With Six Nations on the horizon, OvallyBalls operatives have been sharpening their pencils (and their rapier-like wits).
Enzo’s Ireland squad
I’ll make tough choices and keep it to a lean-ish 36/37. However, I will do honourable mentions. The players will be in order from best to rest, where applicable. I’ll explain otherwise.
LHP: Healy, Kilcoyne, McGrath – JMcG has found a bit of form although the first two are miles ahead. Nods to Buckley and Eric O’Sullivan.
HK: Kelleher, Herring, Scannell – fuck it, chuck the kid in, he looks fantastic. Failing that it has to be Herring over Scannell.
THP: Furlong, Porter, O’Toole – first two miles ahead, pick themselves. O’Toole is not the third best THP in Ireland, John Ryan and Marty Moore are both better and, if it comes to starting a big game, they should leapfrog TO’T. But he has huge potential and should be in the group.
SR: Ryan, Henderson, Beirne, Kleyn – first two a good bit ahead. Beirne’s form has dipped a bit. Big Dev and Dillane and Roux are all fine but none have form that’s compelling enough to get rid of Kleyn, who has been good and put in one awesome performance against Sarries, which is hard to ignore. Still shouldn’t necessarily play, however.
BR: van der Flier, Doris, Stander, Ruddock, Connors, Deegan, O’Donoghue – no POM, he’s been shit for a year, everyone talks about his leadership so it’s time to have a word with himself and find some form. No room for sentiment. He’s not even next man in, Sean Reidy is the unluckiest guy to not make Enzo’s definitive group. First three would be my starters. Doris has to play.
SH: Cooney, Murray, Blade – self explanatory.
OH: Sexton, Ross Byrne, Burns – JS is still our best ten by miles, until Harry Byrne takes the shirt off him. Carbery would be ahead of Burns (definitely) and Byrne (probably? maybe? maybe not, actually) if fit. I’m as surprised as anyone to be pencilling in Billy Burns and, if Carty wasn’t playing like shit and Hanrahan was a bit more fit, I’d probably not have him.
CT: Ringrose, McCloskey, Henshaw, Aki – Chris Farrell and Luke Marshall are the unluckiest, maybe Tom Farrell too (injuries took away any chance he had). Ringrose is our best centre and my issue with him is that someone needs to tell him the expectation is that he’ll be the best in the world, or thereabouts, for the next few years so time to start playing like it. Given his form since the WC, maybe that conversation took place. McCloskey has been awesome for Ulster and, given we lack a massive carrier in the pick, I think should take the shirt. Henshaw however has been playing well. Aki is Aki, nearly always fit (an underrated quality) and solid.
B3: Stockdale, Larmour, Conway, Lowe, Addison – no Earls is the big news but he’s 32 and even if he wasn’t I’d not have him ahead of these guys. They all play wing and at least four play full back but, IMO, it’s Larmour at 15 with Addison behind him, while Stockdale and Conway are on the wings, although Lowe has to get some time there too.
Chimpie’s Scotland squad
LH: Dell? Bhatti? Sutherland? Our options here are un-good, none of whom are really first picks anywhere. would include Reid but he’s languishing in super-6 land. Need Kebble to qualify pronto.
Hooker: Brown, McInally, Turner. In that order currently although Rambo & Brown are pretty much interchangeable.
TH: Z-Fags, Nel, Bergs. zander has been on good form of late. Wullie can still scrum but otherwise looks a little off the pace.
Lock: Gray (smaller), Cummins, Gilchrist & Toolis. Skinner may be back up to speed soon in which case I’d have him in, no real idea what larger Gray is up to. if on form I’d include him.
Back row: Bradbury, Ritchie, Watson, M-Fags, Thomson. I’m sure Toonie will add Wilson. I’d have Crosbie in there too.
SH: Price, Horne, errr….. Pyrgos? Not much else in the cupboard really. SHC is odd-jobbing in France. Shiel looks good but hasn’t had may pro starts. Glasgow appear to have unearthed a fetus of potentially great talent but bit early to tell.
FH: Finn, Hastings. Behind that the cupboard is somewhat bare. I’d give Weir a chance, but others seem to think Horne is a 10. Yes he can do a brief job there but he’s not an international 10.
Centre. Jones, Scott, Hutchinson, Taylor, Johnson, Bennett, Harris all in the mix, could be a contentious area. They’re all regular starters, difficult to know who to leave out. would personally cut to Jones, Scott, Hutch & Taylor but who knows. Horne will probably make it.
