Let's start with rugby league converts. Sale, after the mauling on Saturday, plus their perilous position in the Aviva have poached Josh Charnley from rugby league to bolster their squad. They have also said they have got several players from the 13 man code in their sights. How does this differ from importing overseas players?

Good question.

In some respects it doesn't. It is another kick in the teeth of the youngsters who have sweated their way through the academy only to have their big break thwarted by the introduction of an 'outsider'.

On the other hand most of these rugby league imports are English so English qualified and therefore could go on to a) enhance the international side, and b) to inspire youngsters into the game. Jason Robinson of England is a perfect example. For me this is the important difference.

The RFU funds the development of grassroots rugby. If the international side of the game suffers so does the ability to invest. Bringing in an overseas player into the English club game who is not England qualified simply blocks the development of English players. This is not confined to the ether of the Aviva but that is a story for another day. We have had overseas players at Crowborough and with one notable exception it has not necessarily been a great experience for long standing members of the club who have come through the junior ranks.

The bottom line though is clubs want success and sadly like everything in life today they want it now. Growing your own trees takes time, and is expensive, and doesn't always deliver the calibre of trees you need. Bringing in players with proven experience is easier. Hey ho!

This leads us on to Mark McCall of Saracens whingeing on about the Dec international vs Australia. It isn't fair on the clubs to have their players return tired. Saracens along with all the clubs agreed a deal with the RFU about the release of the players and have been recompensed handsomely for it. For me this reinforces my view that English clubs don't have the England international side as a priority. Their own vested interests are their priority, and as businesses in their own right that is exactly what they should be doing but............. and the circle of discussion about the future of our game continues.

McCall used the poor performances of Leicester and Northampton against Munster and Leinster as examples of how the Australian international affected the games this weekend. Bullshit! Neither Leicester nor Northampton have been playing well and these results are a reflection of their ongoing poor performances. Don't forget the European Cup was re-engineered to the advantage of the English and French sides because it was felt the Pro 12 sides benefitted from an easier league and qualification structure. I guess it has nothing to do with Pro 12 sides being part funded by their respective unions, having to grow their own trees, having to restrict the number of overseas players, and being told when to protect players from burn out.

I know many of you don't like or agree with Stuart Barnes but his column on skysports.com/rugby is interesting. He makes some challenging comments about Dylan and his view about the European results seem to be much in line with my own, or vice versa....... whatever!!!!.

I couldn't move on without commenting on today's rail strike. This is Bolshevism, anarchy and extremism by the unions. This is an orchesrtated and cynical move to cause as much disruption to hardworking people as possible. This is a power struggle, but with incompetence of the management on the other side of the argument one that can't be won by either side. The RMT claiming this is about safety is nonsense. This is about protecting jobs and therefore protecting power. The guards have signed new contracts so if they are now in breach, sack them. There are thousands of people, let's say in Sheffield who are on benefits who could be taken off benefits and trained to work on Southern Rail as replacements.
ASLEF are also making spurious claims about driver only trains. Their members day in, day out already operate driver only trains. So what is the difference? Nothing! When you include the fact that on certain London Underground lines ASLEF drivers will be operating packed driver only trains without a hitch makes this an even more spurious argument.

For those of you who disagree with me on this subject that's absolutely fine, but if you find you can't get medical treatment today because the hospital staff have been stopped from getting to work, or you have had to lose a day at work to look after your kids because they can't get to school, or you miss your flight because you were late at the airport due to the hideous transport issues then don't whinge to me.

Monday 12th December - 10:20

The Bard has been under the weather so he didn't make it to Charlton Park either. I am therefore relying on the wonderful Mr Geering's update on Saturday's game. For the record we were a pair of 'saddos' shopping in Morrisons yesterday afternoon.

It sounds as if my assessment of Charlton Park was right. They were big, very big, aggressive (in the right way) in the contact areas and very well drilled. We were Lilliputians in the land of giants by comparison. The boys gave everything they had but again came a distant second. As already stated we are adrift at the bottom of the table. Charlton Park sit third.

Medway continue their unbeaten run with a narrow away win over Dartfordians. Old Colfeians came second to Beckenham, which surprised me a little, and this closes the gap of the chasing group. OCs remain second on 41 points. Beckenham are fourth and Dartfordians are 5th. A five point spread separates the four teams chasing the playoff spot.

