Tag: Rugby

Three fixtures take place on Sunday in Round Two of the Champions Cup, with Toulouse hosting the champions, Leinster, in the standout match.

Newcastle Falcons v Montpellier

Newcastle Falcons director of rugby Dean Richards has made three changes to the side which won away at Toulon last weekend.

Premiership Player of the Season Vereniki Goneva returning on the right wing after missing the opening round with a head knock.

Fellow Fijian Nemani Nagusa misses out after injuring his calf last weekend, Ryan Burrows taking his place, the only other addition to the side being the return of Calum Green to the second-row in place of Will Witty.

Meanwhile, Montpellier boss Vern Cotter has made several alterations to his starting line-up which beat Edinburgh in their opener last weeekend.

In the backline, All Black pivot returns to the run-on side, which means Ruan Pienaar, who wore the number 10 jersey against Edinburgh, moves back to scrum-half where he replaces Enzo Sanga, who is amongst the replacements.

In other changes to the backs, Benjamin Fall moves from the right wing to full-back while Vincent Martin will wear the number 14 jersey after playing at outside centre last week.

This means that Yvan Reilhac will partner Jan Serfontein in midfield.

In the forwards, Levan Chilachava and Vincent Giudicelli come in for the Du Plessis brothers, Jannie and Bismarck, at tighthead prop and hooker respectively.

The teams:

Newcastle Falcons: 15 Alex Tait, 14 Vereniki Goneva, 13 Tom Penny, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Sinoti Sinoti, 10 Joel Hodgson, 9 Michael Young, 8 Ryan Burrows, 7 Gary Graham, 6 Mark Wilson (c), 5 Glen Young, 4 Calum Green, 3 David Wilson, 2 Kyle Cooper, 1 Sami Mavinga
Replacements: 16 George McGuigan, 17 Adam Brocklebank, 18 Logovi’i Mulipola, 19 Will Witty, 20 Callum Chick, 21 Sonatane Takulua, 22 Brett Connon, 23 Chris Harris

Montpellier: 15 Benjamin Fall, 14 Vincent Martin, 13 Yvan Reilhac, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Gabriel N’gandebe, 10 Aaron Cruden, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Louis Picamoles (c), 7 Wiaan Liebenberg, 6 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 5 Paul Willemse, 4 Nico Janse van Rensburg, 3 Levan Chilachava, 2 Vincent Giudicelli, 1 Mikheil Nariashvili
Replacements: 16 Romain Ruffenach, 17 Grégory Fichten, 18 Antoine Guillamon, 19 Julien Le Devedec, 20 Kelian Galletier, 21 Enzo Sanga, 22 Thomas Darmon, 23 Arthur Vincent

Venue: Kingston Park
Kick-off: 13:00 BST (12:00 GMT)
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Marius Mitrea (Italy), Dave Sutherland (Scotland)
Television match official: Andrew McMenemy (Scotland)

Toulouse v Leinster

Toulouse have made four changes to their starting line-up after their victory over Bath in their tournament opener last weekend.

In the backline, Romain Ntamack comes is promoted from the replacements bench to start at inside centre where he takes over from Maxime Mermoz.

In the forwards, Selevasio Tolofua replaces the suspended Jerome Kaino while Rynardt Elstadt moves from the openside to the blindside flank where he takes over from Francois Cros.

In the frint-row, Julien Marchand replaces Leonardo Ghiraldini at hooker and Clément Castets comes in for Lucas Pointud at loosehead prop. Marchand will also captain the side.

Meanwhile, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has made some changes to his run-on side after last weekend’s demolition of Wasps.

Jordan Larmour is at full back on Sunday, with Joe Tomane starting his first game for the Irish province in Europe, while last week’s Man of the Match James Lowe continues in the number 11 jersey.

It’s as you were elsewhere in the backs with the same combinations selected by Cullen with Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose in the centre and Luke McGrath and captain Johnny Sexton in the half backs.

It is the same pack that started the game against Wasps last Friday.

Cian Healy, Seán Cronin and Tadhg Furlong are again in the front-row with Devin Toner and James Ryan behind them in the second-row.

Rhys Ruddock – a late call up last week for Dan Leavy who injured himself in the warm-up ahead of Wasps – starts at blindside flanker, with Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan completing the pack.

The teams:

Toulouse: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Sofiane Guitoune, 12 Romain Ntamack, 11 Maxime Médard, 10 Zack Holmes, 9 Sébastien Bézy, 8 Selevasio Tolofua, 7 Alban Placines, 6 Rynhardt Elstadt, 5 Joe Tekori, 4 Florian Verhaeghe, 3 Charlie Faumuina, 2 Julien Marchand (c), 1 Clément Castets
Replacements: 16 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 17 David Faimafiliotama’ita’i Ainuu, 18 Maks Van Dyk, 19 Pierre Gayraud, 20 Louis Madaule, 21 Yoann Huget, 22 Antoine Dupont, 23 Arthur Bonneval

Leinster: 15 Jordan Larmour, 14 Joe Tomane, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Johnny Sexton, (c) 9 Luke McGrath, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Rhys Ruddock, 5 James Ryan, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Seán Cronin, 1 Cian Healy
Replacements: 16 James Tracy, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Andrew Porter, 19 Scott Fardy, 20 Seán O’Brien, 21 Nick McCarthy, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Rory O’Loughlin

Venue: Stade Ernest Wallon
Kick-off: 16:15 local (15:15 BST, 14:15 GMT)
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees: Matthew O’Grady (England), Paul Dix (England)
Television match official: Rowan Kitt (England)

Cardiff Blues v Glasgow Warriors

Cardiff Blues have made four changes ahead of Sunday’s Champions Cup clash against Glasgow Warriors’ at Cardiff Arms Park.

