Saffas Abroad: Tambwe lights up Top 14 openers

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Here’s a wrap of all the action involving South African players in the opening round of the French Top 14, including a look at Madosh Tambwe’s sensational debut.

– Racing 92 got the season off to a strong start with a 25-19 win over Castres. Locks Bernard le Roux and Anton Bresler both played for Racing, while fellow second rower Rayno Pieterse came off the bench for Castres.

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– Despite missing Springbok wing Cheslin Kolbe, Toulon put last season’s struggles behind them and powered to a 40-25 bonus-point victory over Bayonne. Loose forward Cornell du Preez scored for Toulon, before he was yellow-carded in the second half for repeated infringements. Uzair Cassiem started at No 8 for the newly promoted Bayonne.

– Flyhalf Tristan Tedder‘s nine points were not enough to prevent Perpignan from falling to a 16-14 loss to Pau. Tedder slotted two conversions and scored an excellent intercept try.

– Lock JJ van der Mescht played 20 minutes off the bench as Stade Francais claimed a narrow 24-18 win over Clermont. Scrumhalf James Hall and centre Jeremy Ward both missed out on the action for Stade Francais.

– Former Vodacom Bulls loose forward Arno Botha made an immediate impact in his starting debut for Lyon, scoring a try to help them beat Brive 31-27. Botha played a total of 77 minutes before he was replaced.

– La Rochelle sent out an early statement of intent by beating last season’s title winners Montpellier 26-22. Playing on the left wing, Dillyn Leyds scored a second-half try for La Rochelle, while he also made 17 metres from five carries. Raymond Rhule started at inside centre for the hosts and had a solid outing, not missing a single tackle. Springbok lock Nico Janse van Rensburg was the only South African in Montpellier’s lineup.

– In the final clash of the weekend, Bordeaux hosted Toulouse on Sunday. Madosh Tambwe was named in Bordeaux’s starting lineup for his Top 14 debut and scored two tries in an excellent solo outing, but Toulouse were still able to claim a 26-25 win despite losing a player to a red card in the final three minutes. Lock Jandre Marais came off the bench for Bordeaux.

Photo: ROMAIN PERROCHEAU/AFP via Getty Images

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Dylan Jack