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 
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Sacha! What a player! Didn’t see this coming in the last 20.
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I have no problem with SA winning this.
France was just too profligate during the 3rd quarter. Couldn’t make their numerical advantage count.
Great control by SA. Power, defence, intelligence.
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That rates up there with the Wellington Test. Very different, but the Boks dug deep and that last 20 was superb. Got outplayed for an hour, but kept in touch.
France? On another day they’d have scored 40 with the possession and skill they had. Maybe missing some key players, but hell, ball in hand they’re fabulous, and for an hour or more, went toe to toe with the Bok pack. Great side!
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For all France strenght in depth that journos keep banging about, today showed that the bench was quite light, with old horses like Tao or Aldegheri ( nicknamed the penalty machine in the Top 14) and tenderfoots like Cramont or Auradou.
But the main problem is the lack of brains. Ntamack had a nightmare and cannot be the conductor. Without Jalibert and Dupont, I’d give the driving wheel to Ramos.
Bravo to SA, resilient and smart.
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For all France strenght in depth that journos keep banging about, today showed that the bench was quite light, with old horses like Tao or Aldegheri ( nicknamed the penalty machine in the Top 14) and tenderfoots like Cramont or Auradou.
But the main problem is the lack of brains. Ntamack had a nightmare and cannot be the conductor. Without Jalibert and Dupont, I’d give the driving wheel to Ramos.
Bravo to SA, resilient and smart.
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Right, a massive tick in the accomplished column, but it doesn’t get easier from here. Italy were full value for their win over Australia and will be ferocious next weekend. Any thoughts of pitching up with a B team in Italy are now done, although there will be some rotation. Then Ireland, who have been our bogey side for a decade or so and will want to get back on track after the night Chicago died. Then Wales. At the end of a long international season, with a foot on the plane. I think we’ll beat Italy and Wales without too many issues (albeit not strolling away), but Ireland will be another massive match.
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Right, so can Wales put up a decent enough show to beat the Pumas? I don’t think so, but I’ve been wrong so many times it doesn’t matter. I do hope that all-court attacking Argentina pitches up today.
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I’m conflicted (even more than usual then? says Mrs BB). Wales win would mean Argentina don’t pull away in the fight for 6th place and a good RWC draw.
On the other hand, Argentina are the better side and play great rugby.
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So that’s two Poomas tries in 3 minutes….
Meet the New Wales, same as the Old Wales.
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At least the Welsh kit is proper Welsh red.
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Wales score!
Welsh kit actually seems to be red-and-slightly-darker-red quarters.
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BB, conflicted for different reasons: my dad loved Wales and went to the Arms Park every time they played when he was in the UK in the late 50s and early 60s. His love of Wales is in my blood.
On the other hand, my second favourite side is Argentina. Has been since Hugo Porta back in the 80s (it was basically Argentina, even it was a so-called South American team). Love the passion, flair and sometimes over the top devil may care attitude.
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Ok, that’s a straight red? He kicked him in the head.
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Ooh, he’s lucky they couldn’t see contact.
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Never mind the cleat-sized hole in his head!
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Who kicked who? Not watching.
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Welsh 12 held briefly in a ruck, looked back and kicked out with his foot. Very close to making contact with his head (if he did, it wasn’t really clear in the replay).
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Deebee – Ben Thomas (Wales 12) was kinda being held on the floor and thrust his foot, studs first, into Gonzalez’s head.
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Thomas has gotten away with it, because the camera angles are shit. Yellow only.
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That was an incredible try. Who knew Matera could kick like that???
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“Wonders idly if the camera angles had been any better if that had been an Argentinian player that had kicked out…”
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What a kick from Matera! Just when Wales thought they’d got back into it and back up to 15.
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I suspect even Matera didn’t know he could kick like that.
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Argentinian can kick a ball with his left foot. Haven’t seen that before!
Although Diego was slightly smaller than Matera (but just as chunky).
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Wales go from side to side to side. Argentina get the ball and score!
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Thanks all! So what you’re saying is if there’s no video evidence, you get off? Unless you’re Jan-Hendrik Wessels, in which case you get a nine match ban based on the testimony of one player? Interesting.
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Wouldn’t be surprised if he cops a ban in the week.
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According to Nigel on the BBC, he shouldn’t have had a yellow at all.
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Oops, that’s killed it. 21-45 now.
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Glad I’m not a Wales fan.
Wonder how my dad’s doing?
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Probably used to things by now?
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Jac Morgan has a dislocated shoulder.
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Nigel should take his red tinted glasses off. He sounds more and more like an old player turned pundit who should engage his brain before he opens his mouth.
Wales were poor (unfortunately, and specially for their wonderful fans, that’s not news) and Argentina quite fun to watch. Can’t wait for the game between Scotland and Argentina.
