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 
Neither O’Brien nor Osborne are impressing me. But hey, they’re Leinster players
@thaum
Osborne will very quickly fall into the Frawley trap – kind of ok at fb, centre and passable at wing
at fullback, he looks a bit slow – at Munster (for Leinster) he ran good lines but was almost always tackled by the first tackler.
(Tommy) O’Brien – always tries hard, but not a test wing. General media talk here is about how “fast” he is – even I can see that being all “arms and legs” is not the key to speed. Had a bad run with injuries but fact that he’s broken through at 27 tends to indicate he’s good not great.
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O’Brien’s blamed the picking of non-Leinster players (‘new players’) for the scrappiness of the Irish performance in his speech.
Yeah, this is it – new combos look a bit janky first time out, so let’s go back to the lads who train together every day…..
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I had to step out on Saturday afternoon, so I only caught 1st half vs Japan and 2nd half vs Spain
vs Japan – certainly very laboured until Japan ran out of steam. Lineout was an issue again – ppl can point fingers at 9/10 but until you secure primary possession they can do “the square root of SFA”
I thought Crowley’s try portended some good rugby but we got bogged down – pack looks a bit cooked.
vs Spain – obviously missed the exciting bits – still, it was interesting that the 2nds/3rds beat the team in 14th place in the rankings more easily than the 1sts beat the team in 13th
Probably since this time last year – we’re seeing more and more tired performances
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Trisk, is it the famed ‘Lions Hangover’ or something more?
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@deebee
No, I think the Lions probably adds to it but it’s been a downslope since last Autumn
In the AI last year – drab defeat to NZ, narrow win over Argentina (hanging on at the end), and took a change of half backs to switch the momentum of the game vs Australia.
In 6N, good 15 mins spell took game away from England – helped by Murley having a ‘mare. Scotland self-destructed when Russell and Graham knocked each other out, scraped past Wales, demolished by France, and then drab win over Italy
Current squad look burned out – ran out of steam vs NZ.
Summer tourists beat Georgia handily, put on 100 on Portugal and now 60 on Spain – maybe some of those players should be in the shake up.
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I have nothing to say. Happy? Bossy bloody site.
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I don’t know, when I have nothing to say I don’t post for months on end.
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I note we also have someone saying everything twice. Say something once, why say it again?
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Water flowing underground….
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I think there’s a chapter in Catch-22 called The Soldier Who Sees Everything Twice?
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Close!
Click to access Joseph_Heller.pdf
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How do you add a photo?
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Trisk, you can either upload it to a photo-sharing site and post the link, or you can email it to me, and I’ll post it.
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Just don’t use Imgur for images – it’s completely blocked in the UK because of the stupid Online Safety Act.
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I was going to say that Refit can probably recommend a good site…. :-)
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Also, let me know if you do email, because I don’t check that account very often.
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I see everything once!
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I’ve now seen CMW’s comment four times. Am I losing the plot?
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It’s the price you pay for having nothing to say.
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Of course it might just be because you’ve got flies in your eyes.
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Bok side for Italy on Saturday has thrown up some surprises! The backs are lethal, outside of Pollard – if they get decent front-foot ball it could be a dazzling day, but that will depend on the forwards laying the platform and van den Bergh and Pollard actually passing. That said, the new centre pairing of Hooker and Moodie are both excellent in the air, so the potential to use broken field play from there is an additional threat. If this backline get enough ball, they could wreak havoc.
Forwards are a bit iffy, to be honest – 12 caps in the starting front row, Kleyn in the second row has 12, and whilst ‘Sous’ Mostert has 82 caps, you’re combining a relative jouneyman in Kleyn with someone who’s past his best in Mostert. Marco van Staden at 8 is a massive risk – he’s an openside who will also be covering hooker if Grobbelaar is replaced. Ben-Jason Dixon also only has a handful of caps, with Siya Kolisi at least provding the experience and captaincy on the other side.
The bench is interesting: Steenekamp and Louw as props, no problem, they’re very good, then RG Snyman and Ruan Nortje as two locks on the bench (no hooker), Kwagga as the back-up eight, Esterhuizen as a hybrid loosie or centre, and Williams and Libbok as the nominated backs – Williams can cover 9 and wing, Libbok 10 and 15 (at a push).