Europe’s premier club competition makes a long-awaited return to the Welsh capital, as John Mulvihill’s side look to build upon last week’s stunning victory over Lyon at Matmut Stadium de Gerland.

Nick Williams is recalled to the number eight shirt and links up with Olly Robinson and Ellis Jenkins in the back-row, replacing the injured Josh Navidi.

The only other change amongst the pack sees George Earle return to partner Josh Turnbull in the second-row.

In the backline, Rey Lee-Lo is reunited with Willis Halaholo in midfield. The Samoan is Cardiff Blues’ joint top try scorer this season, alongside Robinson and Tomos Williams.

Aled Summerhill is called up from the bench to take the place of Owen Lane, who was ruled out of the Wales squad after sustaining a hamstring injury.

The starting line-up on Sunday also contains the four players who were called up to Wales’ squad for the autumn internationals – Dillon Lewis, scrum-half Williams, captain Jenkins and last week’s man of the match, Gareth Anscombe.

Meanwhile, Sam Johnson will play his first game of the season for Glasgow Warriors this Sunday.

The centre, who was injured in the Warriors’ pre-season game against Northampton Saints, comes straight into the starting XV fresh from being named in Gregor Townsend’s Scotland squad for the 2018 Autumn Tests.

Johnson is joined in midfield by Huw Jones, and they both start outside of the same half-back pairing that played against Saracens at Scotstoun last Sunday.

DTH van der Merwe and Lee Jones start on the wings again and Tommy Seymour returns to the staring XV at full-back.

Dave Rennie has named an unchanged starting pack following their physical display against the English champions.

On the bench, Scott Cummings returns to the matchday squad to cover the second-row and Niko Matawalu will look to add his spark to the game when he comes on.

The teams:

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

Glasgow Warriors: 15 Tommy Seymour, 14 Lee Jones, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sam Johnson, 11 DTH can der Merwe, 10 Adam Hastings, 9 Ali Price, 8 Matt Fagerson, 7 Callum Gibbins (cc), 6 Ryan Wilson (cc), 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Rob Harley, 3 D’Arcy Rae, 2 Fraser Brown, 1 Oli Kebble
Replacements: 16 George Turner, 17 Alex Allan, 18 Petrus du Plessis, 19 Scott Cummings, 20 Chris Fusaro, 21 George Horne, 22 Pete Horne, 23 Niko Matawalu

Date: Sunday, October 21
Venue: Cardiff Arms Park
Kick-off: 15:15 BST (14:15 GMT)
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant referees: Matthew Carley (England), Jonathan Healy (England)
Television match official: Graham Hughes (England)

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Wasps winger Christian Wade is reportedly set to leave the game with immediate effect to pursue a lucrative career in the NFL.

Wade is third on the Premiership‘s all-time try scorers list with 82 tries from 130 matches and would be the most high-profile player to leave rugby union for American football, following former England Sevens star Alex Gray and ex-Worcester player Christian Scotland-Williamson.

According to the Independent, Wade has already informed the club of his decision with an announcement to be made later in the week. The October 6 defeat to Gloucester at the Ricoh Arena will be his last for Wasps, who he has played for since making his professional debut in 2011.

The reports suggest Wade has grown disillusioned with rugby union after continuously being overlooked for England – having made just one international appearance – on the 2013 tour of Argentina.

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Warren Whiteley and Aphiwe Dyantyi return for the Golden Lions when they take on the Sharks in Saturday’s Currie Cup semi-final in Durban.

Fellow Springboks Malcolm Marx and Franco Mostert are still being rested. Whiteley won’t captain the side as scrum-half Nic Groom retains the armband.

Whiteley’s return sees Hajcivah Dayimani drop to the bench, but he is sure to make an impact later in the game with his pace. Hooker Corne Fourie, however, is unavailable.

Golden Lions: 15 Sylvian Mahuza, 14 Courtnall Skosan‚ 13 Lionel Mapoe‚ 12 Howard Mnisi‚ 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Elton Jantjies‚ 9 Nic Groom (c), 8 Warren Whiteley‚ 7 Pikkie de Villiers‚ 6 James Venter, 5 Marvin Orie‚ 4 Rhyno Herbst, 3 Jacobie Adriaanse‚ 2 Pieter Jansen‚ 1 Sti Sithole
Replacements: 16 Tiaan van der Merwe‚ 17 Danie Mienie‚ 18 Chergin Fillies‚ 19 Vincent Tshituka‚ 20 Hacjivah Dayimani, 21 Dillon Smit‚ 22 Shaun Reynolds‚ 23 Wandisile Simelane

Date: Saturday, October 20
Venue: Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 14:30 local (13:30 BST; 12:30 GMT)
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant referees: AJ Jacobs, Jaco Pretorius
TMO: Christie du Preez

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Blue Bulls coach Pote Human has moved Springbok prop Trevor Nyakane from tighthead to loosehead prop Saturday’s Currie Cup semi-final against Western Province at Newlands.

