Last night I was ‘forced’ (Mothership usage of term, meaning doing it quite voluntarily) to watch a Peter Green tribute show led by Mick Fleetwood.
There is a star-studded cast of musicians, mostly playing very well, but they insist on playing twelve-bar blues, which must be the most rigid and repetitive form of music in existence, except for the even more terrible ones.
It’s like watching endless pick-and-goes, only there might be a chance of something exciting and different happening as a result of those pick-and-goes. A try might be created, or a horrible mistake might occur that leads to an end-to-end score by the opposition.
No chance of anything like that with twelve-bar blues, even as played by expert musicians. It is going to have exactly the same key and rhythm, the same clichéd lyrical and musical tropes, everything completely predictable and boring. The musical ball gets recycled, stuffed up the jumper, and goes again. And again. And again.
It’s also like watching scrums being reset for what feels like hours, but is probably only about three or four minutes. And the same thing happens in every scrum, but the referee just calls for a reset again. And again. And again. A dystopian nightmare.
But rejoice! There is some rugby available to watch in the near future, and hopefully it will be much more exciting than that.
Onna telly in the next week or so
Showing matches that are televised in the UK and Ireland or on popular subscription services. Bold indicates that it’s on a free to view channel. Times are in the UK zone, so adjust as necessary.
Friday 6th September
| Tonga v Fiji | 04:00 | TNT Sports 1 |
| Japan v USA | 11:05 | TNT Sports 1 |
| Scotland v Wales (women) | 19:35 | iPlayer |
Saturday 7th September
| Bayonne v Perpignan | 13:30 | Premier Sports 1 |
| England v France (women) | 15:30 | BBC1 |
| South Africa v New Zealand | 16:00 | Sky Sports Mix |
| Argentina v Australia | 20:00 | Sky Sports + |
| Bordeaux v Stade Français | 20:00 | Premier Sports 1 |
Sunday 8th September
| La Rochelle v Toulon | 16:00 | Premier Sports 1 |
| Vannes v Toulouse | 20:00 | Premier Sports 1 |
Ovally Balls 
What I really like about it is that the game wasn’t won yet. With 20 minutes left to play, the score was only 7-15 in favour of Toulouse in Pau. In T14, away wins are primordial. Nothing gratuitous about the pass, just the best solution. Am really glad the little guy is back with 15 man rugby.
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Shall we call him the homunculus?
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BB, I was partly thinking of you when I wrote this.
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Thanks Thaum. Always good to see libraries getting a shout out.
Also loved the picture that was the top post.
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Ah, thanks! That is the Silent Valley reservoir near Newcastle, Co. Down.
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@BB
Our newly capped hooker Robbie Smith has just gone off injured
At the current time, Ireland have Sheehan, Kelliher, Herring, and Stewart injured – Herring might be back but the othere are gone till Xmas at least
So, hooker might be some combo of Connacht’s Heffernan and the Munster trio – Scannell, Barron, Clarke, maybe some Leinster 3rd tier hooker.
Scannell has the “experienced head” checkbox ticked and he’s a good nuts and bolts hooker – good scrummager, good thrower but lacks that “loose” power and speed that the other bring.
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Trisk – we were on our fourth-choice hooker this weekend, who I don’t think I’ve seen play before. Our top three are all very good around the park, but often suffer (like Rory Best also) from attacks of the I-can’t-throw-into-the-lineouts. This bloke was dead accurate!
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Gats pillaging Glaws first team there. Hope they can keep up their exciting new form . Shame Jonny May has left now they have started playing full on attacking rugby, he doesnt seem to be making the matchday squad for Angouleme, and they are playing shit rugby from what I have seen of D2 resume packages.
Great rugby going on in the English Premiership, and I have been pleasantly surprised by the TNT commentary teams, ( catching up on Rugby24) , Chris Ashton and Sam Warburton make a particularly enjoyable and informative pairing.
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Also glad to see Aneurin Thomas, Sale sub 9 on Friday, is English qualified and an U20s cap. He looks the business off a few minutes cameo, fast accurate pass and Dupont-like zip and eye for space with the ball in hand.
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I’m sure Sam kept calling Ashton “Ashley”. Must be some kind of weird rugby thing. Sam also seemed to be keen to talk up every Welsh player in the surrounding area as a possible/probable Lionz player.
