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Thursday
14:00
Saracens

Championship final details confirmed in favour of appeal-threatening Saracens

(Photo by Getty Images)

A threat by Saracens to appeal the decision taken following last weekend’s cancelled match versus Hartpury College has been assuaged after details for their two-legged Greene King IPA Championship final versus Ealing Trailfinders were confirmed with a favourable outcome for Mark McCall’s side.

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With a virus outbreak resulting in ninth-placed Hartpury being unable to play Saracens last Saturday and with isolation protocols preventing that game from being rearranged for this weekend, a decision was taken by the Championship’s disputes committee that the match should be considered as a 0-0 draw with no league points awarded to either team.

This was an outcome that perplexed Saracens who suggested they could appeal the decision. With no match points awarded for the cancellation, it meant that McCall’s 2019 Gallagher Premiership champions would finish in second place on the Championship table, five points behind the table-topping Ealing.

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That situation left Ealing poised to be awarded home advantage at Vallis Way for the second leg of the promotion final due to their No1 finish.

However, with the potential for an appeal and the possible forced rearrangement of the cancelled Hartpury game adding an extra week to the already delayed season, it has now emerged that Saracens will have the all-important home advantage for the second leg of the final.

A statement on the Championship website read: “Ealing Trailfinders and Saracens will compete in a two-fixture final to find the winner of the Greene King IPA Championship. Taking place on consecutive weekends in June, Trailfinders Sports Club, home of Ealing Trailfinders, will be the venue for the first leg of the final and Saracens will host the second at the StoneX Stadium.

“Both matches will be broadcast live on TV, with BT Sport and Premier Sports each showing a match live. The two fixtures are: Sunday, June 13: Ealing vs Saracens (4.30pm, live on Premier Sports) and Sunday, June 20: Saracens v Ealing (3.30pm, live on BT Sport 2). The winner of the Championship final shall be the club with the highest aggregate score over the two fixtures.”

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Comments on RugbyPass

M
MakeOllieMathisAnAB 18 minutes ago
How the All Blacks plan to challenge Ireland after gutsy England win

I think we need to get innovative with the new laws.

Now red cards are only 20 minutes, Razor should send Finau on a head hunting mission to hospitalise their 10 with a shoulder to the chops.

Give the conspiracy theorists a win.

22 Go to comments
S
SK 21 minutes ago
England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit

England played well enough to win but couldnt score when they needed to and couldnt defend a couple of X-Factor moments from Telea which was ultimately the difference. They needed to hold the ball more and make the AB's make more tackles. Territorially they were good for the first 60. Defending their lead and playing pragmatic rugby in the last 20 was silly. The AB's always had the potential to come back. England still have a long way to go, definite progress would have been shown had they won but it seems they are still stuck where they were shortly after the six nations and their tour to NZ

10 Go to comments
M
MakeOllieMathisAnAB 24 minutes ago
How the All Blacks plan to challenge Ireland after gutsy England win

Good back row… If Ethan can stay injury free for more than 20 minutes.

Someone once theorised that Ethan always gets injured because he bulked up and isn’t playing at a natural weight.

I’d really like to know if there’s science behind that theory.

Or maybe he’s was just taking a dump when the good lord was handing out the good luck.

22 Go to comments
C
CO 25 minutes ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Agreed, I'm getting sick of poor field position that's been created with little dink kicks, etc. Need to go back to really working hard to be inside the opposition half.

30 Go to comments
C
CO 27 minutes ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Boring can be good, need guys like that. Cam Smith for the Melbourne storm springs to mind. I know it's a different sport but pivots with the knack to setup and strategize can be highly effective combined with lethal finishers and line breakers.

30 Go to comments
S
SC 27 minutes ago
How the All Blacks plan to challenge Ireland after gutsy England win

And who covers fly half if Damain gets injured with your 6-2 bench?

22 Go to comments
M
MakeOllieMathisAnAB 31 minutes ago
How the All Blacks plan to challenge Ireland after gutsy England win

True enough, but the articles are about the current teams so recent history and players are major factors, historic results are not particularly relevant.

It’s to give a current overview of this time and place, not a historical one.

(It does annoy me a bit when they do it in the NRL talking about the same season so I get what you mean.)

None of the 1905 teams will be playing this weekend.

2016 was also when the narrative changed. (I would argue it changed in 2013).

