last March’s ACL rupture, Toulouse scrum-half Dupont was unstoppable in his team’s 60-14 thumping of La Rochelle. Anyone who says it is impossible to create space needs to watch Dupont’s mesmerising running for his second try just before the interval. There were also his two snazzy handling contributions in the creation of the earlier Ange Capuozzo score. Breathtaking.
Leinster exact revenge: After being stunned by Munster at Croke Park, the Dublin-based outfit managed to overturn their arch-rivals at Thomond Park on Saturday. It was certainly not a classic, but Josh van der Flier’s converted try and a pair of penalties via Harry Byrne were enough to claim the victory. Leinster consistently pounded the breakdown, making life extremely difficult for the hosts, and that defensive effort was crucial.
Remarkable Northampton: In a match between the two best teams in England over the past couple of years, few gave the Saints a chance after they named a weakened team to visit the home of the defending PREM champions, Bath. They went to the Rec without most of their England internationals, as well as other key players such as Tom Pearson and JJ van der Mescht, but it did not matter as their supposed second-string produced one of the performances of the season. Northampton did have Tommy Freeman and Henry Pollock in their XV and they showed their class by scoring five of their six tries, but it was an outstanding all-round team display.
Little away day blues in URC: Home advantage is usually significant in sports, and particularly rugby, but not in the URC at the weekend. Of the six matches that were played, five resulted in a win for the visitors. Cardiff were the only side to emerge triumphant on their home patch – and even then it proved to be a tense success against the struggling Dragons.
Tom Willis: The Saracens number eight is in some form at the moment and he starred in their victory over Gloucester at Kingsholm. In all facets of the game, Willis was outstanding and it is such a shame that he won’t be playing international rugby for the next couple of years after agreeing a club move to France next summer.
Transfer Xmas presents: It is a time for giving and many clubs will be pleased with theirs after some big-name signings were announced. In the Gallagher PREM, Newcastle Red Bulls confirmed that All Blacks number eight Hoskins Sotutu would be making the move north, while Wales star Tomos Williams will swap Gloucester for Saracens. However, arguably the biggest of all came in the URC with Siya Kolisi going from the Sharks to the Stormers.