Tag: Rugby

The Pumas have kept the same starting line-up intact for Friday’s Currie Cup clash with Western Province at Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit.

The Pumas had a bye last week, having opened their account the previous week with a 42-19 victory over Griquas in the opening round.

The only changes come on the bench where Marko Jansen van Vuuren, Hilton Lobberts and Nardus van der Walt have been drafted in.

Pumas: 15 Gerrit Smith, 14 JP Lewis, 13 Ryan Nell, 12 Hennie Skorbinski (c), 11 Neil Maritz, 10 Christopher Smith, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Willie Engelbrecht, 7 Stefan Willemse, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Cameron Lindsay, 4 Le Roux Roets, 3 Marné Coetzee, 2 Simon Westraadt, 1 Khwezi Mona
Replacements: 16 Marko Jansen van Vuuren, 17 Andrew Beerwinkel, 18 Hugo Kloppers, 19 Hilton Lobberts, 20 Nardus van der Walt, 21 Reynier van Rooyen, 22 Trompie Pretorius.

Date: Friday, August 31
Venue: Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit
Kick-off: 18:30 (17:30 BST, 16:30 GMT)
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant referees: Des van Wyk, Alex Jonker
TMO: Christie du Preez

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The Premiership and PRO14 start this weekend and we are putting our head on the block and picking our winners from the various fixtures.

Saracens will be determined to defend their Premiership title while it is the same for Leinster in the PRO14. It will not be easy though as their rivals will be keen to take their respective scalps.

Sarries start their campaign at Newcastle Falcons and Leinster are also away to Cardiff Blues in their opener.

Elsewhere, the Top 14 champions, Castres, host Lyon in that competition’s second round of matches.

PREMIERSHIP

Friday: The 2018/19 Premiership season kicks off at Ashton Gate on Friday where newly promoted Bristol host Bath in a highly-anticipated West Country derby.

Saturday and Sunday: Four games take place in the Premiership on Saturday, while Newcastle Falcons and Saracens close out the weekend’s action at Kingston Park on Sunday.

Bristol v Bath: Bath by 6
Gloucester v Northampton: Gloucester by 3
Harlequins v Sale: Harlequins by 4
Worcester v Wasps: Wasps by 9
Exeter v Leicester: Exeter by 7
Newcastle v Saracens: Saracens by 5

PRO14

Friday: Three games take place on Friday in the opening round of the 2018/19 PRO14 season with champions Leinster starting their campaign away at Cardiff Blues.

Saturday: Four matches are scheduled to take place in the PRO14 on Saturday with Ulster facing the Scarlets at Kingspan Stadium the pick of the games.

Cardiff Blues v Leinster: Leinster by 10
Ospreys v Edinburgh: Ospreys by 6
Zebre v Southern Kings: Zebre by 9
Connacht vs Glasgow Warriors: Glasgow Warriors by 5
Ulster vs Scarlets: Scarlets by 3
Munster vs Cheetahs: Munster by 8
Dragons vs Benetton Rugby: Dragons by 4

TOP 14

Pau v Toulon: Toulon by 4
Stade Français v Bordeaux Bègles: Bordeaux by 7
Castres v Lyon: Castres by 5
Montpellier v La Rochelle: Montpellier by 5
Grenoble v Toulouse: Toulouse by 9
Racing 92 v Clermont Auvergne: Racing by 3
Agen v Perpignan: Agen by 6

CURRIE CUP

Pumas v Western Province: Western Province by 8
Free State Cheetahs v Sharks: Sharks by 18
Blue Bulls v Golden Lions: Golden Lions by 5

MITRE 10 CUP

North Harbour v Tasman: Tasman by 7
Hawke’s Bay v Counties Manukau: Hawke’s Bay by 3
Northland v Taranaki: Taranaki by 10

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With the Pro14 and Premiership beginning this weekend, we take a look at a game each from those leagues, while also giving the best bets from Racing v Clermont.

Ulster v Scarlets

After reaching the final last year and eventually losing to Leinster in the showpiece event, the Scarlets will be determined to go one better and reclaim the title they won in 2017.

They start with a potentially tough encounter at Ulster, who will be seeking to erase memories of a disappointing 2017/18 campaign, but the Irish province may struggle in the early rounds.

A change of management can, of course, pay immediate dividends but it may take time for head coach Dan McFarland get his ideas across to the team. It should therefore benefit the visitors, who are a slick unit under the guidance of Wayne Pivac.

The only questions is whether Pivac’s confirmed departure for Wales at the end of the current season will disrupt the Welsh region but, at 29/20 with Unibet, it seems a good shout for this encounter.

Meanwhile, the hosts are 4/6 favourites at Bet365, Coral and Betfred to claim a victory and begin their campaign in positive fashion.

Should McFarland’s men start well then Henry Speight and Craig Gilroy are seen as the most likely to cross the whitewash first with them 8/1 at Bet365, but Steff Evans is perhaps worth backing for the Scarlets (10/1 with various companies).

Harlequins v Sale Sharks

Similar to Ulster v Scarlets, this is a match between a team who have endured serious upheaval and a club that have enjoyed continuity over the off-season.

While Quins saw their coaching staff depart, leading to Paul Gustard being installed as their head of rugby, it was business as usual for Sale, who saw little change.

They have made a few high quality additions in Chris Ashton and Rohan Janse van Rensburg and, although the departures of Will Addison and Mike Haley are a blow, Steve Diamond has an excellent side at his disposal.

Despite that and the uncertainty as to how the Londoners will perform under Gustard, the Sharks are 9/5 outsiders at William Hill, while the same company are backing the hosts to win with odds of 4/9.

Both teams have plenty of game breakers and the battle of the back three will be particularly interesting. Although Sale are without Chris Ashton, a combination of Byron McGuigan, Denny Solomona and Marland Yarde are potentially lethal. They will be up against Mike Brown, Nathan Earle and Aaron Morris, who could be equally destructive, but the Greater Manchester outfit will fancy their chances at the Twickenham Stoop.

Steve Diamond’s men can be slow starters away from home but, should they find their rhythm in the second half, it is 9/1 at Betfred for Quins to be leading at the break and the visitors to secure the win.

Racing 92 v Clermont Auvergne

This is the best game of the weekend in the Top 14 but also the most intriguing from a betting standpoint as the 2016 champions host the 2017 winners of the competition.

