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What to watch in men’s rugby: England reunion in Japan, race to Paris 2024

290 days ago

NICE, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 17: Maro Itoje of England is tackled by Yutaka Nagare during the Rugby World Cup France 2023 pool D match between England and Japan at Stade de Nice on September 17, 2023 in Nice, France. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

It promises to be an enthralling weekend of rugby as the Test window opens, Asian bragging rights are decided and the final ticket to Paris 2024 is handed out.

And you can watch it all unfold live and for free on RugbyPass TV.

The eyes of the world will be on Japan National Stadium on Saturday as Eddie Jones takes charge of the Brave Blossoms following a nine-year absence, against England, the team he coached to the Rugby World Cup 2019 final.

Walk the Talk with Eddie Jones – Trailer | RPTV

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Walk the Talk with Eddie Jones – Trailer | RPTV

Eddie Jones reflects on his career, rugby’s growth in Japan, coaching England and Australia, South African rugby and much more. Full episode coming Tuesday 18 June on RPTV

Coming soon

Both teams will want to kick off their summer campaign with a win, as will world champions South Africa and Wales as they go head-to-head at Twickenham later on the same day.

That match forms part of an exciting double-header alongside the clash between Fiji and the Barbarians, with some legends of the game bidding farewell to top-level rugby.

Elsewhere, Hong Kong China meet Korea in a winner-takes-all finale to the Asia Rugby Men’s Championship 2024 while Monaco hosts the final qualification tournament for Paris 2024.

HSBC SVNS 2024 sides South Africa, Great Britain, Canada and Spain are among the 12 teams at the World Rugby Sevens Repechage vying for one last place at the Olympics.

Japan host England in historic Test

England will come face-to-face with Eddie Jones for the first time since he was sacked as coach in December 2022 when they meet Japan in Tokyo on Saturday.

Jones had been scheduled to lead England on a tour of Japan in 2020 but the pandemic intervened, and he will now be in the opposition coaches’ box for the first official Test between the sides on Japanese soil.

Fixture

Internationals

Japan

17 - 52

Full-time

England

All Stats and Data

The opening stop on a summer tour that also includes two Tests in New Zealand, England coach Steve Borthwick will hope his squad can use the contest to find some form ahead of that series against the All Blacks.

For the hosts, meanwhile, Saturday’s match represents the first scene in Jones’ second act with the Brave Blossoms – who he famously led to a stunning victory against South Africa at Rugby World Cup 2015.

Japan’s performance nine years ago – when they became the first team to win three pool matches but fail to reach the quarter-finals of a men’s Rugby World Cup – ultimately earned Jones the England job.

And although he led England to the RWC 2019 final and holds the best win ratio of any coach in the national team’s history, Jones left the role under a cloud.

Having landed back in Japan via a brief, disastrous return to Australia, Jones and his side, who failed to emerge from a RWC 2023 pool that included England, both have a point to prove in Tokyo.

Jones believes Japan can make history on Saturday and with Tests against Georgia and Italy on the horizon in July, the match is a crucial one for the hosts too.

It promises to be an enthralling Test match and fans in the UK and Ireland can watch it live and for free on RugbyPass TV.

Saturday, June 22nd

06:50 BST (GMT+1) – Japan v England, Japan National Stadium – WATCH LIVE HERE

Springboks v Wales headlines Twickenham double-header

Following the full-time whistle in Tokyo, attention will turn to Twickenham where fans will be treated to a mouth-watering double-header.

Back-to-back world champions South Africa will play their first match of the year as they take on Wales before Fiji play the Barbarians.

As of Tuesday, more than 60,000 tickets had been sold for the international jamboree and those in attendance, as well as fans watching on from further afield, should be in for a treat.

Fixture

Internationals

South Africa

41 - 13

Full-time

Wales

All Stats and Data

Five players who started the RWC 2023 final against the All Blacks – Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Faf de Klerk and Jesse Kriel – will run out at Twickenham, while several fringe stars will want to put their hand up for next month’s series against Ireland.

