It’s nice to see that someone is reading this guff. I’d like to think it is erudite, insightful, well constructed, but its mostly opinion. My good friend Damper has taken exception to my opinion, especially my harping on about England’s women, and in truth men, being better funded than everyone else and therefore lifting the World Cup was pretty much a foregone conclusion. Sorry Damps but I’m sticking to my mantra as I fear it will be the reason why the women’s game in England will flourish, but elsewhere will remain a novelty.

The Canadian Union invested in their team, but it was tiny by comparison. The girls had to get crowdfunding to have sufficient funds to have any chance of competing. Half the team play in England, the only women’s league of any substance, which is why they performed so well. New Zealand and France are funded reasonably well but it pails into insignificance. Most of the sides only got to the tournament thanks to the foresight and wisdom of World Rugby.

England have the biggest player pool by a long way, and even then include players like Meg Jones who is Welsh. The next big tournament is the Six Nations. I will say now that England will win that at a canter because of the resources they have available to them.

Moving on, Damps also disliked my criticism of England’s playing style. In truth, other sides have gone down the same route, and that is playing exactly like the men. If the Women’s game becomes exactly like the men’s game why will people bother going to watch. At the moment the Women’s game has a place for all shapes and sizes and tends to be less physical, more skilful. Long may it stay that way, but when winning becomes all consuming you will find only the biggest and strongest will be playing at the top of the game.

It was a fantastic achievement, and yes Damps, England deserve all the praise they are receiving. It was an amazing tournament which those getting to the games loved, and those armchair fans were able to watch for free on terrestrial TV. There was much to applaud and cheer, and the challenge now is how to exploit it. Here in England that is easy. The Women’s league is already in place, and growing in terms of support and exposure. Participation is growing exponentially at grassroots level which is fantastic. Clubs are embracing the women’s game wholeheartedly. That is all good news. My challenge is: what is going to happen elsewhere in the World. Without the funding and resource that is available in England the answer is probably very little. That would be such a waste after the amazing success of the World Cup here in England.

The Torygraph, if you can access it, has produced two good articles on the World Cup. The first is what made this the best ever, the second is how to take the game to the next level.

That’ll do on that subject. Moving on, we play our good friends Charlton Park on Saturday. Very sadly I can’t make this one, but for those who can there is a league lunch. Contact Louise at louise@crowbroughrugby.com or go on the website and book your place.

There is trouble ahead me thinks. What should have been resolved between the clubs and England via the player welfare agreements is beginning to unravel. Players who toured in the summer with their country, or the Lions, have mandatory rest periods. Players are therefore currently unavailable for selection. The clubs feel hard done by, despite being well rewarded for player release, and feel the policy is having the opposite effect to that that was intended. Players are going into full-blooded Premiership games without the usual pre-season preparation. The Guardian for the full story.

Going back to funding, there is an interesting piece on the BBC website, that highlights the changes that are going on up at Newcastle. Now sponsored by that well known brand that creates significant litter there is already a different vibe. DJ blasting out tunes, huge branding, and plenty of razzamatazz. The game will benefit from it, however the product on the field has to deliver. Looking at round 1 it is doing that, and a revitalised Newcastle side can only be good for the game.

Two proper news comments. Anything that brings the horrors in Gaza to a halt has to be welcomed. The fact that the liar Tony Blair is involved ain’t so good however.

Being concerned about illegal migration and the impact on the UK, especially the incredible amount of money it is costing taxpayers does NOT make you a racist. I hope many of those who want to stop the boats are like me, and are extremely grateful for the thousands of hardworking people who have come to Britain legally, and are now doing jobs the bone idle British wastrels refuse to do. There are many from overseas who are making my deal old mum’s life as comfortable and pleasant as it can be under the circumstances. I for one thank them.

Monday 29th Sept: 09:10

It would be churlish not to start with England and their fantastic World Cup win. I haven’t seen any of the game as I’ve been at an equally fantastic family wedding. The result was very much as expected, that’s the rugby and not the wedding, with the BBC Sport headline summing it up: ‘dominant England outclass Canada with Rugby World Cup’. In front of a full house at Twickenham, England lifted the trophy, which anyone with half a brain will have predicted at the outset of the tournament. The funding and support for England’s Women was probably the sum of the funding for the rest of the teams combined. Not to lift the trophy on that basis would have been a disgrace.

The tournament organisers need a pat on the back, at it seems to have been extremely well organised. Having sensibly priced tickets, double headers at excellent venues also made a lot of sense. Anybody I have spoken to who has been to a game has eulogised about the atmosphere, the fantastic volunteers, decent games, all adding up to a great experience. The fact the entirety of the tournament was covered by the BBC was a real positive. The game must not now sit on its laurels, it must build on this success and exposure.

There needs to be a few reality checks however. Many of the games were seriously one-sided and results were pretty much a foregone conclusion even before a ball was passed. The BBC at the outset of the tournament produced a chart that showed exactly how the knockout stages would pan out, and how England and Canada were destined to be in the final. A number of the sides are playing like men, and England personify this. A lot of their success was built on power and brute force. Is that really where the women’s game wants to go? I for one would like to see the women’s game built around finesse, guile, speed and not hulking great forwards scoring from 5 metres out. Yes, Ellie Kildunne scored some amazing tries using exactly what I have described BUT if you properly analyse England’s success it was built on the former.

Looking ahead, how does the game around the world, and I include Wales and Scotland here, build on the World Cup. Funding is a big challenge, what the product on offer is like, and will it be enough to encourage punters to get off their backsides and into grounds on a regular basis. Then you have the prospect of a Women’s Lions. In essence this will be an England tour with some token Welsh, Irish and Scottish players just to appease the sponsors.

England won, and that must be celebrated. The tournament was a success and that has to be applauded. The task ahead is immense, and that has to be supported.

In a different world Crowborough 2s knocked St. Francis out of the cup by 103-0. This might seem so one-sided to be boring. I understand from the various reports, including a great one from the referee thanking CRFC for the amazing welcome and organisation, that St Francis stuck to their task with ‘grit and determination’ despite the scoreline.

The Premiership returned with a bang. Newcastle were put back in their box on Friday by Saracens. Bath showed why they are already favourites for the title by coming from behind to beat Quins. The Saints v Exeter game was, reading the report, a game of two halves. I was home in time to watch Bristol beat a lively Leicester. Bristol, despite losing players to injury at regular intervals stuck to their task. Hoorah LR-Z scored at the death getting one of the biggest cheers of the day.