Both ultimately suffered disappointment last season with Racing failing to pick up a trophy, despite being in contention in both Europe and domestically, while Clermont endured a torrid year.

However, the teams should firmly be in contention this time around after impressing in the opening round. The Parisians are unsurprisingly favourites having superbly dispatched of Toulon the previous weekend, with Bet365, Sky Bet and Betfair offering odds of 1/3, but the visitors should not be discounted.

Although Clermont were poor in 2017/18 and were also thrashed 58-6 in the corresponding fixture last year, they appear to have re-found their focus. For that reason, the bookmakers haven’t made their prices too long but 13/5 with Betfair and Paddy Power seems a reasonable bet.

It should be close, albeit Racing may just have the edge, and they are 9/2 at Black Type to win by 6-10 points. However, if Auvergne are to shock the home team, you can get them at 13/2 with the same company to emerge victorious by 1-5 points.

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Western Province continued with their brilliant start to the Currie Cup season when they thrashed the Pumas 57-28 in Nelspruit on Friday.

As the scoreline suggests, the champions delivered a dominant display as they controlled proceedings from start to finish and they eventually outscored their hosts by eight tries to four with Sergeal Petersen leading the way with a deserved brace after a superb all-round performance.

The visitors made their intentions known from the outset as they ran the ball from all areas of the field and they opened the scoring courtesy of a try from Kobus van Wyk, who ran onto a pass from Jano Vermaak inside the Pumas’ 22 after the ball went through several pairs of hands in the build-up.

Western Province continued to dominate and extended their lead in the 15th minute when Petersen crossed for his first try in Western Province colours. This, after Vermaak and Ruhan Nel did well to trade passes close to their 10-metre line before Vermaak offloaded to Petersen, who had an easy-run in.

Shortly afterwards, Petersen turned provider when he got a pass out to Nel, who stepped past a couple of defenders before crossing for the men from the Cape’s third try.

SP Marais converted all three those tries which meant Western Province were cruising with the score 21-0 in their favour.

And in the 27th minute, Province went further ahead when Marais gathered a long pass from Damian de Allende before crossing in the left-hand corner to secure a bonus point for his side.

To their credit, the home side did not surrender and on the half-hour mark they opened their account when Chris Smith did well to draw in Marais before offloading to JP Lewis, who dotted down.

Five minutes later, the home side narrowed the gap when Le Roux Roets barged over from close quarters for their second try.

Province finished the half stronger though and Marais added a penalty on the stroke of half-time which gave his side a 29-14 lead at the interval.

10 minutes after the restart, Petersen did brilliantly to gather a high ball, just outside the Pumas’ 22, before passing to Ernst van Rhyn, who crossed for his side’s fifth try.

The visitors continued to hold the upper hand and in the 55th minute they caught the Pumas napping when Scarra Ntubeni lobbed a ball to Sikhumbuzo Notshe at a line-out on their opponents’ five-metre line before the Springbok crashed over the try-line with a couple of defenders on his back.

And in the 62nd minute, Province went further ahead when De Allende stabbed a grubber kick through which Petersen gathered before crossing for his second try which Marais converted to bring up a half century of points for his side.

With the game in the bag, Province rung the changes but lost their defensive shape in the process which allowed the Pumas to score tries through Trompie Pretorius and Smith, but the visitors finished in style when Herschel Jantjies crossed for their eighth try to seal an emphatic win.

The scorers:

For Pumas:
Tries: Lewis, Roets, Pretorius, C Smith
Cons: C Smith 4

For Western Province
Tries: Van Wyk, Petersen 2, Nel, Marais, Van Rhyn, Notshe, Jantjies
Cons: Marais 7
Pen: Marais

Pumas: 15 Gerrit Smith, 14 JP Lewis, 13 Ryan Nell, 12 Hennie Skorbinski (c), 11 Neil Maritz, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Willie Engelbrecht, 7 Stefan Willemse, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Cameron Lindsay, 4 Le Roux Roets, 3 Marné Coetzee, 2 Simon Westraadt, 1 Khwezi Mona
Replacements: 16 Marko Jansen van Vuuren, 17 Andrew Beerwinkel, 18 Hugo Kloppers, 19 Hilton Lobberts, 20 Nardus van der Walt, 21 Reynier van Rooyen, 22 Trompie Pretorius

Western Province: 15 Dillyn Leyds (c), 14 Sergeal Petersen, 13 Ruhan Nel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 SP Marais, 10 Josh Stander, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Kobus van Dyk, 6 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Ernst van Rhyn, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Scarra Ntubeni, 1 Ali Vermaak
Replacements: 16 Chad Solomon, 17 Caylib Oosthuizen, 18 Michael Kumbirai, 19 Chris van Zyl, 20 Herschel Jantjies, 21 Dan du Plessis, 22 Craig Barry

Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant referees: Des van Wyk, Alex Jonker
TMO: Christie du Preez

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Two giants of the French game go head-to-head on Sunday as Racing 92 host Clermont Auvergne in the match of the Top14 weekend at the U Arena.

Elsewhere, Castres will be looking to build on an impressive opening day victory at Montpellier, while Vern Cotter’s men have a second tough encounter to open the year, this time against La Rochelle.

Stade Francais were another team to begin the campaign well and they have a potentially mouth-watering contest versus Bordeaux-Bègles.

Meanwhile, it could be an important weekend for both Agen and Perpignan. Those two clubs are expected to struggle this season and, after losing their first game, they will be searching for a win when they face-off at the Stade Armandie.

Saturday
Pau vs Toulon
Castres vs Lyon
Montpellier vs La Rochelle
Stade Francais vs Bordeaux-Bègles
Grenoble vs Toulouse

Sunday
Agen vs Perpignan
Racing 92 vs Clermont Auvergne

Pau vs Toulon
Stade du Hameau

Two teams who endured a disappointing opening round will look to get their campaigns kick-started in the first game of the weekend.

Simon Mannix’s charges were thrashed 41-19 by Bordeaux-Bègles while Toulon were disappointing in their 25-9 home defeat to Racing 92.

It was a poor start for Patrice Collazo having taken over as head coach from Fabien Galthie and he will demand a response on Saturday in what should be a tough challenge. Although Pau struggled against UBB, there is plenty of talent in their ranks, which will no doubt test the three-time European champions.

