Our first weekly selection of the new year had contributions from the Challenge and Champions Cups, Spain’s Liga Heineken, the RFU Championship, the Pro D2, and a few mentions for the Major League Rugby preseason match between Glendale and San Diego. Unfortunately we were unable to watch Austin and Houston …
Read More »Chile win Viña Sevens to claim Sudamérica title
Chile completed an historic sevens double over the weekend as they won the Viña del Mar Sevens in style to claim their first ever Sudamérica title. After going unbeaten at Punta del Este a week ago, the Cóndores met defeat for the first time in the pool stage but recovered …
Read More »Clermont and Saracens remain undefeated in Europe
Through five rounds of European competition just two teams remain undefeated. Saracens are making their claim for a third title in four years as they sport the best record in the Champions Cup, with a perfect five wins from five. Their win over Lyon on the weekend guarantees a Quarter …
Read More »Matera to leave Jaguares for Paris in 2020
Pumas captain Pablo Matera will move to France following the 2020 Super Rugby season. He will leave the Jaguares at the conclusion of his contract with the UAR to join fellow Argentina stars Ramiro Herrera and Nicolás Sánchez at Stade Français. The deal will last through the end of the …
Read More »Bustos Moyano leads Bayonne to Pro D2 lead
Martín Bustos Moyano played a leading role for Bayonne as they defeated Montauban 21-16 on Friday to take the lead in the French Pro D2. The Argentine fullback kicked three penalty goals including two in the final quarter to secure to the home win. The victory puts Bayonne at 52 …
Read More »Champions Cup – Round 5 Preview
Saturday and Sunday will see most eyes pinned on the Champions Cup where there are plenty of playoff spots to be decided. Toulon have crashed out but can still play a spoiler role in Pool 5 when they host Edinburgh on Saturday. Facundo Isa will start on the flank while …
Read More »Challenge Cup – Round 5 Preview
Playoff spots are on the line as the European competitions enter the penultimate round of the pool stage. Players from Argentina, Canada, Colombia, and the USA will suit up in the Challenge Cup. A head-to-head battle for top spot in Pool 4 sees Top 14 challengers La Rochelle host Italian …
Read More »Pro D2 – Week 17 Preview
Meanwhile the French Pro D2 is already two weeks past the mid-point. Thursday’s match saw 14-man Brive defeat Biarritz to keep their promotion hopes intact. Axel Müller started on the wing in a feisty game that saw Georgian international Otar Giorgadze sent off early in the first half. Six matches …
Read More »RFU Championship – Week 11 Preview
We reach the midpoint of the Greene King IPA Championship season with all teams in action on one weekend for the first time since October. It’s an unusual calendar this season and certainly one that requires revision ahead of next year. Two top-four teams will go head-to-head on Saturday as …
Read More »2018 ARN Rookie of the Year
Despite being just ahead of a World Cup year, 2018 mimicked 2017 with 66 players capped for the first time by one of the Americas Rugby Championship nations. Some of these names may not appear again on senior international team sheets but others are certain to make their mark over …
Read More »