Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Premier 15s semis: 'There’s going to be a new name on the trophy this year'

GLOUCESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 30: The Allianz Premier 15s Trophy is seen prior to the Allianz Premier 15s Final match between Harlequins Women and Saracens Women at Kingsholm Stadium on May 30, 2021 in Gloucester, England. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

There’s going to be a new name on the Premier 15s trophy this year. Just let that sink in one more time. It’s barbecue season, after all: let the fact marinate for a moment. Let the heady Pimms of novelty infuse the fruit of rugby history.

ADVERTISEMENT

Come to think of it, Sean Lynn dresses for barbecues all year round – the man only owns shorts – and it’s hard to picture Susie Appleby without sunnies perched on top of her head. The grill of the league’s hotter than ever before, and the pair have certainly served up some mouthwatering entertainment this campaign.

A small part of me is tempted to simply repurpose large chunks of my Round 11 column, where I predicted the joyful prospect of a Gloucester-Hartpury versus Exeter Chiefs final – despite the rapid improvements of the ever-threatening reigning champions. Okay – a big part of me: it’s been a season of Herculean length, and I’m running low on metaphors, but I respect my editor too much to do that (hi, Lucy), so let’s give this a go…

This weekend, we got two proper, pukka, full-fat, supersize me semi-finals.

The first was as nerve-riddled as it was sun-saturated. Appropriately, given that we were at the home of ‘The Circus’, it was played as though on a tightrope: debutant cherries and second-album-sputtering bears launching speculative jabs at a great height – occasionally landing a blow, but mostly looking down at the safety netting and gulping nervously.

It was a mistake-strewn eighty – when the ‘unforced errors’ figures were enormous, but their descriptor felt a little unfair: both sides were inaccurate, yes, but they were being concertinaed into those mistakes by the size of the occasion. Lineouts misfired, passes were hurled past desperately-outstretched fingertips into touch, and mauls wilted to the ground in the heat of battle (or perhaps just a 4G in June).

The table-toppers were saved by their trademark bright start, their voracious line speed, and Bears’ struggle to utilise the world-class kickers at their disposal. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win – and that’s all that matters at this stage, and when you’ve never played a one-off semi-final at this level. Back in their favourite big top in a fortnight’s time, Lynn’s circus will have the opportunity to bring the house down.

Then, on Sunday, it was a gladiatorial slugfest. If Saturday’s protagonists were duelling on a knife edge, Chiefs and Saracens were housed in an amphitheatre – with the emperor of the match clock gazing down from on high, and only one of them able to emerge from the encounter. They threw everything at one another – absolutely everything – and the second forty was easily one of the best halves of rugby I’ve seen all season.

ADVERTISEMENT

At Kingsholm – it was about who could execute a killer blow amongst a flurry of attacking intent. At Sandy Park – it was who would land the final haymaker in a war of attrition. Three tries apiece, three changes of lead, and three yellow cards: it was an enthralling saga – played out before over four thousand gloriously vocal fans.

This was a rematch of last year’s final and felt like it: no love was lost in Devon that afternoon, and Appleby’s side will be relieved they have a full two weeks to recover before their latest shot at Premier 15s glory.

Saturday had us on the edges of our seats, and Sunday huddled back on our sofas – peeping through cracked fingers – but both provided some unforgettable moments.

It was a delight meeting Mothers Learned and Delgado pre-match in Gloucester: both had travelled to the UK to watch their daughters, and their pride was palpable. They weren’t the only special visitors: Ed Slater was watching on, as was Gloucester skipper Lewis Ludlow, whose gorgeous daughter Autumn ran out with Mo Hunt before a red sea of noise.

ADVERTISEMENT
Video Spacer

The air was thick with excitement, as it was down at Sandy Park – where fans had congregated more than three hours before kick-off. The locals had brought drums to pound and Santa hats to sport (it’s a Hope Rogers thing), whilst the wolf pack’s faithful brandished flags, fez caps, and a ‘someone’s got to win an away semi-final at some stage’ mentality.

At Kingsholm, it was Sarah Beckett who scored the opener – of course it was – and her interplay down the left wing with prodigious Hartpury flyer Mia Venner was wickedly slick. It was the visitors who flew from the blocks in Devon, with Sarah McKenna reaffirming her class at inside centre, and Holly Aitchison edging the battle of the fly halves. Both seemed to have the ball on a string at points, as did a few of Saturday’s kickers.

Emma Sing and El Snowsill banged over conversions with ease, but the pick of the nudges came from Amber Reed in the second half. It was so casually executed that I initially (and foolishly) described it as ‘speculative’. Katy Daley-Mclean, oozing insight and humour all game long, corrected me: it was ‘genius’.

Phoebe Murray latched onto its impeccable bounce, and Bristol were only denied by a scrambling swarm of cherry and white jerseys. Speaking of last-ditch defence, I want Lucy Burgess’ try-saver on Hunt immortalised in statue form, or – at the very least – on a T-shirt. It was magnificent.