Last season’s result: Pau won 38-26
Kick-off: 14:45 local (12:45 GMT)
Referee: Pascal Gauzere
Assistant referees: Jonathan Dufort, Eric Soulan
TMO: Eric Gauzins

Castres vs Lyon
Stade Pierre-Fabre

Christophe Urios’ men picked up where they left off last season by defeating Montpellier 25-20 in a repeat of the 2018 final and they will look to back it up against Lyon.

It was yet another impressive performance by Castres, who once again overcame the financial disparity to beat Vern Cotter’s star-studded squad.

As a result, they will be favourites for this encounter with Lyon failing to take advantage of home comforts versus Toulouse last weekend.

Pierre Mignoni’s men could only draw with Les Rouge et Noir and the defending champions will expect to make it successive victories to start this campaign.

Last season’s result: Castres won 33-22
Kick-off: 18:00 local (16:00 GMT)
Referee: Adrien Descottes
Assistant referees: Maxime Chalon, Frederic Chazal
TMO: Eric Gonthier

Montpellier vs La Rochelle
Altrad Stadium

Following the defeat last week, Montpellier will no doubt be delighted that they have another home game to find their form.

Vern Cotter’s outfit were stunned by Castres for the second time in three months and will need to claim a victory here, otherwise the pressure could increase on their head coach.

They were almost unbeatable at home in 2017/18 but, with them succumbing to the champions in Round One, La Rochelle may sense an opportunity to inflict a second loss of the campaign.

That seems unlikely, however, with the visitors struggling to overcome Grenoble in their opening match, while they are also awaiting the arrival of new boss Jono Gibbes.

Last season’s result: Montpellier won 40-24
Kick-off: 18:00 local (16:00 GMT)
Referee: Thomas Charabas
Assistant referees: Laurent Millotte, Sebastien Hebert
TMO: Akim Hadj-Bachir

Stade Francais vs Bordeaux-Bègles
Stade Jean-Bouin

Both these sides severely underachieved in 2017/18, but they gave notice of their potential in the first game of this campaign.

After just avoiding being dragged into the bottom two last season, Stade Francais began superbly by defeating Perpignan 46-15, despite playing over 40 minutes with 14 men following Sergio Parisse’s red card.

Bordeaux also broke the 40-point mark by beating Pau at the Stade Chaban-Delmas and it appears as though these two could be genuine play-off contenders.

Saturday’s match will therefore tell us a little bit more about the teams but the Parisians, now under the guidance of Heyneke Meyer, seem to be in a particularly good place.

Last season’s result: Stade won 22-12
Kick-off: 18:00 local (16:00 GMT)
Referee: Vincent Blasco-Baque
Assistant referees: Pierre Brousset, Laurent Breil
TMO: Cedric Marchat

Grenoble vs Toulouse
Stade des Alpes

Grenoble surprised many last weekend by being very competitive against an ambitious La Rochelle team, but can they repeat that performance against Toulouse?

Les Rouge et Noir did well away at the struggling teams in 2017/18 and, against a side who are expected to reside near the bottom of the table, Ugo Mola’s men will expect to claim the four points.

Although they look slightly weaker on paper this season, Mola’s charges gained a creditable draw at Lyon in Round One and should have too much for the hosts.

Last season’s result: Did not play
Kick-off: 20:45 local (18:45 GMT)
Referee: Cyril Lafon
Assistant referees: Mathieu Delpy, Richard Duhau
TMO: Philippe Bonhoure

Agen vs Perpignan
Stade Armandie

Even at this stage of the campaign, this could be perceived as a crucial clash between two sides who are expected to struggle in the Top 14.

For Agen, they did remarkably well to survive last season but, having lost Pierre Fouyssac and Filipo Nakosi to Toulouse and Toulon respectively, it appears an uphill battle for Philippe Sella’s charges.

At Perpignan, meanwhile, hopes were higher for Christian Lanta’s men but they were completely outplayed by Stade Francais in the opening game of the season.

It was a reality check for the newly-promoted club and they will need to be significantly better this weekend.

Last season’s result: Did not play
Kick-off: 12:30 local (10:30 GMT)
Referee: Julien Castaignede
Assistant referees: Mathieu Noirot, Arnaud Blondel
TMO: Bruno Bessot

Racing 92 vs Clermont Auvergne
U Arena

The game of the weekend sees two of the Top 14 titles favourites go head-to-head attempting to build on last weekend’s impressive victories.

Clermont Auvergne looked in fine form against Agen, thrashing Philippe Sella’s outfit 67-23, while Racing 92 superbly dispatched Toulon with Finn Russell enjoying a fine debut.

After signing from Glasgow Warriors over the summer, the Scotland international settled in immediately and will hope to take that performance into this encounter.

With both teams full of star quality, it should be an outstanding contest, but the home side seem to have the edge at the moment.

Last season’s result: Racing won 58-6
Kick-off: 16:50 local (14:50 GMT)
Referee: Mathieu Raynal
Assistant referees: Laurent Cardona, Jean-Luc Rebollal
TMO: Sebastien Minery

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Canterbury outside back Josh McKay has committed himself to the Highlanders, penning a two-year deal with the Dunedin-based Super Rugby franchise.

McKay made two appearances including one start in his debut campaign for the Highlanders on the back of a seven-try campaign for Canterbury last season.

The 20-year-old played at fly-half for Christchurch Boys’ High School, but McKay clearly considers himself an outside back.

“I haven’t had much consistent game-time at first-five since high school,” McKay told Stuff.

“With where I’ve been the last couple of seasons, I’m certainly an outside back now. There’s a few role models down south to learn off. Obviously Ben Smith is someone, as an aspiring fullback, I could certainly learn to mould my game off.”

McKay will start on the wing for Canterbury against undefeated Bay of Plenty in Tauranga in Mitre 10 cup action on Saturday afternoon.

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Four games take place in the Premiership on Saturday, while Newcastle Falcons and Saracens close out the weekend’s action at Kingston Park on Sunday.

Saturday

Gloucester v Northampton Saints

Matt Banahan and Danny Cipriani will make their first competitive starts for Gloucester as they kick-off their 2018/19 Premiership season with a home fixture against Northampton Saints at Kingsholm.

