SARugbymag.co.za looks back at the past weekend's English Premiership, Celtic Pro12 and French Top 14 matches, which involved South African players.
ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP
– Former Bok flank Ashley Johnson's London Wasps suffered a 25-14 defeat at the hands of the Sale Sharks, who recorded their second win of the season.
– The Newcastle Falcons earned their first victory of the new season with a shock 29-24 win over the Exeter Chiefs. Former Stormers lock Don Armand was named in Exeter's starting XV.
– Harlequins scored seven unanswered tries to thrash London Welsh 52-0 at the Stoop. Lock Ben Pienaar was included in the losing side's match-day squad.
– Lock Sebastian de Chaves and his Leicester teammates slumped to their third successive defeat, losing 33-16 to Gloucester at Kingsholm Stadium.
– Bath ended Saracens' unbeaten run with a 21-11 victory at the Rec. Returning captain Alistair Hargreaves (lock) and ex-Bok scrumhalf Neil de Kock represented Saracens.
CELTIC PRO12
– The Newport Gwent Dragons, with ex-Cheetahs lock Rynhardt Landman in their side, lost 26-13 against the Llanelli Scarlets. The victors drafted lock Johan Snyman into their starting XV, with lock George Earle warming the bench.
– Wing DTH van der Merwe, No 8 Josh Strauss, flank Tyrone Holmes and prop Rossouw de Klerk all played for the Glasgow Warriors in their 40-23 win over Treviso. The bonus-point victory elevated the Warriors to the top of the Pro12 standings.
– Four yellow cards, including one to former Bok prop BJ Botha, wasn't enough to derail Munster from clinching a hard-fought 34-23 win over arch-rivals Leinster. Flank CJ Stander started for the winners, while ex-Stormers wing Gerhard van den Heever came on as a substitute in the 49th minute.
– Connacht, with wing Danie Poolman and lock Quinn Roux, were unable to stop the Cardiff Blues from scoring two late tries to snatch a 24-24 draw.
– After their shock defeat to Zebre last week, Ulster bounced back with a comprehensive 30-0 victory over Edinburgh. Former Sharks fullback Louis Ludik, ex-WP flank Robbie Diack, ex-Lions lock Franco van der Merwe and prop Wiehahn Herbst turned out for Ulster. Ex-Kings centre Andries Strauss, eighthman Cornell du Preez, along with former Sharks lock Anton Bresler, did service for Edinburgh. Front rowers Rob Herring and WP Nel, completed Ulster and Edinburgh's match-day squads, respectively.
– The Neath-Swansea Ospreys laboured to an unconvincing 15-14 win over Zebre. Ex-Cheetahs fullback Hennie Daniller started for the Italian side, while wing Hanno Dirksen and lock Rynier Bernardo played for the Ospreys.
FRENCH TOP 14
– Bok flank Juan Smith scored one of two Toulon tries, to ensure a narrow 21-18 win over Oyonnax for the defending champions. Scrumhalf Michael Claassens was in action for Toulon, while ex-Sharks hooker Jody Jenneker was used off the bench by Oyonnax in the 55th minute.
– Bordeaux thrashed log leaders Clermont 51-21, outscoring them six tries to two. Former Bulls scrumhalf Heini Adams and lock Jandré Marais were named in Bordeaux's run-on team and was joined by ex-Boland lock Berend Botha, with the latter two grabbing a try apiece. Prop Daniel Kötze represented Clermont, who surrendered the top spot to Toulon.
– Flyhalf Johan Goosen scored a try and kicked four conversions and a penalty for a 16-point haul to lift Racing Métro to a 46-32 win over Brive. Fellow countrymen, locks Juandré Kruger (two) and Francois van der Merwe (one) chipped in with three five-pointers between them in a entertaining match that produced 11 tries. Eighthman Antonie Claassen and flank Bernard le Roux started alongside the scorers, while prop Brian Mujati came off the bench in the 52nd minute. Flyhalf Riaan Swanepoel contributed to the spectacle with 12 points for Brive (three conversions and two penalties).
– Despite spending 10 minutes in the sin bin, scrumhalf Rory Kockott, like Goosen, scored 16 points to steer Castres to a comfortable 51-10 win over Grenoble. Kockott came up against his former Sharks teammates, scrumhalf Charl McLeod and lock Ross Skeate, who were on duty for Grenoble.
– Fullback Scott Spedding's five-pointer wasn't enough to prevent Bayonne from suffering a 15-10 loss against Montpellier. Teammate, prop Gert Muller's yellow card in the 47th didn't help their cause either. Centre Robert Ebersohn starred for Montpellier, while Wynand Olivier failed to make an appearance off the bench.
– In the battle of the newbies, La Rochelle, with ex-Stormers flyhalf Peter Grant in their team, thumped Lyon 29-10. Scrumhalf Ricky Januarie was used as an impact player from the 69th minute by Lyon and loose forward Frans Viljoen remained on the bench for the duration of the match.
– Toulouse ended their five-match losing streak with a 22-10 victory against Stade Français. Lock Gerhard Mostert and centre Meyer Bosman played for Stade, with the latter also slotting a penalty.
Compiled by Mariette Adams
Photo: Thierry Zoccolan/AFP
