Who's hot and who's not: All Blacks 'generational talent' stars as ...

It’s time for our Monday wrap of who has their name in lights and who is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons after the weekend.

Darcy Graham and Scotland: It was raining tries in Edinburgh as Scotland put nine past Fiji in their 57-17 win. Gregor Townsend’s men were a joy to watch, as was the man of the match Darcy Graham who scored a ridiculous four tries on the night! It was epic to see from a man who has struggled with injuries over the last 13 months.

All Blacks: Finally New Zealand pitched up in the last quarter of a game and this time they needed it as they were 22-14 down with 20 minutes to go. A late surge spared their blushes yet again against England this year. In fairness, the All Blacks were against the pump in front of a vociferous Twickenham crowd and they managed to find a way to win. Scott Robertson believes his side has been galvanised by a challenging season which could make them a real threat in the future.

England v All Blacks: Five takeaways as Steve Borthwick’s men ‘only have themselves to blame’

Wallace Sititi: Probably the World Rugby Men’s Breakthrough Player of the Year at this point and rightly so. News editor Colin Newboult dubbed him a “generational talent” and that is exactly what he is! Sititi carried like a man possessed and defended like a trojan. Throw in a couple of his cheeky offloads and there was a blockbuster outing. Get used to seeing his name on an All Blacks team sheet.

Marcus Smith: It was a heartbreaking loss for England and there is one major question lingering, why was Smith taken off? The fly-half was having one of his best shifts at Test level where he grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck by managing where England was playing really well. He kicked beautifully off the tee and that interception on his line which resulted in a try was a clutch play at the time. Credit still goes to Smith for an outstanding effort that surely has secured his spot as the incumbent.

Ref mic: Rather late than never. While many of the innovations and changes implemented by World Rugby and the Autumn Nations Series organisers have polarised the public, the implementation of the ref mic at Twickenham and Murrayfield this weekend was a refreshing and rare universal win for the game. The roar from the Twickenham faithful when Angus Gardner said that Beauden Barrett would be disallowed was in stark contrast to the puzzled cheers of the past. It’s an easy win for the officials and more importantly, the fans at the ground who are no longer left in the dark over the reasonings for the decision.

Brilliant Bayonne: Even without their France stars, Toulouse are an exceptionally difficult team to defeat but this weekend Ugo Mola’s side were outdone by a classy Bayonne outfit who claimed a 12-8 victory over the defending Top 14 championship. Sireli Maqala’s double saw Bayonne over the line as the club moved into a surprising fourth place overall after nine rounds of action.

‘Nearly men’ England: Planet Rugby columnist Alex Spink labelled Steve Borthwick’s side as the ‘Nearly Men’, which is a tag that rings so true with all three Tests against the All Blacks in 2024 being prime examples. They should have won this game as they sat in a commanding position with 20 minutes to go, but the impact of their bench was nowhere near that of the All Blacks. It certainly puts the heat on Borthwick ahead of an Australia game they cannot lose.

Test matches outside of the international window: Let’s be honest, no one enjoyed watching an inexperienced Fijian side get absolutely blasted away by Scotland while their star talent was stuck on club duty in France and unavailable for selection. Sure those youngsters got some Test experience but at what cost? Unless the vast majority of players are available is it really worth scheduling outside of the Test window?

Haka controversy: Much of the week was spent on the online mess Joe Marler created when he tweeted that the haka should be “binned”. Naturally, the internet transcended into a warzone with Marler deactivating his X account before coming back online to apologise as he was just looking to stir the pot before the big Test. What it did do was ignite one of the more memorable hakas in recent times with both teams advancing. Marler has since retired from Test rugby – a decision he claims was unrelated to the controversy.

Joe Marler makes decision on international rugby as ‘one-of-a-kind’ personality bows out

Munster mess: Two seasons on from leading Munster to a miraculous United Rugby Championship title and one season after being named URC coach of the year, Graham Rowntree parted ways with the club after a poor run of form. This all went down shortly after returning home from a tough South Africa tour and just days before an important fixture against the All Blacks XV where they lost 38-24 at Thomond Park.

Another URC coach axed: Rowntree was not the only URC coach moving on this week as Dai Flanagan and Dragons went their separate ways. It has been an incredibly challenging time for the Welsh side who have endured the worst period in their history under Flanagan, who in fairness was under-resourced.

READ MORE: All Blacks: Damian McKenzie set to return at fly-half as Scott Robertson confirms bad news from England win