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 |
Nicely worked try from Brizz
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Son’s a bit of right-wing git and also a criminal iirc?
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That scrum penalty wasn’t anything to do with Lahiff, the Sale tighthead made the move that resulted in the loss of bind
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The funniest thing I remember from my time fencing around Sussex was on the Goodwood estate. The children of the Duke of Richmond, Earl of March, and associated Duchess and whatever a woman earl is, they had a Nanny from Newcastle and their toddlers spoke with Geordie accents.
They were all good people, the head gardener who I worked to was also great, she was. leader in her field and was often on Radio 4 on the subject of rare and in-danger species of native plants.
The other estate agents were wankers, proper snobs – something you don’t often encounter.
I built a sand school for the Duchess’s horses as well as doing fencing on the estate – she was lovely and deferential in terms of knowledge of the subject of building what she wanted.
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Not sure there was a grounding there but the officials say otherwise
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How many penalties have Bristol given away?
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He’s overcooked it
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Steven Luatua comes across really well in the interview
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Exeter seem to be doing a number on Saints. 17-0 up after 18mins.
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24-0 now to Exeter (23mins). This is just from the updates in the corner, on the Tigers/Sarries match. Sarries leading 5-7.
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… evening up a bit now
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26 – 14
Lster 12 – 10 Sarries
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No URC rugby this weekend for some strange reason!
NH snobbery! The Sharks are 18-3 up against the Lions at half time. Shit. Maybe we should just stick to no URC this weekend. Sharks have looked sharp and full of bite, the Lions more canned hunting. Had high hopes for this match.
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Penalty try Lions! Sharks collapse the rolling maul and it’s 18-10! Ntlabakanye is pumped! Frankly trying to keep him up at the maul is not for the faint hearted.
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Sorry, Deebee, I missed that one!
Been watching Exeter v Saints – what the hell was Slade thinking for that off-the-ball tackle that sent him to the bin?
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All square at Sandy Park. Saints making a massive comeback. 26-26.
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Ooops 26 – 28 now
I imagine Slade’s yellow for a knock-down?
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Ah – thanks Thaum……………..!
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Sharks dominating pretty much everything, with Etzebeth having a great game. I thought the Lions loosies would stifle the Sharks, but they’ve kept it away from the tight stuff and used their excellent backs to great effect. Lions making incremental inroads and Nohamba nails a penalty to make it 18-13 with 20 to go. We’ve scored 10 whilst the Sharks have been a forward down for repeated infringements. C’mon Lions!
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Slade, he came running into another player who didn’t have the ball (and off-side) and bashed heads. It was utterly brainless! Lucky to get away with a yellow.
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now 36 – 35 … good grief!
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What a match that was!
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Lions maul one over out wide and Nohamba NAILS the conversion from out wide! 18-20 to the Lions with 90 seconds left! Oh fuck! Etzebeth wins a penalty with 20 seconds left but the Sharks miss it and the Lions roar on!
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gah! 36 – 42 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I did say it would be close – I didn’t see it but it suggests that Exeter’s game management was a bit green??
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Lions came off a couple of weeks of a break and it showed in the first half. To be honest, the Sharks were the better side but didn’t put us away when they could and should have. F**k ’em! They’ve got 8 World Cup winners in their squad.
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Slade – I think the vast majority of the Saints’ points were scored during Exeter sin bin periods, so perhaps discipline was the major issue. It was a good match to watch for the neutral, though!
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I think you are right – I imagine they were nervous and full of adrenalin, therefore too much on edge – they’ll learn, I’m sure
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Any updates on Farrell to France? Looks like Sarries are struggling already; that would be a hammer blow.
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Hope he stays in the UK. Were I a winger at Racing, I’d demand my contract to be cancelled should he make the move.
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Racing are denying everything, but McCall has said “don’t care”
Owen Farrell: Saracens’ Mark McCall would understand if fly-half ‘wanted new experience’ – https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/67903181
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TNT Sport had an interview with Bath 8 Barbeary (looking like the lost, 5th Scouser from Harry Enfield) before the game. The game has just finished (Bath winning 17-10) and they’ve cut to him on the pitch, just as he throws up. Perfect timing.
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Morning all! First day back at work after the Christmas holidays here, so I’ll be posting more regularly. Obviously. Coming from nowhere the Lions are now within touching distance of the top 5 in the URC. We’re currently in 11th spot with 23 points, but a game in hand – against the Bulls in Pretoria (otherwise known as the boring Sodom and Gomorrah). Win that, and we’re up to 27 points and ahead of Edinburgh in 5th spot. Win with a bonus point and we’re in top four on 28 ahead of Ulster on points difference (if that’s the first reference). Happy daze! Probably get pumped.
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Apparently we’ve got the Ospreys before the Bulls. That’s a must-win at home and we’re on a good streak of six wins from our last seven in the URC and Challenge Cup, so here’s hoping! Also travelling to Montpellier this weekend for Challenge Cup, so a busy January, but coming off a three week break.
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Mack Hansen out of 6N with a dislocated shoulder
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Ow! I thought that looked bad.
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Mack Hansen out of 6N with a dislocated shoulder
Lowe hasn’t played since RWC, so looks like 2 new faces on the wing – probably Stockdale for Lowe. Hansen is less easily replaceable.
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Carbery’s off
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“They” are saying Carberry is off to Bordeaux-Begles, along with Jonny Gray
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Oh bugger
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Bugger. JPR and Beckenbauer both gone in the same day. Two legends of different sports.
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JPR was one of the greats of our game
Same can be said of Beckenbauer in football.
That’s all very sad
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RIP JPR Williams, one of the greats of the game. I was a little too young to remember that Welsh side, but my dad would tell us great stories about them.
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Blwyddyn newydd dda, Pawb!
Would anyone mind explaining why the French top 14 has so much money?
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@Dab – I thought it was down to comic books?
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Dab – I’m sure that Flair’s your man but this might help a bit:
https://www-ecofoot-fr.translate.goog/top14-valorisation-clubs-5738/?_x_tr_sl=fr&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc
Also there is lots of TV money available: 70% to Top14 and 30% to Div 1
It’s similarly cloudily different!
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Plus, Bernard Laporte might have a helpful insider’s view?
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………oh dear!
Strange sentence term – seems a bit bland if I recall the number of offences mentioned.
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Dab, I’ll make it short: Top 14 has tons of money because it’s popular.
First: Canal+ shows all T14 and ProD2 games for 115 million euros a year. Contract runs till 2027. Split is about 80/20% for T14 vs ProD2.
Two: stadia are packed, usually sold out (except ATM at Clermont and Montpellier).
Three: stadia are usually owned by municipalities that charge peanuts to the club.
Four: resilient sugar daddies ( Racing, Stade Français, Toulon, Montpellier), big sponsors (Total for Toulouse, Michelin for ASM etc..) and/or a huge network of sponsors. For instance Bayonne, a small club in T14 boasts over 600 of them, mostly small or mid sized companies.
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