I’m not sure who invited Liz Truss, and perhaps that’s why everyone looks a bit nervous, as if they’re expecting a devastating mini-budget in the middle of the festivities.
Nevertheless, a very happy feasting season to all, and may there be some cracking derbies over the next week or so.
Crackling derbies would be good too, only that depends on the pork markets.
We don’t see any cheese boards, and obviously That Is a Disgrace.
Ovally Balls 
It’s over.
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Our sides just don’t have the depth yet to compete in two competitions. Any weekend there are dozens of current and recent Boks and almost Boks playing in Europe and Japan, but not for our clubs. We really need to be able to get these guys back to compete. It’ll take time (and money, obviously) but it should start to happen now that we’re earning hard currency in Europe.
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Saints getting absolutely murdered in the scrum.
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Saints getting murdered full stop.
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Saints have done well to rescue a try BP out of this match.
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Tameifuna wrecking-balling his way through defenders is a sight to behold.
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Urghhh, Dayglo on comms for Sarries.
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Saracens are full on ‘wolf-pack’-ing this. Completely dominated for the first half hour, then 3 tries before half time.
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Thaum!!!
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This doesn’t feel right
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What? What is the logic behind that? I mean, it’s good for Ulster, but WTF?
I am not sure about Snyman. We don’t have a great record with Saffer forwards, although we’ve had great backs from there.
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This is the explanation: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/ckgy2g5y3l4of
It still seems incredibly unfair to me.
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I mean, it wasn’t the Cheetahs’ fault that the weather was shit, and no-one has suggested that there were any shenanigans. It sounds like it would have been dangerous for the match to go ahead.
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That transfer news headline is a little click-baity 😂.
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Saffer sides conceded 209 points in five matches this weekend, including 28 points in a match that didn’t take place! So exclude that and it’s 181 in four matches for our URC sides. 45 points each on average. Pathetic. I posted yesterday that it’s depth that’s the issue with so many of our guys playing overseas, but surely it’s more shit defence coaching than anything else? The Bulls started with 10 Springboks; the Sharks with 3 (so a ‘development team’), the Stormers had 5 internationals in the starting XV and the Lions 3 (all the fit ones!) and only the Lions won, despite conceding 33 points themselves. Depth is an issue, but clearly (and watching the matches confirms it) there are basic skills that are simply not there in too many of our players: defensive lines are non-existent, reading the game seems to be too much to do, actually tackling? Nah, that’s for the birds.
That said, there were a number of other blow-out games over the weekend, so it’s clearly not just our sides.
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I am not sure about Snyman
Different Snyman as you’ll have worked out – definite click bait headline
On the Munster-Toulon game – both lucky and unlucky. Gave away some dumb pens and resultant yellow cards. Came back well with 2 good tries and then got a fairly duff decision
Pissed off to lose but yards better than the Ulster fiasco
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It’s interesting how teams go through injury/selection crises in a specific position: the Boks had to call up Boan Venter (and glad we did!) after Kitshoff was forced to retire, Gerhard Steenekamp was injured, Trevor Nyakane’s form faded, JH Wessels was suspended and Thomas du Toit made the permanent switch to TH.
Now France are looking a bit thin at scrumhalf, with Nolann Le Garrec, Baptiste Jauneau, and Maxime Lucu all set to miss the start of the 6N, leaving only a bloke called Antoine in the picture. Who’s the next cab off the rank to provide cover?
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Who’s the next cab off the rank to provide cover?
Serin – who I thought would be France’s nailed on 9 forever when he first broke through at U20s, also looked injured – he wasn’t in Toulon panel on Sunday.
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It’s interesting how teams go through injury/selection crises in a specific position
ireland are suddenly looking thin at LH – Porter in a boot (calf injury), McCarthy the younger with a foot injury. Neither good for LHs
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Thanks Trisk – just read about Ireland’s LH woes as well. Apparently Boyle picked up an injury this last weekend as well, but should make it back. I hope his first name isn’t Lance.
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I’m not making this up…..
Always wanted to learn where the water you drink comes from, where your stool goes after visiting the toilet or how much water is needed to produce all the ingredients of a delicious Doro Wat?
An open for all Visitors Center at the Addis Ababa Water and Sewerage Authority Center of Excellence, provides: fun and games, a visual tour from source to tap and back, scale models, grey water reuse in action and the opportunity roam from AAWSA’s water treatment plant, dam and reservoir.
Contact info:
Training manager: Shitaye Dessa
Some fearsome nominative determinism in the name. I also don’t wan’t to know what he trains you to do.
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Bugger! Huw Jones is off to Toulon at the end of the season. Would rather he didn’t go, but he’s 31/32 so I don’t begrudge him a last big pay day. Stafford McDowall is his ready-made replacement, but I hope we can get some others in, or a young gun or two coming through the ranks.
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Do you think Ardie can play 10?
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He’s only going to Leinster ‘cos he wouldn’t get into the Glasgow team…..
