Europe regroup, mostly, but South Africa remain at the top
In the third weekend of the Autumn Internationals, two of the European sides gained hard fought victories over southern hemisphere powerhouses and another two took on rising European teams in matches that augur well for the future of the international game.
Ireland steadied the ship after last week’s loss to the All Blacks by beating a tough Argentina side 20-19 at the Aviva in Dublin. Scotland recovered from their thrilling loss to South Africa by thumping emerging Portugal 52-19 at Murrayfield. England continued to struggle against the world’s top sides losing 20-29 to South Africa at Twickenham. In the last 5 years, England have lost a Word Cup Final, a World Cup Semi Final and now an Autumn International to the Springboks. The games have been tight but the South Africans always find a way to win. Generally, England has much to work on with only 4 wins out of their last 11 major internationals and the upcoming Six Nations In February 2025 will have everyone under the spotlight.
France pipped the All Blacks in another tight match in Paris 30-29 and Australia continued their recent resurgence putting 52 points against 20 past Wales in Cardiff.
And in a sign that European rugby is growing from the bottom, Georgia gave Italy a stiff test including 2 scintillating tries before losing 20-17 in Genoa.
So South Africa continue to show remarkable skill, depth and resilience and reinforce their #1 ranking in world rugby. With just one match left in 2024, against Wales in Cardiff, only a Welsh miracle will stop them closing the year on a dominant high.
After this weekend’s results, the World Rankings have only seen a minor change; South Africa stay at #1 but New Zealand drop to #3, replaced by Ireland at #2. The other rankings are: 4) France; 5) Argentina; 6) Scotland; 7) England; 8) Australia; 9) Fiji; 10) Italy.
Next up: (11/22) France vs. Argentina; (11/23) Ireland vs. Fiji; Wales vs. S. Africa; Italy vs. New Zealand; (11/24) Scotland vs. Australia; England vs. Japan. Streaming Live and with all replays on Peacock.
Autumn Internationals underway and the Southern Hemisphere is smiling
With all of the major international sides having played, and England, Scotland, New Zealand and Fiji having played twice, it is clear who has the upper hand (for now) and the world rankings have moved accordingly.
All 4 southern hemisphere teams have a clean record thus far: New Zealand’s All Blacks are 2-0 having beaten England 24-22 in the opening match and Ireland 23-13 in Dublin. The All Blacks move up a spot to #2 in the world as a result. South Africa’s Sprinhgboks won their opening match 32-15 against Scotland at Murrayfield in Edinburgh and move to #1. Argentina are also 1-0 beating Italy in Udine 50-18 moving up a spot to #5 while Italy drop to #10 from #8. And Australia’s Wallabies, whose fortunes on the rugby field have been dismal of late won a terrific match against England at Twickenham 42-27 with a last minute try that sealed the win. Australia move up to #8 from 10 and England drop 2 spots to #7.
England are 0-2, at home, a disappointing start for a team that showed real spark in the latter stages of the 6 Nations and in the summer internationals. Next weekend’s opponent is South Africa which will probably pose a greater test of England’s resolve. Scotland are 1-1 having won their first match against Fiji and then ran into the best team in the world. However, the combination of results moves them up a spot to #6. Ireland fall 2 spots to #3 after losing to New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium and France, who had a comfortable 52-12 win against Tier 2 nation Japan in Paris stay at #4. Fiji are 1-1 and stay at #9 after losing 57-17 to Scotland in their opener and then edging Wales 24-19 at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Wales remain outside the top 10 rankings at #11.
Highlights include: home advantage has been of little value to the European sides when they’ve met the stiffest opposition although Scotland’s performance against the Springboks was inspired by fantastic support. England’s return to Twickenham (now known as the Allianz Stadium) was welcomed by sell-out crowds who so far have little to celebrate. Those who have been writing off New Zealand saw 2 exciting and hard-fought wins that reminded opponents not to give them an inch. Ireland would love to take on the Boks at home after their early departure in the World Cup last year but may be regretting not having a chance to play them in this series. The South African team has proven that even when not operating on all cylinders (they conceded a lot of possession against Scotland’s high intensity defense) they still manage to win. A victory against England at Twickenham on November 16 will keep them #1 through year-end and it is hard to see who unseats them in the short run. Their use of a 7-1 split in favor of forwards on the bench essentially renews the entire pack in the second half, enough to blunt Scotland’s brave performance. Very tough to beat.
Next up: 11/15 - Ireland vs. Argentina; 11/16 - England vs. South Africa, France vs. New Zealand, Scotland vs. Portugal; 11/17 - Italy vs. Georgia, Wales vs. Australia
Live streaming and replays on Peacock.
Premiership 1st Block done; the Autumn Internationals draw near
The first block of 6 games in England’s Premiership is complete and the teams you might expect to be high on the leaderboard are there, bar one. Bath are on top with a 5-0-1 record and 25 pts, followed by Leicester Tigers, also at 5-0-1 but with 1 less bonus point, and the Bristol Bears, 4-0-2 but 8 bps. All 3 moved up 1 rung from the previous week. Saracens, top of the table after Week 5 fell 3 spots to 4th after losing at home to the Tigers in a squeaker 29-32. Bath’s move to top spot came after a 6 try victory over Sale, now 8th in the table. The Bears beat the Saints 31-23, the loss away from home pushing last year’s champs to 7th. Gloucester (36-7 over Newcastle) and Harlequins (19-36 at Exeter) both had bonus point wins and moved to 6th and 5th respectively.
With the international break upon us, the next Premiership match features Harlequins at home to Bristol on Friday, November 29, which, given the rate of try-scoring currently (37 just last weekend) should be a feast for fans of imaginative, attacking rugby.
The Autumn Internationals kick off next Saturday (November 2) with England at home to the All Blacks. England’s fans will be keen to see if the attacking flair shown in the latter stage of the 2024 Six Nations will be continued against a side which while still ranked #3 in the world, has fallen slightly from its peak. The slew of top flight matches taking place in November will have an impact on the rankings, which are currently: Ireland #1; South Africa #2; New Zealand #3; France #4; England #5; Argentina #6; Scotland #7; Italy #8; Fiji #9; and Australia #10. All of these teams are playing internationals during November although arguably, the Irish and English schedules are the toughest.
Many of these internationals are being streamed on Peacock, starting with England/NZ on Saturday at 8:00 AM Pacific.
