Who’s hot and who’s not: Four-try wing ‘sends message’ after Six Nations snub while three coaches ‘under pressure’
Saracens wing Noah Caluori scored four tries on Saturday.
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
Noah Caluori: Four tries in Saracens’ 73-14 victory over Newcastle Red Bulls as the young wing sent a message to Steve Borthwick after he was overlooked for England’s Six Nations squad. The 19-year-old is a special talent and Newcastle found that out the hard way as Caluori was the star of the show on Saturday. It surely won’t be long until he is an England regular as he has all the tools to succeed at the highest level.
Richie Mo’unga: The All Blacks fly-half crossed for the winning try in the final moments to secure victory for Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo over a Kubota Spears team consisting of Wallabies legend Bernard Foley, former All Black Shaun Stevenson, and double World Cup-winning hooker Malcolm Marx. That score from Mo’unga wrapped up a 24-20 victory for Brave Lupus as the playmaker showed his class once again.
Sharks: There is a lot to like about the Sharks under interim head coach JP Pietersen as they appear to have turned a corner under the ex-Springboks wing. A 30-19 win at the home of the United Rugby Championship leaders and South African rivals the Stormers was just what the doctor ordered for the Durbanites and puts them right in the mix for a top eight place. The victory also ends the Stormers’ unbeaten run in the competition as Pietersen’s charges came away with the full five points. He is certainly putting his case forward to take over long-term.
Toulouse: They made light work of their top-of-the-table clash with Pau as the French giants ran in nine tries in all at Stade Ernest Wallon. Ugo Mola named a strong line-up for this fixture and the quality showed from the outset, with a 40-15 half-time buffer wrapping up the win with time to spare. The 59-22 result extends their lead atop the Top 14 to six points as they very much look like the team to beat in France.
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Northampton: Speaking of pace-setters, the Saints are sitting pretty at the PREM summit after claiming a bonus-point win at Sale Sharks on Saturday. Bath also won over the weekend to keep the pressure on but Northampton are running hot at the moment, thanks in no small part to the impact Henry Pollock brings to their team. His late try was something special as Phil Dowson’s Saints ran out 43-29 winners.
Uncapped call-ups: It’s a special moment for the new faces being named by their respective international side so congratulations goes to those players getting the nod for the Six Nations. They are: Vilikesa Sela, Emmanuel Iyogun and Greg Fisilau (England), Aaron Grandidier Nkanang, Tom Staniforth, Temo Matiu, Gregoire Arfeuil, Fabien Brau-Boirie, Gaël Dréan, Noah Nene, and Ugo Seunes (France), Edwin Edogbo and Nathan Doak (Ireland), Samuele Locatelli and Damiano Mazza (Italy), Gabriel Hamer-Webb and Louie Hennessey (Wales). While being picked in their respective Six Nations squad is a massive achievement, no doubt their focus is now on making a matchday 23.
COLD AS ICE
Harlequins: Fans made their view abundantly clear as they left the Stoop in their droves on Saturday after watching Leicester Tigers rack up a handsome lead without Quins firing a shot. It was 34-0 at one point before a late Chandler Cunningham-South crossing at least spared Harlequins being nilled. The pressure has subsequently ramped up on the coaching team once again as they looked a different outfit to the one that beat La Rochelle on the road last week. Jason Gilmore is taking the brunt of the criticism as defensively the side looked well off it.
Edinburgh: Another head coach under pressure is Sean Everitt as his decision to rest key players against Bath in the Investec Champions Cup meant there was a little extra riding on their performance against the Bulls. They began well on Friday night, taking a 17-5 lead into the break, but thereafter they fell apart and went down to a 19-17 loss. Everitt signed a new two-year contract earlier this month which was met with a certain level of dismay from fans on social media and these two recent results haven’t helped stem the criticism aimed at the coach.
Sale Sharks: The theme of bosses under pressure continues as Alex Sanderson’s team also came out on the wrong side of a result at home. More so than Edinburgh, Sale rested a complete first team for their European clash with Toulouse in order to go into this match with Saints fully-loaded and fresh. However, they were well beaten at CorpAcq Stadium which is their seventh loss in 10 PREM games. That’s increased the anger from Sale fans whose patience appears to be wearing thin with the backroom team as this is an alarming slide from previous years.
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Miles Amatosero: The Waratahs confirmed on Saturday that second-row Miles Amatosero has been suspended following a recent training ground fight with back-row Angus Scott-Young. Amatosero received a four-match suspension, which can be reduced to two, after he came to blows with Scott-Young on the pitch. Video footage of the incident was shocking to say the least and some believe the punishment is lenient.
Snubbed French trio: The most surprising squad announcement definitely came from Les Bleus as there was no Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou or Gregory Alldritt in Fabien Galthie’s selection. The trio are 29, 31 and 28 respectively so it isn’t an age thing looking ahead to the World Cup, these are form-based calls from the head coach that have certainly caught the eye. Penaud is one of the game’s great wings and looks in fine touch with ball in hand for Bordeaux-Begles this season but it’s believed that it’s defensively where Galthie feels he falls short.
Wales problems: The game in Wales has been in turmoil for some time now but there was real chaos over the past week when the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) confirmed that Ospreys’ owners, Y11 Sport and Media, have been chosen as the preferred option to buy Cardiff Rugby. According to the WRU the Ospreys will continue until “at least the end of the 2026/27 season” after which Y11 Sport and Media should take full control of Cardiff, who have been under the control of the WRU since April 2025 after the region’s legal entity – Cardiff Rugby Limited – was placed temporarily into administration. The latest decision has received a significant backlash in the country with Ospreys supporters naturally upset with that news and Swansea Council have also considered legal action and called for the Welsh Rugby Union board to resign.
Christian Wade: 10 missed tackles, losing possession four times and coughing up two penalties is bad enough, but throw in making just one metre per his five carries for Newcastle Red Bulls made it a dismal day at the office for Wade against Saracens at StoneX Stadium on Saturday. At least the only way is up for the flying wing as he will definitely look to right those wrongs the next time he pulls on the jersey.
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