It’s the second weekend of the Six Nations, and this is where things get (even more) interesting!
Following on from his (unexpected, even by him) success last week, Predict-A-Bear is back! This time in full Technicolor! And with lots of exclamation marks!!!!
First up is Italy vs Wales. Italy looked decent in places last week despite losing. They’ll be hoping that being back home will give them a boost. Although they haven’t beaten Wales in Rome since 2007, but that was a very different Wales. Wales have Faletau back (again) and yet another centre partnership facing up to one of the best partnerships in the tournament in Brexoncello (sorry, not sorry). Predict-A-Bear is going for:
‘Second game on Saturday is England vs France. The Big One! Le Crunch! Even though it isn’t. Not this weekend. Anyway, England have an abundance of Smiths, plus a Willis (but perhaps not the correct one) and a large number of Saints in the backline. France have added a Jalibert and some guy called Penaud on the wing. England will have a good first half and not so good second half. France will have a good first half and a better second half.
Predict-A-Bear is going for:
And that’s it for this weekend!
What do you mean there’s a game on Sunday!? You mean I’ve got to preview it too?
Bugger.
Here goes then (and this is being AI’d before the teams come out). Scotland HAVE to beat Ireland. We haven’t since 2017. Ireland were (slightly) sub-par in Autumn. They have rather annoyingly got better since then (but they did only play England last week). Scotland have lost our captain (and all-round genius) Sione, plus the very underestimated Scott Cummings for the whole tournament. Toonie’s Tombola came up with Dave Cherry last week, and he actually played well! So expect him to be out of the 23 or something weird. Injuries permitting, the only change I would make is Jordan in for McDowall. Sadly, I think the James Lowe Smirk will be in evidence a lot come Sunday evening. Can’t even do the “heart says one thing, head says the other” result – mainly because P-A-B doesn’t have a heart….
Still, Predict-A-Bear is going for:
Predict-A-Bear’s prognostications transcribed by BorderBoy.
Onna telly this weekend
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 7th February
| Italy v Wales (U20s) | 19:15 | S4C, iPlayer |
| England v France (U20s) | 20:00 | iPlayer |
Saturday 8th February
| Stormers v Bulls | 12:00 | Premier Sports 2 |
| Italy v Wales | 14:15 | ITV1, S4C, STV |
| England v France | 16:45 | STV, ITV1 |
| Scotland v Ireland (U20s) | 19:45 | iPlayer, RTÉ2 |
Sunday 9th February
| Scotland v Ireland | 15:00 | BBC1, iPlayer, RTÉ2 |
Ovally Balls 
Stormers’ coach: Stuart McCloskey is a threat, and he’s done us before, to be honest.
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Speaking of athletes, the dug nearly cleared the 7-foot fence at the back of the garden yesterday. There was a cat on it.
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Wondering how long we’ll get into the Sale vs Saints match before TNT start shoehorning every English player on the pitch into their Lionz squad. So probably won’t watch it then.
Started watching the podcast with Cole and Youngs when they were picking a squad. Gave up after the front row, when they completely ignored Schoeman and Zander.
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In other news, which Embra side will turn up tonight?
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Stormers score at 1:39. Could be a long evening.
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Hume unwell
Alas…..
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And now a drop goal….
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And Stormers score again.
May just go and read my book.
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TRY BALOUCOOOOOUNE!
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Cooney’s missed the conversion.
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Stormers nearly score again, but Timoney and McCloskey save it.
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On the bright side, Casey is back tomorrow.
Interesting point for the Connacht/Munster game is the fact it’s being played up in Castlebar, Co Mayo at a GAA stadium – McHale Park
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Ulster scrum totally pulverised on our own put-in.
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Line-out shit.
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A reprieve! Stormers fuck up their own line-out (obstruction).
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Bugger. Got my timing wrong (could be playing for the Lions). 5-17, Stormers up and a penalty 5m out. Which they cock up. Still, didn’t expect them them to be leading like this inside the 1st quarter.
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Not a great start by Saints. 1 try and two yellow cards down inside the first 14 minutes (head contact by the James, the 10, and deliberate knock on by Tommy Freeman).
