The Autumn Internationals or End of Year Tours start in earnest this weekend after two weeks of watching the Kiwis dismantle half-baked sides in the name of ‘growing the global game for a few million pounds, mate’. Gents that they are. After the rancour of the Lions Tour (with more of the players now tearing up the St Gats Bible and tossing it onto the fire of missed opportunity, and the gross miscarriage of justice in holding the Rugby Championship in the backwater towns of a backwater penal colony, we get to some good old fashioned, meaty, North versus South matches: the northerners itching to avenge the defeats of the Lions tours or for those not involved to pick up some scalps as we hurtle towards France 2023 and putting down markers. For the southerners, it’s a chance to meet up with childhood family and friends who’ve strayed from home and been punished for it by having to endure the long bleak winters of their discontent (and weather and losing to the fleet of foot colonials). So to it!
Ireland v Japan
The unsmiling Irish will be looking for another, more convincing win against the Brave Blossoms, to further eradicate the memories of losing in the World Cup to Japan. They got a 39-31 victory in July, but will be looking to turn the screws this time and stamp their authority on the match. Sexton’s century and a very strong looking pack will be too much for the Blossoms, as Ireland take it by 25.
Italy v New Zealand
Not really much point in discussing this one, other than whether or not the Kiwis have put out a second- or third-choice side against the Abject Azzurri. Dane Coles and Sam Cane are the most experienced starters in the side with 75+ caps each, but from there is a long way down to Damian McKenzie and Richie Mo’unga at 38 and 29 respectively and then down to most having not more than a handful of caps. ‘A youthful combination’ is how the Kiwis have framed it, but whatever, they’ll still stick loads on Italy. New Zealand by 56
Spain v Fiji
Absolutely no idea what Spain’s 15s side is like and I can’t be bothered to Google it either. They’ve had a couple of decent wins in the 7zzz in recent years, but won’t be a match for Fiji who should simply be too physical, fast and inventive. Fiji blow hot and cold though, both temperamentally and skills wise, so it may not be the massive blow out expected. Fiji by 19
Portugal v Canada
Last time I looked the Cannucks were bloody awful. They got slapped silly in July by both Wales and England and have a win and a loss against both the USA and Chile in the current 2023 World Cup campaign, so not much to write home about. Portugal currently sit second in the Rugby Europe Championship behind powerhouses Georgia (drop Italy etc!) and look like a decent emerging side at that level. They’ve thumped Spain, Russia and Netherlands and lost to Georgia and Romania. Should be a narrow win for Canada based on experience, but stuff that – Portugal by 2.
England v Tonga
England injecting some new blood into the system, but retaining enough firepower to demolish Tonga after a sluggish start. Don’t expect any surprises in this one, bar perhaps all 15 Tongans staying on the pitch. England to win by how much they want to, and how much they’re keeping in reserve for the bigger matches to come. England by 51.
Wales v South Africa
One of the matches of the round! Wales have had the Boks number in Cardiff in recent years and have their foreign-based players back in the side after missing out against the Kiwis. An under-strength Wales were game for 55 minutes nonetheless and will feel confident that they can go one further and compete with – and beat – the Boks this weekend. The loss of AWJ is massive however, and the Boks arrive in town buoyed by their win over New Zealand and with a very strong pack. Some doubts out wide with Kolbe and Nkosi both missing and le Roux dropped, but the Boks will reverse recent form and win a hard, uncompromising duel in the end. South Africa by 8.
France v Argentina
This would have been a lip-smacker a few years ago, but Argentina have gone off the boil in the last year or so. France have improved, but still manage to confound every now and then. Which France will pitch up etc and which Pumas side will pitch up? No idea on either score, but at home, and with the depth they’ve got, it’s France for the win. Being a conservative Saffer, I’ve gone by 11 points to France, but it could be a lot more if they get going. Or not, if they don’t.
Romania v Uruguay
Romania may not be the side they were under Ceausescu, but they’re handily placed in Tier 2 of European rugby. They narrowly lost a friendly to Argentina in July, for what it’s worth, so do have some ability at the top level. Uruguay had a great 2019 World Cup and have qualified for 2023 as well, belting the USA out of the way in the process. That should see them as favourites for this match, but in a Romanian autumn, anything is possible. Romania by 4.