In the other games it must have been a cracker of a Sussex derby with The Greenies losing at home to Hove 27-28. Dont't forget it is us and The Greenies next weekend. Bromley put space between us and them with a fine home win over Old Alleynians. Finally Horsham enjoyed an easy enough win over Deal & Betteshanger.

There is four points between Bromley in 11th and Deal & Betteshanger in 8th. Much still to play for.

In Sussex 1 Uckfield beat Seaford down on the coast. Crawley beat Hellingly and Shoreham lost at home to Hove II. Brighton II v Horsham II was a home walk over. Crawley remain top with Uckfield 2nd.

In London 3 South East the eye catching result for me is Aylesford Bulls holding Haywards Heath to a 14-14 draw. Table topping Thanet Wanderers came away from Old Dunstonians with a fine win. Pulborough stay in 2nd (on points difference) with a comfortable home win over Park House. Lewes keep up their chase for the top with an away win over Gillingham Anchorians. Eastbourne lose a nail-biter at home to Folkestone by a single point 28-29. In the only other game Sheppey beat Ashford. Despite their draw Aylesford Bulls remain bottom.

In London 1 South Tunbridge Wells would have enjoyed the trip home from Dover after their fine win. They remain in 3rd spot behind Sidcup and Havant who both won at home vs Tottonians and away at Chobham respectively. Sevenoaks had a nice day out at Brighton cementing their mid table position. Brighton sit just one place off the bottom. Gosport & Fareham hold that unenviable position.

At the pinnacle of the London pyramid TJs sit proudly on top with a solid 5-17 away win at Hertford. Chichester enjoyed a morale bossting win at home to Colchester. Westcombe Park, where OUR Harry Sansbury now plies his trade, beat Southend Saxons 40-8.

In the national league Worthing went down at home to Redingensians. For the record Salisbury lost at home to Hornets but Bridgnorth enjoyed a home win against Sandbach.

The Wasps vs Connacht game was a cracker with the best paid player in The Premiership; Kurtley Beale earning man of the match. I thought Joe Launchbury was outstanding proving England do have strength in depth in the lock position. I enjoyed the Scarlets match and I thought the West Wales outfit proved their class for long periods. Well done Bristol for breaking their European duck beating Pau. Very well done England 7s for their excellent win in Cape Town over the highly fancied hosts.

A very intersting piece on bbc.co.uk/sport talking about Dai Young's view of how the high tackle and dangerous play is being refereed. I think he has a point. It is the intent not the outcome that needs to be considered first. Read it for yourself and draw your own conclusion. For the record I still think Daly was red but equally so should have been the Argentinian. The outcome WAS different but the initial actions were identical.

OK, before I go, Paddy O'Fez has made a very good point on rugby league converts vs overseas imports. What is the difference? To be discussed tomorrow (or Wednesday).

Finally things must be great in the UK right now. No rail strikes, no immigration issues, no economic issues, the NHS is in rude health. Why? Because the papers are full of what trousers Theresa May wears. Get a grip and move on. I don't give a shi£ care if she wanders around 10 Downing Street in a Minnie Mouse outfit as long as she is leading the country properly. That's a debate for another day!!!

Sunday 11th December - 08:30

So the grandchildren crawled into bed with us at 06:15 this morning. At 07:30 enough was enough. Time to write some drivel.

Well done to our 2s. A fine win over Uckfield 2s. More importantly WELL DONE to Uckfield for turning up with no front row. It would have been easier to say 'sod it! Give them the game' No! They turned up and played and in my mind they deserve our applause for that.

The Crows strolled past Brighton & Hove Sea Serpents (how could I have forgotten that yesterday) by a lot to not many: 88-5.

Three sides out from CRFC. Three games completed.

Dare I say it I feared the worse and looking at the score line it came to pass. Charlton Park 76 Crowborough 7. I am ahead of the Bard so I'll comment further tomorrow when I look at the league in more detail. One indisputable fact is we are now adrift at the bottom of the league. All is not lost yet. The boys will continue to train hard. We will continue to try and get three sides out each week and I am sure nothing but 100% will be given on the field.