At the other end of the glamour spectrum, but no less instrumental, was the ability of all four semi-finalists to withstand batterings on their own try lines. Some of the phase counts were higher than the temperatures, and the old adage suddenly made sense – ‘attack wins matches, but defence wins championships.’

Attack really does win matches, you know: Chiefs’ second half was something to behold. It was an eventful interval for a variety of reasons, but the most significant thing to come from it was whatever Appleby said to her side.

They emerged a different beast, and you’ve wasted your week so far if you’ve not spent it watching replays of Katie Buchanan and Hope Rogers each briefly seizing control of rugby’s Elder Wand, and proving – quite simply – unplayable by mere mortals.

A word for Liv McGoverne too, who’d had a tough afternoon at the line and kicking from hand, but nailed everything asked of her from the tee – which would prove critical. The last words went to stalwarts of the victorious outfits – Rachel Lund and Eilidh Sinclair were thoroughly deserving of their result-clinching moments – and the recipients of ‘Player of the Match’ awards… Well.

If you’d had to guess which of the 46 players at Kingsholm was recovering from a dead leg – the 46th name you’d have said would have been Alex Matthews’: hers was a performance of both relentless brilliance and brilliant relentlessness. As for Hope Rogers – you suspect she’s receiving her Freedom of the City of Exeter any day now. By her lofty standards, it was a quiet first forty.

The second? Deafening. Irresistible. Instantly iconic. She came, she saw, she Rogered – and then took the time to give us a considered and passionate interview in studio, before taking the show off air with an uncontainable ‘whoop!’

Her jubilation felt about right. We had four worthy semi-finalists: the best quartet from a league teeming with talent, and which has delivered throughout. This, though, feels the perfect match-up for June 24th’s big one. First versus second. A West Country derby.

The meeting of two stacked squads, brilliantly coached, who’ve shared the spoils this year – but who’ve not yet met at full strength. There’s an asterisk besides both that Round One and that Round Eighteen result: this is a slightly unknown entity, which fits with the theme of novelty permeating the whole thing.

A first full-throttle clash of these two, in a fresh final head-to-head (including a debutant), and the guarantee that, in a week and a half, we’ll have a shiny new name on that trophy. It’s barbecue season, and the Premier 15s is absolutely sizzling.

ADVERTISEMENT

Boks Office | Episode 36 | Six Nations Round 3 Review

England A vs Ireland A | Full Match Replay

HSBC SVNS Vancouver | Men's Day Three Highlights

HSBC SVNS Vancouver | Women's Day Three Highlights

"I would love to play with Siya Kolisi" | HSBC Life on Tour | Vancouver

Kubota Spears vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | JRLO 2024/2025 | Full Match Replay

Behind the Scenes with the Stars of the Kenya Rugby Sevens Team | HSBC SVNS Embedded | Episode 7

O2 Inside Line: This Rose | Episode 3 | France Week

Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

c
claire forlani 1 hour ago
Crusaders prepare for 'dangerous in all elements' Chiefs game-breaker

It all began in late 2024 when I fell victim to a sophisticated phishing scam. An email, seemingly from a reputable crypto exchange, prompted me to update my security settings. Unbeknownst to me, this was a trap. Within hours, my Bitcoin holdings vanished from my wallet. Devastated, I scoured the internet for solutions. That’s when I stumbled upon NanoAethosCoinRecovery, a firm renowned for its expertise in retrieving stolen cryptocurrencies. Skeptical yet desperate, I reached out to them. Their team responded promptly, assuring me of their commitment to assist. They explained their process: utilizing advanced blockchain analysis tools to trace the movement of stolen funds and collaborating with exchanges to freeze and recover assets. Over the next few weeks, they provided regular updates, detailing the trail of my stolen Bitcoin. Their persistence paid off. They identified the wallet holding my funds and, through their network, managed to facilitate the return of my Bitcoin. This experience was a stark reminder of the risks in the crypto space and the importance of swift action and expert assistance. Thanks to NanoAethosCoinRecovery, I not only recovered my assets but also gained invaluable insights into safeguarding my digital wealth.

For more information,  contact:

Whatsapp: +1 (570) 229-9724 Telegram:https://t.me/NanoAethos Email:  (NanoAethosCoinRecovery@engineer.com)

3 Go to comments
c
claire forlani 1 hour ago
Crusaders prepare for 'dangerous in all elements' Chiefs game-breaker

It all began in late 2024 when I fell victim to a sophisticated phishing scam. An email, seemingly from a reputable crypto exchange, prompted me to update my security settings. Unbeknownst to me, this was a trap. Within hours, my Bitcoin holdings vanished from my wallet. Devastated, I scoured the internet for solutions. That’s when I stumbled upon NanoAethosCoinRecovery, a firm renowned for its expertise in retrieving stolen cryptocurrencies. Skeptical yet desperate, I reached out to them. Their team responded promptly, assuring me of their commitment to assist. They explained their process: utilizing advanced blockchain analysis tools to trace the movement of stolen funds and collaborating with exchanges to freeze and recover assets. Over the next few weeks, they provided regular updates, detailing the trail of my stolen Bitcoin. Their persistence paid off. They identified the wallet holding my funds and, through their network, managed to facilitate the return of my Bitcoin. This experience was a stark reminder of the risks in the crypto space and the importance of swift action and expert assistance. Thanks to NanoAethosCoinRecovery, I not only recovered my assets but also gained invaluable insights into safeguarding my digital wealth.