Wales suffered a setback this week with news that captain Jac Morgan will miss the match, and the team’s tour of Australia, and coach Warren Gatland is in rebuild mode having finished this year’s Guinness Six Nations with the wooden spoon.

In the second match of the day, Sam Whitelock and Shota Horie will hope to bow out of top-level rugby with a victory against Fiji.

Whitelock captains a hugely experienced Barbarian squad that contains 968 Test caps and eight England internationals – including Ben Youngs, Danny Care, Jonny May and Kyle Sinckler.

Fiji, meanwhile, will be playing their first match of 2024 as they prepare for Tests against Georgia and the All Blacks in July and the start of the World Rugby Pacific Nations Cup the following month.

All the action is available to stream live and for free on RugbyPass TV except where there is a local broadcast deal in place (Africa, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, the Pacific and Asia).

Saturday, June 22nd

14:00 BST (GMT+1) – South Africa v Wales, Twickenham – WATCH LIVE HERE

17:15 BST (GMT+1) – Barbarians v Fiji, Twickenham – WATCH LIVE HERE

Hong Kong China target Asia Rugby title

Hong Kong China will claim a fifth Asia Rugby Men’s Championship crown if they beat Korea at Hong Kong Football Club on Saturday.

The defending champions have been in fine form over the past month, beating the United Arab Emirates 52-5 and Malaysia 70-6.

Fixture

Internationals

Hong Kong China

67 - 7

Full-time

Korea Republic

All Stats and Data

A third successive victory would secure a fifth title and ensure that Hong Kong China’s dominance of Asian competition continues.

Despite their surprise 36-32 defeat to the UAE in Dubai two weeks ago, however, Korea know that a first win against their hosts since 2015 would give them the championship.

The final round gets underway on Friday, when the UAE take on Malaysia at The Sevens Stadium.

Fixture

Internationals

United Arab Emirates

62 - 19

Full-time

Malaysia

All Stats and Data

A second win in a row for the hosts would lift them into second place in the standings, for 24 hours at least, as they chase their highest ever finish in the championship.

Both matches are available to stream live and for free globally on RugbyPass TV.

Friday, June 21st

16:30 BST (GMT+1) – UAE v Malaysia, The Sevens Stadium – WATCH LIVE HERE

Saturday, June 22nd

09:30 BST (GMT+1) – Hong Kong China v Korea, Hong Kong Football Club – WATCH LIVE HERE

Olympic qualification up for grabs

Twelve teams have arrived in Monaco knowing that only one will end the weekend clutching the final ticket to Paris 2024.

And such is the quality of the teams at the World Rugby Sevens Repechage start line that at least one previous Olympic medallist will not feature at the Games next month.

Rio 2016 bronze medallists South Africa will start the weekend as favourites having finished seventh in the regular season HSBC SVNS standings and winning the fifth-place play-off at the Grand Final in Madrid.

However, they will face stiff competition from Rio silver medallists Great Britain – who reached at least the Cup semi-finals in two of the final three regular season tournaments – Spain, Canada, Chile and a host of others.

The action will get underway at Stade Louis II at 14:04 BST (GMT+1) on Friday with the 12 teams split into three pools.

The top two from each pool as well as the best two third-place finishers at the end of the pool stage will advance to the Cup quarter-finals on Sunday.

Whoever wins the Cup final will secure the 12th and final place in the Paris 2024 sevens tournament. You can watch it all live and for free on RugbyPass TV.

Friday, June 21st

12:00 BST (GMT+1) – World Rugby Sevens Repechage, Stade Louis II – WATCH LIVE HERE

Saturday, June 22nd

09:00 BST (GMT+1) – World Rugby Sevens Repechage, Stade Louis II – WATCH LIVE HERE

Sunday, June 23rd

08:30 BST (GMT+1) – World Rugby Sevens Repechage, Stade Louis II – WATCH LIVE HERE

Comments

2 Comments

Jen 288 days ago

The navigation on Rugbypass TV is a shambles - it’s so hard to find anything.

finn 290 days ago

“All the action is available to stream live and for free on RugbyPass TV except where there is a local broadcast deal in place (Africa, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, the Pacific and Asia).”

this is quite baffling wording! is it saying that it can or can’t be streamed if you live in those places?

