Who’s hot and who’s not: Champions Cup drama, Portugal boost, Owen Farrell boos and Australia’s lost star
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It’s time for our Monday wrap of who has their name in lights and who is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons after the weekend.
THEY’RE ON FIRE!
Champions Cup drama: The greatest club competition in the world has returned and with it so has the drama with plenty of dramatic finishes. Exeter Chiefs got the ball rolling on Saturday when the English team came back from a six-point deficit to score a late try against Toulon. With the clock in the red and the game on the line, Henry Slade stood up and nailed a conversion to win it. The drama did not stop there as Bristol Bears and Lyon fought in an epic tussle with a Callum Sheedy drop-goal stealing the result late on. Elsewhere Munster were shocked by Bayonne, who produced an incredible result to draw against the United Rugby Championship holders, while on Sunday both Leinster and Harlequins fended off late onslaughts from La Rochelle and Racing 92 to claim famous wins on French soil. What a weekend.
Handre Pollard shines: Although there were other outstanding individual performances in the Champions Cup over the weekend, Pollard deserves special praise as he was at the forefront of Leicester Tigers’ 35-26 victory against the Stormers at Welford Road on Sunday. The Tigers had to dig deep to seal their win as they trailed their visitors 10-17 at half-time. The Springbok fly-half led by example as he finished with a 20-point haul courtesy of a try, three penalties and as many conversions while, in the game he also threw the final pass to, Josh Bassett, who scored Leicester’s final try, which secured them a bonus point.
Portugal to face Springboks: After the conclusion of the Rugby World Cup there were calls for emerging teams to have more regular games against bigger sides and those have been answered. One of the fan favourite teams, Portugal, will play against the Springboks for the first time ever in 2024 in a massive clash on South African soil. It is exciting for both teams as they collectively grow the game together.
British & Irish Lions in Dublin: Another interesting match-up was confirmed this week as the famous touring side confirmed they will clash with Argentina on June 20, 2025 as their final preparation before touring Australia. It will be the first time Los Pumas have faced the Lions on their home soil and the first time the Lions have played in Ireland so it’s special for two reasons, with tickets set to be hot property.
Kevin Sinfield: England’s defence coach has continued his push for awareness and fundraising for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) by brilliantly running seven ultra-marathons in seven days. A remarkable feat by a figure who is inspired to run for the cause of his friend and former team-mate Rob Burrow. He ran in Leeds, Cardiff, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Dublin, Brighton and London. What an inspiring person.
COLD AS ICE!
Bulls fans booing Owen Farrell: Whilst the Bulls played exceptionally well in their 27-16 win over Saracens, their fans did not impress as they insisted on booing Farrell consistently throughout the clash whenever he kicked for goal. The actions of the fans do not reflect the values of the game, specifically that of respect, particularly with a player who has recently announced he is taking a break from international rugby to prioritise his mental well-being. Bulls boss Jake White later apologised on behalf of the club and said the problem would be addressed.
Billy Vunipola red card: Saracens had a tough evening in Pretoria against the Bulls and it wasn’t helped by Vunipola being sent-off for this dangerous clearout at a ruck. The England number eight failed to take the necessary care when entering a breakdown and caught Bulls opposite number Cameron Hanekom on the face as he flew in and ended up off his feet. To Sarries’ credit they won the rest of the game 10-0.
Mark Nawaqanitawase switch: In ANOTHER blow for Rugby Australia it was revealed their star winger has signed up for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL) at the end of 2025. It is a concerning moment considering how important the wing has been for the Wallabies in recent months and even more so with a home World Cup in 2027 looming large. The situation in Australia is worrying at best.
Eddie Jones rumours: To intensify matters, reports coming out of Japan suggest that the former Wallabies boss will be unveiled as the new head coach of the Brave Blossoms. This comes after Jones repeatedly denied having a meeting with the Japan Rugby Football Union about the role just before the Rugby World Cup in France. It is not a good look for the tactician who was in charge of Japan between 2012 and 2015 where he led the team to their greatest win ever over the Springboks in the 2015 World Cup.
Tom Foley needing to step away: The modern age comes with the massive shortfall of online abuse which is rife in society in the game with more players and referees reporting incidents. Foley, who was the television match official (TMO) for the World Cup final, is the latest to open up about abuse online as he revealed he would be stepping away from Test rugby as a result. It is incredibly sad to see a top match official feel he needs to make this kind of decision. There should be no place for this in our game and/or society and it needs stamping out.
Another Major League Rugby club folds: Barely a week after the news that the Toronto Arrow was folding, the same fate followed for 2022 champions Rugby New York, meaning there are only 10 teams left in the competition for the 2024 campaign. This is massive concern for rugby on the whole with yet another club going under in 2023 and one hopes that for MLR there aren’t more to follow. Worrying times.