In the United Rugby Championship (URC), Leinster continue to lead with an unblemished record 6-0-0 which with 5 bps gives them a 6 point lead over Glasgow Warriors on 23 with a 4-0-2 record and 7 bonus pts. Still a game behind, 2 of the South African teams, the Vodacom Bulls and the Emirates Lions are 3rd and 4th with 4-0-1 records and just 3 and 2 bonus points respectively. Like the Premiership, the URC clubs have the month off, restarting on November 29 although some of the top clubs will have plenty of players away on international duty. The demands of international rugby for teams like England, Ireland, and South Africa could well have a negative effect on clubs in both Premiership and URC when they start their club campaign again at the end of the month.
In France after 8 rounds of Top 14 action and with 1 more to go before their international “break”, the top 6 clubs are largely the same although 3 lost away from home and slid slightly in the rankings. Last year’s champions, Stade Toulousain are on top with a 6-0-2 record and 29 pts including 5 bonus pts; runners-up Union Bordeaux-Begles are second with a 6-0-2 record and 4 bonus pts. Aviron Bayonnais, 3rd in the table were the only major club to win away last weekend (an unusual event in France) beating LOU Rugby 38-49. Stade Rochelais, RC Toulon and ASM Clermont all lost away and slid to 4th, 5th and 6th respectively.
Week 4 in the Prem and URC; Week 6 for the French
Derby weekend in the Gallagher Premiership adds a little spice to the regular season match-ups and the games this weekend did not disappoint. Leicester Tigers ground out a low-scoring win against Northampton Saints; Exeter’s young team scored 35 pts but lost to the tough and skillful Bristol Bears; Gloucester played some thrilling rugby but their 4 tries were comprehensively beaten by Bath’s 8; and in a tight game marred only by a terrible injury to Saracens flanker Onyeama-Christie, Harlequins beat the “other” London team for the first time in 4 years, 17-10. The results caused minor changes in the early-season leader board with Bristol moving to #1 after putting 6 tries past Exeter (total 21 in 4 games). Saracens loss drops them to #2 while Bath stay in 3rd after scoring 8 tries against Gloucester; Leicester Tigers dropped to 4th after a win, but no bonus point, over the Saints. The Northampton loss drops them to 7th in the table with Quins moving past them to 6th after their exciting win over Sarries.
Game 4 in the URC saw no change in the top 2 spots with Leinster beating Munster 26-12 and Glasgow over Zebre Parma 33-3. But two of the South African teams, still a game behind their European opponents due to a late start in the season, are doing well so far. Both the Lions and the Bulls are 3-0-0 and with 2 bonus points apiece move into 3rd and 4th spot, bumping Munster, Connacht and Cardiff all of whom lost at the weekend. (Note, however that the other 2 S. African teams, the Sharks and the Stormers both lost this weekend, to Benetton and Edinburgh respectively.) Glasgow, with a 3-0-1 record stays ahead of the S. African teams only because of their better bonus point tally. Leinster remain on top with a perfect record, 4-0-0 and 4 bps.
In France’s Top 14 it is understood that playing at home is a real advantage and this weekend’s results bear that out. Among the top 5 teams in the table, those who played at home won, and those who played away lost, as follows: #1 Union Bordeaux-Begles (HOME) beat Perpignan 66-12; #2 Stade Rochelais (AWAY) lost to Aviron Bayonnais 37-7; #3 Castres Olympique (AWAY) lost to Section Paloise 33-26; #4 RC Toulon (AWAY) lost to Racing ‘92 22-6; and #5 Stade Toulousain (HOME) beat Clermont 48-14. The effect on the table is thus: UB-B stay #1 with a 5-0-1 record and 23 points; Stade Toulousain move from joint #3 to #2, 4-0-2 and 20 pts; Stade Rochelais drop from #2 to #3 with 4-0-2 and 18 pts.
Note the Premiership and the URC have 2 more weekends of competition before the International break and will resume 11/29 France’s Top 14 has 3 more weekends and then a break, restarting on 11/29 also.
Streaming services for US viewers: Gallagher Premiership - therugbynetwork.com; URC and Top 14 - florugby.com
2024/25 Rugby season underway: early standings and Internationals to come
The Gallagher Premiership, England’s 10-team professional league is 3 rounds into its 18 game season. While early days, some teams are stating their intentions with the promise of an exciting tussle ahead. Saracens head the table with a 3-0-0 record and 15 points including 3 bonus points. The Bristol Bears lie second, at 2-0-1 and 12 pts (4 bps)and Leicester Tigers and last year’s Runner-up, Bath are in third with 10 points and 2 bps apiece. Of particular note is the number of tries scored so far; 52 by these top 4 clubs alone including 15 by Bristol, no doubt pleasing for the spectators. Last year’s champions, Northampton Saints lie 5th in the table with 9 pts.
The URC, with teams from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, S. Africa and Italy, are also 3 games into their 18 game season and Irish powerhouse, Leinster are on top. With a 3-0-0 record and 3 bonus points they sit at 15 pts ahead of defending Champion Glasgow Warriors, Munster, Connacht and Cardiff, all with 2-0-1 records, 3 bps and 11 points apiece. The South Africans have yet to make their mark being a game behind due to an international season that stretched into late September. The Lions, Sharks, Bulls and Stormers will soon be in the headlines, no doubt. An abundance of tries here too with 73 scored so far by the top 5 teams.
France’s Top 14 started their season earlier than the others and are 5 games into their 26 match season. Union Bordeaux-Begles, last season’s runner-up, are on top with a 4-0-1 record and 18 pts sharing the honors with Stade Rochelais. 3 Teams have 3-0-2 records and 15 points: Castres Olympiques; RC Toulon and Stade Toulousain, last season’s Investec and Top 14 Champions.
After an intense Rugby Championship, South Africa have reinforced their standing as the best team in the world (even if World Rugby says its the Irish), dominating the opposition (except for 1 defeat in Argentina) and winning the competition by 8 points. New Zealand’s All Blacks have looked vulnerable losing twice to S. Africa and once to Argentina and were only able to take second place based on higher scoring than Argentina. Australia had a miserable campaign losing 5 of their 6 matches amid growing apprehension about the British & Irish Lion’s visit next year.
