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 
Lesley!
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Front row give up a penalty. Wee Grieg tees up…
…and it’s good.
22-13
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Fortunately, Clermont don’t get over the line, but Laidlaw slots a pen. 22-13.
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Capitalised nicely on that break.
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Losing to Saracens reserves isnt great, but ok after all given that the Saracens B team has more talent than 90% of teams in Europe.
Losing to Saracens reserves when you are at home, with 3? Lions in your team, a red card in your favour (and a yellow) and a surfeit of posession and a ref ‘on side’ in the main.
Not so good
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Well, that’s it – Clermont get another try.
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Big collision breaks a tackle in the centre, which leads to a Clermont try.
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Moala with the coffin nailer.
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Not enough from Stockdale on the defence on Moala.
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“Saracens B team has more talent than 90% of teams in Europe”
And a number of Hertfordshire and NW Middlesex Young Businessmen of the Year in their XV.
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Missed the start of the Drags so we might already be 30 points down. Story with my eyes so far: 7-0 to Castres and the Drags botching 3 try scoring chances. Make that 4.
Knoyle a liability and Botica giving me the Woticas! Half time now but fairly predictable Drags problem, loads of ball but making hard work of it. Castres a little ball and scoring a try from it far too easily.
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FT: 29-13.
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The 3 or however many good players can’t compensate for those who aren’t pro level. This is a team that lost at home to the Kingz recently. Plenty today featured that day.
They need a huge clear out and a better long-term plan than Ruddock’s let’s emulate Leinster pish.
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Cannot believe that Raka has been left out of the French squad.
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Good game in Clermont. Ulster sit just outside the very elite of European rugby. Clermont, when they’re on it, are in that elite.
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LBP for the O’s puts them on two more than I thought they’d get.
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Bourdeaux beat Edinburgh then. Wonder how the ref was.
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Was Raka the player who went home from the RWC injured then played for his club a week later, or somesuch?
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That was Rattez, Iksy.
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Link for Challenge Cup streams: https://www.epcrugby.com/challenge-cup/latest-video/epcrtv/r5/
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Or the other one beginning with R, Ramos. Ramos or Rattez not Raka.
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So checked the scores, and indeed the Drags shipped 2 tries before the one eyesore. So 21 – Nil down,and looking hopeless.
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Ta TomP, so Raka wasn’t omitted for previously wetting the bed.
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Watched he first half in Bordeaux and the second in Clermont. Both quite entertaining as the 4 teams came to play.
Ulster can still qualify as winner of the pool, should ASM stumble next week.
Cooney’s a great find and should push Murray on the bench.
Raka not in the French team is probably a deal with ASM. As the T14 carries on during the 6N, Galthié can’t deprive the clubs of their best players at the same post. For instance, Dupont with France means Bézy does not go, Penaud in means Raka does not go etc..etc..
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It was Ramos, MrIks, full back with Toulouse.
Rattez is a winger, with La Rochelle.
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Drags shipped another try after 2nd half kick-off while I was typing that post. 28-0. Almost like the good old days.
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35-0…
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Stormin’ Glasgow!
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Looks like nice weather for the Castres game. Little wind, bright sunshine. Drags clearly struggling to acclimatize to the rare conditions.
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Exeter’s White scores an intercept try. 14-8; conversion to come.
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Rosser just scored a bust-the-gut kick and chase try from his own 22, almost crippling himself with the touchdown chase. He was so far away from his team there was no-one able to congratulate him, ever.
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This match is bonkers.
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Castres just saunter over from 5-metre line out after Drags penalty shenanigans. By my calculation, 42-7.
C’mon Drags!
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Yellow card for Connacht.
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Not sure why the Grags haven’t emptied the pine for the sake of it. Sam Davies looks as drawn and pale as a ghostly waif.
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Glasgow 7 in the bin. Commentators think it should be a red.
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*Well, the English commentator, anyway.
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Callum Gibbons going for a yellow for a shot to the head. Very very very lucky.
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I didn’t realize Toulouse were also a player down.
7-7
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Rosser scores a consolation try and Mr. Bojangles converts from touch line. 42-14 is my guess at the final score.
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Exeter score again. 17 all.
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Stream isn’t working very well.
Which is unfortunate.
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Scores and stuff
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Exeter again….
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Thaum
Don’t you just love them?
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And Glasgow come very close to scoring just before HT, but lose the ball. Still going on though….
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Anyone got a decent stream for the Glasgow game?
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And George Horne goes over under the posts!
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Ho-ho
Zebre beat Stade in Paris
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Glorious from Hastings and Horne. 24-24 at the Irn Brus.
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