Six Nations have announced that they are ringing the changes for next year’s tournament. OvallyBalls had an exclusive mole in the decision room.
Six Nations Clown Five: Listen, chaps, I’m awfully sorry we failed to get the Six Nations behind a paywall so that we could destroy the popularity of the only tournament that is broadly watched, but we’ll try again in a couple of years.
SNC2: I’m not a fookin’ chap.
SNC4: Ah, bellissima! Like me, you are wearing a molto clever disguise to our top-secret meeting in this luxury ristorante.
SNC2: Catch yerself on. I’m wearing what the boss told me to wear: blue.
SNC5: Can we just get back to our onions? We have a tournament to ruin here.
SNC6: Onions? Oignons? En France, we return to our moutons.
SNC3: We quite like our lovely sheep as well.
SNC1: Ach, can we knock the tired wee 70s jokes on the heid? We’ve two major things to discuss here: playing matches on a Thursday (a THURS-DEE!), and deep-sixing one rest weekend.
SNC3: Thursday matches! It was bad enough, look you, when the Friday ones started. Working people are not going to be able to get to these matches, or maybe even watch them on the telly.
SNC5: Surely they will just have their servants do anything necessary on those particular evenings?
SNC6: Bah, the British do not know how to live. They eat their dinner – and quelle horreur d’un repas – at a silly time. They are weaklings who cannot stay up to a reasonable hour.
SNC4: Sono d’accordo.
SNC1: I dinna like the Thursday match, but I’m a wee bit more concerned about losing the rest weekend. That’s 5 Test matches in six weeks. Do we not have a small concern about player welfare there?
SNC3: We’ve not got a huge squad to field from the valleys.
SNC4: È vero, this also concerns us.
SNC2: Agh, it’s all right, we’ll just call on Leinster’s academy if half the squad end up in the hospital.
SNC6: Eh ben oui, we have many teams in the Top14, and perhaps we can bend the rules on players being called up.
SNC5: No worries here either, chaps … heh, heh: and chapesses. So is it all settled, then?
SNCs 1, 3 and 4 (simultaneously): Fuck off / vaffanculo.
SNC5: Perhaps I have not yet properly explained the emoluments available to those who agree to these proposals.
[whispers]
All: Crack on!
Ovally Balls 
Fantastic game!
SA played some sublime rugby for 20 minutes (and a bit more) and then showed amazing frailties in defence.
As for Australia, the Lions tour seemed to have been the best preparation. Not sure the BIL would’ve won a 4th game.
I reckon SA should win the next game but the WC in Australia seems much tastier now.
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BB, my sanity and sobriety have long since faded into the distance. But this was something else. A bit shellshocked to be honest, but hell, credit to the Wallabies. In spades. They simply refused to back down and were full value for both the win and scoreline. No doubt.
The Boks looked fantastic in the first quarter, then seemed to think it would just happen, and then fell apart under intense pressure. The lineout has been an issue for a while, the breakdown is a shambles, and the backs looked strangely out of sorts – partly because of some ferocious defence by the Wobblies, but also just not clicking.
Not sure we can be worse next week, but I’ve been saying for a while that there needs to be a changing of the guard. This definitely showed that. Congrats to the Wallabies, it looks like the obituary of Aussie rugby may have been scripted prematurely. And greatly exaggerated!
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Deebee, always the gentleman as we say in French. Am sure it’s painful now, but for the neutral it was a great game.
I think SA were over confident after the easy start they had, but they seem to tire sooner than the Wallabies and had no answer to the lightning quick australian counterattacks.
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Deebee, always the gentleman as we say in French. Am sure it’s painful now, but for the neutral it was a great game.
I think SA were over confident after the easy start they had, but they seem to tire sooner than the Wallabies and had no answer to the lightning quick australian counterattacks.
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ABs in for their first try, not long after a Poomas pen hit the post.
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Poomas in!
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Ooh, Pumas have woken up and played some lovely rugby to get a try themselves.
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Then the Arg number 1 knocks the ball out of the 9’s hand and gives away a pen and is carded.
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Pumas lose their loosie for 10, for a cynical penalty. That’s not gonna help.
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ABs in for their second. Have been looking a bit shaky so far, should calm down now.
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That seemed all too easy for Jordan, just glided through the Arg line and had his 9 on hand for support and a try.
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Ooh, that did not look good for Kremer.
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Apparently a bit of tape has fixed him right up.
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ABs rumble over for try number 3.
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ABs get the rolling maul up and running and score their 3rd, Savea with the ball. 10-24, 2mins left in the half.
