English Premiership: Round 2
Gloucester 48 – 0 Harlequins
Saturday October 3, Kingsholm. Eight tries and a shutout. Gloucester go top of the Premiership on points difference.
Bristol 41 – 26 Northampton
Saturday October 3. Bristol make it two wins from two and hand Northampton their first defeat of the season.
Bath 40 – 34 Exeter
Friday October 2. Bath hold off Exeter in a high-scoring Premiership contest. Exeter still without a win.
Leicester 24 – 19 Newcastle
Saturday October 3. Leicester win away to get their Premiership season up and running.
Sale 21 – 17 Saracens
Sunday October 4. Sale win in London a week after losing at Bristol. Saracens take a losing bonus point.
Three sides are already clear at the top on 10 points. Gloucester's 48-0 win over Harlequins was the standout result: eight tries and no points conceded, leaving Harlequins bottom of the table on zero points after two rounds. Bristol's 41-26 win over Northampton means three of last week's four Round 1 leaders are still unbeaten, while Northampton drop to fourth. Leicester and Sale both bounced back from Round 1 defeats with away wins.
| Premiership After Round 2 | P | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Gloucester | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2. Bristol | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 3. Bath | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 4. Northampton | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 5. Leicester | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 6. Saracens | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 7. Sale | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 8. Exeter | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 9. Newcastle | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 10. Harlequins | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Full table. Two rounds played of 18.
LIPPY'S VIEW
Bath vs Exeter
Bath vs Exeter was a very close, compelling match. Bernard van der Linde was excellent at scrum-half for Bath, and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso scored two tries in a losing effort for Exeter.
Bristol vs Northampton
After Northampton put 94 points on Bristol at Franklin's Gardens last season, this was a very different match, and an amazing turnaround by Bristol to beat the champions. Bristol have unlocked how you have to beat Northampton: dominate the breakdown on defense, take away their time and space, and don't allow them to get any rhythm. The defense, especially at the breakdown, was excellent, and the defensive intent on both sides was outstanding. For a Round 2 match, it was very impressive and uncompromising.
Harry Randall had an excellent game at scrum-half for Bristol. His try at 53 minutes put Bristol 29-14 ahead, and he totally controlled the game with his kicking and passing. Northampton then showed how they can open teams up, scoring two tries in three minutes to close the gap to 34-26 by the 71st minute. Bristol seemed to run out of energy in the last 15 minutes, but they got it going again to pull away and put Northampton away, with a late penalty try sealing a 41-26 win. Great coaching by Pat Lam.
Louis Rees-Zammit has found his old explosiveness and X-factor. It seemed to me that his time in the NFL had bulked him up too much, but he is back, and then some, scoring two tries and making it look very easy.
On the other side, Finn Smith is starting to look like an experienced international-level fly-half: composed, calm and controlling the game.
Henry Pollock, sporting his new cornrows, let his performance speak for itself: excellent jackals, a great assist for an early try, and line breaks in the second half. He was a constant nuisance. Pollock has just signed a new deal to stay at Northampton, with his club salary reported to be between £400,000 and £450,000 a year, up from an academy-level deal of around £140,000 to £150,000. On top of that, he earns about £150,000 a year from the RFU through his enhanced England elite player squad contract.
Saracens vs Sale
With Sale down to 13 players in the first half, Saracens could not take advantage of the numerical advantage and came away with only five points, with Sale leading 7-5 at half-time. Courtney Lawes, back in the Premiership with Sale, made some critical jackals and is still world-class in that area. It was a great win for Alex Lozowski, who played close to 200 matches for Saracens over 10 years before being let go, and returned to StoneX with Sale. It was only Sale's second win at Saracens' home ground in 13 games, and Saracens dropped their first game of the season, at home.
Gloucester vs Harlequins
Gloucester are looking very impressive, putting 48 unanswered points on Harlequins. You have to ask what has happened to the storied Harlequins, who sit bottom of the table without a point after two rounds.
Welsh Stars in the Premiership
The Welsh stars are thriving in the Premiership, with Tomos Williams, Dewi Lake, Jac Morgan and Louis Rees-Zammit all doing very well for their clubs.
The Season So Far
The Premiership has started with a bang, and it has been great to see teams that struggled last year turning themselves around and getting out of the gates in fine form. Gloucester and Bristol are two of those that are going to make it very difficult for the 2025 form teams. It is wonderful to see such a competitive start with real jeopardy so early in the season. Newcastle running Leicester so close is another example of a "no easy games" season.
NPC: Round 10 and Quarterfinals
Otago 45 – 42 Auckland
Thursday October 1. Otago edge an 87-point shootout to secure a home quarterfinal.