Only got to watch the one sided affair between Sarries and Sale yesterday despite being stuck in the house all day. That Maro Itoje.... what a player. He'll be on the plane to New Zealand in the summer. Leicester got a thumping too. What a splendid win for Glasgow over Racing 92 in Paris. Looking at the reports the game of the day was Ulster v Clermont Auvergne.

Four Champions Cup games today. Wasps v Connacht looks the pick of them but Toulon v Scarlets could be interesting.

Much in the news about Dylan. None of it positive..... which is no surprise. He was a shoe in as Lions captain. If he is not going to be captain then his place on the plane could be in jeopardy because Rory Best and Jamie George are both in fine form.

Talking of Lions, on Wednesday I might put my side on paper based on who is CURRENTLY fit and available. Just for a laugh.

Scanning the rugby and sports websites some one-liners:

Hosts are in pole position after day 1 of Cape Town HSBC 7s

Jimmy Gopperth gives Wasps measure of control from the centre. (This ahead of today's match up with Connacht)

Maro Itoje the superman in ruthless Saracens' six try sacking of Sale

Brian O'Driscoll doubts Dylan Hartley can lead the Lions after 'mindless' red card

Leicester left looking inept and embarrassed by dominant Munster.

Mark Reason: An open letter to George North, who must forget about rugby.
(Reason is part of Fairfax Media and sometimes writes for the Torygraph)

Elsewhere in sport there is only one story of note. Leicester City 4 Manchester City 2. The boys are back in town and Vardy hits the net at last.

The Russian doping scandal is no surprise. Russian cheating has been going on since the days of CCCP so why should we expect anything different now.

Keaton Jennings scores a ton on debut then is out first ball in the second innings. So what!!!! I agree with Geoffrey Boycott; he shouldn't be playing for England. He is South African. He is only here for the money so his qualifying via the pathetic residency rules makes me mad and a mockery of the system.

Before moving off sport go to bbc.co.uk/sport and watch the clip of London Welsh from a bygone era.

Brexit, brexit, brexit. I didn't vote for it but come on, lets get on with it. Stop this nonsense. Yet again the only people happy are the lawyers.

I did smile when I read about the Asian community in Sheffield complaining about the immigration problems being caused in their area. Immigration is good BUT in the case of Sheffield they have been plagued by an influx of Roma from Eastern Europe. Having spent time in Eastern Europe these people are despised there and I know my Romanian and Bulgarian friends are delighted to see them gone. Enough said I think.

Times must be hard at BA as lounge staff at Heathrow tried to stop a passenger from using two teabags. To get in the lounge you must either be a frequent flyer or flying business/first class, for which the passenger (or his company) will have paid royally for. Not great PR me thinks.

Time to go. Coffee is ready. Not flying BA so two croissants to go with it.

Saturday 10th December -10:15

Wasn't going to blog this morning but weather awful so plans have been scuppered.

A couple of questions this .........

Q1 Was it a red card?
Q2 Is he a muppett?
Q3 What are the implications?

A1 Yes, without question. It looked malicious and pre-meditated. That doesn't mean to say it was. It just looks that way and that is what the officials have to go by.

A2 No Dylan isn't a muppett in the sense that Boris Johnson is or Lady Gaga is. He is a competitor who sometimes oversteps the mark. Having warmed his backside on the bench for 50 minutes and watched his side come under pressure from a resurgent Leinster side he comes on with all cylinders firing and the turbo already in overdrive. Outcome ...... wallop!

A3 They could be extensive. His track record isn't exactly pristine. The offence potentially carries a high tariff. An example might need to be made in the light of the emphasis on high shots to the head. I fear he may get a ban that could put him out of the 6 Nations. That in turn could affect his Lions selection. It certainly could affect his on-going captaincy of England. Eddie Jones made a big play of Dylan's leadership and his improved discipline. This seems like a slap in the face for Jones. He won't take that well.

Ok back tomorrow but not having watched 1s it might be a broad review until I've read the Bard's missive.

Friday 9th December - 08:00

Lots going on at the club this weekend. The 2s take on Uckfield 2s and The Crows host the newest club to Sussex Brighton & Hove 'something or others'. I am embarrassed to say I forgot the teams name but they are sure of a warm welcome at Steel Cross. On Sunday there are two junior fixtures at home, both well worth watching. The place is looking great as Dave Bristow has been multitining and the pitches have responded well to that. When you see him be sure to pat him on the back. Whilst the grass grows of its own accord the pitches don't turn from swamps to excellent playing surfaces overnight. Thanks Dave.