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I like Sam. I’m not so keen on Chris, but that is probably sheer prejudice.
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Thauman you coulda borrowed a couple of world-class hookers from Tov if he was still here!
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Bloody hell
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Bok squad for the Autumn Internationals:
Props: Thomas du Toit, Vincent Koch, Frans Malherbe, Ox Nche, Gerhard Steenekamp
Hookers: Malcolm Marx, Bongi Mbonambi
Locks: Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert, Ruan Nortje, RG Snyman
Loose forwards: Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (capt), Elrigh Louw, Kwagga Smith, Marco van Staden, Jasper Wiese
Utility forward: Jan-Hendrik Wessels
Scrumhalves: Jaden Hendrikse, Cobus Reinach, Grant Williams
Flyhalves: Manie Libbok, Handre Pollard
Centres: Lukhanyo Am, Damian de Allende, Andre Esterhuizen, Jesse Kriel
Outside backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse, Aphelele Fassi, Cheslin Kolbe, Willie le Roux, Makazole Mapimpi, Canan Moodie, Damian Willemse
Pretty muted reaction down here, with concerns over the number of 30+ players on tour, including Vincent Koch, Cobus Reinach, Lukhanyo Am, Willie le Roux and Makazole Mapimpi, none of whom will be around for more than another year or so. Also, Jan-Hendrik Wessels hasn’t impressed at prop or hooker, and Marco van Staden hasn’t stepped up at Test level, after 20+ Tests. Most here would have taken the Bulls tyro, Cameron Hanekom who is seen as a future Bok 8 in the mould of Duane Vermeulen meets Pierre Spies.
Front row is strong, hookers excellent (except no depth being developed), 2nd row – great to see RG Snyman and Franco Mostert back, along with a rapidly developing Ruan Nortje; loosies good except van Staden (and Wiese, if he brainfarts himself into the dogbox again).
9s are magnificent – as are all 9s, let’s face it – but Reinach could probably make way for van den Bergh from the Lions or even Sanele Nohamba, who can play 10 as well (albeit probably not at Test level). At pivot, the injury to Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is not great, especially given Manie’s travails off the tee, and no other recognised kicker in the squad outside of Pollard. All four centres are 30 and over, which is a concern, although there is plenty of talent coming through (some of whom should be getting capped). Back 3 is just fine, although Mapimps and Willie are surely doing a swansong tour this year?
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Bloody hell, Refit! That’s terrible! Well, good that he came through it, obviously, but for a young and fit man like him to have heart problems is pretty crappy.
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Hmm. Two weeks in a row the Bulls have had a player red carded, and two weeks in a row it’s been overturned on appeal. I don’t think either one affected the outcome (first one the Bulls were way ahead; second one they couldn’t score with a freebie in a brothel), but it does call into question the whole system. The Kriel one (1st) I thought was a penalty bordering on yellow, the second, nothing bordering on a pedantic penalty. Kriel had his completely expunged, whilst Johan Grobelaar’s was downgraded to yellow, neither of which seems consistent. Has to be a better way of ruling on accidental transgressions.
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Deebee – I certainly don’t want to fall out over this, but it seems to me that some teams ‘earn’ a lot more red cards than others. The simple solution is not to put yourself in the situation where a card might be given. Not just because of the possible penalty, but because of the possible brain injuries to players, whether intentional or not.