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Bloody hell, the Arg scrum is crumbling.
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And in again on half time. Can’t see them letting the Poomas back in the way the Boks let Australia back in earlier.
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Bit of a kick inna nuts, ABs score through Reece in the 43rd min. Barrett converts, 10-31
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Reiko’s had a bit of a shocker of a half.
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Ooh, Albonoz steps through the NZ line to score under the posts. Gave himself a nice easy conversion too. 17-31
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I’m really not impressed with the directive to just let head contact from upright in a tackle just go.
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Too many pens from the ABs and Proctor goes in the bin.
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Poomas score! NZ perhaps should be another man down too.
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Arg score again. They’ve really increased the pace of the game. 24-31
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New season
Dunbar hosted Forrester today for a preseason game, Forrester were relegated from East 1 last season, the league Dunbar are playing in this year.
The game was a one-sided affair with us wining 52 nil, but the outstanding fact for me was their 65 year old loosehead. That is not a typo. He battered our scrum.
In a twist of fate I only watched the game because I couldn’t go to the Edinburgh festival event I was supposed to attend due to a back spasm. This guy made me feel even worse.
Well done Oz earlier.
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So when are you getting the boots back on? (Back spasms notwithstanding).
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ABs score again from a maul and this game is done.
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BB, I really wish I could – I ask this guy what his secret was and he said, “I never stopped”
I stopped over 30 years ago.
I do miss it, having said that, I enjoy supporting the club I played for as a boy
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ABs have woken up and scored two quick tries from mauls in the corner. 24-41
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AL-B lucky to only get a yellow for a tackle off the ball, with head contact.
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Updated world rankings
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Thanks Refit, assuming we can sneak a win next weekend, I think we get more points since we’re plummeting down the rankings. Ireland played a great game this weekend. Would be lovely if we win in New Zealand and take that spot back from them, but I don’t think WR are looking at 20 minute matches just yet.
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Flair, the Aussies have some serious pace in that backline. They were stunning with a wee bit of space. 24 hours later it still hurts, but still tipping my hat to the Wobblies. Much as it hurts!
Actually think this has been coming for a while. Rather now than in a couple of years. We’re in the throes of losing some generational talents, and this may hasten their exits.
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Great game to watch as a neutral. Boks looked clinical and ruthless for the first quarter, then the Wallabies worked their butts off and took their chances. Particularly pleased for young James at 10, his career now has its own world cup win in the cupboard, Nic White as well.
Poomas a little disappointing, looked undercooked, ABs there for the taking, I thought, doubt they will be that sloppy another time.
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Boks are in a bit of a crisis in the backrow this week. Siya and PSDT both out (Siya probably for the trip to New Zealand as well), Wiese still serving his ban, and Elrich Louw and Cameron Hanekom are both injured. I really hope Rassie doesn’t try Kwagga Smith as a starting 8 again – been there, done that, not worked. Possibly Evan Roos will come in at 8, or maybe Jean-Luc du Preez, both of whom are big, abrasive ball carriers (Roos probably a little more dynamic, du Preez more direct), and maybe Vincent Tshituka at 7. Marco van Staden probably to start at 6, if he’s recovered properly from last weekend, where he was actually having his best match in a Bok jersey in a long time. It was after he went off that things started to go a bit runny.
Tshituka is good at the breakdown, which is the key area we got battered in last week, so I’d go with him and van Staden on the flanks, and AN Other at 8. Neither of du Preez nor Roos has really set the world alight there when given the chance, so tricky. Team to be announced later today, so I better get ready to delete all of this when Rassie brings in Andre Esterhuizen at 7, Faf as his new 6 and Gary Teichmann out of retirement to pack down at 8.
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Bok side for Saturday, to hopefully level things up against Australia has been announced. Largely causing a meltdown on local sites here, bemoaning a return to forward-based bosh:
20 Minute Wonders: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Grant Williams, 8 Jean-Luc du Preez, 7 Franco Mostert, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 RG Snyman, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche.
Christmas Cracker Fizzles: 16 Marnus van der Merwe, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Lood de Jager, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu
My take:
Back three: Willie is good at marshalling attacks, but is past it; Moodie and Kolbe are excellent, but Moodie can be a liability on defence (as can Willie).
Centres: tried and trusted – De Allende will also have to do a shit load of work at the breakdown, whilst waiting for the loose trio.
Halfbacks: Williams is the best we have, Pollard picked for the expected wet conditions and to keep it tight and the ball in front of the pack.
