Champions Crowned In Europe, More To Come
Champions Crowned In Europe, More To Come
A report on the top championships in Europe.
The professional season is wrapping up, and FloRugby is there to marshal fans through the finales.
The Pro 14 and Aviva Premiership both capped their seasons, and while the Pro D2 in France wrapped up earlier this month, the question remained who would be promoted to the Top 14.
By winning the Pro D2, Perpignan got automatic promotion at the expense of Brive. Meanwhile, Grenoble had to play Oyonnax, and defeated the 13th-place team 47-22 thanks to two tries from Lolagi Visinia and single tries from David Mele, Ali Oz, Faka Taumalolo, Bastien Guillemin, Pailin Mas. So both the top two Pro D2 teams will be in the Top 14 in 2018-19.
Wylesy Wins
Meanwhile, Saracens won the Aviva Premiership, defeating the Chiefs ... The big story for USA fans was that longtime Eagles star Chris Wyles scored two tries in the championship game, making him the all-time top scorer in Premiership finals with four tries.
He also led all players in meters gained in the final.
It will take a while for this all to sink in. A decade of incredible memories with @Saracens. Thank you for all the messages and support. Time for a beer. pic.twitter.com/6OLeYopb8C
— ChrisWyles (@ChrisWyles) May 27, 2018
Wyles, who retired from the Eagles after the 2015 Rugby World Cup, has made noises that he might want back in the fold, and in fact there's also some talk that he might see a coaching role come his way at some point.
As it is, Wyles passed 250 appearances for Saracens - a club he has played for since 2008 - and is now retiring from Premiership Rugby and moving back to the USA. Perhaps the best ever USA player who grew up with the game overseas, Wyles has been an excellent ambassador for the game, and captained the Eagles in both 15s and sevens.
A fitting farewell ❤️? pic.twitter.com/bsJd4EcJaf
— Saracens Rugby Club (@Saracens) May 26, 2018
“I feel very privileged to be part of this group, to score two tries but not have to do too much and dot the ball down is amazing and watching the guys fight and how physical they were was incredible," said Wyles after the game. “You hear as people leave the game, players talk about how much it meant to them to be in the rugby community and sometimes you can take it for granted. But I feel acutely aware of the support I have had and the lessons I’ve learned. At Saracens in particular, how you concentrate on people."
Leinster Double
Meanwhile, Johnny Sexton was astounding for Leinster as the Irish club pulled off the European Cup and Guinness Pro 14 double. With a win over the Scarlets, Leinster capped the season series against its Welsh rival 3-0-1, but more importantly, took home the Pro 14 championship.
Wing James Lowe scored two thrilling tries, and while Scarlets wing Johnny McNicholl scored three, Leinster was in control before late tries from Scarlets made it close at 40-32.
And in the Top 14, the final is set, as Montpellier and Castres will duke it out LIVE on FloRugby next week, after those two teams on over the weekend.
See the games On-Demand
Montpellier vs Lyon
Castres vs Racing 92
Nemani Nadolo, Alexandre Dumoulin, Louis Picamoles, and Paul Willemse all scored tries for Montpellier in a superb 40-14 win. And meanwhile, Castres only scored one try, from Maama Vaipulu, but Benjamin Urdapilleta converted it and added four penalties for the 19-14 victory.