New Year’s Day Derbies!
Showing matches that are televised in the UK and Ireland or on popular subscription services. Bold indicates free-to-view. Times are in the UK zone, so adjust as necessary.
Monday 1st January
| Ospreys v Cardiff | 15:00 | BBC Wales / iPlayer / Viaplay Sports 2 |
| Connacht v Munster | 15:00 | TG4 / Viaplay Sports 1 |
| Dragons v Scarlets | 17:15 | S4C / iPlayer / Viaplay Sports 2 |
| Leinster v Ulster | 17:15 | RTÉ2 / Viaplay Sports 2 |
Great result for Ulster! The Irish sides are all exceptional.
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I know! And it’s bloody annoying!
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Ulster have had some pretty poor performances so far this season, but I am proud of that one – and the one against Racing!
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Happy New Year all!
Not a great Christmas and New Year for Munster – 2 narrow defeats and the injury list keeps lengthening … Barron (hooker) injured after 7 mins vs Leinster, and now Jager and O’Donoghue vs Connacht.
Jager well maybe just an accident… though I’m seeing a shoulder and no wrap, but O’Donoghue ……
Good to see Ulster win yesterday, and Burns get MotM. “Curious” end though.. Leinster get penalty with clock in red, and go to the corner – Byrne misses touch and ball is fielded by Ulster player but dropped and rolls out of play. Cue end of match – basically once played by another player game ends at next stoppage…..
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It’s just been confirmed that Bill Mata will join Bristol at the end of this season.
Edinburgh will miss him, any team would.
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At the risk of a banhammer and excommunication, has anyone been to the darts championships live? It looks like an absolutely brilliant atmosphere! Think I’d like to go to an evening of it at some stage.
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Deebee – we all have our niche pursuits.
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Happy New Year to all those left standing. ‘Absent friends’ as well for that matter.
Watched the Ospreys-Cardiff game earlier today on iPlayer. Great that it was at Bridgend even if that meant the pitch was awful (enjoyable throwback mind) and we didn’t get to see all of the game as the feed went down. Ridiculously good game given the conditions. Today’s players will of course be used to any weather, but the swamp was something they can’t have to cope with very often at all. Nice to see the O’s in the top half even if it’s just off the back of getting to play other Welsh teams. If Cardiff had taken their chances to win some earlier games then they could also have been nicely placed to fall away disappointingly as the season gets serious. Never mind.
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HNY all.
“If Cardiff had taken their chances to win some earlier games then they could also have been nicely placed to fall away disappointingly as the season gets serious. Never mind.”
Hi CMW, this is the kind of feeling very familiar to Edinburgh supporters. I may be over-rating some of our players but I try to be objective about it. We’ve got an all international pack and some like Schoeman who would be knocking on the door for the Lions if it was selected tomorrow. Watson has already been there and the Scotland captain plays in our back row. Our back three is van der Merwe, Darcy Graham and Boffelli. Healy has become a very good fly half, or possibly the fly half he always was without getting a real run at Munster. Our centres are okay without being, perhaps, in the same class as the others in the team.
I’m not saying we should be wining the Heineken Cup, not by a long shot, but one would hope we had enough to finish in the top eight in the league and at least qualify for the sodding competition, yet if we do it will be a very pleasant surprise.
I was looking at the Bristol forum earlier and there is a real sense of gloom among their supporters, I looked because of Mata signing with them. There is little confidence in Pat Lam and his team, this prompted me to think about what makes winning side. Sure the best Toulon team was full of Galacticos, but that doesn’t necessarily cut the mustard, if it did Racing would have dominated France and Europe for a long time. Exeter had a great run with players mainly brought up through their systems, you could say the same about Leinster and their continued success.
I think it must all come from the top, I know that sounds obvious, but it’s not an easy thing to get right. Going back to Edinburgh for illustrative purposes, Cockerill came in and shook everything up so much that Edinburgh, having finished the previous season only ahead of the Dragons and the two Italian sides, were catapulted to the league play offs and lost 20-16 to Munster at Thomond, a match we could have won iirc.
