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!
Leinster and Jacques Nienaber: The recruitment of ex-Springboks head coach Nienaber after the World Cup was a statement signing by the Irish province. Leinster started 2025 as they ended 2024, winning, as they banished their old foe La Rochelle in round three of the Investec Champions Cup by the tightest of margins. It was hardly the most thrilling fixture between the two sides but the Nienaber effect was clearly the deciding factor as the Irish province remained resolute to everything the French side threw at them including a stunning set with time up on the clock.
French scrum-halves: The depth that Fabien Galthie has at his disposal was on full display this weekend with Baptiste Serin, Maxime Lucu and Antoine Dupont all enjoying standout performances in the Champions Cup. This while Nolann Le Garrec, who starred in Dupont’s absence in the Six Nations last year, was sidelined for Racing 92. Lucu was arguably the pick of the lot over the weekend with a glorious performance but all three of them were impressive in their respective side’s victories.
Bordeaux ballers: Exeter Chiefs were always up against huge odds on Saturday as they faced off against a red-hot and confident Bordeaux outfit littered with star names. Rob Baxter’s side have endured an incredibly tough season and it didn’t get any easier over the weekend with the likes of Lucu, Damian Penaud, Matthieu Jalibert and Louis Bielle-Biarrey all in the mood to entertain and entertain they did. After scoring five in the first half, UBB bettered their efforts and crossed for six in the second in an outrageously dominant display.
Kurtley Beale return: It’s always sad to see a player’s career come to an end when it’s not on their own terms. Thankfully, that does not look to be the case for Wallabies great Beale who has re-signed with the Western Force ahead of the 2025 Super Rugby Pacific season as injury cover for Harry Potter. The veteran back suffered a nasty long-term injury last year which denied him a return to the Wallabies jumper and now has a shot at completing that journey in 2025.
Stormers slay Sale Sharks: It’s been a testing season for John Dobson and his charges but they laid down a marker this weekend with an emphatic 40-0 victory over the Premiership side. Perhaps it’s a turning point for the Capetonians in 2024/25? We will have to see.
Springboks backs go big in Japan: It was a profitable weekend for South African backs in Japan with Jesse Kriel and Faf de Klerk inspiring the Canon Eagles to an impressive 53-35 victory over Kwagga Smith’s Blue Revs. Kriel grabbed a brace and set up another try in the win while his long-time centre partner Damian de Allende was in a similarly destructive mood for the Wild Knights grabbing one five-pointer and setting up a pair in his team’s 48-25 win over Franco Mostert’s Honda Heat. Finally, Kurt-Lee Arendse continued his stellar start to life with the Dynaboars scoring twice and assisting another try in a 34-26 win over Kobelco Kobe Steelers.
Bath’s Champions Cup bounce back: While it wasn’t the finest weekend for Premiership clubs, Bath proved to be the shining light on Sunday afternoon with Johann van Graan’s charges keeping their hopes of a place in the knockouts alive after Bristol did similarly a few hours before. Aided by an early red card against Clermont, Bath put in a marvellous display spearheaded by their Springboks powerhouse Thomas du Toit and their masterful fly-half Finn Russell, putting Clermont to the sword in an emphatic 40-21 victory.
Ilona Maher channels her inner Lomu: First start, first try for the USA sevens star as she made the most of her Bristol Bears’ run on debut with a stunning score against Exeter Chiefs in the PWR on Sunday. We won’t say more, just watch.
Simply unstoppable 💪@ilona_maher powers to her first PWR try for @BristolBearsW 👏
Watch live on @rugbyontnt #PWR #PoweredDifferently pic.twitter.com/U5PaPz5jMH
— Premiership Women’s Rugby (@ThePWR) January 12, 2025
COLD AS ICE!
Mack Hansen debacle: On Thursday last week, the Ireland winger learned the fate of his referee-bashing outburst with an independent disciplinary panel handing him a six-week ban, three of which suspended. This was accompanied by an ‘appropriate’ match officials course, a mandatory apology to referee Chris Busby and for Connacht to run an education session about how their players should conduct themselves with the media. The issue was not around the punishment handed down but rather the backlash to it as many felt that Hansen was punished for expressing his opinion – which we believe was not the case. In fact, he clearly slammed the match officials and actually came off with a bit of a slap on the wrist with a timely return for the Six Nations. The debacle is reportedly the ‘tipping point’ for referee Busby who has rued the lack of support for officials and will now step away from officiating.
Premiership defences: In the week that rumours emerged that England head coach Steve Borthwick would be ditching the ‘blitz defence’ tactic in the upcoming Six Nations, the Premiership clubs facing French opposition collectively produced a stinker in defence. Exeter leaked 11 tries against Bordeaux, Northampton Saints let Stade Francais through seven times while Toulon crossed for five against Harlequins. Bath were the weekend’s exception to the rule in the Champions Cup as even Sale Sharks were torn apart by the big South African pack the Stormers presented. The performances exposed somewhat of a soft underbelly and something that will certainly be a concern with the Six Nations just around the corner.
Racing 92 slum continues: Stuart Lancaster’s side have simply not been at the races, sorry, this season as they crashed out of the Champions Cup in the pool stages following their latest defeat to Glasgow Warriors. The French outfit have certainly missed the guidance of Owen Farrell who hasn’t quite made an impact in France just yet and has been sidelined of late. The off-field antics that led to Camille Chat’s dismissal have not helped, neither have rumours of Lancaster’s possible departure. Laurent Travers’ future has also impacted their season as the wealthy Parisian club fails to capitalise on their star-studded squad and huge potential.
Premier Sports’ coverage: The moans and groans from fans who had to fork out for another subscription to watch their team in the Champions Cup this season has been met with further backlash after this weekend’s action. While the feed cut during Toulon v Harlequins was pinned on the pictures provided by the French broadcasters, the fact of the matter is that fans still missed a good chunk of the match. Then there was the picture and sound sync that plagued much of the weekend but perhaps none so more prominently than the Stormers-Sale Sharks game. Simply put, broadcasters need to do a better job of showcasing the best club rugby competition in the world.
READ MORE: Rassie Erasmus weighs in on Springboks fans’ ‘hate’ for Antoine Dupont
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/whos-hot-and-whos-not-antoine-dupont-outshone-by-glorious-performance-while-ilona-maher-scores-big-and-mack-hansens-bashing
