Being short of time as I’m travelling tomorrow, I have shamelessly stolen Deebee7‘s prognostications.
But first, I’m sure we can all rejoice that Stuart McCloskey has kept his starting place on the Ireland team with Aki relegated to the bench.
Your results for the weekend:
Tonga v Uruguay: Tonga by 14 – Tonga are enjoying playing against Spanish speaking sides, and will dish the pain once again!
Italy v South Africa: South Africa by 4 – Boks have had two narrow losses and will look to get their tour on the board, with four straight losses for the two sides so far. Bench to haul them over the line.
Wales v Georgia: Wales by 19 – good win for Wales last week and they’ll look to build on that (and cement their place in the 6N at Georgia’s expense).
Romania v Samoa: Samoa by 6 – just because I don’t have a clue, but Samoa seem to better at the moment.
Scotland v Argentina: Argentina by 3 – Did Scotland blow a gasket against the Kiwis last week? Argentina have some good scalps this year and will look to take a Scottish one on their own turf.
England v New Zealand: New Zealand by 9 – don’t think it’ll be a shellacking, but the Kiwis are cruising this November tour after a dodgy start against Japan.
Ireland v Australia: Ireland by 8 Aussies are one from three, but all their matches have been single point affairs so far. Ireland will put a bit of distance on the scoreboard, but not that much.
France v Japan: France by 24 Japan won’t be as bad as they were against England, but they also don’t have the ability to step up and close the gap that much either. France for win 13 on the trot and getting within touching distance of some serious records.
Onna telly this week
Friday 18th November
| Sale v Harlequins | 19:30 | BT Sport 1 |
Saturday 19th November
| Italy v South Africa | 13:00 | Amazon Prime |
| Wales v Georgia | 13:00 | Amazon Prime |
| Scotland v Argentina | 15:15 | Amazon Prime |
| England v New Zealand | 17:30 | Amazon Prime |
| Ireland v Australia | 20:00 | Amazon Prime |
Sunday 20th November
| France v Japan | 13:00 | Amazon Prime |
Ovally Balls 
What happened to Cooney? Tactical sub or injury? (Missed a bit due to cooking.)
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BALOUCOOUUUUNNNNEEEEE!!
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Wow! And almost out of nowhere Ulster get downfield and wide and score! In the context of this match, that may well be the winning score! It’s been a brutal affair.
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Ooh, and out of nowhere Munster almost score! Now they have a penalty, which has gone to the corner.
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14-8 as Munster go wider than the first receiver and make good yards and finally get the penalty. 5 minutes to go. Another penalty and surely they’ll go to the corner this time? Have I jinxed Ulster?
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FUCK!
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Ulster defence is massive again, but Munster squeak through. Unmissable conversion for the win as the clock goes red. 14-15.
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Bashing away at the line much like the 1st half, but finally getvit a bit wider and get the try! Conversion is good and that’s that 14-15 and Munster have snatched that at the death. They had the majority of possession and territory after the first 30 minutes, but Ulster looked like they’d hang on at the end. That was a helluva tough match!
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Apologies Thauma, I should have shut up after Balacoune scored…
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Agree with the commentators who are saying that Munster had the stronger bench.
Really, I’m glad that they still have the chance of making the last 8. But Ulster look gutted, and rightly so.
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Nope, Deebee, it’s always a pleasure to read your commentaries!
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… They provide a bit more information than ‘FUCK’.
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Connacht giving Leinster a tough old match here. It’s 24-12 to Leinster but it hasn’t all been one way traffic. And as I type that, Leinster are in for another try, but the point stands. I think the Sharks are headed to Galway next and will have to be at their best to win that one.
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Sexton off with a head injury, by the looks of it. Had a patchy day at the office too.
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Blue meanies turning on the gas now with a line break between two second rows and 7 more points. 36-12
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Sexton off with a head injury
High tackle by Sexton on green #8 – probably a red card if it were other way around…..
“dead leg” vs SA kept him out for 6 weeks…. so looking highly unlikely he’ll make RWC23 at this rate of recovery if injury is a fractured cheekbone as mooted …..
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But Ulster look gutted, and rightly so
Munster kept playing to the end and some bits of luck went with us – made a smart decision to take 3 when 14 – 5 down.
