Could anything be more exciting than last week’s matches?
Read on to find out.
Wales vs Scotland
Scotland, all day, easy peasy, we lost to the eventual winners innit.
Ahem. Ok, victory for Scotland for the first time in Cardiff for a while (but they did win in Llanelli) against a team who has had their number for a while now. Wales have too many injuries and lost 90% of their caps in Alun Wyn-Jones. They also don’t have Josh Navidi, Taulupe Faletau or Justin Tipuric so I can’t see them win the battle up front. Scotland on the other hand have only lost Jamie Ritchie (big loss, mind) and will feel confident after their recent win against … err … can’t remember. In fact, looking at the line-ups, it’s only n° 6 where Wales have a significantly better player.
Wales won by a single point last year and have regressed since. Their defence has become pretty bollocks after Shaun left and they lack the experience at international level (this does not mean they are like England. Repeat, they are NOT like England). Further, they didn’t really set the world alight in the autumn (win against Australia aside). Whereas Scotland have won 6 of their last (arbitrary point in time warning) 7 matches and will be confident going in.
30 – 20 to Scotland.
France vs Ireland
Some people might point out that Ireland don’t have Cateyes and therefore are not going to be as competitive as they could be against France. I, on the other hand, think that this is more than counterbalanced by the number of Ulster players in the team which shows strategic and forward thinking on Faz’s part.
This is probably the game of the weekend. Both sides are in great form having won their opening games and recently beaten the All Blacks (but who hasn’t nowadays? Scotland and Wales actually, but we’ve already discussed that) in convincing style. Ireland play a brand of ‘Pro-pleasing precision rugby and now have a pack which won’t get munched by the opposition whereas France have actually made a team worth the sum of its parts. Both teams are very strong in defence whereas France are a bit better in open play and will score some tries against the run of play. I think Ireland will win the breakdown so these are evenly-matched foes.
I think the key battle will be the set piece with these two teams. If either one can get an edge in the scrum and/or lineout then I expect them to win; probably Ireland. It won’t be by much but it will be down to the old heads such O’Mahoney at the end to see Ireland through.
28 – 22 to Ireland
Italy vs England
England v Italy is always a tough one to preview. Either it induces 50 Shades of meh as England eventually beat them or there’s a surprise around the ruck laws or there is a comedy rage moment where Brian Moore reveals how many toys his ma bought him for his birthday. Recently, England rarely seem to come out of these encounters with glowing match day reports. Either they won well, but didn’t lay down a marker, or they won and it was a poor performance. Or it wasn’t rugby maate.
Apparently Eddie is going with the same team as last week. I think it’s good to have a settled team to build confidence but I’d prefer it if we had some more bosh and experience. Courtney buggering his beautiful noggin is a big loss for us and after last weekend England need Faz’s direction. So I’m thinking that next Monday we’ll have a column from Matt Dawson saying how he would have done something different in hindsight. That’s because he is well clever and if you look at his articles, he doesn’t write many paragraphs, just widely spaced single sentences listing the random thoughts he is having at that moment.
Eddie normally talks about how England will ‘smash’ Italy, but he’s been quiet on that front so far. Which is actually quite nice. I’m expecting a disjointed first half, and then a comfortable gap to open up in the last 20 minutes. I am hoping that we show a bit more attacking shape than last week, and that Marcus Smith finds his feet (watch Squidge’s video about the Calcutta Cup for what I mean by that).
I think Italy will score a couple of nice tries but also shoot themselves in the foot more often than not. They have a young and exciting fly half and Benetton won that cup thing which I think was good, but not sure how seriously the other teams were taking it. Like that development cup in the Prem.
25 – 17 to England.
UPDATE!!!!
Randall starts!!!! And Marchant is in the centre and we have proper wingers and, and, and FFS Eddie, why can’t you do this when we play Scotland?!!!