Scotland v Australia
Scotland warmed up for their bunnies with a sumptuous performance last weekend, missed by some Scots here who were foolishly hiding behind their sofas. They ran in some excellent tries, albeit some of the tackling was optional at times, but you’ve still got to get them in. They face an Australia that recovered from their traditional shellacking by the Ballsacks to beat both the Boks and Argentina twice, albeit all matches played in Australia. Still, the Aussies seem to be growing in confidence and getting a bit of backbone into their side. A tough match, but one I think will go the Wobblies’ way in the end. Australia by 7.
Preview gracias a Deebee7
Onna telly this week
Friday 5th November
| Leicester v Bath | 19:45 | BT Sport 1 |
| La Rochelle v Bordeaux | 20:00 | Premier Sports 2 |
Saturday 6th November
| Ireland v Japan | 13:00 | Channel 4 / RTÉ2 |
| Italy v New Zealand | 13:00 | Prime |
| Toulouse v Perpignan | 13:45 | Premier Sports 2 |
| England v Tonga | 15:15 | Prime |
| Brive v Racing 92 | 16:00 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Wales v South Africa | 17:30 | Prime |
| France v Argentina | 20:00 | Prime |
Sunday 7th November
| Scotland v Australia | 14:15 | Prime | ||
| England v New Zealand (women) | 14:45 | BBC2 / iPlayer | ||
| Wasps v Harlequins | 16:30 | BT Sport 1 | ||
| Clermont v Toulon | 20:00 | Premier Sports 1 |
Ovally Balls 
Ah, ta, maintenant je comprends, je n’ai jamais lu ces livres
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I would recommend them, Ticht, if you are a fan of swashbuckling and funny novels.
The most insulting thing is that Milédi is English, and he didn’t appreciate the difference. ;-)
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Thaum, one of the weird points I got to in France was the dreaming in French, and then speaking in French and English to my Scottish boss and not really knowing when we were doing either – his French was impeccable btw, to the point where his French wife said no one would know he wasn’t French and that he had a great ear for accents – my accent was very much Scottish with a strong “aing” sounding ending for words as per my region – demaing, du paing, le mataing etc
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Ticht, I’ll second Thaum. The Three Musketeers (not just one book but the whole trilogy) are often presented as stories for teens but they are far more than that. Beautifully written, great dialogue, fast paced action, wonderful if generally inaccurate historical background. Dumas was a master – with lots of help from several ghost writers, the best being Auguste Maquet.
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Needs more dogs though
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On the subject of books, this might be a bit niche, but I picked up The Scottish Nation 1700 to 2000 by T. M. Devine in a charity shop the other day.
Tom Devine is a well respected historian and he writes really well, this is 700 pages long and so far it’s a good read.
I have some ( three or four) of the “recommended reading” from the end, but I think this book will cost me a fortune.
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Prof Tam taught Mrs BB when she was at Strathclyde. Nice guy by all (her) accounts. He’s moved around a few universities since then (well it was coming up for 40 years ago – just don’t remind her).
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Morning all! Big day for SA sport! Can the Proteas sneak k into the semis of the cricket? We’ll need to demolish England (highly unlikely) and hope the Windies do the same to Australia (even less likely). Then flick over to see if the dear little Boks can slay the mighty Welsh dragon. Bless. We can but hope.
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Ticht – on a good day, I can fool a French person for a short while, but it’s been so long since I spoke French regularly that I struggle with vocabulary.
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Fans of The Three Musketeers would like Arturo Perez-Reverte’s Captain Alatriste novels.
ticht, That Devine book was one of the few available at Prague Central Library’s British History section. It’s good, popular, synoptic history. I’ve read that he comes back to some of it in later books and they reflect further research well.
Have you ever read Stone Voices by Neal Ascherson? I don’t agree with him on independence – however, it’s not really my fight – and there’s one specific piece of essentialist nationalism that irritated me greatly but he’s a fine writer and a better thinker than most journalists. I also like his Black Sea.
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We’re doing day two of our move today. The place we’re moving to is only a kilometre from where we are now but a kilometre closer to the Aviva.
Weather is very bright but very very blustery in Dublin so catching high balls’ll be a challenge in Japan v Ireland.
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Good call Tomp about Perez-Reverte.
I also enjoyed his very clever work, ” The Flemish master’s painting” (?) , a mystery around an old painting that has repercussions in the present time.
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And The Club Dumas, which does what it says on the cover, and was made into a terrible film.