However it turns out that humiliating players in front of their peers at the Monday morning debrief only takes you so far and Edinburgh’s performances reverted to the norm (shite) after that. Similarly Mike Blair came in and we played all manner of swash buckling rugby that got us into the main Europe competition before falling away because we were too easy to work out.
Saracens didn’t win because they arranged some off-the-field arrangements for the their players to earn more money (this doesn’t excuse them breaking the domestic rules), they won because they had a great ethos and atmosphere around the team and their approach tot he game, same for Toulon and Leinster and I see the same at La Rochelle – it helps that the passion sweeps down from the stands in their home matches, but that isn’t enough on its own either, or Clermont would have swept the boards over the years.
I don’t really know where I’m going with this now, I’ve run out of steam with it and I’m tired now, just it very frustrating to follow a team that seemingly continually under-achieve when it’s full of players who do reasonably well in an international shirt.
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oh BTW, if any of our Kiwis still read here, Wes Goosen is coming on to his game. He is playing really well now after a very bad spell with injuries.
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the swamp was something they can’t have to cope with very often at all
we spent a lot of money in 2021 in relaying 2 pitches and building new sand-based pitches (partly “government” grant) – so we have a main pitch that has a great surface.
Our middle child complains when we travel to distant and not-so-distant parts and end up playing “in a bog”. (He’s a 10, so I suppose complaining goes with the position).
At the grass roots, it’s still a surprise when you face even well-established clubs and find yourself playing on old school heavy pitches (like I played on in 80s and 90s).
We’ve one local rival whose pitch slopes down and sideways – bottom left corner is much lower than top right. They try to play down in 1st half and get you to gas yourself running up the slope. I think the solution is to kick in behind and make them run back up their own hill to fetch the ball
Downside of sand-based pitches is that they can get rock hard in dry weather – not usually an issue down here but is known.
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Healy has become a very good fly half
This is simultaneously good and sad to hear…..
With Carbery injured (and probably off at the season’s end) and Crowley “minute managed” last weekend – we started with an academy out-half (Tony Butler) and Rory Scannell covering.
But…. the story of why he moved has been told many times. Had he stayed, he’d probably start most Munster games from now to the end of 6N. But that probably wouldn’t have satisfied him.
At the end last season, having him as the “closer” in the URC playoffs worked wonders – little more inspiring with a few minutes left than your 10 putting the ball up on the opposition 5m line….
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humiliating players in front of their peers at the Monday morning debrief only takes you so far
Was it Alex Ferguson (renowned for the “hairdryer”) who said (something like) “nothing beats the two words ‘well done'”
The great coaches get that balance right between praise and criticism and understand who works best when praised and who needs to be “bawled out”
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….and while I’m here….. Ireland #10
Assumption is that will be Crowley as he was the “go to” at RWC when Sexton was replaced and seems to have passed out Ross Byrne
Aside from that well who knows…. ?
– Ross Byrne is currently injured – solid kicker, fine with a dominant pack who he can move around the field, decent passer but very little running threat – slow (see Italy 6N last year for comedy capers) Just a tiny bit below what an international team needs
– Carbery also currently injured – dropped from Ireland and – rumour has it – looking to move to France which would exclude him long term
– Jack Carty – JJ Hanrahan starts ahead of him at Connacht now – always streaky …could look briliant and then poor in same game
– Harry Byrne – named in the 2022 tour of NZ, but way off that level now – less regarded than brother. Not tearing up trees at Leinster
– Sam Prendergast – just out of U20s, brother of Cian (at Connacht). Regarded in some circles as “second coming” – whether he can live up to those expectations who knows? Fairly unathletic and lanky – probably needs a year of S+C rather than getting thrown in to 6N
– Billy Burns – cast into the ‘uttermost darkness’ after Wales 2021* ; playing pretty well – downside is not a frontline place kicker but might make squad if not 23
– Ciaran Frawley – well liked by Farrell who brought him to NZ in 2022 and organised an autumn tour in 2022 for him essentially – which he missed due to injury. Less well liked by Cullen – has 8 starts this year – only one at 10. Well-liked by Farrell seems to count more here – possible bench spot as can cover 12 and 15 and god knows we need a replacement for Keenan…
(Shade of Ben Healy passes by……)
*actually was a replacement vs France in next match and an unused sub vs Scotland…
My guess for France – Crowley starts with Frawley on the bench allowing 6-2 split
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@Trisk – ” it’s still a surprise when you face even well-established clubs and find yourself playing on old school heavy pitches”
It may not be universally the case, but whenever I see any footage from The Welsh Premiership they all seem to be like this. And that of course includes clubs of some renown beyond Wales.
