Saracens suffered a surprising 29-19 defeat to Ealing Trailfinders in their Premiership Rugby Cup opener at Trailfinders Sports Club.
Overall, the nine-try, 72-point belter was yet another classic showcase of a fabulously entertaining Gallagher Premiership, but the post-game Ashton Gate pints were all Saracens judging by the stragglers filtering out of the ground at around 7:30pm from the last remaining open stadium bar after a sunny, blue sky day had given way to a moonlit night.
Saracens looked set to be agonisingly beaten by a single point following a Lam-ball home team performance illuminated by a Fitz Harding hat-trick and a linebreak count of 16-5 in favour of the hosts. However, McCall’s side demonstrated fantastic pluck...
The Premiership season is drawing to a close which means numerous players are getting ready to join new clubs over the summer break. Plenty of transfers have already been confirmed across the league.
Nearly 12 weeks after injury with England, Max Malins is set for his first run back at Saracens following his loan year with Bristol.
Premiership U18 Finals Day is a hotbed of emerging rugby talent and with a number of new faces this season, there is plenty for fans to be excited about.
Time is short, but Steve Jackson has lofty ambitions with Manu Samoa. The head coach of world rugby’s No 16-ranked side has been in the job less than a month but flies out this weekend for a Northern tour.
Steven Luatua is testimony to the exquisite skill that the Bristol Bears bring to some of their work but he will need to lead with the hard edge if his team is to challenge the top six in this season’s Gallagher Premiership.
Brad Shields’ Gallagher Premiership debut has ended in a broken cheekbone which now threatens his involvement in the November test series, including a possible match-up with the All Blacks.
The Guinness PRO14 season is underway, and already the heavy New Zealand influence is evident.