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 
@craigs – “stronger”, or “stonger”?
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@tomp
The confidence of the Estonian public enabled by that cover version is one of the reasons that country was one of the first to leave the Soviet Union. But it’s not a patch on the original
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Everything sounds better in Finnish:
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Sometimes the internet takes you to some strange places.
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See, whilst I can’t get behind it, ‘Build the Wall’ was so simple. We are going to build a wall. Everyone understands that and you only have to decide whether it’s a good idea or not.
If Labour proposed a reduced tax on beer and higher rate of tax for the highest tax band they could come up with something like ‘Rich people buy you pints’. Then all you need to do is decide whether you want rich people to buy you pints and vote accordingly.
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Beer from the rich, drunk by the poor.
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@OT
Also in a PR-STV election, you can risk a first preference 1 against “Kevin ‘the Pixie’ McGillycuddy” as he’ll probably get eliminated after a couple of count and your 2nd preference goes to your preferred candidate. (unless they were already elected on an earlier count
(made up candidate name culled from a couple of real ones)
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Might qualify for the little cup…
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@trisk
Of course! STV works perfectly for the recognition heuristic. I’d hazard a guess that many people with a strong preference for one candidate don’t have as strong an opinion about their second one, so some of them will vote for the one they remember.
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TomP, I don’t believe you had the joy of seeing Yoti, die Griekse Boertjie in concert when you lived here. The worst of everything all packaged in one beaming, blow-dried bouffant inviting you on a journey through Greek music sung in boere musiek style. Very popular in the platteland about 25 years ago.
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Now let me erase that horrible memory with Spoek Mathambo’s version of Control. Great video too!
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Before I was born Greek folk music used to regularly feature heavily on BBC primetime telly.
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@Flair – 3 points and third place may not be enough to qualify for the second stage of the Euros. I realise it probably will be especially with a decent goal difference which Germany (or Portugal if they were to lose their next two games) will probably have, but it’s not a given. I agree that this possibility isn’t really enough to get excited about though.
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“Yoti, die Griekse Boertjie ”
Sounds magnificent.
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“Was the emphasis on the ‘I’ or the ‘don’t’? Or has the reporter misplaced the comma, so it should read “I don’t think, so…””
I would have thought the emphasis would be on the ‘think’. Matt must surely be in some doubt…
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“Beer from the rich, drunk by the poor.”
This really needs to be ‘Beer from the rich, drunk by the struggling middle’ to get any cut-through in this country.
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‘Beer from the rich, drunk by the struggling middle, nothing for the poor’ would win a landslide victory.
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I’ve just listened to a minute of it. “magnificent” is a word.
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I think Deebee’s more of a Randy Rambo and the Roughriders fan.
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Ah, RR and the Roughriders sound quite interesting: https://1001sasongs.wordpress.com/2012/03/04/kwela-for-mandela-randy-rambo-en-die-rough-riders-aka-die-naaimasjiene/
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Cmw/tomp – not sure Robin Hood ever did anything for the middle classes though. Maybe needs a rethink.
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Between Nana Mouskouri, Demis Roussos, and the Lotus Eaters – the Beeb had a Greek obsession…..
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@craigs
Some crazed responses under the Leinster tweet…. “might make top six….”
Didn’t realise the IRFU’s welfare policy was such a hot topic.
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I’m too sexy for my shirt
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Trisk – in the dog eat dog big school of the prem we don’t look after players.
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tOMp – I seem to have missed a seminal, cough, part of Afrikaans protest music there. Will track it down.
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@craigs
Seems to be almost a point of pride “we flog the players”…..
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What’s with the budgie smugglers?
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Player welfare in the prowoo sounds dangerously commie or something. Nothing like sweating the assets to their full extent.
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What’s with the budgie smugglers?
Nothing like sweating the assets to their full extent.
You’ve been Karled!
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Everyone loves a good Karl-ing.
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Beer from the rich, drunk by the struggling middle, served by the poor.
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‘Beer from the rich’
How does this compare to beer from barley and hops?
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Budgie-smugglers are big news today:
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jun/17/emily-thornberry-has-beef-with-liz-truss-over-aussie-trade-deal
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Thauma please take away the image of Bojo in bud*** smug*****. It’s making me nauseous. I’ll write an ATL even.
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what potion was fed to Truss and Hancock to turn them from staunch remainers into incompetent Brexiteers?
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cut the ‘staunch’ and insert ‘unthinking’ or ‘incapable of thinking’
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Can’t believe you lot were talking about Greek music and didn’t mention ol’ Demis….
Wonder how Abigail’s Party would have turned out if they had put this on….
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Bojo the budgie smuggler has his persuasive side.
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I’ll write an ATL even.
WIN!
(That image was truly horrifying indeed.)
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Has anyone else read Anna Burns’ Milkman? I was given it a couple of years ago, and didn’t read it until now as everyone I’d talked to who had read it said it was very depressing. I think it’s brilliant, and it’s very funny in parts.
There may be something in this Booker prize thingy, as I also loved Hillary Mantel’s Cromwell trilogy.
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I’ve read it. It’s a good book. Funny but scary. Kafka and Beckett influences. There’s one section I particularly liked where she spends 20 pages describing 5 minutes of action, reminded me of my boy Javier Marias. No Bones is worth a read as well.
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I’ve read a few of the recent winners – George Saunders, Paul Beatty and Marlon James, too. All have their merits.
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TomP – Joyce influence too, I would say!
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https://drb.ie/articles/beyond-a-joke/
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Back to yesterday’s slogans. I remembered the greatest political party ever, which is Jaroslav Hasek’s The Party of Moderate Progress Within the Bounds of the Law, set up in pre-World War I Prague. This was one of their posters/slogans:
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Hmmm. That doesn’t quite work. Anyway, they offered every voter a small pocket aquarium.
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Pretty sure I’m Babs. I did that questionnaire thing that puts you on a similar graph and came out roughly on her foreheid. More left leaning than I thought actually.
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