South Africa put Argentina away by plenty. New Zealand beat Australia. I haven’t seen either game, nor have I read the reports. If my SKY box has done its job they’ll both be there for me to watch later this week.

The less said about the URC the better. Losses for Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets. Cardiff did get a win against the Lions.

OK, that’ll do for now expect to say Sir U-turn’s ID card proposal is complete and utter nonsense. It will do NOTHING to stop the boats, and unscrupulous employers will ignore the rules in the way they ignore them now. It is a headline grabbing gimmick, harking bark to East Germany and the Stasi, to distract us from the reality that he is completely useless. Be worried however that the Marxist nutcases waiting to take over could be much worse.

Thursday 25th Sept: 09:10

Pretty much a blank weekend in the grassroots leagues this weekend but there is still action for your delectation. The 2nd XV game against St Francis in the cup kicks off at 13:45, 15 minutes earlier than I advised yesterday. Why not get up to Steel Cross and give the boys your support. The 3rd XV are away at Sea Serpents down in Brighton, also in the cup.

I digress here for a moment and move off rugby to politics. Crowborough is lucky enough to have a minor injury unit at the local hospital, plus other facilities, and a birthing unit. Unlike the big hospitals up and down the land where some maternity units are mired in scandal, Crowborough’s birthing unit has a great reputation. It has been announced that it is to be closed. Whilst the inference is this is a temporary measure most believe this will become a permanent feature sending expectant mothers in Crowborough either to Pembury or Haywards Heath. As Crowborough RFC and the hospital have close links via the Friends of Crowborough Hospital I thought it appropriate to attach the link to the update and petition here…..

https://www.nusghani.org.uk/news/update-crowborough-birthing-centre-closure

As I never let an opportunity to give my opinion pass by:- surely if money and staffing is the issue then why not take an axe to the myriad of woke, politically correct bulls… jobs that exist in the NHS and divert the saving to where it is needed: medical care.

OK, back to rugby. A full house at Twickenham on Saturday for the World Cup Final, record crowds across the whole tournament, across the board TV coverage by the BBC and free to all, and some great rugby for all to enjoy. From everything I have heard nothing but praise goes to the organisers, the stadiums, the volunteers. When the curtain comes down late on Saturday we can all puff our chests out and say at last a good news story coming out of the UK, even if Canada win!!! Of course if England win there will be much hype, but I add a word of caution. The Blazers can’t let the euphoria make them think the job is done. It isn’t! This should be the starting block to take the Women’s game across the globe to another level.

The Premiership gets underway tonight. If you have seen the adverts for the tournament then you will have noticed how the game is being hyped up big time. Being a grouchy old fuddy duddy overdoing phrases like ‘brutal’, and ‘beasts’, and ‘intensity’ and showing images of players squaring up to each other might just turn off some people, especially parents in this overprotective world we now live in.

Picking up on yesterday’s missive Quins without Danny Wilson take on favourites to lift the trophy, Bath, on Friday. On Sunday its Saints v Exeter, and Bristol v Leicester. I’ll be watching that one to see how LR-Z gets on.

The Rugby Championship continues with the Bledisloe Cup, All Blacks v Wallabies, plus South Africa v Argentina. I can’t see Los Pumas beating the Boks. I fear for Australia. The All Blacks will be stinging after their humiliating mauling by South Africa. I expect them to bounce back in a big way.

All four Welsh regions are in action in the URC. Under the ever darkening cloud that is Welsh rugby it will be interesting to see how they fare.

The more I read in the news, the more troubling it becomes. Even though I’m retired I’m dreading what the woman from Accounts is going to do next. I can’t help but shout when I see that over a 1000 illegal migrants hit our shores in one day and we have managed to send just four back to France. Then you have Gaza. I’m sorry if this offends but Israel are now going down the path of genocide. What is going is atrocious. Hamas is an odious, hateful, murderous regime but right now I believe the more Israel kill innocent women and children it is doing a fine recruitment job for the terrorist organisation. If I remember my Greek mythology correctly it is like cutting a head off the hydra, one grows back in its place more fierce than the original.

Back on Monday. Have a good weekend.

Wednesday 24th Sept: 08:23

Another day closer to the World Cup Final. As expected nothing in the papers about Canada and their preparation, and therefore chances. To be fair not a great deal about England’s preparation. The Canadians will be very happy that they are being ignored, and perhaps by default written off. England are by far and away the best funded, best supported and best organised team in the tournament. They started out as clear favourites as a result, so anything less than a resounding win will raise more than an eyebrow or two.

The Premiership kicks off tomorrow rebranded as the Gallagher PREM. I’m sorry but I am not target market, and I’m not illiterate. It will be the Premiership for me. A Thursday fixture to kick things off is a novelty. Sale v Gloucester at 19:45 on TNT Sports. The downside is TNT is a pay channel. The upside is they have committed to show every game live, and the club has TNT Sports. All the fixtures look tasty but I’m guessing quite a few eyes will be on Newcastle v Saracens. As Red Bull are a significant contributor to litter outside the club, and it is a chemical laden stimulate that allegedly can be harmful I won’t be using the club’s new moniker. Their investment might turn the long time losers into serious contenders. By the way, Welsh Lion Liam Williams is heading to the northeast to earn a buck or two.

The excellent Robert Kitson writing in The Guardian has produced a good piece about the new season and the rebranding. The new man at the helm, Rob Calder, is looking to re-energise the tournament with emphasising the intensity of the games, being packed with pace and power. The article also touches on the need for relegation to be removed, that is for the financial reasons I outlined earlier in the week. It’s a good read, as Robert Kitson’s pieces always are.

There is no 1st XV game this weekend but the 2s do play at home and are worthy of your support. Kick off is planned for 14:00 allowing time to get ready for the World Cup Final. Conformation to follow.

If you can get access to The Farage Bugle (aka The Torygraph) you’ll find a number of good articles about the Premiership season ahead. What laws the coaches would change, the new kits for the season, the best signings. They have also done a very good piece on each club’s spending strategy.

The URC also gets underway this weekend. This is on Premier Sport but S4C will have the some of the games which feature the Welsh regions. Ulster v Dragons is on Friday, not that anyone but me is vaguely interested in that one. It will be a fascinating season as the sword of Damocles hangs over the four Welsh regions, and the inclusion of the South African franchises remains a bone of contention.

