Weekend Round-up: Capitulation at Kingsholm

As the Super Rugby season moves into top gear, the northern hemisphere’s Aviva Premiership and Top 14 are entering their closing stages. Don’t miss these, the pick of the weekend’s matches…

Aviva Premiership: Gloucester vs Harlequins
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You know that feeling when you think a result is set in stone 10 minutes before the final whistle and you set off home early to avoid the rush, only to later discover that things were not, perhaps, quite as certain as you believed? That’s what happened at Kingsholm, home of Gloucester, at the weekend. After conceding 17 unanswered points in the second half, the visitors found themselves trailing by 12 with just eight minutes left on the clock. What happened in those eight minutes prompted Gloucester head coach Laurie Fisher to apparently – and very publicly – hand in his resignation via Twitter.

Top 14: Castres Olympique vs Clermont
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When two of the best defences in the Top 14 meet, you may expect that they will cancel each other out. But, when the same two sides also boast two of the best attacks in the league, the scene is set for a mouthwatering encounter. So it proved, as the visitors mounted wave after wave of assaults on the hosts’ trenches, only to be held at bay. Honours were even at the end of an intriguing first 40 … but the introduction of Castres’ 20-year-old scrum-half prodigy Antoine Dupont, after 15 minutes of continued Clermont pressure in the second period, heralded a turnaround in fortunes.

Top 14: Toulouse vs La Rochelle
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What happened in Castres 24 hours previously gave one of this season’s two Top 14 surprise packages a chance to move clear at the top of the table – but to do so, high-flying La Rochelle had to do something they have not managed before: beat 19-time French champions Toulouse at fortress Stade Ernest Wallon. Ugo Mola’s side started the day in eighth place, and in serious danger of failing to qualify for the European Champions Cup for the first time in their history. The visitors raced into a 22-11 lead midway through the second half. And then the Toulouse fightback started.

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Super Rugby: Highlanders vs Crusaders
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The Southern derby is always a highlight of the Super Rugby schedule and Saturday night’s edition showed why. After an edgy first 20 minutes, the Highlanders clicked into gear and by the hour mark had opened up a 27-6 lead. Unassailable! Right? A penalty try and a yellow card to Malakai Fekitoa suddenly meant the door was ajar for the visiting Crusaders going into the final stanza. Tell you what – that Seta Tamanivalu was a smart signing for the Crusaders.

NRL: Cowboys vs Raiders
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Here we go. It only took five games before the NRL season produced its first golden point bonanza in a match between two heavyweight title contenders. How they got to 16-16 at full time is entertaining enough in its own right but what you really don’t want to miss is the golden point play that decided the game. The NRL is back!