France edged world champions South Africa 21-19 in a thriller, Wales ended their lengthy wait for a win over New Zealand and Australia suffered another defeat in a fascinating weekend of international rugby union action.
Below AFP Sport looks at three talking points from the fifth round of the Nations Championship:
In the build up to the epic France-South Africa clash in Paris, the talk was mostly about the battle up front.
A truism of rugby is that forwards win the match and the backs decided by how many points, as whichever team triumphs in the contest for possession will have the clean ball needed to get an attack going.
It has been the basis of the Springboks' dominance in recent years.
But it did not pan out that way at the Stade de France.
South Africa were totally dominant up front, the Springboks in command of scrum and line-out.
Yet France's much-vaunted back three still managed to find the gaps to score three tries in a scintillating first half –- including a breathtaking team move finished off by wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
France seemed to deliberately avoid kicking to touch throughout much of the match, keeping the ball in play and away from the fearsome South African set-piece, with the Springbok pack, heavier by 64kg in total, moving around the pitch more than they might have liked.
Whether that was genuinely a tactical plan or indeed a blueprint to beat South Africa in the future remains to be seen, but France may have demonstrated how the Springboks can be denied an unprecedented third successive Rugby World Cup in Australia next year.
Just about every piece written about Wales flanker James Botham mentions he is the grandson of England cricket great Ian Botham.
Back in 1981, Ian Botham starred with both bat and ball producing an astonishing collection of individual displays that reshaped the destiny of that year's Ashes against Australia, including an astounding 149 not out at Headingley that helped England defy mid-match odds of 500/1 to record a remarkable win.
That English cricket summer has been known as 'Botham's Ashes' ever since.
But James Botham, whose father Liam was both a professional cricketer and rugby player, achieved sporting immortality in his own right with a man-of-the-match display as Wales beat New Zealand 35-28 in Cardiff on Saturday for their first win over the All Blacks in 73 years.
Wales made an incredible 346 tackles compared to New Zealand’s 135, with the impressive Botham having 30 to his credit.
"History made," Ian wrote on social media. "A very proud grandfather."
Rugby World Cups are generally all the better for a strong showing by the host nation which is why Australia's form remains a concern a year out from the 2027 edition.
The Wallabies' 15-12 loss to Scotland in Edinburgh on Sunday was their fourth defeat in a row and a fifth in six Tests against the Dark Blues.
Rugby in Australia has long-faced huge competition for athletic talent and spectator interest, with rugby league the dominant football code in Sydney and Australian Rules ruling the roost in Melbourne.
Two-time world champions Australia have traditionally been renowned for their crowd-pleasing running game but this latest performance is unlikely to attract new fans.
"Full of fight, that's for sure," said Australia coach Les Kiss. "But you want to win those ones."
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