“Battle of the Beauties”–(5) ROG v Hook

ROG just can’t help getting himself selected … this week he gets called up by @cathreonine for her latest Top Trumps battle…

Welcome to my 6 Nations Rugby Top Trumps (which may be slightly biased towards the more aesthetically pleasing of the rugby fraternity).

That time of the week again – where we focus on the more vital nuances of rugby and get down and dirty with the numbers.

This week, Ireland’s Ronan O’Gara takes on Wales’ James Hook in the ultimate showdown!

 

Full name		Ronan O’Gara	James Hook
Anagram		Roan Angora	Mojo Shake
	Hooke aka Mojo Shake is an alter ego worthy of a cartoon villain, which is quite apt considering his likeness to Lazytown’s Robbie Rotten. ROG on the other hand has the fate of highly pigmented rabbit – which is never a winner in anyone’s book!
Date of birth		7th Mar 1977	27th Jun 1985
	With 8 years on the clock ahead of the sprightly young Welshman, it’s no wonder that ROG is one of the legends and familiar faces of 6 Nations over the past few years.
Place of birth		San Diego, California, USA	Port Talbot, Wales
Height		1.80 m (5' 11")	1.83 m (6' 0")
	Hook gains a lead here by one measly inch, but often that’s all that’s needed to get the ball over the line – so not to be sneezed at!
Weight		83 kg (13 st 1 lb)	90 kg (14 st 2 lb)
	With 1 st and 1 lb in the difference between the two boyos, Hook pulls ahead by sheer muscle mass.
Position		Fly Half	Fly Half
6 Nations Appearances		63 (41 starts)	28 (19 starts)
	Impressive record for ROG with almost twice the appearances over Hook. However the star that is ROG is beginning to wane slightly, with less starts and even less impact substitutions.
6 Nation Points Scored		557	142
	The golden boot of O’Gara is self-evident here; he does lead the 6 Nations points scorer league table (followed closely by Jonny Wilkinson) after all.
6 Nations Discipline		Yellow Card: 0 Red Card: 0	Yellow Card: 1 Red Card: 0
	ROG’s squeaky clean 6 Nations record trumps Hook who got his yellow card in 2011 against France.
VERDICT	4-3! Leaving ROG victorious once again…but for how long?

“Battle of the Beauties”–(4) Jamie v Sergio

In her latest top trumps battle Catriona Blake pits two Six Nations No 8 skippers against each other…

Welcome to my 6 Nations Rugby Top Trumps (which may be slightly biased towards the more aesthetically pleasing of the rugby fraternity).

That time of the week again – where we focus on the more vital nuances of rugby and get down and dirty with the numbers.

This week, Ireland’s Jamie Heaslip takes on Italy’s Sergio Parisse in the ultimate showdown!

 

Full name		Jamie Heaslip	Sergio Parisse
Anagram		Jail Pie Shame	Arise Gossiper
	While Heaslip’s moniker sounds a little more similar to that of one the tunes that DJ Church churns out, Parisse’s is quite apt and timely considering his little break for his wee gossip session with Laurent Cardona.
Date of birth		15th Dec 1983	12th Sep 1983
	A mere three months and three days older than Heaslip, Parisse has the upperhand on the age bracket battle.
Place of birth		Tiberias, Israel	La Plata, Argentina
Height		1.93 m (6' 4")	1.91 m (6' 3")
	Heaslip finally gets on the scoreboard by a meagre inch, which I’m sure Sergio could achieve with some fancy Italian loafers with a Tom Cruise-esque Cuban heel!
Weight		109 kg (17 st 2 lb)	104 kg (16 st 5 lb)
	Maybe Jamie’s been enjoying too many Million Dollar Fries in Bear as he weighs in a whopping 12 lbs greater than the slight Italian. However it is a vital part of their position to be able to bind the locks and provide additional weight in the scrum so we’ll go easy on him.
Position		No. 8	No. 8
6 Nations Appearances		26 (24 starts)	40 starts
	Considering their similar ages, Parisse has had considerably more 6N game time, but I’m sure there’s plenty left in the fuel tank for Heaslip; whether it’s complete with a captain’s armband remains to be seen.
6 Nation Points Scored		25	23
	Taking the above point into consideration it is impressive that Heaslip has outscored his Italian counterpart bearing in mind the vast difference of game time.
6 Nations Discipline		Yellow Card: 0 Red Card: 0	Yellow Card: 0 Red Card: 0
	Squeaky clean records all round for the No 8s.
VERDICT	It’s a tie! 3-3, hopefully that won’t be an indication of how the Ireland Italy game will pan out.

