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 
TomP – Flouw’s retirement and the probable imminent retirement of Duane Vermeulen (maybe around until the Lions roar into town?) means that there are two spots in the side up for grabs. My money (until lunch takes care of that!) is on Marcel Coetzee, if he can stay fit, but Ackermann would be in the mix.
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@deebee
They are as a rule. You would expect that from a game that keeps the ball in hand most of the time. PNG, Australia, Tonga, NZ, NRL all show much higher levels of passing and catching and NOT DROPPING THE BALL than GB showed today.
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Deebee, Wiese at the Stormers is ok and I hope Augustus makes it too. Marco van Staden is very very good. The real men for the future are Francke Horne and Phepsi Buthelezi. Maybe Taylor the Selborne flanker.
Saw the updated list of SA schoolboys going abroad in the week. Cronje the Grey College 8 is away. He’s a fine player.
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Onecmy clients has a kid at KES. Apparently around half the 1st team are heading overseas. Is this the last World Cup we win?
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Flair, Robson’s ok but got a nasty injury before the world cup – and wasn’t really given much of a chance by Jones anyway before. My guess is Jones is very keen on the 9 playing exactly to the game plan.
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What’s that? Crumbling under pressure? Even I can do that.
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Deebee, quite a few.of those kids (not the KES ones particularly) are heading to Stade but my old (nearly next door) neighbour Hayneke Meyers just left the club. He was probably instrumental in persuading them to go there and would’ve been a very important reason they’re going. With his going, they’re positions might change.
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Simpson has a bit of temperament problem as well, very prone to getting wound up and stuck in. I feel it would be really easy for opposition teams to push his buttons in high pressure moments.
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‘Mon ra Weedge!
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‘Mon Ulster!
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Shit, Jack McGrath’s just gone off injured.
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Cooney charges down a kick and goes all the way…!
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Yay! Who we all supporting?
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First blood to Glasgow with a Hastings penalty.
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I’ll be following on here as I don’t have TV access in Italy. And the commentary is better than on professional platforms.
‘Professional ‘
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Well, Cooney, made another great break, but didn’t manage to go quite all the way this time.
Addison is back, and looking handy.
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Another penalty for Glasgow, but missed. Sale haven’t done much so far, but the lead is only 3.
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Scores with this one! 6-0
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Barf get 3 points on the board.
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And another 3. Boo.
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Barf drop the restart, leaving Ulster in their 22 with a scrum.
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Try DTH!!!!!!!!!!!
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13-0 at half time.
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Good old fashioned winter game in Bath.
7/6 to Ulster at HT.
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Jeebus, Cooney missed a sitter pen just before half-time. 6-7.
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Current scores
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The mister is very excited now that I’ve told him the Challenge Cup matches are being streamed via the EC website. Thanks to whoever tipped us off to that!
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Sale have made a lot of changes early in the second half, including Ashton. Not really changed the game much yet. Zander’s having a good day in the scrums.
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@Thaum – Ticht’s the one to thank.
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Thanks, Ticht!
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This is a very very strange read:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/nov/16/a-letter-to-our-neighbours-with-a-baby?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
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Priestland getting worked on by medics. He’s almost more tape than man.
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Flair, have there been any French locks that have stood out?
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Try Sharks! All came from Seymour knocking the ball on after Sale lost a lineout, they win the scrum and power over. They’ve not done much this game, but right in it now! We need to get the tempo back up and maybe some subs need to come on to freshen things up.
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Ulster may or may not have scored….!
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Sale’s large men being larger than Glasgow’s for the try.
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They have! 6 – 14.
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Comme un chien sur un os, recently, you mean?
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Can’t remember any that stood out since Pelous.
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18-year-old Bath monster scores a lovely try seconds after coming on the pitch!
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Who is Sale’s blindside?
Glasgow were having a hard time tackling him earlier.
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Thaum, did you notice on the Ulster try, the cheeky Bath physio who ran into Bath defensive line, as if pretending to be a Bath player, Bath missing one of not two players at the time?
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Comme un chien sur un os, recently, you mean?
Oui, récemment.
Your translation of my user name is a direct translation, is it the same in French or is there a similar idiom?
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Flair – no, I didn’t!
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Litteral but idiomatic as well as for instance:
il s’est jeté là-dessus, comme un chien sur un os.
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8 minutes left, bit nervy. Horne The Elder trying a kick that was never going to work.
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Merci, Flair.
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Fabian Pelous:
He was the first French captain to have beaten Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
(Wikipedia)
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Glasgow-Sale feed is down, just as it was getting interesting.
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Still Ulster are ahead by only one point, getting nervy.
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