Northern Edition

Select Edition

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

The Tight Five: This Week's Biggest Matches on Rugby Pass

nrl

We preview the five best NRL, Super Rugby and Top 14 matches to catch on Rugby Pass this week.

ADVERTISEMENT

NRL: Eels vs Broncos (Thursday March 3, 5:05pm HKT)
The NRL season kicks off on Thursday night with early favourites – and last year’s runners-up – the Brisbane Broncos travelling to western Sydney to take on the Eels. The Wayne Bennett-coached Broncos spent their last couple of weeks of pre-season in the UK, where they made easy work of the Wigan Warriors in the World Club Series. The Eels had a disappointing 2015, but have made some strong signings in the offseason with the likes of Michael Jennings and Kieran Foran joining the club. The Broncos will be favourites, but the first week of the NRL always throws up plenty of surprises. The Eels might just be one of them.

Super Rugby: Crusaders vs Blues (Friday March 4, 2:35pm HKT)
Are the Blues the real deal this season? That is the question many will be asking after last week’s impressive win over the defending champion Highlanders, and if they can beat the Crusaders in Christchurch, then they may just have their answer. The Crusaders have won 9 of the last 10 in this matchup, and the Blues haven’t won in Christchurch since 2004, so history is very much against them. Despite losing decades of experience over the offseason, the Crusaders went toe-to-toe with the Chiefs. Whoever comes out on top, this one will be close.

Super Rugby: Highlanders vs Hurricanes (Saturday March 5, 2:35pm HKT)
A tantalising rematch of last year’s classic Super Rugby final. Both teams will be desperate to bounce back from Round 1 losses when they meet under the roof at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin on Saturday. The Highlanders probably consider themselves a little unlucky to have come out on the wrong side of their tight tussle with the Blues, while the Hurricanes’ drubbing at the hands of the Brumbies was made even worse by everyone making fun of the way their new away uniforms make them look like giant toddlers wearing yellow overalls.
overalls
Top 14: Montpellier vs Castres (Sunday March 6, 3:45am HKT)
Plenty to play for here for two clubs on the cusp of the Top 14 playoffs positions. Montpellier currently sit in 6th on the table with 41 points, meaning they would claim the final playoffs spot if the season were to end today. But Castres are just 4 points behind them and sit 7th on the table – a win here could see them leapfrog Montpellier on the table. On paper the imposing, South African-studded forward pack of Montpellier should be too strong, but when the two teams last met in Castres in December it was the home team who won 34-19.

NRL: Roosters vs Rabbitohs (Sunday March 6, 1:00pm HKT)
Nothing like a big Sydney derby to get the NRL blood pumping at the start of the season. Both teams let go of key playmakers in the offseason – Isaac Luke from the Rabbitohs and Roger Tuivasa-Sheck from the Roosters – both of whom went to the New Zealand Warriors. While neither squad looks as lethal as they were a couple of seasons ago, it’s not unreasonable to expect both to still be in the hunt for a top 8 berth come Round 26. Expect the Rabbitohs to come out on top of what could be a bruising week 1 encounter.

ADVERTISEMENT

Wolfhounds vs Gwalia | Celtic Challenge 2024/25 | Match Highlights

Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

O2 Inside Line: This Rose | Episode 2 | Ireland Week

New Zealand vs Australia: Behind the Scenes with the Black Ferns Sevens Team | HSBC SVNS Embedded | E06

O2 Inside Line: This Rose | Episode 1

Argentina v Australia | HSBC SVNS Perth 2025 | Men's Final Match Highlights

The Dupont Ploy: How France went from underdogs to Olympic gods | The Report

Former rugby player is truly an NFL superstar | Walk the Talk | Jordan Mailata

Boks Office | Episode 33 | Dupont's Toulouse Too Good

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

TRENDING
TRENDING Watch: Chaotic scenes as bull runs wild at French Super League match Watch: Bull runs wild in Super League
Search