To be fair to Bridgend the weather did look pretty special, but even if it hadn’t been as bad it seems unlikely that the pitch would have stood up to the game. There was a good crowd though and the Regions need to do more of this.
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On the subject of weather and rugby, there was a nice little bit of information passed on by Chris Paterson during an Edinburgh home game recently, I didn’t know this despite playing rugby in and around Edinburgh for donkey’s years;
The Edinburgh pitch is the only one in the city that is laid East to West (or West to East if you prefer), all the others are North to South.
This is due to the prevailing wind so that both teams get a cross-wind instead of a huge advantage or disadvantage.
The way the Edinburgh pitch was set out was due to the layout of the available ground and the need for stands etc.
I remember when Murrayfield Wanderers played on that same patch of ground and their pitch ran the other way from how it is now.
It would be a pretty niche pub quiz that asked that question, but there is your answer if it ever pops up.
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@Ticht – Cricket pitches are a good one for orientation. they need really to be north/south as if they’re east/west the sun is a real hazard late in the day when it comes to batting at one end. You do get ones that are wrong and it can be quite nasty. Of course it doesn’t matter quite so much in Scotland/Ireland/Wales or even apparently Manchester (the Old Trafford square was the wrong way round until quite a recent redevelopment).
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For the (disgracefully) few on here who follow cricket, South Africa were bowled out for a horrible, pathetic 55 at Newlands against India today. Highlight of the innings was the backdrop of Table Mountain on a beautiful day. India cruised to 153-4 and then lost their last six wickets without adding a run! Five caught in the slip/gulley cordon and a comedy runout.
Hopefully we can at least double our total in the second knock to avoid an innings defeat!
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Hope you can bat long enough to get another day looking at Table Mountain!
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Scraped through to day two, CMW! Just. 3 down and still 40-odd behind.
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D’you remember the old ‘spot the ball’ footie competitions in the papers?
How much better would it be a with a rugby ball?
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@Deebee – is it the pitch, great bowling or poor batting? Both sides are susceptible to the latter on occasion and I had some enthusiasm for the idea of it finishing in one day even if I would ordinarily prefer SA to win. Do you give them much of a chance from here?
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CMW, was a dodgy pitch, compounded by some indifferent batting against excellent (pitch assisted) bowling. I think Elgar, who retired after this match, probably had more Test caps than the rest of the top six combined on our side too!
Match is over – India won by 7 wickets, chasing 78 to win.
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Indeed! Elgar has 86 Test caps, with Markram (37), Stubbs (debut), Bedingham (2), De Zorzi (4) and Verryne (16) having a combined 60 Tests, including this one. Markram is not a Test opener, as I said to my mate, prompting him to score 106 off 103 balls in the second innings, the only batsman on either side to get to 50 in the match.
Pretty callow side all round, with Jansen in at 7 (13 Tests), Maharaj (50), Rabada (62), Burger (2) and Ngidi (18) completing the side. Bavuma will be back as skipper and opener at some stage, but his form is crap at the moment, with Peterson the other top order batsman with some experience.
Our board has decided on a domestic T20 tournament that clashes with the long-standing tour to New Zealand, so the bulk of the above players won’t be going on that tour either. It’s disgraceful, but CSA doesn’t give a shit about Test cricket.
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@Deebee – Pretty amazing innings from Markram statistically and I would imagine in reality as well. Shame the rest of the batting didn’t hold up in this game as the conditions should have given SA a good chance to win the series.
I guess your players are not going to end up with large numbers of test caps in this day and age, I was surprised Elgar has as few as he does until I thought about it. Rabada and Maharaj are experienced players despite having relatively few caps compared to their England/Aus/India equivalents, think the bowling is pretty good really – haven’t seen Burger, but know that Rabada/Jansen/Ngidi are all good enough or better.
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RUGBY!