I’ll pick out a few other key fixtures tomorrow.

In the proper news The Big Orange has had a good old rant speaking at the UN. Shoot down Russian planes, don’t recognise a Palestinian state, Ukraine: you are on your own, countries need to stop pussy footing around with regard to illegal immigrants. Heaven help us all.

The threat of even more taxes and therefore pain for you and I, and the British economy, is a popular topic.

There is yet another nightmare lying in wait for Sir U-turn. The papers have picked up on the fact that £700k of ‘hidden’ donations should be covered up as an ‘admin error’. Allegedly a lawyer of all people advised Sir U-turn’s Chief of Staff that is the way to hide the cash. I say again, heaven help us.

Monday 22nd Sept: 09:45

Not a full league programme last weekend but there are still some results to bring you. From the top working down we find TJs coming home from Dings Crusadars with a 21-34 win in the bag. One league down in what looks a cracker Sevenoaks held Westcombe Park at bay 27-26. In Regional 1 Tunbridge Wells enjoyed their trip to CS Stags winning 14-20. Dropping one more league we find the Sussex derby going the way of Brighton 31-22. Interestingly both Bromley and Canterbury II are struggling in this league, in fact Bromley are pointless at the bottom. It highlights the enormous gaps that can exist between the leagues. Both teams were by far and away the best teams when in Kent 1. I might as well add the news that Bridgnorth drew 22-22 over at Drybrook.

Slowly the build up towards the Women’s World Cup begins. Plenty of comment from, and about the poster girl Ellie Kildunne. Lets hope she can keep her feet firmly on the ground. The job is far from done. Brian Moore makes a good point that England should stick to their process and not change anything. He reminds us that in 1991 that is exactly what the men’s side didn’t do and they went down to Australia in the final. I can add having been there when England demolished New Zealand in the 2019 semi-final and then going with a different game plan against the Boks in the final, the outcome was the same. A humiliating loss. I anticipate Canada will quietly and understatedly go about their business this week leaving all eyes and hopes with England. My friend James said right at the outset Canada could easily win the tournament. He might just be on to something.

A couple of pieces in the paper about women’s and girls rugby. It is definitely on the up and with that comes challenges. The Torygraph (soon to be renamed The Farage Bugle) brings us an article titled ‘Coaching girls rugby can feel like leading a Viking raid (or herding cats)’. It nicely sums up the joy, and the obstacles, and the mixed emotions, and the frustrations that come from dealing with young girls, and how you need to be wary of the young ladies once they are wound up. It is a good read and sums up all that is good about clubs who are embracing the women and girls game. Which I know at Crowborough we most definitely are, as are Eton Manor RFC.

The counterpoint sadly comes from an article by fellow Bassaleg Grammar student Stephen Jones in The Sunday Times. This time he names and shames Windsor RFC for their alleged misogynist attitude. It highlights that despite the best efforts of most in the game dinosaurs still roam freely through the corridors of (some) clubs. A few crude jokes being told at league lunches still have their place but they cannot be allowed to overstep the mark into insults that are not in keeping with games values. Reading the article the jokes were way beyond what is acceptable bearing in mind I am anti-woke. It seems old fashioned attitudes about women and girls playing, and barriers being put in their way, was commonplace at the club. It is a sad state of affairs.

I’m proud to say we look after our women and girls. Only on Saturday I was saying how the last Senior Awards night was enhanced as we now have a burgeoning Ladies team. Their presence brought a great new dynamic to the occasion. At the same lunch our President, Clarky, was saying we have ambitious plans to extend our facilities with the priority being changing rooms especially designed with ladies and girls in mind.

A couple of snippets. Bath Rugby are coming up against the Nimby Warriors in their efforts to build a new stadium at The Rec. It was inevitable, especially in a place like Bath, darling!

Louis Rees-Zammit impressed the Bristol faithful with his contribution in the game against Gloucester. As sure as night follows day he got stick from the Gloucester faithful. He blotted his copybook seeing yellow following a nasty spat with fellow Welshman Caio James.

Tucked away in The Farage Bugle is a piece that the RFU are quietly but surely heading towards a position where relegation from the top flight is suspended. As the article states it is a thorny issue but I for one think it is the right one. Above I mentioned the current position Bromley find themselves in. How would say Chinnor or Ampthill cope in that environment. They wouldn’t. Before the mail gets sent I know it is a mute point as neither of these two Championship clubs would get anywhere near the stringent promotion criteria with regards to grounds etc. The one solid reason for doing away with relegation is money. Who in their right mind would invest in Premiership club if there was the risk of them being relegated into the hinterland known as the Championship.

Ok, that’s enough for today. I’m at the club tomorrow doing ‘stuff’ with The Bard and other fine men so all being well I’ll be back on Wednesday.

Sunday 21st Sept: 09:30

Well, that’s that then. There won’t be a third consecutive Bob Rogers cup to be held aloft, nor a repeat of RFU cup glory as we were unceremoniously dumped out of both by an excellent Eastbourne side. Having started their league campaign brilliantly they carried that form into the game against an injury ravaged Crowborough.

Still smarting from the loss at Sevenoaks the game started well for the ‘Borough. A well taken Gus Weir try got us off to a flying start but sadly the euphoria was to be short lived. The visiting men in blue and yellow quickly equalised and then for long periods dominated the game. Their support play was across the park was excellent and the sniping runs of the #9, cool head at #10 and pace of their #15 had us at sixes and sevens. Missing first up tackles didn’t help our cause, nor did losing the dynamic Will Creasy and Andy Kidd to injury. At HT the score was 7-38 and the writing was on the wall.

We played better in the second half as Eastbourne tired, but there wasn’t to be a miracle turnaround as witnessed in the Bob Rogers Cup Final. We added two further scores both converted by Jarrod Hermann meaning we won the half 14-12. The final score 50-21 is a fair reflection of the gap between the two sides on the day. A special mention for Josh Rhodes who battled tirelessly from minute one to minute ninety. A try for him was well deserved.

Crowborough can now concentrate on a) the league and b) probably more importantly getting the injured fit and available again. Kent 1 is a tough league and we will need all our resources to hold our own as the season progresses. (The Bard’s match report is on the website). The 2nd XV take centre stage next week as there is no league or cup for the 1st XV.

My good friend Mr G tells me that there were over 100 walkovers in the National Communities Cup yesterday. The cups simply don’t hold the attraction they once did. Staying in leagues, or striving for promotion, or batting against relegation are now the priority. Sad, but there you have it.

