23 Sean Maitland

Referee: Luke Pearce
Assistant referees: Hamish Smales, Robert Warburton
Television match official: David Rose

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Scarlets got Saturday’s PRO14 action underway with a 20-17 victory over the Ospreys before Cardiff Blues beat the Dragons 23-15, Leinster claimed a 30-22 triumph over Munster and Benetton Rugby secured a 28-5 win against the Southern Kings.

Scarlets 20-17 Ospreys

Scarlets picked up their fourth win of the PRO14 season on Saturday as they beat Ospreys 20-17 to climb into second place in Conference B.

Ospreys led 12-10 at the break after recovering well following Johnny McNicholl’s 16th minute try, which came after Kieron Fonotia’s break.

The visitors responded with two quick-fire tries in the 30th and 33rd minute, with centre Cory Allen and wing George North’s crossings helping push the Ospreys into a 12-7 advantage. However, a late penalty from Leigh Halfpenny brought down the curtain on the half with Scarlets three down.

Halfpenny would strike again off the tee 12 minutes into the second period to move his team 13-12 in front before Rhys Patchell’s converted score extended the lead to eight points on 58 minutes. Ospreys were suddenly two scores down and needing to halt the Scarlets momentum.

They soon responded through Luke Morgan, who finished off Justin Tipuric’s break, as the scoreline was now 20-17. But Scarlets held on to claim the four points and the derby bragging rights.

The scorers:

For Scarlets:
Tries: McNicholl, Patchell
Cons: Halfpenny 2
Pens: Halfpenny 2

For Ospreys:
Tries: Allen, North, Morgan
Con: Davies

Scarlets: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Tom Prydie, 13 Kieron Fonotia, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Johnny McNicholl, 10 Rhys Patchell, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Blade Thomson, 7 Will Boyde, 6 Ed Kennedy, 5 David Bulbring, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Ken Owens (c), 1 Wyn Jones
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Phil Price, 18 Werner Kruger, 19 Tom Price, 20 Josh Macleod, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Angus O’Brien, 23 Paul Asquith

Ospreys: 15 James Hook, 14 George North, 13 Cory Allen, 12 Owen Watkin, 11 Luke Morgan, 10 Sam Davies, 9 Aled Davies, 8 James King, 7 Justin Tipuric (c), 6 Sam Cross, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Ma’afu Fia, 2 Scott Baldwin, 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements: 16 Scott Otten, 17 Rhodri Jones, 18 Tom Botha, 19 Adam Beard, 20 Olly Cracknell, 21 Matthew Aubrey, 22 Joe Thomas, 23 Hanno Dirksen

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Adam Jones (Wales), Simon Rees (Wales)
Television match official: Tim Hayes (Wales)

Dragons 15-23 Cardiff Blues

Cardiff Blues got the better of the Dragons in their Welsh derby at Rodney Parade but they were made to work hard before claiming a 23-15 win.

The home side were the dominant team for large periods and raced into a 12-0 lead midway through the opening half and led 12-5 at half-time before Cardiff fought back in the second period and eventually secured a deserved win.

The Dragons opened the scoring in the 12th minute courtesy of a Josh Lewis try after Jordan Williams did well in the build-up.

In the 19th minute, Adam Warren made a brilliant line break before offloading to Jared Rosser, who crossed for the Dragons’ second try and Williams added the extras to give his team a 12-0 lead.

The Blues struck back when Owen Lane did well to dot down in the right-hand corner but on the balance of play, the Dragons deserved their lead at the break.

The visitors showed improvement after the interval and two penalties from Gareth Anscombe narrowed the gap to a point by the 56th minute, but Williams added a penalty of his own which meant the Dragons led 15-11.

The final quarter saw Cardiff upping the ante on attack and they took the lead in the 61st minute via a Kristian Dacey try before Lane crossed for his second try five minutes later which secured the result for Cardiff Blues.

The scorers:

For Dragons:
Tries: Lewis, Rosser
Con: J Williams
Pen: J Williams

For Cardiff Blues:
Tries: Lane 2, Dacey
Con: Anscombe
Pens: Anscombe 2

Dragons: 15 Jordan Williams, 14 Dafydd Howells, 13 Adam Warren, 12 Jarryd Sage, 11 Jared Rosser, 10 Josh Lewis, 9 Rhodri Williams, 8 Ross Moriarty, 7 Ollie Griffiths, 6 Aaron Wainwright, 5 Cory Hill (c), 4 Brandon Nansen, 3 Leon Brown, 2 Elliot Dee, 1 Brok Harris
Replacements: 16 Richard Hibbard, 17 Ryan Bevington, 18 Aaron Jarvis, 19 Huw Taylor, 20 Nic Cudd, 21 Tavis Knoyle, 22 Tyler Morgan, 23 Will Talbot-Davies

Cardiff Blues: 15 Matthew Morgan, 14 Owen Lane, 13 Rey Lee-Lo, 12 Willis Halaholo, 11 Jason Harris, 10 Gareth Anscombe, 9 Lloyd Williams, 8 Nick Williams, 7 Ellis Jenkins (c), 6 Josh Navidi, 5 Josh Turnbull, 4 George Earle, 3 Dmitri Arhip, 2 Kristian Dacey, 1 Brad Thyer
Replacements: 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Rhys Gill, 18 Dillon Lewis, 19 Macauley Cook, 20 Olly Robinson, 21 Tomos Williams, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Garyn Smith

Referee: Ian Davies (Wales)
Assistant referees: Gwyn Morris (Wales), Gareth Newman (Wales)
Television match official: Sean Brickell (Wales)

Leinster 30-22 Munster

Leinster claimed bragging rights in their derby with Munster after securing a deserved 30-22 victory at the Aviva Stadium.