The major southern hemisphere teams will head north in November for a series of internationals against the cream of the northern. hemisphere crop. Key European home team matches are as follows:
ENGLAND: New Zealand 11/2; Australia 11/9; S. Africa 11/16; Japan 11/24
IRELAND: New Zealand 11/8; Argentina 11/15; Fiji 11/23; Australia 11/30
FRANCE: Japan 11/9; New Zealand 11/16; Argentina 11/22
SCOTLAND: S. Africa 11/10; Australia 11/24
WALES: Australia 11/17; S. Africa 11/23
ITALY: Argentina 11/9
Results and updates to follow.
The Rugby Championships - Round 2
New Zealand come back into form and South Africa? Well, South Africa plays and stays as Number 1 in the world.
After last weekend’s loss in Wellington, the All Blacks hosted a fired-up Argentina in the impregnable fortress of Eden Park in Auckland. Would the 30 year, 49 test unbroken record celebrated by New Zealand at this park be broken? No. In miserable conditions (pouring rain and gusty winds) the All Blacks returned to form and gave Los Pumas a serious lesson in attacking rugby in the first 40 minutes. Scoring 5 converted tries (the first in the 5th minute), returning backs Will Jordan (2) and Caleb Clarke (1) plus Ardie Savea and Beauden Barrett put on a sparkling show, against a single penalty from the visitors. In the second half each tea scored a try with Argentina fighting hard to the end, but to no avail. Final score 42-10; the All Blacks gaining a bonus point. Notes: New faces in the second row for New Zealand did well, with Retallick and Whitelock (who played together 64 times) no longer in the squad. Sam Cane, back to fitness, earned his 94th cap coming in off the bench.
Similar torrential rain welcomed the Springboks to Optus Stadium in Perth, W. Australia for the 2nd of their ties against the Wallabies and while the Aussies put in a much tougher performance, the Boks were too deep and too powerful, despite making 10 changes to the starting line-up. A tight H1 saw the hosts down 9-11 at the break but a try early in H2 by the visitors and their suffocating defense left Australia with only a penalty to show for their effort, with a final score of 12-30. South Africa earned a bonus point giving them 10 points in the Championship and the lead. Note: injuries to Australia’s front row contingent led to uncontested scrums in the second half. But Australia can take heart from their better performance - losing to this South African squad is no disgrace - they are that good.
So, after 2 Rounds, the Table is South Africa 10 pts; New Zealand 5 pts; Argentina 4 pts; Australia 0. Next matches will be played on August 31: the Springboks at home to the All Blacks; and Los Pumas at home to the Wallabies.
The Rugby Championship - Round 1
The southern hemisphere’s annual tournament got off to an exciting start last weekend with an almost surprising result in New Zealand and a confirmation of South Africa’s dominance in Australia.
New Zealand’s All Blacks hosted Argentina’s Los Pumas at the Sky Stadium in Wellington. This locale is not a favorite of the All Blacks given they’d only won 1 of their last 6 matches there, and “the hoodoo continued”. New Zealand with a mix of veterans and relative newcomers started well in H1 scoring 2 converted tries and 2 penalties to go in at the break up 20-15. However, Argentina’s try in the 37th minute gave spectators an inkling of what would happen in H2. Despite an additional try and 2 penalties for New Zealand, Los Pumas outfought the hosts and 2 converted tries and 3 penalties saw them run out the winner 38-30, the highest score against their opponents ever. NZ were leading with 12 minutes left but a try under the posts by 109-cap Creevy and a penalty after 2 botched passes in the NZ 22 gave the visitors 10 late points and the win. A curiosity of the game was the first scrum took place in the 60th minute! So Argentina get the win and 4 points; NZ zero points. (Winners can get a bonus point if they score 3 or more tries than their opponent; Losers can get a BP for a loss by 7 points or less.)
At Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, the Wallabies took on RWC Champions South Africa and any hope that the Springboks might be off the boil were soon dashed. In a dominant and efficient H1, the Boks scored 3 converted tries with no answer, helped by a lot of penalties from Australia, not that they seemed to need it. The power of the scrum and the enterprise of their backs made the lack of an established 9-10 partnership an irrelevance. MVP of the World Cup Final, Pieter-Steph du Toit, now playing #5 was everywhere and scored a great try as did 2 other pack members in their 5-try victory. A curiosity of this game was South Africa receiving 3 yellow cards in the last 15 minutes meaning that Australia had a 2-man advantage for that period, only scoring 1 try and losing 33-7 at the whistle. South Africa took 5 points from the win with a bonus point and Australia none.
Next round, Australia play South Africa in Perth, Western Australia (sold out) and New Zealand play Argentina at their stronghold, Eden Park (a few tickets remaining). Streamed on Florugby.
Southern Hemisphere’s Rugby Championship + The Barbarians
The Northern Hemisphere teams may be taking a break but the 4 Tier 1 teams down south are about to start their annual feast of international rugby, The Rugby Championship.
Played over the next 7 weeks, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa will play 2 matches against each other to determine the 2024 Champion. For the last 4 tournaments, New Zealand’s All Blacks have taken home the trophy but South Africa, back-to-back World Cup winners and with their pride slightly dented by a tied series at home against Ireland in July, will be fired up to repeat their win of 2019, the same year they won the Webb Ellis trophy in Japan.
Starting on August 10, Australia play South Africa and New Zealand take on Argentina. These fixtures repeat on August 17. Round 2 on August 31 sees South Africa vs. New Zealand and Argentina vs. Australia; repeated on September 7. Round 3 on September 21 has Australia vs. NZ and Argentina vs. SA; repeated on September 28 with the home teams now playing away.
Flo Rugby are scheduled to livestream the games - please note that the Round 1 games between Australia and South Africa can be seen on Friday evening on the West coast as long as you don’t mind a late night.
In June of 2024 the Barbarians FC played a game for the Killik Cup against the Flying Fijians at Twickenham in London. Tied 17-17 at the half, the BaaBaas (as they are affectionately known) scored a total of 7 tries in the game to run out winners 45-32. The existence of the club is a testament to the power of rugby’s “community” in several ways; started in 1890, the club has never had a home ground or a clubhouse. It is invited to play by clubs and unions and in turn, invites players to join its ranks for single games; for example, when a touring side is playing in the UK, and tradition requires a game against the Barbarians, often a team stacked with top quality players. The criteria for being invited are simply this: the player must be of a good standard and be of good behavior both on and off the field. The Selection Committee cast their net far and wide and pick players from all over the world to “enjoy the camaraderie of the game and play attacking, adventurous rugby without the pressure of having to win.” In the game against Fiji, players from 11 clubs representing 5 countries (NZ, France, England, Australia and Japan) played a match notable for the Fijians ability to break tackles, plenty of tries, few kicks and great handoffs - 30-man rugby and a treat to watch.
