February 3, 2026

United Rugby Championship Predictions for Delayed Games

Team Ratings for Delayed Games

The basic method is described on my Department home page.
Here are the team ratings prior to this week’s games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.

Current Rating Rating at Season Start Difference
Leinster 9.88 13.41 -3.50
Glasgow 8.15 6.18 2.00
Bulls 7.54 8.86 -1.30
Stormers 6.72 4.17 2.60
Munster 2.43 3.65 -1.20
Edinburgh 1.93 2.67 -0.70
Ulster 1.14 -3.24 4.40
Sharks 0.65 1.29 -0.60
Lions -0.93 -1.19 0.30
Connacht -1.71 -1.39 -0.30
Scarlets -2.53 -0.54 -2.00
Cardiff Rugby -2.73 -2.74 0.00
Ospreys -2.99 -2.15 -0.80
Benetton -5.21 -2.32 -2.90
Dragons -9.74 -15.66 5.90
Zebre -12.61 -11.02 -1.60

 

Performance So Far

So far there have been 84 matches played, 56 of which were correctly predicted, a success rate of 66.7%.
Here are the predictions for last week’s games.

Game Date Score Prediction Correct
1 Benetton vs. Scarlets Jan 31 20 – 20 5.50 FALSE
2 Glasgow vs. Munster Jan 31 31 – 22 13.80 TRUE
3 Lions vs. Bulls Feb 01 17 – 52 -3.60 TRUE
4 Sharks vs. Stormers Feb 01 36 – 24 -6.00 FALSE
5 Zebre vs. Connacht Feb 01 15 – 31 -2.30 TRUE
6 Leinster vs. Edinburgh Feb 01 28 – 20 16.00 TRUE
7 Ospreys vs. Dragons Feb 01 19 – 13 9.50 TRUE
8 Ulster vs. Cardiff Rugby Feb 01 21 – 14 12.00 TRUE

 

Predictions for Delayed Games

Here are the predictions for Delayed Games. The prediction is my estimated expected points difference with a positive margin being a win to the home team, and a negative margin a win to the away team.

Game Date Winner Prediction
1 Lions vs. Sharks Feb 22 Lions 0.40

 

Top 14 Predictions for Round 17

Team Ratings for Round 17

The basic method is described on my Department home page.
Here are the team ratings prior to this week’s games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.

Current Rating Rating at Season Start Difference
Stade Toulousain 14.35 11.56 2.80
Bordeaux Begles 5.22 4.78 0.40
Montpellier 3.59 -0.21 3.80
Section Paloise 3.58 2.21 1.40
Clermont 2.91 1.88 1.00
Stade Rochelais 2.73 1.22 1.50
Stade Francais 1.41 -2.17 3.60
Toulon 0.96 3.49 -2.50
Racing 92 0.56 1.88 -1.30
Castres Olympique 0.40 0.59 -0.20
Lyon -0.03 -0.45 0.40
Bayonne -1.65 1.48 -3.10
USA Perpignan -5.24 -3.37 -1.90
Montauban -15.89 -10.00 -5.90

 

Performance So Far

So far there have been 112 matches played, 91 of which were correctly predicted, a success rate of 81.2%.
Here are the predictions for last week’s games.

Game Date Score Prediction Correct
1 Castres Olympique vs. Clermont Feb 01 28 – 23 3.80 TRUE
2 Montauban vs. Bordeaux Begles Feb 01 16 – 31 -14.60 TRUE
3 Montpellier vs. Stade Francais Feb 01 44 – 7 6.80 TRUE
4 Racing 92 vs. USA Perpignan Feb 01 37 – 31 13.20 TRUE
5 Stade Rochelais vs. Lyon Feb 01 24 – 44 11.10 FALSE
6 Stade Toulousain vs. Bayonne Feb 01 31 – 10 22.70 TRUE
7 Section Paloise vs. Toulon Feb 02 32 – 12 8.30 TRUE

 

Predictions for Round 17

Here are the predictions for Round 17. The prediction is my estimated expected points difference with a positive margin being a win to the home team, and a negative margin a win to the away team.

