Round three of the Top 14 has been and gone, and it was yet another sensational weekend of rugby across the Channel.
Last year’s finalists, Toulouse and Bordeaux, continued their fast starts to the season, newly promoted Vannes secured their first win of the season and the English contingent have once again impressed.
Here is a full round-up of all the action in the Top 14.
Stuart Hogg brawl
It’s not all been plain sailing for former Scotland international Stuart Hogg since his move to Montpellier, and he once again found himself in the headlines this weekend.
The full-back shoved French international Thomas Ramos in the back, resulting in an all-out brawl between Montpellier and Toulouse players, and ended with Hogg’s former Scotland teammate Blair Kinghorn putting him in a headlock!
HANDBAGS.
Nice to see Stuart Hogg shaking off those misconceptions of him… #TOP14 pic.twitter.com/lyCo9Jkhi6
— Tight Five Rugby (@TightFive_Rugby) September 22, 2024
The fight was probably out of sheer frustration, with it breaking out in the 77th minute with Toulouse cruising to a 20-11 victory. The aforementioned Ramos was right at the heart of the win for Les Rouge et Noir, as he grabbed a haul of 15 points thanks to a try, two penalties and two conversions. Italian ace Ange Capuozzo also grabbed himself a score in the victory; as Toulouse ensured they continued their perfect start to their title defence.
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Last season’s runners-up, Bordeaux-Begles, avenged their last-gasp defeat to Lyon last weekend with a sensational victory over Owen Farrell’s Racing 92. The beaten finalists ran in eight tries in the 52-34 demolition of the Parisians, including hat-tricks for both wingers Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
Damian Penaud scoring a maul try feel a bit like a tractor towing a Ferrari.
And this was for his hat-trick too😄.#UBBvR92 #Top14 pic.twitter.com/TEcqjTGKnJ
— EK Rugby Analysis (@ek_rugby) September 22, 2024
Farrell’s Racing teammate, and fellow England international, Henry Arundell also copped a yellow card in the defeat.
Tight at the top already
La Rochelle notched a spectacular 49-25 win over Pau, with former Exeter Chiefs and England international Jack Nowell crossing the whitewash. His former Exeter teammate, Joe Simmonds, also got on the scoresheet for Pau with a conversion.
Jack Nowell🤩perfectly starts the match with this superb try⚓️🏉 pic.twitter.com/C0skjiXohs
— RockOnRugby!!! (@rockonrugby) September 22, 2024
Dark horses Clermont Auvergne shook off last week’s defeat to Racing 92 with a solid 26-10 win over Bayonne and Kyle Sinckler’s Toulon also beat Stade Francais 14-10.
Vannes notch first win
Newly promoted Vannes – where former England star Mako Vunipola now plays – have given a fairly decent account of themselves in the Top 14 so far, but they took it one step further this week as they notched their first win of the season as they beat Lyon 30-20 in an entertaining game in Brittany.
Rounding off the re-cap, Castres defeated Perpignan 27-12.
Brits abroad
The Top 14 has seen a huge influx of English players this season, however they are still continuing to impress over the Channel. Former England internationals Jack Willis and Sinckler again featured in the Midi Olympique, with Sinckler making it for the second-successive week.
READ NEXT: Stuart Hogg put in headlock by former Scotland team-mate after instigating mass brawl with ‘stupid’ Thomas Ramos incident
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