Champions Cup Preview, Bledisloe drought continues, can Canada Women break the Red Roses streak

Shaun and Thala preview the first weekend of Champions Cup and Challenge Cup rugby and some interesting international games this weekend.

In the Champions Cup, we look at the chances of the South African teams making a run and discuss why topping their pools is vital to their chances. While the Stormers and the Bulls have games against 2nd string opponents, we are hit with the breaking news of a possible tragedy happening for the Lions in France in their preparations for their first Champions Cup game.

We also preview the different pools and while we think Bordeaux, Toulouse and Leinster are still the strongest sides, there’s chances for the likes of Bath, Northampton, the Stormers, Glasgow or Montpellier to cause an upset and go on a run of their own.

In the Challenge Cup we discuss the Sharks and the Cheetahs approaches to their games this weekend and why Toulon needs a big run in the competition.

We preview the 2nd Bledisloe Cup game and discuss why Australia’s loss is so heartbreaking for their progress. Finally, we look at the WXV Global games happening this weekend, including Canada hosting England and bidding to be the first side to beat the Red Roses in 4 years in what might be the game of the year.