Yeah, I saw it actually. It was pretty fucking awful. But initially the talk was about the effect it had on the game in that it turned an ireland opportunity to score into a cause for defending. And that he risked becoming the second player booked. It didn't really dwell on the whole assault aspect of it. It was actually more the tripping aspect of it that got my attention.

But as I think we establish over and over again your perspective on these things is wildly skewed. Every comment I have seen on Flannery's action notes the violence of it foremost.

Has anyone seen a good quality replay/close-up of the Godman/Byrne trip? I'd like to see it again in more detail than the match highlights allowed.

Every comment I have seen on Flannery's action notes the violence of it foremost.

I'm talking about the intial irish coverage of it. Irish rugby coverage is often slow to condemn irish rugby players for acts of violence. There was an incident where someone eyegouged Leo Cullen in the last year, and everyone fell over themselves to say whichever Irish player did it, didn't mean it. Seriously, Accidental eye-gouging.

I mean they were describing what flannery did as an alleged trip. As in "jerry flannery could be cited for an alleged trip," when the tv evidence supports a slightly different use of language. It's a conscious choice.

Banned for 6 weeks in any event.

Wales' team for Friday night's worrying looking encounter with France ;

Wales: Lee Byrne (Ospreys); Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues), James Hook (Ospreys), Jamie Roberts (Blues), Shane Williams (Ospreys); Stephen Jones (Scarlets), Richard Rees (Blues); Paul James, Huw Bennett, Adam Jones (Ospreys), Bradley Davies, Deiniol Jones (Blues), Jonathan Thomas (Ospreys), Martyn Williams (Blues), Ryan Jones (Ospreys, capt) Replacements: Ken Owens (Scarlets), Rhys Gill (Saracens), Luke Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons), Sam Warburton (Blues), Mike Phillips (Ospreys), Andrew Bishop (Ospreys) , Tom Shanklin (Blues)

Glad they stuck with Rees and they seem to be placing an awful lot of faith in the not match fit Phillips on the bench. I have my own concerns about Peel (his box kicking is ridiculously predictable) but think Gatland's treatment of him is strange.

I don't see enough of the regional sides to know if the changes in the second row have a chance of sorting out the lineout but as we don't seem to have had a decent one for many seasons I fear they won't.

France's lineout was terrible against Ireland too though. If it hadn't been, they'd have murdered them.

On paper the backs look good but without decent line out ball and with sides able to snuff out the danger Jamie Roberts presents because of this and the predictability we could be in for a very long night.
Charteris looked likely to be picked, especially after his display against Ulster, what happened there?

I presumed he went for a club pairing in the second row to try and get some understanding in there.

Harry Truscott wrote:
I presumed he went for a club pairing in the second row to try and get some understanding in there.

Read that they would be a more physical pairing and both are playing regularly.

8pm kick off, am dreading it.

Just as I feel my anti-Irish rugby sentiments wavering after watching them showing great mental strength to beat England RTE follow it up with a documentary of the 1974 Lions tour to South Africa. The talking heads include loads of South African players, apartheid protests are ridiculed, the violence ("99" call) are glorified and the Proteas are patronised. Nice to be reminded how cuntish the rugby establishment is.

I watched that on the rte player the other day. What a pack of cunts. The self justification of some of them now was terrible. I thought though that the Dublin guy they interviewed wasn't a total cunt, going for dinner in the family home of his taxi driver in district six. He was obviously just there for the rugby, but if he was the sort of person who thought enough of the people of SA to go for dinner with them, surely he shouldn't have been a stooge for those who were oppressing them. It's not as though he couldn't easily find out about it.

They were pretty patronizing towards the proteas alright weren't they, and they didn't half batter the shite out of them.

There was an incident during the tour where a one-eyed player for the Orange Free state was dominating the line out and the Lions. McBride decided that the best way to get rid of the player was to close his other eye and ordered one of his players to punch him during the next play. Sure enough, the South African was pulled off, completely blinded. His aggressive nature on the pitch was in contrast to his mild manner off it and he disarmed many an outraged hotel manager after the antics of his players.[citation needed] He was also quite media savvy, avoiding the growing controversy of Apartheid by stating that as an Irishman, he had enough political problems of his own at home.

An awful pack of cunts, but the rugby in the documentary was unbelievable compared to the human rhinos you have today.

Wales team to play Ireland in the Six Nations at Croke Park :

L Byrne (Ospreys); L Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues), J Hook (Ospreys) J Roberts (Cardiff Blues), S Williams (Ospreys); S Jones (Scarlets), R Rees (Cardiff Blues); P James (Ospreys), M Rees (Scarlets), A Jones (Ospreys), B Davies (Cardiff Blues), L Charteris (Newport Gwent Dragons), J Thomas (Ospreys), M Williams (Cardiff Blues, captain), G Delve (Gloucester). Replacements: H Bennett (Ospreys), R Gill (Saracens), I Gough (Ospreys), S Warburton (Cardiff Blues), D Peel (Sale), A Bishop (Ospreys), T Shanklin (Cardiff Blues).

Good to see Rees back and I think a fully fit (and apparently on form? I don't watch the English Premiership) Delve might be better than the version of Ryan Jones we've had recently. Peel finally gets a shot on the bench but Rees deservedly keeps his place.

Can't see a win but hopefully we'll give our first eighty minute perofrmance of the season.

Wales are lucky Sexton can't kick for toffee or Ireland would be out of sight already in this game.

Not that it really mattered in the end. Braindead, remorselessly stupid rugby.

Didn't see that coming. Although Scotland are now going to look back on this season as a triple crown almost pissed away - they should have beaten Wales, and how they failed to beat England is anyone's guess.

Italy's wooden spoon is at least tempered by knowing they beat the team that could have finished second.

Will France's certain knowledge of the championship mean they ease up a bit against England tonight, and not go for the Grand Slam? I doubt it. I think they'll want to rub our fucking noses in it.

Hopefully.

Nice hard-fought game, good effort by the visitors.