Week One has provided some excellent rugby, dodgy refereeing and unfortunate injuries.
I think we can all unite around Uruguay as WC champions.
Other competitions are also starting up, so cancel all engagements and be prepared to spend your entire weekend and parts of the midweek glued to the screen. Hopefully not literally.
For those of you who lack rugby preparation skills, let me remind you to order in adequate supplies of booze, fags and possibly food.
Exciting rugby on the telly this week
Friday 27th September
| Cheetahs 48 – 14 Glasgow | 18:05 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Ulster 38 – 14 Ospreys | 19:35 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Leicester 27 – 7 Exeter | 19:45 | BT Sport 2 |
Saturday 28th September
| Argentina 28 – 12 Tonga | 05:45 | ITV |
| Japan 19 – 12 Ireland | 08:15 | ITV |
| South Africa 57 – 3 Namibia | 10:45 | ITV |
| Northampton 32 – 36 Wasps | 15:00 | BT Sport 3 |
| Munster 39 – 3 Drags | 15:00 | Freesports / TG4 |
| Southern Kings 27 – 31 Cardiff Blues | 15:00 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Scarlets 18 – 10 Connacht | 17:15 | PS2 / S4C / TG4 |
| Treviso 27 – 32 Leinster | 17:15 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Edinburgh 50 – 15 Zebre | 19:35 | Premier Sports 2 |
Sunday 29th September
| Georgia 33 – 7 Uruguay | 06:15 | ITV |
| Australia 25 – 29 Wales | 08:45 | ITV / S4C |
Monday 30th September
| Scotland 34 – 0 Samoa | 11:15 | ITV |
Wednesday 2nd October
| France 33 – 9 USA | 08:45 | ITV4 |
| New Zealand 63 – 0 Canada | 11:15 | ITV4 |
Thursday 3rd October
| Georgia 10 – 45 Fiji | 06:15 | ITV4 |
| Ireland 35 – 0 Russia | 11:15 | ITV |
Ovally Balls 
Try Morgan!
Don’t mind if I do! One double Captain Morgan and coke coming up!
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Cardiff score again and take the lead.
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King Sexton binned.
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Another Cardiff try.
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Cardiff yellow now.
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… and the Kings score.
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I’m not watching the ProThingy game, but on the subject of the female co-commentator – I think one of the enjoyable (and overdue) developments over the last few years has been the arrival of women commentators as full-fledged experts in their own right, irrespective of whether the actual game is men’s or women’s. Much rather them than some of the ex-players who are long past their sell-by date — in cricket as much as rugby.
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Saints/Wasps is trying to 1-up the Blues/Kings. There has been a penalty try for each team, Umaga (not that one) got a yellow for Wasps and now Naiyaravoro has just got his 2nd yellow and been sent off.
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Ooh, that was a very close thing. Kings nearly scored again. Still a bit of time left on the clock, but it’s a Blues scrum.
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Also, also, Sale have just beaten Saracens, at Saracens, 17–36.
Which is nice.
And the Saints Wasps game is a lot of fun.
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And that’s it: 27-31.
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Oh well done, Sale!
As the mister pointed out, Saracens *are* missing a lot of players to the WC … mostly for the Boks.
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@Thaum,
True, but then Sale are missing *their* Boks, too, and half a Curry.
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New rugby season. Let’s get off on the right foot.
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Connacht have just got away with a shoulder barge tackle – penalty only. There has already been quite a bit of niggle.
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Try Scarlets.
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It seems that Larry is sponsoring the Scarlets (Enzo’s Homes). Traitor.
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Scarlets score again, and this time make the conversion. 12-0.
Meanwhile, it looks like Treviso are beating Leinster 14-10!
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HT: 12-3. And it looks like the Bad Guys have scored.
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Commentator (Shanks, I think) has described the shoulder-barge tackle as ‘classic Owen Farrell’.
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Connacht have a man in the bin, and Scarlets have a penalty.
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Holy shit!
Landed a few hours ago and just managed to see the highlights.
Incredible.
When Japan move the ball around like that they’re going to be hard for anyone to stop.
Ireland’s WC looks pretty doomed now, even if they still win the group.
There is very little in attack beyond the maul, the one out flop and now also the high kick in opposition 22 when it’s penalty advantage.
It is ‘pro pleasing that the (by far) most conservative side in the tournament have been beaten by the most ambitious and elegant.
I do still fear that Japan could win 3 games and not go through, however.
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TRY Connacht, after a sustained period in Scarlets’ 22.
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I’m watching Benetton v Leinster with the sound down, revisiting some old Tom Waits albums.
don’t you know there ain’t no devil, there’s just god when he’s drunk,
Leinster draw level 27 all on 65 mins, the conversion to come
They’ve had a few decisions go their way, Leinster.
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Ha, I love Tom Waits.
It’s pouring in west Wales; 18-10 with 10 mins to go. And now Scarlets have another penalty to take.
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BB’s Tourist Guide To Scotland, Part 18635071530815-ish.
At a hidden wee gem in Fife today (I know!). Aberdour Castle then harbour – only half an hour from Embra by train apparently. Not been there before, but will go back.
https://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/aberdour/aberdour/index.html
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Scarlets missed the penalty, and that’s the final score.
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‘pro,
An amazing result but absolutely deserved.
What’s most pleasing for me is to see a host nation making a decent fist of the group stage again.
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Leinster edge it in the end, Benetton made a couple of silly errors and missed a late kick to take the lead. They looked good but when the white heat comes on sides like Leinster just know how to win
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Christ, I don’t think I’ve heard of *anyone* on that Embra side.
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Bennett and Scott? At one time Scotland’s main centre partnership? Hoyland and VDM have played a few times for Embra (think VDM was last season’s top scorer for them). I think the forwards are a bit more callow, but Ticht will know more than me.
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‘Mon Embra – let’s see if a Scots team can actually win a match (and perhaps give the national side a bit of a boost for Monday).
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It’s a lets see what strength in depth we have.
Watch out for flanker Luke Crosbie and sub scrum half Charlie Shiel
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Lewis CArmichael too, despite being a North Berwick, spit, laddie
He is usually a lock
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Schoeman is feckin huge now
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Yay
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Calm down Chimpie, you’re getting too excited….
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I thought Clancy had retired? Sadly not.
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Think Embra will not have a lot of trouble here….
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Yay. Part 2
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Boo
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That is a great try from Zeber, but wtf was Groom doing?
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WFT was Clancy doing, trying to talk the TMO out of the clear and obvious try?
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Pfft
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if we keep the pace up we will win this easily, Zebre want to play it as an arm wrestle
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Massive Pro-displeasing result, with a “Japanese” team that makes an absolute mockery of eligibility criteria (coached by a couple of Kiwis, natch) getting the win over the plucky but limited home-grown boys.
Sad.
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See?
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Huzzah
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Ha, Clancy gone for a slide across the pitch.
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oh my dog, whisper it, Scott and Bennett fit and on form.
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