Having said Healy didn’t carry the ball enough….then he crashes over….
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Trisk, Sexton will be fine for the start of the World Cup, I wouldn’t worry about that. Whether he’s fit for the knock out stages (awfully insensitive phrasing given his history) is another matter. Given Ireland’s history it may be a moot point.
Happy New Year all!
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Whether he’s fit for the knock out stages
@deebee
Doubtful he can get through a 6 / 7 week tournament w/o any injury.
The problem then becomes that without Sexton, Gibson Park becomes a headless chicken, and we lose all structure (see vs Australia)
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Anyone looking for a new car?
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I know where we should have the next blog meet up!!
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Look at that face!!! Puts Mike Brown to shame.
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Southend is dead easy for me to get to as well. Not sure the Hask is the thing that will tempt me to drive that far up the A127 mind.
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Siya Kolisi to join Racing 92 after the World Cup. That’s a big signing for Racing – Kolisi is both a fantastic player as well as being a great leader on and off the field. He’s 31 now, so should still have a couple of good seasons left in him.
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Poor Hask, that tweet and the titles of his ‘works’ makes me think Deadend would be more apt than Southend. If it were Marler, mind, he’d be at the Bellend Theatre.
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OT – not tempted to go to hear his sex stories?
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OT – not tempted to go to hear his sex stories?
Think he’s lining himself up to replace Matt Hancock in the Tory hierarchy? He’s already got the macho rugby and boxing (kickboxing?) background, a bit of sleaze and a complete lack of knowledge make him an ideal Ministerial candidate.
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@craigs
I think I’m washing my hair that evening
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We haven’t really discussed England centres recently so I am going to predict your England team for the 6Ns:
Genge (c)
George
Cole
Itoje
Laws if fit Ribbans if not
Curry
Willis
Dombrandt
YoungsVan PortvlietSmith
Manu
Slade
Hassell Collins (grimace)
Stewart
Arundell (also grimace)
Randall
Daly
Faz
Marler
LCD
Sinckler
Ribbans or Earle
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Oh, Dean Ryan’s been binned from the Dregs.
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Sure there’s a spot for him in the new England set up.
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naaa, its gonna be Faz.
Happy Noo Years all.
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Ben Healy to Embra now confirmed.
I wonder what odds you’d get on Healy and Cooney being on the park against Ireland at the next RWC?
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I am in Sweden visiting outlaws. Just seen some very Sag-pleasing ham in the supermarket.
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@ticht
Healy – I’d imagine short odds. Clearly moving as he is now #3 at Munster and didn’t get selected for the Emerging Ireland tour last Autumn, so he’s looking to be #1 and play international rugby.
Opinions are mixed here about his ceiling but he’d probably have gotten a slot at Ulster or Connacht – no trouble, so he’s taken a risk …..and that’s to be admired
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Dab – ooohhh. Where abouts?
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Craigs – at the butcher’s counter, I imagine.
(Soz)
@Trisk, the Munster forum made interesting reading, some saying he was “only third choice because of IRFU diktat”, “Dublin meddling”, “better than Carberry”. “Ulster have already wasted Munster talent, no way should he have gone there” etc etc. (those are all paraphrases)
Many just wished him well.
There are rumours that he is on a big paycheque (300K) and also that he was guaranteed a Scotland cap before signing.
I don’t know too much about Healy but if the money is in the ballpark then Townsend and Blair must see a pretty special player in there.
There’s no way he will have been guaranteed a cap, but it might have been put to him that there was a clear pathway to the Scotland squad, he may even be in the wider squad for the 6N.
The knock-ons are interesting to me. If he is makes the 6N squad, presumably that knocks Hastings down a peg, as Kinghorn’s versatility and pace makes him a very good bench option.
For Edinburgh it makes an interesting possible lineup too, in the back three Boffelli, Graham and Duhan are all on long term contracts, Goosen is the only one where I don’t know his situation, but his injuries are a bit of a worry. Young Paterson is looking good, so I wonder where this leaves Kinghorn.