The 1s face a very challenging tie at our friends Charlton Park. They have been playing well and my sources tell me they are big, aggressive (in the right way) and well drilled. I am really disappointed that I can't make it tomorrow as I am in Salisbury. I was hoping to catch up with Bernie and some of the other guys we met when we toured Australia with The Lions. I hope Bernie has left his 'budgie smugglers' at home. I know bragging about where you've been is somewhat tedious but I recall with great fondness being in the Sydney Rugby Club when the Charlton Park crew got the singing going and turning a great night into a brilliantly enjoyable and hilarious night......... with my liver groaning the next morning.

The Varsity game yesterday was thoroughly enjoyable. They are often not of the highest quality but I thought yesterday's was an even contest with some good passages of play. The game was plagued with the interminable periods of aimless kicking but when the ball was kept in hand it was fun.

I see Rob Andrew was freeloading at Twickenham...... ars....... move on!

Interesting piece on sky.com/sport with Gatland expressing his disappointment that Gregor Townsend turned down the opportunity to be part of the Lions coaching team. Surprised Gatland has been so forthright. Surprised Townsend said 'no!'. Not surprised Townsend said 'no!' He has a great opportunity with Scotland and that is his first priority. He may also see The Lions as a road crash waiting to happen when the All Blacks win the series 3-0. Anyway, well worth a read.

Northampton v Leinster stands out in tonight's fixtures but there are some good match ups across the board; Munster v Leicester, Ulster v Clermont Auvergne.

Wasps will have Kurtley Beale available this weekend when they take on Connacht. Me, I'd rather be reading about some wunderkind who has come through their academy and is destined to be the next Wilkinson or Greenwood or Johnson. Hey Ho!

What a load of bollo... nonsense. The Chairman of Jersey is saying the RFU needs to look at itself after London Welsh went into liquidation. (bbc.co.uk/sport). He is WRONG. Jersey and the other clubs who are facing ruin need to look at themselves and ask 'is the current level of YOUR spending sustainable?' No it is NOT! should be the answer. With small crowds, and growing wage bills plus an insatiable appetite for overseas players the system is broke. Yes that might be the RFU's problem for allowing that to proliferate but ploughing money into lost causes is NOT the answer. Clubs at all levels need to cut their cloth accordingly. If a club has a benefactor with more money than sense and is willing to bankroll that club then fine but they also have to understand that if that funding dries up then tough. Forget East Grinstead at your peril. If the RFU has money to invest it should be in the grass roots, in schools, in improving facilities and pitches at the lowest level, helping clubs be creative in growing their mini/junior sections and developing the 1st XV players of the future. Bailing out clubs with over-inflated ambition with no financial plan to support that vision is NOT the way forward. Here endeth the lesson.

Hoorah! Hoorah! and Hoorah! again is what I say. There is a place in society for the legal profession. There is a need for the wronged to be defended and those who have been exploited to be supported through the courts. There is no place in society for self-serving, money grabbing, ambulance chasing slugs who proclaim to be helping society but all they are doing is lining their own pockets, usually from funds that could be better used elsewhere. The money diverted from caring for patients going into lawyers pockets is a disgrace. It is wonderful news that one such slug, Phil Shiner, has been found out. Hounding our superb troops with spurious and often untrue claims about human rights violations is despicable. He is the lowest of the low and a pariah who shames the legal profession.

Must go, on grandparenting duties. Son-in-law has just left me his business card in case I need him today. Love it...... his title...... Chief of Electronic Warfare Operations. I wonder if Mr Shiseter Shiner could be a practice target?

Thursday 8th December - 12:00

Let me start with the Wooden Spoon lunch. Yet again a splendid affair with CRFC being very well represented by The Friday Club. Rob Andrew was there. Unfortunately there is history between him and a certain brother so I wasn't surprised when he was an ignorant tosser towards me when I went to say hello. I always thought Barnsey was a better player. The event raised plenty of money towards the local causes supported by the charity. Great news.

