Week Two made Irish eyes very sad. But Welsh eyes leeked with joy, when the Wallabies didn’t quite manage to hop into the lead in the second half. Uruguay failed to repeat their magic from Week One. Otherwise, the results were more or less as expected.
Week Three’s biggest clash is looking like England v Argentina, although no doubt there will be some surprises in the other fixtures.
We’ve also got some Pro14 and that English Premiership Cup thingy to look forward to.
Exciting (?) rugby on the telly this week
Friday 4th October
| S Africa 49 – 3 Italy | 10:45 | ITV4 |
| Glasgow 21 – 25 Scarlets | 19:35 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Leinster 53 – 5 Ospreys | 19:35 | Premiers Sports 2 / TG4 |
| Worcester 19 – 34 Exeter | 19:45 | BT Sport 1 |
Saturday 5th October
| Australia 45 – 10 Uruguay | 06:15 | ITV |
| England 39 – 10 Argentina | 09:05 | ITV |
| Japan 38 – 19 Samoa | 11:30 | ITV |
| Kings 20 – 31 Munster | 15:00 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Zebre 28 – 52 Dragons | 17:00 | Freesports |
| Cheetahs 63 – 26 Ulster | 17:15 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Cardiff 11 – 19 Edinburgh | 17:15 | Premier Sports 1 / S4C |
| Connacht 41 – 5 Treviso | 19:35 | Premier Sports 1 / TG4 |
Sunday 6th October
| New Zealand 71 – 9 Namibia | 05:45 | ITV |
| France 23 – 21 Tonga | 08:45 | ITV |
| Northampton 28 – 54 Saracens | 15:00 | BT Sport 1 |
Tuesday 8th October
| South Africa 66 – 7 Canada | 11:15 | ITV4 |
Wednesday 9th October
| Argentina 47 – 17 USA | 05:45 | ITV4 |
| Scotland 61 – 0 Russia | 08:15 | ITV |
| Wales v Fiji | 10:45 | ITV/S4C |
Ovally Balls 
@ticht
Me neither. This ‘undercooked’ concept seems to be one of those cliches that have crept into the game (see also ‘momentum’) that ultimately have no connection with physical reality. I think it actually helps England as they have another week to recover (e.g. Marler, B Vunipola) and also fewer injuries.
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Ticht, yeah, maybe you’re right on the undercooked thing. I’d still feel more confident if we’d had a relatively competitive match to play ahead of the knockouts though. Which we really haven’t.
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@Craigs- you just wait. If England win it, it’ll be the shittest and weakest WC since 2003.
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@Trisk
Talking tangentially of which – anyone with any experience in trying to spread the rugby gospel beyond the usual groups?
Some, but mostly in countries /regions where rugby is hardly played at all. I think you are more asking about getting more people involved in rugby in an area where rugby is played but with limited interest from some sections of the populace?
In my experience, limited forms of the game, 7s to an extent, but moreso 10s are very good. Can play multiple games over a weekend (or day) in a tournament format. 10s has genuine forward play and isn’t just about very fast guys (yes, I know that at a decent level, 7s isn’t either, but I am talking about beginners).
Spreading out experienced players amongst teams made of youngsters (or not so youngster novices) is good. You don’t want all the good players playing for one or two teams and wiping the floor with tyros. This has been a real problem in my experience – when a handful of Brit / Aus/ Kiwi expats with a rugby background drive the game and just dominate.
Nations cups were popular for this. Rather than playing for an established club/team, players names all go in a pool and are then “selected” to represent NZ, England, Samoa etc….. for the tournament.
A “come and try rugby” afternoon at a local club, promoted at local schools with food etc.. put on is good (if you have some money)
Tours are also great, forming touring teams (barbarians style) and going away on a road trip is great too.
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Cat – We won’t win it. It’s Wales’ to lose, otherwise NZ will take it if they slip up.
Hypothetically if we did though, this cancelled match will be the main reason. That and boring tactics and OF getting people sent off with his face smash tactics.
But we won’t so it doesn;t matter.
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Nobel Prize for Literature today. They’re giving out two because something happened last year. I think Conde will get one of them, and I’d love Atwood or Murakami to get the other. However, I don’t think they’ll give it to two women novelists, and Ishiguro won recently, so I don’t think they’ll give it to a Japanese Author. Which means probably a poet or playwright will get it.