Nyakane takes the place of the injured Matthys Basson, while Dayan van der Westhuizen comes in to the side at tighthead.

Duncan Mathews comes back in to the side at the expense of Jamba Ulengo on the right wing, while Dylan Sage replaces Franco Naude at 13 as Johnny Kotze moves from outside to inside centre. It will be Sage’s first appearance since joining the Bulls from the Blitzboks.

Bulls head coach Pote Human said: “We had to take a good, hard look at ourselves and the efforts we dished up last weekend. That performance was not who we want to be as a team.

“We get the ideal opportunity to rectify that effort a week later and although it is in Cape Town this time around, it creates a great opportunity for us to show what we really capable of. We have not won the Currie Cup in a while and there is no doubt that we have the ability in this squad to do so this year.

“We played some proper rugby already this year, but then came really poor performances like last weekend. We know what we are capable of, so the challenge will be to deliver our best effort of the season.”

Blue Bulls captain Hanro Liebenberg said they could redeem themselves with a win at Newlands.

“WP are the favourites and rightly so. They are not undefeated for nothing so far. But no team is unbeatable and we have the belief that we can beat anyone in this competition. The challenge for us is to go and show that on Saturday. We are keen to go out there and shock the home crowd,” said Liebenberg.

Blue Bulls: 15 Divan Rossouw, 14 Duncan Matthews, 13 Dylan Sage, 12 Johnny Kotze, 11 Jade Stighling, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Ivan van Zyl, 8 Hanro Liebenberg, 7 Marco van Staden, 6 Ruan Steenkamp, 5 Eli Snyman, 4 Hendre Stassen, 3 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Trevor Nyakane
Replacements: 16 Edgar Marutlulle, 17 Frans van Wyk, 18 Conrad de Beer, 19 Ruan Nortje, 20 Nic de Jager, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Tinus de Beer, 23 Franco Naude, 24 Andre Warner

Date: Saturday, October 20
Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
Kick-off: 17:00 local (16:00 BST; 15:00 GMT)
Referee: Egon Seconds
Assistant referees: Rasta Rasivhenge, Paul Mente
Television match official: Willie Vos

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Waratahs back-row Jed Holloway is a surprise inclusion in the Wallabies squad for the third Bledisloe Test in Yokohama later this month.

Wallabies head coach Michael Cheika named Holloway, Waratahs scrum-half Jake Gordon and Melbourne Rebels flanker Angus Cottrell as the only other uncapped players in a 31-man party while Samu Kerevi and Jack Dempsey return to the national fold after being sidelined through injury.

Holloway was part of the Wallabies pre-Bledisloe trial in August but has not been involved in any official camps before after some injury-riddled seasons.

Dempsey will return to the squad for the first time since injuring his hamstring in the Wallabies-Barbarians match in Sydney almost a year ago.

Dempsey made his return to rugby through the National Rugby Championship (NRC) and has shown promising form through the competition, earning himself a squad recall.

Reds centre Kerevi will also make his squad comeback after a bicep injury ruled him out for close to four months, though fellow outside centre contender Tevita Kuridrani has run out of time to be included as he recovers from a pec injury.

Gordon and Cottrell were retained from the Wallabies’ recent South Africa-Argentina tour.

Pete Samu, who has been named to take on the Drua in the NRC this weekend, missed out on inclusion as he works his way back from a knee injury.

Leicester duo Matt Toomua and Tatafu Polota-Nau are both ineligible for the Test due to World Rugby’s regulation nine with Tolu Latu kept on after coming in as an injury replacement Polota-Nau in South Africa.

Wallabies squad:

Forwards: Jermaine Ainsley, Allan Alaalatoa, Rory Arnold, Adam Coleman, Angus Cottrell, Jack Dempsey, Folau Fainga’a, Ned Hanigan, Jed Holloway, Michael Hooper (c), Sekope Kepu, Tolu Latu, Brandon Paenga-Amosa, David Pocock, Izack Rodda, Rob Simmons, Scott Sio, Taniela Tupou

Backs: Tom Banks, Kurtley Beale, Israel Folau, Bernard Foley, Will Genia, Jake Gordon, Dane Haylett-Petty, Reece Hodge, Samu Kerevi, Marika Koroibete, Jack Maddocks, Sefa Naivalu, Nick Phipps

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There were Challenge Cup wins for Northampton Saints, La Rochelle and Agen over the Dragons, Benetton Rugby and Enisei-STM respectively on Friday.

POOL 1

Northampton had too much firepower for the Dragons at Rodney Parade and the visitors eventually claimed a deserved 35-21 victory.

The Premiership side dominated for large periods and held a 19-0 lead at half-time thanks to tries from David Ribbans and Alex Mitchell, which were both converted by Dan Biggar, and the Saints were also awarded a penalty try late in the half.

The Dragons opened the scoring in the second half via an Elliot Dee try which was converted by Josh Lewis but Northampton continued to dominate and struck back via another Ribbans five-pointer five minutes later.

The Welsh region continued to attack and were rewarded with a Jarryd Sage try before Cobus Reinach dotted down for Saints, although the Dragons finished stronger and were awarded a penalty try in injury time.

POOL 4

La Rochelle continued with their superb form in the competition when they thrashed Enisei-STM 64-26 in a one-sided match at Stade Marcel Deflandre.