For more information,  contact:

Whatsapp: +1 (570) 229-9724 Telegram:https://t.me/NanoAethos Email:  (NanoAethosCoinRecovery@engineer.com)

3 Go to comments
J
JW 1 hour ago
Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

These kids have been playing in leagues comparable to SR, not the NPC

The likes of games these guys get introduced to are closer to NPC than SR.


This is the team Sam played with in his first Leinster game;

Ed BYRNE

Tadgh MCELROY

Tom CLARKSON

Alex SOROKA

Brian DEENY

James CULHANE

Will CONNORSE

Max DEEGAN

Nick MCCARTHY

Sam PRENDERGAST

Dave KEARNEY

Ben BROWNLEE

Liam TURNER

Tommy O'BRIEN

Chris COSGRAVE

It’s too short, not as competitive and there are (usually) no test players in that comp.

You’re talking about something else altogether, sure, I’m not saying people around the world want to watch the NPC, but locally its just the same with a large amount of internationals playing, even All Blacks.

The evidence the NPC is not on par is in the U20 WC. SH sides haven’t won it since 2017

You obviously have had very little exposure to New Zealand rugby. The NPC is made up all the Super Rugby players, plus the club battlers trying to get a gig. Far above u20 rugby level.

Guys like Attisogbe, Gazzotti and Louis BB were in those sides. They were Top14 regulars at the time and are test players now.

What you need to understand is that NZ rugby is not like France, basically the complete opposite. AB jerseys are not just handed out like that and there is very little room for u20 as every player in these squads is battling for an AB jersey basically. Super Rugby only has 5 teams, not 14. Sure, you can argue more exposure is better, but season length is not going to do that, you just have to get onboard with how NZ does it. They are the best after all.

NZ used to chuck talented youngsters in at the deep end in SR. Carter, McCaw and quite a few others from the 2011 and 2015 WC winning teams were in SR at 20, 21 and ABs a year later.

You are definitely star struck. I like it, reminds me of playing Championship Manager. It’s no different now, heard of Wallace Sititi, Peter Lakai, Noah Hotham? NZ was one of the youngest squads going around and a good number of 20/21 yo’s coming into SR each year.


You don’t want players under pressure at that age, hence what teams do in those comps I mentioned. NZ definitely takes that to a different level for 17/18 yo, and even younger, but when you hear what happens to them when you don’t, I think that’s the right path.

150 Go to comments
S
Sandra Woods 4 hours ago
New Munster head coach all but confirmed

BEST LEGITIMATE CRYPTOCURRENCY RECOVERY SPECIALIST--> REVENANT CYBER HACKER

Modern technological company REVENANT CYBER HACKER is at the forefront of creative solutions for the challenging bitcoin recovery market. This innovative company, which was founded by a group of bright cryptography specialists and cybersecurity trailblazers, specializes in solving the most difficult problems that Bitcoin and other digital asset owners encounter. Whether it’s recovering lost or inaccessible funds due to forgotten passwords, hardware wallet malfunctions, or even elaborate hacking attempts, REVENANT CYBER HACKER’s arsenal of proprietary tools and unparalleled analytical capabilities allow them to unravel even the most convoluted digital money mysteries. Drawing on decades of combined experience in the fields of blockchain technology, digital forensics, and ethical hacking, the company’s seasoned professionals employ a meticulous, multi-pronged approach to meticulously reconstruct transaction histories, identify vulnerabilities, and ultimately restore access to otherwise irretrievable cryptocurrency holdings. With an unwavering commitment to client privacy and an impressive track record of success, REVENANT CYBER HACKER has firmly established itself as the go-to resource for individuals and enterprises seeking reliable, discreet, and cutting-edge solutions to their most complex Bitcoin and cryptocurrency recovery challenges. Hurry, send a direct message to REVENANT CYBER HACKER via: Email : revenantcyberhacker ( @ ) gmail (. ) com  

Telegram: revenantcyberhacker

WhatsApp: + 1 (208) 425-8584

WhatsApp: + 1 (913) 820-0739

Website:http://www.revenantcyberhacker.org

2 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING The Rassie Erasmus reaction to Steven Kitshoff’s retirement The Rassie Erasmus reaction to Steven Kitshoff’s retirement
Search