No longer even have to call the mark, anymore. Game’s gone! #FRAvIRE

If I were a professional rugby player, I’d definitely take singing lessons! #FRAvIRE

On the plus side, just tuned into the pre-game build up and there's no sign of Matt Williams in the studio #IREvFRA

Been on the auld folk music all day and still not a whiff of the usual anticipation and excitement of this all because it's a bloody Thursday. Anyway, I've now knocked-off work, so let's see if the pints help! #FRAvIRE

If this is the price of the tournament staying on free-to-air in its biggest market, I say we close our eyes and take the hit... But I'm very glad that there's a free-to-air option in Germany without this, which also has comms who talk about the game and not a load of any other auld bollocks.

...and 'cos it's on a bloody Thursday, I won't even be able to hide behind or at the bottom of my big beer mug!

This is the closest I've been to being happy with an Ireland selection in a long time. Injuries and that, but guys like Cian Prendergast and Timoney getting rewards for a good autumn is progress. Do I think it will stem the tide on Thursday? No. But I'm not sure any Ireland 23 would.

1 and 2 are insane. I'm not sure 3 needs a whole new law; maybe just that "use it" means, you know, use it, not use it 8 seconds later. 4 and 5 make sense. Not passing back to take a 50:22 was a needless parallel with back into the 22, which was aimed at solving an entirely different problem.

Lovely day for it.

Anyway, now for a post-rugby settling in to start the new series of Bridgerton because underneath my big, burly, beardy, rugby fan exterior lies a big softie who enjoys ridiculous costume drama.

Since we're on shoutouts, although he faded a bit in the second half, that was another decent outing from Ben Carson. Never gets a lot of minutes because he has real quality ahead of him but he's one of the few deep in Ulster's squad who actually does the job when he does come in #ULSvCAR

Sometimes I’ve been a bit critical of Matty Dalton and some his ill-discipline but fair play, he had a stormer tonight. Well-deserved POTM and as genuine a post-match interview as you’ll see #ULSvCAR

Tempted to be pessimistic because there was a lot of poor stuff in that game. Poor control the whole second half. At the same time, Ulster are deep into a squad that is anything but deep and they dug in and held on against Cardiff who made that as difficult as could be and I’ll take that #ULSvCAR

Ulster winning a scrum against the head? The things that happen! #ULSvCAR

For your repeated viewing pleasure

Now that I’ve seen some more replays at half time, I think I speak for all of us when I say the broadcaster should just show 80 more replays of that, rather than the second half #ULSvCAR

Referee letting out an accidental wee, “Oh shit,” when she got rand into by a couple of players has been the absolute highlight of this half! #ULSvCAR

Pick and go from the base by a prop? Utter filth! Love to see it! Sorta thing that would have vroken a prop’s ankles back in the day! #ULSvCAR

That Ulster backrow has a worrying number of unnecessary penalties written all over it, doesn’t it? C’mon, Ulsterrrr! #ULSvCAR

Is the opposite of Leinstertainment Leinotony? #LEIvEDI

Appreciate Leinster are missing a load of players but this whole season, they look a group increasingly uncomfortable with what they're being asked to do in attack and defence. I'll be surprised if they don't come back to win but look like the shadow of the team they were a few seasons back #LEIvEDI

The absolute shambles of the scrum at all four provinces and at international level in Ireland feels like it really does need looking at, like #LEIvEDI

First time I've ever been happy to hear Robbo on comms because it presumably means we won't be on the mic for Ulster, later! #LEIvEDI

Love a game just not ending because one more try for either would be valuable in the league table and they’ve a big rest after. Fair play to both for going for it for 10 minutes more. #ZEBvCON

Really not sure I like those Josh Ioane to Ulster rumours from Jackman. Clear we need a backup 10 because we literally don't have one but I'm not sure an inconsistent 30-year-old NIQ is a lot of help? #ZEBvCON

If I had a name like Cockburn, I'd also definitely insist that it wasn't pronounced the way it's written #GLAvMUN

Colleague from Botswana, knowing I can be an adventurous eater, has brought me back her favourite delicacy from a trip home: mopane worms (which I gather are actually a type of caterpillar). And, you know, I’m not squeamish about food or anything but even I might not manage with these!

You could say that front rows are propping like flies before this Six Nations…

Yourself, but as a cartoon.

I just got an email from work that was apparently so interesting, I plum forgot to get off the S-Bahn on the way home, and I genuinely can’t think of a time when I’ve done something more lame than this.

Utterly boggin’, this food… …From SCOTLAND?!?! Happy Burns Night if you celebrate. I’m mostly in it for the whisky on a Sunday!

Anyway, the rugby’s annoyed me today so here’s some transition-back-to-real-life baking.

Absolutely loving the noise out of that new stand at the Dexcom, anyway! #CONvLEI

Every day of the week! Hearing the whole conversation between ref and TMO is the only part of watching at home that’s better than in-stadium. Commentators so insecure they need to fill every second or airtime with their inane babble are well advanced in their efforts to steal this from us, too.

Commentators continuing to talk over the ref is my biggest pet peeve

Fair play, Scarlets. Deserved that. Ulster’s defence was all over the place in both of those last two sets and they exploited it brilliantly. From an Ulster perspective, a harsh and disappointing evening. So close to seeing out a game where little, from the very off, has gone right #SCAvULS

That is head contact. Well worth the upgrade. Scarlets were in possession 80m further down the pitch. I don’t see how you can go back for this. When is advantage over if not there? What in the hell are we doing to our game? #SCAvULS

The boos nudged that just inside the post. #SCAvULS

Don’t like that it’s happening to the team I support but fuck me have Scarlets kicked brilliantly into the wind this half, using every second of doubt it puts in the defence to their advantage! #SCAvULS

A cynical penalty after a yellow for repeated cynical penalties should be an automatic second yellow. Anything else is just reward cynicism! #SCAvULS

Tauld ye… Let’s all hope that’s our bad half for this week! #SCAvULS

It’s genuinely surprising how many people who go to live rugby games, presumably regularly, don’t know then new not-straight-at-the-lineout law. I think the law is stupid and confusing, like much of the tinkering we see in the game, but it’s been in force to a good year at least by now #SCAvULS

Lowry's been injured so long, it took a bit to digging to find this, but relevant as always... #SCAvULSE

Hail! #SCAvULS

Don’t have clear head contact? No foul play? The lad’s out cold before he hits the floor. This is an absolute fucking joke. Rugby is a joke. Fuck off. #SCAvULS

Planned a perfect day with #WeePferd. Museum to see the dinosaurs, lunch in my favourite pizza place, then home for the rugby. Dinosaurs were scary and the salami on her pizza was too oval. If these are the omens, prepare yourself for an utterly diabolical performance, Ulster fans… #SCAvULS

Just tuned to #MUNvDRA and, woah… did they turn hadron collider on again or something?

Not seen an H yet, so I'm taking the chance to get Bull Hayes into one of these! 15. Hernández 14. Horgan 13. Horan 12. Hastings 11. Hickie 10 Humphreys 9. Horne 1. Healy 2. Hore 3. Hayes 4. Henderson 5. Hines 6. Harinordoquy 7. Hooper 8. Heaslip

The clearest sign of a much improved Ulster this season is the explosion of Kok jokes. Last year, we were far too jaded for anything of the sort. This year, we just can’t keep Kok out of our mouths.