Always a Wasp

The really disappointing aspect of this game, was that we were within 7 points with 20 minutes to go, but it was Sarries that toughened up and walked away with the game. This is when the home advantage usually matters.

"The Six Nations unions have agreed to sell a significant share of their business to CVC Capital Partners, the private equity firm, who have already bought a stake in the Gallagher Premiership and have nearly completed a similar deal with the Guinness Pro14.

CVC has therefore succeeded in gaining an influence over European rugby that no outside organisation has ever had before.

The six unions that make up the Six Nations Championship have agreed to pool all their business into one commercial entity. This means that CVC does not just own a share of the winter Six Nations Championship, it also has a stake in the autumn internationals and the summer tours.

The deal with the six unions is now in exclusivity and going through the transactional technicalities which all sides expect to be completed after the World Cup. The deal with the Pro14 is slightly ahead and is expected to be completed in October.

CVC is buying a 15 per cent stake in the commercial arm of the six nations’ business. The agreed figure is more than £300 million.

The private equity firm will pay £115 million for a 27 per cent share of the Pro14.

The only significant player in European rugby that has not done a commercial deal with CVC is the French professional club competition, the Top14.

As CVC is now in a commercial partnership with two of the three leagues that constitute the Heineken European Cup, the European competition is, to a large extent, already part of CVC’s European business.

Now that all the home unions, and their clubs, are commercial partners with CVC, it is likely that the British and Irish Lions will be a successful target for CVC’s rugby portfolio too.

CVC believes that it can crank up the value of its rugby holdings by amalgamating all elements of rugby business. Its biggest gain will be to wrap all the TV rights from its various different competitions and sell them as one mega-package.

The Six Nations Championship is currently on free-to-air TV. A commitment will be made to retain free-to-air broadcasting though it likely that some of the Championship will move to paid-for TV channels."

We have yet to meet the organisation and power of Exeter and Sarries.
One practice session from Exeter my arse.

I watched last years games on TV last night. Jardine played really well but ran out of puff. Sometimes he could barely lift his leg to kick the drop goal [and missed as a result]. Having Jacob there will allow more rest for him, same with Porter and Vellacot, and I guess they will play 2/3 of Sirker, K and O each game. Sarries showed how to conserve energy last year.
Wilson was fabulous last year.

"She's had both available techniques, your bog standard anterior thats been around since forever and more recently an interior method. The latter was way better, recovery time halved, hardly any recovery restrictions, much less discomfort, no muscle loss around incision, hardly any physio required...everything was so much better / easier.

If you have a procedure option, def choose interior."

Sorry but this doesn't make sense. There is no such approach as interior [unless the surgeon was a Kiwi...]

Posterior is very old fashioned.
Lateral is still routine
Anterior needs a very good surgeon and we [the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital] see many patients with unstable joints, or joints that have been excessively lengthened with associated nerve damage, referred in by other hospitals.
I have seen far more injured nerves in the last 10 years than in the preceding 20, mostly caused by the Anterior approach.
Advantages and Disadvantages

I had forgotten about Barbeary, and had gone for a team mostly from the premiership squad - which is more likely now that the squad is substantially larger.

I think I have persuaded myself to have a trip up the M1 next weekend.

Toulon looked very strong on saturday against Agen. They have a huge squad. It could be counterproductive bringing in extra players rather than giving the opportunity to those already signed - Bryce Heem for example.

I am going to Agen v Toulon on Saturday to check out the opposition.