Wasps v Bristol and Exeter v Bath in play-off drama, The Blackness v the Wobblies, and round two of the new Pro-14 season.
And John Cooney inexplicably left out of the Ireland squad.
Here be the weekend fixtures.
On the telly
Friday 9th October
| Sharks v Lions | 5:55 | YouTube / Sky Sports |
| Dragons v Zebre | 20:15 | Premier Sports 2 |
Saturday 10th October
| Wasps v Bristol | 13:30 | BT Sport 1 |
| Cheetahs v Pumas | 15:25 | Sky Sports Mix |
| Exeter v Bath | 16:30 | BT Sport 1 |
| Ospreys v Ulster | 17:15 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Treviso v Leinster | 17:15 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Bulls v Griquas | 17:55 | Sky Sports Mix |
| Cardiff v Connacht | 19:35 | S4C / Premier Sports 2 |
| Munster v Edinburgh | 19:35 | Premier Sports 1 |
Sunday 11th October
| New Zealand v Australia | 04:00 | Sky Sports Main Event |
| Glasgow v Scarlets | 17:15 | Premier Sports 1 |
Ovally Balls 
undsung? …. not overdrated
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Missed the very ending, but I think it was still 12-24.
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Didn’t know about this! https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/400000-cardiff-arms-park-pitch-19068635
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OK, ‘mon Embra! Time to get your season started! After all, it’s only Munster at home!
Ah.
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Blues get a pen.
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Try for Embra!
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Cardiff have lost their hooker (Myhill) to some kind of leg injury. Dacy on.
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It’s not the most scintillating of matches. And the mister’s fallen asleep. Think I will sneakily turn it over to the new Montalbano when the time comes.
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Amos scores 5 mins before HT.
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Embra ahead at half time! Narrow margin but they’re scoring the tries!
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There’s a new Montalbano?!?!?! Great news! Although the BBC are trIksy about Montalbano – they’ll say it’s a new ‘series’, show 2 new ones, then 3 repeats.
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BB – two new episodes, I hear. Think they must be the ones we just missed the shooting of on our trip to Sicily last year.
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HT 10-0.
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Cardiff tichtheid sent off for repeated infringements in the 22.
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Connacht score under the posts.
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10-7 at Montalbano time. Stuck between two sleeping beauties.
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So many dumb penalties. Ffs
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This munster 10 looks like a stoner picked up from the local park.
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Handy player though
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Got a horrible doomed feeling
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Sag? Is that where Sag went?
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Sag? Is that where Sag went?
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Ffs
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Not sure what happened there.
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Steal though
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Another dumb penalty. Jeez.
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And there we go. Ffs . So predictable
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*SIGH*
well done munster
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Liberally aided by our ineptitude and inability to manage a game
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“Do we have any Bath fans?”
TomP is a big Bruce Craig fan and I’m a fan of Bruce Craig’s scarf.
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I’m also shocked, stunned and flabbergasted that the O’s weren’t able to back up last week’s win by beating Ulster.
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Strange match – not sure if Munster should have won comfortably or lost….a narrow win wasn’t the obvious result.
For me…. Healy’s place kicking and line kicking was fine… tactical kicking less so, and tended to shovel the ball on rather than engaging defenders. Felt sorry for McHenry … made a few obvious errors and got hooked for Goggin. Might have been more sympathetic been allowed to come on as a sub for last 30 – especially outside a new 9-10 partnership.
Still difficult to see any influence from Larkham …
A win is a win… but (with coach’s head on) you would rather see patterns of play over a streaky win….
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Business as usual down under. Aussies look great for 8 minutes and 30 seconds, then DMac breaks upfield and Jordie Barrett scores untouched in the corner a phase later.
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Got offered free tickets to the ABs today. I said no.
They said they were guest passes to the something members lounge, so I said OK.
Am now sat behind the goal post up high, wondering why anyone would be a member of whatever this is.
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Hmm, same at the end of the half, Wallabies looking good, lots of pressure, a couple of mistakes, the ABs race upfield and score, except Ioane casually dots the ball down one handed and drops it, with noone near him. Lucky escape, 8-3 at half time.
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Try apiece in the 2nd half so far. Both very good finishes, even if the Wallabies complained about illegal holding by Joe Moody. Wallabies hack the ball downfield and probably should have scored. Great scrambling defence by the ABs. Enjoy the prawn sandwiches BK!
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What happened to Beauden Barrett? Thought D-Mac wasn’t even in the 23?
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SBT – only saw the 1st half highlights, but that was unforgivable by Ioane.
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Wallabies defying my earlier predictions, and putting a show on. All tied at 16 to go
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Wallabies even it up! D-Mac rips it out at the breakdown but only for Nick White to pounce and flick it to Daugunu to get over in the corner. O’Connor misses again. 13-all.
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To be fair to JoC, none of the kicks has been a gimme, especially with what looks like a nasty wind swirling around.
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And rain, obviously.
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Food in here is average and you have to pay for it!
Wallabies for the win!
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Horrible consistency on scrum penalties. Identical situation earlier in the half when the Aussies sinned and the ABs made ground, ref called advantage over. Not this time. Also, a few minutes back the Aussies got the shove on, but no penalty. No cost as Barrett Jr pushes it wide.
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Hello! Penalty Wallabies 35m out and just left of the posts! May have been a bit dodgy, but awarded. JoC lines it up…. and over! 13-16 the Wallabies lead! 6 to go.
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Penalty ABs on the 10m line. Kick to touch inside the Aus 22. They maul it up, another penalty, this time bang in front! Barrbangs it over! 16-all with a minute to go! Wallabies have a penalty advantage in midfield!
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Hodge from miles out…. off the upright! Aus get it back but then it over and here comes the Blacks! They get a penalty and lose it, a couple more turnovers and they’re within 10! Knock on, Aus take it up, turnover back to their 5m line with the ABs surely over! No, turnover and hacked into touch in the 88th minute! Great finish! 16-all!
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Well worth staying up for.
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Interesting interview with Joe Ansbro below.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/54495608
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Just testing….
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