With the warm-up internationals for the World Cup getting into swing, the BTL underdoggers are out in force. Flair reckons that Scotland will beat France by 40 points; BorderBoy doesn’t seem very sure about getting out of the group in the Cup at all, whereas Deebee thinks South Africa shouldn’t even bother getting on the plane. And everyone is underdogging New Zealand. SBT just hopes there’ll be a chance to travel and party, and lots of turnstiles.
Me, I’m confident that Ireland will beat Italy this weekend as we have FIVE starting Ulstermen, including an Ulster captain, and another Ulsterman on the bench. But I am also not entirely sure we’ll make it out of the group, and very doubtful we’ll get any further than the QFs (again). There’ll be a serious and detrimental lack of Ulstermen on the WC sides, just you wait and see.
As for Wales, I’ve just asked the mister if he thinks they’ll beat England this weekend. Long pause. Scratching. “Yeeaaah … but I don’t think it’s gonna be a good game.” What an optimist!
Onna telly this weekend
Saturday 5th August
| New Zealand v Australia | 03:35 | Sky Sports Action |
| Scotland v France | 15:15 | Prime Video |
| Wales v England | 17:30 | Prime Video |
| Ireland v Italy | 20:00 | RTÉ2 / Prime Video |
| Argentina v South Africa | 20:10 | Sky Sports Action |
Ovally Balls 
Bit of relaxing music, to wind down the evening?
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England’s ‘kick/rush’ game* will startle the World………..
* pre-determined by lack of pack domination, poor breakdown, and slow 9s
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Just realised that Ulster will probably have a World Cup winner in their ranks! Heartwarming for Thauma that Kitshoff had signed for you.
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Er, we don’t have a Frenchman.
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Springbok Rugby World Cup squad:
Forwards:
Props: Steven Kitshoff (74 caps), Vincent Koch (45 caps), Frans Malherbe (61 caps), Ox Nche (19 caps), Trevor Nyakane (61 caps).
Hookers: Bongi Mbonambi (60 caps), Malcolm Marx (61 caps).
Locks: Eben Etzebeth (112 caps), Jean Kleyn (2 caps), Marvin Orie (14 caps), RG Snyman (26 caps).
Loose Forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit (69 caps), Siya Kolisi (captain 75 caps), Kwagga Smith (33 caps), Marco van Staden (12 caps), Duane Vermeulen (68 caps), Jasper Wiese (22 caps).
Utility Forwards: Deon Fourie (7 caps), Franco Mostert (65 caps).
Backs:
Scrumhalves: Faf de Klerk (48 caps), Jaden Hendrikse (12 caps), Cobus Reinach (45 points), Grant Williams (4 caps).
Flyhalves: Manie Libbok (7 caps), Damian Willemse (31 caps).
Centres: Damian de Allende (72 caps), Andre Esterhuizen (13 caps), Jesse Kriel (61 caps).
Outside Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse (9 caps), Cheslin Kolbe (25 caps), Willie le Roux (86 caps), Makazole Mapimpi (38 caps), Canan Moodie (6 caps).
Wow! 19-14 split in favour of the forwards (no surprises there), but – only two hookers, meaning Deon Fourie will be playing there in the ‘minor’ matches, I assume. Four locks, but two others who started their career at lock, so we’re well covered there, cover across the back row, too, even though PSDT and Mostert haven’t been playing especially well this season, and Siya has been injured. Could be a weakness early on. 5 props, with Big Trev able to play both sides.
Four scrummies and only two flyhalves? One of whom is Damian Willemse, who is emphatically not a 10. Handre Pollard still injured. Willie le Roux often slots in at 10 on attack, but I still think we’re dangerously short at 10. Why four nines (other than they’re the most popular blokes in any side)? I don’t think any of them cover 10? I know Cheslin Kolbe has on occasion, but this is the World Cup, FFS! And no recognised kicker, if Libbock starts at 10.
