Rebecca Flanagan

Slimani made the same point re exposure at a young age in a French podcast before the opening game.

Selfishly I am gutted she is not officiating England v Ireland as I am going to that! She is a great ref!!

Agreed (we are generally a leeetle myopic?!); statistically as a player of the same age, despite injury issues, he has played a lot more minutes than SP and whether that has accelerated his progress is a legitimate query IMHO.

Wasn’t Patat always in danger at Bayonne after they brought in Laurent Travers?! The whole situation was beyond bonkers.

SFM has been given more game time despite a lot of injury…. Ironically the Irish system is protecting SP and not subjecting him to the week in week out attrition game that I think might do him a world of good experience-wise.

Grr; I spoke to a lady this weekend before the Trailfinders v Sale game. Her girl is 14-ish and she said they wear make-up so that the boys recognise them as girls 😢😢. It is all flabbergasting and frustrating. The players should do whatever enables them to put their best foot forward!!

Not sure which side of the brave/mad side this decision is?!?! Great job and also thank you for using your platform to bring attention to smaller sports!!

I would argue that that is a lot easier to do out on the wing rather than in the middle of everything especially for a team like Ireland which runs most things off fly half?!

I listened to an interview recently with Drew Brees (the old Saints QB) who mentioned how most of the great QBs spent 1-3 seasons warming the bench understudying and/or alternating with a senior QB and I wonder whether Sam would have benefitted from that for a little longer?!

They managed to get it suspended for the Men’s RWC in 2023 though?!

Can you imagine the reaction of the ‘I voted for Brexit so I could have a black passport again’ brigade?!?! 🤣🤣

I would definitely swerve the podcast episode and wait for the episode with Tom English and GRO instead!

Not sure depends on the time permitted and there are probably two different audiences being targeted with the TV show having to assume limited knowledge from its audience as opposed to the podcast?!

Was one Rugby Special for BBC TV and the other the Rugby Union Weekly podcast?!

Here is the link but they are no longer selling for today’s game sorry not to be of more help!
welshrugbyticketexchange.seatunique.com

Does the resale site work any better?!

All of the kick-off times this M6N have been stated to be at 10 or 40 minutes past the hour so I think that this is the brave new world?!?!

Great choice. The players seem to really like her; it avoids the risk of a Stade Bordelais choice and squad members fears of partiality; finally IMHO France need to consider command of English in their national captains for ease of communication with refs which is become more and more important!

I am wondering whether the anthems etc. all start at 2 but the realistic kick-off time is 2.10?!?!🤷‍♀️

More likely to see it from female players IMHO which means it is less likely to get noticed frustratingly.

Try the resale site where there were some interesting prices earlier £23 for a lower stand seat and these might come down.

Also picked up by Rugbyrama! What will not help is that ‘image rights’ contracts can also help to get out of income tax (ie why they were super popular with footballers in the UK) and tax authorities are out to get any cash they feel they have not been paid to replenish national coffers post COVID!

Et les JO en tant que hôte?!?!

Thank you for highlighting this. Really good article and good to see that having babies is being facilitated in the club game as well!

Rugbyrama have a similar article which is passive aggressively scathing!

Sorry just re-read your comment. Boudehent was injured in the LaR v Clermont game so out of the start of the M6N.

It is surely slightly redeemed by Ryan being on the bench?!?! 😳🤣😳🤣

Umm both Cros and Jegou are starting; I do agree with your overall premise I am just a nitpicker…

To be fair Philosophy is a mandatory subject in the French baccalaureat so he might have been forced into it and never progressed out?!?!

I could not agree more with your point; ‘independent external input’ does not take away from obligations re conflicts of interest (or consultancy firms would be making even more hay..). Also letting us all know who that external party is would enable us to make a call on how to weigh up their views…