Available on FloRugby (June 22) and check out their website - barbarianfc.co.uk
Summer International Update, Paris Olympics and the upcoming season
In June and July, several nations packed their bags and played in friendly fixtures around the world. These “off-season” matches are designed to entertain the fans, try out some new players looking for permanent spots on their national squads and keep them in good condition for the new European season just a few weeks away.
Starting in late June, England went to the Pacific, winning in Japan and losing 2 tight matches against New Zealand. The All Blacks have a new coach and several untested players and were not at their best but were able to hold off a new-look England who have played a much more attack-focused game since the middle of the 6 Nations earlier in 2024.
Wales visited South Africa and Australia and despite coming away with 3 losses played some entertaining rugby and must have higher hopes for next year’s 6 Nations. Scotland played a series of Tier 2 countries and returned home 4-0 with wins against Canada, the US, Chile and Uruguay. But the biggest series on the summer card was world #2 Ireland playing world #1 South Africa in Pretoria and Durban, with Ireland heading back home having drawn the series, a terrific feat in the home of the Springboks.
Fiji had 2 major matches, against the Barbarians in London and against New Zealand in San Diego, US, losing both but entertaining everyone with their style of play. Argentina and France played 2 tests in Argentina, with 1 win apiece and the US played 1 other international against Tier 2 Romania, also losing that match.
At end of the summer season the World Rankings are essentially unchanged: 1) South Africa; 2)Ireland; 3) New Zealand; 4) France; 5) England; 6) Scotland; 7) Argentina; 8) Italy; 9) Australia; 10) Fiji. Wales is ranked #11; Japan #14 and the USA #19.
In America’s Major League Rugby, the Final will be played on August 4 at Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego between the Western Conference winners, the Seattle Seawolves, and the Eastern Conference winners, the New England Freejacks, last year’s champions.
At the Paris Olympics, the Men’s Rugby 7s tournament finished on July 27 with hosts, France defeating Fiji for the Gold Medal and South Africa taking Australia for the Bronze. Great Britain didn’t even qualify for the Olympic tournament, and the USA lost in the Quarters as did Ireland, another disappointing result for one of the top squads in the world. In the Women’s tournament, New Zealand repeated as gold medalists defeating Canada in the Final, an unfavored team at the start of the tournament but who dispatched France and Australia enroute to the Silver medal. The USA won Bronze with a win over the Aussies.
The rest of the northern hemisphere’s professional rugby population gets to take some well-deserved time off now ahead of the start of the new season in the Fall. Details are:
In France’s Top 14, Round 1 of a 26 match season starts on September 7 with 5 matches including losing finalist Union Bordeaux-Begles against quarter-finalist, Stade Francais Paris
In England’s Gallagher Premiership: Round 1 of 18 starts September 20 with Newcastle v. Bristol and a replay of last season’s Final with Bath at home to Champions Northampton Saints
The United Rugby Championship: also kicks off Round 1 of 18 on September 20 with Edinburgh v, Leinster and Cardiff v. Zebre Parma
The Investec Champions Cup starts on December 6 with Bath Rugby v. Stade Rochelais
Northern Hemisphere Rugby Wrap 2023-2024 Season
And so the rugby union season draws to a close in Europe and South Africa with various bits of silverware settling in at new locations, drawing admiring glances from fans and investors. Of course, the “off-season”, always brief will be even more so this year with the Paris Olympics Rugby Sevens kicking off on July 24 amid the usual host of friendly internationals already underway.
European rugby finished on June 28 with the Final of the Top 14 French season in Marseille between Investec Champions Cup winners Stade Toulousain and Union Bordeaux-Begles, first-time visitors to the Final. Toulouse came out of the blocks fast and put Bordeaux under tremendous pressure for the entire match. With stars like Dupont, Ntamack and Willis playing at the height of their powers, Bordeaux were unable to get anything going, not helped by a yellow- card in the 6th minute followed by concession of a try. The Toulouse team’s strength and speed overwhelmed Bordeaux who were down 22-3 at the Half. Sadly, the penalty scored by UBB in the 10th minute would be the only points they would score while Toulouse scored 9 tries, 6 in the second half and ran out 59-3 winners. Bordeaux enjoyed a great season (#3 in points scored) but were unable to get their backs in gear and what opportunities they did create were lost to poor handling or other mistakes. Antoine Dupont joins the French Olympics 7s team with 2 major championships under his belt - more excitement and rewards to come?
2023/2024 RUGBY RESULTS:
Six Nations - Ireland won but were denied a repeat of their 2023 Grand Slam by losing to England who finished 3rd.
English Gallagher Premiership Final - Northampton Saints, beat Bath in the final 25-21
Investec Champions Cup Final - Stade Toulousain beat Leinster in the Final by 31-22
EPCR Challenge Cup Final - South Africa’s HollywoodBet Sharks beat Gloucester Rugby 36-22
URC Final - Glasgow Warriors beat Vodacom Bulls, in Pretoria, 21-6
France Top 14 Final -Stade Toulousain beat Union Bordeaux-Begles 59-3.
DATES FOR THE 2024/2025 SEASON:
Gallagher Premiership - fixtures announced 7/23/24
URC - first fixtures 9/20/2024
Investec Champions Cup - first fixtures 12/6/2024 4 Pools of 6 teams, as follows: 1) Toulouse; UBB; SA Sharks; Exeter; Leicester; Ulster 2) Leinster; Clermont Auvergne; La Rochelle; Bristol; Benetton; Bath 3) Saints; Munster; SA Bulls; Stade Francais; Saracens; Castres 4) Glasgow; Racing ‘92; Sale Sharks; SA Stormers; Toulon; Harlequins
EPCR Challenge Cup - first fixtures 12/6/2024 3 Pools of 6 teams: 1) Cardiff; Connacht; Toyota Cheetahs; Perpignan; Lyons; Zebre Parma 2) Montpelier; Paloise; Newcastle; Dragons; SA Lions; Ospreys 3) Vannes; Black Lions (Georgia); Aviron Bayonnais; Scarlets; Edinburgh; Gloucester.
