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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 
“It’s been the fault of the Blazers forever as well. It was their fault that the game of RL was created back in the 19th Century, for example. SCW had to pay for a decent hotel for the team out of his own pocket. The players used to fly cattle class while the top brass flew first class. Bunch of nobheads”
There is a bit in Geech’s book where he describes the moment he felt he should quit the SRU.
He overheard one of the blazers saying, “I’m the milkman, I milk the SRU for everything I can get”
What they were doing was obtaining reams of tickets for international matches and handing them out to business acquaintances so that they could entertain potential clients in the SRU function rooms at Murrayfield, all at no cost to themselves.They were doing this whilst railing against players being paid to play.
David Sole retired because he was described by one of these fuckers as “A cancer at the heart of rugby” because he and Finlay Calder were leading the players’ position regarding professionalising the game in Scotland.
Budge Pountney was made to pay for a replacement tie which he’d given to a fan, he eventually quit because of the amateurish approach to the game from he SRU, it was a culmination of things for him, the Scottish captain, the last straw being the “nutrition” offered after a two and half hour slugfest training session. It was a dodgy ham roll that broke the camel’s back.
Mark Dodson is despised by many in the club game in Scotland, he’s clipped the wings of several clubs who have a rather inflated sense of their own standing and an incredible sense of entitlement to boot.
Dodson has made a lot of changes in the domestic set up and also in the pro game and as far as I can see they are all for the good.
We are finally starting to catch up on the countries that embraced professionalism from the start, although they haven’t stood still themselves.
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The Lions had to get by on hot dogs on one of their recent tour matches, in addition to flying cattle class via Doha there and back. 22 hour flights, shit food forcprofessional athletes and the blazers here wonder why there was a near mutiny in the ranks.
Also, I’m not sure an England coach is under any more selection pressure than a Bok or AB coach when it comes to some players. Here, in addition to provincial bias, we have to meet race quotas, which complicates things. Happily, the pool of superb black players has grown hugely in the professional era, so it’s becoming less of an issue. If an issue at all, really. Except for die hard racists, of which there remain too many.
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Deebee, presumably the racists were happy enough to win the World Cup despite the team featuring the brilliance of players like Am, Kolbe and Mapimpi and being led by Kolisi?
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Glaws vs Bath
15. Santi Carreras
14. Louis Rees-Zammi*
13. Chris Harris
12. Seb Atkinson
11. Ollie Thorley*
10 Billy Twelvetrees
9. Stephen Varney*
1. Mayco Vivas
2. Seb Blake*
3. Jamal Ford-Robinson
4. Freddie Clarke*
5. Matias Alemanno
6. Jack Clement*
7. Lewis Ludlow* (c)
8. Ben Morgan
Replacements
16. Henry Walker*
17. Harry Elrington
18. Ciaran Knight*
19. Cam Jordan*
20. Freddie Thomas*
21. Charlie Chapman*
22. George Barton*
23. Jonny May*
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Englands best 8 of the last decade gets a rare run out before retiring at the end of the season, and Englands best defensive wing of the last few years languishes on the bench. If I was Jonny May, I would be fuming, sitting there watching Thorley and Zammo get game time. No fair rotation going on, and while they are both destructive in attack, both are decidedly iffy with cover defence and marshalling of overlaps.
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Ticht, for the most part they’re happy enough to take the win. It’s a bit more complex though: black Boks have to be demonstrably better than their white counterparts to get the nod than vice-versa. Some idiots still don’t see the value of Siya Kolisi, for instance and would probably pick the Kerk 3rd team flank in his place. Mapimps, Kolbe and others are more grudgingly accepted because they’re brilliant. In high viz positions like 9 and 10 (as it should be) it’s even more noticeable. If Pollard has a lousy game it’s accepted as that (except for the virulent anti-Bulls brigade), but Libbok or Willemse or Jantjies has a crap game and they’re suddenly not Test quality and just there to make up ‘quota numbers’.
All that said, it’s heartening to see that idiots like that are becoming a smaller and smaller minority every year – and getting called out for it on social media.
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Only 8 minutes?
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SBT, I see from the ShedWeb forum that Adam Hastings has started running, though he’s not back in full training yet, his participation in the World Cup is still in doubt.
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I actually watched that SH video a couple of weeks ago, by coincidence. To wind up a mate who is a former SH, obvs. Think I ended up settling on something else.
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*real squash update*
Different sport but I’m pretty sure that I’ve mentioned the squash club on here? Anyway I got roped into being the treasurer a few years back and got rid of the £2k balancing figures in the accounts. Actually filed accounts too.
Mrs Craig’s became a coach too and we’ve seen the membership diversify and increase like nothing else (especially the women’s night she runs). Apparently 150 of the 700 people in our village are members and we’ve got 110 more from outside.