The Cherry and Whites come into Saturday’s season opener on the back of pre-season friendly victories over Ulster and the Dragons, although the Saints will be a far different proposition with league points at stake.

Banahan and Cipriani are joined as newcomers in the match-day squad by hooker Franco Marais, who is named amongst the replacements, in a Gloucester side skippered by Ed Slater.

Meanwhile, Alex Waller will lead out Northampton for the first time as club co-captain with Chris Boyd naming his squad to take on Gloucester.

Fly-half Dan Biggar, flanker James Haskell and prop Ben Franks all make their first competitive appearances in black, green and gold at Kingsholm, while hooker James Fish will run out for the first time in the Premiership after scoring six tries in three pre-season matches.

England captain Dylan Hartley headlines a bench packed with both experience and youth as new director of rugby Boyd goes in search of an opening league victory following pre-season wins over Ospreys, Dragons and Glasgow Warriors.

Ahsee Tuala continues his run at full-back after starting 11 of Saints’ last 12 matches, with Nafi Tuitavake and Tom Collins looking to cause the Cherry and Whites trouble on the wings.

There’s a familiar look to Northampton’s midfield with England internationals Piers Francis and Luther Burrell named in the centres, but British & Irish Lion Biggar will line-up alongside Cobus Reinach in the Premiership for the first time.

Waller, Fish and Franks pack down together again after an accomplished showing from the front three against Glasgow, while two towering locks in David Ribbans and Courtney Lawes provide plenty of height in Saints’ second-row.

Meanwhile Teimana Harrison and Heinrich Brüssow join Haskell in the back-row to complete an unchanged pack from the side that beat the Scots 41-15 at Franklin’s Gardens last Friday.

Hartley, Api Ratuniyarawa, Francois van Wyk and Ken Pisi – who scored a crucial try the last time these sides met – provide experience from the bench, while four Saints academy graduates in Lewis Ludlam, Ehren Painter, James Grayson and Alex Mitchell will also look to make their mark in the second half.

Form: Gloucester Rugby’s only two victories in round 1 since 2009 were at Newcastle in 2015 and at home to then defending champions Exeter twelve months ago. Gloucester concluded their last Premiership Rugby campaign with just one home win in their last four games at Kingsholm. Northampton Saints have been defeated in round 1 for the past three seasons and finished off 2017/18 with two wins in the last three rounds of Premiership Rugby. The Saints won just twice away from home in the tournament last season, at London Irish in round 4 and at Leicester in round 20. Northampton’s only defeat in their last eleven clashes with Gloucester in all competitions was 22-29 at Kingsholm in round 6 of Premiership Rugby last season.

The teams:

Gloucester: 15 Jason Woodward, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Henry Trinder, 12 Billy Twelvetrees, 11 Matt Banahan, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Callum Braley, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Lewis Ludlow, 6 Ruan Ackermann, 5 Mariano Galarza, 4 Ed Slater (c), 3 Fraser Balmain, 2 James Hanson, 1 Val Rapava Ruskin
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Josh Hohneck, 18 Ciaran Knight, 19 Freddie Clarke, 20 Jake Polledri, 21 Ben Vellacott, 22 Tom Hudson, 23 Owen Williams

Northampton Saints: 15 Ahsee Tuala, 14 Nafi Tuitavake, 13 Luther Burrell, 12 Piers Francis, 11 Tom Collins, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Cobus Reinach, 8 Teimana Harrison, 7 Heinrich Brüssow, 6 James Haskell, 5 Courtney Lawes, 4 David Ribbans, 3 Ben Franks, 2 James Fish, 1 Alex Waller (cc)
Replacements: 16 Dylan Hartley (cc), 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Ehren Painter, 19 Api Ratuniyarawa, 20 Lewis Ludlam, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 James Grayson, 23 Ken Pisi

Venue: Kingsholm
Kick-off: 14:00 BST (13:00 GMT)
Referee: Matthew Carley
Assistant Referees: Jack Makepeace, Greg Macdonald
TMO: Trevor Fisher

Harlequins v Sale Sharks

Chris Robshaw will captain Harlequins for the club’s opening Premiership fixture of the season against Sale Sharks at the Twickenham Stoop on Saturday.

The England international leads a strong team that includes eight full internationals in the starting line-up. Mike Brown is among them and he will be making his 299th appearance in Harlequins colours.

Head of rugby Paul Gustard has also selected four of the club’s summer signings in the match day squad – Nathan Earle, Paul Lasike, Matt Symons and Ben Tapuai will make their debuts.

For Sale, director of rugby Steve Diamond has named one debutant in the XV with James Phillips starting alongside Bryn Evans in the second-row.

Club captain Jono Ross will lead out the Sharks in a side that features both the Curry and James brothers, while Marland Yarde will also feature against his former club for the first time.

On the bench, Joe Jones is in line to make his first appearance for the club after signing from Perpignan.

Form: Harlequins defeat to London Irish in the opening weekend at Twickenham Stadium twelve months ago ended a run of six successive round 1 victories for Quins. Harlequins have won only one of their last ten games in Premiership Rugby, beating Bath 20-5 at The Stoop in March in a game that was delayed 48 hours due to bad weather. Sale Sharks have lost on the opening weekend for the past four seasons and were also defeated in each of the last three rounds last season. The Sharks won three of their last seven away games in Premiership Rugby in 2017/18, at Worcester, London Irish and Northampton. The last six encounters between the two clubs in Premiership Rugby have all been won by the home side on the day whilst Sharks only victory at The Stoop in the tournament since 2008 was in November 2014.

The teams:

Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Nathan Earle, 13 Joe Marchant, 12 Ben Tapuai, 11 Aaron Morris, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Danny Care, 8 Renaldo Bothma, 7 Luke Wallace, 6 Chris Robshaw (c), 5 Dino Lamb, 4 Matt Symons, 3 Will Collier, 2 Elia Elia, 1 Joe Marler
Replacements: 16 Max Crumpton, 17 Mark Lambert, 18 Phil Swainston, 19 Ben Glynn, 20 James Chisholm, 21 Charlie Mulchrone, 22 James Lang, 23 Paul Lasike

Sale Sharks: 15 Byron McGuigan, 14 Denny Solomona, 13 Sam James, 12 Luke James, 11 Marland Yarde, 10 AJ MacGinty, 9 Will Cliff, 8 Jono Ross (c), 7 Ben Curry, 6 Tom Curry, 5 James Phillips, 4 Bryn Evans, 3 WillGriff John, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Ross Harrison
Replacements: 16 Cameron Neild, 17 Alexandru Tarus, 18 Joe Jones, 19 Josh Beaumont, 20 Josh Strauss, 21 Gus Warr, 22 Mark Jennings, 23 Paolo Odogwu

Venue: Twickenham Stoop
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys
Assistant Referees: Simon McConnell, Roy Maybank
TMO: David Grashoff

Worcester Warriors v Wasps

Worcester Warriors’ flyer Bryce Heem has returned from injury ahead of Saturday’s Premiership opener against Wasps at Sixways.

