The West London's RWC blog

Friday showdown.

Big games galore this weekend with France, South Africa, England, Argentina, Australia and New Zealand likely to be the top dogs by the time the last whistle has been blown on Sunday evening. Anyone got a view on the Irish side? Or any of the others come to that?
The only team that has 'improved' this tournament (according to my prognostications!!!) is Scotland. They seem to have that extra bit of stamina - late into the second halves of their games. For any number of reasons they will need all of that and more to get past Italy but, just for now, it looks possible - just.
Going back to the France v Ireland game, I think the French will win it through significant efforts by Heymans and Clerc. They get well looked after by the very good Dusautoir and his back row colleagues, and I think they have too much talent - even against the  Irish rugby passion (that we spectators are still waiting to see!) No Geordan Murphy either, which will be another handicap to a busted Irish machine. Still, hope for the best and it may happen - it used to be a Double Diamond that worked wonders... after tomorrow it could be a few pints of  Guinness!

A Woolley Jumper...

Agent Tony has uncovered the new England kit for 2008. Sales are at an all time high in South Africa he writes. If things carry on the way they have been, the telephone company is going to run out of numbers...

Friday's Newspaper Headline - for Sun Readers

"Wales hunts Japan"
(but only for scientific porpoises...) . Also, there is bound to be a lot of 'noise' about Jose Mourinho. He is just so hacked off that his dentist, lawyer, chef etc... in the Rugby World Cup are getting more publicity for being  decent blokes than he ever will - that 'The Special One' has thrown a hissy fit and gone. Ugh! soccer - it's just so boring!

Thursdai's Match

Here we are again - stuck in a pub in Cardiff drinking Brains Dark, it's raining, old Dai Stedford is selling copies of the South Wales Evening Post (a Welshman's nearest thing to Le Parisien) and coachloads of portly gents in red blazers are brylcreeming down their hair ready for  a  towering rendition of 'The Bloody Great Fishes Song' once they have taken their place on the sacred turf of Cardiff Arms Park. Yes friends, it is World Cup Rugby at its most romantic - Wales v Japan.
It is a well known fact that the Japanese kill Wales given half a chance...but they do it in the interests of scientific research. It is as near as they will get unless Thenations 6  malaise rears its ugly head once again. I say this on the grounds that one of the top British Isles sides must strike some truly convincing form before it's too late. Wales can do that job if they put their minds to it. ("Pay attention at the back there Jenkins!") We will see - as ever. Picture shows a Vera Lynn classic - 'Whale Meat Again'.

Match report - Italy v Portugal

Another outbreak of the virus Thenations 6 struck last night as a debilitated and directionless Italy plodded past the closely related team of Portugal. This is the World Cup of the underwolves and the Lobos gave another competent demonstration that they can defend, even if they lacked a bit of speed of thought when attacking. It is a truly sporting moment when the crowd warms to decent endeavour and they were well rewarded with a nicely  worked try just before half time. Never mind - another 'nearly' game that keeps us thinking. Roll on tomorrow - another sun soaked game in the French climate...oh hang on a minute it's in Cardiff. Again. So it would have been raining then except that the roof will be on. Bet the players will be slipping over as usual!

Wednesday's La Matcha

Hello folks, still staggering around the streets of Edinburgh eh? Well, today's offering has a genuine latin flavour as the geezers from Portugal take on the moderately successful Italy (the ones that walloped Scotland in the last six nations - for those that need a reminder of their abilities.) The Portugal team will have two Mateus in their rosy red shirts, along with three 'Uvas'.(Not often do rugby teams play three sweepers...) For Italy, expect Troncon to bully his forwards as usual, with Martin Castrogiovanni slipping into the hairy monster berth in the vestiares -  the changing rooms. A win for the Azzuri again - listen out for their anthem...the 'best in show'! (I'll talk about this as another topic.) Have a good day. Here's some classic camerawork!

