Who’s hot and who’s not: ‘Stark decline’ for ex-PREM champions while Ulster ‘streets ahead’ of Munster
Ulster impressed while Harlequins were well beaten again.
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!
Ulster shine: Superb from minute one to 80, Ulster once again proved they are moving in the right direction under Richie Murphy as they hammered Munster into submission on Friday night. A 28-3 victory was richly deserved as Ulster dominated physically, were streets ahead in the basics and showed greater hunger than their disappointing visitors. Werner Kok, Bryn Ward, Nathan Doak and Zac Ward were just a handful of players who stood out, but across the board they were excellent in a win that puts them third in the United Rugby Championship.
Perpignan: Who saw that coming? Bottom side Perpignan shocked Top 14 pace-setters Toulouse on Saturday in a 30-27 victory that moves them off the foot of the table. Trailing 21-11 at the break didn’t deter the hosts as USAP fought their way back before a late try from Argentina back-row Joaquin Oviedo won it. While there were some stars missing for Toulouse, like Antoine Dupont, take nothing away from Perpignan.
Newcastle: Speaking of rare triumphs, it was a first of the PREM campaign for Newcastle Red Bulls on Friday as they beat fellow strugglers Gloucester 25-19 at Kingston Park. Tries from George McGuigan, Tom Christie and Simon Benitez Cruz were added to by 10 points from the boot of Brett Connon as the Red Bulls came out on top. Could this be a turning point in Newcastle’s campaign? It certainly feels that way and with box office signings going on off the field, such as Hoskins Sotutu ahead of next season, things appear to be looking up in the north-east.
Duncan Weir: The perfect farewell for the veteran fly-half as he crossed on his final outing for Glasgow Warriors before he moves into an academy coaching job. Weir came off the bench against Zebre Parma in their United Rugby Championship fixture and crossed late on for a try that was well received by his team-mates, fans and the coaching team watching on. It’s clear that the ex-Scotland international is hugely respected at the Warriors and this was the perfect way to bow out on the field, with his attention now firmly centred on guiding youngsters.
Northampton: Things are definitely peachy at the East Midlands side at the moment as they sit pretty atop the PREM standings and have started their Investec Champions Cup campaign in style too, carding two pool victories. It would not surprise us if the Saints made it to the showpiece game in both competitions this season, such is the quality they possess in droves and the ruthless style of play under Phil Dowson. Northampton put a bedraggled Harlequins to the sword at home on Saturday and are definitely the side to catch in England at the moment.
Leinster trio: It was a disappointing start to the season for Leinster but things are very much back on track in the URC after recent derby wins over Ulster, Munster and Connacht. The latter over the weekend was emphatic as they ran in eight tries in a 52-17 victory at the Aviva Stadium and we were hugely impressed by a certain trio in the backline. Tommy O’Brien has become a must-pick for Leo Cullen due to his impact and work-rate with and without the ball while his wing partner, young Josh Kenny, was excellent too as he ran for a game high 121 metres. Lastly, Charlie Tector continues to impress at number 12 with two tries and an assist in Dublin as he outshone Bundee Aki in Dublin.
The Stormers: A spirited Bulls outfit fell short of ending the Cape Town-based outfit’s unbeaten start to the season on Saturday when the two South African heavyweights traded blows at DHL Stadium. Ntuthuko Mchunu grabbed the winner for the hosts off the back of a driving maul to cap off a memorable week for the Stormers, who announced that director of rugby John Dobson had signed a contract extension through to 2029. This came off the back of the confirmation that Springboks captain Siya Kolisi will be returning to the Mother City next season, while fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is sticking around too. The Capetonians are getting things right on the pitch and off it.
COLD AS ICE!
Harlequins: You know it’s bad when a chief executive officer and chairman put out a statement to supporters not 24 hours after a heavy defeat. There were fears about how they would fare at Northampton and, as expected, the visitors were comfortably brushed aside over the weekend. Jason Gilmore is feeling the heat at the moment as the defence guru looked on as for the third straight game his team leaked over 40 points in the league. To be precise, it was 66 put on Harlequins by the Saints as they sit third bottom and appear a team in stark decline.
Munster: The backlash to this result was fierce on social media as the former URC champions were second best in almost every facet on Friday night. In attack they failed to fire a shot while defensively they struggled to contain a superb Ulster, especially in the second period. Perhaps most concerning though was how they were dominated physically and in terms of hunger, while their game management, handling and kicking game was also not up to standard. Head coach Clayton McMillan admitted they need to “find solutions” and Munster must do this quickly as next up is a Champions Cup trip to face Toulon, a side that beat Bath last time out in the competition. A vital period awaits.
Ulster v Munster: Five takeaways as ‘ultimate vibe’ shines in the snow against ‘fumbling’ visitors
Gloucester: The second of two PREM sides in a world of trouble at the moment, the Cherry and Whites suffered an eighth loss of the season on Friday after going down at Kingston Park. Injuries haven’t helped their season, but there’s real dismay from Gloucester supporters at how the team is playing at the moment. Restructuring the coaching department is on the cards but supporters believe there should be more than just tinkering in that area as they are clearly not happy with what they are seeing, with the majority of comments wanting significant change.
Scarlets: It’s tough times for the Welsh region at the moment and they reached a new low last Thursday when going down to the Dragons. The 28-5 loss at Rodney Parade means they remain in bottom spot in the URC, two points behind Zebre Parma with a game in hand. Head coach Dwayne Peel cut a dejected figure in the stands as the result was put beyond them, with this record of two wins from eight below par.
Sharks: This was a big chance to give their URC campaign another shot in the arm on home soil but on Saturday they were stunned by the Lions at Kings Park in Durban. While the side from Johannesburg are no mugs, a Springbok-heavy Sharks team were expected to come out on top. However, a late try from scrum-half Hassiem Pead won the contest 23-22 and leaves the Sharks in 14th, five points off the top eight.
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Ridl mistake: Rob Baxter admitted his young wing Campbell Ridl did “everything wrong” as he took out Bath flyer Henry Arundell in the air with just two minutes played of the Bath v Exeter Chiefs game on Saturday. Ridl wasn’t aware of his surroundings and it ultimately cost him a 20-minute red card. Luckily, there was no serious injury to Arundell but it could have been so much worse. Lesson learned hopefully.
Top 14 gift: The weekend concluded with a poor advert for the Top 14 as La Rochelle thumped a third-string Toulon side 66-0 on Sunday night. The 10-try romp gave La Rochelle much-needed points in the standings after a disappointing start and leaves them in seventh place, three points behind Toulon in fifth. Clearly, Toulon had one eye on their upcoming Champions Cup fixture with Munster but it’s hard not to feel short-changed if you were looking forward to watching an almighty contest at Stade Marcel-Deflandre. Unfortunately, this is a time we live in in professional rugby at the moment whereby teams need to choose their battles so to speak but it doesn’t make it any less frustrating.