Since there’s nothing else worth watching this weekend (Ulster’s season having finished), Flair99 has some top tips on Top14 matches:
Three intriguing games in France this week-end.
Friday at 20:45: Racing vs Stade Français
The winner gets to the semi, the loser goes on vacation (about time). So Paris vs Paris, about 5kms separate their two stadia. Subplot, Fickou who played 90% of the season for Stade now plays for Racing. Probable winner: Racing.
Saturday 17:45: Biarritz vs Bayonne
Biarritz, ProD2 finalist, host Bayonne, who finished 13th in the T14. About 5kms between the two towns. Winner stays – or climbs – to the T14, loser goes down or remains in ProD2. The biggest game in the Basque country since Asterix. Winner? Who knows, probably Bayonne.
Saturday 20:45: Bordeaux vs Clermont. The other QF.
Probable winner, Bordeaux.
LaR and Toulouse lie in wait.
And so does Galthié who’ll fly to Australia without his skipper (Ollivon sidelined for about 6 months) and all the players involved in the T14 final (they may play only in the third test).
And Deebee7‘s take on the SA squad picked to play the Lions:
Actually in terms of Bok selection, I think Lizo Gqoboka should be in ahead of Coenie Oosthuizen who’s scrummaging technique has always been suspect. As one scribe here put it, he’s been off the Bok radar for so long he may need a visa to get into the camp. Of the newcomers in the Bok set up, I love Joseph Dweba’s all-action style of play, I believe Jasper Wiese has been in excellent form for Tiggers, Wandisile Simelane is a classy operator in an otherwise journeyman Lions outfit, Aphelele Fassi is fast and exciting, whilst Rosko Specman is electric with ball in hand and has great 7s experience. The ones I’m not sure about are Yaw Penxe from the Sharks who has oodles of pace, but little else (so did Mapimpi to be fair before Rassie got his positional play and defence up to scratch) and I have no idea about Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg from Montpellier as a lock.
The squad has been picked with not just the two Georgia and 3 BIL Tests in mind, but also the SA ‘A’ side that will face the Lions, so I think some of the selections are expressly with that in mind – have the players in the Bok bosom, up until the SA ‘A’ match, so that they’re part of the structures and plans should any of them be called upon because of injury in the main squad. My pick for that SA ‘A’ side would be something like this, with F Steyn covering 10, 12 and 15, and Damian Willemse covering 10 and 15 as well. Think I’ve gone 5-3 split which is probably not what Rassie and Nienaber will do, but hey ho. So you could probably drop one of F Steyn or Willemse from the backs and put Rynard Elstadt in as an auxiliary loose forward.
The Lions should deal with that combination fairly easily given that it’s a scratch side, but there are some exciting players who’ll be looking to make a mark for the future and potentially the last two Tests and the 4N after that.
Props:
Thomas du Toit (Cell C Sharks, 12 caps, 0 pts)
Vincent Koch (Saracens, 21 caps, 0 pts)
Ox Nché (Cell C Sharks, 1 cap, 0 pts)
Coenie Oosthuizen (Sale Sharks, 30 caps, 20 pts)
Hookers:
Joseph Dweba (Bordeaux-Bègles, uncapped)
Scarra Ntubeni (DHL Stormers, 1 cap, 0 pts)
Locks:
Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg (Montpellier, uncapped)
Marvin Orie (DHL Stormers, 3 caps, 0 pts)
Jean-Luc du Preez (Sale Sharks, 13 caps, 10 pts) – I believe he’s played largely at lock this season?
Loose forwards:
Dan du Preez (Sale Sharks, 4 caps, 0 pts)
Kwagga Smith (Yamaha Júbilo, 6 caps, 0 pts)
Marco van Staden (Bulls, 3 caps, 0 pts)
Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers, uncapped)
Scrumhalves:
Sanele Nohamba (Cell C Sharks, uncapped)
Cobus Reinach (Montpellier, 14 caps, 30 pts) (difficult choice between him and H Jantjies as to who is 3rd choice behind Faf at the moment)
Flyhalf:
Morne Steyn (Bulls, 66 caps, 736 pts)
Midfielders:
Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles, 46 caps, 60 pts) (Kriel to move to 12 or F Steyn to start there?)