"ALI HOGGS THE TRY SCORING, AS SCOTLAND 'ROR' THEIR WAY TO VICTORY OVER ROMANIA"

Tonight was a historic evening for Scottish rugby.
In front of a packed house, the kilted warriors annihilated (or is that Annie elated?) the Eastern bloc monsters of Romania. 42- 0 the final score, with Ally Hogg scoring three McTries. All in all, a satisfactory prelude to a thumping by an upcoming Sunday match against New Zealand. Special soldiers have been drafted in to look after the visitors to Murrayfield this Sunday...a spokesman said that a detachment of the All Black Watch was on permanent standby to protect the team against the imminent threat of faggots and deep fried mars bars. Commodore Tim 'Larry' Laurence thought that a haka was someone who broke into his computer - "Aye Aye your majesty!"

What To Wear

Jonny  - the face of Hackett, as advised an chaperoned by our very own Neil Bugler. Or Serge and the 'Quinze' range of goodies. Or maybe Yvon Rousset, Jean Baptiste Lafond, Philippe Guillard, Franc Mesnel and Eric Blanc - the 'Showbiz 5'  very racy - very Racing Club! Without doubt, their Eden Park  concept has made a big impression on the rugby fraternity. Or maybe more traditional stuff suits you sir...Cotton Traders, cut on the "generous "side (ie: for tankers and other odd shapes...) - as was Fran Cotton who created the range with fellow ex-England player Steve Smith. And. Just so there is a bit of balance here, 'Rugbygirl' does exactly what it says on the site - and a very open friendly one it is too!
Keep warm...in London this morning, at 08:00 it's 7.9 degrees, Brrrrrr! (All due credits and acknowledgements to the sites linked here).

Tuesday McMatch

Scotland used to have a decent rugby team.
Those days are past now,
And in the past
they must remain,
Their second rows are rubbish and have trouble jumping.
But we can still rise now,
A lot of 'grandma was a scot' imports were selected by the coach. The crowd wanted Scotsmen, asking them to get sorted out;
And be the nation again,
All the players got selected.
That stood against him,
Meanwhile, in England;
Proud Edward's Army,
Realised he was a bit of a wuss in the Marines.
And sent him homeward,
Tae think again.
Of Algernon, his favourite teddy bear...
Tomorrow's game sees two of the minor sides doing battle in that far flung French colony of Murrayfield. As the sides fall into the 'lesser nations' category, I think this might be a power packed dust-up, with a lot of open play from the Scottishmen. It is a nice way to think of sleeping...Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. I like Scottish games because I like to spot flight lieutenant Timmy Fairbrother Smythe...or whatever Princess Anne's husband is called. Oh yeah! Commodore Tim Laurence maybe? (He deserves another medal for turning up to watch that lot on a regular basis.) Scots wayhay!

Loup de Mer

There! That got you didn't it! "Loup de mer" is French for sea bass. Sea Bass is the (English) nickname of the caveman. The 'Caveman' is the (French) nickname given to one of the players from the French national team, Sebastian Walters er... Chabal.
He flies like a butterfly and stings like a behemoth - yes - it's the hairy hunk looking for a transfer to Stade Francais so he can appear in their calendar and earn even more €s! Good on him - if we were all paid for being a bit ugly I wouldn't have to work again!
Anyway, a disturbing disease has affected damsels in this country...mostly ones in distress, that dress or just wearing tracksuit bottoms with a muffin top...Four years ago Wilkinsonitis Hackettitis took hold in the UK and reduced women of all ages (mental and physical) to swooning wrecks. They are being called Chabalists. Shabby Miss more like - after all that money spent on bloody Eau Savage and Old Spice, what do we real men have to endure..? Someone who looks like a cross between a mop and a sack of spuds. Next thing you know he's going to appear on telly wearing a Breton fisherman's stripey shirt, reciting Eric Cantona poems. Next thing we know, all the women will be worshipping players with daft names - 'Cedric' or ' John the Baptist' for example... but for now at least men, it's hairy time.

Very hairy!