It’s time for our Monday wrap of who has their name in lights and who is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons after the weekend.
THEY’RE ON FIRE
Rassie Erasmus deal: Springboks fans will have enjoyed their breakfast with a smile on Friday when the speculation over Rassie Erasmus’ future was finally put to bed after he signed a new four-year contract extension, keeping him at the helm for the next six years. It is a massive boost for South African rugby as reportedly Erasmus was in demand elsewhere and it is just reward for what’s been an incredible tenure. Erasmus has been eager for assistant coaches, Tony Brown, Jerry Flannery, Felix Jones, Daan Human, Mzwandile Stick, Deon Davids and Duane Vermeulen to have their futures secured to 2031 too, with SA Rugby saying an announcement on their situation is not too far away.
Ulster on fire again: Irish journalist Cian Tracey noted on X on Saturday morning that Ulster are averaging close to six tries per game in their six games this season. That’s quite remarkable and they improved that average on Friday night with a nine-try 61-7 victory over Racing 92. The Challenge Cup success was another sign they are a team to be watched in 2025/26 in both Europe and the United Rugby Championship. Their attacking game is certainly firing and they are a pleasure to watch.
Ireland and England: This is regarding the Rugby World Cup draw last Wednesday and one could also throw Argentina into the mix here. The trio are set to be on the opposite side of the 2027 draw from South Africa, New Zealand and France and therein hands them arguably a simpler route to a potential final. As mentioned in our takeaways piece, Ireland have their best chance to finally get past the dreaded quarter-final stage while England will no doubt be the happiest after the recent draw.
Bath: After being crowned Prem Rugby and Challenge Cup champions last season, Johann van Graan’s charges have hit the ground running in this season’s Investec Champions Cup. Bath faced a tricky assignment as they started their campaign at home against Munster, who are the third-placed team in the United Rugby Championship currently. However, the English champions made an early statement of intent as they delivered an excellent all-round performance en route to a convincing 40-14 triumph.
Rieko Ioane’s Leinster reception: Ioane was previously viewed as public enemy number one in Ireland after his public spat with that country’s legendary fly-half Johnny Sexton during the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France. However, since it was announced earlier this year that the All Blacks utility back would be heading to Sexton’s former side, Leinster, on a sabbatical, there were concerns on how the Irish province’s fans would receive him once he made his debut for them. That happened this past weekend against Harlequins at the Aviva Stadium and cheers rather than boos greeted the 88-Test international when he came on as a replacement for Garry Ringrose in the 60th minute and helped his new side to a 45-28 win. Afterwards, Leinster captain Caelan Doris revealed spoke of Ioane, saying “He’s been great so far, he’s fitted in pretty quickly.”
Bordeaux-Begles: The Investec Champions Cup’s defending champions faced a daunting task as they started their title defence in one of the toughest venues when they travelled to Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria to take on South African heavyweights the Bulls on Saturday. The Bulls made full use of home ground advantage as they held a 33-22 lead at half-time, but Bordeaux showed why they are the tournament’s champions as they took control of proceedings after the interval and outscored their hosts 24-0 in the second stanza to clinch a deserved 46-33 victory.
Cape Town Sevens winners: The second leg of World Rugby’s HSBC SVNS Series reached Cape Town this past weekend and it was a good weekend for the hosts, South Africa, who won the men’s competition, and Australia, who were crowned the winners of the women’s tournament. After winning their home leg of the world series last year, the Blitzboks were determined to repeat that feat and they did just that courtesy of a come-from-behind 21-19 triumph over Argentina in the final. Meanwhile, it was a case of sweet revenge for Australia in the women’s final as they sealed a 26-12 win over New Zealand, after they came off second best to their trans-Tasman rivals in the final of the Dubai leg of the series.
SA Rugby end speculation over Rassie Erasmus’ future with update on Springboks assistants imminent
COLD AS ICE
World Cup oversight: It would be nice if there was a week when negativity or controversy did not dominate the headlines, but unfortunately the Rugby World Cup draw was muddied by the fact that the current number one and two nations on the planet could possibly meet at the quarter-final stage. Yes, that’s the case for South Africa and New Zealand and while things could change in the world order by 2027 it might have been wise to adopt the tennis tournament draw formula whereby the number one and two seeds automatically start on the opposite side, subsequently only meeting in the final should they get there. Chalk it up as another learning for rugby.
Will Stuart injury: While Bath were deserved winners over Munster on Saturday, that result proved costly in the end as they lost the services of the England and British and Irish Lions front-row to a serious injury. Early in the second half, the tighthead prop received lengthy treatment after a scrum collapsed and he was eventually helped off the field. The 29-year-old could not stand on his foot, was later seen in a protective boot and on crutches and Bath boss Van Graan revealed that it is a suspected Achilles tendon injury. That means Stuart is set for a lengthy stint on the sidelines and is a serious doubt for the start of England’s 2026 Six Nations campaign.
Sale drop off again: That’s now two matches in a row that the Sharks have endured a drop-off as last Friday they let slip at 26-6 lead before going down 27-26 to Exeter Chiefs in the PREM. Seven days later in the Investec Champions Cup an early 14-0 advantage was let slip by Sale as Glasgow came out on top 26-21. While the likes of George Ford, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Tom Roebuck and several other stars sat out the game, there’s no hiding from what’s been a disappointing start to the season.
Sharks: The Durban-based outfit have really found the going tough this season as they came into their Investec Champions Cup clash against Toulouse after suffering a heavy defeat against Connacht in the United Rugby Championship and that result means they occupy 14th position in that competition with just the Dragons and Scarlets sitting below them in the standings. In the build-up to their clash against Toulouse, it was revealed that head coach John Plumtree’s departure from the club was fast-tracked as he would step down following that encounter, after it was initially revealed that he would leave his role at the end of the season. It also looked like the Sharks were not taking the Investec Champions Cup seriously as they fielded an under strength matchday squad against Toulouse and although they were competitive at stages, they eventually suffered a 56-19 defeat.
Munster blown away: Although Bath deserved their win over Munster in their Investec Champions Cup opener, the Irish province will have to go back to the drawing board as they were never at the races in that encounter. Munster were on the back foot from the outset, when captain Tadhg Beirne was yellow carded in the sixth minute for a maul offence which also saw them conceding a penalty try and it was all-Bath after that as the home side cruised to a 35-14 lead at half-time. Although Munster were more competitive after the break, Bath still held the upper hand and added one more try to seal a deserved 40-14 victory. There is plenty of homework for head coach Clayton McMillan and his staff to do ahead of Munster’s home clash with Gloucester this weekend.
Top 14: Although there were good victories for the champions, Bordeaux-Begles, and the Investec Champions Cup’s most successful side, six-time winners Toulouse, there were mixed results for French teams during the opening round of matches in the prestigious competition. La Rochelle were the only other French team to be victorious as they sealed a 39-20 home win over Leicester Tigers. Meanwhile, Bayonne, Clermont-Auvergne, Pau and Toulon losing against the Stormers, Saracens, Northampton Saints and Edinburgh respectively. Pau and Toulon’s defeats were surprising as they came into the tournament in a confident mood after impressing in the Top 14 where they are currently occupying second and third positions in the table behind pacesetters Toulouse.