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Big games call for big venues, and this weekend we’ve got appointments at Twickenham and Wembley, Kings Park and Newlands.
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Premiership: Bath vs Leicester Tigers (Saturday, April 8, 9:00 pm HKT)
Somewhere close to 150,000 fans are expected to attend two club matches in the English Premiership this weekend. And this is the first of them – rather grandly called ‘The Clash’ – at Twickenham. This one, however, might actually live up to all the hype, as fifth-placed Bath face fourth-placed Leicester in front of a crowd of more than 55,000 fans and counting. At stake is a late advantage in the race for that all-important fourth playoff berth. After this weekend just three matches remain in the regular season.
Super Rugby: Sharks vs Jaguares (Saturday, April 8, 9:05 pm HKT)
The Sharks were on a nice little 4-game winning streak going into last week’s game against the Lions at Ellis Park, a streak that looked set to continue right up until about the 77th minute. It was a great game – and this weekend’s clash against the Jaguares could be just as good. Of course, it depends which Jaguares side turns up – but they have been much more consistent so far this season, and they’re starting to look like the test match side they basically are. Fresh off a bye last week, the Argentineans should give the Sharks a run for their money.
Super Rugby: Stormers vs Chiefs (Saturday, April 8, 11:15 pm HKT)
The New Zealand sides have dominated Super Rugby through the first six rounds, but there’s one catch: so far this season none have made the trip to South Africa. That changes this weekend when the Chiefs, with an unbeaten 5-from-5 record, travel to Cape Town to meet the Stormers – who are also unbeaten, also 5-from-5. A trip to South Africa (or vice versa for South African sides) has always been the real test of a team’s mettle in Super Rugby, and this match should be no exception.
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Premiership: Saracens vs Harlequins (Saturday, April 8, 11:30 pm HKT)
Following ‘The Clash’, the Premiership champions continue the so-far successful defence of their title against London rivals Quins at Wembley, in a match that goes by the slightly less grand-sounding ‘Derby Day’. Sarries have won seven of their nine Premiership away-days at the national soccer stadium, in front of crowds that regularly soar past 80,000. This year, the host club has offered 10,000 complimentary tickets to members of the emergency services in the capital. There’s no danger of breaking the club rugby crowd record of more than 99,000 who saw Racing 92 beat Toulon in the 2016 Top 14 final at the Nou Camp, but there’s still going to be an epic atmosphere.
Pro 12: Munster vs Glasgow (Sunday, April 9, 2:30 am HKT)
There’s no denying the Six Nations window did Warriors no favours – they lost three games on the bounce while their squad was ravaged by international call-ups. That stutter has seen Gregor Townsend’s men lose vital ground in the Pro 12 title race. If they are to make up the 10 points that separate them from fourth-placed Ulster, and a place in the play-offs, they need to add some Ws to their results tally. Problem is, starting a must-win run-in at Champions Cup semi-finalists Munster is easier said than done.
Top 14: Toulon vs Toulouse (Sunday, April 9, 11:00 pm HKT)
Another match that has moved from its expected venue sees the ailing original galacticos of nouveau Top 14 rugby face the fading crown princes of the French game at the 67,000-seat Stade Vélodrome in Marseille. This is a match neither side can afford to lose. Toulouse have never failed to reach the Top 14 play-offs, but – unaccustomed as they are to the lower reaches of the Top 14 – they are languishing in 10th place, still just five points off the play-off places. Toulon, meanwhile, sit in 4th, but their hold on a play-off place is precarious. They are one point ahead of Pau, in 6th, and four in front of Racing 92 in 8th.
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Comments on RugbyPass
The rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
76 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to comments