What a weekend in Wales!
Welsh rugby enjoyed its most successful weekend in the league for more than three years amid a hat-trick of victories for the Scarlets, Ospreys and Cardiff Rugby.
It’s the best return since all four regions won in March 2021. There have been three wins since then, but not all against teams from other countries.
To hear Hymns and Arias echoing around Welsh grounds over the weekend was an indication of just how much the victories meant after some tough times.
The most dramatic triumph came at the Arms Park where Cardiff staged a stunning second half comeback to turn around a 19-0 deficit and beat Ulster Rugby 21-19.
It was left to fly-half Callum Sheedy to land what proved to be the match-winning conversion ahead of a huge defensive effort in a nerve-jangling last play, with the final whistle signalling scenes of jubilation both on and off the field.
Giving his thoughts, Sheedy said: “We came in at half-time and it wasn’t a great position to be in, 19-0 down, but there was no panic.
“We just knew we had to fire some shots, throw some punches and the second half is probably the best our attack has looked all season.
“We talk about fight and it was there in abundance in the second half.
“Those last 90 seconds, when you are defending and they are throwing everything at us, those are the reasons you play the game.
“To have that feeling in the changing room where you know you have left literally everything out there and to come away with the win and see the Arms Park like that, it’s really special.
“It was an awesome second half and we will really grow from that.”
Sheedy added: “I thought the crowd were outstanding. That really does give us a boost when it’s in those tight finishes.
“It was amazing. To hear them singing and really getting behind the boys in the last five minutes when we were cooked was really special. I enjoyed that. It definitely helped us get over the line.
“We have spoken about making the city proud of us and we knew we had to really put a marker down to keep them coming back, to make them proud of us, and we obviously went 19-0 down so they would be even more proud of us at the end!
“In all seriousness, you are hoping there will be kids going home from the Arms Park who will be playing for their local rugby club saying ‘Did you watch that game? I want to be like those players’.
“If we are doing that, then we are ticking boxes.”
He concluded: “The connection the players and the crowd have here is really special, with all the kids running on the pitch at the end of the game. I love it. I think it’s awesome.
“As players, we are in the entertainment business. Without the crowd, we are nothing, so to be able to put a smile on their faces is great.”
There were also plenty of smiles among Ospreys fans following a welcome 22-13 victory over Edinburgh Rugby at Bridgend’s Brewery Field.
There were tries from front row trio Dewi Lake, Gareth Thomas and Sam Parry as Toby Booth’s team battled through for the win to move off the bottom of the table.
Skipper Jac Morgan was named Player of the Match after making 18 tackles, 13 carries and winning three turnovers from the blindside flank.
Delivering his verdict on Morgan, coach Booth said: “He is an incredible player, he leads by example. You saw from the get-go, he was driving people backwards in the collisions, ball-carrying relentlessly, getting off the floor. He is a special player.”
As for the victory, Booth said: “We are very relieved. Block one obviously hasn’t gone as we would have liked and we have probably underperformed.
“We went back to basics this week. We started much better, built into the game and then it got into an arm wrestle and we are pretty good at an arm wrestle in Bridgend.
“We go well here, we like the proximity to the pitch, we like the crowd atmosphere, we just do well here. Bridgend is good for us.”
It’s a result which means the Ospreys are now four from four at the Brewery Field in 2024, having already beaten Cardiff, Sale and the Stormers there this year.
What was to prove a very positive weekend for Welsh rugby had begun in Llanelli on Friday night with the Scarlets claiming a 30-8 bonus point victory over Zebre Parma.
The Player of the Match award went to young centre Eddie James who showed just why he has been included in Wales’ autumn squad as he produced a tremendous all-round performance.
Scarlets coach Dwayne Peel said: “Eddie has got intent, he carries really well and he is a real astute ball player.
“He’s got the ability to carry and slip the ball in contact. He’s really effective at that. That’s what he’s good at. He’s a player that’s going to grow at 12.”
James’ deft handling really caught the eye, notably when he delivered a perfectly timed short pass to put teenage co-centre Macs Page into a gap.
It was then over to the 19-year-old Page to demonstrate his huge potential as he delivered a superb finish, standing up the last man before scorching around him.
“That’s what Macs has,” said Peel. “He has that X-factor and that speed.”
After turning round with a narrow 11-8 lead, the Scarlets burst into life after the break to secure a third win on the bounce and move up to sixth in the table.
“We said at the start of the season that we were here to compete and we have been competitive in every game and we have got better,” said Peel.
“You can see a group of players that want to play for the shirt and are fighting hard for each other.”
Leinster out on their own
And then there was one!
Leinster Rugby are now the only team to have won all of their matches this season, having beaten the Emirates Lions 24-6 in a top-of-the-table clash at the Aviva Stadium.
Skipper Caelan Doris, who was named Ireland captain in the week, again led by example from No 8 with another try-scoring Man of the Match display.
For once, the league leaders didn’t pick up maximum points, finishing one try short of the bonus.
But that’s still 29 points out of a possible 30, which gives them a six point lead after the opening block of games.
Head coach Leo Cullen said: “Overall we’re pleased. The Lions are unbelievably tenacious and well-drilled in what they do. They scramble really hard and they go aggressively at the ball. They were four wins from four going into the game, so they are a bloody good team.
