Pack your suitcases and prepare for Round Two of the European Cup.
Cardiff v Harlequins
Home advantage and Ellis Jenkins won’t do enough for Cardiff against in-form Quins. Quins by 10.
Castres v Munster
No-one will ever know the result of this match as anyone who attempts to watch it will die the most horrible of deaths from boredom, judging by the reverse fixture.
Wasps v Toulouse
Ooh. Toulouse by at least 35.
Ospreys v Racing 92
Surprisingly, Racing 92 are languishing even further down the Top 14 table than Ospreys are in the URC. I still think they’ll win, though – by about 12.
Connacht v Leicester
This could be the surprise of the weekend, possibly depending on the weather. Connacht by 3.
La Rochelle v Bath
Bath to take a Bath. La Rochelle by 20.
Exeter v Glasgow Warriors
Glasgow have been looking the business in their last couple of matches, and Exeter are not what they were last year. Weegies by 6.
Bristol v Stade Français
Neither side setting the world on fire this season, so home players by 4.
Leinster v Montpellier
Despite being toppled off the top of the URC, Leinster remain a team to be very scared of, and are at home. Blue Meanies by 17.
Bordeaux v Scarlets
Ooh là là, les Médocs par approximately neufty.
Northampton v Ulster
Will the return of Baloucoune and Hume mean an Ulster away win? Probably not, but I’m going for Ulster by 7 anyway. (This is why I never win the leagues.)
Clermont v Sale
Oh dear, Yellow Army by 30.
Onna telly this week
Friday 14th January
| Castres v Munster | 20:00 | BT Sport 3 |
| Cardiff v Harlequins | 20:00 | S4C / BT Sport 2 |
Saturday 15th January
| Wasps v Toulouse | 13:00 | Channel 4 / BT Sport 2 |
| Treviso v Dragons | 15:15 | S4C |
| Ospreys v Racing 92 | 15:15 | BT Sport 3 |
| Connacht v Leicester | 15:15 | BT Sport 2 |
| La Rochelle v Bath | 17:30 | BT Sport 3 |
| Exeter v Glasgow | 17:30 | BT Sport 2 |
| Bristol v Stade Français | 20:00 | BT Sport 2 |
Sunday 16th January
| Leinster v Montpellier | 13:00 | BT Sport 2 | ||
| Bordeaux v Scarlets | 15:15 | BT Sport 3 | ||
| Northampton v Ulster | 15:15 | BT Sport 2 | ||
| Clermont v Sale | 17:30 | BT Sport 2 |
Ovally Balls 
Apologies to the Welsh for mucking that chart up (in the great traditions of etc etc) – you’re on the line so you’re all right after all. The biggest take home message though is that far from being the despicable poachers of legend, the All Blacks are an old boys club of closed-minded rednecks who refuse to give promising young Germans and Saffers a fair go. But i think we all knew that anyway.
Best wishes for the 6N. Glad I don’t have a dog in that fight – my mental health wouldn’t cope. I’ve dropped down to part-time at work to re-calibrate my perspective on life – free ranging all day with our new chickens is working out well for that.
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Sam Hidalgo-Clyne off to Benetton at end of season………………
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Probably for the best. He seemed to have dropped off the charts at Exeter over the last few months.
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BK – nah, you had it right the first time.
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BB – too many young #9s named Maunder………….after being signed as a cover he is now a wage that can be done without.
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Have just been reminded of this:
I miss Nige.
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Slade – Exeter haven’t been the same since Nick White left.
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We got a cat a few weeks back. I now catch myself talking to her when she comes to great me as I come back into the house. I think I’ve become a cat person.
Fucking hell.
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Craigs – my sister started with just 1
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Refit – that’s a window into my future I fear.
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@refit Or vice versa….
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Ok, folks – I’ve come by (or will come by) tickets for France vs Ireland next Sat.
Too late for me to make use of them.
Anyone here interested? Looking I suppose – mainly – at Flair or Thaum…..
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Talking to cats is perfectly normal behaviour
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Anyone interested in a blog meet at the end of the 6 Nations? I hear Chimpie’s Melbury is a fine venue.
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Wordle 230 2/6
⬜⬜⬜🟨🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
I leave it there!!!
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@Trisk – Pretty odd word to get in 2 – is your yellow what turned out to be the first letter?
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Trisk – thanks, but I don’t fancy travelling at the mo (or getting in the middle of a screaming crowd either)! Nice work on the Wordle.
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Just got back from a funeral for the dad of a close friend of mine. Her late dad was a mining engineer (and Prof of the mining Engineering Department at my uni) who spent his career designing mine safety systems after having witnessed the Aberfan disaster first hand. He was Welsh and was studying in Newcastle at the time, but had come home for his folks wedding anniversary when the disaster happened. Huw was a magnificent man and gentleman and singing Bread of Heaven this morning was an honour. I will be supporting Wales this year in his honour.
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I hear Chimpie’s Melbury is a fine venue.
Does it have a pizza oven?
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Not looking like a good year for Wales.
Negatives:
We were good last year
Loads of injuries
Deebee
Positives:
Everyone else looked better than us in November
We look nailed on for fifth.
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the pizza oven is near, but not in, the Melbury
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I feel Wales are being under-estimated once again.
Also think France are being a bit over-hyped. Guess we’ll all find out soon.
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‘the pizza oven is near, but not in, the Melbury’
Actually it’s portable & residing in the melbury between uses. But it’s not a good idea to fire it up indoors
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@thauma – no problem.
It’s a bit annoying – obviously the changes to Covid regs in France meant the tickets were suddenly released…. too late to organise flights/hotels.
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Sorry for your friend’s loss, Deebee.
Oh, Christ. I’m not sure it’s what the deceased would have wanted.
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So is the pizza oven (portable) in the Melbury or not?
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Yes, the last time we went to Dublin for a match, it was going to cost nearly a grand between flights & hotel! So we flew to Belfast, stayed at Hôtel Maman, and took the train down.
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Negatives:
We were good last year
Loads of injuries
Deebee
Oh, Christ. I’m not sure it’s what the deceased would have wanted.
Looks like I’ll have to back England out of respect to Huw. Happy to oblige.
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We’re happy to have you along really Deebee. Just don’t expect anything good…
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Just thinking back to last year when Deebee put his weight behind the English.
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Can’t wait for tomorrow to see if Scotland can put the din in Edinburgh.
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Somone’s been reading kitson
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‘So is the pizza oven (portable) in the Melbury or not?’
it is currently in the Melbury. But cannot be used there. It needs to be placed outside the melbury for use.
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I see the WRU are only selling watered down beer at the Millennium Stadium for the 6N. Should’ve just asked Budweiser for sponsorship, amounts to the same thing.
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No Brains, the WRU.
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Not reading Kitson, Chimpie. No one doesn’t read the Master. One savours him.
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Duane Vermeulen in balmy Ireland:
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Not even a pair of slops!
Not sure if other non-South Africans realise this but the kids play rugby barefoot until they get to high school and the mornings can be cold in an SA winter.
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I always think of Vermeulen as being a bit of a monster, but even taking into account perspective and a winter coat, Stevie Ferris is a big guy.
He was one of my favourite players, so I can’t just about tune out when he’s punditing on an Ahhhlturr match
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I’m so excited! Six Nations post coming up shortly….
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You couldn’t really play barefoot on a frozen rutted pitch in the Scottish borders.
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Ta daaa!
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