SARugbymag.co.za looks back at the past weekend's Japanese Top League, English Premiership, Celtic Pro12 and French Top 14 matches, which involved SA players.
JAPANESE TOP LEAGUE
– Frans Steyn marked his debut for the Toshiba Brave Lupus by slotting a 50m penalty kick in their 35-10 victory over the Toyota Industries Shuttles. Steyn's Sharks teammate Ryan Kankowski started for the Shuttles.
– Boks Jaque Fourie and Andries Bekker helped the Kobe Kobelco Steelers to a 29-22 win against the Suntory Sungoliath, who had ex-Stormers and Sharks flankers Schalk Burger and Justin Downey in their run-on XV.
– The Ricoh Black Rams, with former Bulls flyhalf Louis Fouché in their side, thrashed the Coca-Cola Red Sparks 53-3.
– Ex-Cheetahs trio Johann Sadie, Heinrich Brüssow and Riaan Viljoen were in the NTT Docomo Red Hurricanes side which suffered a 21-10 defeat to the Canon Eagles.
– Elton Jantjies steered the NTT Communications Shining Arcs to a narrow 32-31 win against the NEC Green Rockets. The former Bok flyhalf kicked three conversions, a penalty and a drop goal for his 12-point haul.
– The Panasonic Wild Knights thrashed ex-Bulls flank Jacques Potgieter's Sanix Blues 80-7.
– Former Sharks flank Keegan Daniel represented the Kubota Spears, who played to a 28-28 draw with the Yamaha Bulilo.
ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP
– Saracens scored a late try to claim a dramatic 36-32 win over London Irish. Stand-in captain and former Sharks centre Brad Barrit featured prominently for Sarries, breaking the line early to set up their first try. Flank Ernst Joubert made the run-on XV, while scrumhalf Neil de Kock and Mouritz Botha were used as impact players off the bench.
– Lock Sebastian de Chaves turned out for Leicester, who were thrashed 45-0 by Bath at the Recreation Ground. Bath and Saracens are the only Premiership teams with a 100% winning record this season.
– London Wasps were unable to repeat their heroics of a week ago, losing 26-23 to Harlequins. Ashley Johnson came off the bench for Wasps in the second half.
CELTIC PRO12
– Connacht, with ex-Stormers wing Danie Poolman in their side, recorded a slender, yet record-breaking 10-9 victory against Leinster. The Galway-based team made it three successive wins at the start of a season for the first time in the club’s history.
– Ex-Sharks fullback Louis Ludik and former Lions captain Franco van der Merwe continued to impress at their new club, putting in sterling performances to help Ulster to a 26-9 win over the Cardiff Blues. Robbie Diack started alongside Van der Merwe in the second row, while Wiehahn Herbst scrummed down in the front row. Rob Herring was an unused substitute.
– Former Bok prop BJ Botha formed part of the Munster outfit that easily dispatched minnows Zebre 31-5. Ex-Cheetahs stalwart Hennie Daniller started at fullback for the Italians, with another former Bloemfontein-based player Andries Ferreira among the reserves.
– After their second-round defeat, the Llanelli Scarlets returned to winning ways with a spectacular 43-0 thrashing of Treviso. Lock Johan Snyman started for the Welsh side, while Corniel van Zyl did duty for the Italian team in the same position.
– Josh Strauss once again led from the front, scoring one of four tries as the Glasgow Warriors romped to a 33-12 bonus-point win against the Newport Gwent Dragons. Rossouw de Klerk came on for the winners late in the match.
– Wing Hanno Dirksen scored a try in the Neath-Swansea Ospreys’ nine-try rout of Edinburgh, as they secured a crushing 62-13 win. Former EP Kings second rower Reynier Bernardo also started for the winners, while centre Andries Strauss, eighthman Cornell du Preez, lock Anton Bresler and prop WP Nel were all on duty for Edinburgh.
FRENCH TOP 14
– Montpellier eased past Stade Français 23-3, with former Bok centre Wynand Olivier in their midfield. Ex-Sharks centre Meyer Bosman played for Stade, while prop Heinke van der Merwe joined the action in the 48th minute.
– A commanding second-half performance gave Racing Métro a deserved 27-16 victory against Toulouse. Eighthman Antonie Claassen, flank Bernard le Roux and locks Francois van der Merwe and Juandré Kruger were all in Racing's run-on side. Boks Brian Mujati and Johan Goosen were used from the 62nd and 77th minutes respectively.
– After their shock home defeat last week, Toulon claimed a comprehensive 53-13 victory over 14-man Brive. Centre Riaan Swanepoel, flank Petrus Hauman, lock Peet Marais and prop Kevin Buys all secured places in Brive's starting team, with Marais given his marching orders with a straight red card in the 25th minute after hitting an opponent's head with his elbow. Another front-rower Johannes Coetzee played for Brive from the 22nd minute, while Bok flank Juan Smith started for Toulon.
– Lyon, with scrumhalf Ricky Januarie, lock Coenie Basson and hooker Deon Fourie in their team, suffered a heavy 43-12 loss against Clermont. Loose forward Frans Viljoen completed their match-day squad, while prop Daniel Kötze came off the bench in the 55th minute for Clermont.
– Grenoble upset Bayonne 24-15 with ex-Sharks scrumhalf Charl McLeod and lock Hendrik Roodt in their team. Prop Albertus Buckle joined the fray shortly after the break for the winners, while fullback Scott Spedding and prop JC Janse van Rensburg played for Bayonne.
– Rory Kockott scored a try, added a conversion and slotted five penalties in a Man of the Match performance, to lift Castres to a 27-18 win over Oyonnax. Former Bok Pedrie Wannenburg wore the No 8 jersey of Oyonnax, while hooker Jody Jenneker played in the final 12 minutes.
– Bordeaux erased a 10-point deficit to beat La Rochelle 29-26. The teams were level on 26 points, but La Rochelle conceded a penalty with a minute left on the clock, which Bayonne's reserve flyhalf sent over the crossbar. Former Stormer Peter Grant regained La Rochelle's No 10 jersey and was joined by his countrymen, hooker Erasmus van Vuuren and lock Cobus Grobler, in the 46th and 52nd minutes respectively. Locks Berend Botha and Jandré Marais, and scrumhalf Heini Adams all started for Bordeaux, with the latter two spending 10 minutes in the sin bin.
Compiled by Mariette Adams
