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 
Two Dads!
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Too easy for Australia. 1st real attack and Kerevi carves up
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Kerevi is being an absolute menace.
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Oh, that was some take on the run by Two-Dads. At speed, on the angle, from a cross kick by Foley. He gets inside Biggar and Adams to score.
5-10
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Well this is turning out to be a more entertaining game than 4 years ago!
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Foley is still a shocking kicker from hands.
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Gotta sort the lineout. Wont win the game if wales cant secure their own ball
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Very effective tackle by Biggar
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Kerevi carrying the ball in the wrong arm, Biggar tackles with his head on the wrong side.
Basics, lads.
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HIA for Biggar, after getting his head on the wrong side tackling Kerevi. Foley kicks a pen and it’s 8-10.
Patch on.
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Well done, Patch
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Patchell pen, for Hooper infringing at a ruck.
8-13
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Not straight for heaven’s sake.
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Really entertaining game that must have the coaches tearing their hair out.
Perhaps that’s the answer – ban the coaches…
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Wales need to double team kerevi. He is monstering them
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@CMW unbelievable the Australian player has to turn towards his own line on that throw
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Fucks sakes, Francis’s hair.
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Kerevi in trouble for a forearm to the neck of Patchell?
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Oh TMO that is such bullshit. If he doesn’t protect himself there is a high tackle that could knock him out. This is ridiculous.
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Think someone’s gonna have to get shot, for Poite to produce a card.
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Going back too far too often with these replays.
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Romain doesn’t want to give cards. He’s worried about how many players would be left on the pitch when he gets back to French domestic rugby.
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Super game so far. Kerevi lucky. Bit generous from the refs.
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@Dab – It’s meant to be a hand-off, not an arm-off.
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Cheika’s whining has worked a treat.
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Can you still hand people off in the chest. Or just not lead with the forearm?
Hopper needs more changing room lawyering practice.
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The fend is now illegal?
There is nothing in that at all.
Ellis Genge does that on every run.
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Hooper has a point there, it was poor tackle technique
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Hooper: waaah! We’re not allowed to carry!
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‘Full of gas’
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You absolute fucking beauty. I love you.
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Shane says Davies is full of gas, I know how he feels
Quite like the old skool quarters on the Welsh shirt
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Seems like we have the non-brainfart Gareth on the pitch at the moment.
Genia telegraphs a pass and Davies intercepts. He’s too quick for the Aus defenders and scores.
8-23
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Great read by Davies. Australia in the poop
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Some half-time viewing:
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Players are coached to push the defender off with your forearms if he goes high.
As long as you don’t hold your elbow out in front of you prior to contact is is legal.
If defender gets it in the chops he should go lower.
I have seen dozens of carries like that over the last couple of weeks. The difference is that the tackler went lower and got his head to the side, out of the way.
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He’s had a good game as well as the try.
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That’s a big lead Wales have accumulated now. All set up for the Beale-inspired comeback.
Ah, the Classics.
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I don’t think we “deserve” to be 15 points up. But we are. And I’m happy.
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A bit like the Fiji game, Aus are playing too loose and should just let their scrum and Kerevi eat us
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The forearm smash has always been penalised, right call for a penalty imo
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Forearms have never been legal. That they’ve creeped into the game and been coached is neither here nor there. I was coached to break fingers at the maul but that was never legal, either.
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Kick to their right-hand corner this half please.
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Nice to hear Hooper talking about poor tackle technique from Patch a few minutes after he smashed Dan Biggar.
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Leads with forearm of non-ball carrying arm – connects with head / neck area of tackler.
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Genge actually does it twice in a row in this clip.
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The Hooper comment on Patchell’s tackle technique was very U10’s
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Video supposed to embed at 0.55
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Ah, Genge does it, so it’s okay for everyone to do it. Got it.
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