The Nations Cup. My goodness, savour that. The Nations Cup. Mmm. The very name is redolent of a crackling log fire on an autumn afternoon. But wait, there’s more! Amazon Prime. That tingling feeling? That’s the realisation that a major re-structuring of European rugby broadcasting is upon us. Who says 2020’s been a miserable year?
Amazon Prime – not sure how much tax they pay – have put together a crack team of broadcasters and ex-player pundits who have only ever appeared on the BBC or ITV or Channel 4 or Channel 5 or BTSport or Sky before. As industry insider Phelam Hill put it, “[Amazon] will want to do something that is wholly different, not a vanilla broadcast”. More pertinently, they’ll be getting some good advertising bucks in the run-up to Christmas, and they’ll synergistically allow customers to make an impulse purchase of a replica England shirt (size XXXL) with “George 2“ on the back when the Saracens hooker (size XXXL) flops over the line after a drive from a five-metre line-out. Win-win for Bezos’s boys and girls.
To the games, then.
Ireland v Wales (an empty Aviva stadium)
It’s only been a few months since Ireland sent Wales packing with a comfortable win in front of 50,000 fans. It seems likely that Friday night’s game will see a similar result. Yet there are crumbs of comfort for Wales. Jacob Stockdale has gone from free-scoring winger to defensively awkward full-back this Autumn and this could be something Wales will look to exploit with an effective kicking game.
First task: find an effective kicking game.
Second, increasingly tetchy short-distance kicker Jonny Sexton has been underwhelming since the great re-start, and his replacement is Ulster’s own (import from Gloucester) Mr Billy Burns. Can two men lose a game on their own?
Nah. Ireland should have too much for Wales, and if their line-out functions, expect a couple of tries from short drives followed by a series of pick-and-goes. Plus, they have Leinster’s Jimmy Lowe on debut and he’ll pick up at least one score. Wales’ll get a consolation or two.
Italy v Scotland (an empty Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence)
It’s only a few months since these two met in a match that has been ruled an instrument of torture by a recent European Court of Human Rights ruling. Scotland had the boy Adam Hastings standing in at 10 that day, as stand-out stand-off Finn Russell had been stood down after standing a couple too many beers. Finn returned, but both he and Hastings got crocked against Wales, so the call came for the Worcester Wizard, Wee Duncan Weir, to step up in the key position.
And … Wee Duncy has grown his hair! People often ask me, “What’s NOT vanilla broadcasting?“ and I always say, “Talking about Duncan Weir’s hair and making rather unfunny jokes about it“. Trust me, there’ll be no vanilla broadcasting on Amazon Prime.
Italy are not good. They have some okay players: Polledri is a fine runner/smasher and the young outside half Paolo Garbisi has something about him, but they’re not going to be doing much against what’s turning into a pretty effective Scottish side.
England v Georgia (an empty Twickenham stadium)
There’re certain things that one’s duty bound to mention when you talk about Georgia:
- props;
- scrummaging;
- the ancient game of Lelos;
- their nickname, the Lelos, which comes from the ancient game of Lelos;
- scrummaging;
- Gorgadze;
- scrummaging;
- some platitude from some coach of some other team about how good their scrummaging is;
- props;
- and, scrummaging.
What you won’t hear much about are their backs. Which means I’m rather lost, though I like the young half-backs. Sadly, after a very so-so performance v Scotland, full-back Soso Matiashvili misses out.
Anyway, Georgia have got a great record in the 6 Nations B competition: two losses in ten years, and this is the shop window for them, scrummaging etc.
England will crush them.
France v Fiji (an empty Stade de la Rabine, Vannes)
This is the one to get the old mouth watering. Is it a coincidence that the two sides that play with the most flair both have a name that also begins with F? It is, really, but coincidences are vanilla. Expect fireworks (also begins with F) and some frantic, frenzied play from both sides.
But what those two sides look like is not exactly what you’d hope for. Semi Radrada has tested positive for the Rona so misses out, and Peceli Yato dropped out of the Fiji squad earlier. On top of that, a good number of the squad tested positive for the Rona a couple of weeks ago and a scheduled warm-up game v Portugal got canned as a result.
Still, they’ve got the marvellous Tuisova on the wing, and he’s turning out alongside eight other players who earn a baguette in France.
The hosts, meanwhile, look set to name a fairly strong side, surprising to me as there’s a reported agreement between the FFR and the clubs limiting how many games players can appear in this autumn. You’ve got to trust Foxy Fabien Galthie, a coach who, it seems, has worked out a plan for the great under-achievers of the 2010s. What will double definitely happen: The commentators will spend a lot of time talking about how great Antoine Dupoint is.