Manager of The PrettyBoys; the world's most beautiful yet barely functioning fantasy rugby team, Catriona  (@cathreonine) is an avid Munster supporter who has infiltrated her way into Dublin society so much so her accent is barely recognisable.

“Battle of the Beauties”–(3) DOC v Hamilton

In her latest “top trumps” battle, Catriona Blake runs the rule over two locks from the Six Nations with over 130 caps between them…

Welcome to my 6 Nations Rugby Top Trumps (which may be slightly biased towards the more aesthetically pleasing of the rugby fraternity).

That time of the week again – where we focus on the more vital nuances of rugby and get down and dirty with the numbers.

This week, Ireland’s Donncha O’Callaghan takes on Scotland’s James Hamilton in the ultimate LOCKdown!

Full name		Donncha O’Callaghan	James Hamilton
Anagram		Anal Coach Longhand	A Monthlies Jam
	Points gotta go to the Scotsman here; a “jam session” beats some weird prostrate coaching any day.
Date of birth		24th March 1979	17th November 1982
	If the team-mates chatter is much to go by, DOC is a joker by nature and is the elder of the pairing, but wiser? The jury is still out on that one!
Place of birth		Cork, Ireland	Swindon, England
Height		1.98 m (6' 6")	2.03 m (6' 8")
	Having met the beast that is DOC, it’s quite surprising that Hamilton can beat him by 2 inches - and when it comes to height the extra inches are key.
Weight		110 kg (17 st 4 lb)	126 kg (19 st 11 lb)
	Hamilton wins this round weighing in a whopping 35lbs heavier than DOC, although I’d nearly hazard a guess that’s the amount of steak the pair of them would go through in one sitting.
Position		Lock	Lock
6 Nations Appearances		43 (31 starts)	23 (19 starts)
	Experience pays dividends here for DOC and has had a glittering 6N career which sadly appears to be winding down with more appearances coming from the bench these days.
6 Nation Points Scored		5	0
	Points for DOC here, although locks aren’t generally the high scorers of teams, but I’ll still accept the points where I can get them!
6 Nations Discipline		Yellow Card: 0 Red Card: 0	Yellow Card: 1 Red Card: 0
	Points for DOC for remaining squeaky clean and running under the referees card radar.
VERDICT	4-3 to the Irish!! (This seems to be a bit a trend but is in no way skewed rest assured!)

Manager of The PrettyBoys; the world's most beautiful yet barely functioning fantasy rugby team, Catriona  (@cathreonine) is an avid Munster supporter who has infiltrated her way into Dublin society so much so her accent is barely recognisable.

“Battle of the Beauties”–(2) BOD v Manu

Ahead of Sunday’s big match Catriona Blake gives two 13s at different stages of their careers her top trumps treatment…

 

