Sunday Social: Rugby Championship blown wide open after round two, epic sponsor announcement and pre-season heat

Dylan Coetzee

It is time for Planet Rugby’s Sunday Social, your quirky recap of the serious and not so serious talking points from the past week’s action.

Firstly, Los Pumas power to the TOP of the Rugby Championship table after their record 48-17 win over the Wallabies. Truly well deserved from Michael Cheika’s men.

That result came after New Zealand shocked South Africa to help ease the pressure on not just head coach Ian Foster but also the squad as a whole. Here they are celebrating.

It’s safe to say that the All Blacks players are fully behind Foster but it remains to be seen whether that superb victory at Ellis Park is enough to save the head coach’s position.

Despite losing, Springbok centre, Lukhanyo Am is a name on many lips after a sublime performance. What a player he is. Am could be one of South Africa’s best-ever centres.

Cut in half! What a crazy hit by powerhouse loosehead prop Taniela Tupou. Would not like to catch the eye of the gargantuan front-row in traffic. That will leave a mark.

One for all the props out there! There is nothing like a bunch of front-rows slugging it out in a sprint. Absolute gold content. Those big lads have quite a bit of toe on them.

Meanwhile, outrageously accurate lineout throwing by the England women’s side in this mini-competition. Good thing Joseph Dweba did not take part in this challenge.

Don’t forget the sunscreen, lads. The Ulster squad lather their skin to deal with the excessive heat in pre-season. Good training for their trips to sunny South Africa this season.

Brive’s pre-season looks like a summer camp from an American movie. Good to see the team bonding over food and work in the searing heat, after some hard work of course.

Elsewhere, it was amazing to see such stunning support for Ed Slater as he finished the 350 miles cycle to raise money for the 4ED campaign aimed at fundraising in aid of Motor Neurone Disease. Slater is a warrior in every sense of the word, and the rugby community continues to support him in every way. It is far more than just a game.

A heartwarming story now, filled with determination, perseverance and dedication. Georgian coach Levan Maisashvili opens up on how he almost did not survive Covid and then recovered to guide his team to a famous win against Italy. Inspirational.

In England, there was an epic announcement of Bristol Bears’ new shirt sponsor Huboo as they house a shirt from a hot-air balloon. As far as announcements go, that is as good as it gets. Unconventional but exciting, like Cheslin Kolbe bursting onto the Test scene.

Finally, a brilliant post from the Six Nations Twitter page, who used an old Scottish victory celebration against England to match being let off work early on a Friday. Fantastic effort from the admin on this one, who deserves to knock off early next Friday.

READ MORE: Jacques Nienaber: Springboks were not accurate enough at Ellis Park

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