Entertaining. Indefatigable. Bloody-minded, hard as nails (well, obviously there is an obstructed view).
When Mark Williams (pictured) won the World Snooker Championship in 2018, he stripped off for the ensuing press conference, as he had promised to do.
This year, he has promised to run naked down the M4 if he wins.
Given that he’s 51, perhaps he should borrow Andy Powell’s golf buggy instead.
But this is why Welsh rugby can and will rise above their current crisis, and hopefully with all four regions somehow surviving the mess. Welsh sides are currently Irish teams’ banana peels in the URC.
While full houses at Welsh stadia have been a rarity in recent years, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau sung with full heart at the Millenium Stadium still manages to bring a bit of unexplained grit to the eyes of this non-Welsh person (well, full disclosure: I had a half-Welsh granny).
And, to add the icing to the cake, the Welsh don’t vote for Tories. Hopefully they won’t vote for the even more repulsive Reform in May either.
Lions roar in for a 5th try and with six to go, that’s the match. Can’t see Connacht getting anything from here. It does leave yours truly in the giddy yet daunting space of actually, just about, having to look at the log to determine where we may play our QF. With our last two matches being in the unforgiving realms of Munster and Leinster, we’ll need to scrap for a couple more points.
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Connacht just don’t go away and score twice in quick succession, but the first is chalked off for a forward pass. 33-14 into the final minute.
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Connacht have the final say, but the Lions take the spoils. 33-21 in the end and heady times indeed for the Lions!
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Oh dear. We are going to get stuffed. Michael Lowry is just about the only regular starter on the side, and the bench is no better.
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Weeeellll … we very nearly scored there!
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TRY somebody called King!
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Ben Carson (a very decent 12) has gone off injured, hopping on one leg.
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Boo, Munster have scored. But not converted. (Crowley apparently injured himself in warm-up, so it’s Hanrahan.)
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Oops, Munster have scored again. And we’ve lost yet another player.
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Another Ulster player receiving attention. We’ll be calling up the under-12s next.
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I know why you liked that, Slade…!
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Thauma, why have Ulster put out a development side?
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Mostly injuries, but I think some players are being rested for next week (against Exeter!) too.
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Ulster roaring back! No, no idea. Just saw they got seven points.
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Bulls being tested by Scarlets. 10-14 at the break, but the Bulls not being allowed to get away. Should be a tense 2nd half!
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15-14 Scarlets, I think. R365 has gone to sleep with updates. It really isn’t a great site, but not much else out there I can follow.
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Apparently 15-17 Bulls now, but no real idea.
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Can you access this, Deebee? https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/scores-fixtures/2026-04-25
18-20, it says.
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Btw, Mark Williams has just crashed ignominiously out of the world championship.
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18-20 Bulls into the last 10. Going down to the wire…
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Thanks Thauma! Got it.
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Bulls snuck in at the death, Pollard with a penalty for the unconvincing win. I suppose they’ve been on tour for a month so mentally a bit jaded too. Final two weeks are going to be cracking stuff!
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Well, Brown-Bampoe just learned about getting low in the tackle, in the worst way.
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TRY somebody called King!
@thaum
Aitzol Arezana King – was in the U20s that won a GS about 4 years back, Moved on from Leinster last year?
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Been slightly busy – so haven’t found/made time to post
Munster have had a couple of good weeks – comfortable win vs Treviso followed by the win over Ulster’s 2nds
Highlight of Saturday was Hodnett scoring 4 tries – two playing at 7 – literally thrown across the line by Edogbo for the first, and propelled with Ahern and Edogbo on the latch fro the second, before running in 2 more playing on the wing,
Thaum gave you the run down on Ulster’s injuries – Munster had Kleyn go off with a bicep injury, then Nash with a hamstring (another one) before ominously Jager went off with another HIA, and Farrell with a dislocated shoulder – so after the jigs and reels, Hodnett landed on the wing.
Kendellen came in at 7 and scored a hatrick – so all 7 tries scored by either the starting or sub openside.
First half was scrappy but pulled away in the second.
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Munster also have a NZ 9 called Ben O’Donovan. We’re following him closely as my wife knows his mom – they have a mutual friend. Born in Dublin – his dad Dan is a Kiwi, and he played for NZ in the U20 RWC in 2024
But he’s IQ and seems to have jumped ahead of 9s not called Casey since he arrived in Feb.
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And in family news – my eldest son got back on the pitch on Sunday. Killarney were playiing Tralee at Musgrave (aka Virgin Media) Park in the Martin O’Sullivan cup.
Alas, we lost 38-31 but Gearóid got the last 10-15 mins on the wing. He broke his fibula and tore ankle ligaments in September in his 3rd week at uni.
Pretty pissed off till Xmas – but he has a great physio gave him a program he followed pretty faithfully, and he’s looking to run a half-marathon in 2 weeks.
Youngest – who had an undisplaced fracture of the tibia – got back about a month ago and got 10 mins as his U16 team won the local cup competition.
Middle child is still rehabbing his ACL but we’re waiting on the all clear from the physio. He was up in Dublin last week having an exhaustive bunch of tests. He’ll probably get back to (gaelic) football first.
So, 2 back playing – and 1 waiting for the go ahead – it was pretty grim during the autumn when the third injury came in.
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Also highly amused with Leinster going full bore to Bennetton and losing – a mere week after Munster won 45-15.
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George North is retiring from professional rugby. Didn’t realise he’s only 34.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/articles/cwy2wz08l4no
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God it feel like George North started playing rugby the same time I did! Hint: Adam and the Ants burst onto the scene that year too. I think.
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Sadly, I was 14 and in my second year of being an obnoxious 9 when was born.
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Beautiful evening in Port Harcourt. Huge thunderstorm around 3pm has cooled things down and lowered the humidity levels. Beer is cold and refreshing. And tomorrow is Worker’s Day across most of Africa, so I don’t have to be up early! I’ll still wake up at 5, no doubt.
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Looking forward to today’s matches is a slight understatement. Should be a couple of the best matches this season in club rugby. I hope they live up to the hype! Think the Big Cup may well be an all-French affair in the Final. Not sure why, other than it’ll improve my Superbru standing!
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Toulon having real issues getting over the gain line. Leinster finding it much easier.
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Yip. Leinster should probably have scored a few more, though. Not sure why the Toulon winger didn’t take the mark there.
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Try time! Leinster bullying Toulon in contact.
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Cough. What do I know?
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22-11 to Leinster. Toulon made nothing of a 2 man advantage, Leinster scored 8 with a one man advantage.
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Toulon toothless.
There can be only one winner.
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It’s a big sporting day for me. We’ve got the important match after this one (and sorry, Slade, but I am wearing my lucky Ulster shirt), and then the final session of Mark Allen’s semi-final with Wu Yize, the human potting machine, which is currently tied 11-all.
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Byrne’s kicking from the tee has been shocking.
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Serin going FIDIM. Lifeline for Toulon.
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And this is what happens when Prendergast is your last line of defence.
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Who would have predicted a 4 point game in the last 5mins, 20 minutes ago?
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Thaum
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A sérin is a canary. I wonder if he will be singing sad or happy songs in a few mins.
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Surprised Byrne didn’t fuck up the kick off the pitch.
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I was about to type exactly the same thing Thaum.
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Or in the coal mine?
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Leinster worthy winners. Toulon can only blame themselves , no one can win a game only playing the last 10 minutes.
Leinster’s conundrum: can you win a final with a 10 who can’t kick or a 10 who can’t defend?
Gibson Park has no equivalent, when it comes to organise wave after wave of his forwards attacks.
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