A WEEKLY COLUMN LOOKING AT TOPICS BEYOND THE SCOPE
OF OUR FEATURE MATCH OF THE WEEK
WRAP OF A (NOT REALLY A) WRAP
Had a brilliant chat with Messrs Kelly, Scully & Lockhart on Sunday evening, with another one earlier in the week with Mr Long to edit in, and the lads did brilliantly going over the RWC so far.
Then I sat down to do said editing and found out that my own audio sounded like I was talking from behind a cushion!!!! It was really, really, bad. So I had to go back and re-record all of my bits and I think I just about managed to fix it but it took ages.
For the first part the lads summarized Pool B so far, then they each took one of the other pools, and finally we got their expectations for the rest of the tournament. Click here to catch it on Spotify, and there’s a clip below
HARPIN ON…THE PROVINCES PRE-URC KICKOFF
For the bonus clip since I had an all-provincial panel I thought it would be rude not to get them to also harp on their own URC squads with the kickoff just a few weeks away.
On the audio problems I mentioned above, I also had to re-record mine for this and in the intro I tried to slow down my words just a bit to get it to align with the video but instead I ended up sounding like I was stoned!!!! So needless to say I didn’t bother altering it for the rest of the video.
Honestly….I wasn’t stoned. HONEST!!!!! Stop looking at me like that!!!
DON’T TAKE THE BAIT
Truth be told, I never really liked the word “clickbait” because it suggests that it’s only bad faith actors online who are tricking you into giving them your attention. Why don’t we call a beautiful movie star holding a beer on a billboard “lookbait”?
But when you appreciate that it only really applies to specific types of links, for me it’s not called out often enough so when I saw this article on the totally-media-fabricated bullshit narrative that is the “Ireland and Scotland colluding to produce a result to qualify them both” non-story, I decided to make it the subject of this week’s 80+ TikTok.
POOL B PERMUTATIONS
Following on from my TikTok bit above, the X below shows what little I thought of the actual theories being shared by some Springbok fans as well as being stupidly suggested in a press conference.
Now to the serious matter of what the actual permutations actually are. The bonus point system as used in this World Cup, which we also see in the URC, Premiership and HCC, means that there are a crazy amount of different ways the match points can be divided, which along with the added wrinkle of points difference means there’s a lot of ways Saturday’s match in Paris can go.
SIDEBAR : just to point out that the alternative bonus point system I have been harping on for years to be standard across the sport, namely the one used in the 🔝🐱🐴 and Super Rugby where you must get 3 more tries than your opponent to get the bonus point, reduces the amount of possibilities a LOT. But I digress.
Full kudos to Glasgow Warriors fan Kevin Millar who took the time to put together this graphic which fully outlines all the possibilities…
And finally, going back to the unlikely option where the Boks get eliminated, I could not have a segment on permutations without a RugbyKino contribution so here is an X from him on the likelihood (barring conspiracies of course)…
WORLD RUGBY SNAFU
Can’t believe I can do a third segment on permutations but they are actually so confusing that even the World Rugby account got them mixed out, with Russ Petty having to point out the error of their ways as they tried to srt out what could happen in Pool A…
ANOTHER ONE GONE
Tragic news for yet another club in the English system, with the Jersey Reds, ironically the reigning Championship, er, champions, suddenly announcing they’ve gone under, despite the fact that the 2023/24 season had already kicked off with the Premiership Cup which for the first time in a while includes the sides from the next tier down.
I really, really, really don’t understand how professional clubs aren’t forced to prove their financial viability not only before a season begins, but even before the fixtures are released!!!! Obviously going out of business is always terrible for news for all involved with a club, but to let a few matches go before pulling the plug surely has to affect everyone involved a whole lot more, from employees assuming job security right through to fans who had purchased season tickets and merch.
And what’s more it doesn’t look like this is the end of it. I know the Reds weren’t part of the PLR group, but their demise is clearly part of the problem the failed business model English club rugby has operated since the game went pro.
BALL IN PLAY
Had to laugh at Ian Foster’s soundbite about “ball in play”. Apparently the suggestion is that a match with a high BIP time is better entertainment for the fans than one with a low one.
Well if that’s the case, then using the All Black’s drubbing of Italy and the Springboks/Ireland classic weren’t really the best examples for him to use to make his case.
Now I totally get that when a low BIP can often be down to a frustrating series of reset scrums, and in general, I’d agree it would be a good idea to speed things up.
But as for that match last week….come on. Oftentimes, for me anyway, the time leading up to set pieces was a large part of the entertainment!!! Like when the Boks had a couple of scrums under the Irish posts in the first half. South Africa would have been expected to score more often than not, until you factor in the Irish defence.
We have often harped on how missed tackle stats can be misleading, IMO the only thing Foster has done with his remarks is point out that BIP can be too.
AIL UPDATE
Just one rearranged match in the Women’s AIL last week so not much change in the league table. The champions Blackrock travel to Wicklow in round 3 this weekend.
Meanwhile the men’s league gets underway with a full round of matches. Terenure begin the defence of their title by hosting Ballynahinch at Lakelands while the top division’s newly-promoted second Ulster club, City of Armagh, get their first taste of Division 1A action when they travel to Temple Hill to play Cork Con, a match which is to be livestreamed.
#SupportYourLocalClub
WOMEN’S AIL
Round 2
SUTTONIANS 10-47 RAILWAY UNION RFC
ROUND 3
SAT OCT 7
SUTTONIANS V UL BOHS
GALWEGIANS V RAILWAY UNION
COOKE V BALLINCOLLIG
WICKLOW V BLACKROCK
MEN’S AIL DIV 1A
ROUND 1
SAT OCT 7
DUBLIN UNIVERSITY V CLONTARF
LANSDOWNE V YOUNG MUNSTER
SHANNON V UCD
TERENURE V BALLYNAHINCH
CORK CON V CITY OF ARMAGH
NEXT BATCH OF HARPIN’
Back to Ireland action this weekend, so Ireland v Scotland will of course be getting the full Harpin treatment with a preview Friday, wrap pod Sunday and a whole lot more the rest of the week.
So please comment, like, share & subscribe to our feeds & channels whenever the mood takes you.
And as ever, be sure to enjoy your rugby wherever you are. JLP
HARPIN' ON RUGBY 