NEW YORK, NY – The Rugby Championship is on another travel bye weekend but there is too much rugby on to be sad. There is domestic action in the form of the Women’s Rugby, the Aviva Premiership, the Rabodirect Pro 12, the ITM Cup and the Currie Cup. Plus all of the week’s news, so let’s get into the Weekend Rugby Preview.
But… Ladies first.
We wanted to take time out to let you know that Top 10, Irish Division 1 and the English Premiership seasons have started. If you didn’t know they had started and want to keep up to date with the action, we recommend you go to Scrumqueens.com. If you wish to keep track of the US women’s domestic league action, our friend, Your Scrumhalf Connection has got you covered.
Aviva Premeirship: Round 3 of the Aviva will feature some interesting match-ups. One person that will be missing the action this weekend and for the next 7 weekends will be Gloucester Prop Nick Wood, for his disgusting head stomp last weekend, which was covered by Cody Kuxmann. Our Nick Hall discussed some of the performances of note and what to look forward to earlier this week. One of the more anticipated matches will be the Saracens versus Bath game, featuring two teams flying high and in spectacular form.
Here is this weekend’s schedule:
Fri – 20th Sep 13
Worcester – Harlequins
Sale – Wasps
Sat – 21st Sep 13
London Irish – Exeter
Leicester – Newcastle
Gloucester – Northampton
Sun – 22nd Sep 13
Saracens – Bath
Rabodirect Pro 12: The Pro 12 will have its early season top of the table clash this Friday night. The resurgent Glasgow Warriors will take on Leinster in a match-up that will likely give the winner a mental edge going into the returning fixture and likely playoff match-up later on in the season. Last season’s runner-ups Ulster will try and break their duck in an all-Ireland derby against Connacht, while Ospreys will look to push to the top themselves as they take on Edinburgh.
Here is this weekend’s schedule:
FRI – 20TH SEP 13
Newport Gwent Dragons – Scarlets
Cardiff Blues – Zebre
Benetton Treviso – Munster
Glasgow – Leinster
SAT – 21ST SEP 13
Ospreys – Edinburgh
Connacht – Ulster
The Currie Cup: Top of the table meets cellar dwellers when Western Province take on Griquas. The Sharks are only a point ahead of Griquas and hope to get out of the danger zone against the Free state Cheetahs. Meanwhile both the Golden Lions and Blue Bulls are hoping to get a win and secure their playoff future.
Here is this weekend’s schedule:
Fri – 20th Sep 13
Western Province – Griquas
SAT – 21ST SEP 13
Sharks – Cheetahs
Lions – Blue Bulls
The ITM Cup: Auckland won their match-up against Northland and now hope that Wellington and/or Canterbury slip up in the race for the ITM Premiership title . Meanwhile Taranaki and Bay of Plenty hope to avoid the drop to the Championship.
Here are the midweek results and this weekend’s schedule:
WED – 18TH SEP 13
Bay Of Plenty 25 – 33 Southland
THU – 19TH SEP 13
Auckland 41 – 10 Northland
FRI – 20TH SEP 13
Otago – Manawatu
SAT – 21ST SEP 13
Counties Manukau – Waikato
Wellington – Canterbury
Taranaki – Bay Of Plenty
SUN – 22ND SEP 13
Tasman – Hawkes Bay
Southland – North Harbour
News and Events:
Manu Tuilagi and David Cameron: Depending on how you look at it, Manu Tuilagi became an absolute legend or immature prat on Wednesday. In a staged photo op with UK Prime Minister David Cameron and the British and Irish Lions, Tuilagi gave the PM, the old bunny ears (see left). We vote absolute legend, just a lad having the craic. All in good fun.
Future of the Heineken Cup Drama: The IRB essentially said that a strong pan-European competition is in the best interests of European Rugby and the IRB. Sounds like a calculated political answer? You bet, the IRB are no fools, they will let this drama playout and tell the winner, they sided with them all along.
Arise Sir Titch: New Zealand Rugby 7s coach Gordon Tietjens was knighted in New Zealand this week. The man was already an IRB Hall of Famer, where he was the first coach to be awarded the honor whilst still an active coach. With Tietjens at the head, New Zealand has won 11 of the 14 7s World Series titles, two Rugby World Cup Sevens, in 2001 and 2013, and all four Commonwealth Games gold medals contested in 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010. To further enhance his greatness, he even gave our JWB a tryout.
That’s it for now… feel free to comment below, look for and “Like” our Facebook Rugby Wrap Up Page and follow us on Twitter @: RugbyWrapUp, Junoir Blaber, DJ Eberle, Nick Hall, James Harrington, Cody Kuxmann and Declan Yeats, respectively.
And until the next time… stay low and keep pumping those legs.
