SARugbymag.co.za looks back at the past weekend’s French Top 14 matches involving South African players.
– Prop Lourens Adriaanse and his Pau teammates scored four tries to secure a 33-14 bonus-point win against Brive at home. Lock Peet Marais started for Brive.
– Montpellier, with locks Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg and Jacques du Plessis and prop Jannie du Plessis in their star-studded ranks, suffered a heartbreaking 26-25 loss to Castres, who in turn had Rory Kockott and Jody Jenneker contributing to their win. The veteran scrumhalf slotted four successful penalties, while the hooker barged over for their only try of the game. Centre Rob Ebersohn played alongside Kockott and Jenneker for Castres.
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– Heyneke Meyer’s Stade Francais made the worst possible start as they slumped to a 43-9 defeat by Lyon. Springbok trio Morne Steyn, Lionel Mapoe and Willem Alberts as well as scrumhalf James Hall were in Stade’s lineup, with Steyn knocking over the team’s three penalties. Lock Etienne Oosthuizen played lock for the winners.
– Blitzbok Werner Kok made his official Toulouse debut in a losing cause as they went down 30-25 to hosts Bordeaux. Kok, who joined the defending Top 14 champions as a medical joker for the duration of the World Cup, played alongside compatriot Maks van Dyk.
– Toulon, featuring Bok prop Marcel van der Merwe, demolished Agen 44-25 in an ill-disciplined clash in which there were three yellow cards. Centre Johann Sadie came on for Agen in the second half and scored one of their three tries.
– Lock Jaco van Tonder and Bok scrumhalf Rudy Paige – who was on debut – were in the Clermont side that cruised past 14-man La Rochelle 28-10. It was a stop-start affair due to regular breaks in play due to off-the-ball incidents and ultimately the referee handed out two yellow cards and a red.
Photo: Romain Baird/Getty Images