Wandisile Simelane (Emirates Lions, uncapped)
Frans Steyn (Toyota Cheetahs, 67 caps, 141 pts)
Outside Backs:
Aphelele Fassi (Cell C Sharks, uncapped)
Sbu Nkosi (Cell C Sharks, 11 caps, 40 pts)
Rosko Specman (Toyota Cheetahs, uncapped)
Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers, 6 caps, 5 pts)
Onna telly this week
Friday 11th June
| Brumbies v Highlanders | 10:45 | Rugbypass |
| Zebre v Munster | 18:00 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Racing 92 v Stade Français | 19:45 | FreeSports / Premier Sports 2 |
| Leinster v Dragons | 20:15 | Premier Sports 1 |
Saturday 12th June
| Rebels v Crusaders | 05:35 | Rugbypass |
| Bues v Western Force | 08:05 | Rugbypass |
| Waratahs v Chiefs | 10:45 | Rugbypass |
| Bath v Northampton | 15:00 | BT Sport Extra |
| Bristol v London Irish | 15:00 | BT Sport Extra |
| Exeter v Sale | 15:00 | BT Sport 3 |
| Harlequins v Newcastle | 15:00 | BT Sport Extra |
| Wasps v Leicester | 15:00 | BT Sport 1 |
| Stormers v Lions | 15:00 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Sharks v Bulls | 17:15 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Bordeaux v Clermont | 19:45 | Premier Sports 1 |
Sunday 13th June
| Scarlets v Edinburgh | 13:00 | Premier Sports 1 | ||
| Ealing Trailfinders v Saracens | 16:30 | Premier Sports 1 |
Ovally Balls 
Plus, keep reading, because she blames it on a punctuation error.
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Ticht – that’s awful. Poor guy.
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Chimpie – I’m not going to post it here but zack snyder tweeted a screenshot of batman pleasuring catwoman with his mask on. I know how much you worry about this.
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Well gosh. Thanks for setting my mind at rest craigs
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Nowell >>> Hogg at 15?
Interesting move by Baxter – but it will have raised Exeter’s emotion levels.
Skinner and Ewers get 4 weeks – I wonder what, if anything, will happen to Tuilagi? Capstick out of action 3 minutes from the start. Baxter fuming.
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It was our turn for golf-ball sized hailstones yesterday. Everyone safe but all fruit trees and vegetables wrecked. No structural damage.
Incredibly local – no damage anywhere else beyond a 500 metre radius from here.
Bugger – but that is nature’s way.
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‘Bugger – but that is nature’s way.’
Not if you listen to various religious authorities
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Still, bit of a nightmare slade. Nature can be a harsh mistress
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thanks, Tony
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Piliers : Jean-Baptiste Gros (Toulon), Enzo Forletta (Montpellier), Quentin Walcker (Perpignan), Demba Bamba (Lyon), Wilfrid Hounkpatin (Castres), Sipili Falatea (Clermont).
Talonneurs : Gaëtan Barlot (Castres), Etienne Fourcade (Clermont), Anthony Etrillard (Toulon).
Deuxième ligne : Killian Geraci (Lyon), Romain Taofifenua (Toulon), Baptiste Pesenti (Pau), Florent Vanverberghe (Castres), Pierre-Henry Azagoh (Stade français), Cyril Cazeaux (Bordeaux-Bègles).
Troisième ligne : Dylan Cretin (Lyon), Ibrahim Diallo (Racing 92), Alexandre Bécognée (Montpellier), Alexandre Fischer (Clermont), Anthony Jelonch (Castres), Sekou Macalou (Stade français), Cameron Woki (Bordeaux-Bègles), Patrick Sobela (Lyon)
Demis de mêlée : Baptiste Couilloud (Lyon), Clovis Le Bail (Pau), Teddy Iribaren (Racing 92)
Demis d’ouverture : Louis Carbonel (Toulon), Antoine Hastoy (Pau), Joris Segonds (Paris)
Centres : Jonathan Danty (Paris), Tani Vili (Clermont), Arthur Vincent (Montpellier), Julien Hériteau (Toulon), Pierre-Louis Barassi (Lyon)
Ailiers/Arrières : Gabin Villière (Toulon), Alivereti Raka (Clermont), Damian Penaud (Clermont), Teddy Thomas (Racing 92), Romain Buros (Bordeaux-Bègles), Anthony Bouthier (Montpellier), Gervais Cordin (Toulon), Melvyn Jaminet (Perpignan).