The Women’s World Cup came well and truly to life on Friday evening. Canada simply blew away New Zealand. The once all powerful Silver Ferns had no answer to the dynamism of the Canadians. Two second half tries for the ladies in black gave the scoreline a degree of respectability but didn’t to justice the quality of Canada’s play. I for one thought the once juggernaut like Silver Ferns would win. How wrong was I. It tees up the prospect of a classy final, a final which, and I say this quietly, Canada can win.

By the way I love the fact the Canadian goal kicker is their second row, the inspirational Sophie de Goede. It took me back to when Allan Martin kicked goals for Wales.

In the second semi-final England eventually got their game going after a pretty scrappy first half. The Ellie Kildunne try lit up proceedings but it was tough going outside that. The French kept England honest for long periods but eventually England’s power came to the fore. The late Meg Jones score made the scoreline look more one-sided than the game actually was. Ellie Kildunne, the face of the World Cup and England Women, had before that added a second well taken try.

England will review the tapes later today, and into next week, and see that they are a long way from being perfect. There were still way too many basic errors which allowed the understrength French to keep in touch. Canada will relish the opportunity to seize on such mistakes next week in the final. I’m at a family wedding in Wales so will have to view it on Sunday.

That’ll do for today. Back tomorrow with whatever I can find.

Thursday 17th Sept: 08:00

Just a few snippets this morning. Having trawled the papers for stuff I find it disappointing that rugby coverage is slim to say the least, despite it being World Cup semi-final weekend.

Toby Booth, ex London Irish and Ospreys, will replace Danny Wilson at Quins. Not a bad shout that.

Dai Young is back coaching, this time at Cardiff Met University. I still think he was shafted by Cardiff.

TNT Sports are actively negotiating the rights for the new Nations Cup. TNT do a good job with their rugby coverage, except for the inane punditry (at times) of Austin Healey and David Flatman. It’s pay-per-view TV I’m afraid.

Nic White has announced his retirement……. Again! Yep the Aussie scrum half is done with international rugby.

Mike Tindall continues to shout loudly that his R360 project is still on track. The Torygraph asks ‘how ready is it really?’.

You’ll be pleased to know that England Ladies are having a ‘pamper night’ ahead of their clash with France. Good on them. Men’s rugby at the elite level off the field is pretty sterile. The Woman on the other hand are engaging with the fans and doing things differently. Its great.

The front pages are full of The Big Orange chatting up the Princess of Wales. I bet she said to William later: ‘god, that man is a slime ball’.

We have done the pomp and ceremony perfectly and played up to the ego of The Big Orange. Lets hope it brings us some benefit and not just the cost of the visit.

What a hypocrite! Yes, Sadiq Khan. Laying into Trump about his popularity and his actions, when Khan is about as popular as t**d in a swimming pool, and his actions are causing misery for millions. Not only that, it turns out his globe trotting has amassed millions of airmiles, all the time while he is preaching about the environment. Only this morning it has been revealed that a report that highlighted Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTN) are not working was quietly shelved.

Hey Ho. Walking rugby tonight, if my knee holds up. Friday Club tomorrow. The club on Saturday. A lie down, after writing my view of the game, on Sunday.

Wednesday 17th Sept: 09:05

I hope the weather where you are is better than where I am. It is rather damp here in Bridgnorth. More time to write this drivel, do my Spanish lessons, and read my book before heading back to the ‘Borough.

Some news about CRFC first up. The withdrawal from Counties 1 by Uckfield, along with other club ‘issues’ around the county, has meant a rejig of the league structure. Our 2s move up a league into Sussex 3. We only missed out by a point at the end of last season so this is no surprise. It is a reflection of the tireless work done by Graysey, Ian G, the coaches, and people like Crouchy that not only are we putting a 2nd XV side out every Saturday, we have loads of them training twice a week too. The rejigged fixture list will be on the website soon.

Don’t forget to book your place at the lunch on Saturday, and once again I remind you it is a 14:00 kick off.

Just caught up with the Junior results from the weekend. The Colts beat Maidstone, the U16 lost over at Pulborough, but the U13 won at Tunbridge Wells. It is not the result that is important, it is that we have sides at every age group and they’re having fun with their mates.

As I eluded to yesterday the French flanker Axelle Berthoumieu has had her 12 match ban reduced to 9 matches. This is now in line with what you would expect. A 50% discount for accepting the charge and expressing genuine remorse for, in this instance, a horrendous act of foul play. Menae Feleu was not so fortunate, her sanction was upheld so she now has a 3 match ban to negotiate. She of course can go to ‘tackle school’ and have that reduced to two matches. That really hacks me off, and I mean really, really hacks me off. Both will now miss Saturday’s semi-final against England.

It should be a cracking weekend with Canada and New Zealand facing off on Friday evening. At the start of the tournament you would fancy Canada for this one. As it has progressed, I for one can see New Zealand going through. It won’t be easy but the way they dispatched Ireland would support my opinion me thinks.

England will beat France. There is no point in looking any further than that.

Tommy Freeman has said he wants to play in the centre. ‘You’ll play where you are picked mate!!’.

A couple of other snippets. Exeter’s money man Tony Rowe has gone on record backing the idea of a English-Welsh league. This has always been a good idea but politics has got in the way. It would most definitely be of benefit to the Welsh regions and therefore Welsh rugby as a whole. WalesOnline for the full story.

Ireland will be without Hugo Keenan for sometime following hip surgery.

Liam Williams, currently unemployed, could make a surprise move to Newcastle Red Bulls. WalesOnline for more on this one.

That’ll do for now. Must go and catch up on who Sir U-Turn has sacked today, who the heck is Kemi Badenoch, I think she might be a politician, what the odious Nigel Farage is fabricating for our absorbtion, and of course what trail of destruction is The Big Orange leaving in his wake.

Oh, and check out the latest ‘Interview with …… ‘

Tuesday 16th Sept: 08:10

Good morning all. I never know how many people bother with this drivel but I’ll keep going until a) I’ve had enough or b) I’m cancelled, whatever that means. Thanks Andy for your recent input. Good luck getting those ‘challenges’ sorted out.

What’s new in the World of Rugby? Axelle Berthoumieu has been given a 12 match ban for biting. In a tournament that has been brilliant so far it is a stain that the game can do without. Apparently it was mid-range of 18 matches reduced to 12. The French are contesting the length of the ban. This was not a full face to face hearing so I reckon there is the option to reduce it by a further 3 matches in accordance with the regulations, but in my mind it is a deliberate act and therefore you could argue she is lucky to get any discount.

