SARugbymag.co.za looks back at the past weekend's Anglo-Welsh Cup and Celtic Pro12 matches, involving South African players.
ANGLO-WELSH CUP
– The Newport Gwent Dragons, with fullback Carl Meyer and lock Ligtoring Landman in their ranks, suffered a 24-13 defeat at the hands of Gloucester.
– The Newcastle Falcons ended their campaign in fine style with a thrilling 16-15 victory over Bath at Kingston Park. Flank Tyrone Holmes and lock Mouritz Botha started for the Falcons, while hooker Michael van Vuuren sat on Bath's bench.
– No 8 Dewald Potgieter led the Worcester Warriors to a crushing 53-38 bonus-point win against the Cardiff Blues at Arms Park. Outside centre Wynand Oliiver, wing Dean Hammond, scrumhalf Francois Hougaard and prop Nick Schonert all started for Worcester, with Olivier scoring a brace and Hougaard also chipping in with a five-pointer.
– Prop Brian Mujati's Sale Sharks edged hosts Harlequins 13-10 in London. The sides were level at 10-10 midway through the second half, but a late penalty sealed a famous win for Sale. Replacement flyhalf Tim Swiel played for Quins.
– The Northampton Saints, with ex-WP duo Nic Groom (scrumhalf) and David Ribbans (lock) in their lineup, whacked the Scarlets 50-10 at home. Saints scored eight tries and conceded just one. Lock Rynier Bernardo started for the visitors.
– Flank Nick Koster and his Bristol teammates slumped to a 35-7 loss against Exeter Chiefs. The win was enough to book Exeter a place in the semi-finals.
– Wing Hanno Dirksen came off the bench to score a crucial try for the Ospreys in their 31-22 win over Wasps in Coventry. Wasps led by five with minutes left on the clock, but two late strikes including Dirksen's effort turned the result in the Ospreys' favour.
– Saracens, featuring scrumhalf Neil de Kock and prop Petrus du Plessis claimed a 29-20 bonus-point win over the Leicester Tigers. The result sees Sarries advance to the semi-finals as top seeds.
CELTIC PRO12
– Munster reclaimed top spot on the log after a hard-fought 10-9 win against Edinburgh. Ex-Stormers duo Jaco Taute (fullback) and Jean Kleyn (lock) were in Munster's starting lineup, while Cornell du Preez played eighthman for Edinburgh. It was the only game of the competition played this weekend because this fixture was postponed in January to accommodate Munster's Champions Cup tie against Racing 92.
Compiled by Mariette Adams
Photo: Worcester Warriors
