As you'll know, I got a taste of Six Nations Rugby last weekend. Yesterday, in Dublin, the home side shook off some early nerves and wore down England, 29-16, to earn the 2023 Six Nations title. In going 5-0 to do so, the Irish earned the Grand Slam (and because they swept Wales, England, and Scotland, they also win the Triple Crown - it's a confusing combination of titles).
Here are the match highlights:
Enjoy a bit of the post-match celly (number 10, Johnny Sexton, was playing his final Six Nations match for Ireland, and his first-half penalty conversion made him the nation's all-time leading scorer in Six Nations play):
And finally, this excellent podcast (courtesy of Mr. KQ) explains a good deal about the Irish Rugby Football Union's (IRFU) intentional efforts to improve the team's mental toughness and resilience. It's probably the most informative thing I've ever listened to with respect to rugby.
hoyas hire ed cooley from providence. i have a strong suspicious they won't go 2-39 in their next 41 conference games.
ReplyDeleteThe Irish haven't been this fired up since they won the Quidditch World Cup.
ReplyDeleteShould I be unsurprised that blogger recognizes the word quidditch?
and now rick pitino to st john's is official. big east is gonna be stout going forward.
ReplyDeleteWhit, the short answer to your question in previous entry is: a gruesome loss for Purdue, particularly given comparative analytics profiles of two teams.
ReplyDeleteNaturally, it ignited a debate about whose loss was worse: Purdue or Virginia? No idea how to compare adequately, only to offer that getting housed by 20 vs a 16 seed isn't a good look, either.
I also saw a couple places where folks wondered if Purdue loss was biggest upset in college basketball history. That would be no; biggest upset, I would argue, was No.1-ranked Virginia with Ralph Sampson to Chaminade in Dec. 1982. Chaminade was a small, nondescript NAIA school in Hawaii. Sampson was three-time National Player of the Year, and it should have been a 40-point walk.
I remember that one. Blech.
ReplyDeleteUVA has a storied tradition of brutal losses.
ReplyDeleteI learned today that zfather was a college athlete. Would not have guessed from his phone demeanor.
i'm always stoked for regional weekend, but this year is so wide open, and there are so few traditional powers still left. all kinds of fired up.
ReplyDeletebuffs women's hoops beat duke in overtime in durham last night to advance to the sweet 16. they'll get caitlin clark and iowa on friday. i do believe that's where the road ends. but pretty neat nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteRob- does your kidlet get to be part of the festivities?
ReplyDeleteshe’s cheered at a number of their home games, but seniority rules when it comes to post-season travel.
ReplyDeleteAll-time debut albums article I liked from one of my consistent music journalism reads.
ReplyDeleteMissing The Police, The Cars, Stone Roses, AC/DC, a few others, but he did a lot of heavy lifting, so that's nitpicking.
Took my kid to her first Magic game tonight. The Magic still suck but the future is brighter than it’s been in years. I’m hoping I can make her a fan.
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