What a first round that was: grit, determination, superb skills and complete brainfarts. Think the competition is wide open, and unsure where to make your Superbru picks? Don’t worry, our OvallyBalls experts on crack are here to progrocknIksate what will happen this weekend.
Deebee7 was quick off the mark with his predictions:
England, chastised and sobered by the realisation that they couldn’t simply kick ‘n bosh their way past feisty Scotland pick the biggest side in rugby history so they can KICK ‘N BOSH their way over, through and not around Italy, who, having realised that their first-up tackling was well below par and know what’s coming their way, pick 15 Saffas to BOSH BACK against England. Problem is, they’re playing for Italy because they can’t make it into better sides. England by 47 despite themselves.
Scotland, fresh from the Trashing of Twickers™ are primed, ready, purring and full of confidence for the visit of an abject Welsh side that had to rely on red mist and a brain fart to see off Ireland. The mercenary English Army and Tartan Boks who were apparently the only reason Edward’s Army tripped at Twickers have a solid tight five, fury in the loose forwards, flying outside backs and the Best 10 in the World™ ready to unleash hell on the journeymen from the Valleys. Thing is, it’s not their Game of the Season™ and with all their raison d’etre exhausted last week, Wales will give them the fright of their lives! But not enough to actually win it. Scotland by a couple in a low-scoring affair.
Ireland, stunned by stupidity and seething with intent, await the thoroughbreds of France, fresh from their opening training run against Italy. Expect a titanic struggle up front with neither pack giving an inch (easy on the Karl button, Iks). Ireland should be without Sexton which gives France a HUGE advantage behind the pie-munchers, and with the greyhounds and whippets willing to give it a lash, it could be a long afternoon at the Palindrome. But if the Irish are one thing, it’s bloody minded, determined and fucking difficult to boss around on their home patch (thank dog no World Cups hosted there yet). Too close to call!
Chimpie is more or less in agreement:
Scotland > Wales by 4
This goes against my deep-seated pessimism but got to back form at some point. General cohesion will keep Wales pinned back but usual inability to get points on the board will keep the boyos in it. Wales have some quality players in there and they’ll get over the line a couple of times.
England > Italy by 30
Hope Italy put up more of fight than last week. They’ve got a few bright sparks – like the look of Garbisi – but this is a very young and inexperienced team, too early for them to start pulling out results. England will grind and kick Italy down and run up a respectable score with the Best Fly-Half in the World playing. Eddie will then drop Ford for the next game.
Ireland > France by 2
Yes, I’m going out on a limb here for Ireland without human missile POM to put a shock one over on France. Would it be that much of a shock though? France ran up 35 points against Ireland last time out but there was only an 8 point difference at full time. Ireland at home hurting after last week’s effort vs. Wales, I’m going with a home victory here.
ClydeMillarWynant is ever the misfit:
Wales > Scotland by 1
Entire game takes place in Wales half giving Scotland an impressive 6-0 lead only for LRZ to go the length of the field at the death. Biggar converts from the touchline and bounces around on his space-hoppers to general disgust.
France > Ireland by 6
Ireland are just the sort of miserable bastards to spoil everything by grinding down France and stopping the beautiful game at source. But there’s been positive beaver news today.
England > Italy by 40
Italy are crap.
BorderBoy couldn’t resist bringing Prog into it:
Nazareth > Budgie (by 10)
Genesis > PFM (by 25)
U2 < Lazuli (by 12)
SladeIs#42 is sucking up to the mister:
Wales> Scotland by 4 – winners have enough ‘dog’ to resist Scots missing last week’s adrenalin rush
Ireland > France by 3 – game of the week-end – Ireland a team full of grit and experience
England > Italy by 25 – in reality, score could be anything dependant on tactics adopted: an inaccurate kicking game could make it closer, as could a good performance by Italy up to the 60 minute mark causing confusion in England’s headless ranks. If Italy collapse England could get 70. Whatever, it’s unlikely to be a credit to the Competition. As stated above, Ford will be back to the bench afterwards and George restored.
Craigsman is getting all political on our arses:
Sturgeon > Drakeford by 5LePen Macron > Adams by 10
Bojo > Berlusconi by 15
I was just going to include far right politicians / arseholes. I managed a few arseholes but couldn’t be bothered to Welsh political arseholery.
Sunbeamtim goes for the philosophical approach:
Looks like Big Faz realises that France are going to hammer Ireland whichever way, so has thrown in a 9 and 10 as sacrificial lambs to protect young payers. End of JGP and BB’s International careers ?
Very enthusiastic about all the talk of how disgraceful Italy are, and how they should be thrown out of the comp, and how its a non game for a proper side. I see Italy as being fitter and more coherent than they have ever been, and one step off defensively is all it takes to be hammered by a Tier one side. Setting someone up for a big fall somewhere this season.
Scotland and Wales both hammered by injuries, too close to call, game of the weekend.
Flair99‘s been watching my nightmares:
England by 29
Scotland by 7
France by 11.
Don’t harrumph me, I was wrong twice last week.
Not sure the omission of Sexton and Murray is a good thing for France but it is certainly a good thing for them. Enough of these concussed players blaming the doctors. I hope they recover soon.
Onna telly this week
Friday 12th February
| Gloucester v Bristol | 19:45 | BT Sport 1 |
| Sale v Bath | 20:00 | BT Sport Extra |
Saturday 13th February
| England v Italy | 14:15 | ITV |
| Harlequins v Leicester | 16:00 | BT Sport Extra |
| Exeter v London Irish | 16:15 | BT Sport Extra |
| Scotland v Wales | 16:45 | BBC1 / S4C |
Sunday 14th February
| Worcester v Wasps | 13:00 | BT Sport 1 |
| Ireland v France | 15:00 | ITV |
Ovally Balls 
I seem to remember Frank Bruno and Lenny Henry playing the Romeo and Juliet parts for the balcony scene, though I don’t recall who was who.