The Top 14 outfit were full value for their win and outscored their visitors by 10 tries to four. Romaric Camou led the way for La Rochelle with a brace of tries and their other five-pointers were scored by Paul Jordaan, Jone Qovu Nailiko, Brieuc Plessis-Couillaud, Kevin Gourdon, Thomas Berjon, Jean Charles Orioli, Mohamed Boughanmi and Gregory Alldritt.

Maxime Lafage finished with a 12-point haul courtesy of six conversions and Ihaia West also succeeded with one kick off the tee.

For Enisei-STM, Uldis Saulite scored two tries and Alexey Shcherban and Sergey Sekisov also dotted down. Yury Kushnarev added three conversions.

POOL 5

Agen were made to work hard before claiming a narrow 20-19 victory over Benetton Rugby at Stade Armandie.

The Italian side made the brighter start and raced into a 12-0 lead thanks to two tries from Luca Bigi and a Tomasso Allan conversion.

Antoine Miquel then crossed the whitewash for Agen and Jake McIntyre slotted the resulting conversion and a penalty which meant Benetton held a slender 12-10 lead at half-time.

The visitors struck back with a Iliesa Ratuva try, which was converted by Allan, but Agen finished stronger and a penalty from McIntyre as well as a conversion from him – after Yoan Tanga’s try – sealed the French side’s win.

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Leicester Tigers got their Champions Cup campaign back on track when they claimed a 45-27 victory over the Scarlets at Welford Road on Friday.

In a fast-paced and exciting match, the Tigers were full value for their win as they dominated for large periods – especially during the second half – and they eventually outscored the Scarlets by five tries to three with George Ford leading the way with a 20-point haul courtesy of four penalties and four conversions.

Leicester came out firing from the kick off and opened the scoring courtesy of a George Ford penalty in the second minute.

The home side continued to attack and that tactic paid off in the eighth minute when Harry Wells crashed over under the posts after the ball went through numerous phases in the build-up.

The Scarlets needed a response and that came in the 14th minute when David Bulbring made a superb line break before offloading to Gareth Davies who crossed for their opening try.

Leigh Halfpenny added the extras and the visitors thought they had taken the lead in the 23rd minute when Blade Thomson slid over the try-line but his effort was disallowed when television replays revealed that he lost control of the ball while dotting down.

Halfpenny added a penalty on the half-hour mark which meant the match was evenly poised with the sides level at 10-10.

Despite that penalty, the Tigers held a slight edge and they regained the lead five minutes later when Guy Thomson rounded off in the left-hand corner after the hosts showed great patience in the buid-up.

The Scarlets finished the half stronger, however, and another Halfpenny penalty meant Leicester held a narrow 15-13 lead at the interval. 

Leicester were fastest out of the blocks after the break and restored their five-point lead two minutes after the restart when Ford slotted another penalty after the Scarlets were blown up for illegal scrummaging.

The Tigers continued to dominate and in the 46th minute, they took the ball through several phases deep inside Scarlets territory before Sione Kalamafoni barged over from close range for their third try.

Ford’s conversion gave the Tigers a 25-13 lead but the Scarlets did not surrender and replied with a try from Steff Evans after good interplay between him and Gareth Davies.

That made the score 25-20 but the Welsh region were far from done and on the hour-mark Thomson rounded off a superb counter-attack – Halfpenny’s conversion giving them a 27-25 lead.

The final quarter saw the Tigers upping the ante on attack and they scored 20 unaswered points during that period. First, Manu Tuilagi showed great power and determination to crash over in the right-hand corner for his side’s bonus-point try in the 63rd minute and Ford’s conversion meant the home side were now leading 32-27.

Ford added another penalty shortly afterwards before a well-taken try from Jonny May in the 72nd minute extended their lead and another three-pointer off the kicking tee from Ford shortly before the end sealed a memorable win for the hosts.

The scorers:

For Leicester Tigers:
Tries: Wells, Thompson, Kalamafoni, Tuilagi, May
Cons: Ford 4
Pens: Ford 4

For Scarlets:
Tries: G Davies, Evans, Thomson
Cons: Halfpenny 3
Pens: Halfpenny 2

Leicester Tigers: 15 Jonah Holmes, 14 Jonny May, 13 Manu Tuilagi, 12 Kyle Eastmond, 11 Jordan Olowofela, 10 George Ford (c), 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Guy Thompson, 6 Mike Williams, 5 Will Spencer, 4 Harry Wells, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Greg Bateman
Replacements: 16 Jake Kerr, 17 Facundo Gigena, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Graham Kitchener, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 Sam Harrison, 22 Matt Toomua, 23 Adam Thompstone

Scarlets: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Ioan Nicholas, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Hadleigh Parkes, 11 Steff Evans, 10 Dan Jones, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 Will Boyde, 7 Josh MacLeod, 6 Blade Thomson, 5 David Bulbring, 4 Tom Price, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Ken Owens (c), 1 Wyn Jones
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Phil Price, 18 Werner Kruger, 19 Josh Helps, 20 Uzair Cassiem, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Steff Hughes, Paul Asquith

Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant referees: Vincent Blasco Baqué (France), Stéphane Boyer (France)
Television match official: Denis Grenouillet (France)

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Japan is reportedly emerging as a possible short-term destination for Beauden Barrett and other senior All Blacks after next year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan.

There has been lots of speculation about Barrett’s future and a possible move out of New Zealand after the World Cup, with his management team continuing to negotiate options beyond the 2019 global tournament.

