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 
Arnold Clarke East 1 – Dunbar won away in a rather tense encounter at times against local rivals Ross High – I’ll come back with more detail in due course, but the five points were hard won.
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Bold of Munster to play Tadhg Beirne at outside centre.
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Cricket went well (part 2).
Looks like its the cricket team’s turn to be the odd one out in Cat’s England Law of 3. The fitba’ and rugby teams are doing well, so the cricket team is shite.
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I didn’t realise Dan Robson was down in Pau now. They’re going well, so far, against Saints.
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Pau vs Saints is full on ‘you score one, I’ll score one’. 24-all 10mins into the 2nd half.
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Pau have a full brass band in the stadium seating. Must be a pain if that’s where your season ticket is.
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Refit, most rugby teams in France have full brass bands among the audience, usually in some corner. Same bands play at village fiestas or bull fights, it’s just part and parcel of the local animation. Great fun, unless, as you said, you’re too close to the drums!
Saints end up winning confortably while Toulouse got the bonus point before the 25th minute.
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Toulouse took their foot off the gas after getting the bonus point in a matter of minutes – it was as if they couldn’t be bothered with the game after that. It took the Sharks digging in and getting a few scores themselves for Toulouse to wake up and finish off the match
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I think Jack Willis makes a big difference to Toulouse and them keeping the momentum going
He was missed today
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Today is a big day for young Ollie Blythe-Lafferty, 19 years old tighthead prop going up against Jean Baptiste Gros, the starting prop during the Autumn series (bench against SA)
This is going to be a long evening for Edinburgh, it’s a wicked night, the rain is pouring down here.
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Young Findlay Thomson has had to withdraw from the Edinburgh side, it’s a real shame for him after playing so well last week in his first start for the team.
He came up through my home town club and he comes down and watches his school mates play for our first 15 when he can.
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The weather in Embra’s quite a contrast to the clear skies and sunshine in Pau and Toulouse.
C’mon Embra!
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After the apparent TMO-by-telegraph for the Leinster game last night, it’s almost weird that Carley is getting TMO comments in real time in Edinburgh.
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Young Ollie in Edinburgh’s front row looks the part
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Despite the godawful conditions, this is a great match.
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Impressive that Edinburgh have only conceded 1 penalty after 55mins of play.
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What a scrum by Embra!
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How did the Toulon lock only get a yellow for punching a bloke on the ground?
Evening all! Been in Zambia for the last couple of weeks with variable internet access. Got back on Friday evening and spent the weekend in a game reserve. Bliss. Seeing a crash of rhinos at sunset less than 20m from our vehicle was magical! A shit load better than watching the Lions bumble to another loss!
Embra looking good!
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I genuinely thought we’d get hammered tonight after the “form” we’ve shown this season. I’m very happy, especially with the young lads, Ollie Blyth Lafftery, Liam McConnell, Cammy Scott, Harry Paterson all stepped up. We need to keep picking these players now, get shot of the older players who haven’t delivered for a long time
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Wow! Great result from Embra! Did Ticht ‘have a word’ pregame?
Hideous Edinburgh kit though (can’t give them TOO much praise…)
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The Embra Euro shirts are terrible, mais je m’en fous :-)
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One really annoying thing that Premier Sports are doing, is they’re using the home kit colours under the teams for the scores, not what they’re actually wearing. So Exeter vs Cheetahs is pink & black, while the teams are wearing purple and white.
Between that and employing Andy Goode, I’m glad I’m not paying them.
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Bold of Munster to play Tadhg Beirne at outside centre.
@refit
Even the subs are all over the place – Nankivell replaced Kilgallen (D) and A’alatoaa came on for Ryan
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Overall, a hideous perfomance. Rotten start, lineout fell asunder (Kleyn and Milne crying off upset the lifting)
Back to the old – well, if it doesn’t work – let’s try a few more feints.
Loss of Kleyn and Milne left Munster underpowered in the tight and response was to fall back on the “go wide” policy of last year, and the managment of the Bath kicking was atrocious.
“Upside” was that technically, we won the last 60 mins 14-12 – but for all the possession (60%+) Munster didn’t stress Bath defence greatly.
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Nice line in negative reviewing there Trisk. Do I need to book you now for the Wales games in February and March?
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Tries that should have been, but weren’t
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Some of those should have been given 2 points for effort and artistic merit!
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There’s one player with way more entries than anyone else in this video, can you guess who?
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Not Dave Cherry then?
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Rassie has extended his Bok contract until 2031, which should make Scottish fans happy that we won’t be poaching Franco Smith any time soon. Unless it’s as an understudy to Rassie from 2027 to ensure a seamless transition…
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Lol
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Interesting FH discussion
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What was the answer?
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From Squidge, Beauden Barrett was number 1. Can’t remember his brother’s choice.
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Wasn’t it George Ford?
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I can’t believe I’m actually backing Tigers.
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Ooh, that was horrible for Conan.
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I can’t believe I’m actually backing Leinster. :-D
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There’s something glorious about steam rising off a scrum.
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What a solo poachers try!
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I am enjoying how much Leicester are winding Leinster up.
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It’s a dire match.
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Two sides who each think they’re much better than they are.
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Well, at least I picked Leinster by 8 on the ‘Bru.
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Cape Town is looking glorious I think, sitting here in cold South Yorkshire.
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3 tries for The Stormers in 11mins. This could get really ugly for LAR.
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Oh, only 2 – there was a foot in touch in the build-up.
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Refit, they’re playing in Gqeberha (used to be Port Elizabeth). It’s a lovely city in the Eastern Cape. Beautiful beaches, Addo Elephant Park just outside of town, some lovely rivers and the gateway to the Karoo. About 700km or a bit more from Cape Town. A shame the Stormers had a couple of tries chalked off!
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Ah, thanks for the correction.
LAR have done a good job getting back into the game.
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I may have spoken too soon. Stormers get a yellow and concede a try and seem to take it as a personal insult. Sasha F-M does some magic and they score two more. 35-14
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