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 
Interview with Keith Earles, he hasn’t had his troubles to seek
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oops!
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/jan/25/keith-earls-hank-started-to-take-over-i-hated-rugby-union-bipolar-disorder
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His book came out last year in Ireland and he did some really frank interviews about it. Here’s a bit of one:
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Ryan Tubridy, who is interviewing Keith Earls there, is the brother of the ballboy who intervened to stop Grant Fox registering what would have been his only international try.
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That law is just ignored now, hookers almost always step into the field of play before the ball is thrown
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@TomP
Garrett Tubridy is still involved with IRFU (iirc) – I know I attended an IRFU webinar he held – can’t for life of me recall the subject… (ok, one Google later- he was Munster’s acting head of Commercial and Marketing – so I guess it was marketing or fundraising related)
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@ticht
I read that earlier. The bit that struck me was the bit about having a spelling competition. Put it this way, I can’t imagine a rugby league team having a spelling competition.
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Maybe Keith would do better at Thauma’s Lewdle game. I failed miserably. Either my mind is too clean or too dirty for it. I think the former, pure soul that I am.
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Lewdle 07 2/6
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Lewdle 07 2/6
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Not sure what that says for me…..
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Tyrone Green has signed a long-term (doesn’t say how long) contract extension at Quins. Good news for both, but I hope the Waterboy is able to convince him to don a Bok jersey sooner, rather than later. Wille le Roux really shouldn’t be in the side anymore, and whilst there are plenty of pretenders to the throne, none has actually made a compelling case yet, wither through injury, fluctuating form or lack of opportunity. My preferred option would be Aphelele Fassi, but the likes of Damian Willemse, Warrick Gelant and even Cheslin Kolbe moving from wing have their backers to take over from le Roux. There is also Johan Goosen at the Bulls, who has his fans, but whether he has the temperament and fitness for it over the longer term, I don’t know. Green would certainly add some sparkle to the Bok back division.
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And after helpfully pointing the way to the emergency assembly point, Joe Marler withdrew from the England squad with Covid.
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I didn’t see this coming, DeeBee
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Must admit I’m a bit shocked about that too, OT. He has a prickly relationship with many in SA cricket, but has been bowling very well and a couple of the back ups to Keshav Maharaj are not available for family or fitness reasons. Still, a wee bit surprised. Hopefully he does well, assuming he’s selected, although I’m not sure he will be if we keep the racial balance of the side in place. There are five nailed-on black players in the squad to make the side, including Temba Bavuma, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi, Keagan Petersen, and Kesh Maharaj – but if went one spinner and Harmer replaced Maharaj, then place would need to be found for either Lutho Sipamla or Glenton Stuurman, neither of whom is better than the white incumbents – Duanne Olivier or Marco Jansen. No idea what Harmer’s batting is like either, but Maharaj is a decent lower order batter who is more often than not asked to do the night watchman duties. The joys of SA sport and picking sides on merit, team balance and also racial targets (not quotas – all of these blokes are good enough to play in their own right).
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Just to be clear, it wasn’t me who started the fire outside the England team hotel
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Is Kolpak over? Olivier played v India and he was also a Kolpak player.
Good to see more Pretorians in the squad anyway. And Rickleton from some obscure Joburg school.
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Presume it lapsed or no longer applies now UK has left the EU
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Harmer is a very good lower order batter, most famously in this final a couple of years back.
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Kolpak indeed done, sunk in the Channel of Tory hubris and swept away with British dignity, bobbing atop a soggy birthday cake, guided by denial and desperation.
@TomP – obscure Joburg school that KG Rabada attended too. 7 our of 17 from the glorious Lions too.
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Harmy will always be a friend of our cricket club, anyway. Here he is a few days before lockdown entertaining my lad’s u7s team
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Farrell confirmed out of entire 6N. England for the Slam!
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its a big shame for Faz, but useful for England to be able to give a replacement a chance to bed in and get some game time, just in case Owen gets crocked just before the world cup. ENgland without their talisman and test match animal captain, oh dear, Scotland by 25.