2nd Championship decided and Finalists for the 3rd are picked
In another busy weekend for northern hemisphere rugby, the URC Final took place and the 2 semi-finals for France’s Top 14 were held in Bordeaux, deciding the finalists for Europe’s last major trophy this season.
In the URC, the Glasgow Warriors, in 4th place at the end of the regular season traveled down south to Pretoria, South Africa to take on the Vodacom Bulls (#2) in front of 50,388 spectators. The teams only met once during the season, in S. Africa, with the Bulls running out winners 40-34 and, given the long trek down to Pretoria and the altitude of the Loftus Versfeld stadium (4,400’ above sea level) the Bulls were favored. However, despite a strong start by the home team with the Warriors conceding too many penalties , Glasgow managed to keep the Bulls in sight scoring a converted try just before halftime, down just 13-7. The Bulls slotted a penalty after 50 minutes to go 16-7 ahead but that was it for the home team. 2 more converted tries (and another disallowed) took Glasgow to a 16-21 lead with over 15 minutes to go and despite intense pressure from the Bulls and a man in the bin at the close, Glasgow held on to win. A decisive factor was the power and efficiency of Glasgow’s maul, driving 2 tries over the line after lineouts, a feature of their entire season and especially satisfying against a powerful South African pack.
Meanwhile in France, the 2 semi-finals of the Top 14 took place in Bordeaux; Stade Francais Paris vs. Union Bordeaux-Begles and Stade Toulousain vs. Stade Rochelais. In the first contest, the Parisian team, #2 in the regular season took on local favorite UB-B (#5) in a tight, nervy game that saw a lot of kicking and tries scored by the pack rather than the backs. Paris opened the scoring with a penalty but were down 3-10 after 16 minutes and never regained the lead. Union were up 10-17 at the half and scored another unconverted try at 55 minutes (10-22). Paris fought back hard scoring 2 unconverted tries to get to 20-22, the second at 80 + 4 minutes. The conversion would have tied the game and forced extra time but the kicker missed and the final whistle blew. A great finish to the match and Union Bordeaux-Begles go to the final after 3 consecutive defeats in the semi-finals!
The second semi-final pitted #1 team and Investec Champions Stade Toulousain vs. #5 finisher Stade Rochelais. This was star-studded affair with both teams fielding French Internationals and other luminaries- Toulouse with Dupont, Ntamack, Baille, Ramos, Scot Blair Kinghorn and English favorite Jack Willis; La Rochelle with Alldritt, Atonio, Danty, Thomas, Skelton and Jack Nowell, coached by Irish legend Ronan O’Gara - and for much of the 80 minutes, it lived up to its billing. In a busy 1H, both teams cored 2 tries but La Rochelle went into the break up 15-20 with one more penalty and both tries converted. La Rochelle were under pressure immediately in H2 when star prop Atonio was red-carded for a dangerous tackle and within 10 minutes Toulouse had scored 2 more tries to go ahead 29-20. As in the English Premiership Final, being a man down didn’t take La Rochelle out of the game completely until in the 60th minute a scuffle between two forwards led to a 2nd red card for La Rochelle (head-butting) and that was the ball game. Another penalty and another converted try saw Toulouse run out 39-23 winners. and off to their 23rd championship final.
England got off to a strong start of their summer international tour beating Japan in Tokyo by 52 - 17. After a slow start, England scored 8 tries, 6 of which were converted in a continuation of the latter stages of this year’s 6 Nations Tournament where their attacking skills were given free rein. Off to New Zealand for 2 Test matches on July 6 and July 13 which will no doubt provide a sterner test of England’s capabilities. England’s best advantage lies in the fact that the All Blacks are in a major transition phase with several of their long-term stars departing, including Aaron Smith, Brodie Retallick, Sam Whitelock, Richie Mo’unga and potentially Sam Cane at the end of the season. However, when has that made a difference? Streaming on FloRugby.
URC and Top 14 knockout phase
The French national league (Top 14) and the United Rugby Championship clubs moved deeper into the final stages of their competitions with quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively played this weekend.
The URC Grand Final pairing was decided after two tight matches that dealt double blows to Irish hopes and set the stage for a South Africa vs. Scotland final in the high veldt of Pretoria, SA. The first semi-final saw the #2 Vodacom Bulls at home to the Irish international-stacked team from Leinster (#3). While the Bulls had finished the season with a slightly stronger record (both teams were 13w vs. 5l but the Bulls had 1 more bonus point) and therefore had home-field advantage, Leinster with a starting 15 who had all recently appeared for Ireland and a star-studded bench, were given a strong chance butonly had the lead in the first quarter after a James Low try. After that, they trailed throughout apart from a brief period in H2 when they tied the score at 17-17. The hosts scored 3 terrific tries showing how dangerous they can be with ball in hand and Leinster were disappointed to be playing second fiddle to an SA team again as the Bulls won 25-20.
The second semi-final had league #4 Glasgow Warriors visiting #1 (and defending champions) Munster at Thomond Park, Limerick. Despite tremendous support from the home crowd, Munster were unable to make much headway in a tight, tough first half and even though Glasgow had a man in the bin for half of the first half they were up 3-7 at the break. H2 was equally tight with Glasgow scoring again only for Munster to get one back 5 minutes later. With the crowd roaring them on, Munster tried, but were unable to breakdown Glasgow’s defense and a red card in the 73rd minute was the final straw. Glasgow ran out winners by 10-17.
So Glasgow head to Pretoria to face the Vodacom Bulls on Saturday June 22nd at Loftus Versfeld, 4,400 feet above sea level and a test for the fittest of teams. Televised by Flo Rugby and by URC TV.
Meanwhile, in France, the Barrage round took place to select the 2 semi-finalists to face league #1 (Stade Toulousain) and #2 (Stade Francais Paris) on the 21st and 22nd of June. Union Bordeaux-Begles (#3) beat Racing ‘92 (#6) but in a small surprise RC Toulon (#4) lost to Stade Rochelais (#5) setting up their battle against league leaders and Investec Cup Champions, Stade Toulousain. The final will be held on June 28th, all 3 matches streamed on Flo Rugby.
Finally, the summer international series get underway on Saturday June 22 when England play Japan in Tokyo streamed on RugbyPassTV. It will be a busy summer for teams from all over the world - stay tuned.
Finally, the RFU in England announced changes to be introduced in the 2025/26 season including a playoff between the bottom-ranked Premiership club and the Championship winner, plus a "relaxation of minimum operating standards that should open the door to more aspiring Championship clubs.