Of the 2019 winners who were still available, Pollard, Lood de Jager, Lukanyo Am and Herschel Jantjies didn’t crack the nod. Jantjies was just too far down the pecking order, Am did his knee again against Argentina last weekend and de Jager is apparently not well (feeling chesty is the official explanation) and withdrawn from the last Test against the Pumas. He’s been anonymous this season, so no great surprises there.
Players unlucky to miss out? Jean-Luc du Preez, possibly Evan Roos, maybe Elton Jantjies (who would almost certainly have been in the squad if he hadn’t got into messy personal issues), Joseph Dweba (on standby, with JL du Preez and Roos).
My verdict? We’d better score a lot of tries to make up for the kicking deficit – but this backline is certainly equipped to do it. That said, the opening game against Scotland jsut got me nervy as fuck!
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What France should look like vs Scotland on Saturday :
XV de départ : Ramos – Penaud, Fickou, Danty, Villière – (o) Ntamack, (m) Dupont – Ollivon, Aldritt, Boudehent – Flament, Woki – Aldegheri, Marchand, Baille.
Bielle-Barrey and Gailleton possibly on the bench, with Serin, a whole front row (without Atonio) and a couple of flankers/ second row.
Not all the big boys, but most of them. Galthié seems to be wary of the overload/ undercooked (which is which?) figure that last week’s team showed in the second half. Hence the early outing of the premium players, when they weren’t supposed to play before the end of the month .
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Midol knows better, as usual. Starters are the same but here is their bench:
Remplaçants : 16. Bourgarit, 17. Gros, 18. Atonio, 19. Chalureau, 20. Cretin ou Tanga, 21. Lucu, 22. Gailleton, 23. Bielle-Biarrey.
Surprised not to see a 10, either Hastoy or Jalibert. It’s a pretty light 2nd row, with neither Willemse nor Taofifenua. Cros, still injured won’t have much game time. But then, most of them have been flogged to death by the T14, the Hcup and the 6N.
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Still have no idea if we’re out in the groups, QF, SF or win the whole thing. If fate (and kicking for posts) conspires against us, I’m plumping for France, followed by Ireland or Wales, even if the latter is a throwback to a bygone era. Scotland have too much to do despite a decent first side, and nobody else with a shout gets my blood racing.
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The more I see of Roman O’Gara the coach the more I love him.
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Je m’en fucking fous!
Brilliant! I wanna be coached by him, just by him! 🎼🎶🎵
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That’s brilliant from ROG
Zander watch:
Fagerson was sent off two years ago for smacking Wyn Jones in the face at a ruck with his shoulder, that resulted in a four week/match ban.
Fagerson was sent off on Saturday for smacking Pierre Bourgarit in the face at a ruck with his shoulder.
Entry level this time was four weeks, reduced to three, with another week off if he spends an hour on his laptop on a course.
World Rugby really doesn’t care about player safety, this is a shameful decision. Concussion and CTE doesn’t care what team someone plays for and at the risk of sounding pompous neither do I.
What message does this send out?
Whilst I’m at it, Bourgarit should have been taken off for an HIA at the time, no one seems to give a monkey’s about this.
It’s getting close to boxing for me.
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The upshot is that Fagerson will be available for Scotland’s first RWC game versus South Africa and he’s effectively being kept wrapped in cotton wool until then.
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I trust everyone has enjoyed today’s article in the Graun on England rugby and is looking forward to tomorrow’s?
However, they do seem to have mislaid those articles they wrote about the two British based teams who won at the weekend, plus those about the number 1 team in the world, who also won.
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Ticht, we could call it the Farrell/ Sexton/ name of your least favourite player precedents.
A long time ago, Aesopus and La Fontaine already explained that one would be judged differently, ” selon que vous soyez puissant ou misérable”. Every major player from a tier 1 nation this close to the RWC is now ” puissant “. Its a shame, I agree.
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@ticht
It sends the wrong message – I get that Fagerson was clumsy rather than deliberate (from what I saw) but that sort of recklessness needs to be halted.