As foretold by TomPirracas
Onna telly this week
Friday 13th November
| Griquas v Sharks | 16:55 | Sky Sports Arena |
| Ireland v Wales | 19:00 | Channel 4 / S4C |
Saturday 14th November
| New Zealand v Argentina | 06:10 | Sky Sports Arena |
| Italy v Scotland | 12:45 | Amazon Prime |
| France v England (women) | 13:15 | BBC Two |
| Lions v Pumas | 14:25 | Sky Sports Arena |
| England v Georgia | 15:00 | Amazon Prime |
| Stormers v Cheetahs | 16:55 | Sky Sports Arena |
| Connacht v Scarlets | 19:35 | Premier Sports 2 |
Sunday 15th November
| Munster v Ospreys | 14:45 | S4C / FreeSports |
| Glasgow v Dragons | 18:30 | Premier Sports 2 |
Monday 16th November
| Zebre v Ulster | 18:00 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Leinster v Edinburgh | 20:15 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Cardiff v Treviso | 20:15 | Premier Sports 1 |
Ovally Balls 
Cheers for the preview Tom
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Good wordsTom.
What stood out for me was :
“… as stand-out stand-off Finn Russell had been stood down after standing a couple too many beers.”
In a nutshell, what makes English at the same time easy to learn ( just one verb) and impossibly hard to grasp.
Too bad France/Fiji has been cancelled but I guess we should be grateful to be able to see some rugby.
Don’t forget your Superbru picks!
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Fun fact: Alun Wyn has played in 19% of all Welsh test matches … ever.
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Is this a surprise to anyone?
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/nov/13/geordan-murphy-ends-23-years-at-liecester-with-abrupt-departure
Look like Steve “SB” Borthwick will now be the Heid Honcho.
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Also, and perhaps more importantly, new AC/DC album out today. Will get it tomorrow. By all accounts, Brian won’t be frightening the bats with his voice this time.
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Nice to see Ireland’s Call being done in the style of a John Lewis Christmas ad.
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Stockdale oot! Quick, amend the ATL!
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Also Henderson oot, which is far more worrying.
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The only Ulsterman on the team sheet is Billy Burns on the bench. Where’s Herring?
Wales by 25.
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Maybe when the two teams stop trying to out macho each other and quit the stupid shoving off the ball, we might get a game of rugby.
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Think Sexton’s passed and ran with the ball more tonight than I’ve seen him do in ages. Still should have scored there though.
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Sexton still has it, he’s making spacing against a very quick rush
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Ooh, this is fun.
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Ticht – yep, he did well there.
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Murray done , Ireckon. Gibson Park is really crisp, Irish backline looking good because of it.
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Is this Lowe’s first cap?
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WhyTF is Gibson-Parke there instead of Cooney?
But a try!
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In between the needless penalties from both sides it’s fairly obvious we’re going to get a fearful hiding.
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Wales a bit unlucky there perhaps, fairly sure the Irish player who was tackled straight after the scrum regathered the ball on the ground.
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Yes, Lowe’s first cap. Of what I imagine will be plenty.
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That’s three of our lineouts and two scrums we’ve lost in 25 minutes.
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Harsh on HalfP there ref.
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This is not the ‘Ulsterman’ I want to see on the pitch.
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BILLY
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Was that scrum different to the other two? I always struggle with understanding that stuff.
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Pivac’s going to have to hook Carre and Elias, can’t go on like this.
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Big 2002/2006 vibe about it, CMW.
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Appalling.
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Very close to being another try for Ireland. Wales all over the place here.
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There’s nothing in the laws about “control” when scoring
It wasn’t a try, but that thing bugs me
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What a load of shite.
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I thought the Ireland player in the lineout did knock it on, but as they ruled he didn’t it should have been an Ireland scrum for the following Welsh knock on.
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On the replay, I thought it was the correct decision.
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It doesn’t matter anyway, Ireland will win by thirty without needing to be good.
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Why wasn’t it a scrum for Ireland if there was no knock-on as the ball was brought behind the try line by a Welsh player?
Not the game I hoped it could be.
Almost willing to watch Castres/Bordeaux instead .
Almost.
If it wasn’t Castres, I might.
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@Flair – They gave it as the Irish player knocking on while trying to ground the ball.
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Thaum, update on testing here. Drove past local healthcare centre today and they had signs out for free testing. Popped in and had one. Asked why they were doing it, and the guy said that the local hospital was swamped this morning with 250 people queuing for tests sent by their providers, and decision was taken to open it up. Presumeably decisions taken at state level, don’t know Apparently queues of over 100 yds earlier.
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Good, good, good, good, Jesus Fucking Christ.
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Wales were even worse when they finally won a lineout than when they then coughed up a penalty at the folowing scrum!
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Harsh penalty.
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SBT – incredible for such a rich country. Except not incredible, because I know what it’s like there.
Bet it really matters which state you live in.
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Both the posts and the touchline seem to be out of range from halfway.
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Bring Sheedy on.
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Nice from Doris.
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Good work from Doris
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Think Elias was to blame for that as well. He’s off now. Gareth Davies was lucky to still be on after half time too though.
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Whip crack away!
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What the fuck was that kick from Gareth Davies?
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You on the Deadwood stage, BB?
It was the other Doris
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Better from Wales.
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