Northland 28 – 14 Southland
Friday October 2. Northland win away to lock in a home quarterfinal.
Canterbury 22 – 12 Manawatu
Saturday October 3. Canterbury win away and finish top of the NPC table after North Harbour's loss on Sunday.
Counties Manukau 12 – 7 Hawke's Bay
Saturday October 3. Counties keep the Ranfurly Shield in a tight, low-scoring defense. The Shield stays in Pukekohe through the summer.
Tasman 50 – 33 Waikato
Saturday October 3. Tasman score 50 away from home to book a quarterfinal place.
Taranaki 68 – 26 Wellington
Sunday October 4. Taranaki run riot. Wellington finish the regular season without a win.
Bay of Plenty 38 – 21 North Harbour
Sunday October 4. Bay of Plenty end their season with a win, costing North Harbour the top seed. Harbour finish fourth.
North Harbour went into the final round on top but lost 38-21 in Tauranga, which handed first place to Canterbury after their win over Manawatu. Counties Manukau, who took the Ranfurly Shield from Northland a week earlier, kept it with a 12-7 win over Hawke's Bay. That was the last home game of their season, so the Shield stays with them until next year. Waikato lost to Tasman but still squeezed into eighth, while Manawatu and Bay of Plenty missed out.
Quarterfinals (home team listed first):
Canterbury vs Waikato
1st vs 8th. Canterbury host after finishing top of the table.
North Harbour vs Taranaki
4th vs 5th. Harbour host despite their final-round loss.
Northland vs Tasman
2nd vs 7th. Northland host after their win in Invercargill.
Otago vs Hawke's Bay
3rd vs 6th. Otago host. Hawke's Bay have lost their last four games.
LIPPY'S VIEW
Otago vs Auckland
Otago vs Auckland was super fun to watch, with the score seesawing back and forth until Cam Millar's penalty in the 82nd minute stole the match. The defense, or lack of it, in the NPC makes for fun and exciting games with lots of tries. But as these players move up to higher levels, there will be a concern about how that translates to the international game, where "selective" defensive intent loses matches.
Top 14: Round 5
Toulouse 8 – 7 Castres
Saturday October 3. Toulouse win by a point in Castres and go top of the Top 14.
Pau 43 – 40 Vannes
Saturday October 3. Pau win an 83-point thriller away from home to move up to second.
Bordeaux-Begles 51 – 28 Lyon
Saturday October 3. Bordeaux bounce back from last week's loss in Perpignan with a heavy win over Lyon.
Bayonne 35 – 32 Stade Francais
Saturday October 3. Bayonne edge another close one for their fourth win from five.
Racing 92 55 – 25 Perpignan
Saturday October 3. Racing 92 post the biggest score of the Top 14 round.
La Rochelle 38 – 13 Clermont
Saturday October 3. La Rochelle win comfortably to climb into the top eight.
Montpellier 28 – 0 Toulon
Sunday October 4. Montpellier shut out Toulon. Toulon have one win from five.
Toulouse hold the top spot on 19 points after their one-point win in Castres, with Pau (18) and Bayonne (17) close behind; all three have four wins from five. Lyon, top of the table a week ago, have now lost two in a row and dropped to sixth. Only nine points separate first from eighth.
| Top 14 After Round 5 (Top 8 of 14) | P | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Toulouse | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 19 |
| 2. Pau | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 18 |
| 3. Bayonne | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
| 4. Bordeaux-Begles | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 15 |
| 5. Montpellier | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| 6. Lyon | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| 7. La Rochelle | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 13 |
| 8. Clermont | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
Top 8 of 14 shown. Stade Francais and Racing 92 are also on 10 points. Five rounds played of 26.
LIPPY'S VIEW
Toulouse vs Montpellier (Round 4)
If you did not watch the Toulouse vs Montpellier match from Round 4, it is worth a catch-up. The game was a display of some amazing rugby. In the 43rd minute, with the first half already in overtime, Toulouse ran the ball out from their own try line and ended up scoring to take a 19-8 lead. It makes so much sense. Why do teams wait to play like that only when it is too late, rather than during the game, when they have more time to make it up if it does not work out? No risk, no return.
Antoine Dupont showed why he is the best scrum-half and the best player in the world, scoring two tries in two minutes to put the game away, with the Ntamack brothers lining up on either side of him. Adam Hastings was among the notable players for Montpellier, and it will be interesting to see how he fares playing in France.
United Rugby Championship: Round 2
Sharks 26 – 20 Leinster
Saturday October 3. The Sharks make it two from two. Leinster lose their second straight game in South Africa.
