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 
I’ve bought a bin off amazon for my office at home. I didn’t run it past Mrs Craigs and I haven’t told her. This could end in tears for either of us.
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Right – sod you lot!
I’m off to hospital to have an injection in my eyeball!
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Slade – have fun!
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Horse to the Os
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Check out the impressive set of stats from today’s signing
Nationality Welsh
Impressive!
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Bugger. ‘Mish oot, Tips in for Saturday’s game. Training ground concussion apparently. Wonder if it was against Tips….?
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Hope it isn’t a serious concussion BB.
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Doesn’t sound like it is. He’ll just have to pass the various protocols before playing again.
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BB – good. McFuckface is crucial. I shall have to work him into the next episode of The Lions, the Witch and the Locker.
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And I suppose it should really appear this weekend….
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Everyone learned the words to ‘one britain one nation’ ready to sing it tomorrow?
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Words shouldn’t be too difficult to remember, ends with ‘strong britain, great nation, strong britain, great nation, strong britain, great nation, strong britain, great nation’
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David Marshall was pretty good in goal for Norwich though we’ve often had good goalies and he wouldn’t be the best by any means. Not the best Scottish one for starters!
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“Check out the impressive set of stats”
One Grand National, several other decent handicaps and a creditable fifth in the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
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Did Bryan Gunn play for Scotland? I remember the calamitous Leighton, dropped by Man U but still Scotland’s number 1, from around the same time but not Gunn.
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@tomp
He did play but he was up against Andy Goram, who became Scottish around 1987.
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‘One Britain, One Nation’ is kind of wrong anyway.
When I first saw the group behind a couple of months ago I thought it was a joke but it seems to be more of a handy way for the ex-copper behind it to access some funds.
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Ah, Goram. He’s definitely loyal enough to the flag to sing the Britain song.
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@tomp
He used to live around the corner from me in an ex-council house (a couple of streets away from future All Black legend Luke McAlister). Was left hand bat and wicket keeper for the local cricket club. He grew up in Bury, so could pass as a local, nothing remarkable about him. Turns out his Dad was Scottish so he got picked to go to the 1986 world cup, and in 1987 got signed for Hibs. At some point on the journey up the M6 he acquired a Scottish accent and a very strong Orange sentiment.
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I still haven’t worked out how Brookter made money out of AoD…
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“in 1987 got signed for Hibs. At some point on the journey up the M6 he acquired a Scottish accent and a very strong Orange sentiment.”
Strange thing to take to Hibs.
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Unfortunately Goram was also a very good keeper and I guess it was understandable that Gunn didn’t get that much of a go. Great career for Norwich though. Chris Woods didn’t get picked as much as he could have for England either as they kept playing Shilton even after he became unable to jump.
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@cmw
Goram ended up appearing at UVF fundraising events. Which is very different to having a few lock-ins at Moorside Cricket Club.
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Maybe AOD was a front for mining Bitcoin? Something I still don’t understand by the way. Not sure exactly what you’re mining with Bitcoin? Grand win for the mighty Golden Lions last night, getting ready to unleash hell on the British version when they arrive.
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‘‘One Britain, One Nation’ is kind of wrong anyway.’
Quite. But I suppose ‘one Britain comprising 4 nations with varying degrees of legal and financial autonomy’ is more difficult to shoehorn into a song or a slogan.
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@OT – I know. Probably should have put it the other way round i.e. Hibs was a strange place to go with it. Of course he may well have acquired it while he was there rather than on the M6.
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OT,
As far as I can make out what you’re saying is Andy Goram’s an early version of Hamish Watson – but with added very very dodgy politics
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Always associated Goram with Rangers, didn’t realise he went to Hibs before that.
Maybe he picked up his nasty case of the oranges post hibs at Rangers. The huns aren’t that well known as a haven of tolerance when it comes to sectarian matters.
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In these straitened economic times, big congratulations to George Osborne on his appointment to the chair of the board of trustees of the British Museum.
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Z-fags out of the Japan game now. Furlong gets a start. ‘sa conspiracy I tells ya.
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Andy Goram before and after his trip to Scotland
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Two Andy Gorams? So the song was right.
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He even looks like Hamish Watson.
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Imagine not being able to fit in the rectangle you set off in.
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Hmmm. I know Presbyterians and Free Presbyterians who are fans.
(And a good friend of mine who moved from Glasgow to Kent as a nipper is a fan – though more of an Arsenal man – and his mum’s Catholic).
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Lewis Carmichael has had to retire at 26 due to multiple concussions.
It’s not entirely unexpected, the rumours have been doing the rounds for a few months now.
Such a shame, he really looked the business a few years ago when he broke through into the Scotland side in that 4/6 role
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Andy Goram discussing his cricketing career. Apparently cricket in Scotland is more “upmarket” than south east Lancashire
http://mikewadejournalist.blogspot.com/2011/05/andy-goram-bowled-over-by-cricket.html
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“Hmmm. I know Presbyterians and Free Presbyterians who are fans.”
You don’t have to be, but it helps.
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That’s a real shame ticht. Here’s hoping there’s no longer term effects
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IT, in Scotland cricket is often the preserve of the fee-paying schools in Scotland, not exclusively so, but predominantly.
Some rugby clubs played cricket in the summer, but they often took their lead from the boarding schools
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OT, not IT
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Any organisation that can bring together subscribing and non-subscribing presbyterians is doing its bit for unity in my view.
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I think the South Asian community in Scotland might be the mainstay of cricket in a fair bit of the country these days.
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Bit like the South Africans with the rugby only with less Calvinism.
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With all these injuries the Scottish lads are picking up at the moment, maybe it’s just that they don’t want to play for the Lionz.
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I suppose on other recent tours they just decided to “cut out the middle man” by not selecting any to begin with…..
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one Britain comprising 4 nations
Isn’t the idea of 4 nations a bit dated these days? 13% of the population of the UK are ethnic minorities. Do they just assume the identity of one of the ‘original four’? In perspective, Scotland and Wales contribute about 13% as well.
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Not sure why someone from an ethnic minority can’t be English or Scottish or whatever they want to be,
Within one of the ‘original four’ there’s a bit of a confusion about how to identify oneself.
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Maybe not confusion. Anyway, that one of the ‘orginal 4’ isn’t even part of Great Britain
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“Maybe not confusion.”
Possibly too much clarity. Anyway there’s plenty of confusion in the other three as lots of us are a mixture.
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