Plenty of comments about the RFU Touchline article. We were all delighted to discuss that but it was important to stress the fantastic contribution Dave Bristow, our groundsman has made to the significant improvement to the pitches specifically and the grounds in general. Shame Dave had to drop out of the lunch at the last minute as it would have been a great opportunity for The Friday Club, on behalf of the club at large to salute him.

Much talk around the place about George North. The views were pretty consistent; Northampton have cocked up and this must be a lesson to all. There are NO short cuts where concussion is concerned.

Gatland's coaching team is as expected. Looks a good mix. Howley's inclusion means Robbie McBryde will lead the Welsh squad during the 2017 summer tours.

It is very sad to read London Welsh are going into liquidation. A great club with a fantastic history. Really sad. On the other hand let us hope this is a wake up call to all clubs about the tightrope they walk when they overextend themselves and their ambition requires more money than budgeted.

Craig Joubert steps down as an international referee. Shame. With a few exceptions he has been consistently good.

Lots of European rugby to watch this weekend starting tonight with Gloucester v La Rochelle.

Can I ask 'in which country do we live?'. I think the answer is 'Great Britain'. Then can someone explain to me why a shopkeeper has been branded a racist for opening a shop selling British goods and told to take down the Union flag. So Poles can open Polish shops selling Polish goods with many advertised in Polish but a Britain can't do likewise in London. The World is truly going mad.

Wednesday 7th December - 09:30

The George North situation has been prominent in the news this week and quite rightly so. It certainly looks as if he was out cold and under those circumstances should never ever have returned to the field of play. Better to be safe than sorry. Recently we had a young lad who'd had a bump to his head and said he was fine to play. His parents wanted him to play but the coaches said 'no way Jose' (Jose wasn't his real name if you were wondering). No matter how hard it is from the littlest to the biggest, form the youngest to the oldest any form of concussion must be taken seriously.

It is not now the problems will occur but it is later in life. It was reported West Bromwich Albion favourite Jeff Astill who died some years ago was affected by long periods of heading a football during his career. This repeated pounding of the brain contributed to his demise.

Jeremy Evans, who recently made his debut for the 2s has been in touch. He's wondering if he might be in line for Lions selection. Well Jeremy I've been in touch with the Lions (of Longleat) and they've said you've lost a bit too much weight for our liking. Your mate Ash on the other hand. He could well be of (calorific) value to the Lions. See you later guys.

So Pat Lam is leaving Connacht to join Bristol. Can he turn a pigs ear into a silk purse. Andy Robinson, who I think has been hard done by, had the material to work with but just couldn't get them to gel. For the promoted side from the Championship this will always be a problem.

Gatland's Lions coaches will be announced today. Borthwick, Farrell, Howley and Jenkins are likely to be part of the team. Not much to say really.

Lions selection is many months away but there is plenty of speculation on the make up of the squad. The best combinations I have seen to date have been on the Rugby World website.

Dan Lydiate won't be going to New Zealand. His latest injury will certainly preclude him from selection but it is hoped he can make a full recovery.

I know no-one else may give a damn but it is really frustrating me when I read Sarries have signed Australian Will Skelton, Bristol have signed Irishman Dan Tuohy, and Worcester have signed Samoan Chris Vui. If England under Eddie Jones and then on into the future are to reach the pinnacle of the game having strength in depth to choose from is crucial. This is not the way forward. I know the Premiership clubs have financial incentives to field English qualified players but their objectives are not necessarily the same as the RFU. Bums on seats and winning matches vs growing English talent. Not necessarily mutually agreeable.

Newcastle City Council bid to host 2018 European finals. Good shout. Great for promoting northeast rugby. I'd like to see more games at the Amex. They did it well and could easily repeat that success.

Much in the news about Brexit still, and much in the news about the railways. So they want to put the control of the track into the hands of the operators. In the case of Southern that would be like letting the lunatics run the asylum. Move on before I lose the plot.

In just an hour The Friday Club head to Brighton for the annual Wooden Spoon Christmas lunch on Brighton Pier. The most expensive fish & chips in the world but a great day is expected. Many clubs support the Wooden Spoon so if yours does please give generously. Talking of The Friday Club they have been featured in the RFU's touchline magazine. Page 7 I think. Sadly they didn't feature the photo of the boys bedecked in the flag of ..... Wales. I can't think why.