Anyway, I’m in Birmingham, at the English Squash open and we’ve just been named England Squash Club of the Year 2022. And I’m very very pissed. Absolute scenes in Biddenden too apparently. Just very happy right now.
*real squash update ends*
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” Absolute scenes in Biddenden too apparently”
Why, do they normally win or something?
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Anyway my investigations into where Craigs lives have merely confirmed that the West (of Wales) is the best:
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/deal/news/why-are-beavers-washing-up-on-kents-beaches-285340/
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Only 8 minutes?
8 glorious minutes! Brought a tear to my eye, that did!
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Ma heid!!
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he’s clipped the wings of several clubs who have a rather inflated sense of their own standing and an incredible sense of entitlement to boot
Yeah, we have that too in Munster – there’s a division between “senior” (aka AIL) clubs and junior clubs. Juniors get 30-50 tix for internationals to distribute to sponsors, coaches, members etc . Seniors get 200+
There were a lot of noses put out of joint when 1 junior club managed to get their women into the (W)AIL. Eventually, they were classed as “senior” (men stayed junior) and get their 200-odd tix – but took a couple of goes ….byelaws changes were put forward then withdrawn and then resubmitted in order to ensure it was passed (to be fair when the red flags were going up the top brass took a hit on withdrawing the motion to ensure that it passed later “1st time”)
With relegation from AIL a possibility – never quite sure why some “senior” clubs feel “it can’t happen here” – Sundays Well – a venerable name in Cork got demoted this season.
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Treviso a conversion bounced off the posts short of equalising the Sharks in SA.
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That was at 21-19; it’s now 33-26. Tryfest!
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Another try each….
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43-33 at the end, I think. Missed the beginning; apparently Treviso were up 14-0 in 5 minutes.
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I’m on Glasgow Scarlets.
I think Scarlets are keeping their powder dry for the Euro game, so I fancy Glasgow tonight.
This is Ryan Wilson’s last home game for Glasgow, I expect him to be a menace.
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Absolutely pissing down in Glasgow tonight, all bets are off.
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Ha, weather’s been mainly dry here today. Absolutely pissing down at Scotstoun. Glad I didn’t go.
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Ulster duly score a nice try, but the bastard Dragons have returned the favour. 7 all.
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Bloody Ticht at the breakdown again.
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TRY Gilroy! (Well, really a team try.)
Stockdale playing out of his skin in this match and the last one or two; he’s not been great for a couple of years now, so it’s good to see him playing well again.
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Nope. Bloody Vermeulen obstructing. Try chalked off.
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Referee collides with Vermeulen, and then asks him, Are you okay? :-)
(The ref is tiny.)
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TRY Stewart! We probably have more tries by hookers than anyone. In fact, the commentators have just confirmed that.
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It’s a game of rucksy-dropsy, in the rain at Ashton Gate. Sale currently leading 3-9 after 20 mins.
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It’s a fine evening in Belfast. The skies look lovely as the sun goes down over the hills.
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We are destroying the Drags at the scrum and maul. They’re now a man down.
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And Stewart scores again! His 15th of the season, and a URC record.
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Ben Curry bounces Lahiff and strolls in for the first try of the match. 6-19 33mins.
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And it’s 19-7 at HT.
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Half time, Glasgow 5 – 6 Scarlets, Weather about 10.
Scarlets will be playing into the conditions in the second half, but to be honest it’s shite whatever way you are facing
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Ooh, a lovely chip from MacGuinty, to Naulango who scores in the corner. 13-19 at half time.
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The skies look lovely as the sun goes down over the hills.
And there goes Spring. Saw most of the Sharks-Treviso match and loved the way Treviso moved the ball behind the pack: proper running from deep at pace and attacking the spaces or weak links to disrupt the defensive lines. Great to watch! Sharks had loads of power up front, lacked composure in the backs – but Mapimps is starting to purr nicely!
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The sky is truly spectacular in Belfast.
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Posted that before I saw yours, Deebee!
Yes, Treviso were impressive. And so was Mapimpi, who pretty much single-handedly won the match for the Sharks.
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Lowry’s gone off for an HIA after a nasty hit the the ref decided was ‘on the shoulder’. Then why an HIA?
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Stewart scores yet again, but a running try this time!
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That was actually a beautiful team try. At the end, you could see Stockdale pass to the player on his left, and perhaps a hint of oh fuck, I’ve passed to a front-row forward, but Stewart runs it in nicely!
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Dragons score.
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Dragons score again through their 9 – he’s got some bloody pace!
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I think Genge is gonna get a card – should be a red – for swinging a shoulder into Curry’s head in a tackle.
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Only a yellow. I think Luke Pierce has got that wrong. It was Tom Curry that was dinged.
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It’s all gone a bit chaotic in Belfast. McCloskey gone off, I think injured, but hopefully not badly.
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Stewart being replaced by Andrew, so he’ll only have the hat-trick, then.
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TIMONEEEEYYYY for no 5!
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