Now that all that distractive World Cup nonsense is out of the way, we can all concentrate on rugby that really matters*: the Big Cup and the Pish Cup.
*Until your team falls out of it, then it’s the league, obviously.
EnzoM has summarised each Big Cup team’s chances nicely, except for one small error, later corrected to read ‘Ulster by 50’.
On the telly this week
Friday 15th November
| Gloucester 20 – 25 Toulouse | 19:45 | BT Sport 2 |
Saturday 16th November
| Bath 16 – 17 Ulster | 13:00 | Channel 4 / BT Sport 2 |
| Glasgow 13 – 7 Sale | 13:00 | BT Sport 3 |
| England 17 – 15 France (women) | 13:10 | Sky Sports Action |
| Barbarians 31 – 33 Fiji | 14:30 | BBC1 |
| Leinster 33 – 19 Treviso | 15:15 | BT Sport 3 |
| La Rochelle 12 – 31 Exeter | 15:15 | BT Sport 2 |
| Ospreys 13 – 32 Munster | 17:30 | BT Sport 3 |
| ASM 53 – 21 Harlequins | 17:30 | BT Sport 2 |
| Scarlets 20 – 16 London Irish | 19:45 | S4C |
| Bordeaux 40 – 30 Wasps | 20:00 | BT Sport 2 |
Sunday 17th November
| Northampton 25 – 14 Lyon | 13:00 | BT Sport 2 |
| Connacht 23 – 20 Montpellier | 13:00 | BT Sport 3 |
| Scotland 3 – 17 Wales (women) | 15:10 | BBC Alba |
| Racing 30 – 10 Saracens | 15:15 | BT Sport 2 |
Ovally Balls 
And those U20s defend really well
LikeLike
Whisky fans – I got a bottle of this today, their 23 year old Irish whiskey from a couple of years ago was amazing, forty quid for a 25 year old Speyside is definitely worth a punt for Christmas.
For comparisons sakes, 25 year old Glenfarclas is around £120
LikeLike
oops, link here https://www.aldi.co.uk/25-year-old-single-malt-whisky/p/021635323028400
It’s not a knock off, it’s a genuine Speyside distillery, it’s just not disclosed which one it is
LikeLike
Flair – your ‘like’ had transmogrified into an anti-Semitic word!
LikeLike
Oops. Thanks Thaum.
When I post too quickly, I tend to forget the damn autocorrect. Given French is the default language on my phone, and so is the keyboard, strange words appear sometimes.
LikeLike
Can still quite easily imagine Sarries winning the Big Cup even if they may have to do it as group runners up after today.
LikeLike
Flair – given that l and k are next to each other – at least on a UK keyboard – it’s very understandable.
LikeLike
Same on my (Azerty as opposed to qwerty) keyboard.
So I’m the one to blame, not autocorrect.
Shit.
LikeLike
We’ll pretend it never happened. :-)
LikeLike
I agree, CMW. Usual suspects are the favourites. Evil guys, bad guys, Racing, Toulouse, Clermont and then Exeter and Munster. I’d be very surprised if a winner came from elsewhere. I certainly did not see a team heading for a trophy at the Rec yesterday.
LikeLike
Enzo – erm, I think you forgot some bad guys.
LikeLike
Too many Bad Guys to mention. Just safer to get behind the (Scottish, obviously) Good Guys…..
LikeLike
I thought we were the REALLY bad guys now, BB?
World Rugby said so.
LikeLike
Worst Guys.
LikeLike
DUBLIN BASED World Rugby, Ticht. They’re just trying to deflect attention from the Real Evil.
LikeLike
A while back chimplet no. 1 gave us his summary of christianity: God lives in the sky, if you don’t do what he says he kills you.
This seems remarkably similar to ol’ izzy’s interpretation. Other versions are available.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Does the bad guys list need an update?
LikeLike
Seems fair chimpie. Even if he did set us up to fail.
LikeLike
I’m assuming we are all glued to I’m A celebrity?? The Hask is going to lay down some SERIOUS domination!!!
LikeLike
Meh. Giving war of the worlds a spin.
LikeLike
Hask would dominate them aliens
LikeLiked by 1 person
Back in Joburg after my whirlwind visit to Italy via Heathrow. What a wonderful place Italy is. Moreover, such friendly people! Love it! Missed almost all the rugby over the weekend, other than the excellent updates on here, so have nothing of value to add. Despite that, I would be writing reams, but I’ve got a meeting to go to.
