Who’s hot and who’s not: Marcus Smith and four-try star hailed while Newcastle Red Bulls and nilled trio struggle
Marcus Smith starred for Harlequins while Scarlets were one of three sides nilled.
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!
Marcus Smith: This past weekend saw the return of several British and Irish Lions and it’s fair to say Smith had the biggest impact across the Prem. Harlequins were hosting Saracens at The Stoop and were desperate to turn a corner after opening the campaign with back-to-back losses. Up stepped Smith to drive his team to a 20-14 win that included a try and a further 10 points off the kicking tee. Even Saracens boss Mark McCall showered praise on Smith after an impressive first outing back.
Stormers: That was a statement performance from the Capetonians on Friday. To rack up five tries and 34 points is impressive on its own but to nil a side like Scarlets on their home patch elevates this triumph to new heights. John Dobson will be delighted with this win as Evan Roos and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu stood out.
Carter Gordon: It’s official then, Gordon is back in rugby union. Rugby Australia has their man in a massive boost not just for the end-of-year internationals but looking ahead to a home Rugby World Cup in 2027. Gordon will turn out for the Reds in Super Rugby Pacific as he looks to put his injury woes behind him following his disrupted stint in rugby league. Fly-half has been an area short of top quality for the Wallabies so the 24-year-old’s return will certainly help in that department.
Anthony Belleau: Fair to say this signing has turned out a lot better than many Saints fans and possibly even Phil Dowson had envisaged. Although it is early days in the campaign, Belleau has hit the ground running at Northampton and his cameo on the wing on Saturday in the East Midlands derby was excellent. He scored two tries – the second was a beauty – as he and Alex Mitchell stood out in this victory. The win takes them up to second in the Prem standings with only Bath above them.
Pau on top: Their latest victory, a 47-24 success over Bayonne, means they are the unlikely leader of the Top 14 standings after six rounds. This win over the previous pace-setters is a real confidence booster for Sébastien Piqueronies’s men, who boast the likes of Luke Whitelock, Joe Simmonds and Jack Maddocks in their side.
Louis Lynagh: Not a bad day’s work from the Italy international star who scored four tries as Benetton hammered the Lions on Saturday. The 41-15 United Rugby Championship win was another sign of Benetton’s growth as a side and they will be a match for anyone this season with a play-off spot highly likely this time around.
Speed. Instinct. Ice-cold finishing. 🧊
Louis Lynagh’s Round 3️⃣ tries were straight class 🫳🎤
Which try was the most outrageous? 👀#BKTURC #URC | #BENvLIO pic.twitter.com/y2vNsz5dOq
— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) October 13, 2025
Jack Willis and Toulouse: It was an excellent week for Willis and Toulouse as the back-row was on Monday night crowned Top 14 Player of the Year and yesterday he and his club side hammered Bordeaux-Begles 56-13 at Stade Ernest-Wallon. It was fitting that Willis opened the scoring for his side on Sunday and it sparked their healthy win over the team they beat in last season’s Top 14 final. In this kind of form Willis and Toulouse will no doubt be challenging on two fronts again in mid-2026.
Ulster: Two wins from two now for Ulster and it was an impressive performance against the previously unbeaten Bulls. The game at Affidea Stadium was in the balance before a second period masterclass saw Ulster crank up their intensity and blow the South Africans away. Led by the likes of Nathan Doak, Juarno Augustus, Jacob Stockdale and Stuart McCloskey among others, the hosts dominated physically and have put down a marker with this result that takes them fifth with a game in hand.
COLD AS ICE!
Newcastle Red Bulls: That was a concerning result and performance against Sale Sharks on Friday as they were blown away 57-5 by Alex Sanderson’s side. In truth it should have been an even larger scoreline but for Sale not taking their opportunities and that doesn’t bode well for Newcastle fans looking ahead to their coming matches. While they have Christian Wade and Tom Christie yet to feature and other solid options to come in, Friday’s gulf in quality was vast. Let’s hope things improve.
Nilled trio: It was a weekend to forget for the Dragons, Scarlets and Zebre Parma as all three sides got nilled. 49-0, 34-0 and 24-0 defeats respectively will have been tough to take for players, coaching staff and fans and while Zebre are still in a decent place in the URC standings, Scarlets are rock bottom with Dragons on the slide.
All Blacks: Scott Robertson shows his hand as he opts for continuity in squad for Grand Slam tour
Rough week for R360: It hasn’t been a great week for the R360 project as players have gone public with contract rejections, international governing bodies have put out firm statements ruling out any player taking up a deal in the proposed breakaway league from playing for their respective country and referees were also informed of the same treatment in terms of Tests and World Cups. With these eight leading nations taking this stance, it’s a setback for R360 as they look to tempt the elite.
Bordeaux-Begles: That was a hiding for UBB as they were handed an eight-try loss at Toulouse on Sunday. While they rested a handful of stars, there was still a fair bit of quality on show in the form of Damian Penaud, Nicolas Depoortère and Cameron Woki, but they were easily brushed aside in a game that was over at half-time.
Edinburgh discipline: Four yellow cards against Munster is simply not good enough in terms of discipline from the Scottish side and it ultimately cost them the win in Cork. Glen Young, D’Arcy Rae, Freddy Douglas and Magnus Bradbury were all carded in the URC match as Munster eventually won 20-19 thanks to a late try.
Bulls drop-off: Level at seven apiece with Ulster at the break, what happened in the second period was a calamity for Johan Ackermann’s outfit. Despite having plenty of Springboks in their team, the Bulls were out of sorts and capitulated as Ulster put their foot to the floor and raced to that aforementioned 28-7 victory. This was a loss that requires some serious looks in the mirror for the South Africans as they were off it on Saturday with their winning start to the URC campaign ended.