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The Kiwi whispering gallery on sites in SA generally want the Barrett brothers gone. Seems to be a lot of unhappiness with their apparent immovability in the All Blacks camp, especially with Scott Barrett as skipper. I think it’s all a ruse to lull the Boks into a false sense of security before the AB tour here later this year.
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I don’t begrudge him a last big pay day
Same point might be said of Jean Kleyn. He’s off to Gloucester – 3 year contract. From what I understand Munster only offered 1 year- understandable with a pipeline – hopefully – of young locks coming through (Edogbo, Ahern, O’Connell), the usual issues with NIQ, and the fact that he’s been less available than of old
(apparently in 2022-23 season, he played 22 games in row for Munster from Oct to the URC final in May, and then waltzed off to win a World cup)
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So, with Glasgow losing Hastings, Jordan and now Huw Jones (Toulon), that’s a hell of a midfield no longer available to the Weedge.
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Soz, BB I didn’t see your post there
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Ticht will be pleased…..
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/clym8x61562o
Although I hadn’t known that he’d given so many day-boos to young Scottish players. I think that’s the way the SRU are going, as we can’t afford to splurge money on an All Black like some.
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BB, I’ve yet to read one positive comment over that contract extension. Edinburgh are rudderless, have no attacking strategy beyond box kicking up the park to get as close to the try line as possible and batter away at the high BMI stuff until we either score or (more likely) get held up or knock it on.
Everitt is supposed to be an attack coach!
The reason for all the young guys playing is injuries to more senior players, he didn’t give any of the guys a start before now – Freddy Douglas was capped for Scotland before he started for Edinburgh.
They are painful to watch and it would be one thing if Edinburgh were at least successful but we’ve won nothing and currently lie 10th in the URC table.
If we keep it to under 50 against Bath on Friday it will be almost a victory in itself.
Whoever oversaw this has no fucking clue about the bad feeling among the supporters just now, or they just don’t care.
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… and with impeccable timing Scott Robertson has been sacked as All Blacks coach – he won’t be short of offers to coach at club level.
Just no offer from Edinburgh.
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Scott Robertson being sacked two years into his term is quite something. His whole tenure was controversial, with his appointment being announced before the 2023 World Cup kicked off – great disrespect shown to Ian Foster, whatever you think of his results (and only lost the Final by a point). Most coaches would get by on a 74% winning record, but Kiwis have become so accustomed to 90%+, it’s difficult to justify the current record.
Robertson will doubtless not struggle for offers, with Australia’s penchant for Kiwi sloppy seconds heading up the list, but perhaps more intriguing is some of the big clubs currently looking for (or needing) a new coach. In SA, the Sharks have an interim coach, the Bulls are increasingly frustrated with results under Ackermann, and the Lions could use an injection of just about anything.
Who will take over is intriguing too: some rumours are Jamie Joseph at the Highlanders (although they were crap in Super Rugby last season), which could potentially see the Boks lose Tony Brown, two years into his backline (r)evolution at the Boks: it would be a big blow to us if that happened. Pat Lam being mentioned too.
Whoever does take over has lots of issues to sort out, both forming a new coaching team and then getting the clearly unhappy players back on board – it’ll be interesting to see if some of the current side are put out to pasture before they kick off the Nations Series in early July against France (hoping France will actually send a proper side down), with Italy and Ireland to follow before heading to SA for four Tests.
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Bristling atmosphere in the south of France according to the commentators.
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Urghhh, Goode doing co-comms on Embra.
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Score, Refit?
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Bath have just scored off a tap penalty. 7-3 on 15mins.
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I don’t think 3 – 0 will last very long!
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Embra carry the ball back over their own line. Bath absolutely munch the Edinburgh scrum and the ref awards a penalty try, just before Barbeary picks up the ball to score himself. 14-3 19mins.
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I seem to have difficulty convincing the site that Slade speaks!
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Slade – if you’re on a computer (not a phone), hover your mouse over the icon by your name and it will pop up a link to set your Gravatar up.
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Bath are just camped in the Embra half. They drive up to the line, ball is passed to Obano and he crashes over to score. 21-3 30mins.
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Max Ojomoh breaks into the Embra half. He has a player on each shoulder, ignores both and gets tackles & turned over. Embra run it back into the Bath half. There’s some lovely angles and passes, ending with O’Connor under the posts. 21-10 35mins.
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Bath end the half with another try. Ball in the corner, Edinburgh defend the maul well, but Bath recycle well and Dunn crosses with the ball a few phases later. 26-10.
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Bulls down to 14, Pau take advantage and it’s 21-12 at the break. For a side with so many current and recent Boks, the Bulls are really crap.
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Elsewhere, Pau are 21-12 up against the Bulls and Newcastle lead the Dregs 7-12.
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Refitman – thanks!
I’ll get it right one day!
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….even better!
My local team, Pau, doing ok – with third choice no. 10
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Hey Slade, at least you CAN log in. Like the look of young Patterson, hope to see more of him in the second half.
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Oof! Big Joe C bounces off 4 tackles to score. 35-10 57mins.
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Bath are doing a really good job of keeping Embra pinned back in their own half.
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