RWC19.3

From the comfort of our London hotel room I watched this morning as the World Cup got properly interesting. Poor old Ireland copped the wrong side of a Japanese typhoon and were bearen 19-12 by the host nation. Fully deserved too - a performnce of ferocity, pace and deftness.

Pig and Groupie are en route to Montreal so this bulletin comes to you from Air Canada's Maple Leaf Lounge at Heathrow. Nice. Updates to follow.

RWC19.2

England win. Before anyone gets caught up in optimism let's consider a few facts: New Zealand 92: Tonga 7; England 35: Tonga 3; now I'll admit that these two results are not perfect comparators - the All Black massacre was a warm-up game and England faced that first game of RWC blast that Tier 2 opponents (as they are so demeaningly termed) often produce. However as the announcer on Five Live tetchily (but pertinently) demanded - would the All Blacks tolerate that many handling errors? Overall a scruffy start.

Another worrying fact. Four years ago in RWC15, England scraped a bonus point victory in their opener. What happened next?

As for Scotland's capitulation to Ireland this morning, less said the better.

A Tale Of Depression With A Happy Ending

So here's the thing: the Pig and the Groupie will shortly depart for a richly deserved (on the Groupie's part) holiday in Quebec; they have been to Canada before and the Pig's ancient criminal record (drunk and disorderly in Oxford when still an articled clerk) has not been an issue; they have changed the rules and our travellers discovered this out only ten days before scheduled departure; cue utter panic and depression on the part of the porcine one.

But, praise be, we are rescued by two examples of administrative efficiency - a rare beast indeed. For a fee the ACRO Criminal Records Office in good old Blighty produce a Police Certificate within thirty-six hours. Even better, the Canadian Immigration office, now satisfied that the Pig can be trusted, provide the Electronic Travel Authority within another twelve hours.

So sometimes there is a happy ending but do be warned, for the administrators to crank into full cooperative gear you do first have to navigate the labyrinthine Government of Canada website - the Pig and the Groupie have three degrees and three professional qualifications between them and they were tearing their hair out. Moral of this tale - start the process early - even better don't get arrested in the first place.  

RWC19.1

Six weeks of international rugby are in process. Today's seminar is on what Rugby Pig has been calling the full court press, borrrowing from his basketball vernacular. This style of is much in vogue, not merely in rugby - look for example at what Liverpool do on the football field.

The press demands a vigorous pursuit of every opponent to the end of denying anyone time around the ball. South Africa applied that vigour for the first twenty minutes against New Zealand but then we saw the downside of the press coupled with the acuity of the All Blacks. New Zealand have elevated their skills so that their care of the ball (both in attack and defence - this latter aspect is oft overlooked) can be backed to outlast the ferocity of the press. Thus today New Zealand maintained control of both sides of the ball and crafted their victory. Don't bet against these two sides meeting again in the final.     

 

You Can Checkout Any Time You Want But You Can Never Leave

As with the Hotel California, as seemingly with Brexit, so also with mental illness I'm afraid. Great Big Baby Pig has a weakness and although he has been pretty well for a while now, the dreaded gremlins have been back this week, provoked by events that though vexing should really not have appeared insuperable. Better today. So this is a public thankyou (yet again) to the Pig's rock, the Groupie. The Pig's manic depression has made him particularly mindful of the daily horror that those without such trenchant support must endure. Mental illness is real people. As I say, better now, nothing to see here, move along please. 

An Old Fashioned Sort Of Film And None The Worse For That

The title rather gives away the fact that this is an essay in whimsy, albeit one with a twenty-first century sensibility. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, whimsy aside, has a hard edge on the topic of wartime occupation and, an added bonus, is stunningly shot - Devon stood in for Guernsey apparently. The film includes predictably strong turns from national treasures Penelope Wilton and Tom Courtenay. A worthwhile watch. 7/10. 

Still Pretty Shocking At Golf

A funny thing happened at Alnmouth Foxton Golf Club on Wednesday. The Pig was hitting the ball quite passably off the tee and almost as well when approaching the greens. But could he putt? Could he bollocks. No feel whatsoever, to the detriment of his score. In the ferocious winds at the magnificent Goswick links on Thursday, this inability continued unabated. So it was left to Big Willy to hold off Mikey B in the battle for the inaugural Dunmore Shield. All great fun in that beautiful North East of England. Non-golfing highlights included fish and chips from Lewis's in Seahouses and a very good early curry on the Wednesday.

Goswick

It doen't half take it out of you all this golfing, eating and drinking an so the Pig has spent an inordinate time sleeping since his return to the family fold. He did however keep awake long enough to watch The Theory of Everything and rather enjoyed it. It's quite an old-fashioned biopic about the remarkable Stephen Hawking but none the worse for that and carried along by Eddie Redmayne's stellar leading performance. 7.5/10.

Why Am I So Shocking At Golf?

The Pig is on tour in Northumberland with Big Willy and Mikey B. Sadly Viperjohn is absent on sick leave but he is in our thoughts and prayers.

Big Willy and the Pig journeyed early and played at Dunstanburgh Castle on Sunday. They got very wet but revelled in the stunning scenery around Embleton Bay. The Pig played notably badly. He did the same at Seahouses yesterday and was mildly better at Bamburgh today. Is there, one has to ask, a more beautiful golf course in the land?

Two more days to go - Alnmouth tomorrow and Goswick on Thursady. I think I've just about got enough golf balls to get me through. Bring it on. I'm well of out of the hurly burly of non-golfing life, a fact brought home to me by the parliamentary proceedings playing out on the television behind me. Said it before, will say it again, what a shower of shit.