In the same game Manae Felou was shown yellow for bringing down a maul in the ‘red zone’. A subsequent citing review has stated it should have been deemed a high tackle for which she has been given a 3 match ban. This is being contested by the French. I haven’t seen the rerun of this but would suggest, on reading the notes, this ban might be overturned.

John Mitchell has had a good old whinge about Scotland’s spoiling tactics at the set piece saying the game can do without the sort of cynicism that slows the game down. Oh, get on with it. You won comfortably, and Scotland have punched above their weight, against a backdrop of their union treating them shabbily.

Lee Blackett has left Bath for the England set up. Good for England, not so good for Bath. Brian Moore in the Torygraph has said his arrival, and the subsequent moves, are ‘confusing changes [that] have air of Cabinet reshuffle’. Glancing through the piece, I don’t think he was being complimentary.

Mike Tindall has claimed there are 200 players signed up for the R360 circus. The Daily Fail has this one. I find it difficult to see how this is going to fundamentally change the game for the better. All I see is a circus where the organisers, e.g. Tindall, and the players get rich, and the rest of the game loses out.

Harlequins fans will be having a strop as Danny Wilson announces he is leaving to join the Welsh set-up under Steve Tandy. Good appointment for Wales, not so great for Quins who know have to scramble around looking for a replacement with the Premiership just a few weeks away. I am NOT going to call it the PREM. I am not a snotty nosed callow youth who snarls and grunts. It is a pathetic name for the games prestigious domestic tournament.

Former Welsh defence coach Mike Forsahw who only recently joined Leicester Tigers has left that new role for personal reasons. No other explanation was given. It is a loss as he actually did OK in trying circumstances when with Wales.

Lots of rugby ahead but that can wait until tomorrow and Thursday.

In the proper news the shambles that is illegal migration has hit the buffers again. The mealy mouthed, faceless, lily-livered lawyers have brought the one-out, one-in scheme to halt. It was a rubbish scheme anyway. What is the point? Surely what people want is the illegals to be returned post haste. This scheme seems to suggest that instead of the perilous channel cross by dinghy we’ll now pay for a nice seat on an aircraft and then put them up in a cosy hotel. It changes nothing.

The Big Orange arrives in the UK for a bit of good old British pomp and ceremony. If he wasn’t enough of a puffed up egotist already, this will pump up the arrogance to a new level. I hope he enjoys the meeting with Sir U-Turn who is sure to be at his obsequious best in the hope of distracting us the taxpayer from his absolutely useless Premiership. We’ll be calling him Prem Min soon, or more likely Mr Redundant !!!

Monday 15th Sept: 08:24

As you know it was a difficult day for us over at Sevenoaks on Saturday. The 48-5 loss puts us 8th in the table. Up at the top are Old Elthamians who beat D&B 13-46. That is quite some scoreline down there on the coast. Equal top are The Greenies who beat Park House 27-39. Dover beat Anchorians 15-0 and Ashford beat Beccs 28-14. Last seasons bottom two, Charlton Park and Cranbrook battled out a 19 apiece draw.

Over in Surrey/Sussex 1 a resurgent Hove beat Old Wimbledonians 56-10. Eastbourne also had a fine win beating Old Rutlishians 41-18. Sadly Haywards Heath lost 62-35 at Cobham.

In Hampshire 1 it was quite the day for Bognor beating Guernsey II 71-14. Chichester on the other hand had a wake up call losing 26-41 to Millbrook. Still early days so no panic yet.

Up in Regional 2 it was a good day for Sussex with Brighton winning 28-36 at Battersea Ironsides, and Horsham beating Canterbury II 41-25. Interestingly Bromley lost at Beckenham highlighting the gap between leagues.

Further on up Tunbridge Wells enjoyed a fine 38-0 victory over Wimbledon, and Worthing beat Camberley 54-31.

Upwards again and we find Sevenoaks losing at Canterbury 42-37. In Nat 1 TJs lost at home 22-29 to Rosslyn Park.

How did Salisbury and Bridgnorth do? Salisbury beat Devizes 18-5. Bridgnorth beat Bournville 24-17.

Andy has been in touch and confirms that dealing with the Sevenoaks Town Council is a ‘challenge’. It highlights that whilst we have to fund absolutely everything, owning all our grounds has a significant advantage.

To the World Cup. That was quite some game at Sandy Park. In difficult conditions Ireland and France served up a very enjoyable encounter. A game which Ireland were unlucky to lose. Yet again the IRFU have shown how to grow the game by supporting the players and having a robust structure in place. It wasn’t so long ago Ireland were losing most games by quite a bit. Sadly the game has been marred by the extremely unsavoury allegations of biting. The TV images look pretty damning. The French girl is in for a lengthy ban me thinks.

England powered their way to the semi-finals with a convincing win over Scotland. The girls in blue gave their all but against England it wasn’t enough. I didn’t think England were anywhere near their best. I know the conditions weren’t great but there were plenty of unforced errors to be rectified. Next Saturday against France will be a test but based on current form I can’t see anything other than a comfortable England win.

Canada v New Zealand on Friday will be an altogether different game. I fancy that one will be close with the Silver Ferns sneaking it at the death.

Plenty going on at the club yesterday. I hope the Women’s & Girls day went well despite it being rather miserable during the afternoon.

Other sports news is dominated by the death of boxing great Ricky Hatton. A troubled soul after his years of success, but still, leaving us at just 46 is tragic.

The once mighty Manchester United were humiliated 3-0 by their city rivals.

The Vitality Blast was won by Somerset. We watched this one on Saturday. It was a cracker, if you like your T20 cricket.

Plenty in the proper news including the big question: is Sir U-turn the most unlucky, or the most hapless Prime Minister in recent history.

Whilst the protests on Saturday turned into a thugs day out, the fact c.150,000 people turned out to march does say something. I really do fear society is becoming so divided and divisive that the country could find itself exploding into complete anarchy.

Sunday 14th Sept: 08:55

With it persisting down during the morning, and the A21 closed for bridge demolition, it would have been an easy decision not to head to Sevenoaks yesterday. We went, and after an arduous journey through the clogged back roads of Kent we made it in time for a beer before kick off. (I’ll come back to this at the end).

