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 
Tom Stewart gets Star o’ the Match, but frankly I’d have given it to the sky, no matter how brilliant he was.
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Penalty try to Ulster and a yellow card for the Dragons’ 11 for a hare-brained professional foul.
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40-19 at FT. Might have been an infringement against a Dragons player in the last (contact to the eye area), but the ref didn’t want to know as the final whistle had gone.
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Glasgow win over the rain and Scarlets just about. Either side would have been hard done by and lucky to win it in those conditions.
It will have no bearing on the Euro semi final coming up
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Final score 20-36 to Sale. Not a great match. Almost all of Sale’s tries were ‘soft’ scores, created more my competence on their part, and sloppiness on Bristol’s.
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Ulster Drags was a pretty good match. Drags were a lot better in the second half.
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Nice lineout throw/pass
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Leinster tighthead runs it in from 30m, 2 mins into the game
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Lancaster is leaving Leinster at the end of the season and is headed to Racing 92.
That is a big loss, however current South Africa Head Coach, Jacques Nienaber will join Leinster after the RWC
As someone else said, it shows they are swimming in a difficult pond to the likes of Edinburgh
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different, not difficult, but seemingly it is
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26-14 to the LIONS 🦁 at HT! It may well be Leinster B, but I’ll take that so far. Both sides have fallen off too many tackles, but the Lions 🦁 3rd try was a peach; the fourth looked ‘flat’ in real time and flat +1 on replay, but was given. What do I know? The Leinster prop’s try in the first couple of minutes was brilliant to watch! Will probably have been scored from inside his own 22 by the time the beers are done this evening.
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How in the actual fuck did Leinster win that?
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Fuck. That was shitty. I thought we went a bit defensive in the last 15 minutes. Should’ve just kept attacking. Leinster are fucking relentless. Jeez, they’ve got some depth.
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*Somewhere in that comment was a ‘well played Leinster’!
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RG Snyman starting! Hope he has a grand game (in a losing cause) and back into the Bok mix.
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Deebs – well, I was enjoying watching Leinster get hammered. Until they weren’t.
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Quite a fractious first half in Cape Town. 12 all.
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I’ve just randomly stumbled on a live stream of Stormers v Munster.
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I imagine RG Snyman would turn a few heads as he walked to the pub in Limerick
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“in to the pub”, but I suppose “to the pub” works as well
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Well, going by that, Healy is a big step up in kicking terms from Kinghorn, despite the coms trying to move him the Glasgow rather than Edinburgh a minute ago.
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Yay, Munster! Done us a big favour!
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No, hang on! The BP has put them ahead of us! Bastards!
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*slaps head*
Read the right column, you dunderhead. This is back to beautiful.
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Libbok is a great kicker against Edinburgh, not so Munster
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Ulster have Edinburgh in Belfast next week, it’s only really a matter of how long it takes to secure the 5 points for Ulster in that game.
We have a very good squad, but Mike Blair has been found wanting as a head coach.
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There is a Twitter feed called “Did the Dragons Lose?”
They post a one word tweet every week, almost always “Yes”
We are in a similar boat this season
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Ticht – unfortunately, Stormers have Treviso in Cape Town. Although Treviso played really well this weekend.
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That is Edinburgh to a tee, two great tries in eight minutes, then fuck up a lineout and concede one under the posts.
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Embra have the BP after 20 minutes.
Now watch us implode and lose the game, as per the whole flipping season
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It’s taken 34 mins for Connacht to get the BP. Cardiff have one converted try.
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26-7 at HT.
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Embra are 35 – 7 up at half time.
Skinner could/should have seen red and the Os flanker was hard done by to get the yellow card.
Homer reffing again.
Ben Muncaster is great value in the interviews.
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I’ve noticed an outbreak of awayer reffing recently.
Cardiff have just scored a second.
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Awayer reffing certainly not the case tonight at the Sportground, although he’s managed to make a few bad calls against the home side as well.
Cardiff have blown loads of chances and Connacht storming ahead. 38-12 at 79 minutes, but wait! Cardiff score. Too little, too late.
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WTF? Try scored just before 80 mins, but conversion took it over 80 … but the ref restarts play.
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Well, no further scores.
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Frustrating night for Edinburgh fans, scoring 7 tries and winning 45 – 21 shows what might have been this season.
Our defence has been shite, losing the defence coach last summer hamstrung the team from the off and we’ve never recovered,
The squad is full of quality players, we need a good coaching team
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Any thoughts on who that might be Ticht? What’s the “word on the street”.
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No idea as yet BB. Franco Smith came out of almost nowhere for Glasgow in that he wasn’t a fashionable name and he’s made such a huge impact at Scotstoun.
I hope we do as well as Glasgow. The feeling I’m picking up is that Mike Blair wants to stay on as attack/skills coach, that would be great with someone else as head coach and a decent replacement for Kitty McCrae
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Hundred prem tries for Ginsters.
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Ashton gets his 101st (and 3rd of the match) and celebrates by doing a Contepomi (jumping into the crowd to applaud). Felipe is in the stands watching.
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It was a weird card which led to the red and to the collapse by Exeter, but hats off to Ginsters
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Notablog admin update: I am going on holiday on Thursday for about 11 days to somewhere with no wifi (deepest Snowdonia). I’d like to get a new post up before then, so if there are any volunteers….
Also I will probably not be able to watch any matches, unless there’s a local rugby-friendly pub (as far as I know, there’s only one pub within a 45-minute walk), so will appreciate updates. I can use a mobile hotspot to see the blog, but streaming will be beyond the pale, even for Leinster matches.
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Healy is a big step up in kicking terms from Kinghorn
Healy seems to have come on leaps and bounds since the SA match in PuC. Much more confident – and beginning to use his size (1.90m and 100kg) to create some running threat – instead of “stand and sling”.
Over at Leinster…well, Neinaber is an “interesting” choice. He was defense coach at Munster and it’s never quite clear who calls the shots in SA – him or Rassie. Some chat that he’ll take defence and Goodman the attack – but odd that a head coach wouldn’t have overall responsibility
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@thaum – enjoy the break!
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weird card which led to the red
I’ve seen it argued that Woodfull was off his feet making the tackle and foul play prevented a try. Hence then its a PT and as such player must get a YC
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For Munster, after the dismal showing vs Sharks – this was much more like it. Most disappointing thing was letting a 12-0 lead slip.
Got an assist from Libbok’s awful kicking – but that pitch was brutal and credit has to go to Crowley and Healy for nailing the bulk of their kicks.
Ref seemed to lose his head – as did Orie – hands in the face of O’Mahony twice. There’s some narrative that O’Mahony is a hothead who loses the rag easily – it’s the opposite …he waits his time.
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Trisk, most folk down here still regard Nienaber as Rassie’s sidekick, rather than the boss man himself. Leinster would be happy enough to have a 2x World Cup winning coach in their changeroom anyway though.
How Orie didn’t see red, I don’t know: whilst his hand was open and covering POM’s face, it’s still technically a hand to the eye area, I’d have thought. Munster were great though and if results go the right way, there’ll be four Irish sides in the top 6 – if Connaught lose though, and both the Sharks and Bulls get bonus point wins (neither guaranteed), then it could be three Irish and three SA sides in the top 6, if my maths is correct (it usually isn’t).
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@Thauma – enjoy Snowdonia! Is that anywhere near the Peaks of Brychan’s Kingdom?
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