Heartbroken by Ireland’s tragic crash-out last week, I forgot about putting up a new post yesterday. So this is a rushed affair.
Further reading
Don’t miss Deebee’s analysis of the quarter-finals, or Utnapistm’s predictions for this weekend.
On the telly this week
Friday 25th October
| Ulster v Cardiff | 19:35 | S4C / Premier Sports 1 |
| Munster v Ospreys | 19:35 | TG4 / Premier Sports 2 |
| Bath v Exeter | 19:45 | BT Sport 1 |
Saturday 26th October
| England v New Zealand | 09:00 | ITV |
| Dragons v Glasgow | 14:45 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Gloucester v Wasps | 15:00 | BT Sport 1 |
| Treviso v Kings | 15:00 | FreeSports |
| Connacht v Cheetahs | 17:15 | TG4 / Premier Sports 1 |
| Zebre v Leinster | 17:15 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Edinburgh v Scarlets | 19:30 | Premier Sports 2 |
Sunday 27th October
| Wales v S Africa | 09:00 | ITV |
| Leicester v Saracens | 15:00 | BT Sport 1 |
Ovally Balls 
Leaked footage of Faf’s training this week:
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Jamie Roberts can’t support England due to his patriotism apparently.
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Been reasding the Kipper again, Craigs? Its bad for you. Doddie is supporting England tho, so thats fine.
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Good old Doddie.
Billy Connolly >> Max Boyce
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Whisky fans, I had batch 1 of this and it was phenomenal
https://www.royalmilewhiskies.com/kilkerran-heavily-peated-batch-2-60-9-70cl/
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I have the bastard manflu, of course I do because I’m going out tonight.
I’m going to see Molly Tuttle, she just about the best Bluegrass guitarist around at the moment. Anyways, there is a link to the rugby world cup, albeit a tenuous (very tenuous) one.
In the same venue tomorrow night are a Japanese combo called Melt Banana, here’s a soothing little number from them
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60.9%
Blimey, don’t drink that near open fires, UF
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Mind you, it’s pretty good value at forty quid, I’m very tempted
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I’d add water to it
I don’t for stuff in the low 50s and below usually
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@Craigs – I’ve seriously lost some respect for Jamie Roberts from those comments. Of course he’s entitled to cheer for whomever he likes, but as a former Lion and someone who is earning his money in England and with lots of English teammates (and one Saffer, admittedly), why come out with something so crass in a newspaper article? If that’s his definition of ‘patriotism’, he’s a very small-minded man. What a prat.
I’ve no beef with any Welsh fans who would rather see SA win than England on Saturday – it’s just the way someone in his position expressed himself in a newspaper column that bothers me.
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Sbt – walesonline. So… Worse.
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Dab – I thought that it was funny that he defines ‘patriotism’ partly as an opposition to another country/region within the country he lives in.
Yeah, bit silly tbh.
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@Craigs it’s not generally malicious but I can remember watching SA stuff England in a Cardiff pub a few years back and the whole pub cheered every SA score. So I’m not just going to watch at home on my own, which is a bummer really.
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Dab – remember the key thing about being English. It’s worse not being English.
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Anyway, the splendid thing about this little corner of the t’internet is that there are chums of all sorts of national persuasions whose love of the game is paramount, so I shan’t be lonely. Long may it continue.
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If you want.
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“Its worse not being English”
Think I’ll cope…..
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Ten-minute warning!
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I asked my lad who he wanted to win between England and South Africa. He told me that since he had been born in South Africa it seemed appropriate to lend his support to that country’s team, especially as that was where he’d seen (really been to) his first ever rugby match and he has a mini rugby ball emblazoned with the Springbok emblem and his longest-standing friends are again living in South Africa and he likes Cheslin Kolbe a lot and Handre Pollard and the other players from the Bulls.
It was a wonderful heartfelt speech. Exactly the same as the one he gave before the Wales – South Africa game. Last week I refused to speak to him for 5 days, this week I held him and told him I loved him.
And then in a barely audible voice he whispered, “And I know how much your Welsh patriotism demands that you support anyone but England so I’m mostly doing it for your sake, Dad.”
Reader, I shed a tear.
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This is good news:
https://www.world.rugby/news/531156?lang=en
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It’s worse not being English?
Wow. Most French feel sorry for the English having to be English.
More seriously, I won’t on Saturday morning, as I wish les Bleus would play as well as the men in white.
Good luck to all those who support a team tomorrow and on Saturday. Being neutral, I’m sure I’ll enjoy the games more than most of you, but my emotions won’t be as intense.
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