Salisbury beckons for a few days so the blog will happen but timings will be erratic....... a bit like Southern's train service.

Monday 5th December - 10:00

Whilst level 7 rugby and below had free weekends the boys above us had fixtures to contend with.

In London 1 South I think it is fair to say that Gosport & Fareham would have been pretty downhearted on their journey back down the A27 after being spanked 97-5 by the men from St Marks Recreation Ground. With Sidcup enjoying an away win at Sevenoaks 16-32 and Havant strolling past Cobham 55-10 Tunbridge Wells remain third with an 11 point gap to Sidcup at the top. It is no surprise Gosport & Fareham are rock bottom. Brighton lost by a single point away at Maidstone so still languish in 13th spot.

In National League 3 London Tonbridge Juddians stay on top with a 25-11 win over Sutton & Epsom. Chichester had a morale boosting win away at Guildford so with Colchester losing at home to Westcombe Park they move up one place in the league to 12th.

Worthing were on the end of a bashing at table topping Chinnor 57-10. Chinnor being the club of Steve Bridges, son of the famous Eddie Bridges and the club that inspired us to start the Friday Club.

To complete the round Bridgnorth lost away to Peterborough Lions with Salisbury getting thumped away at Old Redcliffians.

Much in the papers and on the web about England's performance. I tend to agree with all the feedback; a long way still to go before England can move the All Blacks from the No.1 spot, this current side is not as good as the 2003 side, and if England are to deliver on both these first points then they must improve the strength in depth across all positions. That said, with the exception of Ireland the other nations are being left in England's wake.

It is a worry that George North takes another heavy blow and questions are being asked about whether he was concussed or not. This raises two points; a) why are we questioning the compentancy of trained and highly qualified medical staff who have made the call or b) have clubs still not learned from the impending Sale case that there is ZERO room for doubt.

Nice to see Newcastle on the up with win at home to Harlequins. Unsurprisingly with the resources available to him Dai Young's Wasps beat Worcester yesterday.

Well done to South Africa winning the Dubai 7s. Didn't see much of it but boy they destroyed Wales in semis.

In the news what a relief the far-right have lost in Austria. Having a fascist government in Europe would have been horrendous. Don't sit back and relax just yet though the French elections are on their way and surprsingly in the Netherlands there is a swing towards the right too.

EU is further in the mire as Italy rejects the Prime Ministers proposals on reforms. Watch the markets implode again.

Finally if you weren't already thinking 'I'll be gald when Christmas is over (and the supermarkets can start pushing Easter Eggs!!!)' then the story that an English seasonal worker has been stabbed to death in LAPLAND will enhance that view. Yes, Lapland the home of the big man with the white beard who can't afford to go out more than once a year and even then in that same old red suit.

Sunday 4th December - 08:30

'Blimey, you're keen' I hear you cry. Yes it is only 07:30 as I start this drivel but I have already been to Heathrow and back. Dropped a friend off who will be winging his way to Australia in the next 2 hours.

He might be winging his way with some disappointed Aussie fans after yesterday at Twickenham. It could have been so different. The first 20 minutes England were quite simply rubbish. Bereft of ideas, lacking in skill and shambolic as a team. Australia on the other hand were just excellent. They could so easily have been three tries to the good before England had got out their half.

Then it started to turn. Slowly England regained their composure, and maybe realising they had 'dodged a bullet' started to play with a purpose and accuracy. Going in at half time just three points adrift must have been a relief. The second half was then a revelation and I have to agree with many of the papers and doyens of rugby commentary such as the great Ian Roberstson that that was England's best 40 minutes of rugby of 2014 and certainly for a long, long time before that. The skill, the fitness, the accuracy and the decision making sprinkled with a little bit of luck ensured a stunning victory with the men in white making it 14 from 14 since the embarrassing RWC 2015 exit in the group stages.

Whilst Dan Cole failed to impress me in the scrum he put in a huge shift in defence and in the loose. Courtney Lawes was back to his best and Farrell and Ford continue to pull the strings in 10/12 channel. Yarde justified his selection and Ben Youngs was a clear man of the match. I also thought Tom Wood had a splendid game.

Naturally Pocock and Hooper were immense in the gold of Australia but the rest of the side flagged badly towards the end of the game.