The Kiwi winger is set for his 50th club appearance while three summer signings will make debuts in Alan Solomons’ starting XV.

Springbok Francois Venter and Scotland fly-half Duncan Weir start while prop Callum Black is set for his second debut, after returning to the club for a second spell this summer.

Hooker Niall Annett is handed his first Premiership appearance since November 2016, having made his comeback from a series of injuries in last weekend’s pre-season win over Birmingham Moseley.

Nick Schonert joins Annett and Black in the front-row while Anton Bresler and Darren Barry get the nod in the second-row. Alafoti Faosiliva, Sam Lewis and skipper GJ van Velze occupy the back-row.

Full-back Chris Pennell prepares for his 202nd game in the blue and gold next to Heem and Josh Adams is in the back three, with the latter making his 49th club appearance – which has included a whopping 30 tries so far.

Venter partners Ryan Mills in the centres while Weir is joined by Francois Hougaard in the half-back combination.

The replacements see new signings Cornell du Preez and Ashley Beck in line for their debuts, while academy lock Andrew Kitchener is included.

Meanwhile, director of rugby Dai Young has handed competitive Wasps debuts to two new signings when his club gets its 2018/19 Premiership campaign underway against Worcester.

Fly half Billy Searle and flanker Joe Atkinson are both named in the starting 15 to take on the Warriors.

Will Stuart is in line to make his first Premiership start, having come off the bench in two Premiership games last season. Stuart packs down in the front-row alongside Ben Harris and Tom Cruse.

The side is captained by Joe Launchbury, who is partnered in the second-row by Will Rowlands.

Nizaam Carr joins Nathan Hughes and Atkinson in the back-row for his first competitive Wasps appearance since returning to the club.

Behind the scrum, Searle forms the half-back partnership with Dan Robson, with international centre pairing Juan De Jongh and Elliot Daly outside him.

Christian Wade and Josh Bassett combine with Rob Miller in an electric back three.

The number of competitive debutants could increase to five should Georgian international prop Zurabi Zhvania, former Northampton Saints prop Kieran Brookes or former Harlequins second-row Charlie Matthews make their bows from the replacements.

Joining them on an impactful bench are Tommy Taylor, Ashley Johnson, Joe Simpson, Gaby Lovobalavu and Marcus Watson.

Form: Worcester Warriors have only recorded a round 1 victory in Premiership Rugby twice before, both at Sixways, against Sale in 2011 and Northampton in 2015. The Warriors last five games of the 2017/18 campaign were all won by the home side on the day whilst Worcester’s only home defeat in Premiership Rugby since early January was to Leicester on 4 March. Between 2012 and 2015 Wasps began their new Premiership Rugby season with a defeat, a run which ended with round 1 victories at the Ricoh Arena against Exeter in 2016 and Sale in 2017. Wasps finished off last season with defeat in the semi-final at Saracens but rounded off the regular season with three straight victories. The Warriors most recent victory over Wasps came at Sixways in Premiership Rugby in March 2013. Wasps have actually won at the venue on six of their last seven visits in the competition.

The teams:

Worcester Warriors: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Bryce Heem, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Ryan Mills, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 GJ van Velze (c), 7 Sam Lewis, 6 Alafoti Faosiliva, 5 Darren Barry, 4 Anton Bresler, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Niall Annett, 1 Callum Black
Replacements: 16 Joe Taufete’e, 17 Ryan Bower, 18 Simon Kerrod, 19 Andrew Kitchener, 20 Cornell du Preez, 21 Jonny Arr, 22 Jono Lance, 23 Ashley Beck

Wasps: 15 Rob Miller, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Juan de Jongh, 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Billy Searle, 9 Dan Robson, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 Joe Atkinson, 6 Nizaam Carr, 5 Will Rowlands, 4 Joe Launchbury (c), 3 Will Stuart, 2 Tom Cruse, 1 Ben Harris
Replacements: 16 Tommy Taylor, 17 Zurabi Zhvania, 18 Kieran Brookes, 19 Charlie Matthews, 20 Ashley Johnson, 21 Joe Simpson, 22 Gaby Lovobalavu, 23 Marcus Watson

Venue: Sixways
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant Referees: Peter Allan, Philip Watters
TMO: Stuart Terheege

Exeter Chiefs v Leicester Tigers

Although Exeter Chiefs will be missing the likes of Alex Cuthbert, Jack Nowell and Mitch Lees, all of whom have undergone surgery, a powerful array of talent will take to the field tomorrow for the hosts against Leicester Tigers at Sandy Park.

Club captain Jack Yeandle heads up a beefy pack that includes international stars such as Alec Hepburn, Tomas Francis, Don Armand, Sam Simmonds and Matt Kvesic, the latter of whom has really impressed during pre-season.

Behind, Nic White and Gareth Steenson provide an experienced half-back axis, while Ian Whitten is joined in the centre by fit-again Ollie Devoto. The back three is made up of Olly Woodburn, Santiago Cordero and Phil Dollman.

On the bench, there is also plenty of experienced cover in the shape of front-row trio Greg Holmes, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Harry Williams, while there is a first ever inclusion in a Premiership squad for Sean Lonsdale. Playmakers Joe Simmonds and Henry Slade are also waiting in the wings should they be needed by Baxter.

Meanwhile, Leicester hand debuts to five new arrivals. Will Spencer and David Denton start in the forward pack, while props David Feao and Gaston Cortes, and centre Kyle Eastmond are among the replacements for the trip to Sandy Park after summer moves to Tigers.

