After a competitive seven weeks of rugby action, the top two placed teams in the league will take each other on for the title of overall champions at Chiang Mai University.
This means the Chiang Mai Cobras taking on old rivals the Lanna Rugby Club in what should be a bone-crunching encounter!
So much so indeed that the Thai Rugby Union (TRU) is flying up its number one referee, Top Decdanai, from Bangkok to officiate the match, an indication of the importance of the occasion which simultaneously brings neutrality to proceedings.
The match kicks off at 4pm and will be livestreamed on https://youtube.com/11srugby.
There will be juniors’ rugby to kick off the festivities, with a lady’s game between Lanna Lionesses and TNSU before the main event.
Meanwhile, the CMU Purple Blacks will take on the Chiang Mai All Stars in the third-fourth pace playoff match.
Entry is free and everyone in the area is welcome to come along and lend invaluable suppport to the burgeoning local grassroots rugby scene.
Elsewhere, changes and recommendations are ricocheting around all levels of the global game. Some changes are being discussed, some are on trial, all are contentious.
Examples being former Lions coach, Ian McGeehan wanting South Africa to join the 6 Nations.
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson wanting to see the return of 8 game tours, including 3 tests and 5 mid-week games against provincial teams.
Additionally it has been announced that the President of World Rugby, Bill Beaumont, is about to resign and the iconic Twickenham stadium has been renamed as The Allianz Stadium.
However, the most contentious change that has already been trialled and will be implemented in this season’s international program is the Red Card 20-minute rule.
“While teams will still lose a player for the rest of the match in case of deliberate and dangerous foul play, technical offences, such as accidental head contact, can now be punished with a player being sent off, but replaced by a team-mate off the bench after 20 minutes,” the official proposal states.
Current coaches and former referees have slammed the new proposal saying it may promote more dangerous play. It will be left to the statisticians to confirm or deny this after the next international program.
Finally, there was a weakened program of Gallagher Premiership games due to England call ups this past weekend, something that is a definite test of a club’s depth of talent.
Results over the weekend saw Bristol beat Northampton Saints 31-23, Leicester edge out Saracens 29-32, Bath demolish Sale 40-13, Gloucester ease past Newcastle 36 – 7 and Exeter lose at home to Harlequins 19-36, meaning that Bath lead the table from Leicester Tigers after 6 rounds.
The Global Rugby Coach, Mike Penistone, is a globally renowned professional rugby coach based in Phuket who is also an ambassador for the Asia Center Foundation, a charity for disadvantaged children. For more information visit: www.rugbycoachingconsultancy.com.