Rugby - Advantage Over!

[finbar]

Played over there, but at sea level. Boks struggled to beat the Pumas and Scotland. I suppose 10 points is fair enough. Maybe 12 1/2.

[Havak]

I'm surprised that a gent such as yourself mixes with welchers.

He belly aches – but he has never welched with myself in the final analysis. He has the reputation with others though…

How can anyone expect to be respected when they carry on in such patently petty, selfish fashion?

I’ll ask Austin for you next time I see him.

They're still both very inexperienced at the top level - Turunui only has one S12 season behind him but has great potential - so the question is: how long will he give them?

Four more games?

Goodoh. Someone to pass the tea and cakes in the Old Folks' Home and not look out of place.

The lad is 32. Based on the two tests the current incumbent has played so far this year he would be pushing a certain highly rated young flanker out the ABs still as well.

Goodoh. He obviously doesn't use Austin's publicist. And speaking of bubonic plague, what's he up to these days?

He is fit and well and Clive has just named him in the huge 38 strong squad for the three games with Wales and France before RWC. 30 of those will make the trip so there is I regret a decent chance he will travel to his spiritual home.

More importantly the young Tigers centre Ollie Smith is fit and also named in the squad – as is the young blindside Moody (who hasn’t played since the Boks knackered his shoulder). If both these lads are truly fit they can add to England in a big way in Australia.

Keep hitting those *

Either of those margins seem fair – maybe 12.5 more accurately reflecting the comparative standards of the two sides?

[Caligastia]

12.5 works for me...30 gold on the boks.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak


He belly aches – but he has never welched with myself in the final analysis. He has the reputation with others though…

I’ll ask Austin for you next time I see him.

Four more games?

Nuh. Eddie has dropped Turunui and slotted in Matt Rogers at outside centre outside Steve Kefu. I suspect there's going to be a bit of this mixing and matching going on over the next few weeks. Eddie's on the record as saying Turunui's future is at inside centre, so I imagine he will turn up there sooner or later.

Matt Burke at full back in place of Latham, Flatley starting at fly half with Larkham on the bench (as expected), and Vickerman starting with Nathan Sharpe on the bench. I think Vickerman starting in place of Sharpe is more horses for courses than anything - Vickerman, of course, being Bok-born, fired up to do well in front of a mob of Boks howling for his blood and a team of Boks determined to punish him. And a fine test of his self discipline it will be, too.

The lad is 32.

Is that all? Good grief, that's pre-pubescent in my scheme of things.

He is fit and well and Clive has just named him in the huge 38 strong squad for the three games with Wales and France before RWC. 30 of those will make the trip so there is I regret a decent chance he will travel to his spiritual home.

Oh well, fingers crossed he goes to France and catches something.

Keep hitting those *

Yes, I was only wondering the other day how I would word my workers' comp claim for RSI. Presumably something along the lines of - "Injury sustained avoiding naming a red-mist plagued, lantern-jawed log".

Now, slightly OT for a moment. You can, if so inclined, which means if you're totally bored sh*tless with nothing better to do, check out some of my professional exertions. I've got a new series starting on air here tonight, an, um, eccentric little series of 13 half-hour eps. It will turn up somewhere on English TV sooner or later because I think it has been sold there.

The basis of it is that each episode has a lateral thinking puzzle embedded somewhere within it. Sometimes significant, sometimes not. But it's not a series about puzzles. It is, at heart, an, um, eccentric boy-meets-girl story. It's set in the tiny, fictional Queensland town of Fat Cow, and it's called "Fat Cow Motel" because, logically enough, it's centred around the only motel in Fat Cow.

Anyway, there's a website attached to the series. It's primarily a vehicle for aiding and abetting the audience's attempts to solve the lateral thinking puzzles, but it's a lot of fun in itself. It updates every week after an episode has gone to air with all sorts of things relating to the content of the latest episode. There's an online "Fat Cow Bugle" - the town's newspaper - and, within the "Bugle", a weekly opinion column written by the town's GP, Doctor Nick O'Bates. Anyone who has ever tried to stop smoking might recognise the name. Regardless, amongst other things, I wrote all the "Fat Cow Bugle" stuff and Doctor Nick O'Bates' opinion column. Naturally, I based him on the appalling Alan Jones, former Wallaby coach, now rabid right-wing opinion giver. And, golly, it was fun.

Here's a link to the site if you've got a spare couple of minutes and nothing else to do. It should be up and running as of about 10pm tonight (our time). Oh, and if you follow the links all the way to the Fat Cow Chamber of Commerce, you will notice Fat Cow's archivist, Neville Brown. That's the pseudonym I use when rewriting. And the photo they've used for Neville - well, it bears more than a passing resemblance to moi.

And they used it without my permission! And the rugby players think they've got problems with the WRC exploiting their images online!



Edit. I just checked the website. It's up and running now. Early. Oh well.

[Frozzy]

It will turn up somewhere on English TV sooner or later because I think it has been sold there.

Channel 5 I'll bet

[finbar]

I'm not sure. I know they were talking to Channel 5. I must find out.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Caligastia
12.5 works for me...30 gold on the boks.

Mmmm. I'd better dig out the Bank A/c.

Edit. No sooner said than done!

