Round One Round-up
The 2023/24 season is up and running, with some stand-out performances from Championship clubs in Round 1 of the PRC.
The new season kicked off in style this weekend, with all 12 Championship clubs playing in the new-look Premiership Rugby Cup [PRC], as Coventry and Ealing Trailfinders pulled off notable scalps over Premiership opposition.
MAKING A STATEMENT
Cornish Pirates produced a brave performance against Bath on Friday evening, running in thee tries and clinching a losing bonus point against their Westcountry rivals in front of a packed-out Mennaye.
But the headlines from the opening weekend belong to Coventry and Ealing Trailfinders, who beat Saracens and Northampton Saints, respectively, to get their PRC campaigns off to the best possible start. With the scores locked at 14-14 at half time, Coventry kept the champions of England off the scoreboard in the second half, and sealed a famous win with a late solo score from Pat Pellegrini, much to the delight of a record 4,109-strong crowd at Butts Park Arena.
Ealing Trailfinders, meanwhile, produced a blistering performance against Northampton Saints, live on TNT Sports, outscoring the Premiership side by eight tries to three, including a first-half brace from Nathan Earle.
VALUABLE EXPERIENCES
While Hartpury, Nottingham, Bedford Blues, Caldy, and Ampthill, may have come away empty handed from their opening assignments in the PRC, playing against top-tier, fully professional opposition, will have provided a valuable learning and development experience. Of particular note is that four of these five Championship sides managed to cross the whitewash twice against their Premiership opponents.
CHAMP SIDES MEET IN CUP
As well as the intriguing match-ups between Championship and Premiership opposition, there were also two all-Championship affairs in Round 1, as Doncaster Knights defeated newly promoted Cambridge at Castle Park, and reigning league champions, Jersey Reds, produced a ruthless display against London Scottish at The RAG.
Here's the full results round-up from the opening weekend of the PRC:
