This week has seen the shocking death of a national icon, and our heartfelt condolences go out to family, friends, former sparring partners, and the general public who will miss one of those who best understood the subtle nuances of international debate, and who intoned those nuances in the most mellifluous of voices.
Eddie Butler – we raise a glass to ye. You entertained us and, most importantly, you told us what was going on with the minimum of bias.
For anyone who’d like a trip down memory lane with FakeEddie, feast on this.
But Eddie would not want us to forget about the rugby that’s on this weekend. (It’s always convenient to assign our own wishes to the departed, but I suspect this is actually true.)
Deebee7 is really excited about the URC kicking off, although he’s picked some strange teams to obsess about. Me, I’m looking forward to Cardiff v Munster (although I bet the mister isn’t) and Ulster v Connacht (often our Nemesis – hopefully not this time).
Meanwhile, most of the English Premiership matches aren’t on normal channels again, although you can watch Evil Quins v Evil Sarries if you subscribe to BT Sport, or Bankrupts v Exeter on Sunday.
There is also some Rugby Championship and Top14 action.
Onna telly this week
Friday 16th September
| Treviso 33 – 11 Glasgow | 17:30 | Premier Sports 1 |
Saturday 17th September
| Zebre v Leinster | 13:00 | RTÉ2 / Premier Sports 1 |
| Harlequins v Saracens | 15:00 | BT Sport 3 |
| Cardiff v Munster | 15;05 | BBC2 Wales / RTÉ2 / Premier Sports 1 |
| Lions v Bulls | 15:05 | FreeSports |
| Scarlets v Ospreys | 17:15 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Ulster v Connacht | 19:35 | BBC2 NI / TG4 / Premier Sports 1 |
| Edinburgh v Dragons | 19:35 | S4C / Premier Sports 2 |
| Argentina v South Africa | 20:10 | Sky Sports Main Event |
Sunday 18th September
| Worcester v Exeter | 15:00 | BT Sport 1 |
| Toulon v Clermont | 20:05 | Premier Sports 1 |
Ovally Balls 
Yellow for Kwagga Smith and a pen try, for a neck-roll on the Arg 9, preventing him getting to the line. That’s the first points of the second half.
13-22 66mins
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Lovely try by Moroni. On half way, there’s a lovely inside ball and he cuts through the defence. He’s tackled on the line, but touches the ball down.
20-22 to SA, 68mins. SA are throwing this away.
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Suddenly it’s all the Boks again. They get a pen on half way and F Steyn puts the ball into the Arg 22. They maul, get another penalty and a lineout on the 5m. Arg take the maul down well, but SA recycle and move infield, before de Allende puts his head down and gets over the line.
20-29 76mins
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Marx scores at the death. Ball goes wide to Mapimpi. He makes metres down the wing, then passes inside to Marx. He juggles the ball, but regathers and scores.
Final score 20-36
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So I might have to give up on my long burning cowards revenge on my neighbours.
Turns out the council don’t enforce shit. I think they had a stressful few weeks though. And it was thoroughly deserved. But they won’t have to undo what they’ve done. Which is a real shame.
Also, it means I’m not going to get permission for any work I do from now on.
I’ll think of something else.
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Just watched the Argentina SA replay, not pretty viewing, but some rugby broke out occasionally between refereeing. Not only do I reckon that the Pumas got totally tucked up by the ref, but the TMO wrecked every piece of continuity there was by constantly calling for reviews, half of which were called right in the first place, and most of the others were minor or borderline. Absolutely ruined the game.
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SBT, way too many interventions by the ref and TMO. Boks were pretty good in the 1st 40, Argentina excellent in the next 30, but the Bok defence just about kept a lid on them. Boks now in pole position for the pot with a superior head to head against the Kiwis.
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Ok, this is the best tweet I’ve seen today
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SBT – apparently 34 penalties during the match. Not sure how many TMO referrals that included. But none of the penalties from hand took 40 seconds to kick, I suppose.
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ARR! It be International Talk Like a Pirate Day.
Therefore we be celebrating a famous queen:
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Regarding the final Aus penalty
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According to World Rugby, “A penalty or free-kick must be taken without delay.”
I’m assuming that it’s up to the ref how long “without delay” means, ‘cos I don’t think I’ve ever seen a penalty taken immediately. Even tap-and-go’s take a few seconds from the award of the penalty.
Anyway. He should have kicked it quicker.
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If every penalty had taken 49 seconds to kick in the Bok-Arg match, it would have taken almost 28 minutes out of the game. And if you add another 30 seconds for the Boks to fake an injury to give the fat bastards a rest, you can add 17 additional minutes, giving you one half with no play. Sounds promising for Rassie and Co!
