Best of the weekend: Gloucester and Irish edge thrillers, Edinburgh stun Connacht

Gloucester and Irish edge thrillers, last orders for London Welsh

In a weekend which saw rain and wind hammer various grounds around England, it was perhaps a surprise (and a welcome one at that) that there was so much good rugby on offer – and it got off to a sensational start when Gloucester underlined their resurgence with a nail-biting win over Saracens. In a game which had a bit of everything – ambition, forward power, tip-tackles (which Mr Kruis was lucky to see just a yellow for) and a last-minute monster penalty to win the match, the only downer was the sight of big Ben Morgan being stretchered off with what we now know was a broken leg.

But there could be no doubting the quality, as Saracens’ pack gave a masterclass in driving play, grabbing one penalty try and a score apiece for the Vunipola brothers from the back of rolling mauls, but the Cherry and Whites kept in touch through two quite magnificent scores. The first came from Wasps-bound Dan Robson, who scooted down the blindside, chipped the defence and touched down with one hand under pressure, whilst the second was a flowing team try finished by Callum Braley after Johnny May had attacked from deep and substitute Gareth Evans had galloped through half of the Sarries defence. It all kept the hosts in touch and they claimed the victory in dramatic fashion – it looked as if Chris Ashton had scored to deny the home side even a bonus point, but replays showed that he had chased Neil De Kock’s kick from an offside position, giving James Hook the opportunity to win the game from 50 metres… and he nailed it for a 24 – 23 victory.

There were no such nerves on sight, sadly, at Kingston Park, as the Newcastle Falcons all but sealed London Welsh’s inevitable plunge right back down into the Championship. The visitors had been on last orders in the last saloon going into this one, but any hope looks to have dried up now as the resurgent Falcons shredded the Exiles despite the difficult conditions to come out 38 – 7 winners. Once again, Tom Catterick was prominent, showing his pace and vision to score one and set up another, whilst Sinoti Sinoti simply toyed with his opponents at times. Justin Burnell is an optimistic bloke, but even he has to wonder if his side will win a single game this season. It’s not looking good, that’s for sure.

Elsewhere, there were more positive signs for Sam Burgess, as he crashed over for his first union try during a man of the match display in a nine try thriller against Wasps, the hosts coming out on top 39 – 26. It was a classic league try too, with Burgess picking a great line off Ford before barrelling his way past two defenders to slam down under the posts. It’s still early days, but the big centre/flanker/who-knows-what is getting better with each game, which is only good news… unless your side happens to be playing Bath over the next couple of weeks.

Elsewhere, a Nick Easter-inspired Harlequins side hammered Leicester 32 – 12 at the Stoop, thanks largely to a superb display at the breakdown in the second half, turning the Tigers over almost at will, whilst Sale caused a shock by stopping the previously-unstoppable Northampton juggernaut with a fine 20 – 7 win at the AJ Bell stadium. There were also plenty of pats on the back in Reading, as a last-gasp Shane Geraghty drop goal snatched a 28 – 26 win for London Irish against an out-of-sorts (and out-of-luck) Exeter side.

Aviva Premiership Star Man: Sam Burgess

Leinster battle past 14-man Blues, unfancied Ediburgh end Connacht’s home record

Leinster were made to battle for victory against a Blues side which spent the majority of the game with 14 men after lock Jarrad Hoeata saw red for a dangerous high tackle on Rob Kearney after just 30 minutes. Despite taking the lead through Noel Reid after a marvellous Jimmy Gopperth run, the boot of Gareth Anscombe kept the hosts ticking over with a couple of penalties followed by a Manoa Vosawai try before the Arms Park crowd saw Hoeata ordered to leave the field. The second half saw the visitors eventually make their numerical advantage tell, however, and they were helped by another yellow card – this time to Vosawai – as they crossed for three second half tries to seal a bonus point.

Across the Irish sea in Connacht, in conditions more suited to Mordor, Edinburgh were doing the eyebrow-raising as they overcame Connacht’s superb home record – undefeated in eight games – courtesy of a 16 – 13 victory. Both sides grabbed five pointers – the hosts through a penalty score, the visitors through Dave Denton – but Connacht’s inability to make the most of the elements in the first half meant that they were kept scoreless in the second period, with Edinburgh scoring nine unanswered points from the boot of Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, who slotted the winning penalty with 10 minutes remaining.

Elsewhere, Glasgow scrapped to a 22 – 7 home victory over the Scarlets in foul conditions, whilst the Ospreys ground out a similar win over the Dragons at the Liberty Stadium to remain top of the standings. There were also wins for Ulster and Munster over Treviso and Zebre respectively, but crucially Ulster failed to get a bonus point and nearly let Treviso back into the game after a poor second half.

Guinness Pro 12 Star Man: Dave Denton

Stade Francais claim emotional win over Castres, Clermont stay top after hammering Brive

Stade Francais continued their resurgence this year with an emotionally charged win over Castres. After the appalling events in Paris in the preceding days, both sides lined up with “Je Suis Charlie” t-shirts and observed a minute’s silence, before delivering an entertaining display of rugby which the hosts dominated, running in six tries – the highlight of which had to be a superb hat-trick for skipper Sergio Parisse – in a 49 – 13 win for the Parisians.

The win saw Stade briefly top the table, but Clermont ensured that it was a fleeing stay as they delivered a hammering of their own against Brive, running out 44 – 20 victors, grabbing five tries and a bonus point in the process. Fellow challengers Toulon were also in ruthless form, although they could never quite shake off the attentions of Racing Metro during a 32 – 23 win. Ex-Racing star Juan Martin Hernandez and the returning Matt Giteau were instrumental in a victory which saw the reigning champions claim a try bonus point as well.

Elsewhere, there were wins (at home, of course) for Bayonne, Bordeaux Begles and Oyonnax, with Toulouse also claiming a nerve-jangling 29 – 26 win over La Rochelle, featuring a try double from Yann David.

Top 14 Star Man: Sergio Parisse

Hero of the Week: It could quite easily have gone to James Hook or Shane Geraghty for their ‘stones of steel’ shown in their last-gasp, match-winning kicks, but instead I’m going for Sergio Parisse. He controlled, and channelled his team’s emotions in the build up to and during a match which was played against such a tragic backdrop, and he led from the front as we all expect with a superb hat-trick.

Villain of the Week: There was the usual selection of red cards, but I’m handing it to Billy Twelvetrees for one of the most clear-cut butcherings of a try-scoring opportunity I’ve seen in his side’s game against Gloucester. Future note, when faced with a two-on-one, 15 metres out, with one of the fastest wingers in Europe outside you…you pass the ball, Billy.

Try of the Week: Plenty of contenders once again, but you are unlikely to see many team tries better than Callum Braley’s effort against Saracens. Wonderful handling and incisive running throughout. Skip to 1.37 in the video below.

Video credit: Premiership Rugby

By Mike Cooper (@RuckedOver)

Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images