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 
Kerr-Barlow again for La Rochelle. Passes to Dumeyrou (sp?) and the French are back in a lead.
LikeLike
And the wrong ones. No Geddy Lee, no Norm Hadley…
LikeLiked by 1 person
TomP – not going to play the video at the mo as the mister’s engrossed in the Bath-Quins borefest, but Phillips looks about 12 in that still?
LikeLike
The first one’s better as he’s all the bad things you said but it’s an elaborate bluff. Super play.
LikeLike
Ashton should be fired into space (but not on the first Mars mission).
LikeLike
Kerr-Barlow with another break. Ashton takes him after a chip ahead and gets a yellow. La Rochelle getting away from them.
LikeLike
Adam Jones developed a nifty pass off the base, he had to because Phillips was usually buried at the bottom of the ruck, having gone himself, again
LikeLike
Ashton takes him out after a chip.
25-16 now to La Rochelle.
LikeLike
That was far more snarky than was intended
LikeLike
Could be a yellow for LAR and a red for Sale here.
LikeLike
Quins have just – much as I hate to say it – played some great end-to-end rugby. Fucked it up before the line, though.
LikeLike
Good reffing.
LikeLike
BB is Mike Adamson aicmfp
LikeLike
Sale lad red carded for some proper violent dumbness.
LikeLike
A lot of refs would have got there in the end but he made the right decision and quickly.
LikeLike
Ticht – snarky? Reality.
Adam J (where is HBH?) was brilliant at playing nearly all positions when required.
LikeLike
aicmfp??????
LikeLike
And I claim my five pounds
LikeLike
HBH and CJ have been conspicuously absent
LikeLike
HBH’s probably on TikTok now. CJ was elected to Parliament last month.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Alldritt scores the bonus pointer. They could have gone straighter much earlier but eventually get over wide out.
LikeLike
CJ was only here for the Sag.
LikeLike
Should still be a yellow for La Rochelle there.
LikeLike
@BB – so the road trip finally happened and that was that?
LikeLike
I miss Sag.
LikeLike
Probably.
LikeLike
Good result for Glasgow I guess.
LikeLike
Thaum – I keep thinking that at some quiet point, there will be a SPROING! and that wee avatar will appear at the side.
Sadly, I don’t think that’ll happen.
LikeLike
BB – that would be wonderful!
Just hope he’s okay.
LikeLike
Big Sexy and Sag – Legends. If you think of the one you can’t help but think of the other.
LikeLike
There is only one of them posting here…
…Should I pack?
LikeLike
https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/neil-peart-obit-1.5422806
LikeLike
Neil Peart has gone to the great gig in the sky.
LikeLike
LikeLike
Neil Peart died.
He can’t have been old at all
LikeLike
Beat me to it LADOAB
LikeLike
He was 67. The CBC’s obituary is linked in an older post ^^^
LikeLike
Nooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!! That’s just so sad. A proper legend.
LikeLike
You may enjoy the interview in the obit that I linked, BB. It’s a not quite recent interview on the CBC, and Peart discusses Rush’s Moving Pictures album.
LikeLike
Congrats Larry.
LikeLike
Since I started my job hunt I’ve been putting off the feeling of dread by replaying Half Life 2 and the expansions. That really is a fine game. Timeless even.
Finished them both so the dread has returned.
Still haven’t finished Bloodborne.
LikeLike
I wish you luck, Craigs. Hopefully you have a promising lead or two?
LikeLike
Goodness me.
LikeLike
Since I’m sitting at my PC trying to write up the minutes from my club’s last committee meeting – I might as well take this opportunity to break the silence.
No (local) youth or mini rugby here today – absolutely lashing down with a yellow wind warning – so better safe than sorry.
Lad broke a leg at U14 training last Wednesday – innocuous looking tackle. Nothing too gruesome – but as ever you’re thinking – what did I miss there ? But as ever – you see 100s of harder or reckless tackles (even at this age group) and no-one any the worse for it.
LikeLike
I know!
LikeLike
Ha…. in the 3 mins it took me to write that Iks gets in….
LikeLike
@BB – What do you know?
LikeLike
Larry, it’s not what he knows but who he knows.
LikeLike
@CMW – I know nothing.
Apart from the fact its pissing it down here.
LikeLike
“What do you know?” more or less passes for a greeting in my workplace. Not normally with any real expectation of anyone knowing anything, but in this instance BB has said that he does.
LikeLike