Round Three Redux? Round Five-and-three-quarters? In any case, Welsh fans will be biting their nails, or any other available substance, and wondering if France can win with a bonus point and 21 points to deprive them of the title.
Scotland will no doubt have plenty to say about this, as a win with a six-point points advantage will put them second on the table (giving them their best finish in the Six Nations), supposing France don’t score a LBP.
Sadly, both teams can finish above Ireland. Maybe we should just cancel this match.
And maybe we should support France to wind up the OH.
Onna telly this week
Friday 26th March
| Gloucester v Exeter | 17:30 | BT Sport 3 |
| France v Scotland | 20:00 | BBC1 |
Saturday 27th March
| Glasgow v Treviso | 13:45 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Bristol v Harlequins | 14:00 | BT Sport 1 |
| London Irish v Bath | 15:00 | BT Sport Extra |
| Worcester v Northampton | 15:00 | BT Sport Extra |
| Wasps v Sale | 16:30 | BT Sport1 |
| Leinster v Munster | 17:00 | Premier Sports 1 |
Sunday 28th March
| Dragons v Edinburgh | 14:00 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Leicester v Newcastle | 15:00 | BT Sport 1 |
Ovally Balls 
Actually considerably better than the days when there’d be a panic if Dan Parks or Godman got crocked.
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Dan Parks = legend
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That’s why there’d be a panic if he got crocked.
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“Think that video might be remembered for something other than the song…..”
True, it’s not often you see a marimba in a rock band, or at least in a band not called Jethro Tull
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Pffft. Chris Paterson could fill in, although that probably meant Southwell at full back. Yes, not a good time for Scotland fans. No problem as Ruaridh Jackson’ll be along soon.
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Chimpie, at the moment we’ve got Price, Horne is back from injury, Scot Steele did okay. Behind them there are some real prospects coming through, Shiel and Dobie, Frostwick at Edinburgh and probably a few others I don’t know about.
Fly half is a bit bare in terms of front liners after Finn and Hastings, we’ll skip lightly past Jaco and Ross Thompson has put in a few assured performances for Glasgow. I like the look of Chamberlain and the Scottish Aussie Charlie Savala has looked decent, he turns 21 in a week or so, it’s rumoured that he will play in the Rainbow Cup games
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Dobie looks like he could be the biz. Thompson looks to have very good skill set & decision making skills. Even saw him run a bit too. Good kicker. Chamberlain looks more of a running type than a game manager. maybe more of a toonie & thompson more of a Chalmers type. Only saw about 5 minutes of Savala so hard to form an impression.
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@Ticht
Cpt. Beefheart’s Magic Band (later a.k.a. Mallard) had Ed Marimba on drums.
Also, seem to remember ‘Intro Outro’ had someone on marimba?
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John Wayne on xylophone but not sure about marimba. Horace Bachelor on percussion perhaps.
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Horace Bachelor always get a sort of mention when we drove from Dorset to Bristol or Wales. Just after Bath.
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Batchelor, the internet tells me.
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well, here we are:
https://genius.com/The-bonzo-dog-doo-dah-band-the-intro-and-the-outro-lyrics
– and no marimba – what were they thinking?
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Jack Nowell set to return vs. Wasps this w/end……………..
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“Some England players may miss out on the British and Irish Lions tour because of poor Six Nations form while there will be more Scots picked than in 2017” says head coach Warren Gatland.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/56731932
SA by whitewash, then.
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SA by whitewash, then.
I desperately hope you’re right. I’m dreading that you’re wrong. I hope rugby is the winner.*
*by rugby, I obviously mean the Springboks.
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Speaking of legends
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I don’t agree with this red card variation. It does seem like a tacit admission that players are getting red cards too often, though. Maybe an amber card could be introduced?
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Thaum – 10 mins on the bench and then the ref kicks the players inna nuts before they come back on?
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What would the laws be for the women’s game, then?
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Not crazy about the temporary red card – most red cards are from high tackles and dangerous play – which we’re trying to eliminate and we’re heading down the “oh, it ruins the game” route.
“back in the day” – when most red cards came from throwing a dig – 20 mins on the sideline might have been a suitable punishment especially as you couldn’t then run off to be first in the showers….
Goal-line drop out – let’s see it work. Doesn’t mention explicitly how far the other team have to retire – 5 metres I presume.
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trisk,
this is how it works in NZ Super Rugby. The defenders are 5 m back and can’t charge:
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Today’s learning has been about the sneaker resale market and digital sneakers.
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Digital sneakers – do you mean the Russians, or proctologists?
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Thaum – it would similar.
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Thauma, you made me spit coffee onto my keyboard with that last comment!
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Gobby 9 Aaron Smith spins a pass out from the ruck to his 10 to clear from behind the goal line, only to have the pass intercepted and flopped on by his opposite number. 7-0 Blues, but the Highlanders respond with a penalty soon afterwards for 3-7 after 10 minutes and then Smith redeems himself* by taking a tap penalty from 10 out, recycling and getting Himeno to flop over for the try. Converted and the Highlanders are 10-7 up after 15 minutes in Otago.
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‘Landers with the bit between their teeth now and putting huge pressure on the Blues with phase and phase of bashing and generally getting over the advantage line. Scrum-five after the Blues carried the ball back over the tryline. Reset. Who’da thunk? A few phases of smash and grab later, an offside penalty under the posts and gobby-9 Smith* takes another tap. Knock on and the Blues have the scrum.
