How pleasing was it to arrive in Bridgnorth stress free after a straightforward journey. For a Monday the motorway network was quiet. I guess with the work from home epidemic in full swing, especially amongst the civil servants who our taxes pay for, Monday’s are the obvious choice, along with Friday. Those little gadgets that you attach to your pc which makes it look as if you are working, even if you are sunning yourself in the garden, being put to good use me thinks. No, I haven’t made that up. I’ve seen them with my own eyes. In the case of many civil servants, they continue to claim London allowances when they are working in leafy Sussex and way beyond. It is a farce.

Bleater, this is a rugby website. Where is the rugby news? Ok, Ok. Sadly Hove failed to progress to the final of the South Community Cup. They lost to Midsomer Norton who now go on to face Old Elthamians in said final. On a brighter note for Hove they still have the Bob Roger’s Cup to battle for. They play our good friends Heathfield & Waldron on May 30th, kick off 14:00 at Haywards Heath. Me and Mrs Bleater will be there. Guests of Sussex Rugby no less.

Bath were put in their place by Exeter on Sunday.The Chiefs looked back to their best, whereas Bath looked like a team with a Champions Cup hangover, albeit many of the starters in that Final didn’t start on Sunday. Andy has been in touch saying not only was it a good game, but also what a fine performance by Karl Dickson with the whistle. I totally agree. He got the big decisions right, and on several occasions put the TMO back in his box when TMO intervention was not required.

Will Exeter make the pay-offs now. That is a tough call. Looking at the fixtures maybe not. Quins at Twickenham, Leicester away and then Saracens at home. Whatever happens they can look forward to next season with a high degree of confidence as the new investment has been confirmed. As we have seen with Newcastle it won’t transform their fortunes overnight but the money certainly makes planning easier. Newcastle are still the whipping boys despite the sponsorship from that horrible, litter causing brand. Hammered by Harlequins.

What was interesting on Sunday was the pre-match interview with Robert Kitson. He said it was good that Exeter and others were getting new investment. The caveat however was the levels of debt the clubs have is still troubling, and more importantly if investment is not across the entire league we will see bigger and bigger disparities in squads, and therefore results. I can’t recall whether it was Kitson who said it but there was also a quip about the players immediately putting in for pay rises on hearing the news. That would be a terrible outcome. It would make matters worse not better. The money needs to spent on facilities, supporter experience, and most of all on player pathways from academies or feeder clubs into the Premiership. If all that happens is club’s splashing the cash on a few big names then why bother.

Interestingly Cornish Pirates have had a serious injection of cash assuring their future. They finished 7th in the Championship. Ealing Trailfinders topped the table with 26 wins from 26 gains amassing 127 points. They dropped just three points all season but still are excluded from the Premiership.

Closer to home congratulations to Adam King, Wez Barrett and Ed Croft. All playing for Sussex in the first round of this year’s County Championship. Sussex beat Surrey 15-40.

Just a reminder that Awards Night is May 23rd. Places are going fast so if you want to be part of this fun night you had better get your skates on. The annual Summer Ball is on July 4th. Details are on the website. Book now to avoid disappointment.

Right, before I go, which is what Sir U-Turn is likely to do in the next few days, I have to say what a lacklustre, uninspiring and troubling speech that was yesterday. Nationalise what is left of our Steel Industry. Where is the money going to come from to buy it, and who is going to absorb the losses. Yes, you and me, the tax payer. Invest in youth. I agree with that but let’s not spend to much until we have found a way to get the bone idle off their backsides and into work. Move closer to Europe. Now, I was a ‘remainer’ and still think Brexit was a bad idea, but how can Sir U-Turn think it is acceptable to overturn a democratically decided decision? No mention of the lack of funding for our police. Crime is getting out of control. No mention of illegal immigration. No mention of the cost of living issues which us tax payers continue to face while the freeloaders on benefits laugh in our faces. No mention of the total lack of business confidence due to the way his Government is making a total Horlicks of the economy. People in politics across all parties get bogged down in dogma and policies whilst being totally deaf to the things the man and woman in the street is really bothered by. The obsession with net-zero is a perfect example. We are currently beholden to the Middle East and others for oil and gas when we have plenty of it off our shores and under our feet. Ed Milliband’s way is screwing the nation and not helping the planet. That is why Labour bombed.

Sunday 10th May: 09:10

Not sure if many will check in today as most of you after the cataclysmic outcome of the local elections are checking out of the UK for somewhere saner, more welcoming and less fraught than the UK. The Labour Party certainly picked up the equivalent of politics wooden spoon yet the Head Coach is still there. It came as no surprise that Crowborough voted Reform. Totally misguided in my opinion but what do I know about anything.

So to rugby matters. Sadly Tunbridge Wells pursuit of the National Leagues came to a halt yesterday. You can’t judge things by the scoreline but I would suggest losing 43-7 highlights the chasm between the leagues. Still an amazing season for our neighbours though.

The Women’s Six Nations continues apace but as expected the scorelines reflect the gaps between the sides. England will be questioning their defence after leaking four tries to Italy. Only late tries by Scotland made the score against France look acceptable. Wales simply weren’t good enough against Ireland. Where does that leave us? As expected, with a France v England shootout next Sunday, a shootout that England will win. Ireland host Scotland to secure 3rd spot, which they will do. Wales will pick up the wooden spoon unless they can get past Italy, and as expected Scotland lose to Ireland.

