The image editor posts hopefully
Scotland vs Italy
Previously the wooden spoon fixture, these teams have made some recent progress but the Italians are definite underdogs here. Italy have made 4 changes and given a dayboo to Simone Gesi on the wing. However, they lack Capowuoouuzzzo at full back so, whilst they look fairly settled, they don’t have much in the way of X factor.
Scotland have made 5 changes including leaving out Finn and Hoggy so, while I predict a win, the margin will be smaller without them. Also, given they have lost their last 2 games, they will be motivated to end in style (same could be said for Italy tbh).
Scotland have a better pack and cooler heads. Against Wales, Italy played like headless chickens for much of the game and gave Wales some points either by coughing up the ball in their half or failing to execute the basics. Scotland will be patient and gradually rack up a decent win.
Head-to-head Planet Rugby says that Scotland have won the last 8 fixtures but this only goes back to 2017 and I haven’t dug further. It would take a miracle or a card for Italy to win and it won’t happen this weekend as Scotland get their 9th (or more) win in a row.
30 – 10 to Scotland.
France vs Wales
France, France, France. Until last weekend many people said they had been underwhelming despite only losing in Dublin. That all changed when they swaggered into Twickenham and put 50 on some boys Borthwick had found. They said they could play rugby, double promise, cross their hearts – but they couldn’t.
To be fair, that was the best performance I’ve seen from a team against the English since the dastardly Saffas won the 2019 RWC. Maybe even better. Every time Dupont kicked the ball into space it opened up the back line and a French player waltzed over the line about 10 seconds later. Their defence was aggressive, their ruck speed brutal and every carry seemed to gain at least 3 Robshaws. But most impressive was how clinical they were. I can’t remember a scoring chance being wasted.
Wales on the other hand were solid last weekend but otherwise haven’t set this tournament on fire. They still drag around the reanimated corpse of AWJ but have some new talent including a footballer on the wing. How there isn’t a better 13 in Wales than George North I’ll never know.
There is a ‘last hurrah’ feel to this team but rather a white orc filled Dad’s army willing its way to victory, this feels like a Clive Woodward selected Lions team. If Clive Woodward had coached Wa…. You know what I mean! France to make it 5 in a row against the men in red.
50 – 12 to France
Ireland vs England
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
60 – 8 to Ireland (*starts crying*)
Laughing and crying by Craigsman
Onna telly this week
Friday 17th March
| Bulls v Western Province | 17:00 | Sky Sports Arena |
Saturday 18th March
| Scotland v Italy | 12:30 | BBC1 / RTÉ2 |
| France v Wales | 14:45 | ITV1 / S4C |
| Ireland v England | 17:00 | ITV1 |
Sunday 19th March
| Scotland v Italy (U20s) | 14:00 | BBC iPlayer |
| London Irish v Exeter | 14:00 | BT Sport 1 |
| Ireland v England (U20s) | 17:00 | BBC iPlayer |
| France v Wales (U20s) | 20:00 | BBC iPlayer / S4C |
Ovally Balls 
Glasgow ended up 73 – 33 against Dragons
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Ouch, Teddy Thomas in the corner. Kick good, 29-26 in the last minute. Balls, Gloucester excelled themselves there. Good contest.
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just the 15 tries in that game
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All over. 30-15. We started off fairly well, but gave away too many penalties.
Probably Leinster are the only Irish side capable of dealing with the SA sides further on, so I suppose it’s okay. *humph*
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Ben Morgan, on for the last 20, transformed the Cherry and Whites goal line defence and maul repelling ability. Looked like 20 minutes was about all he could deal with, but all the same…..
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Well that was fun. Hunners o’ tries, including the slowest breakaway try ever (prop and a hooker – ran for miles…). We also scored two brilliant from our own 22. Drags took the kick-off to Dempsey, he made the break and we scored. From that try, Drags made exactly the same kick with more or less the same result. Changed the next kick-off. Drags 11 and 15 looked pretty good.
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One try each and a penalty for Cardiff at the Arms Park.
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Blues v (other) Sharks is a lot of fun.
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Refit – the Altrincham Sharks.
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Sale had equalised with a pen, and then Josh Adams goes over furra linnee!
But a desperate conversion attempt goes wide.
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And another Cardiff try through some lovely chaos, but the ref thinks a pass was forward!
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Sadly, it was forward. That was lovely.
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I’m not sure that was forward on to Curry’s head
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Ticht – didn’t think so either, but on the replay I thought it was.
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And never mind, Cardiff are demolishing Sale’s scrum.
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It’s all Cardiff at the moment
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And another fabulous Adams try off the back of it! And Sale now have a yellow.
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Cardiff very nearly threw it all away by replacing their front row, after which they were shite, and lost their 15-point lead to go behind. But they manage to get their noses in front and win by one point.
Very good match!
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Well the Sharks game was awful viewing. After the bump from the Pairc ui Chaoimh game vs South Africa and the run up to the 6N – we seem to have reverted to pre-PuC form
My understanding is that humidity was huge and I’m guessing that more than heat was significant. Conceding 2 tries right after ht was a killer – tries 5, 6, and 7 followed as we started to play fast and loose. Casey had a bad day, Scannell got injured, and lost our main TH after 20.
But 2nd half vs Llanelli, 1st half vs Glasgow, and 40-60 vs Sharks have been desperate. Couldn’t live with Sharks power – control at rucks was poor and Casey was scrabbling…..
Upsides – Crowley, Nash, Hodnett, Snyman (while he was on). Probably too many just back from injury to be thrown in vs half the Bok team…..
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Exeter v Montpellier into extra time in a very exciting manner!
