This Week's Biggest Matches On Rugby Pass

We preview the best matches to catch on Rugby Pass this weekend, including the start of the Rugby Championship, Top 14 and Mitre 10 Cup, and the last roll of the dice for the Tigers and Warriors in the NRL.

NRL: Panthers vs Tigers (Friday August 19, 5:50pm HKT)
The NRL playoffs picture is a whole lot clearer after last week’s set of results, and it’s not looking good for the Tigers. The West Sydney side were sunk by a late field goal from new Titans signing Jarryd Hayne to lose a game which saw them also lose star fullback James Tedesco with a horrible broken jaw. That means need to win this weekend to keep any remaining top 8 hope alive, but for the Panthers a win would all but guarantee a spot in the playoffs. They put 42 points past the hapless Knights last weekend; a desperate Tigers side will present a tougher test at Pepper Stadium on Friday night.

Mitre 10 Cup: Canterbury vs Auckland (Saturday August 20, 3:30pm)
The Mitre 10 Cup (formerly the ITM Cup, née the NPC, aka the pinnacle of New Zealand provincial rugby) kicks off this weekend with a rematch of last year’s Premiership final as Canterbury host Auckland. The two provinces dominated the competition last year and the final was a minor classic, with the home side sneaking home late to win 25-23. They are favoured to repeat that result this weekend, but you pick these kind of early-season games at your own peril.

NRL: Cowboys vs Warriors (Saturday August 20, 5:30pm)
Before last week the Warriors looked a fairly good chance to make the top 8. They just needed to win three of their final four games, and the first hurdle was by far the easiest – beat the Rabbitohs, who had lost their last nine games in a row, at home. They did not do that. The Rabbitohs turned back the clock to 2014 and blew the Warriors off the park 41-22, and now the Warriors need to win in tropical North Queensland to keep their season alive. In their favour is the fact that the Cowboys are looking completely out of sorts of late. They have lost their last three games in a row and if they lose their next three – against the Warriors, Bulldogs and Titans – could still potentially miss the top 8 altogether.

Rugby Championship: Australia vs New Zealand (Saturday August 20, 6:05pm)
The June internationals held vastly different fortunes for the 2015 Rugby World Cup finalists. The Wallabies came out on the wrong side of a classic, brutal series whitewash by England, while the All Blacks played three almost identical games against Wales. They played like the Usain Bolt of rugby, looking sluggish in the first half before easing away in the second. But the team who came out of the June internationals better prepared for the Rugby Championship? Almost certainly Australia. Don’t write the Wallabies off to spring an upset on the All Blacks in Sydney this weekend, or at the very least come close.

Top 14: Bordeaux vs Racing 92 (Sunday August 21, 2:45am)
The Top 14 is back underway this weekend, less than two months after Racing 92 lifted the trophy in front of 99,000 fans at the Nou Camp to finish the 2015-16 season. The first step in their defence is a visit to Bordeaux, who have finished 7th two years running. Both times these teams met last season Racing came out on top, but not by much – 28-20 in Bordeaux and 23-18 in Paris. If Bordeaux were ever going to spring an upset on the defending champs, the first week back from the break is a good time to do it.