I'm no expert in contemporary Brazilian football, but whereas, in world cups past, their star players were households names who played for clubs like Real Madrid or AC Milan, all of their team now plays for like Brentford or Newcastle United.

I can't pin down the moment I fell in love with Mexican football. Was it a moment of magic from one of my favourite Mexican players, all of whose names I can reel off? Was it affinity with their fan culture, in which I am well-versed? Who's to say. What I can say is this : ¡Ándale bois! ¡Arriba!🇲🇽

I have seen a lot of this kind of upbeat take on the new Nations Cup format. As far as I could tell, it was just the same half-arsed, player-welfare-averse, Geographically nonsensical friendlies that we see every summer, only repackaged. What am I missing?

All things considered, almost 16k away fans for what was a summer friendly is not bad going. Fairplay to the travelling Welsh fans who made the trip. The same can't really be said of the Fijian supporters. It is a concern if the stadium is only half full for your home match.

NGL, I didn't see this result coming. This indicates that Argentina either aren't taking this seriously, or that their form is just very dodgy. Surely we couldn't go there and get a result?

I actually thought we played the breakdown pretty smart. Yes, we may not have committed many,but they chose their moments well, turning over Fiji when they overplayed and winning multiple penalties on the deck. We don't have the personnel to be a counter-rucking team, so why try and play that way?

That Welsh win was very impressive. It was a blueprint for how a disciplined, well-drilled side can overcome an opponent with far superior talent & firepower. In particular, our set piece and back row were outstanding : we absolutely murdered Fiji at set piece and on the deck. Kudos to Steve Tandy.

Not many teams travel to the CCS and beat Fiji in their own backyard. @jpstafford.bsky.social you being the historian, can you confirm that Steve Tandy's Welsh team are the first to pull off this feat?

Impressive away wins for 🇨🇮 & 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 today against SH giants. I think it is doubtful that 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 and 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 will be able to follow suit, but we'll see.

*6 easy points gone begging. A team as limited as ours cannot be leaving banker conversionsout there.

Easy missed conversions from Ospreys fly half, Dan Edwards, are going to cost Cymru dearly in this match.

in tears at the guy throwing down the kangaroo after that PK

Absolutely gutted for DR Congo, a country with which I have deep ties. At least now I can cheer on Mexico : another country with which I have deep ties.

Aaron Dunden : long rated him, ever since I started following his work years ago, when he was coming up as a coach in his country of origin.👍🏼🇹🇷

Great result for 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿20s. A match you really wouldn't have fancied us to win, beforehand. Ultimately, we should have been a bit more comfortable, but failed to take our chances. Da iawn

93 year old George North manhandling Ellis Mee every chance he gets says something about the drop off in Welsh rugby over the last decade.

The upside being I can pour my own pints and serve my own nuts from behind the bar. 👍🏼🍺

Sports Bar at my hotel in Dubrovnik is EMPTY for Cymru-Baabaas.

If Dewi Lake could pass a rugby ball as adequately as any junior rugby player coached by Yours Truly over the last 12 years, then this game would be done and dusted.

Cullen Grace : rate him.👍🏼

I am currently on holiday is beautiful Dubrovnik and today I shall be doing what every patriotic Welsh rugby fan does in holiday. That's right : I will be checking out the local zipwire attraction - keeping an eye on the competition, like - and missing Cymru v Baabaaas to do so.

French DJ Bob Sinclair is managing Ecuador

@dos13.bsky.social isn't it beautiful to see what we can achieve on the rare occasions that we actually work together?🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🤝🇨🇮

I would venture to say that Scotland should at least attempt dicking about on the ball in the opposition box, for once. But hey, what do I know?¯\_(ツ)_/¯

If Scotland sneak through to their first ever world cup ko round, off the back of being beneficiaries of this bullshit best 3rd placed format quirk, and despite having an inferior goal difference to this heroic, adversity afflicted Haitian team, then that will be an injustice and a utter disgrace.

Scotland need to stop dicking about in their own 22

Les Éléphants on course for a big upset here!🇮🇪🐘🐘

Every other journeyman in super rugby AU will be on the phone to his agents, asking how they too can get in on this Ospreys coin.

Never much rated him.

Lucky win for England there, if we're honest.

England are such a dreary team to watch. Croatia much more watchable, elegant.

It would be interesting to know how a certain cash-strapped franchise is suddenly capable of signing not one, but two Australian internationals. Let's hope that they aren't spending beyond their supposedly paltry means.

I don't want to labour the point because Bosnia knocked us out fair and square - albeit we did clearly outplay them over 210 minutes (anyway!) - but we'd already be 3-0 up against Canada. Fucking battering them we'd be.

It's these big European nights (afternoons) that we live for.

Craig Bellamy's Welsh side would have put 6 past that sorry South African outfit.

It is interesting how the chief characteristic that makes South Africa quite effective in rugby union - namely blunt, untechnical physicality, is also what makes them quite ineffective in football.

For this world cup, how about we all get behind 'les éléphants' of Côte d'Ivoire together? Wouldn't it be nice if we were all cheering for the same side for once, even if only for a while. 🇮🇪⚽

For what it's worth, I am with David Humphreys on this one. He has looked at a model which requires the IRFU to fund one of its 4 sides to a level where they have, by a considerable distance, the biggest squad budget in world rugby, to the detriment if the other 3, and he's gone 'Nah, fuck that.'

Irish rugby in free fall. 📉

'Aussie Captain'

To be clear, I'm talking about the 2027 Rugby World Cup, not the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Who is your dark horse for the world cup? Mine is Scotland. Frankly, I think they'll win it.

In tennis, how come the ball boy / girl gives the serving player 4 balls, with the player taking a moment to inspect each one, before getting rid of 2 and keeping 2. Why not just give the player 2 balls, the player takes them, no questions asked, & play on. ALL THE BALLS ARE FUCKING IDENTICAL MUN!

This is disgusting and Leinster have form for this kind of thing. #TunnelGate

5 new followers in less than 24 hours. That's basically viral on Bluesky an numbers that @ospreysofficial.bsky.social could only dream of.😎✌🏼

I'll tell what is utterly enthralling at the moment and has the entire sporting world on the edge of its seat : the finals phase of the URC.

Eamon O'Carroll is a very left field appointment by Llanelli. For all that he seems to be a very highly regarded coach, he doesn't seem to have a minute's experience in union, across either his playing or his coaching career. Let's hope that it's a stroke of genius.

Does anyone have an Ivory Coast flag I can borrow?

Nissa en Pro D2🔴⚫💪🏼🧨🧨

For you whose nation failed to qualify for the upcoming ⚽ world cup, are you going to adopt a team to support? OGC Nice's star striker, Elye Wahi, just single-handedly rescued the club from Ligue 1 relegation. As a show of gratitude, my son & I have decided to lend our support to Côte d'Ivoire. 🐘🐘🇮🇪