Championship Rugby - GPR
1 major northern hemisphere rugby championship down, 2 to go!
On June 8, the Gallagher Premiership Final was played at Twickenham Stadium in London between Northampton Saints and Bath Rugby in a tight, tense final that lived up to the standard expected of two English clubs packed with experience and flair.
The teams finished the 18-game regular season tied for first place on 60 points but with Northampton taking the honors due to their superior won/loss record (12-6 vs. Bath’s 11-7). And so, after 2 thrilling semi-finals against Saracens and Sale respectively the previous weekend, Saints won a terrific game that could have gone either way until the final whistle. After 20 minutes each side had been held to a single penalty but then, disaster struck for Bath; their loose-head prop was judged to have committed a dangerous tackle on the Saints #8 and was red-carded - Bath would have to play with 14 men for the remaining 60 minutes!
Against a side the quality of Saints, Bath fans could have feared a rout and within 10 minutes Northampton scored 2 tries to go 15-3 up. But Bath scored 1 of their own after 30m and went in down just 15-10 at the half. In H2 after exchanging penalties, Bath scored a try at the 50th minute to tie the game and at 65m scored a penalty to go ahead 21-18. With 15 minutes to go Bath defended valiantly but legs were tiring and the mismatch in numbers saw Saints score the decisive try after 72m, running out the winners, 25-21.
Over 80,000 people got to watch a thrilling finale to a strong season for English rugby, despite the echoes from last year’s club problems and for one player in particular, the season couldn’t have ended more perfectly. Courtney Lawes (#6), after 17 years with the Saints played his final game for the club before moving to Brive in France next season. This after a stellar career playing for England (105 caps) and the British and Irish Lions (7 times). What a way to finish!
In the United Rugby Championship (teams from Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Italy and S. Africa) the regular, 18-game season finished as follows (the top 8 qualify for the knockout phase): Munster (#1), Vodacom Bulls, Leinster, Glasgow Warriors, DHL Stormers, Ulster, Benetton and the Ospreys. The quarter-finals were played on June 7 and 8 with results in line with the results of the regular season: Munster over Ospreys (23-7), Bulls over Benetton (30-23), Leinster over Ulster (43-20) and Glasgow over the Stormers (27-10). Semi-finals are scheduled for June 15 - Munster vs. Glasgow and Vodacom Bulls vs. Leinster. The final will be played on June 22nd. (Live streaming on FloRugby)
France’s Top 14 finished its 26-game season as follows (the top 6 go on to the knockout phase): Stade Toulousain (already winners of the Investec Champions Cup), Stade Francais Paris, Union Bordeaux-Begles, RC Toulon, Stade Rochelais, Racing ‘92. The clubs in 3rd through 6th place play quarter finals on June 15 and 16 with the winners playing in semi finals on June 21 and 22 - the winner of RC Toulon vs. Stade Rochelais will play Stade Toulousain, and the winner of Union Bordeaux-Begles vs. Racing ‘92 will play Stade Francais Paris. The final will be played on June 28th. (Live streaming on FloRugby)
Post-season Rugby heats up
As the dust settles on the European championships, attention refocuses on the semi-finals of the Gallagher Premiership this weekend when the top 4 clubs in England vie for a place in the June 8 Final at London’s Twickenham Stadium.
First off on Friday, May 31, Northampton take on Saracens at Franklin Gardens. Saints have already beaten Saracens twice this season and a hat-trick would feel very good heading to the Final next week. However, Sarries, who have been close behind Saints in the standings for the last several weeks are renowned for their experience and success in big matches and will not be intimidated by recent history. Both teams have tremendous squads with plenty of international representation, and 1 of 2 England icons will be playing their last match for their club. Saracen’s Owen Farrell is moving to France at the end of the season as is Saints’ star Courtney Lawes and, as well as leaving their clubs, they will no longer be eligible for England duty under current RFU rules. Other players to watch include for Saints: Mitchell (#9), Fin Smith (#10 vs Farrell) and Ollie Sleightholme (#11) the league’s top scorer with 14 tries; and for Saracens: 2 Vunipolas, Jamie George and Mario Itoje in the pack and Eliot Daly (#15). All in all, a tough one to call; Northampton have played great rugby all season and have home advantage, but Saracens beat Saints in last year’s semi at home and are defending champions.
Saturday June 1 sees Bath at home to Sale Sharks. Bath have been close behind Saints for the last few weeks in the standings and finished strong, beating the Saints in R18 to level them on points. Saints retained the #1 spot due to a 12-6 won/lost record vs. Bath’s 11-7 tally. But Bath earned a home game against a strong and resurgent Sale side who were #6 after R16 but finished #3. As one would expect, both teams have game-changing players in 2 very strong squads starting with another tantalizing match-up at fly-half (#10) where Finn Russell of Scotland tales on George Ford of England. Both sides have impressive back lines loaded with talent; Spencer (#9), Cokanasiga (wing), and Lawrence (center) for Bath, and Quirke (#9), Tuilagi (center) and O’Flaherty (wing) for Sale. Bath earned 11 try bonus points during the season (tied only by Harlequins) giving them a slight edge in what should be another cracking game.
Both games will be streamed on therugbynetwork.com.
The Final Four in the Premiership
As it turned out, the only changes in the Top Four of the Gallagher Premiership after the 18th and final Round of the season were in the actual order of the 4 teams there after Round 17.
Northampton Saints lost away at Bath tying the Saints on total season points (60), but Saints hung on to the Number 1 spot by virtue of 12 season wins against Bath’s 11. Saracens also lost, against Sale, and stayed in the top 4 but slipped from 2nd to 4th losing a home field, semi-final advantage. Sale gained the same number of points as Saracens during the season but, like the Saints, had 12 wins against 11, securing the 3rd spot. Both the Bristol Bears and Harlequins will be disappointed to be pipped at the post; especially Bristol who were in the top 4 after Round 16, ran in 7 tries against their London rivals on Saturday and had the best points differential in the Prem but, for both, their season is over.
The semi-finals will feature Northampton at home to Saracens on Friday, May 31 and Bath hosting Sale on Saturday, June 1, all hoping for a berth in the Final at Twickenham on June 8 in front of 80,000+ fans.
