As usual, the Celts took the up-front hit: Ireland v Wales was cancelled postponed, followed by Treviso v Ulster and Zebre v Ospreys. Then came the news that Mako Vunipola was self-isolating from the England camp, although apparently it’s okay to infect the Saracens camp. (They’re relegated anyway: who cares?) Today’s shocking news is that Italy v England is also sacrificed to Covid-19.
But fear not, rugby fans! There is one person on our side, one person who knows that it’s all a big hoax. A person whose intimate involvement with Scottish golf courses has led to a love of rugby, inspired by Gavin Hastings.
“I think the 3.4% [death rate] is really a false number.
“Now, this is just my hunch, based on a lot of conversations with a lot of people that do this, because a lot of people will have this, and it’s very mild – they’ll get better very rapidly, they don’t even see a doctor, they don’t even call a doctor.
“You never hear about those people, so you can’t put them down in the category of the overall population, in terms of this corona flu, and/or virus. So you just can’t do that. So there is no reason for Six Nations matches to be deep-sixed. DBWR are just a bunch of wimps.”
This is of course very comforting, as everyone knows that Donald Trump’s hunches are enormously more accurate than the wild speculations of the World Health Organisation. While it’s true that a vast number of Americans won’t even call a doctor because they can’t afford to, deathly ill or not, the POTUS’s clarion call to laugh and snap our fingers at what the so-called experts are openly referring to as a pandemic will save our Six Nations and Pro-Woo.
The President is being undermined by snivelling lefties who are rejoicing at the thought of millions of people dying, economic Armageddon being unleashed, and – more importantly – rugby matches being cancelled, just to criticise The Donald. As the Guardian (itself a very dubious source) reports:
Peter Hegseth, a co-host of Fox & Friends Weekends, admonished Democrats’ criticism, saying: “They’re rooting for the coronavirus to spread. They’re rooting for it to grow. They’re rooting for the problem to get worse.”
“They’re probably jumping for joy,” Fox & Friends co-host Ainsley Earhardt said about the Democrats’ reaction to Six Nations matches being cancelled.
OvallyBalls can also reveal that Donald Trump is behind Vunipola’s decision to train with the Saracens:
“If we have thousands or hundreds of thousands of people that get better, just by, you know, sitting around and even going to work, some of them go to work, but they get better, and then when you do have a death, like you’ve had in the state of Washington, like you had one in California, I believe you had one in New York.”
While it turns out that no-one has yet died from coronavirus in New York (it’s only Trump’s home state, so why should he know?), the President’s message is clear: Get to work, you slackers, and you will be healed. Front up to the scrummage. Un-cancel the rugby matches. Work makes you free of coronavirus. Unless you’re dead.
Televisual rugby feasts not cancelled as yet:
Friday 6th March
| Sunwolves 14 – 47 Brumbies | 03:45 | Sky Sports Mix |
| Crusaders 24 – 20 Reds | 06:05 | Sky Sports Action |
| Waratahs 14 – 51 Chiefs | 08:15 | Sky Sports Action |
| Dragons 25 – 37 Treviso (really?) | 19:35 | Premier Sports 1 |
| England 22 – 23 Wales U20s | 19:45 | BT Sport Action |
| Worcester 10 – 16 Saints | 19:45 | BT Sport 1 |
Saturday 7th March
| Hurricanes 15 – 24 Blues | 06:0t | Sky Sports Action |
| Rebels 37 – 17 Lions | 08:15 | Sky Sports Action |
| England 66 – 7 Wales (women) | 12:05 | S4C / Sky Sports Action |
| Sharks v Los Jaguares | 13:05 | Sky Sports Arena |
| Bulls v Highlanders | 15:15 | Sky Sports Arena |
| England v Wales | 16:45 | ITV / S4C |
| Scotland v France (women) | 19:45 | BBC Alba / website/ button |
Sunday 8th March
| Bristol v Harlequins | 13:00 | BT Sport 1 |
| Scotland v France | 15:00 | BBC One / website / button |
Ovally Balls 
Anyhoo, back to pain experiences.