Back 3: Hogg, Graham, Maitland, Kinghorn, McGuigan
Yosoy’s Wales squad
LH: Wyn Jones, Carré, Evans – Smith sucks so doesn’t make the cut, Carré can’t get a game, Evans is miles off last year’s form and Wyn Jones is serviceable. Overall rating: weak
Hooker: Ken, Dee, Elias – fine. Overall rating: tidy
TH: Dillz, Brown, WillGriff John – Guess work here as WG John is getting talked up and I only remember him as a powder puff scrummager that was Scott Andrews-lite. Dillz has played once since the RWC, Fatty Francis is too fat to play (injured, truthfully) and Brown is an awful technician in the tight. Overall rating: piss weak
Locks: President Jones, Beard, Ball, BAILLCH (British and Irish Lions Legend Cory Hill) – fine, same bunch as last year. Overall rating: half-tidy
Back row: Taulupe, Wainwright, Tipuric, Navidi, Shingler, Moriarty, Griffiths – Pivac is picking Shingler whether Iksy likes it or not. The starters should be Taulupe, Wainwright + 1. If they’re going to pick an 8th ‘rower, then pick Basham who’s a proper hard twonk. Griffiths makes Warburton look durable but Pivac was talking him up so…. overall rating: better than 10 Superbowls. Better than 19 Superbowls if Ellis comes back okay next season
SH: Tomos, Davies, G & whoever. Don’t care. Pick Tomos and sit back. overall rating: tidy
The Tenz: Everyone loves Dan Biggar, Jarrod, Sam Davies – not great. Can’t really play Turkball with Biggar, can’t trust Jarrod. overall rating: worrying
Centrez: Parkesy and whoever else is standing. Probably Scott Williams, Watkin will make some of the 6N. Too early for Benny T. Tyler Morgan looks done, wouldn’t surprise me to see Adams play 13 v Italy. overall rating: let’s not talk about it
Wingz: Adams, North, Lane Train, McTurkle, Amos Exprezz – overall rating: choo choo
FB: Halfpenny, Liam might be fit? – overall rating: good to tidy
MisterIks begs to differ in some respects.
Further reading
Chimpie’s synopsis of the Pro-Woo standings
Yosoy on Alun Wyn Jones and the woeful state of the Ospreys
Tichtheid on the Scottish looseheid predicament
On the telly this week
Friday 10th January
| Bath 19 – 25 Harlequins | 19:45 | BT Sport 2 |
| La Rochelle 30 – 23 Sale | 19:45 | BT Sport 3 |
Saturday 11th January
| Bordeaux 32 – 17 Edinburgh | 12:45 | epcrugby.com |
| Ospreys 15 – 22 Saracens | 13:00 | Channel 4 / BT Sport 2 |
| Clermont 29 – 13 Ulster | 13:00 | BT Sport 3 |
| Calvisano 19 – 47 Pau | 13:30 | epcrugby.com |
| Castres 42 – 14 Dragons | 14:00 | epcrugby.com |
| Agen 24 – 52 Wasps | 14:00 | epcrugby.com |
| Stade Français-24 – 29 Zebre | 14:00 | epcrugby.com |
| Worcester 66 – 10 Enisei-STM | 15:00 | epcrugby.com |
| Bristol 52 – 3 Brive | 15:00 | epcrugby.com |
| Glasgow 31 – 31 Exeter | 15:15 | BT Sport 2 |
| Connacht 7 – 21 Toulouse | 15:15 | BT Sport 3 |
| Bayonne 27 – 10 London Irish | 16:00 | epcrugby.com |
| Gloucester 29 – 6 Montpellier | 17:30 | BT Sport 2 |
| Scarlets 15 – 27 Toulon | 20:00 | S4C / BT Sport 2 |
Sunday 12th January
| Northampton 33 – 20 Treviso | 13:00 | BT Sport 2 |
| Leinster 42 – 14 Lyon | 13:00 | BT Sport 3 |
| Racing 92 39 – 22 Munster | 15:15 | BT Sport 2 |
| Leicester 30 – 20 Cardiff | 15:15 | epcrugby.com |
Ovally Balls 
Thanks for the reminder about the cricket Dova – let me return the favour by giving you a reminder of the rugby final that’s slipped your mind:
https://www.rugbyworldcup.com/video/541629
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I’m not clicking that
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Try this one – much better!
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Don’t be put off by the graphic – I think it’s been photoshopped.
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there was a world cup? Must have missed that
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Still not clicking it.
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Not much interest in Scotland, but it was big in Japan. To be fair, Scotland’s participation was almost blown away by a large storm, but your blazers did a great job of ensuring the match went ahead and they came out of it smelling like roses. I really hope they’re suitably compensated for their sterling work.
