Wiltshire Warrior Dragon

I'm impressed how both teams lined up to mark the Pullman train passing by! ps it's behind you!

Fully agree. That try when he chipped over the opposition line and gathered the ball then repeated the trick to pass the fullback remains my second most favourite SL try; was it against London? My favourite, just for the record, is that amazing last-minute one, away to the Saints, which Scott Dureau's goal from the sideline turned into a match winner.

And Latin was my best 'O' level! How could I make such a schoolboy error!

I agree with you, Scubby, that there was something very positive and Bosc-esque about the attack yesterday. Have you a source for the news that Bosc's coaching role has developed in the way you state? I don't recall seeing anything about this. I also wonder whether Les Dracs are benefitting from two other appointments: maybe Alex Chan is contributing to a calmer, more disciplined off-the-field atmosphere, which is then reflected on it; perhaps the youngsters are benefitting from Justin Murphy's being at the helm of the Elite 1 team, although it might be too soon for any such benefit to be manifesting itself.

A pedant writes, 'Piece' as in pieces of cloth, surely.

Here is an interesting webcam link. It is to cliffs at Sumburgh Head, close to the main airport in Shetland. With luck, you get good views of puffins, fulmars (the rather gull-looking pale grey and white birds, but which are actually related to albatrosses), and other seabirds. SOTEAG Cliff Cam | Shetland Webcams The website itslef, as you will see, has other cameras, both urban and rural. At this time of year, if you know or suspect from national weather forecasts that it has been a good day in Shetland, it is interesting to go on this website at about midnight or a bit later and be amazed how much light there still is.

Out of interest, dboy, how did your taxi driver in Perpignan pronounce 'Brutus'? As in a Shakespearian ' Et tu, Brutus' way, or with the second syllable pronounced to rhyme with the English 'too'?

Maybe it should be a requirement on SL teams, whether requested by Sky Sports or not, to send an audio tape of their numbered squad members each saying their own name - first (or Christian) names and surnames. The commentary team should then listen to them and memorise them; a chore, yes, but it's part of their job to get names right. It is always worth keeping in mind that there are names that we may not realise we are all inclined to be mispronouncing; Les Dracs' captain, Ben Garcia, springs to mind. I would never have realised it isn't 'Gar-cee-uh' if I hadn't heard French commentators say 'Gar-syuh', i.e. only two syllables with emphasis on the first.

You have already had some good advice from others, MD. Here is my six penn'orth. As the big local government reorganisation of April, 1974, approached, as a young, trainee, town planner, I looked to move from County Hall, Northallerton, to a district council, as they were getting planning powers for the first time. It was a good time for people like me; demand outstripped supply. I went for an interview in Skipton with the embryonic Craven District Council. Three of us had been invited, all to attend concurrently for an initial short briefing. The first thing the chief planner had to say, somewhat sheepishly, was that there had been an error in the salary advertised; t wasn't quite as much in reality. One candidate got up and left. The other two of us were interviewed. Then the other candidate was called back in and (I subsequently learned) was offered the job. But they wouldn't agree to his starting salary request, so I was called in and offered the job at the bottom of the scale. Being a desperate cheapskate, I snapped their hands off! So, there I was, third choice of three. I had 14 great years there and, as my skills and experience blossomed, I was asked to take on more roles, so I realised that the powers-that-be liked me. The most interesting new one was public transport; I was already a bus and train fan. Now, in the early to mid 1980s, I had the chance to offer by councillors advice on the deregulation of bus services, which was happening nationally, and, more locally, the then threat to close the Settle & Carlisle railway. It was in those 14 years that I met and married Mrs WWD and we are still together, I am pleased to say. So being other than first choice isn't always bad, MD! Incidentally, by way of an RL-related aside, during my time at Craven, I had a junior planning assistant to support my work. The post was typically used by newly qualified planners, fresh out of polytechnic or university, as a first stepping stone in their career. On one occasion when the post was vacant, three lads, all having just finished the same course at Leeds Poly, applied and were interviewed. The panel of three interviewers, me included, liked them all, so who to appoint? We all had a different first choice! So, I was allowed to have the final say as I would share a room and line manage the successful candidate. I plumped for Steve Szostak, father of Alex of Sheffield, Workington and Scotland fame. If Steve hadn't got the job, I don't suppose he would have met, courted and married Joanne, Alex's mum, who also worked for Craven Council. As I recall, Joanne's maiden name was MacWhirter, which gives a clue to Alex's eligibility for Scotland.