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Unlucky for Farrell for sure – but with Tuilagi also missing, England have to try other options. Slade at 12 mightn’t be the worst thing….
Sometimes it works out well – in the delayed 6N and AIs in 2020, we started with Keenan on the wing and Stockdale at FB. One injury later, and Keenan is one of first names on the teamsheet at FB.
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Hello everyone. Hope you’ve all been doing ok.
I just thought I’d pop in because it occurred to me that there might be a discussion as to who England should pick at 12. This is a topic that has never, ever, EVER been covered enough, whether back in the old Graun days, AOD days or on this fine page.
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Play Mako Vunipola at 12. He’s got decent skillz & a bit of bosh. Won’t be steamrollered by someone launching down his channel either.
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I can just see wacko Eddie picking Youngs at 9, Ford at 10 and Nowell at 12……………………..
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Nah now Lawes is doubtful, Curry will go 6 and Nowell can slot in at 7!
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It’ll be Smith at 10, Ford at 12 and Nowell/Daly at 13.
Mark my words.
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Hmm:
http://schoolboyrugby.co.za/?p=39721
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This is quite long (20 mins)* but well worth watching. Interview with Boris Johnson’s biographer who used to work with him in Brussels.
*I was going to click it off straight away when I saw that, but became engrossed immediately.
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And, erm … maybe Boris Johnson at 12? We know he can do a number on small Japanese children.
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Not to mention entire countries.
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What is more than a bit annoying is that people are outraged and flabbergasted that Johnson tuned out to be Johnson.
The Telegraph sacked the prick, the Times said he was a lair but both urged its readers to vote for the piece of shit.
They can all fuck the fuck off, it’s not just Johnson, they are all complicit, the press is owned and operated by people just as bad as Johnson, they are the system and it’s rotten to the core.
They only want rid of him now so that they can carry on without the distraction.
Fuck them all.
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lair ffs
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Ticht – I don’t know if you’ve watched any more of the Doug Helvering videos (think it was you that posted the one he did on Firth of Fifth), but he’s done one on Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict, in which Roger Waters introduces us to his ‘Scottish’ accent which is later reprised as the Teacher in The Wall.
The ‘song’s’ rubbish but the reaction is good.
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lair ffs
Just a B missing there somewhere Ticht. Your point is spot on though – throughout Johnson’s career he’s been an absolute buffoon at best and a cynical careerist at worst. Mostly a combination of the two. The fact that he sat on the Brexit fence until he’d calculated which result suited his ambition best tells you all you need to know about the depth of his political convictions and the contempt he has for Britain as a whole – not just the poor, or the Welsh, or Scots or Northern Irish, or Labour or anyone else from a different political persuasion, his ‘fuck business’ contempt for anyone who disagrees with him should tell everyone all they need to know about his callow, callous and contemptuous view of broader Britain. I wonder how many newspaper editors and owners will fall on their swords when his disastrous reign comes to an end.
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Lovely article about Spike Milligan in the Graun today. One of a kind. Need to dig our his war memoirs again and see if I still have my Dad’s Goon Show tapes lying around!
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Great Spike moment. This was considered outrageous at the time
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Wordle 222 5/6
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Got 4 letters after 2 goes – took me 3 to get the remaining 1
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OT – I remember that. It has the conflicting quality of being the best award acceptance ever coupled with the worst hairstyles at an awards ceremony ever.
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Chris Morris here is a close second:
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Wordle 222 3/6
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Tough game of Tetris that one.
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Every year there comes a separate the art from the artist moment. Last year it was Joss Whedon, this year it is Josh Homme.
One day someone will say ‘today it is Craigsman’.
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Is there another Craigsman out there?
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Sad news about Barry Cryer. A great age, mind.
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My sister told me this joke about 30 years ago. I never knew it was a Barry Cryer joke
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Deebs – absolutely not. I’d have to kill them Highlander style if there was.
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Chiefs not racist anymore. This is good, though someone has already pointed out that the new logo looks like Rylan Clarke.
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Looks like the nicked one of the Terracotta warriors for that logo.
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