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Just accidentally turned on the funeral in time to see a load of trumpeters blasting out some loud bombastic tune.
At my Granny’s funeral we had to make do with a tape of Dolly Parton singing How Great Thou Art.
Each to their own I suppose.
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Watching the funeral and have got the Darth Vader theme in my head. Time to do some DIY I think.
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You lazy sods all get the day off for this? I’ve got a relatively easy 36-hour shift on today, and my boss has actually been reasonable enough to let me pay in a small amount to not take lunch and use company furniture to carry on working. It’s hard here in the colonies, you know.
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Deebs – I won’t paid so am a little salty if I’m honest.
Arrrgh.
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Arrrgh
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Remember that thing that happened with the ref and Australia lost and it was hilarious?
Still funny.
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@deebee
I like to think I have played a small.but crucial part in this
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You want some epic time wasting, Eng vs Arg in the 7s, from 4min28 in this video
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I was somewhere in between at the time, I could see both teams’ points of view, but having watched the first minute or two of this I’m completely with Rayanal. He made the right decision, which was part of my argument anyway, but seeing it like this he is completely in the right.
Also, he didn’t award New Zealand a try, he awarded a scrum, it was up to Oz to defend it – they only had to make one defensive set to win the game, but they didn’t.
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I keep hearing about how utterly unprecedented the call was, but I thought that possession reversals awarded when the referee gets sick of time-wasting were quite common – it’s just that they usually happen at lineouts and scrums. If the ref says hurry up and throw it in, and the hooker instead spins the ball twice then takes three steps infield and cups his ear while feigning extreme hearing loss, it’s going to be a free kick against him more often than not.
Given that Australia prefers a fast, free-flowing game, I expect they stand to come out on top overall from these rulings. It’s just unfortunate that they’d used up so much goodwill earlier by trying to run down the clock when they had 1 or 2 in the bin.
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OT – too modest. His career was over until he crossed your path.
Ticht, BK (welcome, stranger!) it’s the first time I’ve seen it with decent sound and Raynal is 100% right. The ‘analysts’ in the studio also completely ignore that Foley’s teammates are yelling at him to kick the ball. Raynal clearly calls time off and speaks to Foley, and then clearly calls time on, blows his whistle and again tells Foley to kick the ball, as do his own team.
No controversy here, Raynal deserves the Légion d’Honneur for services to rugby. And for telling Nic White to do one. Gives us 9s a bad reputation, frankly.
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The ‘analysts’ in the studio also seem to think that Australia would have won the Bledisloe Cup had they won this game which feels a little wide of the mark though I suppose you never know.
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The peeps in that video think that Oz had the game wrapped up and were clearly the better team despite the cards. Maybe this is a sign of how far the All Black’s aura has been diminished. But also, they had a whole line out after the penalty. Back yerselves to pick and go for a minute.
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@deebee
It was coaching the Upminster u9s wot did it. Showed him a few tricks they did.
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Craigs, spot on – if Foley had cleared to touch, they’d have had a lineout somewhere between the 22 and 10m line and the throw. Back yourself to win that, perhaps a phase or two at most of pick and go and blooter it out. Even if the ABs had won the lineout, they had 30-40 metres to go to try and score.
And another thing – Koroibete is a lousy defender. Apart from no arms tackling, he’s allowed a number of tries in his corner this season and generally hasn’t made much effort to tackle properly, to get under the player or dislodge the ball, just fly into the player and hope for the best.
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I do have a bit of sympathy for Australia in the sense that even though the ref was well within his rights it isn’t what you might normally expect to see. Elements of Warburton, Jarred Payne etc on that front though in this instance the ref was pretty clear about what he wanted them to do and it wouldn’t have been difficult just to do it.
I guess if the ref tells you to get on and kick it then that’s what you should do unless it’s Chris White and he’s told you there’ll be time for a lineout.
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I do have a bit of sympathy for Australia
Thaum – banhammer?
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Tempting….
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Don’t remember much sympathy for the Boks against Ireland when John Smit asked the ref if he could talk to the team after repeated penalties, and after being told yes and the Boks went into a huddle, allowed Ireland to tap and go and score the decisive try!
Foley gamed it and lost. Busted flush with a flustered blush and then Nic “I’m being oppressed!” White hopping up and down in the ref’s face. Surprised he didn’t collapse to the floor and claim Raynal gouged him.