These include the potential of earning €1.4million (NZ$2.4m) per-season at a Top 14 club, with Parisian outfit Racing 92 said to be heading the list of suitors from France.

The All Blacks still remain a priority for the two-time World Player of the Year and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo is also a possibility. Which means Barrett may decide to remain in New Zealand. But with large amounts of money on offer and the fact he can essentially name his price overseas, a sabbatical seems increasingly likely.

And if Barrett decide to take that option, the prospect of taking a year out to play two Japanese Top League seasons in 2020 could prove enticing.

Barrett is not the only All Black who could go down that route though. All Blacks second-row duo Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock are among others believed to be considering that option, if it comes to fruition.

“That concept of Japan 2020 comes up in a number of conversations,” New Zealand Rugby head of professional rugby Chris Lendrum told the New Zealand Weekend Herald.

“It’s not necessarily a real prospect for everybody.”

Japan mus still finalise its season structure beyond 2019 but the World Cup, which starts in September in Tokyo, has forced the 2019/20 domestic tournament to be pushed back to January 2020.

This is similar move to New Zealand, who shifted its provincial season when hosting the 2011 World Cup.

Japanese rugby tends to move at its own pace but if negotiations progress towards the two-seasons-in-one, it could be enough to entice Barrett and his fellow All Blacks.

If Barrett decides to head to Japan, it would allow him to experience the best of both worlds.

He would be free to commit to a new long-term contract with New Zealand Rugby and the Hurricanes but first take leave – as Dan Carter and Richie McCaw previously enjoyed – before returning to play for the All Blacks and have a crack at the 2023 World Cup in France.

“Generally what we understand is they are looking to run two Top League seasons during 2020 but that’s not confirmed,” added Lendrum.

“If they do it seems like there is an opportunity for players to go there and play those two seasons effectively in the space of one New Zealand calendar year.

“From a salary and welfare perspective that has obvious attraction for players who potentially have had long Super or international careers and are looking to refuel body, mind and wallet for maybe another few years.”

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Wallabies loose forward David Pocock has become the fourth player to win multiple John Eales medals after Thursday night’s award ceremony.

Pocock shone against Ireland in a three-match series as well as during the six Rugby Championship encounters, comfortably coming in ahead of second-placed Lukhan Tui and Dane Haylett-Petty, who finished third.

Will Genia and Israel Folau were billed as favourites going in to the contest, but fell way short, with the latter missing out out on the top three for the first time since 2013.

Pocock won the John Eales Medal previously in 2010 and joins Michael Hooper, Folau and George Smith as the only players to have won multiple John Eales Medals.

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Six matches are scheduled in the Champions Cup on Saturday, with Castres and Exeter Chiefs getting the action underway at Stade Pierre-Fabre.

Castres v Exeter

Exeter chiefs director of rugby Rob Baxter has kept faith with most of his starting line-up in last weekend’s draw against Munster.

Injuries to Sam Skinner, Dave Dennis and Dave Ewers mean Baxter has been forced into changes in his starting pack.

Ollie Atkins and Wilhelm Van Der Sluys both come into the Exeter engine-room, the latter for his first European start for the club, while Tom Lawday gets his first-ever European start at number eight The back division, meanwhile, remains unchanged from a week ago.

Meanwhile, Castres have made four changes to their starting lineup from the side that suffered an opening day defeat to Gloucester last weekend.

Maama Vaipulu has come in for Alex Tulou at number eight, with the latter dropping to the bench while Steve Mafi replaces Christophe Samson in the second row.

Daniel Kotze is preferred ahead of Paea Fa’anunu at tighthead and Antoine Tichit returns to the side at the expense of Tudor Stroe at loosehead, who drops to the bench.

The teams:

Castres: 15 Armand Battle, 14 Martin Laveau, 13 Robert Ebersohn, 12 Florian Vialelle, 11 Taylor Paris, 10 Julien Dumora, 9 Ludovic Radosavljevic, 8 Maama Vaipulu, 7 Baptiste Delaporte, 6 Mathieu Babillot, 5 Loic Jacquet, 4 Steve Mafi, 3 Daniel Kotze, 2 Jody Jenneker, 1 Antoine Tichit
Replacements: 16 Paul Sauzaret, 17 Tudor Stroe, 18 Wilfried Hounkpatin, 19 Victor Moreaux, 20 Alex Tulou, 21 Yoann Le Bourhis, 22 Anthony Combezou, 23 Rory Kockott

Exeter: 15 Phil Dollman, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ian Whitten, 11 Santiago Cordero, 10 Gareth Steenson (c), 9 Stuart Townsend, 8 Tom Lawday, 7 Matt Kvesic, 6 Don Armand, 5 Wilhelm Van Der Slums, 4 Ollie Atkins, 3 Harry Williams, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Ben Moon
Replacements: 16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Sean Lonsdale, 20 Toby Salmon, 21 Jack Maunder, 22 Joe Simmonds, 23 Sam Hill

Date: Saturday, October 20
Venue: Stade Pierre-Fabre
Kick-off: 13:00 BST (12:00 GMT)
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland), Kieran Barry (Ireland)
Television match official: Simon McDowell (Ireland)

Munster v Gloucester

The Munster team to face Gloucester at Thomond Park in the Champions Cup on Saturday afternoon has been named by Head Coach Johann van Graan.

There are four changes, all in the pack, to the side that drew 10-all away to Exeter Chiefs in the Champions Cup opener last weekend.