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Ulster really battering away for the last 10 minutes without scoring. Almost over but knocked on.
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Ulster win a (Stormers) scrum in the S’s 22!
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Gave up and started watching Sale vs Saints. Saints just scored a lovely try, even down to 13.
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TRY er, some Ulster forward!
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12-17! Things are looking up!
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Ulster getting going! Lots of pressure, a scrum penalty, tap and go and blast over after a couple of phases! 12-17. Stormers all at sea at the minute.
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Tommy Freeman, zero to hero. Gets the ball off an attacking lineout, breaks a tackle and scores. Saints back to within 5. 17-12 in this match too.
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Stormers do a bit of predicted dirtiness, earn a yellow, and Murphy scores in the corner.
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Bloody hell, Cooney’s missed again. 17-all at HT.
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Am very pleased we’re still in this after the first 10-15 mins.
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About as stupid as you can get. Sasha F-M, dumb! Ulster score after his deliberate block, when there was no danger at all. 17-all the break. Ulster had the better of what I saw, which was from around the 17th minute.
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Edinburgh 26-0 up at half time, but I think McDuhan has gone off injured.
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Deebee – the first part was very scary for an Ulster fan.
Stormers are always very dangerous with loose play, but their discipline lets them down as we’ve seen. If we can keep it clean and hopefully not let them play as they like, we might just squeak a win.
What am I saying? I think we will lose.
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If they’re going to persist with the ‘ref reviews on the big screen, so everyone can see’, they really need to let them use one in each half. It’s really annoying, having them jog all the way up one end of the pitch and then back again.
Speaking of reviews, Ford gets a yellow for head contact in the tackle.
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McCann gets a shoulder to the head, but it’s ‘only a penalty’.
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And it’s TRY Stockdale from the penalty, though!
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Now Carson smashed inna heid.
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Carson’s gone off on the trolley but at least there’s a red card this time.
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Balouncoune now gone off having seemed to injure his hamstring again. Hopefully that is precautionary.
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BRILLIANT Ulster try!
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Stormers score through an inexplicably large gap.
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Some nice play from the Stormers, but then TRY Moore thanks to Lowry!
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Ward makes an excellent intercept for a nearly certain try, but the ref was playing an advantage to Stormers. :-(
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Sheridan got a yellow just before that. And now Stormers have scored.
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It’s 38-34 with about 4 mins to go.
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Edinburgh win, but by dog it was a struggle. They really should have put 50+ on the Drags, but they blew any number of points with knocks ons, mistakes, forward passes and so on. They just don’t look comfortable in attack. Maybe I’m spoiled watching the Glasgow attack over the last few years.
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Whew! Ulster squeak it.
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“Edinburgh win, but by dog it was a struggle.”
It really wasn’t BB. Edinburgh secured the BP before half time and took their foot off the gas for the third quarter. The last was all Edinburgh as it had been for the first half, so 60 minutes out of 80. We won the first half 26 – 0 and the second 12 – 5. for an overall score of 38 – 5.
At no point did Dragons look like they were going to lead this match after they butchered a decent chance in the first five minutes.
There was no area of the match where they were on top.
Edinburgh will rue several bad passes that would have taken the score well above the 38, six tries, they did get.
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Bulls 7-0 up after 5 minutes against Zebre, but not having it all their own way so far. Scrums are a mess.
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14-0 with a somewhat fortuitous try: Bulls 9 passed to his 10, but it bounced off a Zebre player running a lazy line back to his side. All the Zebre players stopped as the ref put out his arm for a penalty advantage, only for the Bulls 9 to scoop it up and run in for the try.
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Missed the second half of the Ulster-Stormers match for reasons beyond my control (although I did pour the wine), but not surprised that the Stormers lost and also only had 14 on the pitch.
Zebre shred a static Bulls defence to score under the posts. 14-7 after the 1st quarter. Both sides giving it a go, which Zebre will prefer.
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Fairly even between Scotland and France in open play, but France have just completely mullered Scotland’s scrum.
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