While the regular English season is over a tasty treat awaits fans on Friday, May 24 when Gloucester take on the South African Sharks in the Final of the EPCR Challenge Cup, and on Saturday, May 25 when Irish powerhouse Leinster take on French giants Stade Toulousain in the Final of the Investec Champions Cup. Both games will be streamed by FloRugby.
French rugby and the URC near the end of the 2023/24 season
In France’s Top 14 elite professional league, 23 games have been played with 3 to go. The last regular season game is played on June 8th after which the top 6 teams will move to the playoffs. The top 2 automatically have a place in the semi-final; the other 4 play two “quarter-finals” on June 15 with the winners playing the top 2 clubs on June 21 for a place in the final on June 28. Like the other professional competitions in the northern hemisphere, finishing the season as #1 in the league doesn’t mean you’re the champion. You have to win the final to claim the trophy.
After 23 games, Stade Toulousain are on top, in excellent form having dispatched England’s Harlequins last weekend in the semifinals of the Investec Champions Cup. Only 7 points separate them from their closest challengers, Stade Francais Paris (who they beat handily on 5/11) and Union Bordeaux-Begles, which with 3 games and a possible 15 points on offer, is a slim margin. RC Toulon, Racing 92 and Stade Rochelais round out the top 6, for now.
The URC, fielding 16 clubs from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, South Africa and Italy have played 16 of 18 games and play their last regular season game on June 1. The current top 8 (who will qualify for the quarter-finals) are separated by just 12 points and by a further 4 points from #s 9 & 10. Glasgow Warriors are #1 currently, closely followed by Leinster (who will meet Stade Toulousain in the Investec Final) and Munster. The Bulls and Stormers from South Africa, Ulster, Edinburgh and Benetton (from Italy) round out the top 8. Quarter-finals will be played the weekend of June 8, semi-finals on June 25 and the Final on June 22.
To watch on TV, the Rugby Network (the rugbynetwork.com) covers the English Premiership and MLR: while FloRugby streams the Top 14 and URC games with some southern hemisphere action if you like it.
Closing in on the Knockout Phase
The Gallagher Premiership reached the penultimate stage of the regular season last weekend resulting in some, but not complete clarity about how the knockout phase will start. With one weekend to go, seven teams still have a chance to play in the semi-finals on May 18. By Sunday evening, there was 1 change in the top 4 (Quins supplanted by Sale), pursuing the Northampton Saints, Saracens and Bath, and the Leicester Tigers’ season was effectively concluded with the defeat at Sale giving them no mathematical chance of reaching the Top 4.
However, there are permutations that give a handful of teams a long-shot chance of achieving the final four, depending on the results of Round 18 to be played on May 18, as follows:
1) If Saints win or draw against Bath, they finish the season at #1 with home field advantage against the #4 team. If Saints lose (with no BP), Saracens could take top position with a Bonus Point win against the Sale Sharks. 2) If Saracens lose or draw, they still finish in the Top 4. 3) If Bath wins or draws, they are in; if they lose, they could be bumped by an Exeter Chiefs BP win at Leicester Tigers but NOT by a similar result by Harlequins against the Bristol Bears as Bath have a substantially better Points Difference. 4) If Sale wins against Saracens, they are in; a draw leaves them vulnerable to BP wins by Exeter Chiefs or Harlequins while a loss leaves them vulnerable to basic wins by the same clubs. Therefore, the biggest upset at this late stage of the season could be heavy losses by Bath (#3) and Sale (#4) and strong wins by the Chiefs and Quins.
Some of the recent games in the Premiership have seen a lot of tries, a welcome antidote to the statistically effective but visually monotonous kick-tennis that has been popular in international rugby in recent years. But, one reason for the outbreak of try-scoring has been the lack of depth in some squads. Given the number of games that elite players have to play (league; internationals; cup games; etc.) some clubs have been accused of fielding second-team squads for games they believe to be of lesser importance. Saints thrashing of Gloucester 90-0 at the weekend has been cited as evidence of that; the west country team is out of the running for the Premiership semis and is preparing for the final of the EPCR Challenge Cup at Tottenham Hotspur in N. London on May 23rd. Spectators want to see tries and a well-executed running game is a treat to watch but 90-0? The 64 points scored in Harlequins loss to Stade Toulousain in the semi-finals of the Investec Champions Cup were terrific entertainment. Value for money (and tickets are becoming more expensive as time goes by) is another topic for rugby’s senior management to discuss, and soon.
European Rugby Semi-Finals this weekend
The Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup competitions reach the semi-final stage this weekend with some tasty matches in store.
The Champions Cup features two English clubs playing the cream of Ireland and France respectively; the Premiership has not had a club in the Final since Exeter won in 2020 so there’s a lot riding on this weekend from an English pride point of view. Northampton Saints travel on May 4th to Croke Park in Dublin, a storied stadium in Irish history, to play Irish powerhouse Leinster in front of 82,000 spectators while Harlequins journey to Stade Toulousain in southern France on Sunday, May 5th to take on a powerful team packed with international players and supported by devoted local fans.
The English clubs are very good at scoring tries: Northampton have scored 60 tries in the Premiership (winger Ollie Sleightholme having bagged 11) and 31 in this tournament (#4). Quins have scored 63 tries in the prem and 32 in the Investec CC (#3). But so are their opponents, especially Stade Toulousain who rank #2 in France’s Top 14 currently and are #1 in points scored. They have also scored 40 tries in the Investec competition ranking them #1 overall. Leinster it must be said have not played their best this season but as proof of their quality, rank #2 in the URC with 3 games to play.
In addition to Sleightholme of Saints, players to watch this weekend will include his teammate, Courtney Lawes; for Leinster,James Low, Tadhg Furlong, Caelan Doris and Jamison Gibson-Clark; for Quins, Marcus Smith, Alex Dombrandt, Andre Esterhuizen and Tyrone Green; and in Toulouse, Cyril Baille, Antoine Dupont, Romain N’Tamack, Thomas Ramos and Englishman, Jack Willis.
The presence of devoted hometown support could tip the scales for Leinster and Toulouse but both the English clubs have the skills and depth to win - either way the final on May 25th at Tottenham Hotspur’s stadium in N. London should be a treat.
At the same time on May 4th, the semi-finals of the EPCR Challenge Cup are being played with South Africa’s Sharks playing Claremont Auvergne at the Twickenham Stoop followed by Italy’s Benetton Rugby visiting Gloucester in England. That Final (the winner automatically plays in next year’s Champions Cup) will be played also at Tottenham Hotspur’s North London stadium on Friday, May 24
All these European cup games will be available on FloRugby’s streaming service.