“But we stuck at it okay and we got the job done. We won by 18 points. We were pleased to get over the line.
“Your natural instinct is you want to get the maximum, but it wasn’t to be. We’ll take the win, bag the four points, and it’s ‘move on’ for the international break.
“If you wind the clock back six weeks and told us we’ll get 29 points, we’d have been delighted.”
Champions Glasgow Warriors are up to second after a highly impressive 28-17 bonus point victory over the DHL Stormers in Stellenbosch, with new Scotland skipper Sione Tuipulotu named Player of the Match.
Elsewhere, the star-studded Hollywoodbets Sharks ran in five tries in beating Munster Rugby 41-24 in Durban, but there was the consolation of a losing four-try bonus for the visitors.
Connacht Rugby also crossed five times as they saw off Dragons RFC 31-7 in Galway to move up to fifth in the table.
Jake’s joy at late win
Vodacom Bulls coach Jake White said he was proud of the way his team overcame adversity to claim a dramatic 17-15 win over Benetton Rugby in Treviso.
They had been hit by the late withdrawal of three backs –
Boeta Chamberlain, Stedman Gans and Sebastian de Klerk – through illness.
With Johan Goosen and Jaco van der Walt already out injured, losing Chamberlain left them facing a crisis at fly-half.
In the end, the decision was taken to employ scrum-half Keagan Johannes as an emergency No 10.
The patched-up visitors were to find themselves behind pretty much throughout the game and they trailed 15-10 with just two minutes to go.
But then replacement hooker Akker van der Merwe touched down off a lineout maul, handing centre David Kriel the chance to win the match with the conversion.
It was a really testing kick from an angle, but Kriel slotted it with just 40 seconds left on the clock to snatch the spoils.
Reflecting on a challenging day, White said: “In sport, you’ve got to be aware that you can’t always control everything. What I’m really happy about is we found a way to adapt.
“To get a result like that at the end of the game, you can imagine the changing room was very buoyant and very happy. There was a minute and a half left and we ended up winning the game. You can only feel proud when you see your players doing that at the end of the game.”
Match of the weekend
Cardiff Rugby 21, Ulster Rugby 19
Yes, it’s a well-worn cliche, but this really was a game of two halves!
There only seemed one winner at the break, with Ulster leading 19-0 having scored three tries while Cardiff hooker Evan Lloyd was in the sin bin, with centre Jude Postlethwaite claiming two of them.
But the hosts had other ideas as Player of the Match Iwan Stephens produced a wonderfully acrobatic one-handed finish to provide a spark and then replacement forwards Daf Hughes and Thomas Young touched down off lineout mauls, with Callum Sheedy converting all three tries to complete the remarkable fightback.
There was still more late drama to come as Ulster scrum-half Nathan Doak fell short with a long range penalty attempt ahead of a nail-biting final play, but the hosts held firm for the win to the delight of the home fans in a 8,312 crowd.
Cardiff coach Matt Sherratt said: “I got booed down the steps at half-time and then chairlifted up them at the end, so that probably tells the tale of the game!
“What a comeback it was. That was a pivotal game for us after losing three on the bounce. It was really important we finished the block with a win.”
Sherratt’s opposite number Richie Murphy commented: “We’re massively disappointed. When you’re 19 points ahead, you should see it out and win the game.”
Adding his thoughts, Cardiff skipper Ben Thomas said: “I am massively proud of the team for the way we bounced back. We showed some real character to come back from 19 points down. We fired some shots and showed what we are capable of.”
What a game, what a turnaround, what a noise and what an occasion at the Arms Park.
Player of the weekend
Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors)
It’s been some week for the 27-year-old centre.
On Wednesday, he was named captain of Scotland for the autumn internationals with his brother Mosese selected alongside him in the squad.
Then, three days later, he picks up the Player of the Match award after skippering Glasgow to a famous 28-17 bonus point victory over the Stormers in Stellenbosch.
He scored one of their four tries, winning the race to a chip ahead from wing Sebastian Cancelliere, and was a constant threat with his lines of running, his pace and his power.
Speaking after the game, he said: “I am massively proud of that performance from the team. We stood up to the challenge and sealed the game.
“It was 0-0 after 30 minutes. Both teams had come out swinging and there were no points on the board. So it did feel a little bit like a Test match.
“I am just so proud about how we executed the game plan from the coaches.”
On the conditions at the Danie Craven Stadium, he said:
“It was boiling. I am obviously originally from Australia and I thought I was used to the heat, but I think now I am more used to the freezing cold of Scotstoun, so it was even a shock to me!”
Quote of the weekend
Sharks coach John Plumtree after his Springbok-laden side beat Munster 41-24 in Durban:
“The reality is when we are at full strength, we are a very strong side and that is what you need to do well in this competition.
“Leinster have had their strongest team out for how many weeks and we haven’t, so I think everyone needs to cut us a little bit of slack.
“Yes, I want to win all the time, but the reality is we are not going to be a full-strength Sharks side all the time. We can win without the Boks, but it’s hard to win without all of them.”
What’s coming next?
There’s now a four week break from Vodacom URC action as the Autumn Internationals take centre stage.
Then we will be back for Round 7 on the last weekend in November, when there will be derbies in Ireland, South Africa and Wales. See you then!
