UPDATE: Champions Cup drama, Portugal’s boost, boos for Owen Farrell, and Australia’s lost star: who’s hot and who’s not.
Time for our Monday roundup of the people who made headlines over the weekend and whose names are in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
Drama surrounding the Champions Cup: The world’s best club competition is back, and with it, a ton of exciting finishes. The English club, Exeter Chiefs, got things started on Saturday by rallying from a six-point deficit to score a late try against Toulon. Henry Slade got up and made a fantastic conversion to win it with the clock in the red and the game on the line. The drama did not end there as Lyon and Bristol Bears engaged in a titanic struggle that saw a late drop goal by Callum Sheedy win the victory. On Sunday, Leinster and Harlequins both held off late charges from La Rochelle and Racing 92 to secure historic victories on French turf. Elsewhere, Munster was taken aback by Bayonne, who pulled off an amazing result to draw against the United Rugby Championship holders. What a weekend it was.
Handre Pollard shines: The Leicester Tigers defeated the Stormers 35–26 at Welford Road on Sunday, and while there were other great individual performances throughout the Champions Cup over the weekend, Pollard deserves particular recognition for his leadership role. The Tigers trailed their visitors 10–17 at halftime and had to work hard to win. In addition to scoring a try, three penalties, and an equal number of conversions, the Springbok fly-half set an example for the rest of the game by passing the ball to Josh Bassett, who scored Leicester’s last try and earned them a bonus point.
Portugal will play the Springboks: Following the Rugby World Cup, there were requests made for more frequent matches between up-and-coming teams and more established ones. These requests have been granted. In a huge match on South African soil in 2024, one of the fan favorites, Portugal, will play against the Springboks for the first time ever. Both teams find it thrilling as they work together to advance the game.
British & Irish Lions in Dublin: This week saw the confirmation of another intriguing matchup as the well-known touring team will play Argentina on June 20, 2025, as their last practice before heading to Australia. It’s unique for two reasons: it’s the first time the Lions have played in Ireland and Los Pumas have played the Lions at home, and tickets are expected to sell out quickly.
Kevin Sinfield: By masterfully completing seven ultra-marathons in seven days, England’s defense coach has persisted in raising money and awareness for Motor Neurone Disease (MND). An incredible accomplishment by a person motivated to run by his friend and former teammate Rob Burrow. In addition to London, he ran in Leeds, Cardiff, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Dublin, and Brighton. What a motivating individual.
Bulls supporters jeering Owen Farrell: Although the Bulls outperformed Saracens, losing 27–16, their supporters failed to impress by persistently jeering Farrell each time he attempted a goal. The fans’ actions are not in line with the values of the game, especially respect, especially considering that the player in question recently said he was taking a vacation from international rugby in order to give his mental health more priority. Later, Bulls manager Jake White issued an apology on the team’s behalf and promised to take care of the issue.
Billy Vunipola’s red card: Vunipola’s dismissal for this risky clearout at a ruck did not assist Saracens’ difficult evening in Pretoria against the Bulls. When entering a breakdown, the England number eight neglected to exercise caution, catching Bulls’ opposite number Cameron Hanekom in the face as he flew in and knocking him off his feet. To Sarries’ credit, they prevailed 10-0 the remainder of the match.
Mark Nawaqanitawase switch: The news that Rugby Australia’s outstanding winger has committed to play for the Sydney Roosters in the National Rugby League (NRL) at the end of 2025 is yet another setback for the sport. It is a frightening moment considering how vital the wing has been for the Wallabies in recent months and even more so with a home World Cup in 2027 looming huge. At best, the situation in Australia is concerning.
Eddie Jones rumors: To make things more complicated, rumors from Japan indicate that the former Wallabies coach will be introduced as the Brave Blossoms’ new head coach. This comes after Jones had denied on several occasions that he had discussed the post in a meeting with the Japan Rugby Football Union just before the Rugby World Cup in France. The strategist who oversaw Japan from 2012 to 2015—during which time the squad achieved its biggest victory over the Springboks in the World Cup—does not look good.
Tom Foley should move on: As more players and referees report occurrences, the present era is marked by a tremendous shortage of internet abuse, which is pervasive in society. The most recent person to speak out against online bullying is Foley, the television match official (TMO) for the World Cup final, who also said he would be leaving Test rugby as a result. It is profoundly disheartening to witness a premier match official feel compelled to make such a choice. This needs to be eradicated because it has no place in our game or in society.
Just one week after it was announced that the Toronto Arrow was folding, Rugby New York, the 2022 champions, also folded. As a result, just ten teams remain in the competition for the 2024 season. With another club folding in 2023, this is a serious problem for rugby as a whole. Hopefully, there won’t be any more MLR club closures. A worrying moment.
