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

We preview the best matches to catch on Rugby Pass this weekend.

Super League: St Helens vs Warrington (Saturday June 4, 3:00am HKT)
Langtree Park will play host to the match of the Super League round for a Friday night showdown as the Saints host the table-topping Wolves. A couple of losses in the last 3 weeks means Warrington are now joined at the top by three other teams all on 22 points, with Saints sitting a couple of games off the pace with 18. Saints won the reverse fixture 25-22 back in April, and on recent form it looks like being another close one this weekend. Home advantage might just tip it in the Saints’ favour.

Asian Championship: Hong Kong vs South Korea (Saturday June 4, 4:30pm HKT)
Hong Kong and South Korea are playing for pride this weekend, after Division 1 winner Malaysia turned down their shot at a promotion-relegation match against the 3rd placed Championship side. Last time these sides met Hong Kong ran out 34-27 winners in an entertaining and evenly-matched encounter, and with 2nd place (and bragging rights) on the line this weekend’s game should be fun.

NRL: Storm vs Panthers (Saturday June 4, 5:30pm HKT)
Depending on where you sit the Storm’s consistency is either a thing of beauty or completely  infuriating. It will surprise no one to learn that they have conceded the fewest points in the competition – 130 in 9 games – or that they’ve quietly worked their way into 2nd spot on the ladder. The Panthers travel to Melbourne looking to cling to their spot in the top 8. They’ve played some smart footy this season and deserve a look-in come playoffs time. They should give the Storm a good run on Saturday, and this could be closer than many expect.

Top 14: Racing 92 vs Montpellier (Sunday June 5, 12:30am HKT)
Sometimes the schedulers manage to pick a perfect final-round match up, and this is one of those times. To end the Top 14 regular season Racing 92 (3rd, 77 points) host Montpellier (2nd, 81 points), and need a bonus point win to leapfrog them on the table, which would earn them a week off and a home semifinal. They need a win and score 3 more tries than Montpellier, who beat them 60-7 in the reverse fixture in March. An added layer of intrigue lies in the fact that whichever way this goes, there’s a good chance these two teams could meet again in the semis.

NRL: Bulldogs vs Sharks (Monday June 6, 5:00pm HKT)
Monday Night Football offers a fair dinkum match-up this week with the table-topping Sharks travelling inland to face the 5th-placed Bulldogs. While all eyes have been on the Sharks exploits so far the Dogs have low-key been having a strong season as well, although they slipped up against the Raiders on Sunday night. Both teams have a handful of key players involved in Wednesday’s State of Origin game 1, which makes this one even harder to call – it should be a belter.