LikeLiked by 6 people
The people of Italy salute you, Deebee. With your expense account and company credit card you have made us very happy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
‘my whirlwind visit to Italy’
Co-incidentally coincided with Conor O’Shea resigning? I think not.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Not sure Italy could afford Deebee’s lunch habits
LikeLike
I wonder if The Hask is going to actually have an MMA career.
Or maybe this is his bid for stardom. First he does the jungle, then he’ll appear on 9 out of 10 cats, then Would You Lie to Me… Then, all of a sudden, he’s smashing out 1 hour long comedy specials on Netflix!!!
Until I see something to suggest that this prediction is wrong it’s what I choose to believe right now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dammit, world quality day was last Thursday. How did I miss that?
LikeLike
Making cheese on toast?
LikeLike
Didn’t make cheese on toast last Thursday.
However, did this morning. Great way to start the day.
LikeLike
With an accompanying orange juice
LikeLike
Shit pizza for lunch?
LikeLike
Nope. Home made ham sandwich (brunswick ham on wholemeal bread) for lunch. Banana furra snack
Chilli that I made last night for dinner. With rice & a sprinkling of cheese.
LikeLike
I’m sure the nottablogasphere is fascinated to discover my eating plans for the day.
LikeLike
Yep
LikeLike
I’m glorying in how poor Ulster were this weekend while still getting an away win. A good step down the road to being bad guys.
LikeLike
We’re going to have a surfeit of bad guys at this rate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Saracens today confirms that it is not going to appeal the recent ruling of the independent panel in relation to salary cap breaches.
Any review or further appeal would be a costly, time consuming and destabilising exercise and so for the good of the game, the Premiership and this wonderful club and all its great people, a club which I have loved and served for 25 years, we have decided not to appeal but to take our punishment and hopefully soon put this behind us.
I recognise that the arrangements between myself and players, made in good faith, which comprise the material element of the charges, should have been brought to the attention of the salary cap manager for consultation prior to entering into them.
It is significant that following extensive investigations the independent panel stated that we have “not deliberately sought to circumvent the regulations” albeit we recognise that some of our actions were considered to be “reckless”.
As chairman, I must take full responsibility for the arrangements that led to this outcome. It is important to stress that our excellent coaching staff were not involved in these issues in any way.
In addition, we can confirm that we are complying strictly with the salary cap regulations in the current season and will continue to work transparently with Premiership Rugby in this regard.
We will shortly introduce robust independent governance measures acceptable to all, including the appointment to the Saracens board of a director, who will oversee a new governance regime. I will continue as always to support the club financially going forwards to ensure there is no financial instability or uncertainty.
This amazing club, which has been such a huge part of my family’s life and indeed of many, many others, has produced an incredible number of world-class rugby players. About ten of our current team have been together for between seven and ten years, as indeed have all the coaches; fourteen players have played over one hundred times for the Club and for me it is the caring and the closeness of everyone in the Saracens Family that achieves success throughout every part of our wide-ranging Saracens activities, both on the field and away from it.
Perhaps we have done the wrong thing for the right reasons, but we must now draw a line and come together as Saracens to fully support our players, our coaches and our hard-working staff.
LikeLike
Nigel Wray. Ultimate good guy.
LikeLike
Ultimate shite talker, more like.
That’s not fair. He’s nowhere near the ultimate shite talker. However, that is a load of self-serving bunk.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Exeter are now the new paragons of virtue, with their clean living image and nice, lavender-coloured away strip
LikeLike
For the good of the game.
LikeLike
‘Any review or further appeal would be a costly, time consuming and destabilising exercise and so for the good of the game, the Premiership and this wonderful club and all its great people, a club which I have loved and served for 25 years, we have decided not to appeal but to take our punishment and hopefully soon put this behind us.’
For the good of the game! Hahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahaha!
Fuck off, Nige. You got found out, and you don’t have a leg to stand on.
LikeLiked by 2 people
‘Perhaps we have done the wrong thing for the right reasons’
The right reasons being?
LikeLike
bunch of weaselly arse, that statement.
LikeLike
Perhaps Sarries are just too honourable?
LikeLike
@chimpie – I was going to highlight that same sentence.
The right reasons being that Saracens deserve to be more equal than others.
Nice to know they are compliant “this year” although it’s only assessable at the end of the season and of course he said that about those other years too.
LikeLike
I think that there’s an argument to be made that they are investing in the long term future of their players.
One could make that argument.
LikeLike
this ‘too Honorable’ defence has got loads of potential applications.
‘yes your honour, I did murder the victim, but my dear friend asked me to and I was too honourable to say no’.
LikeLike
One could make that argument craigs, and one could argue that other clubs do the same within the rules and salary cap.
LikeLike
I think the key question is, does Nigel Wray sweat?
LikeLike