Munster 26 – 22 Bulls
Saturday October 3, Limerick. Munster score a bonus-point win and hand the Bulls their first URC defeat of the season.
Edinburgh 17 – 13 Stormers
Friday October 2. Edinburgh grind out a low-scoring win to stay unbeaten.
Cardiff Rugby 40 – 27 Zebre
Friday October 2. Cardiff make it two wins from two with a bonus-point victory.
Lions 35 – 19 Ospreys
Saturday October 3. The Lions follow last week's win over Leinster with a second straight win to stay unbeaten.
Dragons 38 – 26 Scarlets
Saturday October 3. The Dragons take the Welsh derby with a bonus point.
Connacht 22 – 19 Benetton
Friday October 2. Connacht win a tight game in Treviso.
Glasgow Warriors 33 – 33 Ulster
Saturday October 3. Honors even in a high-scoring draw.
Only the Sharks have maximum points after two rounds. Cardiff, the Lions and Edinburgh all have two wins and sit one point back on 9. Leinster have lost both of their South African games and are 13th on three points. The Bulls, top after Round 1, dropped to seventh after losing in Limerick.
| URC After Round 2 (Top 8 of 16) | P | W | D | L | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Sharks | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2. Cardiff Rugby | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 3. Lions | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 4. Edinburgh | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 5. Glasgow Warriors | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 8 |
| 6. Dragons | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 |
| 7. Bulls | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 8. Stormers | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
Top 8 of 16 shown. Munster are ninth, also on 6 points. Two rounds played of 18.
LIPPY'S VIEW
Connacht vs Benetton
Ciarán Frawley scored two tries on his Connacht debut against Benetton, including the winning try after Connacht had been behind in the closing minutes.
Sharks vs Leinster
It was great to see the Sharks' Springboks break out. Edwill van der Merwe, André Esterhuizen and Eben Etzebeth made the difference.
Munster vs Bulls
Twenty-year-old Munster fly-half Charlie O'Shea, a former Ireland U20, had a cracker against the Bulls. Keep an eye on him: diminutive, very exciting, with true X-factor.
Glasgow vs Ulster
A ding-dong battle. Ulster were down to 13, then Glasgow were down to 13, with Ulster tying the game at 33-33. An incredible game!
Around the Grounds
Frizell and Barrett back for the All Blacks: Dave Rennie named a 34-man All Blacks squad for the two Bledisloe Cup Tests, and the big news is the return of Scott Barrett and Shannon Frizell. Barrett has recovered from back surgery and returned with 50 minutes for Taranaki in the NPC. Frizell is in an All Blacks squad for the first time since the 2023 World Cup, after time in Japan and a hamstring injury, and earned his recall with 80 minutes for Tasman against Bay of Plenty. Ruben Love (ankle) and Patrick Tuipulotu (calf) are among the injured, and Ardie Savea remains out with a shoulder injury.
Steve Hansen slams the Perth "embarrassment": Sir Steve Hansen used the Rugby Unity podcast to criticize the scenes in Perth, where the Wallabies finished with 11 men after four yellow cards in the last 12 minutes: Harry Wilson and Hunter Paisami for high tackles, and Ryan Lonergan and Joseph Suaalii for professional fouls. Hansen was clear that referee Andrea Piardi was not to blame. His target was World Rugby's head-contact protocols, which he said allow a Test match to "degenerate" over contact that is mostly accidental. He wants rugby to take rugby league's approach, putting incidents on report instead of reducing teams on the field, and warned that short-handed sides actually raise injury risk. His conclusion: "It's embarrassing... it's going to kill our game unless somebody at the top of the tree takes some ownership."
Welsh players making their mark in the Premiership: On TNT Sports, Sam Warburton praised the wave of Welsh internationals now playing in England. He said players coming from struggling Welsh regions are hungry for success and highlighted Aaron Wainwright and Tomos Williams at Saracens: "they've all been superb." Austin Healey backed Williams as one of the best scrum-halves in the world: "Is he the best nine in the northern hemisphere? There's a lot of competition from a certain Frenchman, but I think he's right up there." Other Welsh players making an early impact include Dewi Lake and Jac Morgan at Gloucester and Louis Rees-Zammit at Bristol.
Looking Ahead
October 10: Bledisloe Cup Test 1 | All Blacks vs Wallabies, Eden Park, Auckland.
October 17: Bledisloe Cup Test 2 | Wallabies vs All Blacks, Sydney.
NPC Quarterfinals: Canterbury vs Waikato; Northland vs Tasman; Otago vs Hawke's Bay; North Harbour vs Taranaki.
Top 14 Round 6: Begins October 10, including Stade Francais vs Montpellier and Pau vs Castres.
Premiership and URC: Round 3.