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YOUR Springbok Team for Saturday’s Test:
South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Frans Steyn, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, , 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siyamthanda Kolisi (captain), 5 Lodewyk de Jager, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Mbongeni Mbonambi, 17 Retshegofaditswe Nche, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Duane Vermeulen, 21 Albertus Smith, 22 Francois de Klerk, 23 Kurt-Lee Arendse.
Frans Steyn at 10, with Pollard and Willemse out injured and Jantjies dealing with ‘personal issues’. Not ideal, as I doubt he can play 80 minutes, but he has that golden boot on him, off the tee and in gaining field position. He’s actually a very good distributor and balanced runner (large pie on each shoulder and one stuffed up his jumper too) so could prove a very good option and I don’t think many Argies will fancy running down his channel either.
However, it’ll be a bit of a ‘mare if he’s injured early, as Faf is then the replacement 10 on the bench. You may well see Willie le Roux go to 10 if that happens with either Moodie or Arendse shifted to fullback.
PS du Toit back starting at blindside, perhaps a little surprising given that Mostert had his best match of the year last week in Argentina, but ‘Sous’ can provide cover at lock or back row off the bench. Vermeulen and Kwagga give strong bench options there as well. Bongi Mbonambi back as reserve hooker, which is great news and Vincent Koch in for the lacklustre Big Trev Nyakane, whose match fitness seems to have dived since he discovered pastries in France.
Boks by 10-15, and probably relying on Australia to do us a massive favour. Nic White, all is forgiven!
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Don’t remember much sympathy for the Boks
I believe the level of sympathy was appropriate for the situation.
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“Don’t remember much sympathy for the Boks against Ireland when…”
I don’t remember much sympathy for Wales.
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But not being a monster like Craigs or Deebee I’m prepared to offer sympathy without owing any.
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Craigs, spoken like a true colonial.
CMW, the Stones wrote a song about Sympathy for Wales.
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I don’t remember much sympathy for Wales.
Sorry, I don’t understand.
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Deebs – my ancestors conquered Surrey via Richmond and Solihull. Yours?
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In olden times, this is where DCI would jump in, posting the lyrics to Sympathy For Wales, which would look, to the untrained eye, a lot like the lyrics to Sympathy For The Devil.
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Summat like this?
Please allow me to introduce myself
I’m a land of wealth (?) and taste (?)
I’ve been around for a long, long year
Stole many a man’s soul and faith
I was ’round when Owain Glyndŵr
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that Henry
Washed his hands and sealed his fate
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game
I stuck around St. David’s
When I saw it was a time for a change
Killed Lord Grey and his ministers (well, nearly)
Joan de Astley screamed in vain
I blagged a line-out
Had sixteen men out
While the Irish raged
And the result stank
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guess my name, oh yeah
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah
I watched with glee
While your referees
Fought for Hair-bears
For the scrums they played
I shouted out,
“Who killed the Os-per-eys?”
When after all
It was you and me
Let me please introduce myself
I’m a land of wealth and taste
And I laid traps for chopsing Sais
Who get killed before they reach Swansay
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what’s puzzling you
Is the nature of my game, oh yeah, get down, hit it
Pleased to meet you
Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah
But what’s confusing you
Is just the nature of my game
Just as every ref is a criminal
And all the sinners Saints
Cymru am byth
Just call me Lucifer
Cause I’m in need of some restraint
So if you meet me
Have some courtesy
Have some sympathy, and some taste
Use all your well-learned politesse
Or I’ll lay your team to waste
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… And as someone else wondered recently, where is TomP? I’ve just checked, and he last posted on 1st July. I don’t think anyone’s said anything to piss him off.
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Nienaber not overly concerned by Bok flyhalf injuries: We give chances to young players
He says picking 35 year old Frans Steyn as pivot with 30 year old Faf who last played 10 at school as his back up.
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So Craigs, your ancestors colonized the world’s greatest colonizers is what you’re saying?
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Priceless Thauma! Chapeau! (As DCI sometimes said)
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“Deebs – my ancestors conquered Surrey via Richmond and Solihull. Yours?”
I thought Craigs’ lot were Swedes, possibly with the odd bear thrown in. Turns out he’s directly descended from The Conservative Party.
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Hope TomP is OK and that he’s just been overrun with essential facting duties elsewhere.
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So not so much swedes as full blown gammons, then?
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Hope TomP is OK and that he’s just been overrun with essential facting duties elsewhere.
Spot on.
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Anyway it’s nice that Craigs’ lot managed to conquer Solihull. Perhaps one day Thaum will be able to rise up, fight her way out of Cov and do something similar.
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