These are the 42 players Galthié will take to Australia. Only a handful of them, mostly backs, have ever started a game for France. Several play in ProD2. Between the injured ( Chat, Bourgarit, Ollivon, Serin, Fickou..), the rested ( Vaka, Jalibert etc), and the finalists, there was little choice. This is a much weaker squad than the one England faced last fall.
Oz will win this easily.
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@Flair
there are some good/dangerous players in amongst that lot.
The trick will be to integrate a balanced 23
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@Slade, it’s true but most of those players are third or fourth choice, or worse. Particularly glaring in the pack. Hooker’s pecking order for instance is Marchand, Chat, Bourgarit, Mauvaka, Baubigny, younger Marchand. None of them will go to Oz.
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Ireland’s 7z team qualify for Tokyo after beating France 7z, 28-19 in Hong Kong.
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It was in Monaco. They beat Hong Kong earlier in the tournament.
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Irish 7z kills blog.
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Morning all!
Was supposed to watch the Rainbow Final on Saturday, but our neighbour popped in for a drink at lunch time and left at around 11pm, after we braaied all afternoon and listened to music most of the evening. Totally lost focus of the match, which the Bulls apparently also did. Hats off to Benneton – sounds like they played very good rugby and never allowed the Bulls to get into their stride. Ominous signs for the Lions tour? I think so. The clean sweep is looking under threat. Georgia licking their lips. Scottish football team may fancy their chances after they leave the Euros tonight as well.
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Given that there were no proper international games, it was a great weekend of rugby imo. Refit may have other ideas.
Almost makes me want to pay to watch the games. I’m sure Exeter’s brutal crushing of quins this weekend will change that.
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Flair, and update on Finlay Christie, he has been called up to the ABs.
pfft, taking the easy cap instead of playing for his mother country. You can’t really blame him, you take international rugby where you can get it.
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@Craigs
I’m a bit fed up with this ‘brutal’ -type Exeter mantra.
If they play hard then, fine but I don’t think there is ‘nasty’ player amongst them – it wouldn’t fit with Baxter’s ethic, I think.
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Deebee, if this is a real Scottish football team they will win handsomely but still go out on goal difference, or some other “oh so close” reason
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Having risen like a salmon I now ask what people thought of the lesson that Nowell gave Hogg on the art of full-back play?
It was a big call by Baxter but now all the players know (if they didn’t before) that no-one is untouchable.
I wonder what he’ll do in preparation for the coming weekend? Quins are no push-over and will punish loose play.
Some interesting match-ups: Dombrandt/Simmonds; Smith/Simmonds; Slade/Marchant and the props for starters.
Tricky without Ewers, Vermeulen, Skinner and now Capstick. Back row will have to be Armand, Lonsdale and SAm Simmonds – which changes how the team play.
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Slade, all players experience dips in form, the only player I recall never having a bad game was Ritchie McCaw, but I didn’t see every one of his hundreds of thousands of professional appearances. Even Dan Carter had games where he wasn’t at his best.
Hogg never lacks for effort, sometimes that manifests itself as him trying too hard and taking on too much in an attempt to get his team back into the match.
However, there is no way that Nowell is the better fullback over their careers so far.
Baxter did the right thing, top end sport is cut throat, I think the adage that “form is temporary, class is permanent” is a lot of bollocks, you play the guy in form, and if that guy takes his chance you keep him in.
Having said that, I’ll back off a little on it and say a proven player who would be selected for most if not all the international sides in the game does come with some credit in the bank.
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Starting to regret standing around all day Saturday making fires, drinking bottles of red wine and cooking endangered animals.* Sounds like the rugby was great.
* Don’t regret any of it. And the animals were far from endangered. They were already dead.
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And none of them was Hogg, endangered, dropped or otherwise.
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Thanks Ticht – it’s an interesting example of man/team management.
I think Baxter needed unusual/emotional moves to boost his squad and get them focused ……………
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I agree Hogg is a top player of course.
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The poor guy needs a rest. Jeez.
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he’s got a lionz series to prepare for then get prematurely injured. Again.
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….and his hair and tats to fix
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Stuart Hogg’s gonna test positive for Covid 2 days before the First Test. Calling it now.
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Fucking hell Stuart Hogg.
