Siya Kolisi produced an immense performance in his first Champions Cup run for Racing 92, while Springbok prop Thomas du Toit continued his incredible scoring record.
CHAMPIONS CUP:
Pool 1:
– Bordeaux scored six tries to thrash Connacht 41-5 and claim all five points in Galway. Former Lions and Sharks prop Carlu Sadie played off the bench for the French side.
Pool 2:
– Thomas du Toit had the last laugh in the battle of the Springbok props, scoring a try to help Bath rout Ulster in a 37-14 home win. Du Toit played off the bench at tighthead prop and scored his fifth try of the season as Bath came from a 14-8 half-time deficit. Bok loosehead Steven Kitshoff started for Ulster.
– Scotland fullback Blair Kinghorn marked his Toulouse debut with a brace of tries in a 52-7 demolition of Cardiff. Former Pumas flyhalf Tinus de Beer started for Cardiff and converted their only try.
– Former Sharks speedster Thaakir Abrahams scored twice in his first start for Lyon in a 36-34 loss to Bristol Bears in Bristol. Abrahams started at fullback and dotted down for a second-half brace as Lyon nearly came from a 21-10 down to win. Benhard Janse van Rensburg was at inside centre for the Bears.
Thaakir Abrahams surgit pour rapprocher @LeLOURugby au score dans son match d’#InvestecChampionsCup face à Bristol! pic.twitter.com/ZA1krMCcXY
— Investec Champions Cup France (@ChampionsCup_FR) December 9, 2023
– Siya Kolisi‘s first Champions Cup run for Racing 92 ended in a thrilling 28-31 home loss against Harlequins. Kolisi played the full 80 minutes as Racing nearly snatched a late victory, with the Springbok captain setting up one of his side’s four tries. Springbok centre Andre Esterhuizen and outside back Tyrone Green started for Harlequins, with Esterhuizen scoring his second try of the season in the first half. Bok tighthead Trevor Nyakane played off the bench for Racing.
Pool 3:
– An incredible first-half performance laid the platform for Northampton Saints to claim four valuable points in an away 28-19 victory against Glasgow Warriors. Former Bulls lock Sintu Manjezi started for Glasgow, who fell narrowly short of a four-try bonus point.
– Former Sharks flank Jacques Vermeulen scored a vital try to set up Exeter Chiefs’ come-from-behind 19-18 win against Toulon in France. Vermeulen went over the line in the 78th minute to bring Exeter to within one point of the French giants, before the Chiefs struck the winner through Henry Slade’s conversion.
Pool 4:
– Sale Sharks scored three second-half tries to break down a stubborn Stade Francais defence and claim a home 28-5 win. No 8 Dan du Preez and tighthead prop Nic Schonert were the only South Africans starting for Sale, with lock Cobus Wiese on the bench. Former Sharks centre Jeremy Ward captained Stade for the first time and scored their only try of the match.
– Jacques Nienaber‘s Leinster avenged their two cup final defeats to La Rochelle, with an audacious long-range penalty from well over 50 metres sealing a 16-9 win in France against the defending champions. Lock Jason Jenkins played five minutes off the bench for Leinster, while wing Dillyn Leyds started for La Rochelle, who next face the Stormers in Cape Town.
CHALLENGE CUP
Pool 1:
– A full-strength Clermont powered to a bonus-point 31-18 win over Sean Everitt’s Edinburgh. Former Stormers playmaker Tim Swiel started at fullback for Edinburgh, slotting a penalty and conversion, while Scotland wing Duhan van der Merwe played in the No 11 jersey, but had a quiet outing.
Pool 2:
– A thrilling 10-try encounter saw Ospreys fight to claim a 43-34 victory over Italian side Benetton. Veteran tighthead prop Tom Botha made his 108th appearance for Ospreys, while Benetton had former Sharks lock Gideon Koegelenberg on the bench.
– Top 14 strugglers Montpellier scored three unanswered tries to beat Newcastle Falcons 24-19 in Newcastle. Montpellier were without Springbok duo Cobus Reinach and Jan Serfontien, but still held out against a late Newcastle fightback for a morale-boosting win. Newcastle had lock Sebastian de Chaves in their lineup.
Photo: Christian Liewig – Corbis/Getty Images