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Cracking end to the Exeter game, got to head out so will miss extra time.
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TRY Montpellier!
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And Exeter score as time runs out! They need to slot the conversion to win. It’s not terribbly difficult – and it goes! Gutted for Montpellier.
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rugby, huh!
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Great experience for 3 or 4 very young Exeter players.
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Still, at Home again next weekend ……
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Bulls getting badly outmuscled here. Ref, touch judge and TMO missed a wildy forward pass a couple of phases ago though. Toulouse have a 5m lineout as a result. Won’t change the result though, just how much Toulouse win by.
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12-6 at HT to Toulouse, although they seem a pass away from scoring every time they get going. A combination of scrambling defence and poor handling had kept the Bulls alive. Can’t see them doing it for another 40 though.
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And the Bulls have shown little on attack either.
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19-9 after 53 minutes. Toulouse score from a 5m tap and go on the 2nd phase. And that looks like the first really decent break and some strength and balance by the Toulouse flyer! 26-9 and game over. Bulls haven’t had much luck, but they also haven’t used the ball very well.
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33-9 final score. Can’t argue with that; reflects things quite accurately. So, who plays who in the QF?
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Leinster vs Leicester
Toulouse vs Proper Sharks
No Longer Racists vs Stormers
La Rochelle vs Sarries
In the cup that Leinster won’t win.
Scarlets vs Clermont
Toulon vs Lyon
Benetton vs Cardiff
Glasgow vs Lions
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pedigree
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BB, let me put my neck on the line early doors:
Leinster beat Leicester with something to spare;
Toulouse the same over the Sharks, who will likely be without Etzebeth and Hendrikse, both vital cogs;
Stormers to grind down Chiefs and score a couple of great tries to boot:
Sarries? No idea. This one is tricky.
Small cup:
Clermont the only away winners.
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Oh I don’t know; I fancy Cardiff to win away.
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Deebs – those predictions look ok to me – plus LR at home to beat Sarries.
Exeter, in the middle of a poor season of changes, injuries and departures really did well today.
Montpellier are a very savvy and well coached squad. Exeter’s team today was a right old mix of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th choice players and a number of the ‘lesser lights’ really showed up.
Fair play to them but I am sure a strong Stormers side will be too much for them.
So, Leinster, Toulouse, Stormers and La Rochelle.
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Slade – I was in favour of Montpellier today, because I thought they were getting a poor rub from the ref. Not the red card; that was deserved*, but several other decisions, and they showed great character after the card.
*I’m sure other refs would have mitigated that down to a yellow or even just a penalty. The laws are still not being applied consistently.
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Cat-faced Shaun Murphy has just won some snooker tournament. He’s not really Irish though.
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Thauma, I think Cardiff could win in Treviso, but hoping that Benetton can pull it off. Think the Big Cup will be a Franco-Irish affair at the business end.
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So, in the latest Brexit sunlit uplands instalment, we saw huge queues at Dover over the weekend with school buses and all sorts waiting for many hours over the weekend.
Our Home Secretary says it’s nothing to do with Brexit of course, but she is about the only one who says that.
The port officials disagree with her and in fact the BBC travel journalist Simon Calder, the go-to guy for this sort of information, said that things are about to get worse as we insisted on third country status, this means every single person crossing the border into the EU from the UK will be subject to fingerprinting and facial biometrics taken, busloads of school kids, lorry drivers, families in cars, everyone.
from the UK Parliament House of Commons Library
EU Entry/Exit System (EES)
EES is scheduled to be introduced by the end of 2023. It was previously scheduled for 2022, and then May 2023, but has been delayed. EES will be an automated IT system for registering travellers from non-EU countries, including the UK, each time they cross a border into or out of the EU. Travellers will need to scan their passports or other travel documents at an automated self-service kiosk prior to crossing the border.
The system will register the person’s name, type of the travel document, biometric data (ie fingerprints and captured facial images) and the date and place of entry and exit.
It is likely that non-EU/Schengen citizens who do not require a visa to enter the EU will have their fingerprints and facial images taken the first time they cross a border into the EU, once the new system is in operation. This data will normally be erased from the system for data protection reasons three years after the last trip to a country using the EES system. Nationals of countries requiring a visa to enter the EU will not have their fingerprints taken by the EES system, as they will already have provided fingerprints as part of their visa application.
According to the European Commission, the system will apply when entering 25 EU countries (all Member States apart from Cyprus and Ireland) and four non-EU countries (Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Lichtenstein) that are part of the border-free Schengen area along with most EU Member States.
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I’m just catching up on the weekend’s news
Kuenssberg asked Braverman asked Braverman about the arrangement with Rwanda and of it was true that it entails a reciprocal agreement whereby the UK will accept refugees from that country.
As Braverman completely ignored the question, ie didn’t deny it, we are still none the wiser.
This is the first I’ve heard of this tbh.
However, on every single metric I think it’s safe to say that the governments of the last 13 years in this country have royally fucked about 99% of the population.
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That was a test as DeeBee, I think, said he couldn’t post a pic.
If you go to a site called postimage, choose your image via the button on the screen, you’ll be asked if you want to choose a photo or a download, I find it works best if you’d either saved the image on your desktop in windows or saved it in photos on a Mac, then upload it to their site .
From the options available choose the one that says “direct link”, copy and paste the url and Bob’s your uncle.
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https://postimg.cc/XpvPtPvk
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Bah.
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Aha! Nice one Ticht.
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Exeter signing up young Welsh lads from Ospreys:
https://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/65164384
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Slade, we know. Dab posted a picture of the new recruit above.
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I though Exeter weren’t interested in Hawkins?
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