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@Pro: “Italian players lose chance to play the best team in the world in a WC. NZ players lose the chance to impress the selectors ahead of the knockout stages.”
I think the clear winners here are the Boks. Steve Hansen must be spitting mad that he didn’t get the chance to boot out the Boks by throwing the match against Italy. Spitting. Fucking. Mad. On the other hand. we’ve finished our pool matches so will be absolutely stuffed come the QFs, as opposed to the sides who’ve benefited unfairly from an extra week off. They should be made to run up Mount Fuji before kickoff to level the playing field.
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I know we won’t win it. We’re a very up and down side. But *hypothetically* if we did, then that’s the reaction.
If Wales win it, it’s a damned shame the whole thing was called off because of the Typhoon.
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Neighbours who had a fire which burnt down my house want to object to our proposed revamp to our extension based on their future plans. Go figure.
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@Cat: “@Craigs- you just wait. If England win it, it’ll be the shittest and weakest WC since 2003.”
Just like the 2007 one then when the Boks won because New Zealand and Australia were too shit to get past the QFs.
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@craigs
object to their proposed revamp based on your future plans
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Craigs. – FFS.
Burn their house down.
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Kick them in the nuts, Craigs .
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@cat
*crosses fingers for Pam Ayres*
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2007 is fair enough though. England managed to get to the final so it was basically a pub competition.
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@Utna
Thanks – good ideas.
10s sounds a good compromise… enough players so that the field isn’t enormous but few enough that there’s space.
Like the Nations/World Cup idea.
We do the GIAT (give it a try for girls and women) – but probably need to do it 2-3 times a season for boys/men
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So much for not being Eurocentric this year. A Polish author and an Austrian author. Admittedly, I’m not familiar with either.
Conde can feel properly gipped. She got that placeholder thing last year when she should have got the main one.
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Edinburgh Rugby team to face Leinster at the RDS Arena in the Guinness PRO14
Friday 11 October (kick-off 7.35pm) – live on Premier Sports
15. Damien Hoyland (65)
14. Jamie Farndale (4)
13. Mark Bennett (22)
12. George Taylor (6)
11. Duhan van der Merwe (43)
10. Jaco van der Walt (41)
9. Nic Groom (2) CAPTAIN
1. Pierre Schoeman (25)
2. Mike Willemse (2)
3. Pietro Ceccarelli (12)
4. Jamie Hodgson (4)
5. Murray Douglas (3)
6. Mesulame Kunavula (2)
7. Luke Crosbie (28)
8. Nick Haining (2)
Replacements: 16. Cameron Fenton (13) 17. Jamie Bhatti (2) 18. Murray McCallum (51) 19. Sam Thomson* 20. Ally Miller (10) 21. Charlie Shiel (8) 22. Simon Hickey (20) 23. James Johnstone (41)
Unavailable due to injury: Fraser McKenzie, Matt Scott, Dave Cherry, Darryl Marfo, Ruan Steenkamp, Jack Blain, Hamish Watson, Chris Dean, Lewis Carmichael
Unavailable due to international selection: W.P Nel, Simon Berghan, Stuart McInally, Grant Gilchrist, Ben Toolis, Jamie Ritchie, Magnus Bradbury, John Barclay, Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham, Henry Pyrgos, Viliame Mata
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Wait- now I’ve looked up Handke, I have read a lot of his stuff. Mostly because it’s been adapted into movies of varying quality (looking at you Wings of Desire).
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Lewis Carmichael and Matt Scott just can’t catch a break from the injury dogs
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That is more than a bit shoddy behaviour, Craigs.
I hope you get the go ahead despite them
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We are getting dangerously close to Brave New World. This is the Feelies at home (“I hear the new one at the Alhambra is first-rate. There’s a love scene on a bearskin rug; they say it’s marvellous. Every hair of the bear reproduced”).
Worrying consequences for Bloodborne 2. I don’t actually want to know what fisting a giant pig actually feels like.
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#boycottbbcqt is top trending hashtag in the UK today. Cos of Julia Hartley-Brewer, who I am blissfully ignorant of.
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@cat
I’m sure those authors are decent and all that, but I can guarantee none of them has written anything as brutal as this:
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Pretty sure it wont be that realistic cat.
