Who’s hot and who’s not: England wing’s meteoric rise as Tommy Freeman dazzles while World Cup blunder and All Blacks exit raises questions
Tommy Freeman scored four tries for Northampton Saints on Friday.
It’s time for our Monday wrap of who has their name in lights and who is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons after the weekend.
THEY’RE ON FIRE!
Uncapped England duo: What a moment for Saracens wing Noah Caluori and Harlequins flanker Jack Kenningham after the pair were picked by Steve Borthwick in England‘s squad for the Autumn Nations Series. Caluori has hit the ground running for his club this season and is duly rewarded by being named in the 36-player squad. There is also a return to action for Tom Curry with Australia first up this weekend.
Tommy Freeman: His four tries led Northampton to an impressive 43-31 victory over Saracens on Friday night in a performance that not only delights Saints fans but England’s too ahead of the Autumn Nations Series. Tom Pearson was also impressive for the hosts but Freeman crossing four times showed what a poacher he is. He shone on the wing but one wonders if we might see him in the 13 jersey this November.
Hat-trick pair: Not quite as hot as Freeman but hat-tricks for Ulster wing Rob Baloucoune and Sale Sharks full-back Luke James deserve their own section here. Baloucoune was a joy to watch against the Lions on Saturday and his first try especially really caught the eye as he continues his return from injury. Meanwhile, James’ scores were more picking smart lines than anything spectacular but well done to both.
Canterbury: A 15th National Provincial Championship title was wrapped up by Canterbury on Saturday as they overcame Otago 36-28 in what was a thrilling final. Dallas McLeod and Brodie McAlister crossed in the first half but the hosts would go in trailing 14-10. But after the break Canterbury turned on the style with scores from Manasa Mataele, Braydon Ennor, Louie Chapman and Gus Brown securing the win.
Exeter Chiefs: Last season’s woes seem a distant memory right now as Exeter continued their strong start to the Prem season with a slick 39-12 victory over Gloucester at Sandy Park. Henry Slade was the star of the show with a 22-point haul – another positive for Borthwick as England’s Tests loom – with this latest victory putting the confident Chiefs in third place in the standings going into the international break.
Bath’s second half: The reigning champions bounced back from last week’s loss to Leicester Tigers with a victory over their West Country rivals Bristol on Saturday. It wasn’t plain sailing as Bristol started hot but Bath managed to go into half-time 19-15 up. Upon their return it was one-way traffic though as Johann van Graan’s men ran riot, adding a further 21 points to the tally while nilling the Bears in the process.
Stormers and Munster: Sitting pretty atop the United Rugby Championship (URC) standings after racking up their fifth straight wins of the campaign over the weekend. The Stormers’ victory at an always difficult Benetton was made all the more impressive by the fact they were missing star man Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu while Munster edged their way past Connacht at Thomond Park as both sides stay flawless.
Cardiff: Staying with the URC and it’s also been an impressive start to the season from Cardiff. Despite all of the uncertainty surrounding rugby in Wales they were sitting in fourth position with four wins from five games. Granted there are tougher opponents to come but under the circumstances they can be incredibly proud of where they sit going into November. The big challenge now is maintaining this position.
COLD AS ICE!
All Blacks exit: New Zealand Rugby confirmed that assistant coach Jason Holland will leave his post after the end-of-year tour in a shock announcement. It is the second high-profile departure from Scott Robertson’s backroom team since he took over as head coach, this after Leon MacDonald departed in 2024, and leaves the All Blacks without a backs coach going into 2026. Is all not well in the backroom or is it simply a case of a new challenge? Either way stability is usually a sign of a happy camp so Holland’s impending departure hardly shows that.
Gloucester: Their dismal start to the Prem campaign continues as that aforementioned loss at Exeter Chiefs was their fifth on the spin in the league this season. The Cherry and Whites sit on just three points in ninth place with only lowly Newcastle below them on zero. George Skivington is probably sweating as this is a drastic slide from a fifth-place finish of last term. Gloucester fans will demand an improvement.
Absent Boks: Some interesting calls were made by Rassie Erasmus last week when he announced his squad for the Springboks‘ northern hemisphere tour. Missing from the group entirely was Willie le Roux and Vincent Koch while Bongi Mbonambi could only make the standby list as it seems the gradually fazing out of the ageing crop is taking effect. Is this the changing of the guard for South Africa? Quite possibly.
Emeka Ilione blow: Was surely in line for England minutes this autumn but instead cruel luck has struck the young Leicester Tigers back-row after he suffered an injury against Sale Sharks. Ilione will go for a scan today on an injured shoulder and one hopes it is nothing serious as he looks a serious prospect for club and country. Even if he misses the Autumn Nations Series surely an England cap will come in 2026.
World Cup mistake: The World Cup player ineligibility curse has struck again, with Paraguay barred from taking part in November’s final qualifier for the 2027 finals in Australia. Paraguay were set to take on Belgium, Namibia and Samoa in the round-robin qualifier tournament that commences on November 8, but their spot has now gone to Brazil, whom they easily overcame this month over two legs. What a blunder.
Newcastle: There was little bright of note – besides their jersey – as the Red Bulls had a disappointing day at the office at Harlequins. A slow, sluggish and uncoordinated display was how we described the performance, suggesting the 52-14 scoreline almost flattered them. Newcastle simply have to be better or they risk the unthinkable winless season and on this latest showing it might not be as far-fetched as you’d think.
