This weekend sees the start of the new Pro-14 season, and the finish of the English Premiership. The only guarantee is that Saracens will be dead last, which will have rugby fans all over Europe crying disconsolately into their beer.
On the telly
Friday 2nd October
| Zebre v Cardiff | 18:00 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Ulster v Treviso | 20:15 | Premier Sports1 |
| Leinster v Dragons | 20:15 | S4C / Premier Sports 2 |
Saturday 3rd October
| Scarlets v Munster | 15:00 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Green v Gold | 16:00 | Sky Sports Arena |
| Connacht v Glasgow | 17:15 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Edinburgh v Ospreys | 19:35 | Premier Sports 1 |
Sunday 4th October
| Gloucester v Northampton | 15:00 | BT Sport Extra |
| Leicester v Harlequins | 15:00 | BT Sport Extra |
| London Irish v Bristol | 15:00 | BT Sport Extra |
| Sale v Worcester | 15:00 | BT Sport Extra |
| Saracens v Bath | 15:00 | BT Sport 1 |
| Wasps v Exeter | 15:00 | BT Sport 3 |
Ovally Balls 
Oddly, enough (as TomP can confirm as he’s got relatives from down that way) – Munster (mainly Cork) was the a site of “plantation” in Elizabethan times. (James Stuart swapped that to the rebellious Ulster)
So, you do turn up these quaint “English” sounding surnames from that neck of the woods.
LikeLike
and yes….. Wycherley-Hodnett – it does sound like some quaint hamlet a few miles up the road from Nempnett Thrubwell
LikeLike
New post, if you can call it that, shortly.
LikeLike
Just from my family you’ve got Wolfes and Kingstons and Hungerfords and Nashes and Whelphys and Sweetnams. Apart from Wolfe, I think you can get good Cotswold village names out of most of those.
My favourite great Aunt down there married a guy called Stan Leopold, who was a real Corkonian, from right in the heart of the city. Not sure where the surname came from originally, but he was a CofI who worshipped in a Methodist church. He loved his cricket and we watched most of the final test in 1991 at their place. He took me to the pub and said he was relieved that I ordered a pint cos he thought that since I’d been staying with those country folk I might not have a taste for it.
LikeLike
The boy Crowley who’s on the bench went to a good Protestant school despite the surname.
LikeLike
I’m descended from some Irish Catholics called “Octagon”. Bet you don’t get many of them in Cork.
LikeLike
Got a gnome update. Saving it for the new notablog.
LikeLike