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 
The most unlucky players to my mind are pretty much all Scottish which I guess is both traditional and not all that surprising as the England players are probably a better fit for how Ireland play.
Graham would be the one I would most like to have seen play though I don’t suppose they’d have put him in the first team even if he’d gone.
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I’d pick Darcy over almost any winger out there, to be honest.
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Think Darge maybe suffers from being a number 7 in a strong field of number 7s, plus some others can fill in across the back row. Wonder if Pollock hadn’t shot onto the scene if Ritchie would have gone instead. Pollock certainly adds pace to the back row, I’m not sure how quick the other guys are.
Ben White may be overlooked because he isn’t starting regularly for his club team (Toulon?).
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@Deebee – He’d start for me, but that’s not the same thing as not being surprised that he doesn’t for them.
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Not sure what Hansen is doing there…. not really been good this season
Ryan and Conan – something of a surprise too.
I suppose Conan just took Doris’s slot – just as he would on match day
I’d guess Saturday’s match meant a share of rejigging
– out – Doris, Prendergast
– in – Pollock, Conan, probably one of the Smiths
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@cmw
Farrell likes Lowe’s “big left boot” and power (although he’s pretty slow now) and also the second play maker role that Hansen can slot into.
Nash is a quick winger and played most of 2023 6N and summer – but as soon as Hansen was fit… byeeeee.
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That’s a lot of second play makers in the backs, as Sione and Blair play that way with Scotland, as well as Daly and Smith, M. for England.
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The full list:
Backs
Bundee Aki (Connacht Rugby/Ireland)
Elliot Daly (Saracens/England)
Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints/England)
Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Mack Hansen (Connacht Rugby/Ireland)
Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)
Hugo Keenan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse/Scotland)
James Lowe (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England)
Garry Ringrose (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Finn Russell (Bath Rugby/Scotland)
Fin Smith (Northampton Saints/England)
Marcus Smith (Harlequins/ England)
Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)
Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland)
Tomos Williams (Gloucester Rugby/Wales)
Forwards
Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby/Ireland)
Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers/England)
Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks/England)
Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors/ Scotland)
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks/England)
Ben Earl (Saracens/England)
Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)
Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears/England)
Maro Itoje (Saracens/England) (capt)
Ronan Kelleher (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Joe McCarthy (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Jac Morgan (Ospreys/Wales)
Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints/England)
Andrew Porter (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
James Ryan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland)
Dan Sheehan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
Will Stuart (Bath Rugby/England)
Josh van der Flier (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
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A Lionz squad and a new Pope. What a day.
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There is no New Pope on OB! And most certainly not a Septic.
Lions selection neither surprising nor exciting, except perhaps for the Northampton bloke. Must have been an interesting phone call between father and son to say, Sorry, you’re not selected, although it wouldn’t be surprising if Owen is a call-up. But what’s he done for the past few years, except get himself knocked out the other day by actually committing a legal tackle?
I suppose Prendergast not getting selected was a slight surprise, and doesn’t bode well for his chances with Ireland. He can’t kick at goal for toffee, it’s true. I wouldn’t have picked him, but I thought Farrell would. The fly-halves picked are the ones I’d have gone for.
Only two Welsh players, and zero Ulstermen. I think it’s something like 15/18 Irish players are from Leinster? As predicted by Trisk and others.
I was walking (very painfully, by the end) in Snowdonian mountains today, and really these things seemed unimportant.
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Well those mountains will definitely be there long after the Lions are done. Nice picture – where was it taken?
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Stunning pic! Wow!
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Clyde – Cregennan Lakes, near Dolgellau.
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@Thaum – That makes sense. I thought it all looked very Cadair Idris (my favourite mountain from my childhood) though was fairly sure it wasn’t Tal-y-Llyn.
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He can’t kick at goal for toffee
I would say – under pressure his kicking deteriorates. His missed the first conversion last Sat and then the third, but got 3 out of 5 for conversions, and 4/6 overall . Pretty similar to Smith – who nailed an extra penalty so ended 5 from 7
His out of hand kicking is good, as is his long passing. It’s a good pass to O’Brien for 1st try- Northampton are narow but he sees it and executes
Then we come to defence. O’Gara was a poor tackler but always tried to ‘get in the way’, Marcus Smith is no great shakes but gives it a go.
It’s been highlighted many times – the attempted tackle on Pollock was an “arm tackle” like you’d see in tag, but he either fell off or fell away a number times. He seems to be ok(-ish) if someone in directly in front, but anyone running at him he seems to freeze*
does it a bit when in possession when he can’t get a pass away – just crumples – almost any U14 knows … take contact, hit the deck, knee-hip-shoulder, turn, long body and present the ball
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Clyde – Cader (as the locals spell it) Idris is the one hiding behind the closest mountain, and also the one we gaze at all day from where we’re staying.
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On the spelling front that (Cader) is how I would have spelt it back in the day and is certainly closer to how most people (I think including Welsh speakers though they weren’t who I predominantly mixed with) pronounce it. Think it’s probably been changed on the maps since though and to be fair the ‘new’ version uses the correct word for the meaning so is kind of fair enough. I’m happy either way (and happy with whatever the ‘speakers’ want really).