Australian duo Matt Toomua and Tatafu Polota-Nau return from international duty to claim places in the match-day squad. Toomua joins Manu Tuilagi in the Tigers’ midfield while Polota-Nau is named on the bench.

Mike Fitzgerald makes his 50th starting appearance in Premiership rugby and Telusa Veainu makes his 50th top-flight appearance for the club.

Head coach Matt O’Connor also gives a call-up to England U20s wing Jordan Olowofela for the first game of the new season.

Form: Exeter Chiefs only victory in round 1 in the last five seasons was 52-0 at London Welsh in 2014, however this is the first time that The Chiefs have begun the season with a home fixture at Sandy Park since 2012. Exeter’s defeat in last season’s Premiership final ended a run of ten successive victories in first team fixtures. The Chiefs have lost only once at Sandy Park in Premiership Rugby since October 2016: 5-6 to Worcester in round 14 last season. Leicester Tigers opening weekend defeat at home to Bath twelve months ago ended a run of five successive round 1 victories. Tigers lost only two of their last eight Premiership Rugby encounters last season, both at home, to Northampton and Newcastle. Leicester have won their last four away games but have not won five in succession on their travels in the tournament since 2012. The Chiefs have won four of their last six contests with Tigers in Premiership Rugby, whilst Leicester’s most recent triumph at Sandy Park was in 2014.

The teams:

Exeter Chiefs: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Santiago Cordero, 13 Ian Whitten, 12 Ollie Devoto, 11 Olly Woodburn, 10 Gareth Steenson, 9 Nic White, 8 Sam Simmonds, 7 Matt Kvesic, 6 Don Armand, 5 Sam Skinner, 4 Ollie Atkins, 3 Tomas Francis, 2 Jack Yeandle (c), 1 Alec Hepburn
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Greg Holmes, 18 Harry Williams, 19 Toby Salmon, 20 Sean Lonsdale, 21 Stu Townsend, 22 Joe Simmonds, 23 Henry Slade

Leicester Tigers: 15 Telusa Veainu, 14 Adam Thompstone, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Brendon O’Connor, 6 David Denton, 5 Will Spencer, 4 Mike Fitzgerald, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs (c), 1 Greg Bateman
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 David Feao, 18 Gaston Cortes, 19 Harry Wells, 20 Mike Williams, 21 Sam Harrison, 22 Kyle Eastmond, 23 Jordan Olowofela

Venue: Sandy Park
Kick-off: 16:30 BST (15:30 GMT)
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant Referees: Paul Dix, Anthony Woodthorpe
TMO: David Rose

Sunday

Newcastle Falcons v Saracens

Flying winger Adam Radwan makes his first Premiership start at Kingston Park on Sunday when Newcastle Falcons kick-off the new season at home to champions Saracens.

The 20-year-old Teessider’s sensational pre-season form has been recognised with a starting spot in the league after scoring in all three of his summer friendlies.

He forms part of a side which sees a competitive debut for prop Logovi’i Mulipola, the vastly-experienced Samoan having joined from Leicester Tigers, as well as a second Falcons ‘debut’ for hooker George McGuigan as he begins his second spell with the club.

Meanwhile, David Strettle will make his second Saracens debut against Newcastle Falcons in the opening round of the Premiership campaign.

The veteran winger, whose last game for Sarries came in the 2014/15 final win over Bath, scored twice in pre-season and lines up on the right flank. Fellow new recruit Alex Lewington will make his first appearance for the Men in Black off the bench.

Strettle is one of five changes from the Wolfpack’s XV which started at Twickenham in May.

Australia international Will Skelton’s impressive pre-season has earned him a call-up in the boiler while Mike Rhodes and Ben Earl partner Jackson Wray in the back-row.

One other alteration in the backs sees England scrum-half Ben Spencer get the nod at nine ahead of Richard Wigglesworth.

Form: Newcastle Falcons have begun their Premiership Rugby campaign with an opening weekend victory for the past two seasons. The Falcons lost out at Exeter in the semi-final last season and were also defeated by Wasps on their most recent game at Kingston Park to end a run of nine successive home victories in all competitions. Premiership Rugby champions, Saracens, have won their opening fixture of the new campaign for the past six seasons and finished off last year with seven straight Premiership Rugby victories, since their 12-24 reversal to Exeter at Sandy park on 4 March. Saracens have won their last nineteen encounters with Falcons in all tournaments since Newcastle’s 13-9 victory at Kingtson Park in Premiership Rugby in February 2009.

The teams:

Newcastle Falcons: 15 Simon Hammersley, 14 Vereniki Goneva, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Josh Matavesi, 11 Adam Radwan, 10 Toby Flood, 9 Sonatane Takulua, 8 Callum Chick, 7 Will Welch (c), 6 Mark Wilson, 5 Will Witty, 4 Calum Green, 3 Logovi’i Mulipola, 2 George McGuigan, 1 Sami Mavinga
Replacements: 16 Santiago Socino, 17 Adam Brocklebank, 18 Jack Payne, 19 Tevita Cavubati, 20 Gary Graham, 21 Sam Stuart, 22 Joel Hodgson, 23 Alex Tait

Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 David Strettle, 13 Alex Lozowski, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Sean Maitland, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Jackson Wray, 7 Ben Earl, 6 Mike Rhodes, 5 Will Skelton, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Jamie George, 1 Mako Vunipola
Replacements: 16 Christopher Tolofua, 17 Richard Barrington, 18 Juan Figallo, 19 Nick Isiekwe, 20 Sione Vailanu, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Nick Tompkins, 23 Alex Lewington

Venue: Kingston Park
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Ian Tempest
Assistant Referees: Tim Wigglesworth, John Meredith
TMO: Sean Davey

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Bristol began a new life in the Premiership with a 17-10 win over rivals Bath in their season opener at Ashton Gate on Friday.

A try from Alapati Leiua and 12 points from the boot of Ian Madigan saw them beat a disappointing Bath side, who made far too many errors.

This victory delighted the 26,300 supporters in the ground as Bristol’s comeback to the top flight of English rugby kicked off in real style.

Bristol were 6-0 in front at the break despite being on the back foot for a large spell of the opening period, with Bath wasteful in possession.

Madigan set the Premiership new-boys on their way with a ninth minute penalty before Priestland hit the post with a relatively simple shot.