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Ireland Men’s Squad – Autumn Nations Series 2024:
Player/Club/Province/Caps
Forwards (19):
Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster)(22)
Finlay Bealham (Buccaneers/Connacht)(42)
Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster)(52)
Caelan Doris (St Mary’s College/Leinster)(43)(captain)
Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster)(78)
Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)(131)
Dave Heffernan (Buccaneers/Connacht)(7)
Iain Henderson (Academy/Ulster)(81)
Rob Herring (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(40)
Cormac Izuchukwu (Ballynahinch/Ulster)*
Rónan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster)(33)
Joe McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster)(12)
Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster)(107)
Tom O’Toole (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(13)
Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster)(66)
Cian Prendergast (UCD/Connacht)(3)
James Ryan (UCD/Leinster)(64)
Nick Timoney (Banbridge/Ulster)(3)
Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster)(64)
Backs (16):
Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht)(57)
Craig Casey (Shannon/Munster)(15)
Jack Crowley (Cork Constitution/Munster)(16)
Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster)(6)
Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)(35)
Mack Hansen (Corinthians/Connacht)(21)
Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster)(74)
Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster)(39)
James Lowe (Leinster)(33)
Stuart McCloskey (Bangor/Ulster)(18)
Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)(118)
Calvin Nash (Young Munster/Munster)(8)
Jamie Osborne (Naas/Leinster)(2)
Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)*
Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster)(60)
Jacob Stockdale (Lurgan/Ulster)(37)
Training Panellists (5):
Thomas Clarkson (Dublin University/Leinster)*
Alex Kendellen (UCC/Munster)*
Shayne Bolton (Connacht)*
Jack Boyle (UCD/Leinster)*
Gus McCarthy (UCD/Leinster)*
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Looks weak. Can’t see them getting within 15 points of the Boks to be honest. Cracks starting to show in Irish rugby.
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I certainly don’t want to fall out over this
Too late. Oh, no. The other one. I’m not too stressed about it (it’s the Bulls, after all) but just think there must be a better way of doing it – the WC one where it was a yellow with a review seems sensible. I feel for the refs because if someone does get badly hurt and they do nothing, the blazers will blame them. Feck, I’d carry the cards more than the whistle!
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BBC News obit started with ” For a generation his name meant strength …” . Yep thats my generation. Always came across as one of natures gentlemen. Geoff Capes RIP.
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Also good to see Jacob Stockdale back in contention, he is a cracking player when on form, imho. Does he actually have a chance of playing with Keenan, Lowe and Mack Hansen in the squad ?
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I think Lowe will be first choice on the left wing. But Jacob is looking right back on top form.
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@thauma
Pleased for Cormac
Otherwise same old, same old….. I know the number in brackets is caps – but sometimes it seems like age…..
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@refit – there’s always been “hopes” that either or both Brennans might “declare” for Ireland, but IIRC they’ve always said they felt more French.
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We could have a Tui Tui partnership in the centres….
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/c7895ex1e95o
Missing out is the try-scoring machine that is Johnny Matthews, both Grays (Big Richie is off to Japan apparently), The Mish, Bradbury and Healy. Skinner, Redpath and Steyn out through injury as is Andy Onyeama-Christie, who had been looking good for Sarries.
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Japan news
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Refit, how is your rehab going? Do you have any idea when you’ll escape yet?
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Thaum – I’m getting physio every day. It feels like they’re bending my shoulders into all sorts of weird positions, but it’s really just something basic, like lifting my elbow up to do a chicken dance.
I’ve been allowed to do 2 things myself so far – bicep curls and swinging my arm while bending over. However, every time they move me and the end of every session feels like progress on before, which is very satisfying.
I think it’s probably going to be early December, before I’m out.
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Wow, that’s a long time! Glad it feels like progress.
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In case anyone was wondering if AI is worth using
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Good progress, Refit! Don’t try any backflips, though, AI or otherwise.
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So, Bristol against Saints tonight. If there’s less than 100 points scored in this game, I’m asking for my money back.
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Oh come on BorderBoy. I’m sure Saints will get some points too 😁.
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I’m on the Bris v Saints game too – hope the game goes well for your recuperation Refit
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BB, on the brothers and the possibility of them both playing for Scotland in the centres – it would be Twoipulotu, Shirley?
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@Ticht – get out! 😂😂😂
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Jinxed it Refit. Saints 10 points towards their 100…
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I’m watching the England v Germany women’s football and it’s bonkers, but a lot of fun.
Germany had a 0-3 lead inside 30 mins, but by 36 mins it’s 2-3 and England have had at least 2 near misses.
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This is living up to the billing
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14 – 15 two tries apiece
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Comms are talking up 19 year old Henry Pollocks in the Saints’ back row – he was outstanding last week too.
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It’s been a whole 15mins of the second half in the football, without a goal. Rubbish! Boooo!
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Bristol rather butchered a two player overlap there – held up and goal line drop out instead
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oh no, there was a penalty advantage, but they’ve mucked that up
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A dubious penalty* to Germany and the score is 2-4 with 20 mins to go.
*Balances out England’s in the first half.
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