This, as is oft the case with Crowborough Rugby, was a much changed ‘Borough side from the one that beat Cranbrook. Injuries and absentees making the coaches lives challenging. Matters were made worse when young Josh Jarvis cried off with a knock late on meaning even younger Marcus Hunn was drafted in for his senior debut.

Thankfully the weather cleared up and as the game kicked off so the sun made a very belated appearance. Sevenoaks II, as you would expect with their First XV plying their trade three leagues higher up in National 2, were extremely well drilled, and with their #10, #11, and #15 causing mayhem amongst the visiting defence early on it was going to be a long afternoon at the office. For long periods ‘Borough found themselves having to defend with all their might. It was inevitable the dam would burst with ‘Oaks going over at regular intervals.

This might sound contradictory but we weren’t playing badly, it was simply a matter of they were much better with players who had clearly played at a higher level, including their contracted South African #7 who had arrived only this week. When we had the ball we looked sharp, running good angles with forwards and backs linking well. We simply couldn’t break down their excellent defence. It kept its shape at all times and was up quickly snuffing out the opportunities that came Crowborough’s way.

In the set piece we generally held our own but even when we had clean ball it was not quite good enough. Andy Kidd, Adam King and Josh Rhodes worked tirelessly with the veterans Mark Rosier and Richard Tasker putting in a gruelling shift. After a long absence Richard Taylor back in the fold kept the back line moving, with the versatile Sam Skinner trying to break down the yellow and blue wall that seemed ever present.

It was 29-0 at the break and 48-5 at full time. In the last moments Will Creasy, who also battled manfully from start to finish, went over for a consolation try.

Now, back to that beer. I have to say, Sevenoaks have a really nice clubhouse. Spacious, well appointed, with a great view of the pitch from their covered decking area. Good supporters too. I also have to say their beer prices took me by surprise. I would put them into the expensive category, but then again I am a tightfisted misery. Also, by comparison to Steel Cross, where the pitch looked magnificent when I left on Friday, the Sevenoaks pitch was pretty poor in parts. In their defence they have tried to invest in improvements but the alleged myopia of the Town Council has got in the way. I find this bizarre to say the least but that is how politics in Britain is run now. By self-serving clowns. This is probably none of my business but I thought I’d mention it.

Our Second XV travelled the short distance to Uckfield yesterday where they were beaten 26-17. This was a decent result for us as despite their recent trouble there was still a substantial part of the home side that got promoted last season running onto the field at kick off. It sounds as if it was an even contest for the main part, with their backline having more structure and cohesion than ours. Crowborough scrum half Andy Martin said he had ‘an amazing game’. I’m sure he did!!

Next up is Eastbourne in the cup at Steel Cross. Remember it is a 14:00 kick off and don’t forget to book for lunch.

If you have access to it, watch New Zealand v South Africa. The men’s version. What a game. Brutal, intense and an amazing scoreline. I will spoil it be saying that second half Springbok performance was nothing but sensational.

I have the two World Cup semi-finals on the agenda for today. They should be worth watching. At some point I’ll be enjoying my slow cooked pork loin, marinated with honey, mustard and white wine, served with potatoes and corn straight from the garden, with a fresh salad on the side.

League round-up tomorrow plus a few comments on today’s games.

Thursday 11th Sept: 08:55

Glad to say I am back in the ‘Borough after a reasonably uneventful journey, except to say the M23 closure was an inconvenience. Boy oh boy, was it wet when we got back however. So to the rugby news.

Two important things to note.

The 2s now have a fixture away at Uckfield on Saturday. Kick off is 14:30.

If you are travelling to Sevenoaks on Saturday be aware the A21 northbound will be closed all weekend. The 1s kick off at 15:00 so allow extra time for the journey.

Who else is playing on Saturday? In our league Ashford host Beccs, Charlton Park play Cranbrook, D&B host Old Elthamians, Dover play Anchorians and The Greenies travel to Park House.

In Surrey/Sussex 1 Haywards Heath are at Cobham, Eastbourne host Old Rutlishians and Hove play Old Wimbledonians.

In Hampshire 1 Chichester host Millbrook and Bognor play Guernsey II.

Elsewhere Brighton go to Battersea and Horsham have the pleasure of welcoming Canterbury II. Tunbridge Wells play Wimbledon and Worthing play Camberley. Finally, and as you know, Sevenoaks are at Canterbury. TJs host Rosslyn Park in National 1

A HUGE weekend in the World Cup. New Zealand v South Africa, and Canada v Australia get us going on Saturday before France v Ireland, then the big one, England v Scotland on Sunday. I’ll definitely be glued to the box on Sunday. I go New Zealand, Canada, France and England as the semi-finalists. All the games are on BBC.

Check out the website for details of a great day of fun for ladies and girls at the club on Sunday.

Saturday morning we have the Rugby Championship where we find another New Zealand v South Africa clash, plus Australia v Argentina. Both games should be worth watching. I intend to watch the Wallabies v Pumas game from two weeks ago this morning. The weather is forecast to be wet so why not.

The Premiership Rugby Cup gets underway this weekend. Not overly bothered by this so you’ll have to do your own research.

Looking through the rugby pages I see the R360 is under pressure to answer outstanding questions about its viability. There are plenty in favour, I’m not one of them. Many think it would be divisive and to the detriment of the game as a whole. If you want more BBC Sport has done a good piece on the state of play.

The Premiership coaches have got together to ask Steve Borthwick to rest certain players during the Autumn Internationals. The clubs want England to share the burden of managing player workloads, plus they can point to the successful tour of Argentina to highlight England has plenty of strength in depth.

Ollie Lawrence, Bath, is aiming to be fit for the start of the season. In fact he could feature in the pre-season game against Worcester. It does seem that Worcester have pulled off a miracle and are in decent shape to start the season in the Championship. Tom Curry, Sale, by contrast will miss the start of the season but hopes to be back in time for the Autumn Internationals.

So, hopefully having negotiated the A21 diversion and found somewhere to park in Sevenoaks on Saturday I’ll be back on Sunday.

Plenty in the papers including the slaying of Charlie Kirk, a Trump mouthpiece, the incursion by Russian drones into Polish airspace, and the tragic, senseless murder of a 16 year old boy outside Seaford station.

Walking rugby tonight at 18:00, Friday Club tomorrow, and wall to wall rugby on Saturday.

Oh, just remembered, I need to say ‘howdy’ to the Americans who read this guff. Yes, there are some over the way who tune in now and again.

