The briefest of all possible previews.
Georgia v Fiji
Fiji are a very good side, but have not played a test match due to their Covid problems. Georgia were much improved last week. Georgia by 5.
Ireland v Scotland
Both sides looking rather pedestrian at the moment. With the inexplicable void where Hamish McFuckface should be, as well as the return of Sexton and Ireland’s home advantage (and despite the dropping of McCloskey), Ireland by 10.
Wales v Italy
Wales by 25. You know why.
England v France
With France putting out a C side, there is not much doubt: England by 15. Although I suspect France will throw some surprises England’s way.
Onna telly this week
Friday 4th December
| Bristol 18 – 17 Saints | ||
| Connacht 31 – 14 Treviso |
Saturday 5th December
| Australia v Argentina | 08:45 | Sky Sports Arena |
| Georgia v Fiji | 12:00 | Sky Sports Arena |
| Ireland v Scotland | 14:15 | Amazon Prime |
| Bulls v Cheetahs | 14:30 | Sky Sports Arena |
| Leicester v Exeter | 15:00 | BT Sport Extra |
| Wasps v Newcastle | 15:00 | BT Sport Extra |
| Worcester v Bath | 15:00 | BT Sport Extra |
| Wales v Italy | 16:45 | S4C / Amazon Prime |
| Golden Lions v Western Province | 17:00 | Sky Sports Arena |
| Glasgow v Dragons | 19:15 | Premier Sports 1 |
Sunday 6th December
| England v France | 14:00 | Amazon Prime |
| London Irish v Sale | 14:30 | BT Sport Extra |
| Gloucester v Harlequins | 16:15 | BT Sport 1 |
Ovally Balls 
@dab
That’s what students are for. You need to work on your persuading skills.
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Gulp.
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DAB
I used to do things like project manage in old excel and it was not great.
I discovered MS Project in about 2000 and thought it was great. I am not techie and thought it easy to use (once I’d planned my headings/groupings on a piece of paper first!). And it had colours! I don’t know what it is like now – I’m 20 years out of date. If I needed to project manage, that is where I would head first.
I don’t know how it compares now.
Excel is not designed for Project Management – ask Dildo Harding.
Frankly, I find current Excel confusing – too clever for its own good and really just an accounting tool on steroids.
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accounting tool on steroids
I’m probably mid to advanced level user in excel.
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I also wrote the policy governing End User Computing spreadsheets in my last place and have spent the last 6 months arguing with the Head Of Data Governance that she doesn’t understand the risks associated to spreadsheets.
And I can’t quite work out how it came to this. How fucking boring.
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“accounting tool on steroids
I’m probably mid to advanced level user in excel.”
So now you just need to take the steroids.
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Baxter (Exeter) and Boyd (Saints) on head injuries etc:
https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/55258007
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@Slade – I’m sure they’re right in what they say, but is it enough?
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@Slade – right, I’ll give that a go next time!
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Ticht
Sounds to me like someone wanting to write an ATL. ;-)
Re Excel v Project, no-one in their right mind would choose Excel for project management, but Project is expensive. It’s also flaky as hell (or was about 7 or 8 years ago when I last used it, having thankfully now abdicated project management).
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I think it was at the point when you chose to ‘level resources’ that everything always went seriously to hell. Always save before that point.
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Hopley’s been saying stuff to the BBC today about this:
Hopley’s been in his role with the RPA since he set it up 22 years ago. That’s good going.
This is from yesterday’s Telegraph:
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CMW
is it enough – I don’t know but it demonstrates that some change has happened and that some care.
Also, these seem to be two of the happier clubs – is there a connection?
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Thaum
I’m sure you are much wiser than me on this subject (and probably most others!) but – you get what you pay for is usually a fair indicator
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‘@Chimpie: All those managementy terms put the willies up me! I hope nobody asks me about any of them in a meeting. If they do, what do I say??’
Just say ‘speak plain English please, you wazzock’ and all will be fine.
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Barbara Windsor RIP
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Had a meeting with a couple of American consultants a couple of weeks ago. They work for one of the large ‘development’ consultancies, which seem to specialise in sending overpaid staff to exotic locations to have pissing contests over who has travelled more, who has seen more and who is more in tune with whichever country they’re currently residing in 5 star hotels in. At one point I wasn’t sure what language they were talking: all the words were English (US version), but it made absolutely no sense whatsoever. When you’ve asked 25 times “Do you mean…?” and they say “Yes”, you’d think they would just say it in plain language, but the discombobulating obfuscation of their discourse seemed to mask the fact that they actually didn’t have a fucking clue what they were on about.
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Boks have unveiled their jersey for next year’s B&I Lions tour. I like it. I don’t like the absolute load of bollocks that accompanies it in the marketing drivel.
https://www.news24.com/sport/rugby/britishandirishlions2021/unique-springbok-jersey-unveiled-for-2021-lions-series-20201211
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flair,
Returning to the nationa thing from the other week, you might like the look of this. It’s an interview with a very interesting thinker (and top writer) Tom Nairn:
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/its-time-to-break-up-britain/
Also, I finally got around to Alex Niven’s New Model Britain, which is pretty good.
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Shame about Barbara Windsor. She’s very good in Sparrows Can’t Sing. And funny in the Carry Ons.
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We got the co-ro in my house. 4 year-old tested positive for it on Monday. I’d been feeling under the weather since middle of last week, Mrs Dab since Monday, so we got tested on Tuesday. Hers came back positive, mine negative. How annoying is that???? I definitely have it! So I’ve bought an antibody test to prove it.
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@dab
What tests have your family had – PCR or LFT?
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Deebs, I like it too. I think the shirts SA wore in their first ever Test, before South Africa existed, was blue.
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DAB
tough – hope you are all ok – especially wife and child!