Bath would then enjoy a sustained period of ball and it looked like Tom Homer had been put over by Priestland on 15 minutes for an easy dot down. However, replays showed the full-back had lost the ball over the line under no pressure whatsoever, with the five points chalked off.

Still Bath came though with more ball but this time it was Jordan Crane’s impressive work at the breakdown that helped relieve the pressure.

Bristol used that as a catalyst and Luke Morahan’s break on halfway should have resulted in points. However, the wing could not get the pass out to Nic Stirzaker and was instead hauled down two metres from the whitewash. At least for Bristol two minutes later Madigan would make it 6-0.

6-0 became 9-0 on 43 minutes after Sam Underhill was pinged at the breakdown, Madigan making no mistake. And with Priestland wayward once again off the tee seven minutes later, confidence was growing in Bristol.

But Bath would not roll over and finally Homer had a chance to right the wrong of the first-half when he finished off a slick move to make it 9-7.

Bath were now on top and with Tusi Pisi sin-binned after coming offside a metre from his try-line, the visitors were pressing for a crossing.

It would not come though and they had to settle for three points from 35 metres from Priestland. However, Madigan responded to make it 12-10.

That seemed to galvanise the Bears and Morahan’s break on 72 minutes saw him find a hole and then offload to Leiua, who juggled before gathering for the crucial try. Madigan could not add the extras which meant Bath remained just one score behind at 17-10 with eight minutes remaining.

The visitors pushed hard at the death for that levelling seven points but were unsuccessful, with a crooked line-out five metres out summing up their dismal evening as Bristol celebrated a famous win.

The scorers:

For Bristol:
Try: Leiua
Pens: Madigan 4
Yellow Card: Pisi

For Bath:
Try: Homer
Con: Priestland
Pen: Priestland

Bristol: 15 Luke Daniels, 14 Luke Morahan, 13 Will Hurrell, 12 Tusi Pisi, 11 Alapati Leiua, 10 Ian Madigan, 9 Nic Stirzaker, 8 Jordan Crane, 7 George Smith, 6 Steven Luatua (c), 5 Chris Vui, 4 Ed Holmes, 3 John Afoa, 2 Harry Thacker, 1 Yann Thomas
Replacements: 16 Shaun Malton, 17 Jake Woolmore, 18 Jake Armstrong, 19 Joe Latta, 20 Jack Lam, 21 Andy Uren, 22 Callum Sheedy, 23 Ryan Edwards

Bath: 15 Tom Homer, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Jackson Willison, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Joe Cokanasiga, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Chris Cook, 8 Taulupe Faletau, 7 Sam Underhill, 6 Zach Mercer, 5 Matt Garvey, 4 Dave Attwood, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Jack Walker, 1 Nathan Catt
Replacements: 16 Tom Dunn, 17 Will Vaughan, 18 Anthony Perenise, 19 Elliott Stooke, 20 Francois Louw, 21 Max Green, 22 Freddie Burns, 23 Aled Brew

Referee: JP Doyle
Assistant Referees: Adam Leal, Wayne Falla
TMO: Rowan Kitt

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Leinster and Ospreys picked up narrow victories in their opening PRO14 encounters of the season, while Zebre claimed a convincing win over Southern Kings.

Cardiff Blues 32-33 Leinster

Defending champions Leinster got their campaign underway with a nail-biting victory over European Challenge Cup winners Cardiff Blues at Cardiff Arms Park.

The Welsh side looked as if they had a point to prove early on, going 8-0 up in the 11th minute thanks to a Rey Lee-Lo try, which followed on from a Jarrod Evans penalty.

However, Leinster fought their way back, with James Tracy going over for the game’s second try in the 27th minute and penalties from Ross Byrne and Fergus McFadden either side of that putting the champions in front.

Cardiff were not to be intimidated and regained the lead in the 38th minute with a Jason Harries try, which was converted by Evans. A second Ross Byrne penalty meant the hosts went into the break 15-14 ahead.

In the second half, Cardiff Blues picked up where they had left off at the end of the first, with Harries leading the charge. A fantastic run saw him beat Dave Kearney and go in for his second try of the match in the 45th minute.

Seemingly unwilling to let his teammate steal the show, Lee-Lo then grabbed his second try of the night four minutes later, with the conversion taking the score to 29-14.

Bryan Byrne hit back for Leinster in the 53rd minute, taking advantage of a perfectly executed lineout maul to score their second try.

14 minutes later, Jamison Gibson-Park scored a magnificent try, beating two defenders on the inside to put his side back within touching distance.

Cardiff Blues nevertheless looked set to hold on until the dying minutes, when another Bryan Byrne try and a Ross Byrne conversion gave Leinster the narrowest of victories.

The scorers:

For Cardiff Blues:
Tries: Lee-Lo 2, Harries 2
Cons: Evans 3
Pens: Evans 2

For Leinster:
Tries: Tracy, B Byrne 2, Gibson-Park
Cons: R Byrne 2
Pens: R Byrne 2, McFadden

Cardiff Blues: 15 Matthew Morgan, 14 Jason Harries, 13 Willis Halaholo, 12 Rey Lee-Lo, 11 Owen Lane, 10 Jarrod Evans, 9 Lloyd Williams, 8 Nick Williams, 7 Ellis Jenkins (c), 6 Josh Turnbull, 5 Rory Thornton, 4 Seb Davies, 3 Dmitri Arhip, 2 Kristian Dacey, 1 Brad Thyer
Replacements: 16 Rhys Gill, 17 Ethan Lewis, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 George Earle, 20 Olly Robinson, 21 Tom Williams, 22 Steven Shingler, 23 Garyn Smith

Leinster: 15 Dave Kearney, 14 Adam Byrne, 13 Rory O’Loughlin, 12 Joe Tomane, 11 Barry Daly, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Luke McGrath, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Rhys Ruddock (c), 6 Josh Murphy, 5 Scott Fardy, 4 Ross Molony, 3 Michael Bent, 2 James Tracy, 1 Peter Dooley
Replacements: 16 Bryan Byrne, 17 Ed Byrne, 18 Andrew Porter, 19 Mick Kearney, 20 Max Deegan, 21 Jamison Gibson-Park, 22 Noel Reid, 23 Fergus McFadden

Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Ben Whitehouse (Wales), Gwyn Morris (Wales)
TMO: Jon Mason (Wales)

Ospreys 17-13 Edinburgh

George North was the star of the show as Ospreys saw off Edinburgh in a low-scoring encounter at the Liberty Stadium to get their season off the ground running.

