1. “It’s a family movie that’s straight from the Save The Cat! template, a formulaic sports comedy that knows when to tug at the heartstrings, when to go for laughs, and when to tap into the anti-Swiss sentiment that lies deep within all of our hearts. I liked it a lot when I was 12. I also liked it because I was 12, and not yet old enough to realize how hacky Cool Runnings was.”
Remember Cool Runnings and how much you loved/love it? Slate’s Justin Peters says it isn’t even that good.
2. “There is a grass pitch just outside the house in which I was staying. It was well kept, even if its dimensions were distinctly unorthodox. I went to the pitch one day, ball in hand, hopeful of meeting someone—anyone—who might fancy a game. No one showed. Few of life’s frustrations can compare to that of the lone footballer. But I was told a group of men play on Sunday mornings so I tried my luck again. Sure enough, the town’s husbands, uncles and probably the odd grandfather moseyed onto the field. I attracted a few bemused glances but was welcomed into the fold.”
A superb piece by Jack Lang (@Snap_Kaka_Pop) on football, Brazil’s ‘beautiful language’
3. “There is a delightful scene in the final episode of Nathan Barley, Charlie Brooker’s documentary about life at the Guardian. A TV executive has a pint poured over him in the pub and, after reacting with anger, suddenly thinks all might not be what it seems. ‘Are you guys the crew?’ he says, looking round the pub. “Are we all in this? Is something brilliant happening?” That scene came to mind every time Kevin Pietersen batted.”
Kevin Pietersen frequently produced moments of magic during his England career. Rob Smyth pays tribute in the Guardian’s Joy of Six.
4. “Keeping hens in business, Heaslip describes his average breakfast during something like the Six Nations, a breakfast of champions, if you will: ‘It always starts with a 5 egg omelette. 2 whole eggs, 3 egg whites, throw in some goats’ cheese, veg, whatever is lying in the fridge and lots and lots and lots of chilli flakes. Fires everything up!’ In case you missed that measurement, it was three ‘lots’ that oughta do it.”
Writing for LovinDublin, Jamie Heaslip takes us through his daily diet. A fascinating insight from the Irish back-row.
5. “No one man is a team but some are much harder to replace than others. From frees Cooper gave Kerry a deadly accurate and consistent free taker from inside. From play his shooting was other worldly. On the flip side the rest of Kerry’s shooting was average. If Fitzmaurice has a brilliant shooter to replace Cooper’s accuracy you have to believe we would have seen him by now.”
How badly will Kerry miss Colm Cooper? GAA stats blog Don’t Foul crunches the numbers on the importance of the Gooch.
6. “When Ireland run out at Twickenham on Saturday, there will be an 88-year-old man sitting in a comfy seat in front of a television at Leinster’s RDS watching avidly. He will be struck by a pang of nostalgia and an element of pride as the television cameras inevitably focus on the face of Brian O’Driscoll during the anthems as the he becomes the world’s joint most-capped player. It is also inevitable that whoever commentates on the match will prefix O’Driscoll with an array of adjectives whether it is great, masterful or timeless. John Wilson ‘Jackie’ Kyle knows what it’s like to have such words intrinsically tagged on to his name.”
Ahead of England v Ireland, ESPN’s Tom Hamilton sat down with one of Ireland’s rugby greats, Jack Kyle.