All in all, Italy will fancy having a crack at this side.
15 Damian Willemse, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Canan Moodie, 12 Ethan Hooker, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Marco van Staden, 7 Ben-Jason Dixon, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Zachary Porthen, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Boan Venter
Replacements: 16 Gerhard Steenekamp, 17 Wilco Louw, 18 RG Snyman, 19 Ruan Nortje, 20 Andre Esterhuizen, 21 Kwagga Smith, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Manie Libbok
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Ireland (v Australia):
Paddy McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster)(2)
Replacements:
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Ireland team – pretty predictable.
Prendergast was always coming in for at least one start and makes sense to pair his with his provincial 9
Lowe and Henshaw – back
Long awaited move for Doris to 7.
Injury to Osborne (vs Japan) and long term injury to Keenan meant an issue at fullback – Hansen parachuted in, despite a lack of minutes. He’s never really impressed at 15 for Connacht (not be bad but not really indicated that’s his forte either), and generally hasn’t been the player we saw in 2021-23 for a while
Pack – Porter gets the day off (well a bit of it). Ryan and Beirne flogged – they’ll start – injuryies excepted vs SA
Essentially, Farrell is going to try to keep this group running till RWC27 – injuries and retrirements excepted.
Part of me thinks this needs to get very messy at some point….
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Interesting stat from French TV.
Nowadays more people watch rugby than football. Last week, 6 millions watched SA win over France whereas only 5 millions watched last night WC qualifier France vs Ukraine. Same channel ( TF1), same time 9 pm.
If the commotion issue could be solved, I’d be very optimistic for the future of rugby, at least here.
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Interesting stat from French TV.
Nowadays more people watch rugby than football. Last week, 6 millions watched SA win over France whereas only 5 millions watched last night WC qualifier France vs Ukraine. Same channel ( TF1), same time 9 pm.
If the commotion issue could be solved, I’d be very optimistic for the future of rugby, at least here.
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That’s brilliant, Flair! Rugby needs to be strong and able to hold its own.
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Almost time for SA to grind Italy into a fine paste. Back down to earth with a bump, for the Azzuri, I reckon.
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Italy have started really well. And it looks like SA are starting with a card, again.
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It’s another permanent red card. Tucked arm and head contact.
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Rassie may well train the squad to play with 14, but he might be better training his locks to tackle properly.
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Yeah, it’s probably less stressful to employ a tackle coach.
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Willemse’s having a great match so far.
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Any other coach would be described as ‘panicked’, making 4 subs inside 25mins.
Italy really need to start taking their points.
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Not a great look,, having your medical team arguing against a player coming off for an HIA.
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Garbisi finally gets it between the posts. 3-3 with 3 mins left in the half.
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There’s something really endearing about RG Snyman towering over the ref, but having a little chuckle with him.
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SA down to 13!
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Another Bok off for a yellow. Garbisi kicks the penalty. 9-10 now.
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Iatly down to 14 now. Tough keeping track of who is actually on the field at the moment.
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Ooh, another TMO review for SA head contact.
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It’s cleared and SA score off the base of a scrum. 9-20.
Italy card remains a yellow.
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Capuozzo furraaaa lineeeeeee!!!!
Italy are still in this!
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Try Italy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Is there ANYONE else in the Italian team who can kick at goal????
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Think Garbisi’s missed about 8 points today. Italy are 6 points behind.
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Allan’s on.
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Moodie’s quite good, eh?
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Final score Italy 14-32 SA.
Willemse gets a deserved MotM.
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Sometimes think you could have only 3 or 4 Boks left on the pitch, and they’d still find a way to win.
Italy’s chance was in the first half. Garbisi seems like quite a streaky kicker – today was one of his bad streaks. They might still have lost, but they would have been a lot closer throughout the game. Also think Italy like to embrace the chaos, which you can do against Australia, as they’re similar, but not against the Boks.
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I can’t recall Garbisi ever managing to kick goals consistently. Allan has improved, though.
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