An all-new front row has been named with James Cronin, Rhys Marshall and John Ryan coming into the side.

The second row pairing of Jean Kleyn and Tadhg Beirne is unchanged.

The final change to the team sees Tommy O’Donnell join captain Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander in the back row.

The backline remains the same with a back three of Mike Haley, Andrew Conway and Darren Sweetnam.

Rory Scannell and Dan Goggin form the centre partnership with Duncan Williams and Joey Carbery in the half-backs.

Kevin O’Byrne, Arno Botha and Alby Mathewson join the replacements with Mathewson returning from a knee injury sustained against Leinster earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Gloucester make two changes to their starting line-up, one in the backs and one in the pack.

Matt Banahan replaces Charlie Sharples on the wing while Ed Slater comes in for Gerbrandt Grobler in the second row and will skipper the side. Those changes apart, the starting line-up is the one that took the field against Castres Olympique last Sunday,

Grobler moves in to the replacements to accommodate Slater’s return and Gareth Evans, who was registered for European action this week, will provide the back-row cover on the bench.

The teams:

Munster: 15 Mike Haley, 14 Andrew Conway, 13 Dan Goggin, 12 Rory Scannell, 11 Darren Sweetnam, 10 Joey Carbery, 9 Duncan Williams, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Tommy O’Donnell, 6 Peter O’Mahony (c), 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 John Ryan, 2 Rhys Marshall, 1 James Cronin
Replacements: 16 Kevin O’Byrne, 17 Dave Kilcoyne, 18 Stephen Archer, 19 Billy Holland, 20 Arno Botha, 21 Alby Mathewson, 22 JJ Hanrahan, 23 Sammy Arnold

Gloucester: 15 Jason Woodward 14 Matt Banahan, 13 Billy Twelvetrees, 12 Mark Atkinson, 11 Tom Marshall, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Callum Braley, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Jake Polledri, 6 Freddie Clarke, 5 Ed Slater (c), 4 Tom Savage, 3 Fraser Balmain; 2 Franco Marais, 1 Josh Hohneck
Replacements: 16 Henry Walker, 17 Val Rapava Ruskin, 18 Ciaran Knight, 19 Gerbrandt Grobler, 20 Gareth Evans, 21 Ben Vellacott, 22 Owen Williams, 23 Tom Hudson

Date: Saturday, October 20
Venue: Thomond Park
Kick-off: 13:00 BST (12:00 GMT)
Referee: Alexandre Ruiz (France)
Assistant referees: Maxime Chalon (France), Luc Ramos (France)
Television match official: Philippe Bonhoure (France)

Wasps v Bath

Wasps Director of Rugby Dai Young has named an unchanged 23 as his side take on Bath Rugby at Ricoh Arena on Saturday in search of their first points on the board in this season’s Heineken Champions Cup.

Last weekend saw Wasps defeated at champions Leinster Rugby while Bath slipped to a narrow home loss against Toulouse.

And the Premiership counterparts go head-to-head on Saturday in an all-important European clash, which is part of a Double Header at Ricoh Arena as Wasps FC Ladies take on Richmond Women afterwards in the Tyrrells Premier 15s at 5.45pm.

Springbok Willie Le Roux, Josh Bassett and skipper Elliot Daly form a potent back-three while Juan de Jongh and Michael Le Bourgeois line up in the centres.

Lima Sopoaga and Joe Simpson form the half-back pairing with the latter set to make his 245th appearance in the Black and Gold.

In the pack, props Zurabi Zhvania and Kieran Brookes keep their places alongside hooker Tommy Taylor, who was the tournament’s top tackler in the first weekend with a whopping 26 hits.

Lock Will Rowlands was also a standout tackler last weekend, making 23 tackles and not missing one, and he again starts this weekend alongside James Gaskell in the second row.

Brad Shields and Nizaam Carr are named in the back row with Thomas Young, who made the most turnovers of any player in the competition (five) in the first round.

Meanwhile, Joe Cokanasiga returns to the Bath starting line-up.

Cokanasiga starts on the left wing with Semesa Rokoduguni on the other flank and Darren Atkins moving to full-back to complete the back three.

Jackson Willison continues at outside centre and will be joined in the midfield by Max Wright, who came on as a replacement last weekend against Toulouse.

Will Chudley makes his competitive debut for the club, as the scrum-half links up with Freddie Burns in the half-back pairing.

Jack Walker comes in at hooker, with Nathan Catt and Henry Thomas taking their places at loosehead and tighthead prop respectively. Dave Attwood and Charlie Ewels form the second row combination, whilst there is an unchanged back row for the trip to Coventry. Tom Ellis and Francois Louw remain at six and seven, with Zach Mercer completing the pack.

Ross Batty marks his return to the first team squad, with the hooker is named among the replacements for the European clash.

Tom Dunn, Rhys Priestland and Jamie Roberts are all unavailable for selection for this tomorrow’s game. Dunn has sustained a small fracture to his right eye and is expected to be out for three-four weeks.

Priestland sustained knee ligament damage during last weekend’s game and is likely to be sidelined for six-eight weeks. Roberts underwent return to play protocols after being knocked out against Toulouse, but has not recovered in time to take his place in the squad.

