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 
TomP – I just put “third man” into Google translate to see what happened.
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That’s probably the best way to do it.
I have a vague memory of one of the Czech ladz who plays cricket translating The Laws of Cricket for his master’s thesis. Bung in a load of theory on top of that but it still seems a doddle, or hračka (or toy) as they say in Czech.
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The second video on this link is brilliant:
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For the sake of argument I’m going to play the ball carrier, I am right handed so that is what I’m going to be talking about.
As far as I can see in the modern game defences are in your face a lot quicker than they used to be, and they are also far more upright than they used to be. This would be for two reasons, imo, one to make a dominant “hit” as opposed to a tackle and the other to prevent a pass out of the tackle (I still don’t like “offload” it’s an Americanism like turnover is, it’s shite, you lose or win possession, end of )
Anyway, so I pick up the ball in the amateur era and carry it close to my chest cradled in my right arm. As players come in to tackle me at waist height I can either dip the shoulder into them or hand them off with my left hand (fuck “fend” too). I can switch the ball and hand-off with my right if needs bee. This is all close-quarters stuff, if I’m confronted with several defenders I can take the tackle and shove the ball into the breadbasket of the guy running the support line, and on we go.
Today in the same circumstance I’m confronted by a tackler who is pretty much standing upright, in such close quarters it’s impossible to hand him off in that old fashioned way, there just isn’t the room or time to extend an arm and get him with the palm of my hand, so what happens is he contacts the underside of my forearm because it is drawn in and I extend my arm to push the tackler off. As long as I don’t get the guy in the throat I should be fine. Even if I get the guy in the face with my hand I should be fine, but no doubt it won’t be seen that way now.
I’m going to post this without reading it, it may be bollocks
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I watched The Third Man for the first time quite recently, I know it get really good reviews and I enjoyed it, maybe I was expecting a bit too much though
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https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2016/apr/20/dibbly-dobbler-jesse-ryder-medium-pace-cricket-tom-cartwright-derek-shackleton
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Barrie Masters, singer with Eddie & The Hot Rods dead at 63. Too bloody young. Loved this song when I were a lad, didn’t care if it was punk or not, just a damn good song.
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Ticht, It is a wonderful.film. very funny, very horrific, seductive, repulsive. It looks beautiful amid the squalor. And has so many wonderful performances. The lighting and the angles are excellent. The ending is fantastic. Trevor Howard’s coat is fabulous as well.
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Ticht – that’s a fair post. I remember pushing people down and away cos they were tackling at waist height.
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Georgia are in for a stern test today. First defensive set holds up pretty well.
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I can think of two examples of players fending off with the forearm that were treated very differently. John Smit, one of the cleanest, fairest players of his generation, caught a French lock (I think) in the throat in much the way Ticht described in his excellent post at 21:59 (not bollocks at all). No TV refs in those days (from memory) and he wasn’t sanctioned at all, despite howls of outrage from the French press and allegations of ‘typical dirty Boks’ (oh how we laughed at the ironing).
The second was Bismarck du Plessis, who similarly (and this may be a slightly one-eyed view) went to fend off the tackler and caught him high on the chest/neck area. It was actually after thew whistle, but nonetheless he got a yellow card for it – which was his second, after being carded for the tackle of the decade on Dan Carter, so got red carded for it, ultimately.
The Kiwis, of course, claimed that it was a fend/carry that was deserving of a straight red in the first place, even if I’d never seen a player penalised for it, never mind carded. This was probably only a decade or so ago, but I think it’s indicative of just how much the game has changed in that time in terms of safety and what is considered foul play or not.
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Fiji doing some 7s passing about there, only for the final one to be dropped stone cold with the line in sight.
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Fiji get the shove on the Georgian scrum close to the Georgian line, but they get it away and some dazzling hands and interplay through a couple of phases – very Fijian – sees them go the length of the field before finally being stopped on the line. TMO says no, but they have advantage and will take 3 points.
Talking point – the Georgian wing was felled by a high tackle, by what appears to be the last defender (haven’t seen all the angles), so should that be a yellow and penalty try? Ref just gives a penalty and chat, slips the IOU for the tea and biscuits into his pocket.
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Is it the weather (humidity) that is causing so many players to lose the ball in contact? We’re seeing it in all the matches. Really does lead to matches becoming disjointed.
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Georgian tackling has been ferocious in the 20-odd minutes I’ve seen (thanks TomP for mentioning the game – thought it was later!), forcing Fiji to seek the solace of the touchline near halfway.
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7-3 to Fiji at the break. It’s been a lot more entertaining than that, though. Time for coffee. Maybe a bit of work.
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2nd half underway. Fiji break off a solid scrum and a long skip-pass almost puts the wing away. Pass inside is scrappy and Georgia penalised for holding on at the ruck. May have been a touch unlucky – though the contest was good at first blush with the Georgian on his feet for a while. From the penalty, Fiji finally get a few floated passes and no look offloads to stick and Lomani goes over. Fijian 10 has a classy pass on him, but can’t kick for toffee. 12-3 as the conversion drifts wide.
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Deep restart and Fiji fail to find touch. Georgian wing gets past a couple before being bundled out and giving Fiji room to clear. From the lineout Georgia go wide, but pinged again at the breakdown. Lineout midway between the Georgian 10 and 22, simple hands, from a deep throw, with the 10 and left wing wrapping around to create the extra numbers and it’s a try on the right!
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Key was quick hands, running into space. Conversion missed as the 10 takes forever and almost gets charged down! Fiji don’t contest the restart allowing Georgia to rumble up and over! Gorgodze (Gorgeous in autocorrect) smuggles it onto the whitewash!
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17-10 with the conversion!
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Fiji go deep, but Georgia control and clear. Fiji hoist it in return and get possession back after clattering the ref! Great hands until the final pass – shoulda been in. Scrum to Georgia force spill.
