Turn off the phones, lock the kids in the soundproof basement, prepare your food and drink and turn on the telly, ‘cos it’s time for the European cups again.
Prognostication is not my forté, but I’ll give it a bash for the Big Cup matches.
Northampton v Racing 92
I was surprised to discover that Racing 92 are only in 8th position in the Top 14, whereas the Saints are sitting pretty in third place in the English Premiership. However, Racing know how to bring their best game to an important match, so I’m going for les Parisiens by 7.
Cardiff v Toulouse
Can’t see anything other than a Toulousain trouncing of the hosts by about 15 points.
Leinster v Bath
With Bath languishing at the bottom of the Premiership, this can only go one way. Blue Meanies by 40.
Bordeaux v Leicester
The two top teams in their respective leagues, again to my surprise. I’ll raise a glass of Haut-Médoc to the home side by 3.
Clermont Auvergne v Ulster
Having attended this fixture in a previous competition, ordinarily I’d say a safe win for the home side. However, TomPirracas’ sleuthing informs us that Clermont is a Covid-ravaged camp, so that and downright foolish optimism leads me to predict Ulster by a point.
Exeter v Montpellier
Another tough one to predict, so home advantage to provide a narrow win.
Ospreys v Sale
Ospreys must be exhausted after last week, but Sale are not doing very well this year. Ospreys by 7.
Connacht v Stade Français
Connacht are on good form, and have been unlucky to narrowly lose a couple of their matches so far. I have no similar insights on SF, but they are towards the bottom of the table. Connacht by 4.
La Rochelle v Glasgow
Two fifth-place sides competing. Hmm. Chez nous by 3.
Wasps v Munster
Given Munster’s very depleted squad, Wasps by 15. At least.
Onna telly this week
Friday 10th December
| Northampton v Racing 92 | 20:00 | BT Sport 2 |
| Lyon v Gloucester | 20:00 | BT Sport 3 |
Saturday 11th December
| Cardiff v Toulouse | 13:00 | Channel 4 / BT Sport 2 |
| Leinster v Bath | 15:15 | BT Sport 2 |
| Bordeaux v Leicester | 15:15 | BT Sport 3 |
| Clermont v Ulster | 17:30 | BT Sport 2 |
| USAP v Dragons | 17:30 | S4C |
| Exeter v Montpellier | 20:00 | BT Sport 2 |
Sunday 12th December
| Ospreys v Sale | 13:00 | BT Sport 2 | ||
| Connacht v Stade Français | 13:00 | BT Sport 3 | ||
| La Rochelle v Glasgow | 15:15 | BT Sport 3 | ||
| Wasps v Munster | 15:15 | BT Sport 2 |
Ovally Balls 
@thauma
Well you certainly don’t want to be taking repeated doses of an mRNA medicine. This is an article on Moderna from around 2016 https://www.statnews.com/2016/09/13/moderna-therapeutics-biotech-mrna/
That’s why they went into vaccines, as they assumed the patient would only need one dose. Repeated mandated doses over a long period? You’ll kill a lot of people.
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“I mean requiring proof of vaccination to go anywhere or do anything outside your own property”
You’d have guards outside everyone’s home to check their vaccination status?
What happens if you’re not vaccinated and your landlord wants to kick you out because they want to sell the place? Can you say “You can’t kick me out cos I’m unvaccinated”?
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TomP – What I don’t understand is people who refuse to be vaccinated. The drink-driving analogy is not wrong here: I’ll just get rat-arsed and then get in the car and speed. If anything happens, I’ll only hurt myself.
OT – how dangerous compared to catching Covid, particularly if you are vulnerable? Plus, I imagine the technology will improve rapidly. Plus I’m all right Jack, as only my booster was mRNA. ;-)
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Put it this way the nanolipid technology was being phased out as they have found no way of making it safe.
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Thaum – some people die from getting the vaccine without an underlying condition. So mandating them will kill a small amount of people. And that’s on the government. Yes unvaccinated people are more likely to die and harm others, but that’s on them. Trolley problem innit.
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Plus, I’m pro choice on all things going in and out of ones body.
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OT – the creeping power of the government scares me the most. Without wanting to sound overly conspiratorial. And Starmer supported it.
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Sorry that was meant for Tomp really.
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I also found out today that not wanting vaccine mandates makes me an anti vaxxer in some eyes.
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Starmer was head of the DPP for however many years. He’s not interested in the state not accruing more powers for itself.
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Some more NFT nonsense here: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-59638565
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Craigs
Thaum – some people die from getting the vaccine without an underlying condition. So mandating them will kill a small amount of people.
That’s a tiny number compared to those who will die of the virus with or without an underlying condition.
I’ve always scored well into the left/libertarian part of the political chart, but not when you are putting other people’s health and lives at risk. People who don’t vaccinate or mask can just FRO and keep to their homes instead of forcing others to do so.
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Thaum – I agree that the numbers of people who die differs but if someone signs a mandate into law they are in effect performing an act that will kill those who are allergic to the vaccine. Which is pulling the lever in the trolley problem.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trolley_problem
Re putting others health at risk, I thought that having the vaccine didn’t reduce transmissibilty of the virus? I could be wrong there.
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‘Raucous’
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Morning! As I understand it, the vaccine reduces both infectability and transmissibility (you can’t pass it on if you don’t have it, and your viral load will likely be lower).