He will be first choice to begin with and if Healy forces his way in front I’d still want Kinghorn’s pace and vision on the park. Maybe, just maybe, a stint at 12 could be an option, or even 13, he certainly has the pace to cover there, he’s the quickest guy in the Scotland camp according to Townsend.
Actually, the more I think about it the more I can see Kinghorn at 13
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@Craigs – Somewhere just outside Stockholm. Near Gustavsvik. Though the supermarket was in Stockholm itself.
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Hastings oot o’ the 6N.
Healy in then?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/64177528
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Dab – on the archipelago? It’s nice round there. Done any ice skating/fishing?
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@ticht
A lot of the opinion isn’t worth much – the jibe at Ulster is probably aimed at what they’ve done with Flannery who moved north this season and who played on the Emerging Ireland tour but hasn’t had much game time – Ulster have preferred to shift Doak to 10
Healy is a different type of player to both Crowley and Carbery and – generally – hasn’t suited the way that Munster now want to play.
IRFU diktat – well, Carbery will get game time as he’s #2 to Sexton (until he’s not). He’s beginning to show some form now – but the long injury layoffs seemed to take a lot away and – certainly at the end of last season he gave the impression of “phoning it in”. There was a lot of shovelling ball on, half hearted tackles, and careless play (the chip to Earls that had Keith shaking his head) .
Carbery is contracted to 2024, so Munster can’t just write him off to keep Healy. There’s not really not a lot of to offer Healy unless it became clear that Carbery was back to Leinster when (if) Sexton retires.
A move to Ulster or Conacht wouldn’t make sense (for Healy) in view of his omission from Emerging Ireland – made it clear he was way down the order behind Frawley (who was injured and didn’t travel), Crowley (his own team-mate), and Flannery (a former team-mate). Harry Byrne – down the order at Leinster – had been selected for NZ (like Frawley) in the summer.
What he does offer is a prodigious boot and a decent long pass (not a bad weapon if you get Duhan or Graham into space) . Needs to improve – as mentioned – on ball carrying but the try vs Ulster was a start . He is very much a 10 – there’s no “he could play 15/12/etc” – so you’re all in on that one but with fairly limited competition he might get the time to develop as many in Munster hoped he might have already.
(A note here – Sexton didn’t really make the Leinster team till 2009 when he was 23 – I think there can be an expectation that 10s will spring fully formed – top level ones do…Carter, Farrell, most take time to develop)
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Trisk, good point on Sexton, iirc Carter played 12 in his early caps for the ABs – it may have been with Mehrtens at 10. So even the GOAT didn’t emerge fully-formed.
Kinghorn is 25 but he’s only been playing fly half for 16 months or so, I still think there is a lot more to come from him.
Flannery was the name I couldn’t remember when I posted, ta, yeah it was a dig at Ulster due to his situation.
I hope Healy has a running game, he will be very much encouraged to play that way with Edinburgh – Jaco van der Walt came with the promise of a huge and accurate boot, but he is probably on his way out of Edinburgh now that he’s slipped down to third choice, fourth when Healy comes on board
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Owen Jones is a bit bitter isn’t he??
Starmer’s priority is to get a labour government elected by due process.
If Momentum then want to wreck the Labour party and further fuck the country then that is their democratic privilege provided they follow due process.
Until then………”shut up” is, I think, sound advice.
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Just been for a walk with my pacemaker and the dog.
It’s glorious today – fresh with a clear blue sky and an easterly wind. Snow on the Pyrenees.
It’s lovely to feel that I can actually walk and breathe again without collapsing!
Now I need to adopt a new fitness regime to get back to somwhere like…………
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Gianluca Vialli r-i-p.
Pancreatic cancer at the age of 56.
One of that bunch of incredibly suave Italian players of his era.
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Oh… sad to hear about Vialli…
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But nice to hear you’re up and about !
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Thanks guys – it’s really good!
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Good luck with the recuperation Slade, you’ll be jumping about in no time.
I’m on Dry January, walking much more and doing half an hour each evening on the static bike which has been covered with stuff in the spare room for a couple of years.
I put a lap top on the table in front of it and watch cycling videos – so far this week I’ve cycled along the California coast, though mountainous Norwegian terrain, through Manhattan and last night I biked along the Seine, across one of the large bridges and up to the Eiffel Tower.
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