Andydog 286.5
Bearcat 80.5
Caligastia 67
finbar 56.5
Havak 106.55
Journeyman 122.5
LDiCesares 141.8
Mickeyj 143.5
NeoStar 114
ravagon 77.75
redbull 80
Tamerlin 69.3

[Havak]

And a fine test of his self discipline it will be, too.

If you think my attitude to country choosers is harsh wait until you see what happens to Vickerman. The Boks always had a ‘warm welcome’ for Mike Catt after he hopped over to us.

Is that all? Good grief, that's pre-pubescent in my scheme of things.

And only just turned 32 last month at that. I reckon he has two more seasons in him if his ankles hold up.

Oh well, fingers crossed he goes to France and catches something.

He may be one of the players who gets canned too of course. I have a feeling Clive will take him for his versatility though, and that should give you some amusement as Austin hates the tag ‘versatile’ as it implies ‘master of nothing’.

Presumably something along the lines of - "Injury sustained avoiding naming a red-mist plagued, lantern-jawed log".

How many Oz Civil servants will have a clue from that description?

I have briefly checked out the Chamber of Commerce – surely recompense is due not so much for the image but for the allegation of nit-picking? I may be well off the mark but it does look like it might reinforce certain conceptions of Queenslanders as being a little *different*?

I will check it out more thoroughly when I get time. Do let me know what channel signed it up here. If it’s Five I will probably double my yearly viewing of the station by watching the first episode.

Okay back to rugger. Did we settle on 12.5? I’m going to break with tradition here and say 10 on the Wallabies please.

The Boks haven’t fielded the same XXII twice in three games and they just don’t look a cohesive threat to me – I think the Wallabies will get their morale boosting start.

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak


If you think my attitude to country choosers is harsh wait until you see what happens to Vickerman. The Boks always had a ‘warm welcome’ for Mike Catt after he hopped over to us.

Fear not, Vickerman is expecting it. And quite looking forward to it, too, I gather. He's a competitive chap.

He may be one of the players who gets canned too of course. I have a feeling Clive will take him for his versatility though, and that should give you some amusement as Austin hates the tag ‘versatile’ as it implies ‘master of nothing’.

Yes, "versatile" is up there with "handy".

I have briefly checked out the Chamber of Commerce – surely recompense is due not so much for the image but for the allegation of nit-picking? I may be well off the mark but it does look like it might reinforce certain conceptions of Queenslanders as being a little *different*?

I can't complain because I wrote it all. Parodying myself, I'm told.

I will check it out more thoroughly when I get time. Do let me know what channel signed it up here. If it’s Five I will probably double my yearly viewing of the station by watching the first episode.

I'll find out and let you know. Somewhere like Five is probably where it belongs. It's a very slight, eccentric piece.

Okay back to rugger. Did we settle on 12.5? I’m going to break with tradition here and say 10 on the Wallabies please.

[Caligastia]

I'm bound to win my bet...Havak's supporting the Wallabies.

[finbar]

Interestingly, the various betting agencies here have only a 4.5 points margin for the Boks. Presumably they're operating on the basis that we've only won three times there in goodness knows how long.

[Havak]

Glad I can help Caligastia.

They will have crunched those stats Finbar - and used the current world rankings as weighting.

But I've taken your frequent advice to heart - I've based my call on what I've seen of the two recently. The Boks could have easily lost all three tests last month, inlcuding to Scotland who are not even a threat to Ireland, and the Wallabies managed to stick it well against an awesome display of rugger from us (and we are in a slightly different league to the Scots these days). The Wallabies are the only winners for me.

Another interesting fact is that not only do the ABs need to win all their tri-nations games to get back to number one in the rankings - they actually need to record a couple of total 'wallopings' to do it - so it might be best if I am right about the Boks?

[finbar]

Originally posted by Havak
But I've taken your frequent advice to heart - I've based my call on what I've seen of the two recently. The Boks could have easily lost all three tests last month, inlcuding to Scotland who are not even a threat to Ireland, and the Wallabies managed to stick it well against an awesome display of rugger from us (and we are in a slightly different league to the Scots these days). The Wallabies are the only winners for me.

Yes, logic agrees with you, but then better Wallaby teams than this have succumbed over there. Still, this time it's at sea level.

I think I'll have 25 Civ Gold on the Wallabies. Pity la petite grenouille isn't around to boost the pot.

Another interesting fact is that not only do the ABs need to win all their tri-nations games to get back to number one in the rankings - they actually need to record a couple of total 'wallopings' to do it - so it might be best if I am right about the Boks?

Well, if rankings are important. I honestly don't think they mean a thing. I didn't think they meant a thing when we were on top.

[finbar]

So the bets currently recorded - with a margin to the Boks of 12.5 points - are as follows:

Boks
Caligastia 30

Wallabies
Havak 10
finbar 25

And the available pool is 65 Civ Gold.

So the updated Bank A/c is as follows:

Andydog 286.5
Bearcat 80.5
Caligastia 67-30 = 37
finbar 56.5-25 = 31.5
Havak 106.55 = 96.55
Journeyman 122.5
LDiCesares 141.8
Mickeyj 143.5
NeoStar 114
ravagon 77.75
redbull 80
Tamerlin 69.3

[Frozzy]

If I may, could I throw 15 at a couple of wattle coloured shirts