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Slade – by ‘brutal’ I meant short range tries from forwards with other forwards attached to them smashing other forwards out of the way.
Plus a sprinkling of jizz for good measure.
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Got diverted into watching France vs Hungary on Sat, so only saw Ireland vs Scotland U20s on RTE Player. Might have been a good game w/o the red card. So early in 2nd half the result was a foregone conclusion . That said, for Scotland, Muncaster at #8 looked good – strong, but good decision making too.
For Ireland, Kendellen played as you might expect for a lad that’s already played for Munster. And most eye-catching back was Shane Jennings.
On the domestic front, we’re 2 weeks into a tag tournament – we entered 2 teams into a 10-a-side U14 tag tourney. ‘Black’ won their first game but lost on Sat in the semi. Red got a bye to the semi and duly won. Final is next Sat. So, season will run until pretty much midday Saturday next. I’d be fairly confident ‘Red’ will win (with #2 son). #1 son is in U16 team who are also through to a final (U18s are also through – so potentially we could have a clean sweep).
I’ve posted here before that I tended to view tag/touch a bit negatively in it teaches bad tackling habits (tag less so than touch – which you need to condition the rules to make them work). However, it does encourage good footwork, improves passing and encourages them to recognise space. We’ve a few “big” lads it doesn’t suit – but even most of them are beginning to recognise the need to release the ball instead of running into contact.
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‘Slade – by ‘brutal’ I meant short range tries from forwards with other forwards attached to them smashing other forwards out of the way.
Plus a sprinkling of jizz for good measure.’
Should be red card offence, that.
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Chimpie – depends if it makes contact with the heid.
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I can’t see any mitigating circumstances at all.
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it would end up being a slippery slope
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oh, dear!
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oh, llama!
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Chimpie – I can hear the ref mike now:
‘I can confirm that the initial contact was with the shoulder and then it rode up and hit the heid. No mitigation when joz is involved. Definite red’.
I don’t think anyone will be bringing biscuits to the citing hearings though.
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Joz? Must some kind of Chris Ashton.
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Eek, what have I started?
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I hope that slade’s not committing a red card offence there
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Trisk, Scotland were unlucky with the first yellow, unlucky in that it started in a ridiculous manner, the hard pass straight into the kisser of the Irish centre had an incredibly fortunate bounce, then a complete haymaker of a swipe from the Scottish fly half couldn’t have been better placed for the Irish lad to run on to. The pull back was so obvious, a penalty try and yellow was the right decision. As was the red on the other side of half time, Morris made a complete pig’s ear of it, running into the lad in the air, it was lucky he wasn’t badly hurt, he looked to have landed heavily on his neck/shoulder.
Scotland looked up against it in the scrum and I think that was always going to take it’s toll in the end, but it was a good contest in the first half, going down to 13 for seven or eight minutes and 14 for over half an hour killed it off as a match. Having said that, Ireland looked disciplined and worked the overlaps well.
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Where’s CMW?
Real cricket update:
Yesterday my oldest played for the u10s on one field while his brother played for the u8s on the one next door. Obviously I stood in the middle and tried to watch both. I can proudly say they both managed to make opposition batsmen cry due to the ferocity of their bowling. U8s whacked the opposition. In the u10s my lad’s teammates only managed to net score 15 leaving him and his mate to score 36 to win off the last 4 overs (it’s terriers rule format where you bat in pairs, if you get out you lose 5 runs but stay in for your 4 overs). They needed 3 to win off the last ball, 2 to tie obviously. They ran 2, the bowler got the ball over the stumps, then my lad’s mate decided to set off on a run and got run out. For a tenth of a second they’d managed to tie before losing by 5 runs.
All a bit village at the end…
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Deebs, I would agree that it would be a very typical way for Scotland to go out of the competition tonight. Particularly as they don’t play until tomorrow.
Anyway The Saviour Of Scottish Football (Billy Gilmour) is out of the game tomorrow after a positive test.
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Why postpone until tomorrow what you can gloriously cock up today? That’s my motto.
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Brookter, Latin etc…
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For top reffing you should check out Georgian Nika Amashukeli, who reffed Wales Under 20s v Italy. Penalised Italy for a try celebration, sin-binned another Italian for bad language, dished out 4 more yellow cards, got through 3 whistles.
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Ooh, he’s down to do Scotland Under 20s v England on Friday. Could be a bloodbath.
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