Irfu put a very confusing statement in the programme last Saturday about danger to community players, and had to row back on it/issue a clarification.
What I tell my wife – and others – is there is a danger, we are aware of it and making changes to reduce that risk. Other sports – not so much.
These sorts of things undermine that statement…
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Even the Graun has noticed ROG’s wonderful team talk, despite his being neither English nor coaching an English side. Must be because it was on Twatter, or whatever it’s called now.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/aug/09/former-ireland-rugby-star-ronan-ogara-turns-the-air-bleu
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@Thaum – keep calling it Twitter. Elon dead names his trans child, so I’ll do the same to his website.
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Australian World Cup squad
Forwards
Props: Angus Bell, Pone Fa’amausili, Zane Nonggorr, Blake Schoupp, James Slipper, Taniela Tupou
Hookers: Matt Faessler, David Porecki, Jordan Uelese
Locks: Richie Arnold, Nick Frost, Matt Philip, Will Skelton (captain)
Back row: Langi Gleeson, Tom Hooper, Rob Leota, Fraser McReight, Rob Valetini
Backs
Scrumhalves: Issak Fines-Leleiwasa, Tate McDermott, Nic White
Flyhalf: Carter Gordon
Centres: Lalakai Foketi, Samu Kerevi, Izaia Perese, Jordan Petaia
Outside backs: Max Jorgensen, Andrew Kellaway, Marika Koroibete, Mark Nawaqanitawase, Suliasi Vunivalu
Utility: Ben Donaldson, Josh Kemeny
Eddie talking them up as world-beaters. I suppose he has to, though. They’ve only got one more warm-up before the start, against France on the 27th, then their first match against Georgia on the 9th of September, so they’ll either be underdone or fresh and ready. There’s not much in the tank after the starting XV, to be honest, never mind in the 33.
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Did Leinster add an unwarranted star to their kit? Bad, bad boys!
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They did indeed
https://www.planetrugby.com/news/the-five-star-blunder-on-the-new-leinster-rugby-jersey
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Another legend gone…
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And his best solo song ( and one of the weirder hits of the 80s)
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BB – I absolutely love that song.
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The whole album is great, but that’s the standout track.
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Stunning song! RIP Robbie. Another legend (down here in SA, anyway) who passed away was Sixto Rodriguez, a mythical musician, who was touted as the next Dylan, but never made it in the USA. He only released two albums before disappearing into obscurity in Detroit (form memory) earing his corn as a construction worker. Rodriguez had no idea that his Cold Fact album was wildly popular in SA, for a generation of youngsters growing up 70s and 80s apartheid and the Calvinist oppression that went with it.
There is a movie about him and the guys in Cape Town and California (expats) who tracked him down and brought him out to South Africa, to sold out concerts every single time, in every city he played in. He had no idea – some reckon he outsold Elvis here. His tales of drugs, relationships and sex hit a chord with kids under the thumb of the apartheid regime, but he also sang a lot about political injustice, which seems to have gone over the heads of many (or just been ignored – similarly, on any weekend in barracks you’d hear Bob Marley’s Buffalo Soldier or Africa Unite wafting over the parade ground, with conservative Afrikaans kids singing along).
There is also a lot of historical revisionism in the movie that he was the preserve of liberal white kids railing against apartheid: presumptuous, pompous bullshit; everyone I know loved his music, from across the political and social spectrum of (white) South Africa. Here is Cold Fact in all its glory:
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Deebs, my wife watched the Searching for Sugar Man film on Netflix, loved it and kept insisting I watch it, I never did get around to it.
……
The Band have been with me for always, there’s only one of them left now.
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Deebee, that film was hugely successful here in France (Sixto was a complete stranger to me before ). I immediately bought the CD and never stopped listening to it. Great great songs.
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The Band’s concert film The Last Waltz is also worth watching.
Thinking of putting up a new post in a wee while….
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My music journey started with the likes of The Hawks…………………
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New post!
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