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I found a used hardback copy of the Ascherson book for a fiver, Tom, so it’s wining its way to me as we speak.
Thaum, I never got near that stage in French, I could never fool anyone, my comprehension got quite good, and I stopped thinking in English before answering or joining in, but I always stumbled over vocabulary, I was the opposite but equivalent of ‘Ello ‘Ello.
I never studied French beyond Jean Paul being in the garden with a pencil in his pocket, I had to pick it up as I went, so I could talk about rugby as I played for the village team and I could talk about fencing and chainsaws and forestry, after that I was struggling.
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winging
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‘sakes, now I see it’s ‘Allo ‘Allo
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THE village of Artagnan is just down the road from us; various other villages around here claim connections e.g.Lupiac, where he lived most of his young life…………………………….eventually to become ‘Queen’s Favorite’.
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Good stuff on the atl, Deebee, maybe I should have waited for my bru picks until I read it, the ones I vary with you are Scotland (natch) and Canada, I picked our maple syrup friends for the win
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There’s an interview with David Denton in The Scotsman, I’ll save you the adverts which are second only to Wales Online
With the Aussies due at Murrayfield tomorrow I’ve sought out David Denton, the 42-cap blond bombshell breakaway. Being Zimbabwe-born but with a Scottish mum extremely proud of all he achieved, I’m also keen to hear his views on an issue which was simmering before Scotland began their autumn campaign against Tonga with nine of the ten tries being scored by players not born here – namely the team’s identity and whether it’s being harmed by the search for talent abroad. But the first question has to be: how is he?
In 2019, just before the next World Cup when, at the peak of his powers aged 29, he would have hoped to continue his rampages from the back of the scrum, concussion forced Denton to quit the game.
“Health-wise I’m good,” he reports, now 31 and back living in Edinburgh’s Stockbridge after his sojourn playing in England was cruelly ended. “I pretty much had a headache for a year and a half. I couldn’t read, couldn’t exercise, couldn’t drink. There were moments when I thought: ‘Jesus, is there something really wrong here?’ But for 90 percent of the time I was telling myself: ‘This is going to get better, this is going to be all right.’ Thankfully I’m a very positive person.”
This was evident when we met in 2014, also in Stockbridge, and despite a dismal Six Nations for Scotland – thrashed 51-3 by Wales, no points scored against England, Finn Russell yet to emerge – Denton upbraided me as our chat drew to a close. “You haven’t asked me about the World Cup,” he said. “It would be very easy for me to say we’re going to win the thing.”
Seven years ago we drank coffee. Today, his race run, we can have beers.
So: Twickenham, the Wallabies and Craig Joubert. Underneath his bedhead, Denton smiles wryly when I read out the tear-stained reflections on that tragic, last-minute 35-34 outcome.
“Brutal,” is the first word he uses. “We were five minutes away from the semi-finals of the World Cup, from a game against a beaten-up Argentina. I’d love to have a shirt from the final on the wall back in the house but sadly I don’t.
“As a rugby player you’re conditioned not to get over-the-top-excited or, the opposite, too lax. But this was the World Cup. I’d watched it as a kid, excited just to hear the intro music. And there we were at Twickenham as the home team. That was amazing.
“I remember getting off the bus, the walk into the stadium, the place mental with Scots. I remember their kick-off coming straight to me. I remember Mark [Bennett’s] interception try and I remember the heavens opening. I don’t want to be too cringe but that was a pretty cool moment. Then I remember whispering to myself ‘Semi-final!’ but immediately putting that right out of my head.
“Those were five mad minutes. We committed so many errors: dropping the kick-off, a poor exit and then we buggered up another. Ultimately, though, the game’s infamous for coming down to that refereeing decision.”
Joubert called a penalty for offside at a lineout which five and a half million about-to-burst Scots, many fair-minded Aussies and, retrospectively, rugby officialdom agreed was the wrong judgement. We were out and so was Joubert: bulleting down the tunnel like a bat out of hell, like the favourite Baywatch girl of Chandler from Friends: “Run, Yasmine Bleeth, run like the wind!”
Says Denton: “The lineout was meant for me but went over my head so the incident happened behind me. It came up on the big screen and Greig [Laidlaw] was saying to the ref: ‘Look up there, people make mistakes, just call the TMO.’” Really? How did the captain remain so equable? “Well, he started off reasonable. He was trying to influence the guy. But then Bernard Foley was lining up his kick. ‘I was muttering: ‘Miss it, you bastard!’
