Lionz isnt a mile away from my selection. Big gamble on AWJ, but he is the legend of all legends and so be it. Watson incredibly unlucky imho. And with Lawes over Beirne and Conan over Faletau, both 50/50 selections, the breakdown may be an issue. (And to a lesset extent, the lineout) But I guess they went for the fizzicality and I have no objections overall to the forward selections. They are all close calls and, provided the coaching and teamwork is right, it can work
Like the starting back 3 and halves, would rather Adams, but rumour has it he is carrying a knock. Dont see what Murray gives off the bench. Start him or dont. Davies would add more on the final 20 mins. But all good.
I do not like the centres. Both good players with power (Henshaw) and speed (Daly) on attack. Neither are great ball players but short of playing Farrell in there (which isnt my preference) there arent any ball playing centres available. Attack will be fine.
But defence? Given the Bok 3/4 and Willie chiming in, I feel they could win the game through the midfield.
Biggar is a good defender, but he will hold his channel. Henshaw will go up and in. Daly will drift and hedge. There will be gaps. Especially as the BR is inward looking, without wider rangers like Faletau or Watson. Suspect vd Merwe will get isolated against the speedy Bok back 3. And Am will hit gaps off De Allende and Pollard committing the inside men.
Guess Lionz need to dominate up front, and Hogg and Biggar pin them back with long kicks. Lionz kick chase has been superb, so that is a plus. And the back 3 are able counterattackers.
Utnap, I really, really, really, really hope that you’re right on the Lions weaknesses and that the Bok management have been lurking here to pick that up.
utna, The Boks don’t really put the ball through the hands much. But Pollard and de Allende are both very capable on the carry so you’d hope Henshaw and Biggar + a back rower can stop that, though de Allende blasted through Biggar in the 2019 RWC SF.
Willie’s scanning is a big thing for the Boks as a second receiver plus his kicking game. vd Merwe better be on it on his side and Watson got caught out v the Sharks earlier in the tour.
TomP, we will if it’s on. Not like the Kiwis, but there’s enough heads-up rugby to go wide from turnover ball. Maybe not so much 1st phase. And I think we’ll be looking for some of that in contact. I’m so undecided on which Bok side will pitch up though, that I can’t really be too bullish. What I’d love:
1) win. Don’t care by how much;
2) don’t pick up crucial injuries. We don’t have the depth for that, especially in the back division;
3) create panic in the Lions management. Unlikely given that Gats is in charge, but hey.
4) Rinse and repeat for two more weeks.
@OT – The graphics are an almost intolerable distraction. It isn’t just the colours either, why is it so blocky, it’s like an 80s computer game.
No real feelings yet about the format, partly because the graphics have taken over my mind. As you would imagine I dislike the forced lame ‘razzmatazz’ element. Can’t decide whether I find that side of it being done in half-hearted British style worse or better than the full-on IPL. It’s less horrifying, but more pathetic.
The thing is it’s only natural for those of us used to dealing in overs, runs per over etc to translate everything back into the old money as that’s what our understanding of the state of any game is based on. It’s not made easy and it’s infuriating to have to make the effort.
Biggest positive from the Hundred is that they were prepared to open the whole thing with a women’s game. And no men’s game after or anything like that. That really surprised me and I feel they deserve some success for it. The cricket itself was good too which helped a lot though I guess there will be some of the usual moaning about the quick bowlers being slow, the boundaries being short and a couple of easy catches dropped etc.
CMW, let the moaners moan, it’s all they have to offer. I watched the match (and managed to post on here as well btw) and thoroughly enjoyed the actual play, if not the rather confused and confusing graphics etc. Team names also a bit lame, but I suppose all the good ones (Springboks, Proteas, Bafana Bafana) are already taken.
Hey TomP, did you get my email? came up with a box of Twickers programs from 1952 to mid eighties, almost every 5 Nations, a lot of tour games,, Middlesex sevens and the off Army/Navy etc. No more old wisdens , rothmans rugby year books or playfairs turned up yet. Interested?
Hi all … away with the family on Costa del Wesht (Galway) baking in 28 degC – so just playing catch up on various comments.
Glad to hear DCC is with us – as someone pointed out the profile / biog gives a few clues (“Jarv” in the handle referring to Jarvis Cocker I presume – lookalike and fellow townie).
Lions – only surprise for me is van der Merwe ahead of Adams, and maybe Curry ahead of Watson (H). I ought to be surprised by AWJ – but the chances of him not playing having been rushed out to SA were small.
And anyone clocked the disarray in the RL world cup? Aus and NZ have withdrawn – kind of tears the arse out of the comp.
I’ll have you know I visited the Costa del Wesht (Clare and Galway) at the end of March/beginning of April about a decade ago, and got a sunburn.
