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Premiership restart set for Friday night live TV blockbuster with Chris Ashton firmly in the limelight
Premiership Rugby is set to return with a Friday night bang next month, Chris Ashton’s new club Harlequins reputedly ready to host high-flying Sale at The Stoop as the sport in England finally gets back to on-field action since it was shelved last March due to the coronavirus outbreak.
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Not since Bristol’s Ashton Gate win over Quins on March 8 has a top-flight match game been staged in the Gallagher Premiership but a 23-week gap will be bridged when the show gets back on the road again on August 14.
With Premiership Rugby due to confirm the rearranged fixtures schedule this Friday at 4pm, RugbyPass has learned that the round 14 meeting of Harlequins and Sale, which was originally due to take place on March 22, will kick-start rugby’s return.
It was March 2 when former England winger Ashton abruptly left Sale after what was described as a “difference of opinion” with director of rugby Steve Diamond. After agreeing to terminate his contract early, Ashton was then quickly signed by Paul Gustard’s Quins but he has yet to play for the London club.
Top-flight rugby was halted when the virus resulted in the postponement of the March 15 Premiership Cup final between the same two clubs which was due to take place in Manchester. An initial five-week layoff was announced but that will now stretch to five months by the time rugby is eventually given the green light to resume.
"Guys were messaging each other on Instagram: 'Like bro, I'm hearing you are getting pay cuts'. This is guys from other English clubs and I'm just like, 'Bro I have no f***in' clue'"
– @LimaSopoaga gives @jimhamilton4 his take on Premiership wage cuts ???https://t.co/YO0eicjFb3
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 8, 2020
The south-west London league meeting of Quins and Sale will be the first of the 54 regulation season matches that remain to be played and it is believed broadcasters BT Sport will likely show 31 of those games live.
Bristol vs Saracens, Bath vs London Irish, Exeter vs Leicester, Northampton vs Wasps and Worcester vs Gloucester are expected to be the restart weekend’s other fixtures, and the second weekend back is believed to be starting with a Friday night visit by leaders Exeter to second place Sale.
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It is also thought that midweek fixtures are planned for the following Tuesday, August 25, as the Premiership looks to quickly regain lost momentum.
In an interview with RugbyPass which will be published this Sunday, Bristol CEO Mark Tainton spoke excitedly about the anticipated return to matches which is now only five weeks away after all teams this week progressed to stage two of the return to training protocols.
“Our players are excited already,” he said. “The fixtures are hopefully going to come out tomorrow (Friday) so we will know exactly where we are and what we are doing, what days we are playing rugby on. Then we can build into it, put our plans together for a definite return.”
Bristol reported a clean bill of health regarding coronavirus but the return elsewhere wasn’t without setback. Premiership officials revealed on Wednesday that ten of the 804 players and club staff tested for Covid-19 on Monday – six players and four staff – returned positive results for the virus.
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"It’s fair to say that form before the lockdown could count for very little when rugby does finally return next month"
– @alexshawsport casts his eye across the Premiership and identifies his quintet of 2020's most curious transfers ??? https://t.co/KKC1faW2DC
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 9, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
I still see nothing in Sotutus play that hes changed his upright running style that failed so many times against decent international defences like the french. Other than that… Iose? Well you have covered his limitations well. If Sititi had been playing the the season… Jacobson? Grace?…Neither shout pick me. So Ardie it is.
1 Go to commentsThere isn’t one element you mentioned there that every top class or successful team gets up to. The great All blacks sides used to play on the ‘fringes or edge’ but it was essentially saying they were doing something illegal or borderline to gain dominance. The fine margins at the top are minute between the top sides. La Rochelle, the crusaders, Saracens, Toulon etc etc…..have all been accused. Get over it, the comment comes across as salty and naive. Northampton as well as they played to get back into the match were thoroughly beaten and controlled for 60 minutes and Leinster have only themselves to blame for kicking it away and hence losing control of the match and being nearly the architects of their own downfall.
2 Go to commentsThere is some talent coming thru thats for sure. The 10 looks special to me. Rico Simpson is a name to look for in the future.
