Bristol Bears, Tom Farrell saves Munster blushes : Planet Rugby

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!

Bristol Bears: Is there a more entertaining club team on the planet at the moment? While their style might not always translate into big-game wins, it’s hard not to be impressed by how Pat Lam’s side play rugby. Leicester Tigers were the latest victims of Bristol‘s scintillating attacking game as they ran in eight tries in a superb 54-24 victory at Welford Road, with braces for Gabriel Oghre and Kalaveti Ravouvou.

Tom Farrell: A standout performer for Munster on Friday as he scored three tries to carry them to United Rugby Championship victory at Ulster in an otherwise disappointing team showing (more on that later). Farrell‘s hat-trick saw him display his power and pace on more than one occasion as he led the fight in midfield, especially after centre partner Alex Nankivell was forced off injured in the first half. A huge shift.

Gloucester: That was an impressive performance from Gloucester in front of a sold-out Kingsholm as they delivered a precision display of defence and aerial rugby to delight the home supporters. To nil Quins takes some doing and George Skivington will be thrilled with his men.

Bok-less Sharks: While a few internationals took to the field, it was hardly the stacked team we have become accustomed to. Eben Etzebeth remained on the sidelines, Siya Kolisi pulled out late on and by the 17th minute they were down to their fifth choice hooker, so it was an outstanding effort to defeat a pretty much fully-loaded Bulls outfit. It displayed the type of spirit and grit they have lacked over recent years as they secured their fifth victory in seven URC matches.

Ireland’s key contracts: It was a good week off the field for the Irish Rugby Football Union and the franchises in terms of signing up top talent to new deals. The likes of Bundee Aki (Connacht), Andrew Porter, Tadhg Furlong and James Ryan (all Leinster) inked extensions in a boost for province and country. All have been great servants to Ireland and will be determined to contribute to the cause in the years to come.

Glasgow Warriors: Almost the perfect first leg result in the 1872 Cup for Glasgow as they dominated Edinburgh, winning 33-14 in front of 27,000 supporters at Hampden Park. The occasion was special, especially at this festive time, and the Warriors were well worth their victory as they actually led 33-0 at one point on Sunday before a late rally from Edinburgh. It’s still some cushion to take into this week’s second leg.

Theo Dan: A statement performance from the front-rower with the Six Nations on the horizon. He has struggled to build on his breakthrough year in 2023, losing his place in the England 23 to Luke Cowan-Dickie in the Autumn Nations Series, but this was much more like it from the 23-year-old. He carried hard throughout his time on the field against Northampton Saints and was rewarded with the player of the match award. It certainly will have impressed Steve Borthwick.

Saracens v Northampton: Five takeaways as Owen Farrell successor ‘turns everything to gold’ while trio ‘put big markers down’ for Six Nations

BROKEN THERMOSTAT

Mack Hansen comments: We don’t condone such attacks on officiating and we expect that a ban will be forthcoming for the Ireland star, and rightly so. However, we also have a certain amount of sympathy when there is a lack of consistency in the decision-making process. The big talking point has been that Jordie Barrett hit on Bundee Aki and, while it was not necessarily worthy of a red card in our view, the fact it was not reviewed was surprising, especially given other incidents which were microscopically examined. The frustration is understandable but the way Hansen expressed it will probably see him out for a few weeks.

COLD AS ICE!

Harlequins nilled: It had been 10 years since Harlequins were last nilled but that record was ended at the hands of Gloucester on Friday night. For a side that contains the likes of Marcus Smith, Cadan Murley, Alex Dombrandt, Chandler Cunningham-South, Rodrigo Isgro and Tyrone Green to not register a point is surprising to say the least and Quins fans were understandably unhappy with their team’s showing.

Injury concerns for England: There was a double cause for concern for England head coach Steve Borthwick this past week as George Furbank and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both suffered injuries. Furbank fractured his arm in a recent Champions Cup victory over the Bulls while Feyi-Waboso was seen in a sling at Exeter Chiefs’ loss to Sale Sharks on Saturday. Both are now doubtful for the Six Nations start.

Munster: A victory, yes, but that was a game that 14-man Ulster should really have won given they had 70% possession and 76% territory, despite being a man down for such a long time. Munster were penned on their own try-line for much of that second half and were lucky that referee Ben Whitehouse didn’t produce more than one yellow card for their 16 penalty offences as Ulster banged on the door. Fortunately for Munster that Farrell hat-trick saved their blushes but it was a strange showing in tactics and game management with a numerical advantage.

Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu setback: “It could be two days, could be a couple of weeks,” was the response from Stormers head coach John Dobson after returning Springboks star Feinberg-Mngomezulu suffered another injury over the weekend. Playing at centre against the Lions, the youngster took a heavy hit in the first half and limped off the field shortly afterwards. It’s a “hip-pointer” injury for the Springbok who must be hugely frustrated about his current luck. Hopefully this is only a minor setback and he goes on an injury-free streak thereafter.

RFU mess: The payment of bumper bonuses to Rugby Football Union executives despite significant financial losses, redundancies at the organisation and a poor year for the men’s team was not a good look at all. Unsurprisingly, many were up in arms over the decision to pay chief executive Bill Sweeney £1.1m, inclusive of a bonus. Chairman Tom Ilube has since departed and one wonders if Sweeney will follow.

READ MORE: Saracens v Northampton winners and losers: England hooker a ‘man on a mission’ ahead of Six Nations

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