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For the spill
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Georgian replacement front row on. Seriously, how do they find room and food for these blokes in such a tiny country? They win the scrum penalty kick to the halfway. Maul goes nowhere with Fiji contesting well to win the turnover.
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Fijian scrum battered, but they get the ball out quickly, great skip pass from 10 to create the overlap that the right wing moves into, extra man beats a couple and goes in under the posts! Lovely stepping, good hands, where oh where have you been Fiji?
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Biffed him right in the heid
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Gwan Big Bill
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Comedy Fiji at the restart, with the receiver from the ruck opting to take it in the face. Georgia can’t capitalise, Fiji hoof it to a couple of meters out and win a penalty.
To be fair, Fiji’s 3 wasn’t watching or expecting the pass that hit him in the face.
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Lovely slo-mo of it though!
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That was classic Fiji, brilliant
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Fiji camping on the Georgian line now with 3 penalties in quick succession. Opt for a scrum scrappy but running back in off the angle and score! TMO needs to earn his crust so we’re going upstairs. Try stands! Great cutback on the switch created havoc in a fading defensive line. Conversion good! 31-10
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Fifi running into a bit of form and confidence.
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Ticht sums it up! From the restart they take it cleanly, go down the short side, stepping, swerving, casual basketball offload and boom!
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38-10 with the extras.
Iks, keep your kitty porn off here, man!
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As are Fiji.
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Big Bill picked the Georgian’s pocket there. Lovely grounding for the try
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Beautifully kept in play by Fiji with volleyball skills, but then knock on a couple of passes later. Georgia with the scrum but pinged for using the hand to get it out. 5 to go. Fiji boot it downtown, Georgia run it back, lose it and Fiji power through for another in the corner! Semi with the ball control there.
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Kick is good! 45-10. Different Fiji in this half!
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Uruguay might have done Wales a big favour here…
Fiji finding some form.
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Bah! Had the numbers, coughed the pass. That would’ve been 50. Final minute. Scrum goes down as little Jaco Peyper looks on from touch. Big hit in midfield from a floated pass, but Georgia get the penalty for holding on.
Up to the 22 now and looking for a consolation score, but Fiji get the penalty turnover and that’s that! A stunning 2nd half display from Fiji. Too little too late though as far as the tournament goes, I think.
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In other news, South Africa have ripped through the Indian top order this morning and have them teetering on 338/2! Just for reference, they only lost their first wicket at 317.
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Boris yesterday “Thanks to British technology there is a place in Oxfordshire that could soon be the hottest place in the solar system: the tokamak fusion reactor in Culham”…
The one that is overseen by Euratom that the UK is leaving? Named the Joint European Torus? Funded by the EU?
The one that has been described as “a shining example of scientific cooperation between EU members”?
The one where 88 per cent of the JET running costs were paid for by the EU?
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Three week ban for John Quill:
“Quill admitted that he had committed an act of foul play worthy of a red card. In determining the sanction, the committee deemed that:
There was an act of foul play (which was reckless, rather than deliberate)
The act of foul play was a shoulder charge
There was contact with the head
There was a high degree of danger; and
There were not sufficient mitigating factors to reduce the sanction from a red card to a yellow card
Given the above outcomes, the committee applied World Rugby’s mandatory minimum mid-range entry point, which was introduced in 2017 to mitigate protect player welfare, deter high contact and prevent head injuries. This resulted in a starting point of a six-week suspension.
Based on Quill’s good character and conduct at the hearing, the committee reduced the six-week entry point by three weeks, resulting in a sanction of three weeks, which equates to three matches in the context of the Rugby World Cup”
http://www.americasrugbynews.com/2019/09/27/world-cup-over-for-suspended-john-quill/
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This 3 week ban reduced from 6, one size fits all thing is pathetic. There is no way that Quill’s wasn’t at the higher end. It was proper nasty.
Yet another DBWR cop out.
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Once the panel accept the act as ‘reckless’ rather than deliberate it’s going to be reduced somewhat.
It’s hard to see how intent can be proven unless the player admits it.
Looking at Quill’s actions I think he would have gone low to make a legal tackle had Farrell not fumbled the ball.
Farrell knocks on and runs forward attempting the regather, Quill knows it’s advantage so just stands his ground, when he realises Farrell is going to run into him he braces for collision by sticking his shoulder out. How much of that was self preservation and how much was a deliberate intent to hurt Farrell only he knows.
Have you seen this?
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Pro – isn’t the important difference between the two that Farrell’s hit starts at chest (and then rides up), so starting point yellow (which I think everyone agreed should have been the outcome of that tackle except the bottling ref) whereas the Quill one hits head first with no mitigation hence red?
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Also not sure the new protocols were in force during the AIs so not sure it’s a fair comparison – there’s every chance Farrell may have been RC if he did that now (unless Poite was reffing obvs.)
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Personally I thought that Farrell hit should have been a red, the Quill one was worse.
I agree with Yos that this one size fits all suspension is a farce.
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@FF
I agree 100%.
It is the inconsistency of rugby reffing that drives me mad, with an extra generous dollop of benefit of the doubt being given to big name players from the top teams.
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“Quill knows it’s advantage so just stands his ground, when he realises Farrell is going to run into him he braces for collision by sticking his shoulder out. How much of that was self preservation and how much was a deliberate intent to hurt Farrell only he knows.”
Quill had the option of stepping out of the way.
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Total nonsense. There’s no attempt at self-preservation. If there was he’d have stepped out of the way as the knock on had clearly been noticed. He’s also moving forward towards Farrell. No attempt at self-preservation at all.
It was a cunty action. And quite clear that it was. You’d be calling him all kinds if Quill was playing for Ireland.
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