Game Date Winner Prediction
1 Bordeaux Begles vs. Castres Olympique Feb 15 Bordeaux Begles 11.30
2 Bayonne vs. Racing 92 Feb 15 Bayonne 4.30
3 Lyon vs. Montauban Feb 15 Lyon 22.40
4 Stade Rochelais vs. Montpellier Feb 15 Stade Rochelais 5.60
5 USA Perpignan vs. Section Paloise Feb 15 Section Paloise -2.30
6 Toulon vs. Clermont Feb 15 Toulon 4.50
7 Stade Francais vs. Stade Toulousain Feb 16 Stade Toulousain -6.40

 

January 29, 2026

NFL Predictions for the Super Bowl

Team Ratings for the Super Bowl

The basic method is described on my Department home page.
Here are the team ratings prior to this week’s games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.

Current Rating Rating at Season Start Difference
Seahawks 11.49 1.60 9.90
Patriots 9.73 -6.88 16.60
Rams 6.65 3.32 3.30
Lions 5.54 9.26 -3.70
Texans 5.51 0.65 4.90
Bills 5.10 8.28 -3.20
Jaguars 4.42 -6.28 10.70
Broncos 4.05 3.65 0.40
Vikings 3.09 2.67 0.40
Ravens 2.84 11.27 -8.40
Packers 2.06 5.92 -3.90
Bears 1.41 -3.03 4.40
Chargers 0.96 2.67 -1.70
Eagles 0.79 12.46 -11.70
49ers 0.61 -3.05 3.70
Bengals 0.48 3.45 -3.00
Steelers -0.75 -0.33 -0.40
Colts -1.15 -5.52 4.40
Falcons -1.19 -3.22 2.00
Chiefs -1.92 3.00 -4.90
Browns -2.14 -9.54 7.40
Giants -2.18 -7.54 5.40
Saints -2.73 -5.63 2.90
Cowboys -4.12 -3.23 -0.90
Dolphins -4.39 0.72 -5.10
Buccaneers -4.55 3.86 -8.40
Panthers -4.81 -7.28 2.50
Commanders -5.09 2.74 -7.80
Raiders -6.18 -5.45 -0.70
Cardinals -7.86 0.58 -8.40
Titans -9.33 -9.40 0.10
Jets -10.49 -3.87 -6.60

 

Performance So Far

So far there have been 284 matches played, 172 of which were correctly predicted, a success rate of 60.6%.
Here are the predictions for last week’s games.

Game Date Score Prediction Correct
1 Broncos vs. Patriots Jan 26 7 – 10 -5.30 TRUE
2 Seahawks vs. Rams Jan 26 31 – 27 6.50 TRUE

 

Predictions for the Super Bowl

Here are the predictions for the Super Bowl. The prediction is my estimated expected points difference with a positive margin being a win to the home team, and a negative margin a win to the away team.

Game Date Winner Prediction
1 Patriots vs. Seahawks Feb 09 Seahawks -1.80

 

United Rugby Championship Predictions for Week 11

Team Ratings for Week 11

The basic method is described on my Department home page.
Here are the team ratings prior to this week’s games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.

Current Rating Rating at Season Start Difference
Leinster 10.41 13.41 -3.00
Glasgow 8.68 6.18 2.50
Stormers 7.68 4.17 3.50
Bulls 6.08 8.86 -2.80
Munster 1.90 3.65 -1.80
Ulster 1.68 -3.24 4.90
Edinburgh 1.41 2.67 -1.30
Lions 0.53 -1.19 1.70
Sharks -0.31 1.29 -1.60
Connacht -2.49 -1.39 -1.10
Ospreys -2.60 -2.15 -0.50
Scarlets -3.14 -0.54 -2.60
Cardiff Rugby -3.27 -2.74 -0.50
Benetton -4.60 -2.32 -2.30
Dragons -10.13 -15.66 5.50
Zebre -11.83 -11.02 -0.80

 

Performance So Far

So far there have been 76 matches played, 50 of which were correctly predicted, a success rate of 65.8%.
Here are the predictions for last week’s games.

Game Date Score Prediction Correct
1 Edinburgh vs. Bulls Jan 24 17 – 19 3.60 FALSE
2 Munster vs. Dragons Jan 24 22 – 20 21.00 TRUE
3 Ospreys vs. Lions Jan 24 24 – 24 5.00 FALSE
4 Scarlets vs. Ulster Jan 25 27 – 22 1.40 TRUE
5 Connacht vs. Leinster Jan 25 23 – 34 -10.90 TRUE
6 Stormers vs. Sharks Jan 25 19 – 30 12.30 FALSE
7 Cardiff Rugby vs. Benetton Jan 25 17 – 8 8.10 TRUE
8 Zebre vs. Glasgow Jan 25 21 – 26 -14.70 TRUE

 

Predictions for Week 11

Here are the predictions for Week 11. The prediction is my estimated expected points difference with a positive margin being a win to the home team, and a negative margin a win to the away team.

