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 
Leicester with Ford, Tuilagi, Youngs and Cole in the team are beating Pau 31-20. Also, Lavanini, who hasn’t been sent off next.
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That was an outrageous dummy by Simmonds snr, for Exeter’s 4th try.
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Also the losing BP is 5 points in France.
Makes the games more interesting until the end.
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Charlie Powell backs his pace from the edge of the Zebre 22 and gets between two defenders to score Bristol’s 7th try.
52-21
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Tidy win soon for Exeter.
LR good enough for the small cup but not for the big one.
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8 for Bristol. They get a penalty in the Zebre 22 and Sheedy puts it in the corner. They set a maul, but it stalls short of the line. Uren snipes round the blind side. He’s tackled, but manages to stretch to the line.
Final score 59-21 and they’re playing The Wurzels.
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Ref Mike Adamson left Glasgow Warriors just as Stuart Hogg joined them, I’m not sure if they overlapped or played together
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Consolation try for LR.
Exeter much better. They should qualify. How far can they go then? They don’t seem to be in the same league as Sarries, or Leinster but they’re well drilled and pleasant to watch.
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Comfortable win for the Really Bad Guys, but Benetton still get 3 tries away. They might not win many games in this competition, but they are stuffy opponents and will give everyone a game.
(That’s Benetton, by the way, not Leinster. The Really Bad Guys will probably win every game by hundreds of points).
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Interesting subplot in Clermont. Both ASM and La Rochelle return today to the big cup. And both struggle in the T14. Probably the best opportunity the Quins will ever have to win in Auvergne.
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13th minute. ASM lead 10/0.
Quins scrum in big trouble.
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3-6 in Swansea.
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15/0 after 18 minutes in Clermont.
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22/0 in Clermont.
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Try Quins!
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Flair – thanks for the updates! I thought that would happen. ASM fearsome at home.
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Try Munster. 6-13; 34 mins.
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“Both ASM and La Rochelle return today to the big cup. And both struggle in the T14. Probably the best opportunity the Quins will ever have to win in Auvergne.”
Harlequins are also returning to the Big Cup and are 10th in the English league.
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13-6 to Munster after the loosehead crashed over from in tight beside the posts.
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And that’s the HT score.
Doesn’t particularly reflect the match, as it’s been all Munster.
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25/7 in Cletmont.
Brutal.
Tomp, I thought that the T14 having played 9 games -vs only 4 in England- was more indicative of the real strenght of respective teams.
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Clermont are 6th, though, flair. Plus quite a few of their lads were away at the World Cup.
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They shipped more than 30 points to Toulouse last week.
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Oops, from Yato
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Earls with the try?
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BP for ASM. Now to secure the win.
32/7.
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Another try for Munster (Earls), off a lovely sneaky blindside break. Conversion missed. 6-18.
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Yes. Earls in the left-hand corner.
The kick sails to the right of the posts.
6-18
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Another Munster try! Conway races down the line after Ospreys spill it.
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Ha!
The sound on my feed announced another try a good second or two before the video.
6-23
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This time the kick is good.
6-25
That was a very good pass from the loosehead to set up that try. He’s playing well.
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Quins score another try, a mall from close range.
32/ 14.
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Another attempt at a one-handed intercept, leading to a penalty.
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Raka for another one.
39/14.
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Basketball play from Clermont. Raka with a grand try,
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Wee Greeg on!
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Jamie Lang as well, ticht.
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Lang has been on from the start, Tam, as has Young
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And the 6th one. 46/14.
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Clermont looking very good
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That was rather good, mind
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Fantastic try from Quins.
Itoye (?) dances through half a dozen tackles and offers the ball to his centre.
Quins could get a BP.
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Only been half-watching since half timeish. Sorry.
Lovely by Ibitoye. Bit like the defence-free games between Northampton and Clermont last year.
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The comments from Ugo about giving Quins supporters something to cheer about, having made the trip – oh the hardship!
I’ve started saving now, I want to do the full six weeks/two months for the world cup in ’23, even it I don’t get one ticket, I love France and I love being there.
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Try Ospreys.
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7th try for ASM.
53/21.
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Greeg with the right-footed touchline conversion from the right touchline
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That was a good watch, well done Clermont
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Full time in Clermont. Final score 53/21.
Hats off to Quins, who never gave up.
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Munster get the BP try in the 84th minute!
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