The teams:

Wasps: 15 Willie Le Roux, 14 Josh Bassett, 13 Juan de Jongh, 12 Michael Le Bourgeois, 11 Elliot Daly (c), 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Joe Simpson, 8 Nizaam Carr, 7 Thomas Young, 6 Brad Shields, 5 James Gaskell, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Tommy Taylor, 1 Zurabi Zhvania
Replacements: 16 Tom Cruse, 17 Ben Harris, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Kearnan Myall, 20 Ashley Johnson, 21 Craig Hampson, 22 Billy Searle, 23 Rob Miller

Bath: 15 Darren Atkins, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Jackson Willison, 12 Max Wright, 11 Joe Cokanasiga, 10 Freddie Burns, 9 Will Chudley, 8 Zach Mercer, 7 Francois Louw, 6 Tom Ellis, 5 Charlie Ewels (c), 4 Dave Attwood, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Jack Walker, 1 Nathan Catt
Replacements: 16 Ross Batty, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Anthony Perenise, 19 Matt Garvey, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Max Green, 22 Alex Davies, 23 Tom Homer

Date: Saturday, October 20
Venue: Ricoh Arena
Kick-off: 15:15 BST (14;15 GMT)
Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)
Assistant referees: Laurent Cardona (France), Jean-Luc Rebollal (France)
Television match official: Éric Briquet-Campin (France)

Edinburgh v Toulon

Head Coach Richard Cockerill has made just one change to his Edinburgh side as they face three-times Champions Cup winners Toulon at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Jaco van der Walt starts at fly-half in the place of Simon Hickey – who drops to the bench – as Edinburgh host their first Heineken Champions Cup fixture since January 2014.

There are two alterations to the bench as Fosroc Scottish Rugby Academy graduate, Luke Crosbie, joins scrum-half Nathan Fowles among the replacements.

An unchanged back-three sees fullback Blair Kinghorn named alongside wingers Dougie Fife – a try-scorer in last weekend’s Heineken Champions Cup opener in Montpellier – and Darcy Graham.

In the midfield, Matt Scott – fresh off being named in the Scotland squad for the 2018 Autumn Tests – is partnered by James Johnstone. Henry Pyrgos is selected at scrum-half alongside Van der Walt, who makes only his third start of the season after facing Connacht and Leinster earlier in the season.

An all Scotland tight-five sees hooker and captain Stuart McInally pack down alongside WP Nel and Allan Dell in the front-row, whilst Ben Toolis and Grant Gilchrist continue their partnership in the second-row.

After another all-action performance against Montpellier, Fijian star Bill Mata starts at number eight, with Scotland internationalists Hamish Watson and Magnus Bradbury completing the back-row.

Meanwhile, Toulon head coach Patrice Collazo has rung the changes to his starting line-up after last week’s defeat at home to Newcastle Falcons.

In the backline, Hugo Bonneval comes in at full-back in place of Daniel Ikpefan with Malakai Fekitoa and Mathieu Bastareaud replacing JP Pietersen and Anthony Belleau in midfield.

Belleau shifts to fly-half where he takes over from Francois Trinh-Duc while Anthony Meric is preferred to Eric Escande at scrum-half.

In the forwards, Florent Vanverberghe starts at number eight with Raphael Lakafia moving to the side of the scrum and Swan Rebbadj shifts from lock to the blindside flank while Juandre Kruger packs down in the second-row alongside Romain Taofifenua.

There is also a brand new front-row with Sebastien Taofifenua and Florian Fresia the starting props and Anthony Etrillard packs down at hooker.

The teams:

Edinburgh: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 James Johnstone, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Dougie Fife, 10 Jaco van der Walt, 9 Henry Pyrgos, 8 Bill Mata, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Magnus Bradbury, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Ben Toolis, 3 WP Nel, 2 Stuart McInally (c), 1 Allan Dell
Replacements: 16 Ross Ford, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 Luke Crosbie, 20 Jamie Ritchie, 21 Nathan Fowles, 22 Simon Hickey, 23 Chris Dean

Toulon: 15 Hugo Bonneval, 14 Josua Tuisova, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Mathieu Bastareaud (c), 11 Julian Savea, 10 Anthony Belleau, 9 Anthony Meric, 8 Florent Vanverberghe, 7 Raphael Lakafia, 6 Swan Rebbadj, 5 Romain Taofifenua, 4 Juandre Kruger, 3 Sebastien Taofifenua, 2 Anthony Etrillard, 1 Florian Fresia
Replacements: 16 Bastien Soury, 17 Xavier Chiocci, 18 Emerick Setiano, 19 Jacques Potgieter, 20 Daniel Ikpefan, 21 Francois Trinh-Duc, 22 Eric Escande, 23 Rudy Gahetau

Date: Saturday, October 20
Venue: Murrayfield
Kick-off: 15:15 BST (14:15 GMT)
Referee: JP Doyle (England)
Assistant referees: Ian Tempest (England), Simon McConnell (England)
Television match official: David Grashoff (England)

Saracens v Lyon

Saracens have made five changes for Saturday’s Champions Cup match against Lyon at Allianz Park.

Richard Barrington and Jackson Wray come in for the injured Vunipolas at loosehead prop and number eight respectively, while Nick Tompkins replaces the suspended Alex Lozowski.

Liam Williams returns on the wing in place of David Strettle and Ben Spencer gets the nod at nine.

Hayden Thompson-Stringer, Ben Earl, Schalk Burger and Marcelo Bosch are additions to the bench.