Thankfully in the UK you can watch the Wales/SA match on the BBC for free, so whether its on rugbypass or not doesn’t really matter to me, but it would be good to make these things clearer.

Join free and tell us what you really think!

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Comments on RugbyPass

d 14 minutes ago

Fijian Drua vs Crusaders: The Sevu Reece experiment, defence is back

The trouble is that he may be needed on the wing to replace Reece who failed in the position in the AB jersey. BB seems to be playing himself into the AB #10 position despite my misgivings on his vision and tactical kicking, although he improved in the last Blues game, but Love probably deserves a shot at the #15 jersey for the ABs.

10 Go to comments

JW 19 minutes ago

Why NZR's Ineos settlement may be the most important victory they'll enjoy this year

I haven’t been following Trump but it’s irrelevant to this discussion other than it’s a random event that might see less sponsorship, sure. But that’s the type of ridiculousness we were getting in the articles, criticizing NZR for the effects of trump tarrifs.

I didn’t think Sky had anything to do with Sky in the UK, they might have some technological sharing but I wouldn’t have thought market directions would be shared. Here NPC games used to get 500k viewership when SR was going gangbusters around 2015-17 but NZR has continuously reduced it’s relevance and now Sky is sharing that perspective purely based on costs and small margins in this market. I wouldn’t think it applies anywhere else in the world.

You’re saying SRP is on Sky in the UK too? How would you rate/compare the product Ed, the comms team and any pre/post match stuff you see?

22 Go to comments

Cantab 22 minutes ago

Fijian Drua vs Crusaders: The Sevu Reece experiment, defence is back

They certainly were apart from that 5 minute lapse when Drua scored their 2 tries. Need to be just as focused against the dangerous Hurricanes next up.

10 Go to comments

JW 32 minutes ago

Fijian Drua vs Crusaders: The Sevu Reece experiment, defence is back

They were fired up I bet.

10 Go to comments

JW 32 minutes ago

Fijian Drua vs Crusaders: The Sevu Reece experiment, defence is back

THe halves were key? That’s good to hear, glad Springer showed a bit too, really interested in him coming on.

Barrett didn’t stand out at all again?

10 Go to comments

JW 38 minutes ago

The raw data that proves Super Rugby Pacific is currently a cut above

Oh yes the cost is the cost, URC (the NH component) is overjoyed if SAs involvement. How is interest compared to last year though? It looked well down at the start of the season but having such a competitive table I thought it might have upped/sparked interest again.

I was just joking about the flight paths having their own quirks. But it was the same in Super back in the day as well. They really got tough on reformation there at one point so it’s easy to think it was always that bad for them.

46 Go to comments

JW 49 minutes ago

Former Wallaby Jordan Petaia signs NFL deal with Los Angeles Chargers

I think you’re putting far too much stock in athletic ability. Totally different positions/roles and what I was getting at their relative performance in rugby is irrelevant, that they are world class athletes wouldn’t have an influence. People who never had what it takes to make it in rugby are key football players. This will be a completely separate and unique journey.

They get in far far easyier than others because of their commercial aspect (next thing there will be a PPP for Youtubers), but I think if they’re not cutting it after year they’d find it just as hard as anybody to get in. I followed Hayne a bit, but part of that was the clubs he chose as well. I doubt I’d be interested in doing it again.

Who Petaia, or LRZ?

5 Go to comments

JW 1 hour ago

Kyren Taumoefolau All Blacks stance splits opinions on eligibility

Yeah of course it can be, it manages a good commerical outcome when 100 million people are following it. I’m saying rugby is no where near even remotely close to getting the payoff you’re talking about, never mind the distinct lack of anyway to implement it.