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@thauma
The vaccine reduces transmissibility for a bit and this wanes to zero after 3 months, hence the need for a booster (hence it isn’t technically a vaccine but a therapeutic). It appears to have no longer term benefit. Natural immunity from infection appears much stronger and likely to last a lifetime.
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Craigs is anti vax? Who knew
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I’ve no problem with covid restrictions from a government over reach POV,.
I’m far more concerned about the various things going on in the background which aren’t getting the airtime at the moment, de-legitimisation of protests, Attempts to remove judicial oversight from government antics etc. etc.
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Thaum – also, if they can make you take a vaccine, what next?
‘They’ being the government.
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Chimpie is worried about The Great Reset. Who knew?
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I should probably look up what the great reset is.
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Yeah, then you wouldn’t worry about it.
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‘Plus, I’m pro choice on all things going in and out of ones body.’
Impressive body control. You can choose whether or not to poop or pee?
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Impressive body control
This makes sense when I remember your culinary skills.
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My culinary skillz are awesome
Anyhoo this great reset business doesn’t sound too worrying. Could be positive. Not sure what it has to do with with this current government suppressing free expression and giving themselves cover for their corruption.
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Chimpie- the Great Reset is a conspiracy amongst the extreme anti woke.
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Must be a different great reset than the one I just looked up. ’twas all about a more sustainable recovery from covid.
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Or even something like this:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/14/home-office-tightens-criteria-for-afghans-to-enter-despite-warm-welcome-promise
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Been updating myself on the yesterday’s vote & debate. That Des Swayne is quite something, marvellously detached from reality. Incredible stuff he comes out with.
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“On 22 November 1986, as a prospective parliamentary candidate for a South Wales constituency, he was quoted in the Western Mail saying that “the surest way to protect the public from AIDS is to outlaw homosexuality and lock up offenders”. From 1987 to 1997, he was a computer systems manager at Royal Bank of Scotland.”
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So that’s at least 35 years of half-witted bigotry which apparently gets you a knighthood. Have to congratulate the people of New Forest West for electing him seven times.
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In the same period the good folk of New Forest East have elected Julian Lewis seven times. He seems to be less thick, but probably more dangerous. He’s one of ours (Swansea ), we throw up more of these pillocks than sometimes meets the eye as we don’t generally vote for them ourselves. Swayne seems to be possibly a bit posh Scot? Hard to find out for sure. Not sure the New Forest is somewhere I’d like to live.
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Chimpie – it is that thing but the conspiracy theory attached is thus:
The Great Reset conspiracy theory suggests that some world leaders planned and executed the COVID-19 pandemic in order to take control of the world economy.
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OT – seem to remember reading that you got better protection from a jab than natural immunity for Alpha, but the other way around for Delta. So who knows with Omicron? You certainly don’t seem to get long-term immunity from either.
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@craigs
Well obviously. Latest stage of the lizard people taking over. Or bill gates or something. All perfectly logical
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A 21st Century New World Order if you like, craigs.
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@thauma
And you may have identified the real purpose of the global vaccination programme. Why do we continue to encourage non-vulnerable people to get non-neutralising vaccines? If it was about immunity why don’t we give people immunity tests and focus the vaccine on people who aren’t immune? The idea of vaccine escape (strains of the virus surviving that are increasingly resistant to non-neutralising vaccines – identical mechanism to antibiotic resistant bacteria) is well understood and indeed was predicted to happen with covid. And it’s quite clear that the emergence of delta, and then omicron, is actually driven by that global vaccination programme. Both delta and omicron may be more transmissible but all indications are that they are milder than their recent ancestors. To repeat – if we put the non-neutralising vaccine into lots of people when the target virus is circulating you massively increase the probability of vaccine escape.
So is this recent booster drive more about driving the next variant after omicron (which should be called pi) that should be milder still?
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There’s an interesting article here about mRNA vaccines
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-02483-w
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CMW, Lewis was a mucker of Norris McWhirter at the Freedom Association and connected to Robert Moss, Brian Crozier and that type. Very murky past of infiltration and anti-Wilson and later anti-left wing activities.
The New Forest is very pleasant.
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I’m sure the New Forest is very pleasant, but it’s hard not to have suspicions about the prevailing attitudes of the people there. I have to go to Hereford quite often and the countryside that’s in easy reach is wonderful (OK, the best stuff’s over the border, but it’s not far), but I wouldn’t live there either for this reason.
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OT – so, should I get the booster? And can I take your advice as medical advice in a future court?
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Craig, I had two jabs of AZ then a Pfizer jab last week.
https://blog.ons.gov.uk/2021/10/04/how-many-people-have-died-as-a-result-of-a-covid-19-vaccine/
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Yes you should, criags as long as you don’t mind being implanted with a Gates microchip and contributing to the great reset.
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OT – also, will the virus be affected by the anti viral treatments coming available? Horse paste and other things.
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My wifi is brilliant now.
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And horse piss.
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Saracens have conceded their game against Pau due to Corona cases so 28-0 to Pau.
No news from Edinburgh as yet but hopefully there won’t be infections from Saturday’s game, Montpellier are reporting infections, but as yet nothing from their opponents from Saturday, Exeter.
Exeter are at Glasgow this weekend.
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@craigs
Your body, your choice.
If you do have any adverse effects then unfortunately Pfizer, Moderna and AZ have all been granted indemnity so it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get them to court.
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“And horse piss.”
Sounds more auspicious than the paste.
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