Tri Nations Rugby - Last chance saloon for the Boks and Wallabies, and Magners League kicks off.

This is last chance saloon for both Pieter De Villiers and Robbie Deans. The Tri Nations tournament is long gone to the All Blacks, all that’s left is the bitter pill of fighting over second place, which a win by either side should wrap up this weekend. Pieter De Villiers feels right at home in this saloon, his cowboy credentials are well established and for him it’s 2008 all over again when one surprise win in New Zealand was followed by a disastrous run of defeats, until the Boks produced a bacon saving win over the Aussies in their final Tri Nations match that year. He has sufficiently lowered people’s expectations this year that a loss may still not be enough for him to get the heave, unless he in untypical fashion lets his mouth get him into trouble.

‘Dingo’ Deans is himself now no stranger to the last chance saloon, his fine pedigree with Canterbury is but a faint memory at this stage. He is ‘getting tough’ http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/deans-lays-down-the-law-harden-up-or-forget-2011-world-cup-20100830-147fn.html with his players but they’d have to be a complete of idiots (which they’re not) to realize that he can talk as tough as he wants but in with few exceptions this is it baby, there’s no one else to choose from. Quade ‘Show me the moneyyyy!’ Cooper http://www.smh.com.au/rugby-union/union-news/relaxed-cooper-in-no-hurry-to-decide-his-future-20100826-13ua4.html  is not coming up with the goods , nor is anyone really. He must fume as he watches the Boks squander their rich resources, if all the expat SA players were to return half of the French and English league teams would struggle to field a side.

Bloemfontein is the setting for the match, there is the altitude, it’s a hard place for the Aussies to feel at home in and they are fighting their own demons with the press and the public on their backs. They are as desperate as anything to get themselves back on track, missed out narrowly last weekend, and have made a few improvements in their team. My feeling is that they are going to pull one out of the fire, so Aussies by 2.

Magners League
Wey hey, rugby makes a welcome return to the North with the Magners league on Friday night.

Leinster take on Glasgow at Firhill and it’s on Irish telly without having to pay another sub! This is a strongish Leinster team taking on a pretty depleted Scot side, so come on Leinster show us what you got! The Man City of the Magners League © Ulster entertain the Ospreys at Ravenhill. Be interesting to see the Springbok influence on the match day 15, and could be close at that’s not an Osprey 1st team by any means. On Saturday Munster take on Aironi at Musgrave, I’m tring to avoid sterotypes so won’t mention pasta, and will be looking forward to seeing Denis Leamy and Johne Murphy. Finally Connacht will be hoping to take last seasons momentum into their match against the Dragons.