Well, that's all very well, LTS, but I don't think you can do it. How do you allow for delays like the clearly overloaded chariot in front of you, slowing things down? And then, who wants to use one of those viae tutae, without a breakdown lane on the inside? Not to mention the Gaulish fishermen getting stroppy yet again with another blockade along the Anglicus Channel....

So you obviously know about Holland's Leaguer, GJ. Come to think of it, "Holland's Leaguers" could be a good name for the Dutch RL national squad!

Just a small point, chaps, but I think his name is 'Mourgue'. I wouldn't like a misspelling to result in his career coming to - how shall I put this? - a dead end!

I didn't realise that the Scottish soldier was meant to be a Gordon Highlander. With a name like 'Camp Coffee', I am sure there is a joke in there somewhere about Gay Gordons, but in the interests of never offending anybody about anything, I will not pursue the point further!

Camp essence is still sold. I bought some for Mrs WWD to use in a recipe quite recently. As per Futtocks' OP requirement, here is a link: Camp Chicory & Coffee Essence | Morrisons

And I see their match with Swinton next weekend has been switched to Heywood Road from Toulouse. This is in accordance with the RFL's pre-season requirements, according to the TO website, as this is the only match between the two sides in the league this season. Meanwhile, has anything more been heard from, or said by, the RFL about the lockdown-breaking incident at Post Office Road? Could that yet affect where Fev finish in the league?

I have come across other folk saying that they played shinty in English schools, Marauder. However, one of them showed me the stick he had used (and kept after leaving school) and it really was nothing like a shinty stick (or 'caman' in Gaelic) as used in Scotland.

He may be a bit conservative in his approach to running with ball in hand, but the calibre of his kicking on the last tackle is very high indeed and, as Waynebennettswinger rightly highlights above, his tackling is very much above par for a modern half back; a high proportion of his tackles are old-fashioned, round-the-legs ones too. It would be a smart move for Toulouse Olympique to sign him up, if - for historical reasons - Les Dracs is unlikely. I wonder if it is possible for a team in TOXIII's position - i.e. quite possibly in SL next year, but can certainly not guarantee it - to provisionally sign up a player, on condition they get that promotion, with the deal null and void if they don't get it.

Why, WWW? It seems logical to show all teams a few times each season. That said, if you show a weaker one, such as Leeds and Trinity both, currently, undeniably are, against a stronger one, then you risk a one way procession reflected in a blow-out score. I would much sooner see two of the weaker teams take on each other, as will be the case here.

Eeh, you must be a youngster, TD! When I were a lad, you could tell they were different boroughs just by the colour of the buses - Wigan's an attractive maroon and white, and Leigh's a lovely blue and cream.

You probably know this already, Ullman, but another Bempton speciality isn't a seabird at all. Around the car park and visitor centre, you should look closely at the spuggies. House sparrows have a grey top to their head, but here there are also tree sparrows, which look almost identical, but have a lovely brown top to their heads, which makes it easy to distinguish them from their much commoner cousins.

Oh, Padge! You are absolutely right, but please don't get me going! I have, over the years, followed various team games - ice hockey, shinty, GAA and so on. What they all have in common is that, if you make the effort to read the laws or rules of play, and then watch a game, you understand why the match officials intervene when they do. You may not agree with their interpretation of a particular incident or passage of play, in all cases - was that really a cross-check in the ice hockey match you are watching? - but you understand that is what the official could reasonably have thought it to be. Of the sports I follow, rugby league uniquely both has laws that are not enforced, for no obvious reason, and those in which the absolute opposite of what the law actually says is what is, in practice, enforced. But as I say, don't get me going...!

I'm not sure that you are taking adequately into account the different chronology of the English/European and domestic French seasons, CM. The latter is drawing to a close, as they still play an Autumn to Spring season. So, I would expect Toulouse, if needs be, to offer short contracts to some of the best of other Elite 1 clubs, to augment the Olympique side in the championship for a few months; in other words, continue the process begun with the signings of Gigot and Albert.

Maybe a good choice for an SL-aspiring or SL-bound Toulouse Olympique.

I believe he speaks highly of you too, BB!

...and Catalan sheepdogs (well, what else would you expect a Les Dracs' fan to have and to say!?)