Weekend Rugby Wrap: 5 Takeaways

Another enthralling weekend of rugby played out across Europe, South Africa, and in Dubai, the 7s kicked off their 1st tournament of the world circuit. Bet Central brings you all the standout points from the weekend.

Marcus Smith Fires In England’s No.10 Audition

In an utterly dominant performance at The Stoop, Harlequins beat the Sale Sharks 36-3 and the win had Marcus Smith’s stamp all over it. In a game dubbed as the battle for England’s no.10 jersey after Owen Farrell announced he would not play for England in the 6 Nations to focus on his mental health, it was up to Smith or George Ford to gain an early lead in the race for the jersey.

It was the Harlequins 10 who made the better start. Despite only scoring 9 points of the 36, Smith had a hand in just about every try for his team in an emphatic performance. In part, he has his pack of forwards to thank because they were so dominant allowing him the freedom to play.

Leicester Tigers Finding Form

Tommy Reffell scored a hat trick of tries as the Tigers absolutely demolished Premiership basement dwellers Newcastle Falcons 47-3. It was an utterly dominant performance from the Tigers who just looked so fluid on attack.

This is the 3rd consecutive win for the Leicester club after a tough start to their season and the upturn in form has coincided with the return of Handre Pollard to the starting lineup. The excellence of loose forwards Reffell and Jasper Wiese has also contributed to the turnaround for Dan McKellar’s team.

Bulls Irrepressible At Loftus Versfeld

It was supposed to be a tight affair between 2 of the country’s better franchises in a local derby, but Jake White’s Bulls outsmarted and outworked John Plumtree’s Sharks to win 44-10 at Loftus Versfeld.

The Bulls have been South Africa’s best team in the competition this season and they showed that team cohesion trumps individual brilliance with the Sharks putting out a Bok-laden team to no avail. The Bulls’ defensive organization in particular stood out for the Pretoria franchise. They look like a dangerous prospect in a South African context in this competition running in 6 tries as well.

Stormers Snap Losing Streak

Elsewhere in South Africa the Stormers returned home but could not play at DHL Stadium due to preparations for the Cape Town 7s. The Stormers were coming off a tough 4-week tour in Europe. It was John Dobson’s 1st opportunity to use his returning Springboks at the Daniel Craven Stadium and they came through for him.

The Stormers beat Zebre 31-7 and the attacking impetus that Damian Willemse brought helped spark the Stormers offensively. It snaps a losing streak for the inaugural URC champions and hopefully, with likes of Manie Libbok, Deon Fourie, etc. returning, it will result in a pick up in form for last season’s losing finalists.

Blitzboks Start The Circuit On A High

The Blitzboks have maintained a high standard of performance on the 7s circuit for the longest time, more so in Dubai where they have now won 11 times. It was no different this weekend as they kicked off the circuit winning the tournament in Dubai.

They made it 5 in a row in Dubai as they overcame Argentina 12-7 in a tense and bruising final. The team had distractions prior to the tournament with head coach Sandile Ngcobo unable to travel with the team due to medical reasons, but assistant coach Phillip Snyman guided the team to the Dubai title despite all of this.