2020 was a fabulous year. If you’re a highly contagious virus. For the rest of us, it meant lockdowns, Brexit, and – most importantly – severe disruption to the rugby schedule.
The Six Nations finished on Hallowe’en, and we had an odd Autumn Nations Cup, in which one nation never played. Leagues were all over the place. Mostly, fans are still not allowed to attend matches, even when those matches have not been cancelled.
On the up side, the Saracens got relegated.
And there is the sheer beauty of this to end the year (thank you, Beeb):
Meanwhile, the OvallyBalls mascot is on the scent of newsworthy items.
She has been paying attention to recent news items, including this article, which contains the following snippet:
This requires not only forwards tracing (identifying who you might have given the infection to) but also backwards tracing (where you got it from).
Obviously, tracing both backwards and forwards is her forté, but it has caused her to wonder if, in rugby, we should refer to the forwards and the backwardses. Or be like the French, and call them the in-fronts and the behinds. She likes behinds.
But enough of that shite….
A new year has just emerged, squalling and puking in the manner of these things, and we have been finally shat completely out of the EU, but we do have the hope of vaccines (along with the knowledge that the Tories will inevitably fuck up the distribution).
And now Chimpie has a fully erect Melbury (no, me neither) that he is preserving and oiling. So that’s good news for him, even if the rest of us may wonder what the purpose of this ‘Melbury’ is.
I raise a glass to all the contributors and lurkers of OvallyBalls, with best wishes for 2021 for yourselves and those you care about*.
Happy new year!
*Except where that involves teams playing Ulster or Ireland.
Onna telly this week
Friday 1st January
| Bristol v Newcastle | 15:00 | BT Sport Extra |
| Scarlets v Dragons | 17:15 | S4C / Premier Sports 1 |
| Cardiff v Ospreys | 19:35 | S4C / Premier Sports 1 |
Saturday 2nd January
| Pumas v Lions | 12:00 | Sky Sports Mix |
| Treviso v Zebre | 13:00 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Wasps v Exeter | 14:00 | BT Sport 2 |
| Sharks v Griquas | 14:30 | Sky Sports Mix |
| Edinburgh v Glasgow | 15:00 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Gloucester v Sale | 16:30 | BT Sport 2 |
| Cheetahs v Western Province | 17:00 | Sky Sports Mix |
| Ulster v Munster | 17:15 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Leinster v Connacht | 19:35 | Premier Sports 2 |
Sunday 3rd January
| Leicester v Bath | 15:00 | BT Sport 1 |
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pip pip!
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for all you Scots -and anyone else:
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and……………..
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g,night!
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Had to look that up, thought you were peddling fake news. Lordy. Glaws must be good.
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Happy New Year to all Ovally Ballers (I suppose that’s the natural successor term to “AoDers”)
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Choon, SBT! Off to bed now….
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Trisk – I’m happy for us to be called AoDers; it’s just that the name was taken.
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Morning all! A fabulous day and a glorious New Year! Apart from the hangover, looming rain and lack of booze in the shops. But never fear! It’s 2021! We can officially start The Great Lions Debate! And for once I’m not talking about the Pride of Joburg (and all other sensible locations, which excludes Pretoria by default); no my lovelies – the Brexit and Irish Lions!
Who will emerge as the hero of the tour a la RO’G in 2007? Who will emerge as the villain of the piece, a la RO’G 2007? How many times will the British press bring up Burger’s gouge? Or Bakkies clear out? How long before a legion of Bok fans finds a conspiracy in the refereeing appointments? How many Scots will tour outside of the commentary teams and support staff? How many Saffers will make the Lions squad? Send answers, in detailed written format to Thauma on a regular basis with pictures attached. Each answer to be around 700 words.
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HNY, OBers.
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Let’s start this new year as we mean to go on, shall we?
“Who will emerge as the hero of the tour a la RO’G in 2007”
2007?
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And best headline of 2020:
https://www.iol.co.za/sport/rugby/currie-cup/perhaps-the-rugby-gods-are-bulls-fans-e85ba9ea-4b06-4019-90bb-ca8a5f0b2e3b
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Good day all!
Enjoyed a 4hr zoom with friends in Brexitland 9covering 2 midnights).
My good lady and I consumed 2 bottles of champers, half a bottle of Gewurz. and a platter of foi gras.
Head’s a bit ‘off’ this morning………
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Might be interesting to see how young Toby Flood gets on against Bristol today………………………..
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As if Brexit, Covid, and turn of the year crap weather wasn’t enough, I seem to have been persuaded that dry January is the thing to do.
Happy New year all.
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Hmmm. Seems I had too much bubbly last night. 2009 of course. 2007 wasn’t a shabby rugby year either though.
