Cheslin Kolbe made an immediate impact on his return from injury in Japan, where Damian de Allende scored a sensational try.

Premiership
– Ruan Ackermann captained Gloucester to a 27-25 victory over Leicester Tigers. The loose forward played 67 minutes and produced a strong performance, against Leicester’s South African back row duo of Jasper Wiese and Hanro Liebenberg. Springbok No 8 Wiese scored one of Leicester’s four tries.

– Bristol Bears produced a big upset by thrashing Premiership league leaders Northampton Saints 52-21. Loose forward Juarno Augustus played off the bench for Northampton, who saw their lead at the top of the table cut to two points.

– Exeter Chiefs bounced back from successive losses with a 25-16 win against Newcastle Falcons. Jacques Vermeulen started at blindside flank for the Chiefs, who climbed up to third on the table.

– Saracens produced a sensational performance to demolish London rivals Harlequins 52-7. Scrumhalf Ivan van Zyl started for Saracens, while Harlequins had lock Stephan Lewies, centre Andre Esterhuizen and fullback Tyrone Green in their starting lineup.

– Johann van Graan‘s Bath closed the gap on Northampton Saints by beating Sale Sharks 42-24, thanks in part to a 17-point haul from flyhalf Finn Russell. Tighthead prop Thomas du Toit and lock Quinn Roux started for Bath, while loosehead prop Juan Schoeman, scrumhalf Louis Schreuder and flank Jaco Coetzee played from the bench. Sale had lock Cobus Wiese, flank Ernst van Rhyn, No 8 Jean-Luc du Preez and centre Robert du Preez in their starting lineup. Lock Hyron Andrews, on loan from the Sharks, made his Sale debut as a substitute.

Top 14
– Toulon grounded high-flying Montpellier with an eight-try 54-7 victory. South African-born, Scotland-capped loose forward Cornell du Preez scored a try for Toulon. Springbok scrumhalf Cobus Reinach started for Montpellier, who dropped back down to the relegation zone with their first loss in the last five games.

– Stade Francais continued their run at the top of the table by beating relegation strugglers Lyon 22-13. Former Sharks centre Jeremy Ward started for Stade, while ex-Bulls flank Arno Botha played off the bench for Lyon.

– Racing 92 slotted a 77th-minute penalty to snatch a 23-21 win against fellow playoff challengers Castres. Tighthead prop Trevor Nyakane started for Racing, who were without Springbok captain Siya Kolisi. A second win in a row saw Racing climb to third place on the table.

– La Rochelle’s inconsistent domestic season continued in a 13-12 loss to Bayonne. Dillyn Leyds started for La Rochelle, who suffered a third defeat in five games, while Uzair Cassiem started for Bayonne.

Japan League One
– Damian de Allende got on the scoresheet with a try as the Wild Knights continued their sensational unbeaten season with a 55-22 victory against defending champions Kubota Spears. Bok lock Lood de Jager also started for the Knights, while the Spears had centre Rikus Pretorius and lock David Bulbring in their lineup.

– Cheslin Kolbe enjoyed a stylish return from injury despite his Suntory Sungoliath side losing 37-25 to Canon Eagles. Kolbe scored a try and set up another win a brilliant run from inside his own 22 to give Suntory a 35-10 lead at the break. Centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg and flank Kobus van Dyk started for the Eagles.

Photo: Koki Nagahama/Getty Images

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Src: sarugbymag.co.za