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Nigel should take his red tinted glasses off. He sounds more and more like an old player turned pundit who should engage his brain before he opens his mouth.
Wales were poor (unfortunately, and specially for their wonderful fans, that’s not news) and Argentina quite fun to watch. Can’t wait for the game between Scotland and Argentina.
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I see Nigel’s point: if there wasn’t actually any contact, which was the available evidence, then where’s the penalty?
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Hello everyone.
Not sure where I stand on the Thomas incident. I can see why people think it should be a sending off, but when I think back I’m not sure that rugby has ever really gone in for punishing ‘intent’ all that much in such a way.
If he does get a ban then on today’s evidence we’ll be missing nothing at all in any case.
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Thought we were a mixture of quite good at times and absolutely terrible at others. Can’t have other team’s tries being worth 14 points which is how it felt today with dreadful mistakes straight after conceding. Unfortunately I don’t see how we can keep playing Murray at fullback. I know he’s an exciting runner, but he was crap defensively last year and completely hopeless today, think he caught two kicks at the start of the second half and lost out every other time.
Can’t imagine Argentina will be happy conceding four tries – and for that matter we could easily have had two more. We gave them a lot of gifts as well so other than the scoreline think they might be a bit disappointed though they do have some fun players.
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Thaum, as I understood it, the contact may not have been with the HEAD, and maybe there have been no contact at all but intent was quite clear, as the refs said he had time to look at what he was attempting to do. And he did it.
Cleats to the face is clearly a high level of danger. What more do we need?
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Thaum, as I understood it, the contact may not have been with the HEAD, and maybe there have been no contact at all but intent was quite clear, as the refs said he had time to look at what he was attempting to do. And he did it.
Cleats to the face is clearly a high level of danger. What more do we need?
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Yes, Wales defended very well at times (and uselessly at others), and did score a bit. I thought Argentina were cheating all over the park during the first half.
LRZ was a bit of a disappointment: couple of knock-ons, couple of overcooked kicks.
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Flair, I saw the idea of a kick, and I saw a player with a bloody face from a stud-shaped wound, but I’m not actually sure that it was the same player. The footage certainly looked like he went wide over the player, so perhaps he thought about it and changed his mind.
If I made to punch someone, but pulled it at the last minute and missed, would it be an infringement?
There’ll probably be a review, and if they can connect the kick with the bloody face, then he’ll rightly go down for it. If not, then I don’t think there’s a case to answer.
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I thought LRZ looked quite dangerous – he was unlucky with the bounce from one of his kicks or he was in and he is very good at that skill so can’t really blame him for giving it a go. Think the worst of the kicks ahead was from Adams though could be wrong?
Suspect he will start the next game as Rogers struggled defensively. That said I also expect they’ll stick with Murray which might work against Japan (might not), but has no future that I can see unless he improves massively under the high ball.
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He looked dangerous but wasn’t. Probably he’s just a bit rusty and will be a serious weapon shortly.
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And yes, he was unlucky with one bounce, but another kick-through just went dead.
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Thaum, it reminds me of the Mauvaka incident when he headbutted an opponent on the floor. The replays were inconclusive so he only got a YC, when he shouldve gotten a RC. Later the review proved it and he was suspended. I expect something similar for the Welsh player.
And just like you, I thought the bloodied player was the target of the cleats. But may be not?
But anyway, this is a minor point in an otherwise enjoyable game.
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Thaum, it reminds me of the Mauvaka incident when he headbutted an opponent on the floor. The replays were inconclusive so he only got a YC, when he shouldve gotten a RC. Later the review proved it and he was suspended. I expect something similar for the Welsh player.
And just like you, I thought the bloodied player was the target of the cleats. But may be not?
But anyway, this is a minor point in an otherwise enjoyable game.
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CMW, you’re not the only one with that opinion of Murray.
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@Refit – I won’t be able to listen to Squidge’s take on this game as he’ll be MorGANNing himself silly. Will have to wait until after we’ve lost to Japan…
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Trying to think of an instance where I’ve seen someone get sent off for something they didn’t manage to actually do. Obviously I’ve seen loads of people not sent off for things they did manage to do and lots get away with things that didn’t land – including lashing out with boots, arms, elbows or whatever at players holding them back but missing. I suppose I’ve seen some walk for ‘fighting’ when they didn’t land any decent punches, but minded to think they at least sort of connected with something. I get that times have changed from way back, but still.
Thinking about it there was a school match where we hadn’t scored a try let alone won for dog knows how long and finally got over the line which resulted in a player simulating sex with the try scorer. So we could say he didn’t actually… well anyway he was told to go and sit down, but I believe we were allowed a replacement.
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