New fans that watched the Netflix documentary tuning in to the 2024 6 Nations to see their favorite players, Louis Rees-Zammit, Antoine Dupont, Owen Farrell, Stuart Hogg & Mack Hansen
I actually did a 23 & me test recently.
They look at 23 pairs of chromosomes.
The first 15 were Scottish,
But of the remaining 8 there was a 6/2 split in favour of South African
A word for Deon Fourie.
Bok debut at 36.
Was behind Smit, Bismarck, Brits, Marx, Mbonambi at hooker during his career.
Moved to flanker.
Made Boks squad.
77 minutes in the final at hooker and won it 💪
World Number 1 play World Number 2 this week & I thought I'd have a look in to some of the head to heads
First up, Andrew Porter vs Frans Malherbe.
Malherbe is the premier scrummaging tighthead on the planet and will give Porter his sternest examination since transferring to LH
All joking aside, I'm gonna miss this era of having these 4 distinct personalities as fly halves for the Home Nations.
Love them or hate them, they've given us some great talking points over the last 10 years or so
Makazole Mapimpi's wife is due to give birth any day which is why he has not linked up with the Springboks this week. Family always so important for this team so never an option to miss the birth of his child. Canan Moodie gets his chance.
World Player of the Year Nominees & the clubs they were playing for when Nominated
By country, starting with Argentina
Juan Martin Hernandez - Stade Francais
Felipe Contepomi - Leinster
(Men's) Football World Cup has been going more than twice as long as the Rugby World Cup. And only has twice as many different winners. Despite being a more global sport
1930-2022 92 years, 8 winners
🇺🇾🇮🇹🇩🇪🇧🇷🏴🇦🇷🇫🇷🇪🇸
1987-2023 36 years, 4 winners
🇳🇿🇦🇺🇿🇦🏴
For those that want a global season, this is the closest we'll get to having 6 Nations & Rugby Championship on the same weekend...
How many will watch all 5 games?
If you're looking for a male role model, you could do a lot worse than David Pocock
Rugby player, politician, protector of rhinos
Pocock has stood up for what he believes in throughout his career
His 1st Man of the Match bonus at 18, he spent on sleeping bags for the homeless
Sbu Nkosi played in the semi-final win against Wales in 2019.
Therefore that result should be scrubbed, Wales given the win, & we can all assume based on the 2019 6 Nations Wales would have beaten England in the final,
So award them the World Cup
URC quarter finals confirmed
Leinster Sharks is almost Ireland SA
Ulster & Connacht border each other
Stormers & Bulls have a rivalry based on traditionally being 2 of the best SA teams
Glasgow & Munster hate each other, purely because of this league
LEKKER!
This is where the draw really screws France, because topping the pool should give them an easier Quarter final.
So even if Antoine Dupont's injured for the Quarter, they should be to beat an England or a Scotland or an Argentina.
But they'll either have SA or Ireland
Champions Cup should be 20 teams
Top 8 from URC
Top 7 from Top 14
Top 5 from Premiership
4 pools of 5 or 5 of 4 with home & away how it used to be. 5 pool winners + 3/5 runners up so other games can affect your team so you watch them
Then Quarter finals. 8/20 make it through
Imagine if World Rugby did a tackle of the year as well as a try of the year?
I started watching Rugby in 2003, & after considering many tackles from & against that England team, Wilkinson, Lewsey, Tindall, Giteau, I remembered this classic from Brian Lima which surely wins?
Peter O'Mahony vs Pieter-Steph Du Toit
Two sobbing shithouses named Pe(i)ter.
Both great in the lineout and tireless around the park
This will be Box Office
@Huwipulotu
More World Cups than Christian Cullen, Ben Smith, Stuart Hogg & all your faves.
Unless your faves are Willie Le Roux & Frans Steyn, in which case he has the same number of world cups
Siya Kolisi vs Josh Van Der Flier
The World Player of the Year vs the World Cup Winning Captain.
This is also Box Office like McCaw's battles with George Smith, Schalk Burger, Pocock & Dusautoir
@Murray_Kinsella
Very early in the game to be doing stuff like that.
They'd only scored one intercept try.
It's not like they'd built a play and were dominating the game.
Damian De Allende vs Bundee Aki
Both branded as crash ball 12s, but with a little bit more to their game than that.
Bundee in particular has been on fire so far this tournament and it will be interesting to see how he goes against much sterner opposition
Manie Libbok vs Johnny Sexton
The words coming out of the Springboks camp are that Pollard won't be involved this weekend,
So we see the old experienced fly half vs the young pretender.
Expect loop plays and no-look kick passes aplenty 😉
Tadhg Furlong vs Ox Nche
One loves potatoes, the other loves cakes.
Steven Kitshoff may start for the Springboks, but I suspect they might start Ox with Bongi as they're lower to the ground scrummaging front row with Kitshoff back in the Bomb Squad with Deon Fourie
I'm not going to do the bench because there's too many uncertainties & South Africa will probably do a 6-2 while Ireland do a 5-3 so there will be a mismatch,
But I suspect the set piece battle between Rob Herring & Deon Fourie will be key
Ronan Kelleher vs Bongi Mbonambi.
I don't know the latest on Dan Sheehan's injury, but I suspect Kelleher may start this game.
Many would have been expecting a Marx & Sheehan head to head a few months ago not their more unsung partners in the one-two punch of modern day hooking