1 Go to commentsI think this quiet honestly is just an innocent misunderstanding by someone who is pig sh*t stupid. Eben is a fine player but by christ, if he can’t understand or get what the Irish players were trying to say to him after the match…..well i hope he has someone looking after his finances, career and is reading the fine print for him, cause life after rugby may be quite difficult for the vacuous echo chamber.
27 Go to commentsIt could be Doris' day!
3 Go to commentsThe whole thing has blown up because Eben’s words have clearly struck a nerve in Ireland. Otherwise they would just laugh it off. I think some former Irish players, commentators and some Irish fans know deep down this Ireland team started to believe its own press and that a certain amount of arrogance had started to creep in during the World Cup. The topic was actually brought up by Irish pundits on Off the Ball recently. It’s fine to be arrogant if you can back it up. Ireland didn’t.
27 Go to comments‘The Irish are good people'. Why is Goode praising a people who hate his own? Wet wipe.
27 Go to commentsLa mejor final que se puede ver en el emisferio norte.
1 Go to commentsA lot of cope from south africans in the comments. Etzebeth is a liar and a hypocrite; you don’t have to defend him!
27 Go to commentsHe got big and really slow for a flyhalf…not sure he’s relevant in a bok conversation anymore
4 Go to commentsBest tourney team vs best team in the regular season for 3 games in RSA - talk is cheap, let’s see what’s what on the tour
27 Go to commentsOne overlooked statistic from their 2016 winning season is the Huricanes are still the only team in Super rugby history not to concede a try during the playoff rounds.
4 Go to commentsThanks for the article, Nick. The Nienaber blitz D does ask a lot of its scrumhalf. I have been watching JGP on D and he often looks like he has mastered what Nienaber asks for better than Faf de Klerk and Cobus Reinach! 🤣 Impressive season by JGP if I must make an understatement.
22 Go to commentsOkay last one. I promise. I think it’s despicable for Andy Goode to suggest that Eben can’t count to 12. To be fair he only had to count to 8 - the number of Irishmen who DIDN’T say that. Less the 3 kiwis of course. 23 - 12 - 3 = 8. See Joe. I can do maffs.
27 Go to commentsCheers, Nick! How do you see the Reds’ Jock Campbell’s play this year? Not as strong a carrier as Andrew Kellaway or Tom Wright, but does avoid errors. Do you see Joe Schmidt as wanting safety first at 15 or a try-assisting counterattacker?
91 Go to commentsI’m sure this was all just a big misunderstanding. Irishmen and Afrikaaners conversing in a noisey stadium. Not easy to get the right messages across. A minefield.
27 Go to commentsSay what you will about Andy Goode. But he is right about one thing… I’m not sure what that one thing is exactly… but I’m willing to hear him out.
27 Go to commentsAnother article to bait and trigger Irish fans. This must stop.
27 Go to commentsHi Nick. Thanks for your +++ ongoing analysis. Re Vunivalu, He’s been benched recently and it will be interesting to see what Kiss does with him as we enter the backend of SRP. I’m still not sold.
91 Go to commentsIn the fine tradition of Irish rugby, Leinster cheat well and for some reason only known to whoever referees them, they are allowed to get away with it every single game. If teams have not got the physicality up front to stop them getting the ball, they will win every single game. They take out players beyond the ruck and often hold them on the ground. Those that are beyond the ruck and therefore offside, hover there to cause distraction but also to join the next ruck from the side thereby stopping the jackal. The lineout prior to the second try on Saturday. 3 Leinster players left the lineout before the ball was thrown and were driving the maul as soon as the player hit the ground and thereby getting that valuable momentum. They scrummage illegally, with the looshead turning in to stop the opposing tighthead from pushing straight and making it uncomfortable for the hooker. The tighthead takes a step and tries to get his opposite loosehead to drop the bind. Flankers often ‘move up’ and actually bind on the prop and not remain bound to the second row. It does cause chaos and is done quickly and efficiently so that referees are blinded by the illegal tactics. I am surprised opposition coaches when they meet referees before games don’t mention it. I am also surprised that they do not go to the referees group and ask them to look at the tactics used and referee them properly. If they are the better team and win, fair play but a lot of their momentum is gained illegally and therefore it is not a level playing field.
2 Go to comments