Those lakes are (as I’m sure you’re aware) the ones the other side of the mountain from the main road so I haven’t seen them often though I have been up the mountain a few times (and up to the tarn more than that). The whole landscape round there is great, went that way the last time I went back to Aberystwyth and will try to always make sure that’s the way I go in future.
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Yes, our hosts say and spell it ‘Cader’, and she is from these parts, and a Welsh speaker, although he is from Bridgend! Think he speaks Welsh too.
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Interesting find in my family tree today. I had someone appearing on the 1911 Ireland Census as a Mine Manager, Civil Engineer (Bachelor of Science, if you please!) at a place called (deep breath) Derreennalomane, Coolagh, Cork.
Now obviously Trisk is our Cork expert and knows every inch of the place, but having had a look at the old Google maps it seems pretty rural, so I’m not sure what would have been mined?
They were only on that Irish census but travelled to Singapore in the 1920s and one of their sons was also a civil engineer. Sadly, he was still there in 1942 and was captured and died the following year.
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Barium sulphate apparently:
https://durrushistory.com/tag/dereenlomane/
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I wondered if Yeats’ Wild Swans at Coole was related to Coolagh, but no, Coole Park, where it was written, is in Galway.
The trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine-and-fifty swans.
The nineteenth autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished,
All suddenly mount
And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.
I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,
And now my heart is sore.
All’s changed since I, hearing at twilight,
The first time on this shore,
The bell-beat of their wings above my head,
Trod with a lighter tread.
Unwearied still, lover by lover,
They paddle in the cold
Companionable streams or climb the air;
Their hearts have not grown old;
Passion or conquest, wander where they will,
Attend upon them still.
But now they drift on the still water,
Mysterious, beautiful;
Among what rushes will they build,
By what lake’s edge or pool
Delight men’s eyes when I awake some day
To find they have flown away?
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If Coole Park had been in Cork then he would have mentioned the barium sulphate.
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Quick start for Sale, driving over in the corner to score within 3 mins. 0-5
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Tigers hut back quick. Lots of contact up the middle, before Radwan finds a gap to score. Pollard converts 7-5.
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TRYYY McCLOSKEEEEEYYYYY!
(I know I’m a bit late, but I was eating my dinner at the time.)
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O’Mahoney causing trouble for Ulster, which leads to a try.
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Crowley misses a sitter kick, so it’s still 10 all.
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Ooh, Ma’asi-White finds a huge gap on the Tiger’s 10m line and runs it in from their. 10-12 to Sale 17mins
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More events while I wasn’t properly watching. 24-20 as things restart after HT.
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That’s Munster with the BP try and Ulster on 2 tries.
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McCloskey has just been yellow-carded after a couple of outrageous fouls by Munster that went unremarked.
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First, there was a turnover that couldn’t possibly have been legal, and then a forward pass. And now Munster have scored again.
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POM scores again off a clever cross-kick. Ulster’s season is deffo over now.
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… And into the Challenge Cup next year instead of the Big Cup.
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POM being replaced to a hero’s reception, deservedly. Dammit.
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Munster now on a warning from the fat ref.
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And they duly lose a player.
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Not that Ulster manage to capitalise on it. It’s 38-20.
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Even more devastatingly, our holiday ends tomorrow. The most devastated of us will probably be the dog, who’s got very used to having around 5 acres (at a guess) to run around in and play with the owners’ dogs.
Also, the ewes and lambs in the field next to us do a lovely call-and-response thing in the evenings that is a cross between a gospel choir and Page/Plant.
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Well you’re not a million miles from one of Plant’s old haunts, could be him.
He drove past us once round about Cwm Einion (‘Artist’s Valley near Furnace south of Machynlleth) when I was a kid.
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“the ewes and lambs in the field next to us do a lovely call-and-response thing in the evenings”
That’s usually lambs going “Mum! Where are you?” “I’m over here!” “Where?” “HERE!!”
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@BB – In Welsh though.
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“Mam! Ble wyt ti?” “Dw i draw fan hyn!” “Ble?” “YMA!!”
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After that you’ll get the silence of the lambs.
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Awesome, two yellow cards for Bristol in the first 20mins – Lahiff for cumulative team penalties and now van Rensberg for getting under a jumper at the restart.
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Woo! Bristol take the lead. Ibitoye dives over from short range on 26mins and, back to 15, Lane is on the end of a nice move to score – van Rensberg getting through a gap after returning to the pitch.
12-7 32mins.
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Back home. Not pleased to be. Cardiff getting thumped by Bulls.
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3rd try for Bristol right on half time. Defending in their own half, they pinch the ball and clear down field. Ibitoye and Randall force a Bath defender back over his own try line, then get a pen from the resulting scrum. Lineout in the corner and Oghre scores. 17-7 at half time.
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In the other 3pm kickoff, Sarries are tonking Newcastle 33-12 at half time.
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