Hand-wringing by Craigsman
Onna telly this week
Friday 11th February
| Leinster v Edinburgh | 18:00 | RTÉ2 / Premier Sports 1 |
| Italy U20 v England U20 | 19:00 | BBC iPlayer |
| Leicester v Northampton | 19:45 | BT Sport 1 |
| Wales U20 v Scotland U20 | 20:00 | BBC iPlayer / S4C |
| Toulouse v Stade Français | 20:00 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Glasgow v Munster | 20:15 | TG4 / Premier Sports 1 |
Saturday 12th February
| Lions v Stormers | 13:00 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Wales v Scotland | 14:15 | BBC1 / S4C |
| Bulls v Sharks | 15:05 | Premier Sports 2 |
| France v Ireland | 16:45 | ITV |
Sunday 13th February
| Saracens v Harlequins | 13:00 | BT Sport 1 | ||
| Italy v England | 15:00 | ITV |
Ovally Balls 
@Ticht – As CMW says, if you take LCD out of the picture, it hits the Scottish lad in the mush ;-)
LCD a concussion-sparing hero.
(I’m just being silly because I’m bored of marking)
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ah… true, <My aunt ran a grocery shop in Splott – here rivals across the road were the Marinos
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oh……….and just a smug reminder that I called all three matches fairly accurately. I’m always good when no money is involved.
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I remember when Yosoy’s Top 5 ‘Talians included an ice cream van man from Pembrokeshire who my mum knew because his grandchildren went to her school.
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Mark Wilson retires – primarily due to knee injury.
A ‘proper’ back row forward
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Even my mother understands rugby better than that!
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LCD a concussion-sparing hero.
(I’m just being silly because I’m bored of marking)
As was LCD, apparently.
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Fab, it difficult enough being a Scottish rugby supporter without having tries from two games ago chalked off.
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Dab
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Ticht – wait, can we do that?
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@Ticht, I am pretty fabulous, actually!
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Well, first Covid case in our house, number 2 son tested +ve. The antigen test lit up within 10 seconds.
However, rest of us -ve…. Complicated rules here depending on level of vaxx, age, and absence/presence of symptoms but the general gist is my wife and I don’t have to self-isolate or restrict movements – as long as we wear mask when out and about (which we’d normally do) . Number 1 son and number 3 son are now off school for a week though (or until 3 consecutive -ve tests in 7 days)
Number 1 son was doing junior cert mock exams (equiv here of GCSEs or ‘O’ levels if you’re my vintage) – missed 1 exam yesterday while we went to hospital for x-ray on wrist from injury sustained on Sunday – crack diagnosed (apparently from handoff – continued to play and scored a try before exiting) . Now he’s off for a week – so we have to go up to the school, collect the paper AFTER the start time and bring it home for him to do the exam here.
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Trisk, my sage advice is the following: remove the cork from a fabulous bottle of whiskey, pour generously, give two fingers to the world, and smile.
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I’m so pleased Prince Andrew has been able to prove his innocence.
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OT – it’s fortunate that one has the family resources to make it all go away.
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Well presumably he was sued because he had the family resources for that to be worth it. Now he probably should be in prison, but that was never on the cards.
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And to be fair to inflict the (justified) reputational damage that has already occurred. He was always going to settle once his attempt to get it thrown out failed.
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Where does the money for the settlement come from?
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It’s part of the proceeds of the Norman Conquest.
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CMW – there should be a ban on tax money being used for this kind of thing.
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Now, Randy Andy is not the brightest spark in the kiddies’ sparkler, let alone the firmament, and his insistence on a jury trial – surely against the advice of his legal team – would clearly have gone wrong in all sorts of horrid ways for him. (Although of course, he wouldn’t have been sweating it.)
Dear Mamma has surely told him in no uncertain terms to settle it, no matter what kinds of grovelling apologies he has to make. One wouldn’t want one’s Jubilee Year to be ruined by ancient malfeasances with an uppity commoner. So unpleasant.
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And a ban on tax money funding a piece of shit pr firm masquerading as tradition.
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Craigs – it’s not tax money as such (at least you’d hope not). The Windsors also have vast private wealth which is, as CMW says, the proceeds of the Conquest.
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Also, how does Johann Hari?
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Thaum – mmmmm. Yeah, I’d like to see that proven.
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I see the Graun have done an ‘In defence of’ for Andrew.
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Craigs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inclosure_Acts
Just one of the ways the royals have their ‘own’ money. There was also a lot of bloodshed and seizure of property off nobles who had similarly profited by stealing from the public. The seizure of monasteries. And of course the profits of Empire. Won’t even mention what happened in Ireland….
Some of the properties owned by the Windsors are ‘Crown’ properties, which are (very) theoretically owned by the public, but many are these ancient holdings that were stolen, and which monarchists hold up to be their fully-deserved private wealth.