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“Brookter, you’re right but those were different times.”
Yes, Brookter needs to realise it was just that the time was wrong.
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@tomp
I read Ugo’s masterpiece earlier and still marvel at that sentence
So many words, so little meaning.
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I am now immune and very very very cold.
Cycled to medical centre into teeth of 50 mph northerly gale blowing straight from an RFU administrator’s arctic heart (20 minutes).
Straight in, got stabbed, straight out (2 minutes).
Cycled home into teeth of 50 mph southerly gale blowing straight from SANZAR administrator’s antarctic heart. (20 minutes).
England got 3 wickets while I was out.
Life is good.
And cold.
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@brookter
Which one did you get, monkey virus or 5G Pfizer upgrade?
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Cricket not going well…
Italy, Scotland and Ireland this week for me.
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OT, Astra Zeneca, I think.
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@CMW
That’s Dire.
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@Brookter – What you gonna do about it?
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Good stuff brookter. It really is very cold out there.
I took the car 200 metres to the coop. Not as brave as you
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@brookter
Good old deactivated monkey adenovirus. I’ve posted this before
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Where the chickens OK, Dova?
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When it’s my turn I want sputnik. Just to be edgy
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Only frozen ones left Tim. Had to pop to the butchers over the road..
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@CMW,
I think I’ll probably just keep the beat.
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“I took the car 200 metres to the coop.
Where the chickens OK?”
Feels like an uncomfortable splicing together of two old jokes.
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@Brookter – as long as you don’t mind the bad company we’re happy to have you back!
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@OT,
It was a bit confusing, TBH. You go into the medical centre and they all crowd around you, pestering you to choose *their* vaccine.
The go faster stripes on the Pfizer one were really cool, and when Vassilii said the Sputnik one would give me abs like Putin I was tempted — who wouldn’t be? But the bloke from AZ assured me that Morse worked on the one from Oxford, so it was easy in the end.
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@Dov,
We’re been at City Wall for years, and they’ve always been really efficient. Can’t praise them highly enough.
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Dova having got his chickens to freeze reminds me I might have to move the colour TV as The Eldest has got her dancing lesson on Zoom in the living room during the England game.
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Too many people and not enough resources in my house, I’ll be watching all the games with zoom calls and some kind of online warfare my son is engaged in, for company. The baby hogs the big tele as that’s where her play pen is.
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Out of interest CMW is the alternative the black and white TV?
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@Dova – I believe the alternative is banging on the bongos like a chimpanzee.
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A worthy pass time also
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In reality I’ll have the game on on the computer while I’m pretending to do housework upstairs. Will probably have to watch the Wales game on the computer as well while cooking.
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4.45 kick-off times are a disaster in the current circumstances.
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Hey CMW, just as a matter of interest, what was your specialty in the railway system ? Bro in law just got transfered to a financial job looking after investment in rolling stock and infrastructure, and knows not a jot about it.
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@CMW,
*That* ain’t working.
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@ST,
You are a brother in law of Grant Shapps?
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Happy Jab Day, Brookter.
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@SBT – It was all signalling infrastructure stuff, mostly do to with level crossings and for the most part though not exclusively pretty antiquated stuff. Also very much the nitty gritty of manufacturing rather than any ‘bigger picture’.
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@Brookter – glad to read you’ve been jabbed.
When it’s my turn I want the one made out of moth cells. I’m pretty sure that as the needle goes in I will be struck by lightening and turn into a moth-based superhero.
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Heh … I’ve just noticed that I’m wearing navy blue. Hope the mister doesn’t get too upset.
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@Brookter
Decades ago (early 80s?) I heard AMND one evening on Radio 4 – it was absolutely magical……………..
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Cheers Dab.
I’ve checked my licence (you get a card marking the date of first and second vaccination, and the type of vaccine you’ve had, presumably to stop you being given a different type next time…) and the bumf they give you and apparently I’ve gained the superpower of expecting England to lose every game they play.
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@brookter
Don’t you get the batch number as well? My father in law showed me his card and was a bit perturbed when I pointed out that was in case it all goes horribly wrong.
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@Slade, I can well believe it. Some of those plays are brilliant to listen to: it’s when you have to watch them that the absurdity gets a bit much. Not just Shakespeare: I read a lot of Science Fiction and love it, but most SFF films leave me cold, because the director’s imagination isn’t as good as mine, and it’s impossible to avoid the absurdity of that obvious design flaw in the Death Star when it’s up on the big screen.
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@OT,
Yes, the batch number is on there, too.
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CMW- Ha, my uncle was signal engineer to donkeys years, was still doing consultancy stuff into his 80s. You may well have crossed paths at some point. Haven’t seen him for years, but he’s still around, 93 I think. Him and me dad both started work for Southern before nationalisation. Dads greatest rugby achievement/memory was playing for a British Railways XV in Paris against the French Railways alongside a couple of Welsh internationals.
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Nice of you to point that out, OT. Don’t get long with the in-laws ?
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@sbt
Haha, family relations are all fine thankfully. I can be a bit unnuanced when communicating sometimes though…..
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Seems a bit daft to social distance during anthems when they are about to get all sweaty and heavy breathing all over each other for the next hour and a half.
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Forza Italia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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My predictions looking solid
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Fire Daly into the sun, pleeeeeease.
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Fucking hell.
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Well, that’s started well.
I see we’re not bothering with forward passes today.
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What a start for Italy!
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Lovely.
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Yeah, thought that first up, Brookter, but nicely backwards out of hands on replay.
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