Who’s hot and who’s not: Springboks finish with a flourish, Sam Cane enjoys special century while Rugby Championship table doesn’t lie for Wallabies
The Springboks won the Rugby Championship while the Wallabies finished in last spot.
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!
Springboks and Eben Etzebeth: Their first Rugby Championship title since 2019, South Africa fully deserved their crown on the day that Etzebeth became the team’s most capped player. It was a thumping 48-7 victory over Argentina in Mbombela on Saturday as the likes of Cheslin Kolbe, Pieter-Steph du Toit and many more put in breathtaking performances to finish what was an impressive campaign. Congratulations to the team, coaching staff and of course Etzebeth for his personal feat as the Boks now turn their attention to northern hemisphere opponents.
Sam Cane milestone: Congratulations to the former All Blacks skipper, who earned his 100th cap on his final Test appearance in New Zealand. Cane has been an incredible player for the All Blacks and deserved the acclaim he received after being taken off in the second half of their 33-13 victory over the Wallabies. The flanker is not retiring just yet, as he is available for international duty for the rest of 2024, but it was a lovely way for him to reach the milestone.
Christian Wade and Gloucester: Back in English rugby and back among the tries, the speedster played a key role in the Cherry and Whites’ thrilling 44-41 victory over Bristol Bears at the weekend. This is Wade’s first season back in the Premiership since 2018 – when he left Wasps to pursue a career in the NFL – but he is not too far off the try-scoring record. Chris Ashton, who is top on 101, will certainly be sitting nervously following the flyer’s hat-trick. He may be 33 and still 16 behind Ashton but, with performances like that, he could well surpass the mark.
Christian Wade understood the assignment…. pic.twitter.com/hz6mAPtnRr
— thedeadballarea (@thedeadballarea) September 29, 2024
Ellis Genge’s touch of class: Continuing with the West Country derby and there was a great battle between the England prop and age-grade star Afolabi Fasogbon. It was a fierce duel between the two and it ended with the Cherry and Whites front-rower sarcastically waving Genge off when the Bears made a substitution. However, there were no hard feelings and they hugged it out following the conclusion of the contest in what was a lovely moment.
Zebre Parma’s famous victory: Few saw this result coming as the Italian side finally ended their winless streak in the United Rugby Championship with a famous win over Munster. They showed signs of promise in their opening round loss but this was a massive step up in terms of performance from Zebre as they came from behind to stun Munster. The hosts scored 42 points on the day that included six tries which sparked jubilant scenes at full-time as the players celebrated with their fans in the sunshine.
Joy for Ireland: They produced a stunning upset as they beat world champions New Zealand 29-27 in their opening WXV1 clash in Vancouver on Sunday. Replacement Erin King grabbed her second try to level the scores in the last minute, fly-half Dannah O’Brien holding her nerve to land the decisive conversion via the post. What a result for Ireland, who now turn their attention to face Canada on Saturday while the Black Ferns will look to hit back against England on Sunday.
COLD AS ICE!
Los Pumas suffer huge dip, again: A disappointing theme reared its head again for Argentina on Saturday as they took an unwanted nose dive just one week after claiming a memorable victory. It happened against the All Blacks earlier in the competition and it was always the fear against the Springboks in Mbombela and so it proved. A 41-point loss in an ill-disciplined and off-colour performance made it a tough evening for Los Pumas. However, they can take a great deal from this Rugby Championship, having beaten their three rivals for the first time in one tournament.
Table doesn’t lie for Wallabies: Few expected an upset in Wellington but, with the All Blacks’ dismal record at the venue of late, there was always that possibility of a Wallabies win. A strong start that included a Fraser McReight try offered hope for Australia fans but thereafter it was one-way traffic as Joe Schmidt’s men finished with just one victory from the six games, nine points adrift of Argentina in third. It will make for tough reading for Wallabies supporters and they desperately need something to smile about in the upcoming Autumn Nations Series.
🪜 The final standings from #RugbyChampionship 2024. pic.twitter.com/kWL6KBSZW0
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) September 28, 2024
Talented Benetton side hammered: It is no shame in losing to the defending champions but the manner of the defeat will disappoint the Italian outfit. Last season, Benetton did brilliantly to qualify for the play-offs, but this year they have started with a fortunate draw at home to the Scarlets and a 42-10 loss to the Warriors on Friday. While Scott Scrafton’s red card certainly didn’t help, the visitors rather capitulated after the break. Ultimately, they are well backed and have plenty of talent, so there is no real excuse for Marco Bortolami’s men.
Tom Curry concussion: Footage has emerged of Sale Sharks flanker Tom Curry being clearly knocked unconscious while attempting a tackle in the opening stages of their Round One Premiership game against Harlequins. However, due to a ‘technical issue’ that meant the tackle couldn’t be reviewed, Curry was subsequently sent for a head injury assessment which he passed and returned to the field midway through the half, playing until the interval before Sale permanently removed him. At that point the footage was available and it was concerning to say the least, especially with Curry having played the remainder of the first half. Let’s hope these incidents aren’t missed in future.
Felix Jones situation: The situation with England is all a bit bizarre at the moment. In August, it was reported that Felix Jones had resigned citing an “unstable working environment.” There was no official confirmation but it was widely acknowledged that the Irishman would be departing the set-up. Since then Steve Borthwick has been searching for a replacement, eventually settling on Oyonnax director of rugby and good friend Joe El-Abd. However, it is understood that the RFU have requested that Jones serves out his 12-month period, but that Borthwick does not want him in England camp. As a result, he will be working remotely at his home in Ireland and is only offering tactical insight, rather than continuing with his brilliant defensive work. It is a strange state of affairs.