Reposting the rest of this from elsewhere. It has nowt to do with rugby, but the fiction readers might be interested!
I have just started reading Jo Nesbo’s (or Jones-bo’s, as we call him) latest – at least in paperback – The Kingdom. Now, I’ve read most if not all of his previous books, but this one is by far his best, except perhaps for his modernist revision of Macbeth. I wonder if Macbeth inspired him to write something more than a typical Scandi noir pot-boiler.
This isn’t the best passage of the book so far, but it’s a good bit that stands on its own:
From the way she said this it was obvious what she thought of all talk about appearances. When Mari gave the speech on behalf of the school-leavers for her year he headmaster had introduced her by saying that she ‘wasn’t only intelligent but also a striking beauty’. Mari had started her speech by saying: ‘Thank you, headmaster. I wanted to say a few words of thanks for all you’ve done for us these past three years, but I didn’t know quite how to express myself, so let’s just say that you have been remarkably lucky in your appearance.’
Yes – been in at Salthill on two days and Carroroe (a coral beach) on 2 others – water not exactly tropical but you’d last 30-40 mins easily.
Galway bay is an interesting geographic feature- the Arán islands act as a kind of barrier so that there’s no energy in the waves – tide comes in gradually like filling the bath . In Kerry, in places like Inch or Rossbeigh the waves would knock you about.
Am more used to the sub-tropical waters of the south coast of the UK.
The strangest thing is I’ve got sunburnt twice this summer. 4 years in South Africa I think I got it once but there I was fully prepared for the hot weather whereas here it doesn’t feel so warm so I don’t slip, slap, slop so readily.
Every time I see my neighbour venturing out to walk his dog in this horrible weather, I am reminded of my grandmother’s wise saying: There’s no fool like an old fool. (She usually deployed this towards my grandfather.)
Well into his eighties, wearing – from the bottom up – sandals, mid-calf white socks, tartan-ish shorts, a shirt of a garish different tartan-ish pattern, and a straw hat. Biggest gossip in the village. A racist twat. Son is an even bigger twat, and comes home to mummy every day for his breakfast and his tea, even though he technically lives elsewhere. Has no compunction about parking right across my drive if he otherwise has to waddle more than 10 feet.
Miaow.
When I win the lottery, I will buy a house with no discernible neighbours.
Temperature peaked at about 10⁰ here today, excluding wind chill. Currently 3⁰ and expected to drop to -5⁰ tomorrow night. That’s fucking cold in Joburg to put it bluntly. As TomP will tell you, houses aren’t built for the cold here and in Joburg especially, the cold is dry and bitter. What I would do to be on a sweltering beach in er, Ireland!
You say that, Deebs, but remember that no-one has air con here, and while you can pile on extra clothes/duvets when you’re cold, once you’re nekkid, there are no more ways to cool off.
10° is not an unpleasant temp. -5 is not so nice, but I’d prefer it to this.
Ok….beach alert….just back from Blackrock beach in Salthill, Galway – approaching Med-type sea temps …when you launch yourself in there’s a momentary “argh …cold” then followed by “aaah…nice”. Bet the water temp was 18-20° C….
I like the heat and the sun, but then again I’m quite lucky with my complexion in that regard. It takes me falling asleep in the sun to get burnt in the UK. I’ve recently been mistaken for being Lebanese and Peruvian in the summer (seriously).
Likewise…I have to be careless to get burnt… I’m out of that swarthy Irish cohort (also child #1 and #3) unlike my wife and child #2 who would get sunburn when they open the fridge.
After a week or 2 in the sun, I can pass as southern Mediterranean until I’m expected to speak ….
Ovally Balls 
Lionz isnt a mile away from my selection. Big gamble on AWJ, but he is the legend of all legends and so be it. Watson incredibly unlucky imho. And with Lawes over Beirne and Conan over Faletau, both 50/50 selections, the breakdown may be an issue. (And to a lesset extent, the lineout) But I guess they went for the fizzicality and I have no objections overall to the forward selections. They are all close calls and, provided the coaching and teamwork is right, it can work
Like the starting back 3 and halves, would rather Adams, but rumour has it he is carrying a knock. Dont see what Murray gives off the bench. Start him or dont. Davies would add more on the final 20 mins. But all good.
I do not like the centres. Both good players with power (Henshaw) and speed (Daly) on attack. Neither are great ball players but short of playing Farrell in there (which isnt my preference) there arent any ball playing centres available. Attack will be fine.
But defence? Given the Bok 3/4 and Willie chiming in, I feel they could win the game through the midfield.