Wednesday 10th Sept: 08:10

As there is virtually no new rugby news to bring you, despite it being a big weekend of rugby ahead, and the proper news is depressing, and the usual assortment of M+Ms awaits, just a few words before I go.

The 1st XV travel to Sevenoaks II on Saturday. Kick off at 15:00. Their 1st XV is away at Canterbury so parking should be a tad easier than last season’s challenge.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a grassroots preview plus a comment or three about the World Cup and Rugby Championship.

The Israelis continue to ignore all attempts to bring peace to the Middle East. The bombing of a hotel complex in Doha, Qatar is their latest atrocity.

The RMT are holding London to ransom again. Their demands are outrageous. As it says in one of the papers, the drivers will be demanding to work from home next.

The lawyers are taking the Government to court to get compensation for alleged poor conditions at migrant holding centres. I thought this was an April Fools. My blood is boiling!!

Just seen the weather forecast for the ‘Borough. Miserable. Hey Ho!

Tuesday 9th Sept: 09:10

Morning from a bright but a tad chilly Bridgnorth. Not the worst journey ever yesterday but please don’t tell me that only people over 70 are a nightmare on the roads. Boy and girl racers, lorry drivers, white van man, and those who think having a 4x4 Chelsea tractor with a personalised number means they own the road, are often worse, much worse. Have you driven around Crowborough during the school run. It is scary with a capital ‘F’.

Anyway, moving on. There is very little rugby news of note in the papers, despite the World Cup moving into the knockout phase. Christian Wade is returning to union from league and joins Newcastle pretty much immediately. Welsh rugby’s soap opera continues but to be fair to the regions they are preparing for the season ahead as normal, whatever ‘normal’ means for Welsh Rugby.

Oh, please note the double header versus Eastbourne will kick off at 14:00, this to accommodate the World Cup semi-final that is likely to feature England later in the day. Don’t forget to book your place for lunch. Nice early one for Jacqui to contend with. Sept 20th if you have already forgotten.

Back to the World Cup. A couple of things from the weekend. Brighton Stadium packed out for both games. Even via the thing in the corner it came across as a great atmosphere on both days. The New Zealand haka was mighty impressive. Scary, scary ladies indeed. The Ireland anthem was sung with gusto too. I think the tournament organisers have done a great job, as have the host stadiums and towns and cities. The nomadic James has mentioned on more than one occasion the amazing volunteers at the ground. Looking at some of the newsreels around the games it is obvious they are adding significant value to the occasion, not just organisationally but joviality too. Whether they are lucky enough to be in the ground or outside manning car parks, or in the case of Brighton helping with queues out of, and into the train station, they do a great job. Well done them.

Yes I can speak with a degree of authority having been a volunteer in 2015 and being lucky enough to be in the Amex when Japan beat South Africa. (I am in the photo. Spot where’s wally!)

Ok, that’ll do for now as there is much to do on these flying visits to see my dear old mum. Gardening for one. I hope we don’t have another downpour like the one yesterday afternoon. Torrential doesn’t do it justice, and it came out of nowhere.

Do you think I should throw my hat in the ring to be Deputy Prime Minister. It seems everybody bar the Downing Street cat has done so, in part to be closest when Sir U-Turn gets stabbed in the back by one of the duplicitous MPs under his so called control. I think the answer is no. Whilst I am an opinionated oaf I have a modicum of decency, honesty and standards making me totally unsuitable.

The RMT are out on strike again demanding an even shorter working week, and more pay, plus extra perks. If Sadiq Khan caves in again we might as well all pack up and go and live in North Korea. At least the trains run on time there.

Can I leave with a very serious question. Why are the world’s governments so reluctant to vilify Israel for what seems like outrageous war crimes to average person in the street.

Monday 8th Sept: 08:00

You know you are never far away from winter when you have grassroots rugby results to summarise. For many the season proper got underway on Saturday so here are the results of round 1.

In Counties Kent 1 you already know that we beat Cranbrook in a tough encounter. It seems it wasn’t so tough for our friends The Greenies beating Charlton Park 66-17. Old Elthamians were another side who had an easy start to the season beating Ashford 64-12. In the other games Beccs beat Park House, Dover beat Sevenoaks II and Gillingham Anchorians lost to Deal & Betteshanger. One game isn’t enough to give you any indication of how the season will pan but the Old Elthamians result does bear out my thoughts that they will be there or there about at the end of season shakedown. We travel to Sevenoaks II next week.

Over in Surrey/Sussex 1 Eastbourne got their season off to a flier with a 64-14 win over London Cornish. Hove have started well beating KCS Old Boys 19-55. Sadly it wasn’t such a solid start for Haywards Heath losing at Trinity.

In Hampshire 1, as expected, Chichester were too strong for Portsmouth winning 54-31. Bognor enjoyed a fine win at Millbrook in what was a close game.

I made a mistake on Thursday by thinking Sussex 2 started this weekend. It didn’t, and it is several weeks yet before that gets under way.

Regional 2 South East did start with Brighton losing at home to Beckenham. Horsham drew 21-21 with Graveshend. Out of interest both Bromley and Canterbury II lost at home highlighting the gulf that often exists between the leagues.

Further on up in Regional 1 South East Worthing came away from Bracknell with a narrow win. Tunbridge Wells lost at Old Alleynians but did pick up 2 bonus points.

In the National leagues Sevenoaks lost at Esher, but up in the thin air of Nat 1 TJs enjoyed a fine away win at Leicester Lions, 14-46 in this one.

Rounding things up this morning, thanks to Bill, I know that Salisbury played well to beat local rivals Trowbridge 22-33. Bridgnorth lost at home in the big derby game 21-27 to Stourbridge.

That’s it for the teams I keep an eye on. If you want to delve deeper then englandrugby.com has all the results from up and down the country, and if that is not enough then the Rugby Paper has even more results for you to ponder over.

In the World Cup New Zealand put Ireland firmly in their place in Brighton yesterday. It was a very professional performance. Likewise France made a clear statement winning comfortably against South Africa. The quarters are now set in stone with some cracking ties next weekend including England v Scotland and France v Ireland. More on this during the week. England will be without their charismatic talisman Ellie Kildunne following her HIA on Saturday.

Brian Moore writes in The Torygraph that the Women’s game could still go backwards despite the amazing exposure it has had thanks to the World Cup. He has a point. The dithering bastions of the game across the globe must seize the initiative now if the feel good factor and media coverage is to be a stepping stone to growth.