I would love to see the monarchy overthrown. I don’t even want tumbrels and bloodshed in the family tradition; just them put on the waiting list for a council house and given the state pension or JSA as appropriate.
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Refit – wut? Really? *goes to look*
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D’you mean this? https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/feb/15/prince-andrew-settlement-virginia-giuffre-raises-many-questions-but-answers-none
It certainly buys into the exceptionalism argument.
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@Thaum – this one
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Refit – I don’t read that article as a defence, except the last para as a defence of monarchy (not Andrew). Otherwise it seems quite critical, eg
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which he characteristically thought he’d handled rather well
And this sentence reminds me very much of Cameron – a distant cousin.
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(In case there are any litigious lawyers reading this, I am in no way implying that Cameron had anything to do with trafficked underage girls. Dead pigs may or may not be a different matter.)
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In other news, Marler and Isiekwe dropped. Nick is considered surplus to requirements after two decent showings, Ewels still there. Manu back in too, as is Joe Launchbury.
England forwards: Barbeary, Chessum, Cowan-Dickie, Curry, Dombrandt, Ewels, Genge, George, Itoje, Launchbury, Pearson, Rodd, Sinckler, Stuart.
Backs: Daly, Ford, Malins, Marchant, Nowell, Randall, Slade, Smith, Steward, Tuilagi, Youngs.
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@Thaum,,
To be fair, the Windsors inherited their wealth from the Hanoverians who appropriated it from the Stuarts who got it back from the Roundheads who stole it from the Stuarts who inherited from the Tudors who appropriated it from the Yorkists who appropriated it from the Lancastrians who appropriated it from the Yorkists who appropriated it from the Lancastrians who appropriated it from the Yorkists who appropriated it from the Lancastrians who appropriated from the Plantagenets who inherited it sort of from the Normans who either inherited it or stole it depending on whom you believe from the Saxons who stole it fro the Danes who stole it from the Saxons who shared it with the Danes after they’d both stolen it from the British who’d had it left over when the Romans left after they’d stolen it from the Brits who were really Celts who’d wandered over from Europe on a day trip and got cut off when the Channel flooded.
Thieving bastards, the lot of them. Bunch of warlords who only ever got the job because they either killed someone else for it or because they were Daddy’s fastest sperm. That’s no basis for a system of government. Time we went back to strange women lying in ponds handing out swords.
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I don’t even want tumbrels and bloodshed in the family tradition; just them put on the waiting list for a council house and given the state pension or JSA as appropriate.
My view too, although I fear you are trading bloodshed for a shitload of reality tv and netflix specials.
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See, it IS possible to speak French with a Wigan accent
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OT – makes you proud to be British.
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@Trisk
Well, you say that, Trisk, and on the one hand, yes, having to hang around on the banks of a glorified Welsh puddle on the off-chance that Nimuë will bung you a broadsword does seem to have a flaw or two when it comes to the selection of a national leader in times of crisis.
On the other hand, old Nimuë is unlikely to choose a mendacious arrogant entitled incompetent hypocritical wallpaper-fancying let-the-bodies-pile-high national humiliation of a buffoon with carefully dishevelled hair to be the most powerful figure in Albion and it’s associated-for-the-time-being realms.
So there is that.
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Brookter – I heard Nimue got radicalised online.
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I think you may be right, Craigs.
There have long been rumours about the amount of dark magic and money emanating from sources linked to Mordred.
Of course, the government has refused to publish the report they commissioned on the subject of who exactly is behind the influx of strange knights turning up at the Round Table making odd demands of poor Sir Gawain, which is suspicious in itself.
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“Welsh puddle”
Feel homesick now.
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@cmw
At least where you grew up has some interesting mythology around it. My neck of the woods is so devoid of anything of note before about 1800 we had to create the Oldham Tinkers to invent a few stories to make it sound more interesting.
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Not our fault if the people of Oldham are lacking in puddle glorification skills.
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That said they have made some progress as they seem to think Hollingworth Lake is a holiday resort and I can’t remember anyone ever claiming that about Nant y Moch.
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Where I grew up was full of witches, couldn’t move for them.
Well, sort of, there was a couple of hundred years back there when it seemed to be that way, and even when I was growing up there were rumours, y’know, there was said to be covens and all sorts of goings on in the middle of woods
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There are few puddles in Oldham because all the rain flows down into areas such as Hollingworth Lake and other lowland areas such as Rochdale or Manchester.
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