Full name		Brian O’Driscoll	Manu Tuilagi
Anagram		A Colorblind Sir	A Gaunt Ilium
	For those not in the know, the illium is the largest bone of the pelvis, so to consider Tuilagi who is an utter beast of a man, to be gaunt is quite frankly ludicrous. However, to consider O’Driscoll as one of us mere humans with an ocular defect is beyond the realm of possibility as we all know BOD is rapidly gaining superhero status.
Date of birth		January 21, 1979 (age 34)	May 18, 1991 (age 21)
	O’Driscoll can teach this young whippersnapper a couple of things, most vitally the importance of a comeback. Many had written BOD off after his Lions injury but his inner strength and determination is something anyone can learn from, not to mention the skills and self-awareness he has in abundance.
Place of birth		Dublin, Ireland	Fogapoa, Samoa
Height		1.75 m (5' 9")	1.85 m (6' 1")
	Points for Tuilagi who towers over O’Driscoll by a paltry 4 inches.
Weight		95 kg (14 st 13 lb)	110 kg (17 st 4 lb)
	The Samoan gains the lead here with a whopping 35lbs; he’s clearly a boy that ate all his greens. Maybe Amy needs to take a leaf out of Mammy Tuilagi’s book and feed poor Brian up – for the greater good of Irish rugby of course!
Position		Centre	Centre
6 Nations Appearances		56 (56 starts)	3 (3 starts)
	O’Driscoll is a formidable player and has an inspiring 6 Nations track record that any player would wish to recreate. Tuilagi, as a young player is on the up and no doubt would wish to have his career match and better O’Driscoll’s.
6 Nations Points Scored		133	5
	Once again experience and maturity pays dividends, O’Driscoll ploughs ahead with an impressive 128 points over Tuilagi.
6 Nations Discipline		Yellow Card: 0 Red Card: 0	Yellow Card: 0 Red Card: 0
	Both centres have squeaky clean behaviour on the pitch; however cast your mind back to the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and the Tuilagi brothers were fuelling media fire and column inches with their antics off the pitch.
VERDICT	And O’Driscoll takes it with a 4-3 victory over the Samoan, but surely kudos should be given to Brian for his widely quoted “'Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.”

Manager of The PrettyBoys; the world's most beautiful yet barely functioning fantasy rugby team, Catriona  (@cathreonine) is an avid Munster supporter who has infiltrated her way into Dublin society so much so her accent is barely recognisable.

“Battle of the Beauties”–(1) Sexton v Parra

Please welcome @cathreonine to the HoR2 team as she offers a unique perspective on some of the battles in the upcoming Six Nations…

What’s that you say? How can we make rugby better?

Easy! Let the numbers and stats speak for themselves….

Welcome to my 6 Nations Rugby Top Trumps (which may be slightly biased towards the more aesthetically pleasing of the rugby fraternity).

First up, Ireland’s Jonny Sexton takes on France’s Morgan Parra in the ultimate showdown!

 

Full name	Jonathan Sexton	Morgan Parra
Anagram	Hosanna Next Jot	A Program Ran
	Both terrible anagrams….no points awarded here
Date of birth	11 July 1985 (age 27)	15 November 1988 (age 24)
	Quite frankly I’m appalled at how young Parra is, so Jonny gets the points here…cougar rule and all that!
Place of birth	Dublin, Ireland	Metz, France
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
	Once again Jonny beats Parra…this time by a measly 3 inches (I think I’m still reeling by Parra’s age!).
Weight	92kg (14st 6lb)	77 kg (12 st 2 lb)
	This is starting to get a little onesided - Jonny wins hands down with a cuddlesome 32 lbs, of which I can only assume is pure muscle.
Position	Fly-half	Scrum-half / Fly-half
	Versatility wins outright here and Parra is finally on the scoreboard.
6 Nations Appearances	14 (11 starts)	23 (15 starts)
	Considering his age it’s surprising that Sexton hasn’t played more of a role in the Irish 6 Nations campaign when you compare his track record to Parra’s; however this is a debate for another day – Parra gets the points.
6 Nation Points Scored	100	165
	Parra’s on a roll here, with an impressive 65 points over his Irish counterpart.
Discipline	Yellow Card: 0 Red Card: 0	Yellow Card: 1 Red Card: 0
	Jonny pulls back in front with an impressive squeaky clean record, whether this 6 Nations will keep that untarnished remains to be seen.
VERDICT	As much as it pains me to admit it, Sexton is victorious over a youthful Parra, with a nail biter of a finish on 4-3.

Manager of The PrettyBoys; the world's most beautiful yet barely functioning fantasy rugby team, Catriona  (@cathreonine) is an avid Munster supporter who has infiltrated her way into Dublin society so much so her accent is barely recognisable.