One of my most traumatic moments was being savaged by a squirrel when I was about 8 or 9. Seriously. I’ve still got the scars.
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Same system the Turks had: a ‘bend but don’t break’ defence, happy to concede ground if it isolates the carrier and aim for a turnover. Only trouble is that peak Pivac Turks had Beirne, Barclay, Cubby as turnover specialists, whereas Wales have had Dillion Lewis as the best poacher (and he’s decent at it, but it’s a jackal-lite team – that’s why Navidi is straight back in).
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So many:
30 years watching the Legends
Recording my soon to be released country album
I had these tight jeans once, never again
My new glasses not sitting comfortably on my ears
Watching the Walking Dead for about 6 years
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@yosoy
Plus, even at their best, Scarlets were a force in the Pro14 (and beating out Leinster and Munster is not to be sniffed at), but they never made a big splash in Europe.
Against the bigger packs of the English and French big guns, the “bend and not break” got bent and bent and bent and then broke. Much harder to get turnovers against intl teams too.
Beirne and Cubby haven’t achieved much on the intl scene (albeit up against very strong options in their respective countries). Barclay was a great great player but, for Scotland, his turnovers weren’t that frequent (though he did a lot in other areas)
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@utna
The point being was that he had three specialists who were good at it at sub-international level. His Welsh teams haven’t, partially because Navidi has been missing and mostly because we don’t have many jackalers.
I thought his achievements were pretty good with the Scarlets considering it was nowhere near the top 4 squads in Europe, nor the top 2 Pro14. It was a short period, though, and his last season would have seen him sacked ordinarily. How he beat Dave Rennie to the job I don’t know.
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I don’t think Welsh fans should be too down – lack of depth is hurting and developing that is where the focus should be whilst the seniors hold on. Plus PLEASE give North a break (paid sick leave or something).
I think Scotland France has the potential for being a belter……………………
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Nervous about all this Welsh gloom and relative English sanguinity. Smacks of one last AWJ at Twickers superman performance where he drags Wales to victory through sheer force of will.
That said, we should have too much power particularly in the last 20 but I thought that last year…
Can we please just not box kick badly to Williams, that would be grand
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@Iks
Aileen
Oh come on
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I’m not passing judgement on the England v Wales match until I’ve seen the Welsh national anthem. As ever too many forwards crying = Wales lose.
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I think Wales will lose in Twickenham, possibly by 2 scores or more. Little threat in attack and less power up front than England (plus home advantage for the White Orcs), can’t see where the points would come from.
France may win in Murrayfield, settled team and all that, but I think Scotland, with their back to the wall, could win too. Home advantage, with fewer French fans in the stadium ( thanks coronavirus), the Hogg factor, probable parity at scrum and breakdown…
Vivement Dimanche! That’s the title of a François Truffaut’s film BTW, with the lovely Fanny Ardant and the great JL Trintignant.
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I think England’ll win too and maybe by 15 or more but, and with the proviso that the these are just bald stats and can’t tell us too much. Wales made more line breaks and more offloads and more tackle breaks against France than England did and scored as many tries – both through structured attack rather than a tactic of give-it-too-Jonny.
More bad passes as well, and that’s been a big disappointment in the last two games. But to say you can’t see where the points’ll come from suggests you’re seeing what you want to see.
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Dragz v Benetton, with Clancy on the whistle and Shitehouse jr. running the line in the Virus Cup.
This is what Fridays are all about.
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Jac Morgan looking the biz again for Wales U20s.
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Ouch for the Waratahs this morning.
Wonderful pass from Shaun Stevenson for Gatz’z Boyz ‘z 3rd try:
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Scotland Under 20s v France. Scottish commentator notes that there’s “a healthy contingent” of French fanatiques at Netherdale.
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TomP, of course I see what I want to see, and you do too.
