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!
Bomb Squads: The Springboks were trailblazers with their use of the bench in 2019, but the craze has very much gone global since, with the importance of the eight on the bench just as crucial as the 15 starters. This weekend’s international rugby provided no better example of just how crucial the bench has become, with the Springboks, All Blacks and England benefitting from the firepower off the pine. Unlike the rest, New Zealand did not back the 6-2 split, but the impact of Leicester Faingaʻanuku, Wallace Sititi, Damian McKenzie and Tamaiti Williams were no less telling in Chicago.
All Blacks get revenge: New Zealand banished the demons of 2016 in an aptly named ‘The Rematch’ in Chicago on Saturday with Scott Robertson’s charges claiming a compelling 26-13 victory over Ireland. As was the case nine years ago, the All Blacks were favourites heading into the clash but this time around they rose to the occasion with Ardie Savea, Williams, Cameron Roigard and Sititi crossing for tries.
Springboks hammer Japan: Following a similar theme, Rassie Erasmus’ charges emphatically put Eddie Jones’ Japan to the sword at Wembley Stadium, with the Brave Blossoms never really threatening another miracle. The double World Cup winners ran in nine tries, controlled proceedings and made light work of the Test match, cruising to a 61-7 win.
High-flying Scots: Over in Murrayfield, Scotland also made light work of the USA Eagles with Darcy Graham and Jamie Dobie notching hat-tricks while Duhan van der Merwe claimed a brace. Dylan Richardson, Stafford McDowall, George Horne, Ollie Smith, and Kyle Rowe’s tries further bloated the scoreline in what was hardly a contest. How good a preparation that training run was for the challenge of the All Blacks will only be evident on Saturday.
Pau continue strong start: While the rest of the rugby competitions around the world are on pause, the Top 14 continues to rumble on and produce surprises; perhaps none so as much as Pau, who have been simply excellent after nine rounds of action. After finishing eighth overall last season, they have failed to win just three times this campaign and trail table-toppers Toulouse by a single league point. Pau’s 27-23 victory over Perpignan this weekend was far from pretty, but a win is a win..
COLD AS ICE!
Jan-Hendrik Wessels’ ban: What a mess. The Bulls and Springboks forward’s suspension was officially confirmed last week, with Wessels failing to appeal the ban, which was reduced by a single match. This, despite there being no video evidence that he groped Connacht’s Josh Murphy. All in all, it was a disastrous series of events that was drawn out for far longer than it should have been, and the fact that Murphy’s red card was rescinded despite clearly punching Wessels only adds to the shambolic nature of it all.
John Plumtree shown the door, sort of: Frankly, it was a long time coming and will be when it’s finally completed. The Sharks have underperformed for too long, considering the quality of their squad and resources. Plumtree will continue on in Durban until the end of the season, with the Sharks not making a rash decision as they begin the search for his successor.
England’s gamesmanship: Well, that’s what Joe Schmidt called it, as England’s grievances about Australia’s ruck tactics were ‘leaked’ to the media in the build-up to the clash at Allianz Stadium. Plainly, it was a ploy to influence the referee under the guise of an exclusive and not too dissimilar from Warren Gatland airing his displeasure with a South African official named as TMO for the 2021 Lions series. It’s an underhanded tactic, and one has to ask, was it really necessary?
Soldier Field failings: Hopefully, the USA overcomes its teething issues before the 2031 Rugby World Cup, as once again, the entertainment product produced at Soldier Field was not up to standard and actually quite embarrassing. It started with issues around the sounds for the anthems, then the lack of comms and in-stadium screening over the Tadhg Beirne incident, and let’s not forget the bang average state of the pitch.
USA nilled: On the topic of the future World Cup hosts, the Eagles’ performance at Murrayfield did not inspire any confidence that they will be competitive come 2031. Sure, it’s still a long way off, but the Americans hardly threatened the Scottish defence, and the only thing that they successfully achieved was, on occasion, riling up their opponents. 85-0 is an incredibly ugly scoreline, and hopefully the worst with Georgia and Romania next on their schedule.
READ MORE: Opinion: A good time for England to take a leaf out of Rassie’s book before getting too loud