Women’s rugby is on the up, and that is absolutely amazing, and we should applaud and support that. However the Women’s Six Nations lacks jeopardy as the results are predictable. That said I will be watching the France v England game.

The URC continues with Cardiff being blown away by an excellent Glasgow side packed with Scottish internationals. Yesterday the Ospreys took the bragging rights in the West of Wales derby beating the Scarlets 27-20. It was an enjoyable game with a number of Wales hopefuls putting their hands up for selection. It was good to see the Brewery Field packed too. Sadly the Dragons slipped back into their losing ways with a home defeat to Edinburgh.

I didn’t watch Gloucester v Sale as this was a game where only bragging rights were at stake. I caught the first half of Bristol v Saracens, or should I say I had half an eye on it. From what I could see Saracens were back to their imperious best. Leicester thumped Saints. Whilst mathematically they are not into the play-offs the win makes it more likely.

Bath face the tricky trip to Exeter today. A Bath win and they go top. Exeter are still well within reach of the play-offs so this could be a cracker. That’s this afternoon’s TV sorted.

Not that many, if any of you are interested, but Ebbw Vale v Llandovery kicks off at 16:45 and is live on S4C. I have that to be recorded. Yes, yes, sad I know.

Ok, as we are on grandparenting duties and there is much to do before Bridgnorth beckons tomorrow, that’ll do. Back on Tuesday.

Whilst the papers are full of the fallout from Thursday don’t lose sight of the war across the Middle East, the horrors in Ukraine, and the nightmare that could follow in the UK. By the way I voted because I value democracy, but when you look at the options we really are scrapping a very empty barrel indeed.

Wednesday 6th May: 09:30

My grandson’s birthday today.

I did suggest that there might not be a blog yesterday, and now our season is done and dusted gaps in producing this drivel might become a more frequent occurrence. It’s bad enough during the season when there is a paucity of guff to write. When the season is over finding stuff to write about other than the weather, and the miracle of flight over the south east, is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack.

Whilst there is a nip in the air this morning it is a gorgeous one. Clear blue skies. Marvellous. Clear blue skies are not what we are seeing over the Twickenham following the report into this season’s Six Nations delivered by the RFU. Steve Borthwick keeps his job. Wow, what a surprise. Despite the appalling lack of success during the tournament it would be folly for the RFU to get rid of him this close to the World Cup, and with the coffers still creaking, and costs rising, a huge severance payout would be madness in the extreme. I understand that Borthwick is a really decent guy, but if there is a criticism, he does love the technical side of the game, and he is never far away from a spreadsheet. That is one of the reasons England failed. They had a game plan, which centred around kick, kick, kick in attack, and big beasts defending like rabid dogs in defence. When both failed, which when it counted, they did, they were always going to be up against it. It was only against France when all was lost that the playbook went out of the window, and the players played what was in front of them. It wasn’t all about tactics and a lack of a cutting edge, discipline was also a factor. When you play on the edge discipline can be your downfall. That is something that can be fixed however. So dear reader, it is Mr Borthwick until the end of 2027.

What makes matters worse for those who follow England is the unquestionable depth of talent at England’s disposal that week in week out performs brilliantly for their club but fail when they pull on the white of England. That I’m afraid does come down to tactics and game plan. A talent is a talent, but if that England shirt is akin to a straightjacket, what do you expect?

As an aside Gavin Mairs in The Torygraph states ‘Borthwick should not answer to suits in system that belongs to an amateur era’. Yep, there lies another problem. If you have policies and procedures, and the games direction of travel, that is developed by those whose experience of rugby at the very top of the game is the exhorbitant beer prices at Twickenham and the free lunch beforehand then you are doomed. That is what was voted through just last week, and what has held back Welsh rugby for decades. I rest your honour!!

Now, the other thing taxing people’s minds is the furore around the alleged duplicity of the French broadcaster, and the TMO’s failure to see incidents of great seriousness. If, as it is alleged, the French TV company were duplicitous then what can the TMO do. For the record, as a TMO Ben Whitehouse is invariably thorough and usually right, unlike when he referees perhaps. The excellent Robert Kitson, writing in The Guardian, suggests ‘the screen-obsessed, finger pointing, hair-trigger arguments’ need to stop. He takes us through each of the contentious incidents and brings an objective but reasoned argument that says, nothing much to see here so lets all calm down. He also says the platitudes and knee jerk comments from pundits don’t help. I have said for a while the likes of Austin Healy, Ben Kay and David Flatman should be assigned to the care home for rugby pundits. All too often they say stuff for the sake of saying something but also to be controversial. It doesn’t help. What it does it makes those sitting at home think it is ok to berate the match official. I can state with certainty that the behaviour of spectators and coaches right down to the kids levels has got significantly worse this season. The article is well worth reading.

For the record, there are way too many occasions when coaches of kids think they are coaching England at the World Cup, and parents think their child is the next Henry Pollock or Ellie Kildunne. The berating of referee’s has to stop. It is an impossible job which most do brilliantly at all levels of our great game. They deserve our respect and our thanks.

The Premiership and the URC return this weekend, as does the Women’s Six Nations. Happy to forecast a comfortable win for England and France. Ireland will beat Wales.

OK, that’ll do. I’m really into reading fiction right now, 1984, the political parties leaflets that drop through the door, and anything that comes out Trump’s mouth. The last actually drives me mad because he is such a jerk. A jerk who by a single act has thrown the world into chaos.