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This week's biggest matches to watch on Rugby Pass
By RugbyPass
Semis in France and the Aviva Premiership final, plus an all-South Africa Super Rugby showdown and England playing the Baa-Baas to round it all off. Not a bad weekend of rugby!
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Top 14: La Rochelle vs Toulon (Saturday, May 27, 3am HKT)
A fortnight off means regular season table-toppers La Rochelle are rested, fit and raring to go for the first semifinal at Marseille’s Stade Velodrome. Toulon, on the other hand, come into the game shorn of four key players – Bryan Habana, Ma’a Nonu, François Trinh-Duc and Laurent Delboulbès – after duking out a win over Castres in last Friday’s playoff quarterfinal. History, however, dictates that one of the two automatic semifinalists will lose, and this is La Rochelle’s first sortie into Top 14 knockout-phase territory. Toulon, of course, have been here before.
Aviva Premiership: Wasps vs Exeter Chiefs (Saturday, May 27, 7:30pm HKT)
Last week’s semifinals set the bar Everest-high. But, if any two sides in the English league can live up to impossible expectations, it’s these two. They finished the regular season in the top two spots – and scored a combined 175 tries while conceding a combined 116. So, turn on, tune in … and expect all-out attack from the outset.
Super Rugby: Sharks vs Stormers (Saturday, May 27, 11:15pm HKT)
The Sharks have their style of play well-and-truly locked-in at this stage and are becoming a tough old team to break down. The Sunwolves found that out in Singapore last week, and they’re even better at home, which is where they meet the Stormers this weekend. The visitors rebounded from their New Zealand nightmare with a (some might say lucky) win over the Blues in Cape Town last week, and they’ll want to keep it rolling towards the playoffs.
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Top 14: Clermont vs Racing 92 (Sunday, May 28, 12am HKT)
It’s win or bust for both sides in the second Top 14 semifinal in Marseille – and Clermont will be out for revenge against the defending champions. The two sides met at this stage last season, and played out an extra-time thriller that was ultimately decided by the odd point in 67. On that night in Rennes, Juan Imhoff’s outrageous 98th-minute runaway try gave Dan Carter a tricky shot from out wide to win the match. And big-game Dan didn’t disappoint. If this rerun is half as exciting, it will be worth the Velodrome entrance fee.
England vs Barbarians (Sunday, May 28, 10pm HKT)
Despite earlier hopes, there’s no Carter in the Baa-Baas line-up because of Racing 92’s ongoing Top 14 commitments. That’s a bit of a shame – but there’s no shortage of talent in the occasionals’ squad as they face Eddie Jones’s England at Twickenham. Everything about this match screams joyous rugby exhibition – the weather is set fair; the Barbarians have more star quality than the centre of the Milky Way, and England will want a win to send them on their way to Argentina.
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