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Ticht, I’m doing a dry January as well. Dry white wine and dry martinis.
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In place of the Hogmanay celebrations Edinburgh commissioned a different way of marking the turn of the year, click on the videos “Farewell”, parts 1 to 3
https://www.edinburghshogmanay.com/whats-on
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No point in messing around guys, I’m doing dry 3 months.
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‘your’ Exeter team to face Wasps:
15 Tom O’Flaherty, 14 Olly Woodburn, 13 Tom Hendrickson, 12 Ollie Devoto, 11 Ian Whitten
10 Joe Simmonds MBE, 9 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne
1 Alec Hepburn, 2 Jack Yeandle (capt), 3 Marcus Street, 4 Will Witty, 5 Don Armand,, 6 Dave Ewers, 7 Richard Capstick, 8 Sam Simmonds
16 Jack Innard, 17 James Kenny, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Tom Price, 20 Rus Tuima, 21 Jack Maunder, 22 Harvey Skinner, 23 Josh Hodge
Nowell, Vermeulen, Hogg and Kirsten out injured
LC-D, Williams, Slade, Hill, Skinner, Gray rested.
A searching test for the 2nd/3rd team and a grand moment for Joe Simmonds to have a stinker.
BUT, the return of Thomas Francis.
Wasps by 15
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Hoy!
My access from France to BT Sport is now blocked thanks to Brexit.
Thanks very much!
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Well, that’s quite the start from Bristol. Falcons regathered the kick-off well and were working across the park, when Sheedy shot out the line to intercept. He gave it to Nalango to score in under 45 secs.
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@Slade – http://cricfree.live/watchfeeds/index/94
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Refit
thanks!- but tried your link – and it’s not connecting
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Now that was a try
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Oh no!
A forward pass
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Fabulous Brizzle try!
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Someone’s ahead of me…!
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Bristol score a fantastic team try with offloads everywhere, like a team of Finns!
Shame one of them was forward though…
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Quick to the breakdown as ever…
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I’m hearing Bristol may have scored a great try.
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Rumours that it’s been chalked off.
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I had a very sound theory about outside halves that play with their socks around their ankles – they were skilful but flakey. Callum Sheedy’s shattered that.
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allegedly
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Glad you are enjoying life, Sladey (seriously). I would like to wean you off the foie gras though, as a bird lover.
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Iksy
We make our own foie gras from ducks raised by our neighbour – free-range / hand reared and no forcing involved so I don’t feel bad. Plus we also of course get the magrets and thighs.
The ideal would be to go back to the original format, where ducks and geese gorged themselves on ripe/over-ripe figs. A very few farms do this in SW France and Spain but the produce is even more expensive.
Cheap foie gras – you get what you pay for – the equivalent of veal and pig crates (as used in Holland for example)
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Scarlets-Dragons not a great advert for Welsh rugby. 20-3 in the end though that included a try right at the death by a child that Scarlets had brought on to play outside half. He looked good. Gareth Davies also looked a cut above when he came on which is by no means always the case. Dragons had chances to get back into it, but took poor options off the couple of breaks they made, something that was also an issue for the Scarlets along with lots of dropped balls by both sides and the rucks being a horrible mess. Lots of kicking back and forth between players waiting for it, often finished with a kick that may as well have been the first one as the seventh.
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I gave up eating veal years ago when living in the US, when I found out what happened to the poor creatures. (Which was difficult, because I love veal.) But I have recently discovered that there is more ethical veal available in the EU.
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Which you might not be able to get now……
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Actually, the UK has higher welfare standards than the EU, but both are far better than the US’s.
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(Now I’ve googled it.)
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Serious question: is veal less ethical than lamb?
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Now I’m normally up for talking about anything that isn’t rugby, but as a meat-eater in denial I have to say this particular conversation is shouting RUGBY! at me more so than almost any other.
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Which is a shame as I’m leaving the O’s game for later tonight when I think it appears on S4C.
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I’ve only eaten veal once, very nice though it was. My neighbours don’t keep ducks and I wouldn’t eat their livers if they did (neither the ducks’ nor the neighbours’). So I’m in the clear.
*Shuts eyes and sticks fingers in ears*
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Deebs – yes, in many cases, veal are kept in tiny crates & only fed milk, with the result that their digestive systems don’t develop. Pretty sure lambs generally roam freely with their kind.
CMW – think S4C is broadcasting now?
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We have friends who keep ducks (and chickens, and sheep – and alpacas), but they are strictly pets and don’t get eaten. Well, their eggs do. (Not the alpacas’.)
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(Nor the sheep’s!)
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Sheep’s eggs?!? Now there’s a gap in the market waiting to be filled. Pretty sure I could get some ‘Murcans to buy them….
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