And not to forget, the last 2 Rounds of the Gallagher Premiership Rugby season will be played May 10/11 and May 18, with the semi-finals on June 1 and the final on June 8, shown on The Rugby Network streaming service.
16 down and 2 to go - a Gallagher Premiership update
As the end of the season nears, every game is crucial with bonus points of enhanced value for each of the 7 Premiership clubs still in meaningful contention.
Round 16 started Friday with Bath (2nd in the table) at home to perennial contenders Saracens (#3). The visitors started aggressively and were 12 points up at the half, another try prevented in the 41st minute by a dramatic last gasp tackle on the goal line. Bath came back strong in H2 and despite stalwart defense by Saracens had tied the score (12-12) by minute 63. The hosts were gutted to concede a penalty in front of the posts in the 73rd minute and despite great support from the local crowd in the final moments, lost 12-15. Bath picked up a losing BP but slipped to 3rd behind Saracens who gained 4 pts for the win, and are now 2nd.
Bristol Bears (#4) have been on a tear of late but looked out of sorts for more than 60 minutes when visiting the Leicester Tigers (#8). Up 19-0 after 63 minutes, the Tigers looked to be cruising but that was it for them; The Bears scored in the 68th, 74th and 79th minutes, converting all 3 to run out 19-21 winners. Ironic that Handre Pollard, the South African nemesis of England’s semi-final at the World Cup last October should have missed a conversion in the 49th minute for Leicester. The losing BP for Leicester is probably not enough to rescue their season, now 9 pts back from 4th place with just 2 games to play.
Game 3 of the weekend saw Harlequins (#5) play host to Northampton Saints (#1) at Twickenham, a fitting venue for two of the most exciting sides in the Prem. Appropriately, Quins opened the scoring in the 2nd minute with a cross-field kick putting in the winger for a try but Saints responded 15 minutes later with a try from Sleightholme, the top scorer in the Premiership. In a match where Harlequins scored 6 tries and Saints scored 4, the lead changed hands a couple of times, with Saints briefly leading (26-27) at minute 62. Quins were a man down when they relinquished the lead but back at full strength they pushed Saints continually and went out winners 41-32. Saints earned a BP for their 4 tries and Quins took home 5 but remained in 5th place, tied on points with the Bears who have a substantially higher points difference.
Sale visited bottom club Newcastle who were still looking for their first win of the season and left the hosts with little to celebrate. Newcastle hung tough for the first 52 minutes (14-14) but after that appeared to tire and Sale’s firepower saw them score three unanswered converted tries and run out the winners (14-35). Sale took 5 points from the win, moving them into 6th place with a shot at the Final Four.
The final match of Round 16 took place in Gloucester (#9) where the Cherry & Whites took on the Exeter Chiefs (#7). While Gloucester’s Premiership Season has not been their best, they play in the semi-finals of the EPCR Challenge Cup on May 4 against Benetton Rugby which, if successful, would be a good end to the season. Meanwhile, Exeter proved too strong, opening up a quick 17 point lead in H1 and never looked like relinquishing it; at the final whistle, Exeter won 17-38. Exeter gained 5 points including a bp for 5 tries, keeping them in 7th place with an outside chance of a top 4 finish and a place in the knockout phase.
So, the top 7 places in the Prem with two Rounds left are: #1 Northampton Saints (55); #2 Saracens (51); #3 Bath (50); #4 Bristol Bears (49); #5 Harlequins (49); #6 Sale Sharks (47); #7 Exeter Chiefs (45). Next Round May 10 and 11.
THE RUGBY SPECTATOR - a feast of International rugby in 2024
With the European club rugby scene drawing to a close, rugby spectators in the northern hemisphere might think there will a quiet. and thus boring “off season” looming. But, as the world community of rugby strives to make the game more accessible, more widespread and competitive, fans can look forward to a lot of great matches in the upcoming summer and autumn International Series.
Note that the southern and northern hemisphere teams have off-seasons during their opposite numbers’ regular season, so as a result, the northern countries travel (south) in their summer, and the southern countries go north in theirs.
All of the major international teams will be in action between June and November with the addition of some 2nd level countries who are very keen to enter the top ranks of world rugby. So for the fans who can actually attend or have access to streaming services, the following countries will be in action: South Africa; New Zealand; England; Argentina; Ireland; Fiji; Australia; Scotland; France; Japan; plus Georgia; the USA; Portugal; Chile and Uruguay. The Home teams have the following schedules:
South Africa - July 6 vs. IRE; July 13 vs. IRE; July 20 vs. Portugal; August 31 vs. NZAB; September 7 vs. NZAB
New Zealand - July 6 vs. ENG; July 13 vs. ENG; August 10 vs. ARG; August 17 vs. ARG; September 28 vs. AUS
England - (June 22 hosting WAL vs RSA in London); November 2 vs. NZAB; November 9 vs. AUS; November 16 vs. RSA; November 24 vs. JPN
Argentina - July 5 vs. FRA; July 12 vs. FRA; August 30 vs. AUS; September 6 vs. AUS; September 20 vs. RSA
Ireland - November 8 vs. NZAB; November 15 vs. ARG; November 23 vs. FIJI; November 30 vs. AUS
Australia - July 6 vs. WAL; July 13 vs. WAL; July 20 vs. Georgia; August 10 vs. RSA; August 17 vs. RSA; September 21 vs. NZAB
Scotland - November 2 vs. FIJI; November 10 vs. RSA; November 16 vs. Portugal
France - November 10 vs. JPN; November 16 vs. NZAB; November 23 vs. ARG
Japan - June 22 vs. ENG; July 13 vs. Georgia; July 21 vs. Italy; October 26 vs. NZAB
USA - July 5 vs. Romania; July 12 vs. SCO; (July 19 hosting NZAB vs. FIJI); August 31 vs. Canada.
Other Matches; Scotland play Canada in Ottawa, July 6; Chile in Santiago, July20; and Uruguay in Montevideo, July 27. The Barbarians will play FIJI in London on June 22, and WAL play the Queensland Reds in Brisbane on July 19.
Most of the matches involving southern hemisphere teams will be shown on FloRugby (florugby.com subscription required) and several other northern hemisphere games too. Hopefully the USA matches will get good coverage - details to follow.