After three rounds Saracens are the only team to pick up maximum points and as a result have opened up a four point gap over their nearest opponent in the standings. On a day where the Saracens guaranteed travelling Bath fans their money back if Gavin Henson scored Bath managed two tries and penalty, but none from Henson, while Saracens got tries tries along from David Strettle and a try a piece from Matt Stevens and Alex Good to win 31-17. Northampton surprisingly lost to Gloucester 26-24. Northampton got on the board early thanks to Ben Foden but Charlie Sharples would score a try and Freddie Burns whould hit a penalty to give Gloucester the halftime lead. Both teams would trade tries in the second half with Northampton looking to have the edge thanks to a Jamie Elliott try in the 78th minute, but a controversial penalty call allowed Billy Twelvetrees to step up and hit the winning penalty.
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The Saints misfortune was Leicester's gain. The Tigers had no trouble getting past Newcastle 31-6 thanks to five tries, including one by debutant American Blaine Scully. Leicester now sit second in the table with 11 points while Northampton are tied with the Harlequins at 10. The Quins bounced back from their loss to the Saints last weekend with a 37-13 win over Worcester. London Wasps scored more tries that Sale (three to two) but Danny Cipriani's four penalties proved the difference as Sale won 26-22. Lastly, Exeter beat London Irish 29-23. Click here to see that latest standings.
Top 14
Clermont dropped another match over the weekend, this time a blowout 43-3 loss to Montpellier, but still remain only three points back of Toulon at the top of the standings thanks to the parity within the Top 14. Josua Tuisova and David Smith scored tries for Toulon as they beat Bayonne 18-12. Toulouse put together a solid outing scoring three tries in a 26-9 win over Castres. Biarritz continue to be in trouble and are now firmly at the bottom of the table after losing to Grenoble 27-21. Dimitri Yachvili hit seven penalties but Grenoble scored three tries and added three penalties of their own for the win. Brive earned a 31-6 win over Perpignan thanks to two tries from fly-half Riaan Swanepoel. Racing Metro are in the top five after beating Bordeaux 26-19. Stade Francais are tied at the top of the table after surviving a scare from Oyonnax 16-15. Click here to see the latest standings.
RaboDirect Pro12
They are finally celebrating in Italy as Zebre have picked up their first ever win in an official competition. Tries from Mauro Bergamasco, David Odiente, and Brendon Leonard were enough to offset an early Dafydd Hewitt try and six penalties from Leigh Halfpenny in a 30-25 win over Cardiff. Zebre had been a collective 0-30 in all competitions. Benetton Treviso also won to give the first Italian double. They defeated Munster 29-19. Glasgow are now at the top of the table with 12 points after beating Leinster 12-6. Chris Fusaro and replacement Jerry Yanuyanutawa scored tries for the Warriors. The Ospreys destroyed a hapless Edinburgh side 44-10 to move land second in the table. The Dragons are in fourth place after they beat the Scarlets 23-16. Finally, Ulster defeated fellow Irish side Connacht 18-7. Click here to see the latest standings.
ITM Cup
Wellington gained some breathing room at the top of the Premiership table after giving Canterbury their first loss of the season. Joe Hill, Ardie Savea, and Tomasi Palu all scored tries in the 25-19. Auckland beat Northland 41-10 earlier in the week to move to second place. Tasman moved into first place in the Championship division after they beat Hawke's Bay 18-9. Southland earned a pair of wins, the first a 33-25 win over Bay of Plenty and a second a 34-32 win over North Harbour. For Bay of Plenty it was their second loss as they also lost to Taranaki 21-3. In other scores Counties Manukau beat Waikato 37-25 and Otago beat Manawatu 52-41 in a high scoring match. Click here to see the latest standings.
Currie Cup
Nick Groom scored in the 48th minute to balance an earlier try from Nico Scheepers while Kurt Coleman and Dimitri Catrakilis hit four penalties between them to give Western Province a 19-13 win over the Griquas. Despite the win, Western Province are now tied in the standings with the Sharks after they beat the Cheetahs 50-26. The Lions are third thanks to their 35-26 win over the Blue Bulls.
Top League
The Top League had the weekend off.
RFU Championship
Rotherham are a big of a surprise so far only two games into the RFU Championship season. They defeated newcomers Ealing 77-9 in a humiliating defeat. London Welsh are the only other team to take full points after they also put up a big score, 46-19 over Nottingham. Plymouth have done their best to keep pace. They drew with Moseley 34-34. In other scores, Jersey beat Bedford 26-14, Leeds beat the Cornish Pirates 27-20, and Bristol beat London Scottish 31-18.
Pro D2
Lyon beat rival Pau 39-7 to earn them room at the head of the standings. La Rochelle beat Auch 17-13 to move into a second place tied with Agen for second. Agen beat Bourgoin on Sunday 39-12. Other weekend winners include Dax over Beziers 27-13, Tarbes over Albi 42-19, Narbonne over Mont-de-Marsan 19-13, and Colomiers 29-13 over Carcassonne.
Currie Cup First Division
It's 13 for 13 for the Pumas on the season. Their latest victim being the Cavaliers in a 44-21 result. Eastern Province are second but won't catch the Pumas. They beat the Falcons 30-23. The Eagles earned a big result over the Griffons 51-28 while the Bulldogs beat the Leopards 26-22.
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