Weekend round-up: Chris Ashton swandives into the record books

Catch up on the weekend's best games as the European Champions and Challenge Cup finals lived up to their occasion.

Challenge Cup: Gloucester vs Stade Francais

Full Game | Condensed

About the only thing certain in this match was uncertainty, as two of Europe's more unpredictable sides met in stereotypically Scottish conditions. The result, as big-match nerves jangled deafeningly on both sides, was an enthralling and, yes, gloriously unpredictable encounter at Murrayfield. Ironically, at the end of the first quarter, the result seemed beyond doubt – 15 minutes later, and all options were emphatically back on the table.

Champions Cup: Saracens vs Clermont

Full Game | Condensed

Physics is wrong. When an unstoppable force meets an immovable object, the two do not cancel each other out. Instead, they burn scintillatingly bright for 80 minutes. Saracens should have had the game won inside the opening 20 minutes. They were even beating Clermont at their own forward game. But they made the mistake of letting the dangerous Top 14 side drag themselves back into the game with a mix of flair and pig-headed determination – what followed was one of the great Champions Cup finals.

Super Rugby: Crusaders vs Hurricanes

Full Game | Condensed

New Zealand's Super Rugby franchises have been reluctant to add more local derbies to the calendar. After watching this game it's easier to empathise with them. The two best sides in Super Rugby this season played this game at test-match intensity for the full 80 minutes. It was a gripping encounter as the unbeaten Crusaders shut down the usually unstoppable Barrett brothers and forced the battle up front. Other games had a lot more tries but this was hands down the match of the round.

Super Rugby: Kings vs Sharks

Full Game | Condensed

If the intensity of the Crusaders vs Hurricanes derby doesn't do it for you then this should do the trick. Tries, scuffles, lead changes and a nailbiting last-gasp finish – the Kings vs Sharks game had it all. With the visitors looking over their shoulder in the final playoffs spot, they went to Port Elizabeth looking to lock up all 5 points. But they met a Kings side who, while destined for the Super Rugby scrapheap at the end of the season, still have plenty to prove.

NRL: Storm vs Titans

Full Game | Condensed

More points were scored in this round of the NRL than in any other this season. A fair chunk of them were scored in this game, between the table-topping Storm and a Titans side who are starting to live up to their early promise after injuries derailed the first half of their season. It might have been the first half of a double-header at Suncorp Stadium, but it deserved to be the main attraction. Two of the best attacking performances of the season.