Biggar is a good defender, but he will hold his channel. Henshaw will go up and in. Daly will drift and hedge. There will be gaps. Especially as the BR is inward looking, without wider rangers like Faletau or Watson. Suspect vd Merwe will get isolated against the speedy Bok back 3. And Am will hit gaps off De Allende and Pollard committing the inside men.
Guess Lionz need to dominate up front, and Hogg and Biggar pin them back with long kicks. Lionz kick chase has been superb, so that is a plus. And the back 3 are able counterattackers.
Fingers crossed the team plan is on point.
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Utnap, I really, really, really, really hope that you’re right on the Lions weaknesses and that the Bok management have been lurking here to pick that up.
All my love, RassieLikeLiked by 1 person
utna, The Boks don’t really put the ball through the hands much. But Pollard and de Allende are both very capable on the carry so you’d hope Henshaw and Biggar + a back rower can stop that, though de Allende blasted through Biggar in the 2019 RWC SF.
Willie’s scanning is a big thing for the Boks as a second receiver plus his kicking game. vd Merwe better be on it on his side and Watson got caught out v the Sharks earlier in the tour.
It’s going to be good I hope.
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TomP, we will if it’s on. Not like the Kiwis, but there’s enough heads-up rugby to go wide from turnover ball. Maybe not so much 1st phase. And I think we’ll be looking for some of that in contact. I’m so undecided on which Bok side will pitch up though, that I can’t really be too bullish. What I’d love:
1) win. Don’t care by how much;
2) don’t pick up crucial injuries. We don’t have the depth for that, especially in the back division;
3) create panic in the Lions management. Unlikely given that Gats is in charge, but hey.
4) Rinse and repeat for two more weeks.
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Bok game plan scares away the Brits.
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We’re too busy watching The Hundred.
The colours in the graphics seem to be inspired by an end-of-the-pier soft play area.
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Nope. I’m too busy looking out over the 18th Green at St Andrews while having dinner. Not a cloud in the sky either.
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@OT – The graphics are an almost intolerable distraction. It isn’t just the colours either, why is it so blocky, it’s like an 80s computer game.
No real feelings yet about the format, partly because the graphics have taken over my mind. As you would imagine I dislike the forced lame ‘razzmatazz’ element. Can’t decide whether I find that side of it being done in half-hearted British style worse or better than the full-on IPL. It’s less horrifying, but more pathetic.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ecclestone is certainly a good bowler and possibly quite a bit too good for most of the batters to get after her at all.
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Tufnell and Vaughn in the commentary box is something I could do without as well.
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Trying to decipher the graphics reminds me of trying to understand a Jordan Peterson diagram.
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The thing is it’s only natural for those of us used to dealing in overs, runs per over etc to translate everything back into the old money as that’s what our understanding of the state of any game is based on. It’s not made easy and it’s infuriating to have to make the effort.
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@cmw
It is a bit like this
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Is it Network 7 that had these graphics?
And will the Invincibles have to change their name if they lose?
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Good game in the end, didn’t look like it would be.
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@tomp
Think it was Star Test
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Biggest positive from the Hundred is that they were prepared to open the whole thing with a women’s game. And no men’s game after or anything like that. That really surprised me and I feel they deserve some success for it. The cricket itself was good too which helped a lot though I guess there will be some of the usual moaning about the quick bowlers being slow, the boundaries being short and a couple of easy catches dropped etc.
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More importantly, what did BB have for dessert?
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OT, Maybe it was just because of this game but the colour scheme had me in mind of this textbook:
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CMW, let the moaners moan, it’s all they have to offer. I watched the match (and managed to post on here as well btw) and thoroughly enjoyed the actual play, if not the rather confused and confusing graphics etc. Team names also a bit lame, but I suppose all the good ones (Springboks, Proteas, Bafana Bafana) are already taken.
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Lemon tart.
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“I watched the match (and managed to post on here as well btw)”
Not bad going for a lemon tart.
*Runs off to look up ‘lemon tart’ in The Dictionary of Glaswegian Slang*
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I believe in Edinburgh it’s called a tarte au citron.
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Probably called something even posher in St Andrews.
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Hey TomP, did you get my email? came up with a box of Twickers programs from 1952 to mid eighties, almost every 5 Nations, a lot of tour games,, Middlesex sevens and the off Army/Navy etc. No more old wisdens , rothmans rugby year books or playfairs turned up yet. Interested?
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SBT, thanks for the reminder. Have replied.
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The 100 >>>> The Hundred
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1,000>100
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1,000.0000000000001>1,000
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Good to see we’re all being mathematically correct today
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Hi all … away with the family on Costa del Wesht (Galway) baking in 28 degC – so just playing catch up on various comments.
Glad to hear DCC is with us – as someone pointed out the profile / biog gives a few clues (“Jarv” in the handle referring to Jarvis Cocker I presume – lookalike and fellow townie).
