Last Friday a few men, (and possibly an odd women), made it to the summit of the Predictions League. This was not as simple as it first seemed as they faced overwhelming odds in the final assault against an absolute blizzard of spin from the UR publicity machine, telling them how daft they were to even contemplate defeat of the mighty Ulster peak.
Even as preparations began way back in June for the climb up the League, the hardy summiteers were facing indomitable obstacles. UR had in place a new team, new faces, new backroom staff , new director of operations, old weaknesses eliminated and a new spirit of unity that would restore Fortress UR’s once fearsome reputation.
Yet during trial runs in August cracks in the UR facade had appeared over the course of ten days as the teams prepared for their assault in the first week of the League. Even so the face of the UR mountain known as Mont Williams was still spinning out swirling mantles of warm and inviting air luring the unwary and urging caution against false optimism that anyone could surmount the odds and predict an Ulster defeat.
Just last Thursday, one day before the Prediction League assault began, the Dawson face was warning hardy league climbers that the UR mountain was one of such unity and commitment to the red hand that to surmount such obstacles, as to predict defeat, would be well nigh impossible.
Still on Friday evening the weather situation changed and the few men and possibly women who survived the preceding week on the treacherous slopes of the UR publicity machine and bravely predicted defeat for UR, survived at the summit for one week at least.
Next week it is the Cardiff peak and an altogether different challenge for those hopeful of clinging unto their position at the summit of the league. They will face treacherous slopes covered in the icy blast of Mont Williams wind as he will predict that visiting Cardiff will be about performance. Mont Williams will point to the much vaunted Leinster team and how they failed to scale the Cardiff peak a week ago. He will deny anyone has a chance of winning there. For the eccentric or fearless however they will spot that the Cardiff peak will have been visited 3 times in a week and that its challenge to the unfancied visitors this Friday will be somewhat diluted. Predictions of defeat for the Cardiff peak will be unfancied as well. If you’re shrewd, looking to upset the odds and stay at the top of the FRU Predictions League you will surely put your money and mouth on the hardy few predicting defeat for Cardiff.
As for me, I lie somewhere between the summit and base camp on the Predictions League mountain and hope to maintain my steady but unspectacular progress towards the top over the next few weeks. I have deliberately chosen a name beginning in ‘B’ so that if there a host of us summiteers all vying for the same position I will get the nod alphabetically so to speak.
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