Despite being on the back foot for long periods, Munster fought back bravely on several occasions and both sides would eventually score three tries apiece.

The home side made the brighter start and were awarded a penalty try in the 11th minute, after the television match official ruled that there was early contact from Keith Earls on James Lowe deep inside Munster’s 22, and Earls was also sent to the sin bin for his indiscretion.

Five minutes later, Lowe showed great determination before crossing for Leinster’s second try which was converted by Ross Byrne, but the visitors struck back with tries from Tadhg Beirne and CJ Stander which meant Leinster held a slender 14-12 lead by the half-hour mark.

Byrne added two penalties which gave Leinster a 20-12 lead at the interval and another converted try from Lowe, early in the second half, meant the home side were in control of proceedings.

Munster narrowed the gap via a Joey Carbery penalty in the 56th minute and in the 67th minute Alby Mathewson crossed for their third try after selling the defence a dummy deep inside Leinster territory.

Leinster finished stronger though and sealed their win the 70th minute when Byrne succeeded with his third penalty.

The scorers:

For Leinster:
Tries: Penalty try, Lowe 2
Cons: Byrne 2
Pens: Byrne 3

For Munster:
Tries: Beirne, Stander, Mathewson
Cons: Carbery 2
Pen: Carbery
Yellow Card: Earls

Leinster: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Fergus McFadden, 13 Rory O’Loughlin, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Seán O’Brien, 7 Dan Leavy, 6 Rhys Ruddock (c), 5 James Ryan, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Michael Bent, 2 James Tracy, 1 Jack McGrath
Replacements: 16 Seán Cronin, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Andrew Porter, 19 Mick Kearney, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Noel Reid, 23 Dave Kearney

Munster: 15 Andrew Conway, 14 Darren Sweetnam, 13 Sammy Arnold, 12 Dan Goggin, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Joey Carbery, 9 Alby Mathewson, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Tommy O’Donnell, 6 Peter O’Mahony (c), 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Stephen Archer, 2 Niall Scannell, 1 Dave Kilcoyne
Replacements: 16 Kevin O’Byrne, 17 James Cronin, 18 Ciaran Parker, 19 Billy Holland, 20 Chris Cloete, 21 Duncan Williams, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 Rory Scannell

Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Dan Jones (Wales), Mike English (Wales)
Television match official: Jon Mason (Wales)

Benetton Rugby 28-5 Southern Kings

Benetton Rugby returned to the victory trail when they claimed a 28-5 bonus-point triumph over the Southern Kings in Treviso.

As the scoreline suggests, the home side dominated for long periods and they eventually outscored the Kings by four tries to one with two of those five-pointers penalty tries.

Benetton Rugby were fastest out of the blocks and took the lead as early as the fourth minute when Luca Bigi crashed over off the back of a driving maul deep inside the Kings’ 22.

Tommaso Allan added the extras and the visitors were dealt another blow in the 12th minute when Justin Forwood was yellow carded for a cynical defensive foul. The hosts made full use of their numerical advantage and were rewarded when Dewaldt Duvenage crossed for their second try in the 17th minute and Allan’s conversion gave his side a 14-0 lead.

In the 23rd minute, Benetton Rugby extended the gap courtesy of a penalty try which gave them a 21-0 lead, but the Kings narrowed the gap when Yaw Penxe scored their only try in the 32nd minute.

Benetton Rugby went further ahead via another penalty try in the 53rd minute that also marked the end of Forwood’s game as he received his second yellow card for his part in the indiscretion which led to the try.

The rest of the match was a scrappy affair although the Kings did well to prevent the home side from adding to their tally.

The scorers:

For Benetton Rugby:
Tries: Bigi, Duvenage, Penalty try 2
Cons: Allan 2

For Southern Kings:
Try: Penxe
Yellow Card: Oelofse
Red Card: Justin Forwood (two yellow cards)

Benetton Rugby: 15 Jayden Hayward, 14 Ratuva Tavuyara, 13 Ignacio Brex, 12 Luca Morisi, 11 Monty Ioane, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Robert Barbieri (c), 7 Abraham Steyn, 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Alessandro Zanni, 3 Tiziano Pasquali, 2 Luca Bigi, 1 Nicola Quaglio
Replacements: 16 Alberto De Marchi, 17 Derrick Appiah, 18 Simone Ferrari, 19 Irné Herbst, 20 Michele Lamaro, 21 Edoardo Gori, 22 Ian McKinley, 23 Alberto Sgarbi

Southern Kings: 15 Masixole Banda, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Harlon Klaasen, 12 Berton Klaasen, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Martin Du Toit, 9 Godlen Masimla, 8 Ruaan Lerm, 7 Andisa Ntsila, 6 CJ Velleman, 5 John-Charles Astle, 4 Schalk Oelofse, 3 Luvuyo Pupuma, 2 Michael Willemse (c), 1 Justin Forwood
Replacements: 16 Alandre Van Rooyen, 17 Lupumlo Mguca, 18 Rossouw De Klerk, 19 Bobby De Wee , 20 Marthinus Burger, 21 Ruan Van Rensburg, 22 Ntabeni Dukisa, 23 Tristan Blewett

Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
Assistant referees: Wayne Davies (Wales), Matteo Liperini (Italy)
Television match official: Alan Falzone (Italy)

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Highlights from New Zealand‘s 32-30 victory over South Africa in Pretoria.

Video credit: rugby.com.au

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