1) The Rugby World Cup is coming! England get things under way a week on Friday and it’s hardly going to be the gentle curtain-raiser for the hosts, as they come up against a 6ft 5in, 19st three-quarter who can run the 100m in around 11 seconds. Nemani Nadolo is rugby union’s answer to Gregor Clegane from Game of Thrones. He’s not exactly a one-season wonder, either. Here he is taking Super Rugby by storm in 2014 and here are his international highlights from the year before. He has a decent boot on him too, which feels a bit ridiculous really. England aren’t the only big team at risk of an upset from Fiji: Wales play them in Pool A too and have been stung by Nadolo before. Of course, if any team isn’t going to take Fiji lightly …
Fiji aren’t the only South Sea Islanders with form when it comes to upsets. France will be glad to have avoided a rematch with Tonga after last time out but while the Tongans are not going to upset New Zealand, Argentina might want to be wary of a side featuring a prop who – while perhaps past his best now – did this a few years ago. Still, at least Wales don’t have to play Samoa. Again. This time it’s Scotland’s turn.
2) You didn’t know you were into wheel gymnastics, did you? Well you are now. This second-placed effort and this sixth-placed finish from the 2013 world championships in Chicago are unusual enough, but this, the championship winning display, is surreal and brilliant.
3) That said, it’s not your new favourite sport. That goes to the Medieval Combat world championships, which we promise you are real and look like the most fun thing in the world. Presumably they provoke a lot of arguments over who gets to be House Lannister, though.
4) Over in the world of American football, the Ohio State wide receiver Braxton Miller lit up college football with a stunning 53-yard touchdown. Far less edifying is this high-school incident in which the referee appears to be deliberately targeted by two players. The pair have been suspended both from the team and the school.
5) Team GB snowboarder Jamie Nicholls pulls some gnarly tricks … in a car park in Hemel Hempstead.
6) A goal of the week contender from Nottingham Forest Under-18s striker Virgil Gomis and an own goal of the week contender from 1860 Munich II.
Our favourites from last week’s blog
1) Do not look down.
2) Nick Kyrgios, “bad boy” du sporting jour, is also pretty nifty with a tennis racket, it turns out. Or perhaps not. At least Coco Vandeweghe meant to lose hers.
4) Speaking of people getting beaten up, BlackCaesar had a very nice post below the line on the rivalry between Micky Ward and the late Arturo Gatti. Their first fight in 2002 was about as brutal as they come: fight II and fight III were barely less intense, too. Still, neither fighter compares to George Foreman who, in 1974, fought four men in one night.
6) The poor tree.
Spotters’ badges: JTCD3491, Foxxxo, GrahamClayton, BlackCaeser, chestnut52, TheCedarRoom
Guardian YouTube football channel
Do subscribe, if you fancy. You’ll find goodies such as this …
And the Guardian YouTube sport channel
Do subscribe, if you fancy. Where you’ll also find such things as …
