I suspect the backline (and indeed the team) have got used to the platform provided by Tuilagi or Barritt sticking their heads down, and Twelvetrees had been told to play with his head up. A waste to use the conductor to truck ball, but the result, on this occasion, was a loss of shape.

I would be disappointed if Wade doesn't get a run out in the AI's. I wouldn't be that upset, however, if despite their horrible disfunction, Lancaster gave that backline another shot. We basically need Twelvetrees to step up (and he can't be that bad again surely) and to get a warm body used to the ...

Or if Farrell and Dickson simply don't have the same relationship that Farrell has managed to build with Youngs? This I think. Just suspect Youngs knows the system better (as you'd expect) - has Farrell standing flatter. In regard to the wing debate - two more cracking tries from the premiership's ...

Assad has had elections. He got 97% of the vote. That's how popular the man is. He's taken a bit of a knock mind. Only 70% of those asked now support him. Blimey. That's Ed Miliband level poll sliding. Instructive to see that in the meantime Vlad's 99% support in Chechnya (a country he leveled 10 y...

The reality of the matter is that any opposition force is likely to be opposed to free and fair elections, because 70% of the country supports Assad. This comes up quite often, and yet I'm amazed, given his overwhelming popular support, that Assad failed to allow "his" people the privilege of legit...

That's what a peace conference is for. Peace conference are where a peace is negotiated. Attending a peace conference does not mean that the war is over. The peace conference iss for the purpose of trying to agree how to end the war. If you would like an example of the use of peace conferences by o...

My arguments are as I stated them. And there clearly is a degree momentum in the international community - the proof point being that otherwise there wouldn't be this tiff in the first place. It would just be like Darfur, and the myriad other conflicts that tick by effectively unnoticed. Do you have...

What motivation would the government have to stall for time ? There are probably multiple strategic incentives for them to do so. The longer time goes by the less likely the West will be able to maintain the momentum in the international community for any sanctions more severe than a slap on the wr...

the Minister who gave that statement on behalf of the syrian government is a former opposition leader.

Clearly the state-sanctioned opposition in a country run by the same family for 42 years is a force to be reckoned with.

Blimey. Genuinely a bit baffled as to why this particular conflict has caused so many people to go full info-wars about it.

Hmm. Quite a few Championship sides getting smashed in pre-season friendlies, after much closer games against Prem sides last year.

Found this image in a book this evening. From the attempt to climb in 1922 - pre the fat tourist days. Amazingly they got to 8,000 metres.