One can use Wales and England games vs France as a touchstone but I won’t. Sure enough, France beat both Wales and England, but in different ways. One at home, the other abroad. England might have won in Paris, Wales did not really threaten to win in Cardiff.
Where was Wales threat in attack Johny May provided? Hadley Parkes?
Halfpenny?
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Costelow with a classic Welsh 10 score,
The factory is open.
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Whoever was in charge of the French numbers on their shirts is going to get a dressing down
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Scotland wearing either Uranian blue or Ice blue. Not sure which. It’s got a hint of Coventry City about it.
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Watching Wuss vs Saints.
You have the ball.
No, I insist, YOU have it.
It’s OK, you can have it, In fact, we’ll give it to you.
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A rare thing, a Scottish scrum penalty against France at U20 level
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Who’s the 15 for Scotland, ticht? He looks a good runner.
Also, you can check out Jordan Venter next week. His team, Paul Roos, are playing at the Newlands Schools Festival v Wynberg, it’ll be streamed on youtube. I’ll post a link nearer the time.
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Just seen the French U20s try from the number 8. He looks bloody hhhuuuuggggeee!
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Neat try by France – Jordan Joseph. He looks to be carrying a lot of weight but still had the legs to get in support and run home from the 22.
French shirts very mediocre. The numbers are dropping off.
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Outstanding try from the 20z again. Costelow is ripping them a new one.
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The fullback is Ollie Smith, Tam, he is with Ayr/Glasgow
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Nice reply from Scotland
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Eng 5-14 Wal at half time.
Enjoyable stuff, Wales on top but it’ll be a squeaky one either way.
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Missed tackle lets France in for asecond try, but blimey, in at the side must begin at more than 180 degrees these days
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I like Chamberlain, the Bristol based 10 for Scotland
Ooo, nice move for an equaliser with a conversation to come in front of the sticks
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Not sure how many lads France’ll bring in for the World Cup but this mob aren’t a patch on the 2018 and 2019 sides.
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It’s so cyclical at this level, Tam, Ireland weren’t all that in the 2018 world champs, just about avoiding relegation, then they won the U20s Grand Slam in the 6N last year
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Try for the English 10 now (who is MUCH less talented than his Welsh counterpart).
10-14.
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10-17 after a Dreamboat Costelow pen.
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An’ ye had been whaur I hae been
Ye wadna been sae cantie-o
An’ ye had seen what I hae seen
On the braes o’ Killiecrankie-o
That’s what the pipe band were playing there
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England look like they’ve levelled it up but there are two forward passes that Sexy Costelow would never have done.
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Maybe a red here. It’ll be yellow certainly. Welsh 15 taken out in the air.
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Yellow only. No malice in it but it was very careless.
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Quite, ticht. A few imjuries and a red card and that Irish 2019 Grand Slam team end up in 8th in the World Championships – I thought they were a very good team
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Damn, can’t watch U20 Scotland/France. It was supposed to be shown on F4, terrestrial public TV, but instead they show some stupid travel show, for no reason.
Several good players for the future with France: Jordan Joseph, Haddad and Idri. You really never know which ones will make the cut though.
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flair, watch it here:
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Good chip by the French outside half and the winger dives over.
Scotland struggling a bit in this half.
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England try. Ruck a metre from the Welsh line, the scrum half rolls the ball back to set up a box kick and as soon as the ball hits the line, the Saes loosehead pounces on it.
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Very ding dong down in Gloucester. Another penalty from King Costelow, 15-20.
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Dridi not Idri.
Watch for #17, Ikahehegi as well.
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Thanks very much Tomp, but the video is blocked here.
As if F4 was showing it tonight!
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Thanks very much Tomp, but the video is blocked here.
As if F4. was showing the game… Grrrr….
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Future Cardiff Legend Luke Scully, who replaced the crocked full back, crocks himself by running into an English knee.
15-20, 13 mins to go.
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Lovely try from Wuss! Amazing what you can do when you actually hold on to the bloody ball.
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He’ll only ever be the 2nd best Scully to play for the Legends.
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