“We still had a few seconds but then another mistake – the kick-off went too deep. If we’d won the ball back we could have gone through 30 phases and forced them into a mistake. Damn, we were so near. Just crap.
“But afterwards in the changing-room, no one kicked any doors. What can you say at times like those? For a long time there was total silence. Eventually Greig did speak, then Vern [Cotter, head coach]. Honestly, I can’t remember what they said, but it would have something about how well we’d played, how proud we should have been and how the team would learn from what had happened. Shit, look how well Scotland are doing right now.
“I’m not bitter about 2015. Mistakes are always going to happen. But the best teams in all sports, when it comes down to the last five minutes, find a way to win. We had a few beers in the changing-room, went back to the hotel to see our families, and then a few of us went into town. But it wasn’t a mad one – everyone was so gutted.”
But then came the sympathy, a cascade of soothing messages. “A lot of sportsmen have a negative relationship with social media but there can be a huge positive to it as well. None of us could get through all the lovely stuff people were saying about the team because there was so much of it. I guess that happens to footballers a lot; rugby players not so often. It was cool there was so much appreciation for what we’d tried to do. That was really special.”
Denton’s stirring tournament form provided some consolation. Off the back of it came a big-money move from Edinburgh to Bath but the two years there weren’t the best. “I coasted,” he admits, and his Scotland form suffered. “I was too immature to see that I’d played my best rugby when I’d gone above and beyond. I had no appreciation for the ‘one percenters’: diet, recovery, analysis. When I first came over here I was this carefree kid crashing around the rugby field who could get by on natural talent having got lucky genetically. More was needed at a club like Bath and I had to figure out so much about myself down there. When you’re young you don’t have to think about mortgages, family, responsibilities. There was all kinds of pressure on me and I handled it in the wrong way. I tried not to think about it. Man, I was just too relaxed.
“Unfortunately when I got mature, switching to Worcester Warriors, playing well there, got back into the international team, accepted what it took to sustain consistent performances, then moved to Leicester Tigers on a three-year deal but played just six games for them, it all came to an end. I don’t miss rugby but that’s haunted me.”
The hit which did for him happened in October, 2018. “Did I fear the worst? No, I went out for dinner that night. I wasn’t knocked out and couldn’t tell you the name of the other guy. [It was Northampton Saints’ Cobus Reinach]. I made a textbook tackle and his hip bone struck my temple. It was just bad luck.
“I was involved in multiple collisions so much bigger than that one – too many to count. The way I played was physical and abrasive. Defensively I was technical but offensively I was brute force. Was I reckless, for my own safety at least? I don’t know but I loved getting up a head of steam and running full blast into guys. That’s the rugby I grew up watching, the rugby I played from a young age and the rugby – big hits, bravery – that the crowds love. Without all of that I wouldn’t have had a career in the game. But I suppose the way I played was why it ended for me.”
When eventually Denton was told by his neurosurgeon “I am not comfortable with you continuing to play rugby”, he’d been fearing the worst for a while. “When you’re out for six months with concussion you know what direction you’re going – and for me it had been a whole year of different specialists, of tests and scans, of all kinds of remedies so in the end I’d made peace with what the outcome was likely to be.”
Concussion is a huge and frightening issue for rugby right now – where does this victim think the sport goes from here? “It was an enormous step to limit contact training but, really, a no-brainer. Now I’d like to see the game geared more to attacking play, giving it the advantage, because at the moment defences are so strong. When I started I was running one against one but when I finished I’d be smashed by two guys every time. There are changes in the rules being trialled like the 50:22 kick which would push back wingers and free up more space. And maybe we get rid of the jackal to stop defences slowing down the ball.”
Nowadays Denton muses on the sport he still loves from his sofa in Stockbridge, grown-up responsibilities now being his life and fully embraced. There’s South African wife Shelley, by his side since he was 16 and who he thanks for her love and support during the trauma of the last few years, while three-year-old son Logan will next month welcome a little brother. He can pay the mortgage thanks to a new career in finance which he loves, although of course it’s not rugby.
He says: “What can replace running out in front of 100,000 folk, singing the anthem, playing your heart out for your country? Nothing.” And Scotland is his country with his Glasgow-born mum Joy back in Harare having indoctrinated him with renditions of “The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond”. She’s still in the Zimbabwean capital but is currently trying to persuade her husband Tim they should move to Edinburgh where Denton’s brother Jack has also relocated.