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I’m sure we can all hope that fairness prevails in Dabs household…..
And his family get better obvs. You horrible lot!
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Dabber, tough news. Stay safe.
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Some out of character deep thinking from the Hask here.
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Thanks folks. We are all fine. None of us has had a cough, funnily enough – just tired and headachey. @OT PCR, I think – it was the standard NHS test.
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@dab
talking purely from a statistical perspective:
– PCR gives big false positives and tiny numbers of false negatives (it’s a highly sensitive technique)
– LFT gives low false positives but bigger false negatives
So given you tested negative it’s more likely the positive tests are false positives. Bear in mind nobody in the world appears to be getting diagnosed with flu anymore so it could be that as well.
But given you have ordered an antibody test that should prove the covid question once and for all! Make sure you tell us the result so we can test our various hypotheses.
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Cheers OT. Bearing in mind I think symptoms started last Wednesday, by Tuesday it might have been too late to do the PCR test. I also might not have poked myself in the right way with the swab. But I’ve had all the same symptoms Mrs Dab has had, a few days ahead of her, and had very little sense of smell on Thursday and Friday, so bearing in mind two members of the household have tested positive, I think it very unlikely that I haven’t had it.
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He’s always worth listening to but the story and discussion from 21 minutes 15 here is very funny. It fits in with certain discussions that have been held on here:
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Shit Dab, horrible news – here’s to a speedy recovery!
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@dab
Losing the sense of smell is a bit of a giveaway.,….at least you’ll be immune now and won’t need a vaccine.
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How long does immunity last, OT? Over here they say 3 months of freedom and then be a little careful again.
Taste seems to be a slightly better clue. Sense of smell can go with a cold or flu, but some people can’t taste a difference between bitter and sweet with the ‘rona. Friend of mine here had it. Couldn’t taste a difference between tea and coffee a few weeks after she was all clear.
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@tomp
t cell immunity lasts at least 9 months ( that’s all the data we have so far obviously). SARS-COV-1 t cell immunity lasts for around 17 years and counting (again that’s all the data we have). From my very basic understanding of immunology it’s normal for genuine t cell immunity to viruses to last a lifetime or until your immune system declines for some reason.
That 3 month range seems to apply to antibodies which (with viruses) peak after infection and then decline over time.
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Thanks Deebee. Honestly, we are fine so far. I’m feeling pretty normal now, having taken paracetamol to clear up a headache this morning. Mrs Dab basically feels like she’s got a hangover, which is what I felt like for a week. 4 year old had one temperature spike and has been otherwise fine.
The smell thing was a weird one. I could still smell strong smells right under my nose and could still taste things, but it was definitely blunted. Throughout, I’ve used that Boots double defence nasal spray, so maybe that’s stopped symptoms being any worse.
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I know you’ve been waiting…………….
‘your’ Exeter side to play Glasgow:
15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Olly Woodburn, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Devoto, 11 Tom O’Flaherty
10 Joe Simmonds, 9 Jack Maunder
1 Alec Hepburn, 2 Jack Yeandle (capt),3 Harry Williams, 4 Jonny Gray, 5 Sam Skinner, 6 Dave Ewers, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 8 Sam Simmonds
16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ben Moon, 18 Marcus Street, 19 Jonny Hill, 20 Richard Capstick, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Harvey Skinner, 23 Ian Whitten
Nice to see Jacques Vermeulen back after injury. Nowell still on injury list. Townsend suspended after being wound up by Tigers last week. Kirsten and Francis out.
Too many Scots: Glasgow to lose.
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Even more Scots in the Glasgow team. Gonna get whupped
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I wonder what the old boys feel about playing against Glasgow and I wonder how the current Glasgow team will respond
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Do Scots have feelings?
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No. we’re like robots.
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Glasgow’s form is in the toilet (as is Embra’s). No depth [1].
Gonna get whupped.
[1] especially as Exeter keep nicking their top players.
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good
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@tomp
You’ve got me listening to Alexei Sayle’s podcast now, and it’s absolutely glorious. I don’t agree with everything his espouses but his rather colourful descriptions of members of the establishment (Peston, Kuensberg, Starmer, Rory Stewart etc) are absolutely superb and accurate.
I’ve always liked Alexei Sayle.
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Nige retired.
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Am listening to Alexei Sayle. The main point I’m getting is that he’s wasting his time with kung-fu and should focus on mma.
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Fine words from Imran Ahmad Khan, Conservative MP for Wakefield:
“I stand with millions of Britons that are deeply insulted at the shocking news that the German Chancellor has refused the British Prime Minister’s request for a telephone call. This is an insult to every Briton, whether they support our PM or not.
Have our EU “friends” no regard or respect for the UK and our nations’ sacrifices that permit them to live in freedom and prosperity today, safely away from the shadow of totalitarianism?
The EU’s contemptuous treatment of the UK makes it clear there cannot be a deal until it accepts the UK as a sovereign equal and awards us the respect and regard we merit.”
Clearly, a man of towering intellect.
Good grief!
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I deeply regret the UK’s decision to leave the EU and have no doubt that the statecraft of our representatives throughout the negotiations has been poor, but I’m also deeply unimpressed with the hypocrisy and goalpost-shifting of the EU. The expectation that the UK should accept so much more EU control than Canada in terms of the ‘level playing field’ (and the bloody fish) for roughly the same trade access has no basis in justice. I can’t see how a deal is possible, and ultimately, for all the utter dickheadery of our side, I think the blame for that will lie more with the EU than the UK.
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Stolen by me:
Give a man a fish and he can eat for a day. But teach him about fishing quotas and he can use that issue to rewire the whole economy in the interests of private capital for a generation.
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Dab – we have 4 ships ready to fuck them up if they come for our fish!!!!
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