1 South Africa
Jake White has confirmed that the Bulls will return to Bristol’s Ashton Gate should they advance to the semi-finals of the Champions Cup. As South Africa is not a shareholder with EPCR, the South African franchises are not allowed to host games beyond the quarter-finals of the competition.
“We get half the gate. It is a great stadium and has a nice feel,” director of rugby White said of the opportunity.
2 Georgia
Richard Cockerill has been named the new head coach of Georgia, taking the helm ahead of the Rugby Europe Championship.
The former Leicester and England hooker has been out of a job since parting ways with Montpellier midway through this season. Georgia begin their Rugby Europe Championship campaign against Germany on 4 February. Cockerill will also take charge of the Black Lion side that competes in the Challenge Cup.
3 New Zealand
The Blues have named 43-Test All Black Patrick Tuipulotu as captain ahead of the 2024 Super Rugby Pacific season, replacing fellow All Black Dalton Papalii. Lock Tuipulotu captained the side previously from 2019 to 2021.
“The feeling you get leading this side into battle each week is something special,” said Tuipulotu, who’s set to reach 100 appearances for the franchise during the upcoming season.
"I stress-test my coaches' ideas but ultimately you have to let the bakers bake"
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