May 2025 Rugby Round-Up
The Rugbystore round-up of the big news stories from the world of rugby over May.
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Big Names Announced for Baa-Baas vs Springboks
This month saw a huge announced for some of the players we can expect to see lining up for the Barbarians when they take South Africa on June 28th. With the clash only a few weeks away the Baa-Baas have revealed that Connor Murray, Peter O’Mahony and Sam Cane will all be a part of the squad to take on the World Champions.
With 343 international caps between them, the Baa-Baas have started their squad off with a huge amount of international experience. With less than a month till the showdown in Cape Town it’ll be interesting to see who else joins these three rugby legends in the famous black and white shirt.
2. SVNS Restructure
On the eve of this year’s SVNS World Championship it was announced that next year’s circuit will have huge changes to the number teams competing at the top end of SVNS rugby. World Rugby have confirmed that the evolved format has been made to deliver long-term sustainability and grow the game ahead of the 2028 LA Olympics.
From 2026 there will be three divisions in within the SVNS pyramid, with Division 1 being made up of the top eight sides in the men’s and women’s circuits. While those 16 teams playout across six events Division 2 will have 12 men’s and women’s teams battle it out over three events, with the top four male and female teams progressing to HSBC SVNS World Championship to compete with the Division 1.
There will also be a Division 3 that will see 16 sides compete in their respective regional competitions with 2 men’s and two women’s teams joining Division 2 prior to the start of their season.
Click here if you want anymore information on the new format
3. Owen Farrell Transfer Saga
Earlier this month it was reported that former England captain Owen Farrell was looking to leave Racing 92 at the end of the season, with a return to Saracens as a player-coach the rumoured destination.
That move has been reportedly put on hold, as Racing may want a substantial transfer for the player who still has a year left on his contract at the French club. With the French club apparently wanting a fee in the region of £420,00, which would deter almost every side in the Gallagher Premiership from signing the 33-year-old.
Competitions Round-Up
United Rugby Championship
The URC has hit the critical point of its season, with the Quarter-Finals now complete we have our final four sides left to compete for the 2025 title.
Following wins over the Scarlets and Stormers in their respective QFs Leinster will host the Glasgow Warriors in the first match of the Semi-Finals, with the current Champions looking to continue their title defence away in Dublin.
In the other SF it’s an all South African affair, with the Bulls and Sharks facing off after beating both Edinburgh and Munster. The Bulls will be aiming to make it three finals in four years, with this match-up also guaranteeing a fourth straight final that will be contested by a South African side.
Gallagher Premiership
The Semi-Final stage is all set up in England’s top flight, as Bath look to push for their third final this season when they host Bristol Bears at the Rec, with the visitors looking to go to their first ever Gallagher Premiership Final. On the other side of the draw Leicester Tigers will take on the Sale Sharks in the Midlands.
Champions & Challenge Cup
May 23th and 24th saw the new Investec Champions Cup and EPRC Challenge Cup winners crowned in Cardiff.
On the Friday Bath eventually came out 37-12 winners over Lyon, as the Somerset based side claimed their second trophy of the season in the Challenge Cup Final. The main showdown of the weekend saw the Northampton Saints push Union Bordeaux-Bègles for the full 80 minutes, with the French side holding on to claim a 28-20 win and their first ever Champions Cup.
Super Rugby
Much like their northern hemisphere counterparts, Super Rugby has reach its play-off stage, with the Qualifying Finals about to get underway.
The Crusaders will host the Queensland Reds on Friday the 6th of June, while Chiefs take on the Blues and the Brumbies welcome the Hurricanes to Australia on Saturday the 7th.
The three winners and the highest-ranking loser from the league phase will make up the Semi-Finals that will take place a week later.
That’s it! That’s our quick roundup for May2025. Be sure to checkout the rest of the Rugbystore Blog for news, reviews, training tips and much more.