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 
Sharks with a penalty from the kick off and going for posts. Missed. A shit option from 22m out. Seriously, with so many Boks – and World Cup winners – this Sharks side is shit. And that’s not a slight on Edinburgh, it’s how they’ve played for a couple of seasons now.
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Premier Sports have the team colours wrong again.
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Edinburgh seem to have missed scoring about 20 tries in the last 5 mins.
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Brace doesn’t want anyone to be playing games during a rugby match.
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Frankly, the Sharks are abysmal for a side with so many internationals. Plumtree has to go. He looks shellshocked in the box. They’ve been beyond crap tonight, not taking anything away from Edinburgh, just their execution even without pressure has been awful
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Jesus christ, Embra.
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Deebee – and yet, they win after Edinburgh miss so many try-scoring opportunities, with a good try themselves.
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Sharks score after the hooter and win it. They didn’t deserve it. At all. I suppose you take those, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that they’re not playing to the standard they should. Edinburgh unlucky, frankly.
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Thauma, it’s frustrating as a Saffer (and Lions fan!) to see so much talent squandered by the coaches.
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Deebs – it’s an all-star cast, that’s for sure. And they did win.
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Saints beat Newcastle 35-34 in what was a far more entertaining game than I thought it would be.
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Benetton scoring a point a minute at Ellis Park. 3-12 after 12 minutes. Lions with two amateurish errors allowing Benetton to score.
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Lions skipper Franke Horn off after 15 with a knee injury. A real shame, as he’s been good in a mediocre side. Benetton nail a penalty and it’s 3-15 after 18 minutes. Lions continue to make elementary errors. And for a side that started the season on fire, they look devoid of ideas and hesitant in execution.
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Another stupid penalty coughed up. Benetton advertising Prosecco on their jerseys. I think it’s time to crack a bottle of something as Benetton score their 3rd try. 3-22. Beer, wine or whisky is the only question left in this match.
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Lions finally get a penalty and put it out at the 5m. And they manage to not only win their lineout (lost 3 already), but maul it over! Good conversion and it’s 10-22.
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Lions break, but forward pass into touch ends a promising move.
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Lions just coughing up one penalty after another. At least 7, along with 3 lost lineouts and a scrum free kick, all inside 35 minutes. 10-25 as Umanga slots it from range.
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Lions run it from deep and it’s intercepted. 10-32 just before the break. And to end the half, the Lions score a comic try of their own: a chip over the top by the 9 isn’t caught by any of the defenders, and centre Louw gets his fingertips to it in the in-goal area. 17-32 with the conversion.
Lions can only improve in the 2nd half. Hopefully! If they do, they’ve still got a chance, but they really need to stop with the schoolboy errors and turnovers.
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Ah well. 2nd half pretty much the same as the first. 17-39 as Benetton stroll in for another try.
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Italy beating France 21-12 at half time, in the W6N. They’ve been helped by a yellow card for the French 5, for head contact, which probable should have been a red (full upright in the tackle and no height change from the ball carrier), but the TMO chickened out on the review.
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Benetton down to 14 for a deliberate knock down with the Lions looking dangerous. 5m lineout to the Lions. Can they make it count? Nope. Turned over. Penalty Benetton. Ouch. Gonna be reversed and possibly a card for head to head. Yip. Yellow. 2 man advantage for the Lions.
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FFS! Two man advantage, 5m lineout and they grubber it over the dead ball line! Get going again and knock it on! This is shit.
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Benetton having a real issue keeping all their players on the pitch at the moment.
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Lions conceded a scrum penalty and a free kick whilst Benetton were two forwards down and using Brex as a flank. Italian lock back on, replacement prop going off for a no-arm tackle.
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Finally the Lions score! Down the blindside and Bok wing (soon to depart) darts over. 24-39 with 18 to go.
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Lions cock up the kick off and concede a scrum penalty in front of the posts. 24-42 into the last 15.
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Missed the last 10 minutes. The Lions missed the whole 80.
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Exeter led Bath 10-7 after about 22 minutes. At 32 minutes it’s Exeter 10 Bath 26. Finn doing lots of ‘flashy’ stuff like passing the ball at speed, kicking and tackling. Johnny will be pleased…
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Exeter back to within 2! They have a young winger called Paul Brown-Bampoe who looks pretty good. Bath also struggling with some injuries too.
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England rampant over Scotland. 6 tries scored and 42-0 at half time.
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Sadly Refit, it was never likely to be anything else. France ‘might’ have a chance of beating them?
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Scotland scored a try! The moral victory is ours!
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Shit. McCloskey scratched from the team at the last minute.
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Not sure it’ll make any difference Thaum.
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Hey, we’re 3-0 up after 8 1/2 mins. Not going to be nilled!
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Well, we kept them out for nearly 20 mins.
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Great. Now Lowry’s down injured.
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We’ve lost Stewart Moore (McCloskey’s replacement) to an HIA, and now it looks like Lowry’s going to be stretchered off, hopefully just as a precaution – he hit his head on Ringrose’s (?) hip in a tackle.
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Cooney coming on. I suppose he’ll go to the wing, and Stockdale to FB.
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Nope, Cooney’s playing SH.
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TRY Izuchukwu!
(Oh yeah, Leinster got another one before that.)
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Now Warwick’s going off for an HIA, and by the look of him, he won’t be back.
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And Leinster get awarded a very dodgy penalty try.
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And we lose McCann for 10 mins.
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So it’s 19-10 at HT.
Leinster’s bench is scary.
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Yep. Leinster score in the 42nd minute. Not sure I want to watch the second half.
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Callum Reid now injured too.
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TRY Ulster! (After more Leinster ones.)
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Sheehan gets a hat-trick on the 77th minute. And he didn’t even play in the first half.
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Well. 41-17 is fairly respectable against Leinster this year.
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