This is peak rugby. World Rugby have created a contract that blocks themselves from sharing footage from their own games. Gold.

tomorrow's newsletter is literally called "aren't you tired of feeling insane all the time?" and boy isn't this a darling example, a phrase popularised by full-on racists on Elon Musk's Twitter now being bandied around in the mainstream press and sold as a Labour term

A month late to catch the proper Halloween spirit, but time for Silent Hill f. Can it possibly be as scary as last year's truly terrifying Silent Hill 2 remake? Let's find out.

On Transgender Day of Remembrance, we remember those whose lives have been lost to transphobic hate and violence. Everyone in London and around the world deserves to live with dignity and be safe from harm.

Nice for him to get a warm up ahead of the bigger games coming up with Leinster

If Ireland lose on Saturday it will be the first time Garry Ringrose has lost three straight games since April/May 2017

Henshaw's absence the only surprise here (is he injured?), with Farrell beating him to the bench. Otherwise it's largely as predicted, with Sam starting at 10 and Ringer and Josh back. Paddy McCarthy features again: his leap into 2nd on the LH depth chart is one of the big stories of the Autumn.

Playoff draw went about as well as could reasonably be expected. Czechs look very poor, eminently beatable. And then if we get that far a play-off final in Dublin. We're a long way from a World Cup yet but all things considered I'm pretty happy with the route there.

Part of the problem with public discourse on immigration in the UK is British people being totally ignorant of the process and terms and making silly assumptions, as Chris rightly points out

Into The Silence by Wade David, about the first British expeditions to climb Everest, and how to the people on them they represented a shot both at imperial aggrandisement and personal redemption (and maybe a glorious death) after the horrors of WW1. It's a lengthy tome but gripping.

Anyway, Hot Milk were a lot of fun at the Roundhouse tonight. Can't say I knew their stuff hugely well going but really good energy, and clearly (from their emotional onstage reaction to the crowd's response) a show that meant a lot to them.

This sign at the Roundhouse's cloakroom is, as anyone who's been there knows, entirely accurate, but I do find it incredibly funny that they're basically saying "if you want to pick up your jacket without waiting for half an hour you just have to miss 10-20% of the show you've paid to see."

Fundamentally, it's a policy of excluding trans people from public life. That's it.

The mighty double World Champs coming to town, against little ol' Ireland (who've never even made it past a QF) in stuttering form? Why, surely a humiliating Springbok loss is out of the question!

a movie so sharp and funny that it basically killed the musical biopic for a decade

Seemingly mixed feelings from Munster fans on the Alaalatoa signing. For what it's worth while he wasn't a wildly successful signing for Leinster (and certainly his red card in the European final was a particularly bad moment) as a stopgap solution I think he'll do a job.

The real tragedy in this whole Enoch Burke thing remains that, all this foolishness aside, he clearly has the exact temperament, judgement, humour, and cool vibes you'd want in your child's teacher.

Am I right in saying that if Craig Gordon is in the Scotland squad for the World Cup next year that he will be the second oldest player to ever play in the tournament at 43?

Me every year when winter rolls round and it's cold, damp and dark, just as it has been this entire geological era

Labour, extraordinarily, doing the exact same thing (changing the rules so that they retrospectively apply to people who'd followed the rules and done everything right) that they expressed outrage at the Tories for suggesting just a few weeks ago.

Where are other people on Marx's nomination? I hadn't even had him in the frame for nomination - he's finishing the year well but didn't start particularly spectacularly. He's an exceptional player but it feels like a recency bias nomination: there are a number of players I'd have had ahead of him

I don’t know what to say anymore other than to remind those in power that refugees are human beings with equal rights who, along with their children, deserve a safe, stable & integrated life in their communities and that what they’re breaking now with this performative cruelty can’t be fixed later.

The wider story here (about a 1910 avalanche that killed a lot of people) is tragic, but I do like the idea of an unexpected avalanche coming from Avalanche Mountain.

Haiti and Curaçao also qualifying for the World Cup is a bit magic. I've fallen out of love with club football quite a lot in the last few years but international football still has so much romance left in it.

Honestly we could have done a lot worse. The Czechs in particular look really poor

Kenny McLean, of all people

Fair play Scottish fans, you don't half get put through the wringer but delighted for you. Hopefully Ireland won't be too far behind you.

Football, bloody hell

Bear with me for a very history nerd question, but anyone got a recommendation for a good accessible book about the immediate societal impact of the invention of the printing press?

EXCLUSIVE 🚨 Contrary to reports, it is now believed that Munster WILL be signing Samoan tighthead prop Michael Ala’alatoa The 34-year-old has previously played for Crusaders, Leinster and Clermont and is believed to be signing on a short-term deal until the end of the season

Honestly, we shouldn't let the stakes overshadow the fact that Belgium just drew with Samoa!! And Samoa kicked the ball out in relief themselves at the end!

It does seem like a pretty major issue that the well-functioning of half the Internet rests on a couple of load-bearing companies.

Wow. Belgium draw with Samoa and come achingly close to their first ever World Cup but it's not enough. Samoa qualify but they've had a major major scare.

Belgium 6-3 up against Samoa at HT in the match to decide who gets the final qualification spot for the World Cup 👀

mr president sir theres a story coming about how you intervened to help a sex criminal. no sir, not that sex criminal you helped….no not that one either…sir, please stop guessing sex criminals that you helped. ill give you a hint sir, hes a trafficker. no sir, not that trafficker a different one

There was a really good article someone wrote a couple months ago now (that I can't for the life of me now find) about how many European social democratic parties seem embarrassed by their voters and spend all their time chasing an imaginary 1970s coalition instead that no longer exists.

Labour’s core voter is a Londoner. While they fret about imagined Reform defecting voters in the “red wall” they’re at risk of losing their 21st century heartland entirely. www.thenewworld.co.uk/james-ball-l...

World Rugby Player of the Year nominees announced: Louis Bielle-Biarrey Pieter-Steph Du Toit Malcolm Marx Ox Nche Delighted for Nche who should have been nominated last year too. Marx is a very surprising nominee I have to say.

Reminder transphobia affects more than just trans people

Good thread on why it's important not to get ahead of ourselves after Saturday. Massively improved performance with lots of positivrs to take, and I do think as a morale boost it was important. But the Boks will be a very different prospect to the Wallabies.

One last brilliant and bittersweet song release from Svalbard, one of Britain's best metal acts who play their final shows over the next few days before disbanding. They'll be missed. youtu.be/TzVRzkfo42A?...

We've also won as many World Cups as New Zealand during that time

Rankings permutations: Ireland could conceivably go back to 2nd in the rankings with a big win over South Africa (or 3rd with a smaller win), otherwise if I'm calculating things correctly we won't drop out of 4th place even if we lose. South Africa can't lose top spot no matter what.

whenever the sun sets at 4:45 pm i open a window, lean out and yell "WRONG" as loud as i can. that usually buys me another hour or two of sunlight

When Sturgeon resigned and the SNP lost seats at the GE last year a lot of Westminster-based pundits wrote about it heralded the end of the SNP because they fundamentally refuse to understand how much of Scottish politics doesn't revolve around Westminster.

Friends fear he's still watching the clip of Troy Parrott's winner on repeat

Incredible anecdote in @jonawils.bsky.social 's newsletter today. What do you mean France were knocked out of World Cup 94 contention by a player who'd literally been smuggled into the country? Incredible

Such bad luck for Stu: finally breaks into the starting XV, is playing well, but denied by injury. You'd imagine for the Boks it'll be Aki or Henshaw starting at 12 alongside Ringrose at 13.