22 Go to comments
B
Bruiser 35 minutes ago
How the All Blacks plan to challenge Ireland after gutsy England win

I'd like to see Vaii trialled at no 8 at some point. Wallace 6 and ,Ardie 7

22 Go to comments
C
CO 39 minutes ago
How the All Blacks plan to challenge Ireland after gutsy England win

Savea will not own the eight role for much longer, he's going to relinquish it well prior to RWC. Sititi can jump but at six foot one or two is no match for DuToit and others at lineout as it's all about the lifters getting someone with height up. Personally I think Sititinand Savea are best suited to seven with not just six being a tall jumper but also eight to have any chance of getting back to number one in the world.

22 Go to comments
H
Head high tackle 45 minutes ago
'Absolute madness': Clive Woodward rips into Borthwick in wake of NZ loss

I think he hosts a TV show. Maybe thats Clive Robertson...

3 Go to comments
H
Head high tackle 48 minutes ago
How the All Blacks plan to challenge Ireland after gutsy England win

Why is it that every article about NZ v Ireland only remembers history back to 2016? 1905 was the first match and the score isnt 4 from 8 or 3 from 5 its 31-5. What that means is Ireland needs to win for the next 26 matches to equal NZ. Based on ALL of history that will take roughly 90-100 years.

22 Go to comments
H
Head high tackle 51 minutes ago
How the All Blacks plan to challenge Ireland after gutsy England win

I cant see Savea on the bench and I include Sititi as an option at lineout. I also dont see Razor going to 6-2 bench but who knows.

22 Go to comments
H
Head high tackle 54 minutes ago
How the All Blacks plan to challenge Ireland after gutsy England win

Sititi is 50% better than Blackadder sorry. I want the best player starting not the next best.

22 Go to comments
H
Head high tackle 55 minutes ago
How the All Blacks plan to challenge Ireland after gutsy England win

Haha yep both still useless.

22 Go to comments
B
B 56 minutes ago
The ‘unsung hero’ who helped All Blacks’ bench make a telling difference

Great to see JR giving Ofa credit for helping the younger props with his experience.

Satiti is also humble in crediting Cane and Savea for doing the same for him.

Go the All Blacks... looking to have the rub of green again vs Ireland... onwards and upwards.

1 Go to comments
C
CO 1 hour ago
How the All Blacks plan to challenge Ireland after gutsy England win

They don't have any choice against Ireland when the Allblacks pick only two lineout jumpers.


They went short and to the over throw repeatedly against the English and this telegraphing of intent by Jason Ryan to repeat the dose may be a smokescreen.


What I'd do against the Irish is start Cane at seven to rough them up (legally) in a return to 2016 and start three locks with Tupou shifted to six.


Sititi at eight with Savea to lead the bench impact with a 6-2 split that includes Darry and Finau. Ratima and ALB to cover the backs.


Savea to replace Cane after thirty or so minutes with Cane instructed to empty the tank.


No disrespect to Ireland, they're the toughest test, slightly tougher than France with with only six days recovery for the Allblacks and up against the best coaching group in the north.

22 Go to comments
J
JWH 2 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Nah, that just needs some more variation. Chip kicks, grubber stabs, all those. Will Jordan showed a pretty good reason why the rush was bad for his link up with BB.


If you have an overlap on a rush defense, they naturally cover out and out and leave a huge gap near the ruck.


It also helps if both teams play the same rules. ARs set the offside line 1m past where the last mans feet were😅

30 Go to comments
J
JW 2 hours ago
'Freelancer' Izaia Perese shows the need for true inclusivity in Australian rugby

Yeah nar, should work for sure. I was just asking why would you do it that way?


It could be achieved by outsourcing all your IP and players to New Zealand, Japan, and America, with a big Super competition between those countries raking it in with all of Australia's best talent to help them at a club level. When there is enough of a following and players coming through internally, and from other international countries (starting out like Australia/without a pro scene), for these high profile clubs to compete without a heavy australian base, then RA could use all the money they'd saved over the decades to turn things around at home and fund 4 super sides of their own that would be good enough to compete.


That sounds like a great model to reset the game in Aus. Take a couple of decades to invest in youth and community networks before trying to become professional again. I just suggest most aussies would be a bit more optimistic they can make it work without the two decades without any pro club rugby bit.

79 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 3 hours ago
England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

Good point

7 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 3 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

That would work too.

30 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit England need to face a few home truths if they are to relearn that winning habit
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