Game Date Winner Prediction
1 Benetton vs. Scarlets Jan 31 Benetton 5.50
2 Glasgow vs. Munster Jan 31 Glasgow 13.80
3 Lions vs. Bulls Feb 01 Bulls -3.60
4 Sharks vs. Stormers Feb 01 Stormers -6.00
5 Zebre vs. Connacht Feb 01 Connacht -2.30
6 Leinster vs. Edinburgh Feb 01 Leinster 16.00
7 Ospreys vs. Dragons Feb 01 Ospreys 9.50
8 Ulster vs. Cardiff Rugby Feb 01 Ulster 12.00

 

Top 14 Predictions for Round 16

Team Ratings for Round 16

The basic method is described on my Department home page.
Here are the team ratings prior to this week’s games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.

Current Rating Rating at Season Start Difference
Stade Toulousain 14.45 11.56 2.90
Bordeaux Begles 5.19 4.78 0.40
Stade Rochelais 3.67 1.22 2.50
Section Paloise 3.15 2.21 0.90
Clermont 2.98 1.88 1.10
Montpellier 2.67 -0.21 2.90
Stade Francais 2.32 -2.17 4.50
Toulon 1.39 3.49 -2.10
Racing 92 0.99 1.88 -0.90
Castres Olympique 0.33 0.59 -0.30
Lyon -0.97 -0.45 -0.50
Bayonne -1.75 1.48 -3.20
USA Perpignan -5.67 -3.37 -2.30
Montauban -15.86 -10.00 -5.90

 

Performance So Far

So far there have been 105 matches played, 85 of which were correctly predicted, a success rate of 81%.
Here are the predictions for last week’s games.

Game Date Score Prediction Correct
1 Bayonne vs. Castres Olympique Jan 25 10 – 13 5.40 FALSE
2 Bordeaux Begles vs. Stade Francais Jan 25 28 – 33 10.40 FALSE
3 Racing 92 vs. Lyon Jan 25 35 – 34 9.50 TRUE
4 Stade Toulousain vs. Section Paloise Jan 25 59 – 22 16.50 TRUE
5 Toulon vs. Montpellier Jan 25 30 – 27 5.50 TRUE
6 USA Perpignan vs. Montauban Jan 25 31 – 8 15.80 TRUE
7 Clermont vs. Stade Rochelais Jan 26 32 – 27 5.90 TRUE

 

Predictions for Round 16

Here are the predictions for Round 16. The prediction is my estimated expected points difference with a positive margin being a win to the home team, and a negative margin a win to the away team.

Game Date Winner Prediction
1 Castres Olympique vs. Clermont Feb 01 Castres Olympique 3.80
2 Montauban vs. Bordeaux Begles Feb 01 Bordeaux Begles -14.60
3 Montpellier vs. Stade Francais Feb 01 Montpellier 6.80
4 Racing 92 vs. USA Perpignan Feb 01 Racing 92 13.20
5 Stade Rochelais vs. Lyon Feb 01 Stade Rochelais 11.10
6 Stade Toulousain vs. Bayonne Feb 01 Stade Toulousain 22.70
7 Section Paloise vs. Toulon Feb 02 Section Paloise 8.30

 

Rugby Premiership Predictions for Round 11

Team Ratings for Round 11

The basic method is described on my Department home page.
Here are the team ratings prior to this week’s games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.

Current Rating Rating at Season Start Difference
Bath 9.85 10.30 -0.40
Saracens 8.47 5.03 3.40
Northampton Saints 7.08 -1.47 8.50
Leicester Tigers 6.53 5.55 1.00
Bristol 4.92 3.66 1.30
Exeter Chiefs 3.68 -4.58 8.30
Sale Sharks 2.99 6.70 -3.70
Gloucester -4.03 4.13 -8.20
Harlequins -10.03 -3.02 -7.00
Newcastle Red Bulls -21.61 -18.45 -3.20

 

Performance So Far

So far there have been 50 matches played, 37 of which were correctly predicted, a success rate of 74%.
Here are the predictions for last week’s games.

