Great “Try Gol” Weekend

We have a very busy weekend a head of us and I couldn’t be more excited. I may be a bit worn out when its all said and done, which will be weird because its not like I’m doing anything except watch TV almost non-stop.

So let’s break everything down, starting tonight:

Rugby: IRB New Zealand Sevens-Day 2
Day 2 kicks off tonight (or very early tomorrow depending on where you live) and the USA Eagles are in the Bowl Quarterfinals. They will take on France. I’m fairly confident our boys will get a victory. Frankly France is playing like shit at the moment and we defeated them in South Africa back in December, which at the time seemed like an upset. I’m going to predict the Eagles make it to the Bowl Finals before losing. I hope I’m wrong but they always seem to stumble a bit on Day 2 of any given 7’s tournament. I’m picking Fiji or New Zealand to win it all as both squads seem pretty unstoppable at the moment.

Live coverage in the United States will begin at 12:30 am Eastern on Setanta Sports. I will attempt to “Live Blog” the matches tonight, although I make no promises that I will be able to stay up until 4am. I’m a 32 year old trapped in a 72 year old body.

Rugby: 6 Nations-Saturday
The 2008 RBS 6 Nations begins tomorrow around 9am Eastern with Ireland hosting Italy. Ireland should easily defeat Italy as I feel the other squads will defeat Italy easily as well. I could be wrong though, it’s not like Ireland had a stellar performance at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The match will air in the U.S. on Setanta Sports at 11:30 pm ET on Sunday, which basically means I will probably flip back and forth between the match and UFC 81. UFC takes priority here because I’m paying for that.

Wales travels to Twickenham to take on England at 11:30 am Eastern. I’m going to have to avoid spoilers until Sunday when the match airs on Setanta at 3pm ET. I’m really looking forward to this match. I feel Wales is much improved and England is considered by most to be the favorites to win the 6 Nations this year. Last year, Wales gained their only victory over England but I don’t see that happening this year. Look for England to win a close one.

UFC 81-Live on Pay Per View
I caught shit via email the last time I mentioned the Ultimate Fighting Championship on this “rugby & soccer” blog. Being of a libertarian mind, all that did was motivate me to plug it again. I love the UFC and I’m really looking forward to the Pay Per View on Saturday night. Former WWE superstar Brock Lesnar makes his UFC debut as he takes on former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir. I’m a Brock Lesnar fan and make no apologies for it. He’s a legit fighter and I feel he will destroy Frank Mir in the 1st round. I hope I’m right, I’m going to feel good gloating. Its funny because if you look at the forums, everyone seems to be talking shit about how Mir will defeat the “fake” wrestler, yet in all the polls I’ve seen, Brock is a heavy favorite to win. Perhaps some people are shit talking on the forums just to talk shit? Who knows. Tim Sylvia is taking on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. I hate Tim Sylvia and couldn’t give a fuck less about this bout. Here’s hoping Nog ends it early and wins the Interim Heavyweight Title. The other bout I’m looking forward to is Jeremy Horn vs Nate Marquardt. I like both fighters but I’m going to place my bet on Jeremy Horn as that guy has some sick submissions. UFC 81 airs on PPV in the U.S. at 10pm Eastern.

Soccer (or “Football”): Fulham vs Aston Villa
On paper it would seem that Aston Villa should be the clear cut favorites to take all 3 points at the Cottage. They are currently sitting 5th in the table and with the way Liverpool has been performing, it’s possible that by the end of the season, you could see Villa finish in the Top 4, which would be huge for that club.

Fulham needs a victory, bottomline. A couple days ago I stated that we need draws away and victories at home if we are to avoid relegation. So, the boys must step up and secure a victory this weekend. I have no idea what Roy Hodgson plans on doing this Sunday, however if I were to give him some advice, I would make Eddie Johnson available to come off the bench. I wouldn’t start him at this point because I feel Eddie probabl lacks fitness. However, I do believe our favorite “Grown Ass Man” could provide the second half spark we currently lack. In order to avoid relegation we must be able to finish off matches. I’m going to say Fulham pulls off the “upset” and takes 3 points at home. Let’s go with 1-0 and once again, I’m going to pick Jimmy Bullard to score our goal. I’ll probably pick Jimmy to score in every match until he actually scores. I just really want to see the guy complete his comeback. The match will air Live at 11am on Fox Soccer Channel.

Football (or “Football”): Super Bowl XLII-Patriots vs Giants
Yes I love American Football just as much as I love rugby, soccer or mixed martial arts. But for the first time in my life, I couldn’t give a shit less about the Super Bowl. I hate the Patriots (even though you did give my Fighting Irish Charlie Weiss, thanks!) and hate the New York Giants even more. I honestly couldn’t give a rats ass about this game and I’m not entirely sure if I’ll watch it or not. I am looking forward to tuning in to Spike TV during halftime to watch the latest Major League Eating (MLE) competition. I think I missed my calling. I could have been the Hot Wings champion or something. Not sure what those athletes will be chowing down but I do know it sickens my wife, so that is entertainment in of itself. Back to the Super Bowl, I’m predicting Patriots-31 Giants-10 and Jason-bored.

Rugby-RBS 6 Nations-Sunday
Scotland vs France will kick off at Murrayfield at 10am Sunday and will air in the U.S. at 11pm Sunday night on Setanta. France should win but don’t count out Scotland at home. I see something like 24-13, with the first half being really close and France pulling away in the second.

So there you have it. Another kick ass, sports filled weekend for yours truly. Remember, I will attempt to “live blog” Day 2 of the IRB New Zealand Sevens tournament tonight, starting at 12:30 am.