Rugby Union Today: The short side and Loose Pass

Colin Newboult
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during the Aviva Premiership Final between Exeter Chiefs and Saracens at Twickenham Stadium on May 26, 2018 in London, England.

Another busy day in the rugby union game as Planet Rugby’s new feature ‘the short side’ returned to look ahead to the weekend’s action.

What’s on the site

We picked out our main talking points in ‘the short side,’ which delves into a variety of topics for this weekend’s encounters, including the game to watch and the most intriguing subplot.

Elsewhere, Loose Pass returned with a superb article on the dangers of rugby and how the sport perhaps isn’t doing enough to protect those individuals playing it.

Finally, domestic action returns in the northern hemisphere and there are previews of the Premiership and PRO14 matches taking place on Friday.

What’s in the news

There has been plenty of anger over the suspension handed out to Rory Kockott after the Castres scrum-half received a three-week ban for making contact with the eye area of Munster’s Chris Cloete.

On the transfer front, Brumbies lock Rory Arnold has signed a deal with French Top 14 club Toulouse and will head to France after the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

Meanwhile, Schalk Burger has announced that he will head back to South Africa at the end of the northern hemisphere season when his contract at defending Premiership champions Saracens runs out.

What’s on social media

Great news after it was announced that three Red Roses players have been handed professional XVs contracts.

What’s on TV

The European domestic leagues return this weekend with BT Sport showing Worcester v Northampton, Exeter v Saracens and Wasps v Bath in the Premiership.

On Sky Sports, Toulon host Lyon and Bordeaux-Begles visit Castres in the Top 14, while Premier Sports once again have extensive coverage of the PRO14.

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