Biggest Winners and Losers in World Rugby for Weekend of April 24-26

The countdown is ticking toward this year's Rugby World Cup, with excitement building not just for the tournament itself, but also because of the club transfer drama set to unfold in its wake.

This weekend saw Toulon confirm their latest superstar capture with the signing of fly-half Quade Cooper, but as the French giants record a major coup, the Queensland Reds also mark Cooper's departure as a major loss.

North of the equator, this weekend also saw the Aviva Premiership transform in a major way with Northampton Saints, Wasps and Gloucester among those recording some magnificent wins.

Those storylines and more make up the biggest winners and losers in world rugby this weekend.

Winner: Gutsy Gloucester

Conceding 40 points to Premiership minnows Newcastle Falcons certainly won't be seen as encouraging for Gloucester, but the Cherry and Whites can be left buoyed after rallying to record a 42-40 win this weekend.

Billy Burns grabbed a last-gasp try for the Kingsholm hosts—their fifth of the match—to complete Saturday's overhaul and leave the Falcons devastated, with Gloucester's bench playing its part in the comeback.

Newcastle director of rugby Dean Richards could only cast a downtrodden figure following the defeat, quoted by ESPN Scrum in noting the result as a missed opportunity:

"

We felt we were in a with real shout, so it's very disappointing. We gave them some easy points and, surprisingly, we tired a bit. Rory Clegg's kicking was impeccable and it's a pity that he missed that tackle at the end. 

We always knew they had the ability to come back and their impact players made a big difference. It was a good surface to play on and Gloucester are a good team to play against as they play attacking rugby.

"

Gloucester are nevertheless eyeing a fairly disappointing end to their season and sit ninth in the Premiership table, 14 points off the top six and far from where they might have been hoping to land this year.

However, the determination displayed against the Falcons shows there is a willingness to fight among this team, and that is assuredly something the club can look to utilise as a building tool moving forward.

Loser: Lee Byrne

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Welsh rugby suffered sore news this weekend after ex-international Lee Byrne was forced to announce his retirement from the sport due to a recurring shoulder injury.

The 34-year-old joined Newport Gwent Dragons last summer, but he has struggled to overcome the issue and released a statement last Friday, per ESPN Scrum, explaining his decision to call it a day:

"

This is a disappointing time for me but I'm looking forward to the future. I'm not sure what the next chapter holds or even what I want to do, but I am planning on taking some down time over the next few weeks to look at my opportunities—whether that's in rugby or a new career.

I would like to take this opportunity thank my wife, family, and friends for their support over the years. I'm frustrated to be in this position but I'm happy to have enjoyed my time in the game having fulfilled all my rugby ambitions at both club and international level. I have made terrific friends and have had incredible experiences.

"

Byrne goes on to thank Newport director of rugby Lyn Jones for making him captain of the Welsh outfit, although his impact this term perhaps wasn't what he dreamed it would be.

The former Clermont full-back retires with 46 caps for his country and one British and Irish Lions cap from the 2009 tour of South Africa. He also played in the 2013 Heineken Cup final defeat to Toulon.

Winner: Wasps

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Wasps took a monumental step toward sealing their place in next season's European Rugby Champions Cup on Sunday, defeating Exeter Chiefs 36-29 to open up an eight-point cushion at sixth in the Premiership table.

A superb individual try from scrum-half Joe Simpson was the highlight of their triumph at the Ricoh Arena, notching a penalty try as Christian Wade grabbed another.

The club now sits just two points off the Chiefs in fifth, but director Dai Young says his team won't be getting ahead of themselves in the race to clinch their spot in Europe's premier competition, per ESPN Scrum:

"

We are now eight points ahead of Sale but their boss, Steve Diamond, will have them up for the fight. 

We have got one foot in the top six but there are no easy games in the Premiership. If we can beat Leicester [Tigers] next up then we can cement our place and go into the last game against London Irish and give the top four a real crack.

"

Andy Goode was again in metronomic form for the hosts, ensuring the scoreboard kept ticking over en route to a fantastic win, which sees Wasps maintain pressure on the Chiefs to keep their spot.

The atmosphere was abuzz in Coventry as England's rising power continued their march on the Premiership's hierarchy, but as Young suggests, finishing this season on a high note remains a priority before any focus can be given to what next season holds.

Loser: Queensland Reds

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It was a tough weekend for the Queensland Reds. Just after Toulon made it official that Cooper is headed for France next season, the club also suffered a tough defeat to Super Rugby leaders, the Hurricanes.

Toulon announced via their official Facebook page that Cooper had agreed a two-year deal with the Top 14 titans, but Reds chief executive Jim Carmichael insists the player's exit isn't yet assured, having met his No. 10 this weekend per ESPN Scrum:

"A great lunch—very happy that the time has allowed Quade and I to get close to a position that satisfies us both. There is more conversation to be had and this is the last time I'm commenting on this until our discussions are concluded."

Toulon continue to rack up some of rugby's biggest names and are already looking forward to the arrivals of Ma'a Nonu, Samu Manoa, Napolioni Nalaga, Salesi Ma'afu and more this summer.

Cooper will leave the Reds after the club endured a difficult period in Super Rugby, finishing last season with only five wins and losing eight of their opening 10 outings in 2015.

The fly-half's exit seemed a long time coming, but his club will nevertheless see this weekend's news a hard pill to swallow, and one that isn't likely to help any bid they have in bouncing back to their former dominance.

Winner: Sam Burgess

Sam Burgess' hopes of making it into the England squad for this year's World Cup may not appear too bright, but a great outing at blindside flanker on Friday evening certainly helped the Bath utility's chances.

He was among the scorers as his side romped to a 43-18 win over London Irish and was awarded Man of the Match in what many may rightly dub his best union performance to date.

Understanding the more technical aspects of rugby and getting to grips with the set piece is still something Burgess needs to perfect, but the signs are there that he could yet be a major player.

Most encouragingly of all, Burgess isn't allowing his improvement to inflate his ego and was quoted by ESPN Scrum as admitting there's still much work to do following this latest step in the right direction:

"I was quite surprised actually to get man of the match. I can be a bit hypercritical of myself at times but that's never a bad thing. There are a few tactical things I can improve on with the forwards coaches. I've got two weeks to the next game now—knuckle down and get some hard work done."

A short five months sits between now and rugby's 2015 showpiece, but Burgess effectively has just a handful of games to prove his talent to those watching.

One thing for certain now, it seems, is that Burgess' future likely lies in the back row, with his transition to the No. 6 jersey bearing greater fruit so far.