ýour’ Exeter team to face Northampton on Saturday – game of the weekend? – although L’ster/Saracens and Bath/Glos could be fun in their way!
Tommy Wyatt, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, Henry Slade, Joe Hawkins, Ben Hammersley
Harvey Skinner, Stu Townsend
Nika Abuladze, Jack Yeandle, Josh Iosefa-Scott
Lewis Pearson, Dafydd Jenkins (c)
Ethan Roots, Jacques Vermeulen, Greg Fisilau
Max Norey, Alec Hepburn, Ehren Painter, Rusi Tuima, Ross Vintcent, Tom Cairns, Ollie Devoto
Zack Wimbush
I’m never really happy when Townsend starts – he’s great when the oppo are starting to tire – but he will harry Mitchell
Great to see Devoto regularly in the 23 again – what a run of injury he has had with his hips.
It will be c;lose – although Exeter got a bit of a schooling in the reverse fixture.
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@CMW – our pace bowling stocks are pretty good at the moment, it’s our top order that’s a major concern. With Elgar retired and Bavuma a bit hit and miss, we’re vulnerable there. Despite Markram’s brilliant (not used lightly) innings, he’s better suited to 4. Keagan Petersen seemed to be the natural 3 in the order but a cruel injury and subsequent lack of form has seen him on the sidelines. Plenty of talent in the broader squad for 3-6, but not much experience and even less opportunities Test level. The Proteas will be peripheral until CSA takes Tests seriously, if they ever do.
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To rugby: the latest Breakdown has so much drivel BTL, you have to wonder how many people watch rugby and how many simply repeat bullshit clichés.
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Deebs, I think there are a lot of rose-tinted nostalgia goggles involved in the comments on that article.
So tonights, choices galore, Bristol away to Sale or Sale at home to Bristol seems to be about it.
I think I’ll go with Bristol away to Sale.
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A couple of Scottish rumour mill items;
Rory Sutherland (from Oyonnax) and Adam Hastings (from Glaws) to Glasgow for next season.
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This one is a less solid rumour, but it’s out there nonetheless – Farrell to Racing
Racing have denied signing him, without denying he is on his way.
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A steal doesn’t quite have the same kudos as before, sadly.
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Ooh, that’s an interesting rumour, Ticht. He doesn’t seem like a great fit with Racing to me?
No URC rugby this weekend for some strange reason!
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You know what?
Dry January can do one, I can’t be arsed with it this year
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I have never even considered it for a nano-second.
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For me that’s a bollocks turnover to SAle, the hands were on the ball but there was no lift – it’s an easy one to give but I prefer attack being rewarded to defence
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Bradbury really hit someone hard int eh claret there, was it legal?
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clearout, damn you autocorrect
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On replay it was perfectly legal
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Bradbury really hit someone hard int eh claret there, was it legal?
Oh aye, the autocorrect. Naething to do with non-dry January.
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Watching a video of Steeler’s Wheel doing Stuck In the Middle With You, and Gerry Rafferty looks just like Iain Henderson. Wonder if Hendo can sing? Looks like they have the same barber.
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:-)
It’s a bit early for drunk posting mistakes, give me a couple of hours
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The first farm I worked on in Sussex was owned by Gerry Rafferty – he wasn’t a farmer, he just owned it and had his studio on the premises
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Bradbury is playing well, if Dempsey is still out come 6N time we could see a recall for big Magnus
Or we could if Townsend didn’t have a history of not forgiving players for previous perceived mistakes
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What the hell was Gerry Rafferty doing in Sussex? Sold out already?!
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Bloody hell, quite the tackle in the corner, to prevent a Sale try.
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Sussex is/was full of 70s rock stars – we did a “claim to fame” thing in the pub among all of us who worked on various farm services and there were all sorts.
The one that made me laugh was a Kiwi saying he had shorn Brian Ferry’s wife’s sheep
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a Kiwi saying he had shorn Brian Ferry’s wife’s sheep
That is hilarious. Much as I love Bryan Ferry’s music, I can’t quite picture him down on t’farm.
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Not to mention the obvious double-entendre!
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Yeah the fnaar factor is big there, so to speak.
Brain Ferry’s son is a big horsey hunting type wanker
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