Lions – only surprise for me is van der Merwe ahead of Adams, and maybe Curry ahead of Watson (H). I ought to be surprised by AWJ – but the chances of him not playing having been rushed out to SA were small.
And anyone clocked the disarray in the RL world cup? Aus and NZ have withdrawn – kind of tears the arse out of the comp.
LikeLike
I’ll have you know I visited the Costa del Wesht (Clare and Galway) at the end of March/beginning of April about a decade ago, and got a sunburn.
Reposting the rest of this from elsewhere. It has nowt to do with rugby, but the fiction readers might be interested!
I have just started reading Jo Nesbo’s (or Jones-bo’s, as we call him) latest – at least in paperback – The Kingdom. Now, I’ve read most if not all of his previous books, but this one is by far his best, except perhaps for his modernist revision of Macbeth. I wonder if Macbeth inspired him to write something more than a typical Scandi noir pot-boiler.
This isn’t the best passage of the book so far, but it’s a good bit that stands on its own:
LikeLiked by 1 person
40C here – I can’t say I’m comfortable……………
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trisk, did you swim? On the east coast it’s been warm as well. I went swimming off Killiney beach at the weekend. The water was fearsomely cold.
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Cold water sounds absolutely lovely at the mo…..
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@TomP
Yes – been in at Salthill on two days and Carroroe (a coral beach) on 2 others – water not exactly tropical but you’d last 30-40 mins easily.
Galway bay is an interesting geographic feature- the Arán islands act as a kind of barrier so that there’s no energy in the waves – tide comes in gradually like filling the bath . In Kerry, in places like Inch or Rossbeigh the waves would knock you about.
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thaum, it was just over 15. Quick dip and out for me. I’d call it refreshing.
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15! That’s the lowest temp my shower goes, which is practically insupportably hot in this weather.
And I’m not a cold-shower fan, normally.
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Not sure why second “A” in Aran got a fada…. turns it in to arán = bread.
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Am more used to the sub-tropical waters of the south coast of the UK.
The strangest thing is I’ve got sunburnt twice this summer. 4 years in South Africa I think I got it once but there I was fully prepared for the hot weather whereas here it doesn’t feel so warm so I don’t slip, slap, slop so readily.
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Every time I see my neighbour venturing out to walk his dog in this horrible weather, I am reminded of my grandmother’s wise saying: There’s no fool like an old fool. (She usually deployed this towards my grandfather.)
Well into his eighties, wearing – from the bottom up – sandals, mid-calf white socks, tartan-ish shorts, a shirt of a garish different tartan-ish pattern, and a straw hat. Biggest gossip in the village. A racist twat. Son is an even bigger twat, and comes home to mummy every day for his breakfast and his tea, even though he technically lives elsewhere. Has no compunction about parking right across my drive if he otherwise has to waddle more than 10 feet.
Miaow.
When I win the lottery, I will buy a house with no discernible neighbours.
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Temperature peaked at about 10⁰ here today, excluding wind chill. Currently 3⁰ and expected to drop to -5⁰ tomorrow night. That’s fucking cold in Joburg to put it bluntly. As TomP will tell you, houses aren’t built for the cold here and in Joburg especially, the cold is dry and bitter. What I would do to be on a sweltering beach in er, Ireland!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You say that, Deebs, but remember that no-one has air con here, and while you can pile on extra clothes/duvets when you’re cold, once you’re nekkid, there are no more ways to cool off.
10° is not an unpleasant temp. -5 is not so nice, but I’d prefer it to this.
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Ok….beach alert….just back from Blackrock beach in Salthill, Galway – approaching Med-type sea temps …when you launch yourself in there’s a momentary “argh …cold” then followed by “aaah…nice”. Bet the water temp was 18-20° C….
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Well, it not often you’ll see that said….but nice to see it nonetheless
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Good lord … just come back from walking the dog & the same 80+ neighbour was out washing his car … topless.
To be fair, I’ve seen worse on much younger folk.
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Usually he wears some sort of lab coat with his wife’s (I presume) flowery pinny.
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I like the heat and the sun, but then again I’m quite lucky with my complexion in that regard. It takes me falling asleep in the sun to get burnt in the UK. I’ve recently been mistaken for being Lebanese and Peruvian in the summer (seriously).
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@craigs
Likewise…I have to be careless to get burnt… I’m out of that swarthy Irish cohort (also child #1 and #3) unlike my wife and child #2 who would get sunburn when they open the fridge.
After a week or 2 in the sun, I can pass as southern Mediterranean until I’m expected to speak ….
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I have a spectacular number of freckles. And I get sunburn wearing factor 50.
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