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!
Ireland stars return in demolition: It was a good weekend for Leinster, Ireland and the individuals themselves as James Lowe and Dan Sheehan impressed at the weekend. Lowe set up both of Sheehan’s tries as Leo Cullen’s men thrashed the Stormers 36-12 to make it 10 successive victories in the United Rugby Championship. The wing has not played since November while the hooker had not featured at all this season, so their returns are timely for interim boss Simon Easterby.
Munster’s revival: There is still plenty of work for the Irish province to do but there are signs that they are beginning to find their form. It has been a difficult season for Munster so far, but they played some wonderful rugby in the first half of their game against the Dragons on Saturday, going 31-0 up at the break. They weren’t quite as impressive after the interval as five players were forced off – three with HIAs and rest with other injury issues – but it did not detract from a fine win.
New Gloucester: George Skivington was a man under pressure at the end of last season, but the Cherry and Whites stuck with the head coach and it is seemingly paying dividends. At the weekend, Gloucester produced a stunning 10-minute spell to overturn a 28-17 deficit and beat Leicester Tigers 38-31. There has been a change in Gloucester’s game plan this season, with Skivington letting his side off the leash, and the players have relished the new style.
Zebre stun Ulster: The Italians have often been the whipping boys of the United Rugby Championship, but they are a different proposition nowadays. They had already secured a couple of impressive victories in 2024/25 – their 42-33 success over Munster the most notable – but Zebre’s away win over Ulster almost certainly eclipsed that. They moved 15-0 in front through Bautista Stavile and Giacomo Da Re tries and, although the hosts fought back via a Corrie Barrett double, Zebre held on for a famous win. It is fantastic to see them being more competitive.
Classy Finn Russell: Gregor Townsend will very much be thankful that the star fly-half got through Sunday’s encounter unscathed, while Bath will also be pleased that he could help them see off a stern challenge from Sale Sharks. Russell was arguably the difference as the West Countrymen made it nine victories in 11 Premiership matches thanks to the 32-23 success. The Scottish playmaker was a class apart and it was his vision which set up the decisive score Tom Carr-Smith.
COLD AS ICE!
Late Six Nations injuries: It is inevitable but no less galling as key players were ruled out of some of the Six Nations. That was the case for Tadhg Furlong and Damian Penaud, stars for Ireland and France respectively, who will certainly be absent from the opening weekend. Of those that will miss the entire tournament, it includes Sione Tuipulotu and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, two players that bring so much excitement to the field. It is devastating for the players but also disappointing for the teams and fans, who will not see some of the best players in the game take to the pitch.
Six Nations Injured XV: ‘Seismic setback’ for Scotland while France hit hardest by SIX absentees
Refereeing criticism: Considering the recent Mack Hansen saga, it was concerning to see so many coaches vent their frustration at the match officials at the weekend. It started with Michael Cheika, who was disappointed by Ben O’Keeffe’s appointment, before Alex Sanderson and Ronan O’Gara joined in on Sunday, with Karl Dickson and Paul Williams the target of their ire respectively. Ironically, those three will be the referees for Round One of the Six Nations, with Williams taking France v Wales, Dickson in charge of Scotland v Italy and O’Keeffe officiating Ireland v England. With the abuse of referees continuing to be in the spotlight, those comments will only exacerbate the hate they receive. In fairness to Sanderson, he rarely publicly discusses the officials, but the other two are serial offenders and must do better.
World Rugby winners out: While injuries in the northern hemisphere are currently a subject of discussion, the Springboks and All Blacks fans will also be concerned after Pieter-Steph du Toit and Wallace Sititi went under the knife respectively. Although it is a few months until the July series, South Africa and New Zealand could potentially be impacted by those injuries with them set to miss the majority of their domestic seasons. World Rugby Player of the Year Du Toit will likely be absent for the rest of the Japan Rugby League One campaign while World Rugby Breakthrough Player of the Year Sititi is set to spend most of Super Rugby Pacific on the sidelines. It is hugely unfortunate for both players.
NZR’s Richie Mo’unga setback: It has been reported that the All Blacks fly-half will see out his contract in Japan which is a blow to Scott Robertson and New Zealand Rugby. Mo’unga joined Toshiba Brave Lupus after the conclusion of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, but the governing body openly revealed their desire to bring him back early. However, it seems like they have been unable to come to an agreement. Although the 30-year-old could return in 2026, a year before the 2027 World Cup, that may complicate matters for Robertson, who could have already found a solution to his fly-half conundrum. Equally, NZR’s meddling has already had a knock-on effect after third choice All Blacks pivot Harry Plummer signed a deal with Clermont Auvergne, citing the Mo’unga talk as a factor in his decision to leave.
20-minute red: Rather surprisingly, the Six Nations have confirmed that the 20-minute red card will be trialled in the 2025 tournament, a decision which rather contradicts the general scepticism which has emanated from Europe over the controversial law. Ireland and France have publicly stated their opposition, while it is thought that the other Six Nations countries are not particularly fond of it either. Nothing has changed in our mind over the fact that the 20-minute red is a ridiculous idea, so it is concerning that it will be trialled over the next month-and-a-half.
Fully-loaded Stormers: With the majority of the Ireland stars absent for the clash at the Aviva Stadium, it opened the door for the South African franchise. However, they were abject at the weekend and succumbed rather meekly in the second period. The injury to Manie Libbok did not help but the Stormers were already showing signs of creaking before that happened and duly fell to yet another defeat, leaving them down in 12th place in the URC. The Cape Town outfit are not out of the title picture just yet but they need a vast improvement in the second half of the season if they are to challenge.
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/whos-hot-and-whos-not-ireland-duo-prove-fitness-six-nations-introduces-ridiculous-law-and-serial-offenders-disappoint-with-ref-criticism
