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 
If any of you were fancying a trip to Ulm one day, I can heartily recommend where we stayed. 30 mins walk along the river into the old quarter of the city. Fine hotel with an excellent restaurant, in really nice parkland. Wildfowl and beavers.
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If I knew how to I could upload a picture from my phone, it was very dark though.
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‘your’ Exeter team to face Wasps:
15 Phil Dollman, 14 Tom Wyatt, 13 Corey Baldwin, 12 Tom Hendrickson, 11 Alex Cuthbert
10 Harvey Skinner, 9 Sam Maunder
1 James Kenny, 2 Jack Innard, 3 Marcus Street, 4 Will Witty, 5 Dave Dennis, 6 Richard Capstick, 7 Don Armand (capt), 8 Charlie Wright
16 Elvis Taione, 17 Danny Southworth, 18 Alfie Petch, 19 Tom Price, 20 Lewis Pearson, 21 Stu Townsend, 22 Jack Walsh, 23 James Short
Given Wasps need to win, this will be a tough game for these young lads.
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It’ll give Cuthbert and Dollman a chance to shine. Perhps they can break into the Wales squad, but it might be a bit soon for them.
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‘you’re an intelligent chimp’
Quite an assumption
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I think there’s enough evidence.
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Good headline:
https://www.ayradvertiser.com/news/18765053.turnberry-hotelier-president-trump-tests-positive-coronavirus/?ref=twtrec
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https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/oct/03/premiership-rugby-covid-19-outbreak-postpones-sale-worcester
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POM binned. Scarlets up 6-0 so far.
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Munster score a lovely try.
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… although Scarlets sneaked in a pen when I wasn’t looking, so it’s 9-7.
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12-7 HT
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From the G’s live blog:
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Unfortunately, and we have the same thing here now, you have people who will argue that the sky is green if Trump tells them so.
There are large swathes of people who really do think that Biden is going to bring in Stalin-like polices
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Yep, if Trump snuffs it I think there will be riots.
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Meanwhile, Ha’penny is like a machine and it’s 21-10 now.
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POM has lost the plot. Munster score a try and afterwards he dives in and elbows a Scarlets player in the face. Second yellow, so a red for him. Senseless as the try had already been given.
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Why, POM, why?
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TBH, I thought it was a straight red, rather than a second yellow
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Some kick from 1/2p too
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Ticht – wouldn’t have argued against that. And yes, great kick.
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That is some comeback
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What a finish! Think Scarlets were robbed there, but I’ll take it. 27-30 thanks to a kick from just over the halfway line.
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Early days, but a win for the Scarlets would have been huge in terms of getting some sort of Welsh challenge up and running. Never mind, wasn’t expecting it anyway.
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Doesn’t sound like a great start for us in the Dan Parks Derby…
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Been absolutely piddling down all day here. Suspect this may affect the quality of the match later.
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Glasgow doing one of their all effort no points days
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Better.
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“Been absolutely piddling down all day here. Suspect this may affect the quality of the match later.”
I’ve got The Fear over the match tonight
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Thaum
What an extraordinary and depressing trail through Twitter.
Good grief!
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Slade – on the up side, it’s good to know that the on-line Tory Party conference has crashed. No doubt outsourced to one of their favourite donors.
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Bugger.
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Can anyone tell me what O’Brien’s tweet is a response to without me going on an extraordinarily depressing trail through Twitter?
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Well done, Connacht!
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“I’ve got The Fear over the match tonight”
Pffft. And indeed pffft.
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Pfft?
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I fear it’s going be a dogawful dirge of a match
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“Pffft. And indeed pffft.”
Touché
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Been having a look to see when the O’s last won a game. Let us not presume that it was this year etc. Apparently though they beat Ulster in February. Did that really happen?
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Embra have the only South African fly half who can’t find touch
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Os have half the Welsh side on the park
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There was one iteration of this fixture a couple of years ago that was the worst game of rugby I’ve ever seen
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If they did have would that be a good thing?
They’ve got their two best players (arguably also Wales’ two best players), but that might be it.
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Well, in terms of recent Wales v Scotland results it would be a good thing for the Os
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Wow, I think that’s harsh, card yes
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I can’t watch Edinburgh live, I get too het up, I’ll have to come back to the recording
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Nice by farndale, somewhat fortuitous result for us.
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It would upset the likes of Iks and Yosoy terribly if Dan Evans got picked.
I guess Watkin and Beard may well figure and probably Webb though I hope he’s not starting. I guess AWJ has got plenty of wins over his Scotland under his belt – maybe more than anyone else ever?
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Dumb by gilchrist yellow card, Os score. Classic embra
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