Loose trio: Fuck me! As Gordon Ramsay would say – slow, slow, slow, and in an area we got battered in last week. Really not good.
2nd Row: Very good, and probably my pick going forward for the Boks. Etzebeth was excellent last week, but is the wrong side of 30-something and Lood de Jager is too, and only just back from long term injury.
Front row: Marx and du Toit are both very mobile (for front rowers, sorry Ticht), should be good enough at scrum time. I have a feeling Rassie wants lots of scrums, and may get them in the wet.
The Pretenders: don’t get me wrong,
if I’m looking kind of dazzledgood hooker and LH, Wilco Louw could possibly sink to China if it’s muddy. Eben and Lood, what’s to say? Both world class operators over the last decade and on the bench to inflict pain. The replacement tight five is not so much bomb squad as sumo suffocation – but you first have to catch the buggers to sit on them. Kwagga is Kwagga and will need to really get around the park with those replacements in front of him. Reinach good off the bench, Sacha needs a big game, wherever he comes on – possibly at 15 for Willie.Australia by 12+
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Whats the skinny on Wales RFU plans from the Mister, Thaum ?
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C’mon Wobblies, and Poomas.
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SBT – don’t know, and he’s not here to ask at the mo!
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Wales looking to dump two sides? Or more accurately, reconfigure the four into two. Very sad, if this is true and happens, just as it was when the clubs were amalgamated into the original four regions.
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Wales looking to dump two sides
It seems to have been on the cards for some time – although 4->2 is recent ..the general belief was 4 to 3 (either Ospreys or Dragons to bite the bullet- now looks like both in effect)
Essentially, it loks like a “west” Wales (Llanelli with Swansea/Neath) and a “east” Wales (centred on Cardiff – I guess)
as I understand it – part of the problem was / is that the “regions” never really took off (albeit Scarlets = Llanelli) for fans.
In Ireland, same issue applied – to a lesser extent – some AIL clubs still think it should be them playing Toulouse, Northampton etc.
But provinces already existed in rugby as an organisational structure – IRFU has 4 branches.
They were historically recognisable entities that people could associate with while retaining club affiliations
They existed in other sports – gaelic football and hurling – GAA was also orgnaised around the 4 provinces and had a yearly competition where teams representing each province played a festival type tournament.
And early success – Ulster in the Heineken Cup. and probably more significantly Munster 2000-2010 gave impetus to the concept.
We had advantages that Wales didn’t in creating a “super club” structure for professional rugby
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BB and ticht can correct me – but I think the Borders entity in Scotland suffered the same or similar problems to the Welsh regions
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Yep, Melrose, Gala, Selkirk and Hawick all have/had a mutual dislike of each other (Kelso and Jed are slightly further out from these 4), so putting the Reivers in Gala put some backs up I think. Even though its only about 15 miles or so from Hawick to Gala, the two biggest towns, so numbers shouldn’t have been a problem.
Wonder what the URC is going to do now with the two spare spaces. The 4 SA teams have their little ‘league’, as do the 4 Irish provinces and the 2 Scots & 2 Italian teams. Not sure where they’ll put the Welsh clubs or they might change up the way the league’s organised. Not sure they would be able to go back to home and away games? Or they could invite Georgia’s Black Lions and A.N. Other club to join?
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@bb
Wonder what the URC is going to do now with the two spare spaces
all sorts of rumours floating…. add 2 US based clubs (New England and AN Other) is one. Maybe add back the Cheetahs
That’s if 2 remaining Welsh clubs stay with URC – there’s always been a hardcore among Welsh support who pine for the old days of matches with English clubs and for them an Anglo-Welsh league would solve all problems….
Think Tblisi is regarded as a schlep too far – esp with current political upheaval there (although you could make same point about the US)
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Cheetahs deserve a break (from a Saffer viewpoint), but would five sides be either acceptable or balanced? Can’t think of where you’d find two other sides that could be decently competitive.
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“decently competitive”
Well, they would be replacing Welsh sides, so anyone from anywhere really…..
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I’ll just leave this here 😉
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Willie le Roux out for tomorrow and the Boks continue to drop like flies. Wonder if we’ll have 23 blokes to fly to New Zealand? Fassie comes in, with an immediate shot at redemption after a pretty ordinary display last weekend. Aus by 13.
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Refit, glad he’s used his arm, even if it is to just strangle the bloke.
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Just watched it, and he is a helluva destructive tackler when he does it legally. Which looks like most of the time. The red mist tackles will always be what people remember though.
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