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It was a pretty low key affair chimpie with a lot of the better teams using it as preparation for the 6N.
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@Dova – ZING!!!
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@Thaum,
Sent you a little note about the 6N.
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https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/16/boris-johnson-scottish-independence-nicola-sturgeon-snp
Shirley Finn is nailed on as the Scottish stand-off? What’s all this bollocks about Westminster and Holyrood? Greg needs to tell them to do one.
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Richie Gray leaving Toulouse to return to Glasgow next season on a 2 year deal
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DAB, the argument put forward by Jess Phillips in that article that the SNP’s 45% of the Scottish vote in the last GE provided no mandate for a second referendum is interesting given that the Tories won 43% of the votes from the constituencies they stood in and Labour won 32%.
The last time the winner of a UK GE won more than 50% of the vote was Stanley Baldwin in 1931. If more than 50% of the votes cast is the standard for legitimate government then we haven’t had one for very nearly 90 years through 23 general elections.
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Ouch, you guys
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Oh goody, an indyref BTL to explore the depths of ignorance on. Yippee.
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A Gray-swap. Seems fair.
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Sounds a good plan for both parties.
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Dr Roberts off to Cape Town.
Great to see Super Rugby signing NH talent that is over 5 years past their best.
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@Ticht – It was just a pun on the headline!! Am not going to attempt to wade into Scottish politics.
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@Ticht – You’re completely right in what you say there, of course. As far as I’m concerned, if a country elects as its government a party whose policy is to run a referendum, that country gets a referendum.
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It was a good one, Dab.
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Rees has pretty much perfected the clickbait article – Sarries’ wonderful spirit is to be admired and applauded.
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Those highlights of the RWC Final that didn’t happen are quite revealing in hindsight.
Leaping to conclusions I do think England thought they they had the beating of the Boks because the Boks were nowhere near as good as the Blackness, and they’d marmalised them already. There’s some pretty high risk rugby from England in the opening quarter, which doesn’t pay off.
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Doc Roberts at least wears his cosmopolitan leanings on his sleeve. He’s the Desperate Dan of world travel.
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MrsIks got this email from a customer today:
“We were asked to postpone Presentation Skills training to May. We’ll appreciate if you could send us available dates during May.
Apologize for the incontinence.”
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@Iks – I’ve not watched it back since watching Squidge’s (?) review, but my take on it at the time wasn’t that England thought that they had the beating of SA, but that England didn’t think they could win by taking SA on physically. The England game right through the tournament had generally been to use kicking to get to the right areas and only then to put the ball through hands. This relied on being able to defend ferociously and starting up running moves after the forwards got them on the front foot. For some reason, they tried to fling everything out to the wings from the get-go, from anywhere on the pitch against SA. Psychologically, they just weren’t right, and stupid mistakes crept in left, right and centre. Meanwhile, SA played absolutely superbly in both attack and defence. Add in a couple of tough calls from the referee and it felt like they never had more than a toehold in the game!
Bah. It’s all come flooding back to me.
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Thaum, I’ve got a thingy for ATL to send, where should I send it to? Cheers
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Fair enough Dab, and good points.
I think England felt they had the measure of or at least parity with the Boks physically. Eddie’s lament after the fact about playing Prop Vunipola and Ford implies they were confident about winning the physical challenge.
Sorry it’s all come flooding back to you. I blame Dova.
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Chimpie – I’ve emailed you.
Flair – thanks, yours has been received.
Looking forward to these!
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Received & responded. Cheers Thaum
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Oi, Chimpie, I’ve sent you another email….
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Am struggling with the flu at the mo but dropped 3 kilos since Monday. In the middle of my delirium on Monday night/Tuesday I kept saying how much I want to see the Lions do well in Super Rugby this year.
My missus was, understandably, deeply deeply concerned and took me to the hospital where she explained her fears to a medic. Thankfully the doctor, a kindly elderly woman, is a keen rugby fan and diagnosed what my problem was. It was brilliant apparently. Last week I’d read an article about ex-Clermont winger Napolioni Nalaga had signed for Olimpia Lions, Parauguay’s representatives in the new Súper Liga Americana de Rugby.
Lions – Super … Rugby – all so simple. And now I’m feeling much better.
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TomP – brilliantly surreal. 3 kilos since Monday is a lot! Look after yourself.
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Quite pleased that Wales have nabbed Tompkins. He’s a very good player. Shame we couldn’t pinch Marchant before he got a cap and then jumped off to New Zealand but them’s the breaks.
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New post up shortly.
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