*Is there any other type of 9? Or Smith?
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Stray boot seems to have led to the knock-on – could be a penalty try? Nope, I suppose the whole side was behind the line, but Hoskins Sotutu gets the yellow for the deliberate foul. Doesn’t have the Ruchie jacket yet. Highlanders take the scrum with a man advantage under the posts. Good quick passing off the scrum and Josh Ioane is over! 15-7 with a relative simple conversion missed.
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It’s the Ioane show tonight! Akira busts through a couple of tackles inside the 22 and gets the ball back in space for a couple of passes and Rieko crashes over! Try converted and it’s 15-14 with a few minutes of the first half left. Importantly, the Blues have just about got through the sin bin and outscored the Highlanders 7-5 in the process!
They bust downfield from the restart and get turned over just short of the line- this match is swinging faster than a Kentish supper club!
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The Prince Philip-designed Land Rover hearse is something.
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Just before the break Gobby-Smith (who apart from the hospital pass early on has been superb tonight) breaks off the back of a ruck, draws the defence and slings a no-look pass inside for the winger coming off his wing and into space to step inside and score. Really slick. Highlanders go into the break 22-17 up.
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Sustained pressure from the Highlanders and they’re over in the corner! So much of that pressure had to do with Smith the Gobbier zinging passes out with pace, precision and quickly from the base – created overlaps where none really existed. Superb 9 play.
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27-17, with another missed conversion although this one was from the touchline. Highlanders botch the reception from restart and Blues have a promising scrum position on the ‘Landers 22. They go wide and knock it on, but will come back for the penalty.
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May have missed a couple of minutes there, they’re checking for grounding by the Blues. Held up and we have the goal line drop out. Sotutu runs it back at them and makes good ground, but a couple of phases later and the defence of the Landers overruns the Blues ball carrier and wins the turnover penalty. A fraction of a second slower getting the ball away from the ruck and the defence is all over you. Had to take a call and the Blues scored whilst I was torn from my screen. 30-24 Highlanders with 7 minutes left.
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Blues replacement prop gets a deserved red for launching a shoulder charge at the ball carriers face. No attempt to use the arms, two other defenders already tackling him, just bloody stupid (at best; thuggish at worst). But you feel that’s the game as the Highlanders set up the attacking lineout 5m out. And indeed, a few well worked phases later, they’re over, the game is over and if I was that prop, I’d start walking back to Auckland before the rest get off the park. Another conversion missed, 35-24 with a couple of minutes left.
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35-29, so the Blues get a losing BP at the death. Some good rugby, with Sotutu and Ioane in the forwards excellent and Aaron Smith a class apart behind the fatties.
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I’m out of touch with rugby in the Southern Hemisphere, but the name Garden-Bachop made me prick up my ears in that clip of the goal line drop out.
Heilanders fullback/wing Connor Garden-Bachop, son of Stephen Bachop, nephew of Graeme Bachop, so wiki tells me.
Also major Mauger relatives there too
The lad is injured for the remainder of the season
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@refitman – are you in the gnome office, by any chance?
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here’s the opening for all of us to show off our memory of David Bowie’s puns….
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Embra’s Frazer McKenzie has had to retire at 33 after 119 appearances over two stints at the club he grew up supporting. He also played for Sale and Newcastle.
He represented Scotland at U19, U20 and Scotland A
He is one of those players who might not be an international star, but he will give 100% for his team every time he is on the park. He surprised Cockerill with his work ethic when Cockers came to Edinburgh, and that led to him being a favourite pick when the internationals were away.
He’s going gnome to Dunfermline.
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all that travel – from Edinburgh to Sale and Newcastle and back to Edinburgh …. (you know what’s coming..)
Bit of a gnome-ad (badoom-tsh!)
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Beadles Boys to play Brookters Baddies.
Gloucester Rugby
15. Santiago Carreras
14. Louis Rees-Zammit *
13. Chris Harris
12. Mark Atkinson
11. Jonny May *
10. George Barton *
9. Charlie Chapman *
1. Val Rapava-Ruskin
2. Jack Singleton
3. Fraser Balmain
4. Ed Slater
5. Alex Craig *
6. Jack Clement *
7. Lewis Ludlow (c) *
8. Ruan Ackermann
16. Henry Walker *
17. Alex Seville *
18. Jamal Ford-Robinson
19. Matt Garvey
20. Ben Morgan
21. Willi Heinz
22. Billy Twelvetrees
23. Kyle Moyle
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Big Ben!!!
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‘your’ Exeter team to face Wasps:
15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Facundo Cordero, 13 Henry Slade, 12 Ollie Devoto, 11 Tom O’Flaherty
10 Joe Simmonds (capt), 9 Jack Maunder
1 Alec Hepburn, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 3 Harry Williams, 4 Sam Skinner, 5 Jonny Hill, 6 Dave Ewers, 7 Jacques Vermeulen, 8 Sam Simmonds
16 Jack Yeandle, 17 Ben Moon, 18 Tomas Francis, 19 Jonny Gray, 20 Sean Lonsdale, 21 Stu Townsend, 22 Harvey Skinner, 23 Jack Nowell**
**huzzah!
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I’d never have guessed who this is:
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Looks inbred.
New post in 10 mins. Really. Not much of a new post, but a new post.
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