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 
30 seconds left LADOAB. Penalty for Sale, they have a lineout, but their lineouts have been rubbish – until that one. Clock is in the red, but Sale are on the halfway line.
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Sale drop the ball and its over! Tight game, but I think we deserved to win. Sorry, DCI.
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Hastings MOTM, but I thought either of the Fagersons should have won it.
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Final score, BB?
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Boy, that was tense! Ulster just manage to hold on to the win.
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13-7
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What a save from.Stockdale!
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My hero!
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English clubs played 3, lost 3 so far in the big cup.
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@TomP – just read that article you linked. Seemed perfectly reasonable to me.
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Very good start in La Rochelle. Exeter score the first try.
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Zebre score an early try, after Bristol knock on in the centre of the park. However Bristol have pulled two back since then. 14-7 after 20 mins.
Ticht – thanks for the EPRC pointer. Bit weird having no score board or clock, but nice to be able to watch any match.
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Piers O’Conor slices through half the Zebre team, from outside the 22, to score under the posts. 21-7.
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Just inside the Bristol half, a Zebre player manages to kick the ball forwards out of their own ruck. It gets passed to Ioan Lloyd, Bristol’s 10, who runs in from 50m.
28-7
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Give it to Ioan.
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Hands were back, no?
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In La Rochelle v Exeter.
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Tomp, it was clearly forward.
Entertaining first 20 minutes.
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The ball went forward, of course, but the rule is about the hands. Relative to the final position of the scrum half it was still back.
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I kow the rule but the ball went a good 2 meters forward (with the half way line increasing the sensation of ball going forward).
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Another try just before half time and Bristol go in leading 38-7.
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Half times in the Challenge Cup.
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La Rochelle are a mix of exceptional and rank at the moment.
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Good second try from Exeter.
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Terrific work by the Exeter winger O’Flaherty.
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14/0 for the cultural thieves. Richly deserved.
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I did not respect the new Bristol ability to dominate when I made my SuperBru picks.
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Looking at the line-ups for tomorrow, there’s only one winner:
Racing 92: Dulin; Thomas, Vakatawa, Chavancy, Imhoff; Russell, Machenaud; Ben Arous, Chat, Gomes Sa, Ryan, Palu, Lauret, Chouzenoux, Claassen
Replacements: Baubigny, Kolingar, Oz, Bird, Mangene, Iribaren, Volavola, Zebo
Saracens: Gallagher; Maitland, Lozowski, Tompkins, Segun; Vunipola, Spencer; Carre, Singleton, Lamositele, Skelton, Hunter-Hill, Isiekwe, Earl, Wray
Replacements: Gray, Crean, Koch, Kpoku, Reffell, Whiteley, Willemse, Taylor
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Sarries?
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West is having a nightmare
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LADOAB – we’re top o’ the table (early days mind you), plus it’s Zebre. Would be closer against the other Italian team.
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Leone Nakawara is in a bit of trouble with Racing, I believe, he stayed longer in Fiji after the RWC than his employers were happy with
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A try by Bristol so quick, I missed it. Penalty, ball in the corner. They set the maul and Zebre apparently forgot to defend it, as it just flew over the line.
45-7
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Classic La Rochelle!
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Good try by LR.
14/5.
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Great try from La Rochelle.
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Missed it, I was making tagine
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Exeter prop ( Hepburn?) has returned to the game in the 2nd half after a big hit to the head. Protecting the players health? Seriously?
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Nic White much better with Exeter than with Australia.
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Zebre take advantage of a Bristol sin bin to increase the pressure. They get close to the Bristol line and, after throwing several very large men at the defence, get over the line.
45-14 with about 10 mins left.
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Better players around him. flair.
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Slade’s excellent interception, 3rd try to E.
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Slade with the intercept try!
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Slade wins the game. La Rochelle are very frustrating to watch.
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Another yellow for Bristol – a no-arms tackle by replacement lock James Dun.
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How many tries for a BP in the Hcup? 3 more than the opponent or just three?
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@Flair
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Zebre take advantage of the extra man in the scrum and, on the 4th attempt, get a penalty try.
45-21
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Thanks Refit. T14 requires a difference of 3 tries. Or both teams could a bit too easily get the BP.
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And the BP for Exeter!
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