There was a late twist in the tale as Rassie Erasmus suffered defeat to Wales in his first match as South Africa coach.
Montpellier's wait for a Top 14 title goes on as Castres upset the odds to seal a 29-13 victory at the Stade de France...
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There were big wins for the Crusaders, the Rebels and the Waratahs in an entertaining round of Super Rugby action on Saturday.
Ireland are already looking towards defending their Six Nations title and attacking the World Cup, according to coach Joe Schmidt.
Tyrel Lomax and Waisake Naholo scored second-half tries to help the Highlanders overcome their New Zealand Conference rivals.
Sonny Bill Williams will miss New Zealand's Test series against France this month with a knee injury.
Rory Best's hamstring injury means he will miss Ireland's three-match series in Australia next month.
Wales coach Warren Gatland has named Ellis Jenkins as captain for his side's clash with South Africa on Saturday.
Exeter Chiefs number eight Sam Simmonds is the Premiership's top performer, according to Opta.
Franco Mostert and Ruan Dreyer are the latest Springboks to swap Super Rugby for Johan Ackermann's new-look Gloucester.
Australia full-back Reece Hodge knows Six Nations champions Ireland possess quality across their backline that can worry the Wallabies.
Seven uncapped players will be given the chance to impress Rassie Erasmus when South Africa face Wales in Washington on Saturday.
Dylan Hartley is "feeling a lot better" and is looking forward to resuming his career for club and country.
Eddie Jones has been forced to bring in three replacements for the upcoming series against the Springboks.
France internationals Yoann Maestri and Gael Fickou have swapped Toulouse for long-term deals at Stade Francais.
Toulon have lost experienced centre Ma'a Nonu, who will put his career on hold due to "family reasons".