Shaun Goosen looks back on a weekend of rugby that saw the Toulouse suffer another setback, a number of competitive Gallagher Premiership and Currie Cup fixtures.
Griquas, Sharks and Cheetahs claim wins
The Griquas upset Western Province 22-20 at Tafel Lager Park on Friday, while Saturday saw wins for the Sharks over the Lions (45-31) at Emirates Airlines Park, and Cheetahs over the Pumas (28-17) at the Mbombela Stadium. As a result, the Sharks and Cheetahs remain unbeaten in the competition, with the Durbanites occupying top spot on 14 points, one ahead of the Free Staters. The Lions remain winless from their three games, while the Griquas’ positive result saw them rise to fourth with two wins from their four outings.
Standard wins for URC heavy hitters
This was a URC weekend that went pretty much as expected with all the favourites collecting wins. Munster claimed a 34-20 win at home over Edinburgh on Friday, while Saturday saw home wins for Leinster against Ospreys (29-7) and Glasgow against Benetton (13-3). Connacht won away at Scarlets 29-23 while Ulster beat Dragons 12-0 at Rodney Parade on Sunday in terrible Welsh weather.
The South Africans will be back this weekend after a break, with the Bulls travelling to Zebre, the Lions at mighty Leinster, Sharks playing Benetton and the Stormers in Connacht.
Toulouse lose for sixth time in succession in Top 14
Toulouse’s Top 14 slump continues after they were beaten 27-22 at Pau; their sixth straight loss in the competition. While Six Nations call-ups and injuries haven’t helped their cause, the fact is they’re now sixth, trailing leaders Bordeaux by 12-points. Despite plenty of games still to play, they now face a real uphill battle to finish in a respectable position and make their post-season as easy as possible.
Every team earns points in Prem weekend
It doesn’t happen all that often, but the weekend’s round 16 action saw every Premiership side earn at least one point in the competition; again highlighting just how competitive a league the Prem is despite the loss of the Six Nations internationals.
There were home wins for Worcester over Bristol (19-14), Harlequins over Wasps (29-24) and London Irish over Saracens (32-20). Winning away were the Tigers at Bath (24-20), Sale at Saints (22-21) and Exeter over Newcastle (15-14).
