The Tight Five: This Week's Biggest Matches on Rugby Pass

We preview the five best NRL, Super Rugby and Top 14 matches to catch on Rugby Pass this week.

Super Rugby: Blues vs Hurricanes (Friday March 11, 2:35pm HKT)

The sky is (prematurely) falling on the Hurricanes after losing their opening two games to two of the best teams in Super Rugby. Their narrow 17-16 loss to the Highlanders in Dunedin saw a vast improvement over their week one performance against the Brumbies, but a loss is a loss. The Blues, meanwhile, followed up a surprise week one win over the Highlanders with a disappointing 28-13 loss to the Crusaders. If the Highlanders beat the Hurricanes and the Blues beat the Highlanders, then the Blues should beat the Hurricanes… right? All we know is that whichever team loses this game will probably have their season described as being ‘in tatters’ after just three weeks.

NRL: Broncos vs Warriors (Friday March 11, 5:05pm HKT)

The Broncos were the first team the Warriors ever played a competitive game of league against back in 1995 and the subsequent rivalry has seen some epic clashes over the years, including a tremendous brawl in 2003. This year the Broncos are back to being title favourites, while a freshly-hyped Warriors side were woeful in their round one loss to the Tigers at Leichardt Oval. They surely can’t be that bad again this week, and they are exactly the kind of team to bounce back for a shock win over the favourites.

Super Rugby: Sunwolves vs Cheetahs (Saturday March 12, 6:50pm HKT)

Experts have all but written off the Sunwolves’ season already, with some going as far as to say they should be withdrawn from Super Rugby altogether. Most would settle to see them win just one game, and this could be the Sunwolves’ best chance all season. They’re fresh off a week 2 bye and playing at their second home in Singapore, while the Cheetahs have had two tough losses in Buenos Aires and at home in Bloemfontein. This will be their third continent in three weeks – tough draw. Huge opportunity for the Sunwolves to pounce.

Super Rugby: Stormers vs Sharks (Saturday March 12, 11:05pm HKT)

Round 3 of Super Rugby ends in Cape Town where the unbeaten, Africa 1 conference-leading Stormers host the unbeaten, Africa 2 conference-leading Sharks. The two teams have near-identical records so far – big wins in round one followed by tougher games last weekend. The Stormers outmuscled the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein while the Sharks held out the Jaguares in Durban. You have to go with the home team in what promises to be a physical matchup.

Top 14: Toulouse vs Bordeaux (Sunday March 13, 1:30am HKT)

When Bordeaux hosted Tolouse in the reverse fixture back in October they eked out a 12-10 win off the back of 4 penalties from the boot of Baptiste Serin. The four points from that win are now the difference between the two teams on the table – Bordeaux sit in 4th with 50 points, Toulouse are 5th with 46. The home team will be determined to redress that on Sunday morning, and while there won’t be much in it, the game is theirs Toulouse (sorry).