Last week’s post-Christmas block of fixtures took us beyond the halfway point in this season’s Gallagher Premiership and a number of the round nine results have certainly whetted the appetite as English ruby welcomes in the new year.
With England versus New Zealand on the November 2 horizon and Steve Borthwick poised to name his Test squad on Wednesday for the four-game Autum Nations Series, a number of leading candidates have been pencilled in for some timely club action.
While most of the focus is currently on the Rugby World Cup in France, the 2023/24 BKT United Rugby Championship season gets under way this weekend.
Exeter Chiefs have named a 39-man squad to play Bristol Bears in a pre-season match that will feature two separate starting teams and a shared bench.
