Kate Middleton and Prince William's Rugby Rivalry Heats Up as They Will Return to France Separately for World Cup

The Prince and Princess of Wales will both be in Marseille this weekend, but here's why probably won't spot them together

Kate Middleton and Prince William will take a seat for rugby heat this weekend!

On Friday, Kensington Palace announced that the Prince and Princess of Wales, both 41, will separately attend quarterfinal matches of the Rugby World Cup 2023 in Marseille, France, in the coming days. Prince William will attend the game between Wales and Argentina on Saturday, while Princess Kate will watch England play Fiji on Sunday.

While both matches will take place at Stade de Marseille, the Prince and Princess of Wales probably won’t be spotted in the stands together. That’s because the sporty couple shares a lighthearted rugby rivalry. Prince William is the longstanding Patron of the Welsh Rugby Union while Princess Kate is the patron of the Rugby Football Union and Rugby Football League, which govern the game in England. Queen Elizabeth tapped her for the roles in February 2022, redistributing positions previously held by Prince Harry following his step back from his working royal role with his wife, Meghan Markle, in 2020.

Related: Why Kate Middleton Is Going Home with 'Bragging Rights' Over Prince William After Sports Day (Exclusive)

Kate and William traveled to France just last month to (separately) attend Group Stage matches of the Rugby World Cup, which began Sept. 8. While the couple was in Wales that day to mark the first anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death, they supported their respective rugby squads at Group Stage matches that weekend.

Princess Kate traveled out for the England vs. Argentina game in Marseille on Sept. 9, while Prince William caught the Wales vs. Fiji match in Bordeaux on Sept. 10. The Prince and Princess of Wales’ presence proved to be a good luck charm, as England beat Argentina 27-10 while Wales topped Fiji 32-26.

As momentum builds, it would be historic if England and Wales were to meet in the final. Two U.K. teams have never made it to the last round of the same tournament, per Rugby World Cup history. If that were to happen, however, William and Kate have already had plenty of practice cheering on different teams from the same stands! In February, the couple bundled up for the Wales vs. England Six Nations rugby match at Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

Kate went home with bragging rights, as England beat Wales 20-10.

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On Thursday, the royals showed off their competitive sides at a mental fitness workshop organized by the charity SportsAid, where they tried their hand at sports such as netball and goalball.

Goalball is a Paralympic sport for the visually impaired where all the players wear eyeshades or blindfolds. Tactile lines are used for players to feel where they are and the ball has an internal bell allowing the players to hear where it is.

Both Prince William and Princess Kate sported goggles to participate in a penalty shout-out.

Tim Lawler, the chief executive of SportsAid, exclusively tells PEOPLE, "The prince shot and the goalie saved it, but the princess took a shot and she scored, so bragging rights to the princess!"

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Lawler adds, "That was a sport they knew very little about and they are pretty informed, so that was a wonderful insight for them. Taking sight away, that creates challenges and pressures — how do you deal with that? How do you lean on your other senses? What imagery can you use in order to achieve your objective?"

The couple also played netball, practicing their focus with various external pressures such as performing with crowd noise. And again, Kate's team walked away with the victory.

Champion netball player Ama Agbeze, who played on Princess Kate’s team, tells PEOPLE, "We won both times! I think they are really competitive so they both want to be the best and win, a little healthy competition is a good thing."

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