Meanwhile, Lyon have rung the changes after their defeat to Cardiff Blues last weekend.

In the back-line, Jean-Marcellin Buttin comes in at full-back for Charlie Ngatai while Jean-Marcellin Buttin replaces Noa Nakaitaci on the left wing while Adrien Seguret takes over from Thibaut Regard at inside centre.

Up front, Deon Fourie comes in at number eight where he replaces Loann Goujon and Dylan Cretin takes over from Julien Puricelli on the blindside flank and Cretin will also captain the side.

In the second-row, Etienne Oosthuizen is preferred to Hendrik Roodt while Clément Ric and Hamza Kaabèche are the starting props and Jeremie Maurouard will pack down at hooker.

The teams:

Saracens: 15 Alex Goode, 14 Liam Williams, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Brad Barritt, 11 Sean Maitland, 10 Owen Farrell, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Jackson Wray, 7 Mike Rhodes, 6 Maro Itoje, 5 George Kruis, 4 Will Skelton, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Jamie George, 1 Richard Barrington
Replacements: 16 Christopher Tolofua, 17 Hayden Thompson-Stringer, 18 Titi Lamositele, 19 Ben Earl, 20 Schalk Burger, 21 Richard Wigglesworth, 22 Marcelo Bosch, 23 Alex Lewington

Lyon: 15 Jean-Marcellin Buttin, 14 Toby Arnold, 13 Rudi Wulf, 12 Adrien Seguret, 11 Alexis Palisson, 10 Lionel Beauxis, 9 Jean-Marc Doussain, 8 Deon Fourie, 7 Patrick Sobela, 6 Dylan Cretin (c), 5 Etienne Oosthuizen, 4 Felix Lambey, 3 Clément Ric, 2 Jeremie Maurouard, 1 Hamza Kaabèche
Replacements: 16 Virgile Lacombe, 17 Albertus Buckle, 18 Richard Choirat, 19 Francois van der Merwe, 20 Carl Fearns, 21 Pierre-Louis Barassi, 22 Xavier Mignot, 23 Quentin Delord

Date: Saturday, October 20
Venue: Allianz Park
Kick-off: 17:30 BST (16:30 GMT)
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Stuart Gaffikin (Ireland), Paul Haycock (Ireland)
Television match official: Brian MacNeice (Ireland)

Racing 92 v Ulster

Racing 92 have made three changes to their starting line-up after last weekend’s win away at the Scarlets.

There is just one alteration to the back-line with Teddy Thomas replacing Joe Rokocoko on the right wing.

Amongst the forwards, Bernard Le Roux comes in to the run-on side on the openside flank in place of Baptiste Chouzenoux while Dominic Bird takes over from Donnacha Ryan at lock.

Ulster head coach Dan McFarland has named his matchday squad for the first ever meeting with Racing 92 in Saturday’s Champions Cup Round Two fixture.

McFarland has made just three personnel changes to the starting XV that defeated Leicester at Kingspan Stadium last weekend.

Marty Moore, who impressed on his debut as a first half replacement last Saturday, while Kieran Treadwell has been brought into the second-row. The third change sees David Shanahan replacing the injured John Cooney at scrum-half.

Rory Best will captain the side from the front-row, alongside Moore and Andy Warwick. Iain Henderson will partner Treadwell in the engine room, and the back-row of Marcell Coetzee, Jordi Murphy and Nick Timoney is retained.

Apart from Shanahan, the backline remains unchanged with Billy Burns at fly-half, Jacob Stockdale and Craig Gilroy on the wings, Stuart McCloskey and Will Addison in midfield, and Abbey Insurance Ulster Academy prospect Michael Lowry at full-back.

Adam McBurney, Eric O’Sullivan and Ross Kane cover the front-row from the bench, with Alan O’Connor and Sean Reidy included as the additional forward options. Jonny Stewart is in line for his European bow if called upon as he joins Johnny McPhillips and Angus Kernohan among the backline replacements.

The teams:

Racing 92: 15 Simon Zebo, 14 Teddy Thomas, 13 Olivier Klemenczak, 12 Henry Chavancy (c), 11 Juan Imhoff, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Xavier Chauveau, 8 Antonie Claassen, 7 Bernard Le Roux, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Leone Nakarawa, 4 Dominic Bird, 3 Cedate Gomes Sa, 2 Camille Chat, 1 Guram Gogichashvili
Replacements: 16 Teddy Baubigny, 17 Vasil Kakovin, 18 Census Johnston, 19 Fabien Sanconnie, 20 Jordan Joseph, 21 Teddy Iribaren, 22 Ben Volavola, 23 Léonard Paris

Ulster: 15 Michael Lowry, 14 Craig Gilroy, 13 Will Addison, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Billy Burns, 9 David Shanahan 8 Nick Timoney, 7 Jordi Murphy, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Kieran Treadwell, 4 Iain Henderson, 3 Marty Moore, 2 Rory Best (c), 1 Andrew Warwick
Replacements: 16 Adam McBurney, 17 Eric O’Sullivan, 18 Ross Kane, 19 Adam O’Connor, 20 Sean Reidy, 21 James Stewart, 22 Johhny McPhillips, 23 Angus Kernohan

Date: Saturday, OCtober 20
Venue: Paris La Defense Arena
Kick-off: 17:30 BST (16;30 GMT)
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Dan Jones (Wales), Wayne Davies (Wales)
Television match official: Ian Davies (Wales)

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