There was, in my humble opinion, one controversial decision; the yellow card of Haylett-Petty. It didn't look great but it was nowhere near as bad as I think Mike Brown made it out to be and I don't think a yellow card was appropriate. Will Greenwood made his feelings known in commentary and Greenwood is more often right than wrong. YES the game has to look at player safety but there was much worse that went unpunished. Go onto the bbc website and look at the picture of Tom Wood on top of Michael Hooper and see where Wood's shoulder is in relation to Hooper's neck and how his body position would indicate it was a tackle aimed high on the shoulders.

By the way I thought Jaco Peyper had a good game otherwise.

England can look toward to the 6 Nations with a high degree of confidence and on this form will start as out and out favourites. I would suggest however the trophy cabinet is not cleared just yet for the RWC 2019 Webb Ellis Cup. There is still work to do and England are yet to face New Zealand. That is the true test. Many of the England squad will however be in The Lions XV to face the All Blacks in just 7 months time.

Of the other games I watched this weekend The Ospreys looked in fine form beating Edinburgh, as did Ulster beating Cardiff. Leinster overcame The Dragons but fair play to the men of Gwent they stuck at it and gave the Irishmen some late jitters.

Well done Bath, Gloucester and Leicester. All fine home wins, especially at the Rec; Bath overcoming high flying Sarries.

The last minute punch up at the Etihad makes most newspapers. Not a great advert for soccer which is having a torrid time at the moment.

Must go, got to get the roast lunch prepped. It seems the traditional Sunday roast is dying out. Not in the Bleater household. Roast beef, yorkshire puds, roast potatoes and parsnips, swede, and cheesy leeks today. All served with a tasty £5 note. Yummy.

Friday 2nd December - 13:00

Just back from Friday Club. With just the Colts at home this weekend not much to do other than the usual tidy up and general repairs.

A quick advert to start. On Dec 17th we host our good friends The Greenies aka Heathfield & Waldron RFC in the first of the return London 3 South East fixtures. It is the club's annual Christmas lunch pre-match. Tables are going fast. Contact Martin Cooper for details and book your seat.

The game at their place was a cracker. Lots of tries, some great rugby and a cracking atmosphere. I expect that our two great, well run, and very friendly clubs will enjoy another epic encounter. Even if you can't make the lunch come along to support the boys. The Greenies are always well supported so let's have a some fun together. Dec 17th k.o. 2:15pm

I see the war of words between Jones and Cheika continues. Oh grow up! Let the game commence and the teams show who is better.

Dylan has come to the defence of Dan Cole. The more people stand up for him the more I think there is a concern about him. Look, you don't get all the caps he has amassed by being crap. He is a good player and worthy of selection BUT I still see him as a potential weak link in England's armoury and if you were to list all the front row forwards who have played in this Autumn Internationals Cole wouldn't feature in the top 10.

Jones has gone for Yarde and Hughes to fill the vacancies left due to injury. You know my view on Hughes so I'll leave that there. Yarde is the sensible choice but it would have been great to see Jones try something different e.g. Mike Brown on the wing.

Not surprisingly Enrique Pieretto has been given a lengthy ban; 9 weeks reduced to 7. The panel, as expected, also took into consideration the break in the southern hemisphere so he can't play until March 20th.

Warren Gatland will be disappointed and somewhat embarrassed that Gregor Townsend has turned down the opportunity to be part of The Lions set up. Where next? I think Borthwick might get the nod, and perhaps Shaun Edwards?

Jared Payne is out for several weeks due to injury. Not great news!

Ever wondered how the games get covered on TV. The timetable, the preparation, the numbers of people involved. There's a nice piece on the World Rugby website looking at SKY's coverage.

Haven't had chance to go through the front pages but I do know Mr Zac 'Shoot myself in the foot' Goldsmith got hammered in the Richmond by-election.

Lots about the immigration numbers. More ammunition for the fascist nutcases that walk this earth dragging their knuckles along the floor.

Now, before I go, there were two things that amazed me this morning at the club. I stood for several minutes watching a robin perched on the flag post marking the 22 on pitch A. I swear it was deliberately making the pole sway like a kid would a swing.

The second amazing thing was hearing in the distance the te