Saturday 15th December
Our event of the day is the European Rugby Champions Cup fixture between Castres Olympique and Munster at the Stade Pierre-Fabre. Munster is enjoying a strong run in the competition and lead the group they share with Castres, Gloucester and Exeter. Meanwhile, Castres has struggled in the competition and need to win their three remaining games to stay in the competition. Be sure you don’t miss this exciting game between two sides eager for success. Castres Olympique felt confident entering the 2018-19 European Rugby Champions Cup. In the 2017-18 season, they had turned a 6th place finish into a championship-winning playoff run in the Top 14 League. They were not drawn into the easiest pool in the Champions Cup but still, they were the top seeded French side and welcomed the challenge.
However, they fell to Gloucester in the opening game, a tight 19-14 loss. Undaunted, Castres bounced back the following week to win a close 29-25 match against the Exeter Chiefs. Jubilation for the French side did not last long as, in their most recent match of the tournament, they were thoroughly dominated by Munster, the current pool leaders. The Irish side nearly shutout Castres but for a try scored in the final moments to make it 30-5. Castres now sit in 3rd in Pool 2, 6 points out from 1st place and 3 points behind 2nd place Gloucester. It is all or nothing for the French side today. On the other side, Munster came into the 2018-19 Champions Cup looking to bounce back from a heart-breaking 16-15 point loss to the ever dominant Leinster in the semi-finals of the 2017-18 Pro14 League playoffs, and a 27-22 loss to Racing 92 in the semi-finals of the 2017-18 Champions Cup. Their competition run started slow, being held to a 10-10 draw by Exeter. However they would shine the following week, scoring five tries in a 36-22 rout of Gloucester. They followed that with the aforementioned 30-5 domination of Castres. Excluding a string of upsets, Munster looks set to move onto the next round of the competition and hopefully improve upon their semi-final finish in last year’s competition. The last time that Munster travelled to the French side, the game ended in 17-17 draw and Castres boast a formidable record on home soil. This is a must-win game for the home side so expect an exciting, hard-fought game of rugby.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the super-middleweight boxing match between Rocky Fielding and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez at Madison Square Garden. This will be Alvarez’s first fight in his new weight class. If he beats his British opponent, he will claim the WBA Regular World Title, currently held by Fielding. Alvarez is a highly talented fighter, with only one loss in 54 fights. However, Fielding should not be completely discounted, having only a single loss in 28 fights. Be sure you don’t miss what is set to be a fight to remember. Elsewhere, in college football, North Texas faces Utah State in the New Mexico Bowl at the Dreamstyle Stadium. In the NBA, the Detroit Pistons host the Boston Celtics at the Little Caesars Arena. The World Darts Championship continues at Alexandria Palace. In the Premier League, Manchester City face Everton at Etihad Stadium. In the NHL, the Minnesota Wild welcome the Calgary Flames to the Xcel Energy Center.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Fixture
Photos by Castres Olympique; Munster
Originally published at www.fixturecalendar.com/blog. To see what else is happening in the world of sport use the Fixture Calendar.
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