So you’re going for the dirty approach. I’m not surprised, it’s the only way to easily implement it right now. I wouldn’t see the benefit to doing that myself. A draft, if purely feasible in it’s own right, doesn’t need to provide commercial benefit at all (if it works, that’s all it needs to do, as it no doubt did back in america’s heyday). But without the advantageous backing of sponsors and interest levels, if you pick the wrong method to implement it, like a dirty approach, you do potential harm to it’s acceptance.

The aspect’s of the approach you chose that I don’t like, is that the franchises are the ones spending the money of the U20’s only for there opposition to get first dibs. Personally, I would much prefer an investment into a proper pathway (which I can’t really see SR U20s being at all in anycase). I’m not exactly sure how the draft works in america, but I’m pretty sure it’s something like ‘anyone whishing to be pro has to sign for the draft’, and results in maybe 10 or 20% of those being drafted. The rest (that accumulative 80/90% year on year) do go back into club, pronvincial, or whatever they have there, and remain scouted and options to bring in on immediate notice for cover etc. You yes, you draw on everybody, but what is generating your interest in the drafties in the first plaec?

This is your missing peace. If some come through school and into the acadamies, which would be most, you’ve currently got three years of not seeing those players after they leave school. Those that miss and come in through club, maybe the second year theyre in the draft or whatever, aged 20/21, you’re going to have no clue how they’ve been playing. NPC is a high level, so any that are good enough to play that would already be drafted, but some late bloomers you might see come in NPC but then Sky’s not going to broadcast that anymore. So what’s generating this massive interest you’re talking about, and most importantly, how does it tie in with the other 7 clubs that will be drafting (and providing) players outside of NZ?

Is the next step to pump tens of millions into SRP U20s? That would be a good start for investment in the youth (to get onto international levels of pathway development) in the first place but are fans going to be interested to the same level as what happens in america? Baseball, as mentioned, has the minor leagues, if we use that model it hasn’t to be broad over the whole pacific, because you’re not having one draft right, they all have to play against each other. So here they get drafted young and sent out into a lower level thats more expansive that SR, is there interest in that? There would be for large parts, but how financially viable would it be. Twiggy tried to get a league started and NPC clubs joined. BOP and Taranaki want SR representation, do we have a mix of the biggest clubs and provinces/states make a couple of divisions? I think that is far more likely to fan interest and commerical capabilities than an U20 of the SR teams. Or ofc Uni fits a lot of options. I’ve not really read anything that has tried to nut out the feasability of a draft, it can certainly work if this spitballing is anything to go by, but I think first theres got to be a need for it far above just being a drafting level.

36 Go to comments

GP 1 hour ago

Fijian Drua vs Crusaders: The Sevu Reece experiment, defence is back

The class of Will Jordan was one of the highlights of this match. He played a great all round game, under the highball, attack and defense. He will the AB fullback. He also did a good job taking over the captaincy of the Crusaders when Codie Taylor went off.

10 Go to comments

SadersMan 1 hour ago

‘Always striving for greatness’: New Zealand crowned SVNS league winners

How the heck can the LA Tournament decide the “overall SVNS Series Champions”, when there’s already a League Winner crowned for both Men & Women?????

I mean it’s ludicrous to think that the 7th placed AB7s, who have been awful this circuit, can technically win one tournament & be crowned the men’s SVNS Series Champions. Any of the 8 mens teams can win on the day. Ridiculous!!!!

1 Go to comments

BH 2 hours ago

Blues vs Hurricanes: Blues muscle up, Barrett's boot wins it

If only he was more consistent in this area. He’s way too hot-and-cold from week to week and can go from having an excellent game to kicking the ball away needlessly the following week.

5 Go to comments

BH 2 hours ago

Dan McKellar accuses Waratahs of getting 'bored' in flop loss

Suaalii was great on attack but his defence was pretty bad

1 Go to comments

JW 3 hours ago

‘Redefine the future’: India unveils revolutionary Rugby Premier League

That’s pretty cool, I’m excited to see the quality of the 34 Indians drafted. A bit dissapointed it’s not the IPL franchise that have got involved (supposed seen as it’s not mentioned), they would have a real IP for making it work.