Biggest Winners and Losers in World Rugby for Weekend of April 1-3

Change was afoot in rugby on both sides of the equator this weekend as Australia's Super Rugby representatives toiled against New Zealand opposition, while Europe's powerhouses continued to wage war on their respective empires.

Saracens and Clermont Auvergne retained their places atop the Aviva Premiership and Top 14 piles, respectively, but Connacht's defeat in Ulster territory saw the minnows surrender Pro12 supremacy to prevailing Leinster.

Elsewhere, former Wallabies icon George Smith turned back the years to lead Wasps on their way to a throttling of Northampton Saints, while Bath star Anthony Watson had an outing to forget at The Rec.

We take a look at all that and more as we break down the biggest winners and losers in world rugby this weekend.

Winner: George Smith

Thirty-five years of age and still going strong at the peak of England's club scene, Australian expat Smith was a driving force in Wasps' 28-6 hammering of the Saints on Sunday and showed his value to the Ricoh Arena.

It was no surprise to hear coach Dai Young gushing in awe of his veteran signing after the match, either, telling of Smith's work behind the scenes in having a great impact during his time in Coventry, per ESPN Scrum:

"

There's not really any way we could stop George leaving. We'd love to keep him. When he came we knew it would only be for one year. He's been excellent for us and for the Premiership as well. 

You want these types of players in the Premiership and thankfully he's playing for us. Everybody is enjoying watching a player of his quality. He's got to be up there for Premiership player of the season.

It's the unseen stuff that he's given us around the club, not just what you see on the pitch. He's so professional in the way he prepares. He's approachable and tries to help everybody. He's a role model for any player.

"

It was Smith's 11-tackle performance, as recorded by ESPN Scrum, that set Wasps on their way to victory, where Rob Miller went over the whitewash twice and Stephen Myler's two penalties were the only points Northampton could muster.

The rumblings are that Smith will return to Japan with Suntory Sungoliath, according to rugby writer Rich Freeman, and it's possible he could be doing so with a Premiership Player of the Year gong to show for his season in England.

Loser: Australia's Super Rugby Hopefuls

Australia's chances of ending the All Blacks' 13-year hold on the Bledisloe Cup have seen better days, it seems, after their New Zealand counterparts collected a clean sweep of wins in Round 7 of this year's Super Rugby campaign.

The Brumbies and Western Force fell at the hands of the Chiefs and Highlanders, respectively, while the Rebels were the only Australian outfit to triumph this weekend—except that result came against the Waratahs.

The most damaging of those defeats saw the Chiefs notch a 48-23 triumph over the Brumbies in Canberra to mount a six-point lead at the top of the standings, seven points in front of head coach Stephen Larkham's side.

The Brumbies and the Rebels are now the only two remaining Australian teams in Super Rugby's top 10, and if the club scene is any indicator of international strength, New Zealand's grip doesn't seem to be letting up.

Winner: Clear-Eyed Clermont

Clermont Auvergne may not be involved in this coming weekend's Champions Cup quarter-final slate, but the French titans have control over the domestic circuit and maintained their perch with a win over Toulon on Sunday.

Coach Franck Azema watched as back-rower Damien Chouly scored the only try of the fixture in the 75th minute, and Morgan Parra added the extras to cement a 19-18 win at Marseille's Stade Velodrome.

Montpellier and Racing 92 remain six points away from Clermont, but this latest victory means Toulon remain eight points off the summit in fourth and may be lacking in morale heading back into the Champions Cup schedule.

Loser: Anthony Watson

Stu Forster/Getty Images

While wing opponent and potential England rival Chris Ashton went over for two tries at the Rec, Bath speedster Watson couldn't move past Friday's 30-10 defeat to Saracens soon enough following his red card.

The 22-year-old showed some inexperience when he was rightly pulled up for taking out England full-back Alex Goode in the air, and Ashton was unsurprisingly only too happy to point out his opponent's error soon after.

Playing from full-back himself on Friday, Watson struggled to have the same impact witnessed by many an international fan during this year's Six Nations, and his 49th-minute red card capped off a forgettable night's work.

Winner: Leinster

Neutrals have been pulling for Connacht to complete their fairytale run this season, but the Pro12 upstarts saw their table-topping form stall at Ravenhill on Friday.

And while Connacht surrendered an 18-10 loss in Belfast, Leinster collected a memorable derby win over close rivals Munster, beating the Limerick crowd 16-13 at Lansdowne Road to climb level on points at the table's summit.

In terms of championship-winning experience and staying power, one might be tempted to back the Dubliners to go on and complete the win from here, with the finish line now in sight.

That being said, Connacht won't be prepared to give up on their journey just yet and will hope a fortnight's break will give them the energy needed to gather themselves and enter the breach once more later this month.