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There’s silverware on the line this weekend with Champions and Challenge Cup finals in Europe, while a mouthwatering New Zealand derby is the highlight of the Super Rugby schedule.
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Challenge Cup: Gloucester vs Stade Francais (Saturday, May 13, 3:00am HKT)
Seasons don’t get more rollercoaster than the one Stade Francais have endured. The famous old club’s very existence was in doubt not that long ago, while their on-pitch fortunes have varied like the weather on an Irish spring day. Through it all, they have somehow managed to hang tough in this competition. And, now, they face English Premiership outfit Gloucester in the showpiece match. Some silverware would, somehow, make it all worthwhile for the Top 14 side. But Gloucester have suffered woes of their own, and will want the win for much the same reason.
NRL: Panthers vs Warriors (Saturday, May 13, 1:00pm HKT)
A battle to avoid the wooden spoon? Or a fight to make the top 8? Both these sides have performed worse than expected so far this season, particularly the Panthers, a pre-season Premiership contender who are currently languishing 15th on the table. The Warriors started poorly but have improved since Kieran Foran returned to partner Shaun Johnson in the halves. They now sit just a win behind the playoffs pace, and on current form, you’d take them to take the two points at Pepper Stadium. But the Panthers could start delivering on their promise any day now – bet on this one at your peril.
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Super Rugby: Crusaders vs Hurricanes (Saturday, May 13, 3:35pm HKT)
Well now. After a few weeks of entertaining but mostly one-sided games against South African opponents, the unbeaten Crusaders and rampant Hurricanes are on a collision course for what could just about be the match of the regular season. While the Crusaders have home advantage, they’ve had to travel all the way from the Republic this week. The extra travel could prove the difference – the Canes have been happily cross-kicking oppositions to death in the lower North Island for the last few weeks and might just have the fresher legs come Saturday night. Don’t miss it.
Super Rugby: Bulls vs Highlanders (Saturday, May 13, 9:05pm HKT)
The Bulls launched their official coffee during the week so they should be raring to go when the Highlanders arrive at Loftus on Saturday. The visitors are fresh off a spectacular win against the Cheetahs – a spectacular win which was very nearly a humiliating defeat. The Bulls won’t let them score three tries in the final five minutes, but nor are the Bulls likely to run in 41 points. After a hiding from the Crusaders last week, this is must-win for the home side if they want to maintain their slim playoff chances.
Champions Cup: Saracens vs Clermont (Sunday, May 14, 12-midnight HKT)
Defending champions Saracens have not lost a Champions Cup match since the semifinal of the 2015 competition, some 18 games ago. That defeat was at St Etienne in France, against their opponents this weekend in Edinburgh. The Premiership side are looking to join the elite ranks of Leicester Tigers, Leinster and Toulon as the only teams to win back-to-back European titles – but they face a Clermont side equally determined not to become the first in history to lose three European finals.
Comments on RugbyPass
Je suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
25 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
25 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
25 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
25 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
11 Go to comments