Who's hot…and who's not!
It's time for our weekly wrap up of who has been setting the benchmarks and who needs to be dropped to bench!
It's time for our weekly wrap up of who has been setting the benchmarks and who needs to be dropped to bench!
They're on fire!
Treviso: At the start of the season very few punters would have bet on Treviso making the PRO12 play-offs but with five wins on the clock so far this term – including three in a row on the road – anything is possible. Connacht were the latest victims as the Italians took their winning form to Ireland last Friday. Next up? Biarritz in the Heineken Cup.
Agen and Exeter: Three cheers for the little guys! The Chiefs and Agenais are proof that a massive payroll isn't always a prerequisite for success. Agen have the second smallest budget in the Top 14 and are currently lying fourth in the standings, with a game in hand. They're ten points clear of Bayonne, who spend 6m Euros more per season. Meanwhile, Exeterm climbed to third on the Premiership table thanks to victory over Worcester.
Australia: The Wallabies followed up their thumping defeat of the Baa-Baas a fortnight ago with another victory over Wales – their fourth over the Welsh in succession – to end 2011 on a high. Second-half tries by scrum-half Will Genia and wing Lachie Turner – scored in quick succession after Wales full-back Leigh Halfpenny had been sin-binned for tackling James O'Connor without the ball – were followed by a Berrick Barnes touchdown.
Shane Williams: The Welsh Wizard may have tasted defeat in his last international, but bowed out of Test rugby in spectacular fashion with a trademark try with his final act in the red shirt to send a 62,000 Millennium Stadium crowd wild.
Harlequins: Fourteen consecutive wins in all competitions – enough said.
England Sevens team: Holland…er, wait… England retained their Dubai Sevens title with a 29-12 victory over France over the weekend. Ben Ryan's troops triumphed the hard way after seeing off New Zealand and Fiji in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively. With English rugby in turmoil since the World Cup, the Sevens team were at least able to give England fans something to smile about. A special mention goes to Player of the Tournament Mat Turner.
Jerome Kaino: The World Cup-winning flanker missed out on the IRB Player of the Year gong, but saw off the challenge of his All Blacks team-mates Ma'a Nonu and captain Richie McCaw to be named New Zealand's Player of the Year.
The Blitzbokke's pearly white shorts: So, sense prevailed after all as the SA Sevens side decided to ditch those 'diaper pants.' Their new jerseys look pretty nifty too! We're all for innovation and flash kits in the Sevens game and at least South Africa's colours are recognisable to fans…unlike England and Australia.
Brrrrr….someone turn the heater up!
Chris Ashton: Everyone knows the basic rules of the playground: No low blows, no pinching, no going for the eyes, no pulling hair! For the second time in as many visits to Welford Road, Ashton was in a dust up with one of the Tuilagis, this after yanking Alesana from the field by his dreadlocks. Not cool! Strictly speaking, it's not a transgression of the laws but no one was surprised to seem him cited for “acts contrary to good sportsmanship.” The brawl that the incident sparked almost ruined the best game of the Premiership season so far. At least he didn't steal anyone's lunch money.
Supersport's TV scheduling: Fans in South Africa hoping to watch Saturday's Wales v Wallabies clash live (as advertised) were sorely disappointed when they tuned into the local pay-station only to find golf being screened instead. Viewers were forced to sit through a drab prize giving until coverage started, over an hour late.
Biarritz, Perpignan and Bayonne: Basques and Catalans fans are in a state of disbelief as three of France's biggest clubs are in embroiled in the relegation battle halfway through the season. USAP fired their manager a few weeks ago and on Tuesday Bayonne coaches Christian Gajan, Thomas Lièvremont and Frédéric Tauzin were also given the axe.
Imanol Harinordoquy's dad: Parents can often lose their cool when watching their kids from the sidelines. But the father of France star Imanol Harinordoquy took family allegiance to a whole new level after he was involved in a punch-up on the field during a Top 14 clash between Biarritz and arch rivals Bayonne in the Basque derby.
Leigh Halfpenny: Talk about a costly yellow card. With Wales 6-3 up early in the second half, the Welsh full-back was sent to the sin-bin and Australia scored 21 unanswered points while he was off the field to end the game as a contest.
New Zealand Sevens team: Defending series champions NZ entered the first and second legs of the 2011/12 Sevens World Series as favourites and twice they've been knocked out – will it be third time lucky at the Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens in Port Elizabeth?
Jaques Fourie: We were split over this one. In the blue corner, Stormers fans were annoyed at the Bok centre for deciding not to renew his contract with the Cape Town-based franchise after initially saying he would after signing for Japanese club Panasonic Wild Knights. And in the red corner, the question was asked: would you turn down millions of dollars to come back home?
Compiled by Dave Morris and Ross Hastie