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Subscribe to RSS FeedOct 20 - which side is the date backing?
Twisted Shout: Believe it or not, this London thoroughfare is backing the Boks
Well, the bookies advised us against it, but we've decided to risk life and limb and just go got it - and we're doing it just for you, gentle reader.
Last week, as you may recall, we had a trawl through the history books to see whether the semi-final dates favoured any one side over the other.
Well, after stunning even ourselves with the accuracy of last weekend's calculations*, we've decide to put our crack team of analysts to work on divining the winner of Saturday's Rugby World Cup Final!
So, will October 20 favour England over South Africa, or will the many ghosts of that date smile on the Boks?
Straighten those bow-ties and get the safety glasses on - we're about to delve into the brave new world of stato-scientific historical divination...
* A success rate of 50 per cent can, in some instances, be defined as 'stunning'. This is one of them.
OCTOBER 20 - ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY...
Year: 1632
Event: Sir Christopher Wren, designer, astronomer, geometer and the greatest architect of his age, is born in Wiltshire, England.
Omen: Why design 53 London churches if you can't ring out the bells in celebration?
Verdict: Gather all ye campanologists - the conquering heroes are returning from the fields of France! ENGLAND
Year: 1803
Event: The United States Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase.
Omen: The collapse of European empire?
Verdict: England feeling small. SOUTH AFRICA
Year: 1822
Event: English lawyer and author Thomas Hughes is born in Uffington, England.
Omen: Hughes's most famous novel is 'Tom Brown's School Days', a semi-autobiographical work set at Rugby School, which Hughes had attended.
Verdict: This one is almost relevant! William Webb Ellis's little gold pot is heading home! ENGLAND
Year: 1827
Event: The Battle of Navarino takes place, with British, French, and Russian naval forces taking on and destroying a combined Turkish and Egyptian armada, thereby ending the Greek Liberation War and affirming the independence of modern Greece.
Omen: Bravo brave Brits!
Verdict: England sail on to victory. ENGLAND
Year: 1882
Event: Béla Lugosi, actor best known for his portrayal of Count Dracula, is born in Lugos, Hungary. He also starred in such films as 'Plan 9 from Outer Space', 'Son of Frankenstein', 'Bride of Frankenstein' and 'White Zombies'.
Omen: 'White Zombies'? Is that not the South African media's view of England's forwards?
Verdict: Boks get spooked. ENGLAND
Year: 1910
Event: The RMS Olympic is launched from the Harland and Wolff shipyard in Belfast, Ireland. Unlike her ill-fated sister-ship, the RMS Titanic, 'Old Reliable' went on to serve a long and fruitful life. Even a German torpedo attack failed to do her in. In fact, her crew didn't even notice - only clocking the near-miss months later when a large dent was found under the liner's waterline.
Omen: 'Old Reliable', hey? England's XV for Saturday boasts a total of 609 Test appearances, South Africa will field a massive 668 caps.
Verdict: Old hands guide Boks to victory. SOUTH AFRICA
Year: 1938
Event: Iain MacMillan, the British photographer best known for capturing the image that appears on the cover of The Beatles' Abbey Road album, is born in Carnoustie, Scotland.
Omen: Beatles on a zebra crossing? You can almost hear the African drums!
Verdict: Boks end magical mystery tour on a high. SOUTH AFRICA
Year: 1944
Event: US General Douglas MacArthur fulfills his promise to return to the Philippines when he commands an Allied assault on the islands, reclaiming them from the Japanese during the Second World War.
Omen: A triumphant return for a battle-hardened veteran?
Verdict: England's oldies celebrate back-to-back wins! ENGLAND
Year: 1955
Event: 'The Return of the King', the third and final volume of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy, is published.
Omen: A happy conclusion for England's artistically gifted South African-born celebrity?
Verdict: Matt Stevens sings whilst he wins! ENGLAND
Year: 1967
Event: Roger Patterson and Robert Gimlin capture a purported 'sasquatch' or 'bigfoot' on film in Bluff Creek, California.
Omen: No apparent neck? A pronounced brow ridge? A large, low-set forehead?
Verdict: Tricky - forwards from both sides could easily claim kinship. DRAW
Year: 1966
Event: South African cricketer Allan Anthony Donald is born in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
Omen: England done for pace - again?
Verdict: What ya reckon? SOUTH AFRICA
Year: 1968
Event: Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy marries Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis.
Omen: Untold riches arriving just under five years after it all went so tragically wrong?
Verdict: Memories of 'Kamp Staaldraad' are lost and gone forever! SOUTH AFRICA
Year: 1972
Event: England rugby player William John Heaton Greenwood MBE (Will to his mates) is born in Blackburn, England.
Omen: He's a World Cup winner, he's English and he'll be in attendance on Saturday.
Verdict: Shaggy celebrates in style! ENGLAND
Year: 1977
Event: A plane carrying rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd crashes in Mississippi killing six, including lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and backup singer Cassie Gaines.
Omen: Sweet home Alabama? Where the skies are so blue? I'm coming home to you? Okay, neither side will be returning to Dixie, but the skies of home will be blue over only one set of heads.
Verdict: The sun shines on the Boks. SOUTH AFRICA
Year: 2004
Event: Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is sworn in as the president of Indonesia.
Omen: 'Susilo' is derived from 'Susila' which means 'well-behaved' in Sanskrit. Just one Englishman has visited the sin-bin in France, the Boks have three yellows to their name.
Verdict: To the righteous go the spoils. ENGLAND
FINAL RESULT: SOUTH AFRICA 6 ENGLAND 8
So there we have it! England will be the first side to successfully defend the Webb Ellis trophy! Who would have thought it?
So, that frees up Saturday evening - anyone fancy a spot of late-night campanology at St. Paul's Cathedral?
Wierd science conducted by Andy Jackson