The match got off to a cagey start, with neither side putting points on the board until Simon Hickey drew first blood for Edinburgh with a 31st minute penalty, which was cancelled out by Luke Price two minutes later.

Hickey put Edinburgh back ahead with another penalty in the 55th minute, but North then went over for the first try of the game four minutes later, leaving two defenders for dead and showing why Ospreys signed him.

North waited only 10 minutes before embarking on a magnificent solo run from around 65 metres out to score his second try, bringing the spectators to their feet.

Although Blair Kinghorn restored some hope for Edinburgh with a 76th minute try, Ospreys ultimately proved too strong.

The scorers:

For Ospreys:
Tries: North 2
Cons: Davies 2
Pen: Price

For Edinburgh:
Try: Kinghorn
Con: Van der Walt
Pens: Hickey 2

Ospreys: 15 Dan Evans, 14 George North, 13 Scott Williams, 12 Owen Watkin, 11 Hanno Dirksen, 10 Luke Price, 9 Aled Davies, 8 James King, 7 Justin Tipuric (c), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Scott Otten, 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements: 16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Rhodri Jones, 18 Alex Jeffries, 19 Adam Beard, 20 Sam Cross, 21 Tom Habberfield, 22 Sam Davies, 23 Joe Thomas

Edinburgh: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Dougie Fife, 13 Scott Bennett, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Simon Hickey, 9 Henry Pyrgos, 8 Bill Mata, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Luke Hamilton, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Ben Toolis, 3 Simon Berghan, 2 Stuart McInally (c), 1 Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Ross Ford, 17 Alan Dell, 18 Murray McCallum, 19 Fraser McKenzie, 20 Jamie Ritchie, 21 Sean Kennedy, 22 Jaco van der Walt, 23 James Johnstone

Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Sean Gallagher (Ireland), Wayne Davies (Wales)
TMO: Tim Hayes (Wales)

Zebre 32-16 Southern Kings

Zebre outclassed the Southern Kings to get their PRO14 campaign off to a good start, securing the bonus point late on.

The Kings were less than impressive in their debut season and looked as if they were in for more of the same at the start of their second campaign.

After a sustained spell of pressure, the South African side’s defence was eventually overpowered by the Zebre maul, with Oliviero Fabiani scoring the first try of the game in the fifth minute.

Carlo Canna kicked the hosts into a 10-0 lead, but then Michael Botha hit back for the Kings in the 16th minute, going in for their first try. The hosts restored the 10-point lead just before the break, going in 17-7 ahead thanks to Mattia Bellini’s 37th minute try.

Although the boot of Masixole Banda kept the scoreboard ticking for the side from Port Elizabeth in the second half, it was a familiar story for the Kings as Jimmy Tuivati grabbed Zebre’s third try in the 55th minute.

Yellow cards to Andisa Ntsila in the 71st minute and Bobby de Wee in the 79th, both with the score at 27-16, did not help matters for the visitors.

The final nail was hammered into the Kings’ coffin when Apisai Tauyavuca scored an 80th minute try to ensure that Zebre snatched maximum points from their opener.

The scorers:

For Zebre:
Tries: Fabiani, Bellini, Tuivati, Tauyavuca
Cons: Canna 3
Pens: Canna 2

For Southern Kings:
Try: Botha
Con: Banda
Pens: Banda 3
Yellow Cards: Ntsila, De Wee

Zebre: 15 Matteo Minozzi, 14 Mattia Bellini, 13 Giulio Bisegni, 12 Tommaso Castello (c), 11 Giovanbattista Venditti, 10 Carlo Canna, 9 Marcello Violi, 8 Renato Giammarioli, 7 Johan Meyer, 6 David Sisi, 5 George Biagi, 4 Leonard Krumov, 3 Dario Chistolini, 2 Oliviero Fabiani, 1 Andrea Lovotti
Replacements: 16 Massimo Ceciliani, 17 Daniele Rimpelli, 18 Giosué Zilocchi, 19 Apisai Tauyavuca, 20 Jimmy Tuivaiti, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Francois Brummer, 23 Edoardo Padovani

Kings: 15 Michael Botha, 14 Michael Makase, 13 Harlon Klaasen, 12 Berton Klaasen, 11 Yaw Penxe, 10 Masixole Banda, 9 Rudi van Rooyen, 8 Ruaan Lerm, 7 Tienie Burger, 6 Henry Brown, 5 Bobby de Wee, 4 Schalk Oelofse, 3 Luvuyo Pupuma, 2 Michael Willemse (c), 1 Justin Forwood
Replacements: 16 Alandre van Rooyen, 17 Schalk Ferreira, 18 Luphumlo Mguca, 19 JC Astle, 20 Andisa Ntsila, 21 Godlen Masimla, 22 Martin du Toit, 23 Ulrich Beyers

Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Keith Allen (Scotland), Manuel Bottini (Italy)
TMO: Stefano Pennè (Italy)

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New Zealand Rugby (NZR) have bought back a private investor’s stake in the Blues Super Rugby franchise after an independent review found the ownership structure was “unsustainable”, the governing body said.

NZR said it had acquired Bolton Equities Limited’s (BEL) 40 percent stake in the Auckland-based franchise for an undisclosed amount and was on the lookout for a new private investor.

The two-time Super Rugby champions ended the 2018 season at the bottom of the New Zealand Conference for the third succesive year and last made the tournament’s play-offs in 2011.

While NZR did not release the independent review, governance issues are believed to have played a part in the problems at the Blues.

The BEL investors reportedly clashed with other stakeholders, made up of provincial rugby unions, back in 2015 over whether to retain the team’s coach at the time, former All Black wing John Kirwan.

BEL bought the stake in 2013 as part of a NZR project to attract private investors to improve the game’s finances.

“We would like to thank BEL CEO Murray Bolton and his team for their contribution to the Blues over this period,” said NZR chief executive Steve Tew.

Fellow New Zealand franchises the Crusaders, Hurricanes and Chiefs have adopted a similar ownership structure without encountering major problems.

The Blues have given current head coach Tana Umaga one more year to improve the team’s fortunes after the side registered just four victories during their 2018 campaign.

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