Game Date Score Prediction Correct
1 Exeter Chiefs vs. Bristol Jan 25 3 – 8 7.70 FALSE
2 Gloucester vs. Bath Jan 25 26 – 30 -7.60 TRUE
3 Harlequins vs. Leicester Tigers Jan 25 7 – 36 -6.20 TRUE
4 Sale Sharks vs. Northampton Saints Jan 25 29 – 43 5.90 FALSE
5 Saracens vs. Newcastle Red Bulls Jan 25 73 – 14 33.40 TRUE

 

Predictions for Round 11

Here are the predictions for Round 11. The prediction is my estimated expected points difference with a positive margin being a win to the home team, and a negative margin a win to the away team.

Game Date Winner Prediction
1 Bath vs. Saracens Mar 21 Bath 8.40
2 Exeter Chiefs vs. Sale Sharks Mar 22 Exeter Chiefs 7.70
3 Harlequins vs. Gloucester Mar 22 Harlequins 1.00
4 Northampton Saints vs. Newcastle Red Bulls Mar 22 Northampton Saints 35.70
5 Leicester Tigers vs. Bristol Mar 23 Leicester Tigers 8.60

 

January 26, 2026

Briefly

  • From the BBC “Vitamin D deficiency linked to hospital admissions”. This is from a large British study correlating vitamin D levels in the blood with hospital admissions for respiratory infections. You might say “Someone ought to do a clinical trial to see if giving people vitamin D reduces infections or if  it’s just correlation”. Someone has, here in NZ. Also, if you combine all the trials on this question you get an estimate of somewhere between a 10% reduction and a 4% increase. It’s still possible that it works in people with especially low vitamin D or something, but across a range of diseases randomised clinical trials of vitamin D have been robustly disappointing in comparison to correlational studies.
  • From Derek Lowe, a post on extremely bad clinical trial conduct. This isn’t fraud by Big Pharma — if it counts as fraud, Big Pharma is a victim (along with some, but possibly not all, of the trial participants)
  • “A very detailed map of Trump’s job approval” from Strength In Numbers (click to embiggen). “The basic idea is that we fit a model predicting approval based on demographics and geography, then use Census data to weight those predictions by the actual population composition of each area. Election results are used to calibrate estimates to sensible baselines, so we have a real-world check against our survey data. It lets us produce reliable estimates even for places where we only have a handful of direct survey respondents.”
  • From the Guardian, Australian supermarket online prices per each can be very different from the in-store per-kg prices. Most dramatically, green capsicums were allegedly 50% more expensive per each.
  • Bogus polls show increases in church attendance by young adults: Pew Research

It’s cold out there

Right now, it is very cold in the central and eastern United States.  Minneapolis has been in the news (for this as well as the bad sort of ice), but it’s not just there. The Mayor of New York has warned locals about a major snowstorm (and suggested it would be a good time to stay home and borrow the e-book or audiobook of  Heated Rivalry from the city libraries). There’s freezing weather in parts of Texas that are really not built to handle it.

Various people, as usual, have said the cold weather refutes global warming.

As you all know, the issue with global warming  is that it’s global (there’s a hint in the name) rather than local.  I always recommend looking at global temperature patterns.  Here’s the global temperature anomaly, from Climate Reanalyzer, at the University of Maine

The map is based on today’s weather forecast around the world, averaged over 24 hours and compared to the average for the same day of the year from 1979 to 2000.  As you can see, it’s unusually cold in the USA. It’s also unusually cold in a band across Asia. On the other hand, it’s unusually warm in Greenland and the far north of North America and in Siberia.

This image shows a view around the north pole

You can see here the problem is that the cold that belongs up in the Arctic has slipped down over Asia and North America.  There isn’t extra cold in the world, it’s just in unusual places.  This sort of unusual movement of north polar air is perfectly consistent with global warming models.

January 20, 2026

NFL Predictions for the Conference Final

Team Ratings for the Conference Finals

The basic method is described on my Department home page.
Here are the team ratings prior to this week’s games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.

Current Rating Rating at Season Start Difference
Seahawks 11.84 1.60 10.20
Patriots 10.06 -6.88 16.90
Rams 6.30 3.32 3.00
Lions 5.54 9.26 -3.70
Texans 5.51 0.65 4.90
Bills 5.10 8.28 -3.20
Jaguars 4.42 -6.28 10.70
Broncos 3.72 3.65 0.10
Vikings 3.09 2.67 0.40
Ravens 2.84 11.27 -8.40
Packers 2.06 5.92 -3.90
Bears 1.41 -3.03 4.40
Chargers 0.96 2.67 -1.70
Eagles 0.79 12.46 -11.70
49ers 0.61 -3.05 3.70
Bengals 0.48 3.45 -3.00
Steelers -0.75 -0.33 -0.40
Colts -1.15 -5.52 4.40
Falcons -1.19 -3.22 2.00
Chiefs -1.92 3.00 -4.90
Browns -2.14 -9.54 7.40
Giants -2.18 -7.54 5.40
Saints -2.73 -5.63 2.90
Cowboys -4.12 -3.23 -0.90
Dolphins -4.39 0.72 -5.10
Buccaneers -4.55 3.86 -8.40
Panthers -4.81 -7.28 2.50
Commanders -5.09 2.74 -7.80
Raiders -6.18 -5.45 -0.70
Cardinals -7.86 0.58 -8.40
Titans -9.33 -9.40 0.10
Jets -10.49 -3.87 -6.60