Half-Scottish counts as sound credentials. Many bigger nations will recruit based on more obscure back-stories. So where does Denton stand on the identity issue? “Speaking for myself, as soon as I decided I wanted to try for international honours, it was always going to be Scotland for me. I was 18 when I came over here and went through the system – club, under 20s, academy – but some won’t think about Scotland until they get to 24 and I reckon that’s fine.
“In rugby, countries operate within set limitations and I don’t think you blame players for wanting to chase their dreams. If you look at some of the guys from abroad playing for Scotland at the moment, they probably couldn’t be further from being Scottish in the strictest sense but you can sense the passion they have for the jersey. I don’t think adopting a country is something to be snarky about.”
We have a couple more pints for the road as Denton remembers his Six Nations debut, against England in 2012, “like it was yesterday”, beginning with the Tuesday team meeting and head coach Andy Robinson’s flip-chart: “He turned it over and knowing No 8 would be halfway down the list my eyes went straight there. Honestly, after that I didn’t hear a single word he said. When the meeting was finished I rushed away to phone my parents who flew over from Harare the next day. My grandfather, Richard Cole-Hamilton, former captain of the R&A, came by train from Troon then walked to Murrayfield, a good effort for the old boy. That game was a springboard for me.” He was named man of the match.
“Do you know, I had to stop watching rugby when I retired. It was all I’d known in my life until then. Since Jonah Lomu in the ’95 World Cup I’d lived and breathed it from the age of five and I needed a break. But now I can be a fan.
“Forced to stop, I resented all the things I failed to achieve. But really, what would 20 more caps have meant? Don’t get me wrong: every time I played for Scotland I considered myself blessed. Just for a human being living on this earth, my God these were awesome experiences.
“Playing on was outwith my control just as beating Australia was. Just the other day, though, while waiting on a plane, I was scrolling through photos on my phone and found some from that game. I don’t think we can win it now, it’s probably gone full-time. But what a great match, what a fantastic Scotland performance.”
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Right, so Ireland, playing at home, are in PURPLE???????
Is that to make the Georgian referee feel at home?
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Well, so far this is a very thaum-displeasing match. Starting the leprechaun and playing in purple? FFS.
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Big game for the Georgian ref today. He did Wales v Italy Under 20s in the summer. He’s special.
James Lowe with a finish after a good bit of play by Aki and Conan,
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Just realised I stood by Mike Catt at my lad’s rugby club a couple of weeks back.
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And a nice second try!
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Terrific try. Conway gets it but a real team score.
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That was a peach of a try from Ireland, great continuity
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‘Pro will have loved that second try….
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Already 14/0 in Dublin. Only saw the second try, well worked out. Japan defence all over the place .
Is purple the new green? Boak!
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Forgot to check and see if Conway was smiling.
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All Blacks still haven’t scored against Italy.
They’re rubbish!
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Conway over in the corner again.
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Ireland are playing really nice stuff. It made sense to field a XV of Dubs and Kiwis.
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Currently, Italy >> Wales.
*ducks*
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Refit,
New Zealand A >>>> New Zealand B
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McCloskey would have caught that ball Aki dropped.
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In Dublin possession must be 95% Ireland.
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All Blacks must have heard TomP. Two tries in about 5 minutes.
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Ireland play well but Japan would lose to a mid table ProD2 team. Disappointing, I had hoped the game would be more balanced. Off to watch T14.
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Japan are just holding back until they play us later in November.
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I’m not sure who the Scottish commentator on Prime is, but he keeps pronouncing Richie Mo’unga’s name “mo-ooma”. It’s very distracting.
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Jamie Lyall, I think.
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Japanese player gets sent off for multiple infringements just before HT.
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Tommy Bowe really excited by the method of play: off-loading and so on.
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Metres run in the 1st half: Ireland 650, Japan 65
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DOC is unimpressed with Bowe’s analysis & maintains that it’s the forwards wot have done it.
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That’s from RTE. A different website says 419-42
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Lots of Irish smiling going on after Sexton scores in his hundredth cap.
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DOC: Last time I saw the front five move like that was for a buffet.
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Owen Farrell double definite out. George Furbank starts at outside half, Smith stays on the bench, which suggests he’s not very fit.
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Noice try by Japan.
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