And don;t lie.
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If you’ve only ever been on Twitter once in the past 3 years, then she is impossible to avoid.
Also, do people still watch QT?
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I am getting angry now about this typhoon cancellation thing
Will declare my bias (I dislike Japan rugby intensely*) and like Scotland. I also want to see players like Ghiraldini and maybe Parisse and Zanni go out by having a red hot go at the ABs. Eng Fra is the culmination of a tough pool.
Anyone with a brain knew this could happen, and there has been almost zero contingency planning. Given that DBWR promote the RWC as the highest pinnacle to the extent that the rest of the intl game suffers, why are they so content with this second rate organisation of their flagship event?
Proper sh#te. Better when “amateurs” ran the game.
*only rugby. I like Japan and the Japanese people (most of them)
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@Yos- Oh, I’m au fait with a huge number of ‘Merican shitheads, but seem to manage to avoid British ones. I’m kind of the Anti-pro in this regard. Although my work does make it difficult.
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The issue is that they’re still amateurs. Former players who fit snugly into blazers aren’t professionals.
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@Dov
You think?
It’s another step onna path to Brave New World.
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@yos
yet they pay (and “benefit”) themselves on a scale that is comparable to multinational corps…
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Today is #Worldmentalhealthday. Which is coincidental as I’ve been stuffed on Zoloft for persistent and absolutely crippling panic attacks over the last month. Haven’t had them in years, but they’re fucking me right up at the moment. I blame Bucks Council.
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@cat
Well, you’re not missing out on anything. She’s just another twonk with far too high a profile. She’s like a peripheral Star Wars baddie with internet access.
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I kind of gathered that. Like Katie Hopkins but slightly smarter.
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cat, from what I’ve read its just a normal controller but with the ability to vibrate in different ways / frequencies so differentiating between different indications in the game. Not some weird glove type arrangement that can actually give any realism.
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You don’t have to tell me that sports blazers are baddies. I’ve been whistling that tune since Agustin Pichot was wearing Nike Airs with his suit to kindergarten.
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@Dov
Yet.
Mark my words.
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‘Anyone with a brain knew this could happen, and there has been almost zero contingency planning. Given that DBWR promote the RWC as the highest pinnacle to the extent that the rest of the intl game suffers, why are they so content with this second rate organisation of their flagship event?’
Quite. Seems to have been a fingers crossed and hope for the best type approach. Although to be fair I’m not sure of the practicalities of the contingencies (e.g. moving location, playing behind closed doors etc.)
The Italians are, understandably, quite upset about not getting the opportunity to play. Would have been the last international run out for some of them. Not sure of the reactions of the ABs, France & Ingerlund.
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I’m sure there’s a book/ film about a state of the art fighter plane you can do this with. Firefox, maybe?
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“Ghiraldini and maybe Parisse and Zanni go out by having a red hot go at the ABs.”
This is a proper shame.
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In order
Couldn’t give a fuck
Relieved
Prolly a bit annoyed, but otherwise meh.
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it’s definitely a shaft.
Will leave assessment of whether it’s the shaft of all shafts till Sunday.
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And that’s not anything bloodborne related
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@cat
Yup, that seems to be Hansen’s position.
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But England will have wanted to play some guys who haven’t had much game time. they cant do that now so come knock out time it’s either flog the same team again and again or …….. hang on, it’s only going to be one game isn’t it? nevermind.
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Dunno about the new Handmaiden’s costumes from the next series of Handmaids Tale. Shoulda kept to the classic look:
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Fuckssakes. As per above but with attached tweet
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What’s also p#ssing me off is this spin that “it’s only a game, safety must come first…”
BS of the highest order. No-one is proposing playing a rugby match in a typhoon. I have lived through a fair few myself and everything (rightly) shuts down for 24 hours+. There is also cleanup and recovery afterward.
But, and I can’t emphasise this enough, it is not a binary choice: cancel or play in a typhoon. You could, I don’t know, play later or elsewhere. If you plan for this….
Properly gets to me this “won’t anyone think of the
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‘sfunny. You don’t tend to think of Japan as a country that incompetently plans things.
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Is that time of year that the Guardian goes all fun police:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/oct/09/halloween-sexy-costumes-pennywise-avengers
‘sbad news for CJ.
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