 

Performance So Far

So far there have been 282 matches played, 170 of which were correctly predicted, a success rate of 60.3%.
Here are the predictions for last week’s games.

Game Date Score Prediction Correct
1 Broncos vs. Bills Jan 18 33 – 30 -1.70 FALSE
2 Seahawks vs. 49ers Jan 18 41 – 6 7.60 TRUE
3 Bears vs. Rams Jan 19 17 – 20 -4.20 TRUE
4 Patriots vs. Texans Jan 19 28 – 16 3.00 TRUE

 

Predictions for the Conference Finals

Here are the predictions for the Conference Finals. The prediction is my estimated expected points difference with a positive margin being a win to the home team, and a negative margin a win to the away team.

Game Date Winner Prediction
1 Broncos vs. Patriots Jan 19 Patriots -5.30
2 Seahawks vs. Rams Jan 19 Seahawks 6.50

 

January 13, 2026

NFL Predictions for the Divisional Finals

Team Ratings for the Divisional Finals

The basic method is described on my Department home page.
Here are the team ratings prior to this week’s games, along with the ratings at the start of the season.

Current Rating Rating at Season Start Difference
Seahawks 9.51 1.60 7.90
Patriots 8.80 -6.88 15.70
Texans 6.76 0.65 6.10
Rams 6.47 3.32 3.20
Bills 5.76 8.28 -2.50
Lions 5.54 9.26 -3.70
Jaguars 4.42 -6.28 10.70
Vikings 3.09 2.67 0.40
Broncos 3.07 3.65 -0.60
49ers 2.95 -3.05 6.00
Ravens 2.84 11.27 -8.40
Packers 2.06 5.92 -3.90
Bears 1.24 -3.03 4.30
Chargers 0.96 2.67 -1.70
Eagles 0.79 12.46 -11.70
Bengals 0.48 3.45 -3.00
Steelers -0.75 -0.33 -0.40
Colts -1.15 -5.52 4.40
Falcons -1.19 -3.22 2.00
Chiefs -1.92 3.00 -4.90
Browns -2.14 -9.54 7.40
Giants -2.18 -7.54 5.40
Saints -2.73 -5.63 2.90
Cowboys -4.12 -3.23 -0.90
Dolphins -4.39 0.72 -5.10
Buccaneers -4.55 3.86 -8.40
Panthers -4.81 -7.28 2.50
Commanders -5.09 2.74 -7.80
Raiders -6.18 -5.45 -0.70
Cardinals -7.86 0.58 -8.40
Titans -9.33 -9.40 0.10
Jets -10.49 -3.87 -6.60

 

Performance So Far

So far there have been 278 matches played, 167 of which were correctly predicted, a success rate of 60.1%.
Here are the predictions for last week’s games.

Game Date Score Prediction Correct
1 Panthers vs. Rams Jan 11 31 – 34 -13.10 TRUE
2 Bears vs. Packers Jan 11 31 – 27 -1.30 FALSE
3 Jaguars vs. Bills Jan 12 24 – 27 0.70 FALSE
4 Eagles vs. 49ers Jan 12 19 – 23 -0.10 TRUE
5 Patriots vs. Chargers Jan 12 16 – 3 7.20 TRUE
6 Steelers vs. Texans Jan 13 6 – 30 -2.70 TRUE

 

Predictions for the Divisional Finals

Here are the predictions for the Divisional Finals. The prediction is my estimated expected points difference with a positive margin being a win to the home team, and a negative margin a win to the away team.

Game Date Winner Prediction
1 Broncos vs. Bills Jan 18 Bills -1.70
2 Seahawks vs. 49ers Jan 18 Seahawks 7.60
3 Bears vs. Rams Jan 19 Rams -4.20
4 Patriots vs. Texans Jan 19 Patriots 3.00