There are murmurings that the R360 has hit a roadblock. It is not completely derailed but it isn’t going to happen soon.

Talking of railways I read that the rail unions are finding any and every excuse to pour misery onto the hardworking commuters of this land. Their demands get even more outrageous, and with Labour in power, supposedly, there is never a better time to cause mayhem. With Sir U-Turn in a tailspin the broader union world is sharpening their knives. Et tu brute. Great piece in The Times about how you need to be a pathological liar and be able to twist and turn like the sneakiest of weasels if you are to become a Labour MP. This written by a former labour candidate by the way.

Off to Bridgnorth now. Thankfully the rain is holding off.

Sunday 7th Sept: 09:15

A busy few days what with Friday Club and the season starting. The minis and juniors get going again today and the place is in good shape. The combination of heavy rain and sunshine, plus the fantastic work done by Flo, Max et el the pitches have recovered significantly. The main pitch will get its first coat of paint next week.

Before I forget, the Bob Rogers Cup game and the RFU Cup game have been combined into a double header. This will now be played on Saturday Sept 20th. There will now be no game on the 27th. There is lunch planned for the 20th and the menu looks brilliant. Book early.

So to yesterday. Let me start with the 2nd XV. Despite the senior squad having a long list of absentees for a range of reasons we got a team out yesterday, with subs, to play Cranbrook’s equivalent. We came off second best, in part due uncontested scrums in the second half, in part due to ours being a very inexperienced side at adult level, and in part due to them being the better side when it counted. I didn’t see any of this one but speaking to the guys post-match it was brilliant to hear that the score was irrelevant. They had thoroughly enjoyed playing in a keenly contested game, played in good spirits, with good mates. It augurs well for the season ahead.

So to the 1st XV game. I would say this was a ‘Curate’s egg’ of a game; good in parts. In fact I would go as far as to say very good in parts. Despite us blooding a number of players in the 1st team there were times when our link-up play was outstanding. For the first 20 minutes or so I’m sure Cranbrook had no idea what had hit them. The ball fizzed along the back line with us making ground at will. The issue was the scoreboard remained stubbornly inactive. We eventually struck first with a penalty, then an absolute beauty of a try. (Read The Bard’s match report for the intricacies of this). We should have been awarded a second try after an amazing break out from deep with Will Pitman and Harry Marchesi combining. By the time the referee arrived at the scene Cranbrook had managed to get their hands under the ball and the try was not to be.

To be fair Cranbrook intercepted a long and speculative pass to gallop within inches of the line, a desperate last ditch tackle prevented the immediate score but arriving players seemed to power over. Sadly for them they suffered the same fate. Try chalked off.

As the game developed so the hosts came back into it playing some attractive rugby at pace and a good degree of skill. Our defence was tested over and over again. It remain solid and the half closed at 0-10.

The heat of the day and the first game rustiness came to the fore in the second half. As players tired the game became disjointed, fractious at times, with error after error, and penalty after penalty making the contest less enjoyable. Offsetting this there were moments of brilliance, with Sean Bate and Sam Skinner making sniping runs, and Gus Weir showing his pace. After one such Weir run we found ourselves in front of the posts. A sublime running angle by Josh Rhodes saw him crash over from a few metres out. The conversion took us to 0-17.

We weren’t to add to the score, in fact we found ourselves defending deeper and deeper. Cranbrook were now on the front foot and looking a much more cohesive outfit. They got their reward with a try wide out after some excellent back line support play. It was hotly contested by ‘Borough that there was a foot in touch on the way to the score but the referee had no choice but to allow it.

The game continued with plenty of mistakes, intermingled by moments of brilliance, and the occasional bone crunching tackle. Final score 5-17. (I’ll bring you the league round-up tomorrow).

As a footnote, the 2nd XV game kicked off early meaning those players added to the support for the boys as the afternoon progressed. Thankfully the banter remained good humoured in keeping with our great game.

It was home then to discover Wales had lost to Fiji. Can the game in Wales sink any lower? I then watched a less than perfect England eventually destroy Australia. At times England were very sloppy yet they still strolled to victory. There is absolutely no reason why England can’t stroll to the final and lift the trophy. Canada could be that final hurdle. Scotland tested them yesterday.

So to Sir U-turn. I don’t think it is out of place to say that his premiership is now akin to the captain of the Titanic reorganising the deck chairs before the iceberg looms large.

Oh, Mrs Bleater has just said: ‘you do know it is 14 years this week that you started writing that drivel of yours’. Yes I did, and it hasn’t improved since !!

If you haven’t read it yet, go on the website and read the interview with Dave Clark. The first in a series.

Thursday 4th Sept: 10:20

Apologies for the lateness, an appointment with the dentist. Never again!! Why? Not because of the dentist. An early appointment and having to do battle with the school run. Have you ever seen such aggressive drivers. Terrifying!!!

So to the weekend. In addition to the Counties Kent 1 game over at Cranbrook our 2s are playing over there too. I’m a big advocate of 1s and 2s playing at the same venue. A great way to start the season.

What are the other key grassroots fixtures? The Greenies are at home to Charlton Park. Newly promoted Gillingham Anchorians host Deal & Betteshanger. Also newly promoted Old Elthamians host Ashford. Dover play Sevenoaks !! Beccehamian play Park House. Good luck to all and here’s to a fun season with great rugby, well refereed, well supported, and for Mrs Bleater & I, and The Bard and his lovely wife plenty of fine lunches on the way to away games!!

Across in Surrey/Sussex 1 Eastbourne have London Cornish as their opener. Hove go to KCS Old Boys. Haywards Heath are at Trinity. Its a real shame that Uckfield pulled out. Hey Ho!

In a much changed Sussex 2 the pick of the fixtures are Seaford v East Grinstead and Pulborough v Eastbourne II

Over in Hampshire 1 Chichester make their first appearance at home to Portsmouth. Bognor are away at Millbrook.

Upwards into Regional 2 where we now find Brighton and Horsham following their relegation. Brighton play Beckenham and Horsham play Gravesend. I fancy both Sussex sides will do well as they rebuild.

Further up in Regional 1 Tunbridge Wells are at Old Alleynians, Worthing travel to Bracknell.

Ploughing a lonely furrow in National 2 is Sevenoaks, they are at Esher. In case I forget, the following week ‘Oaks are at Canterbury which should make parking for our game at ‘Oaks II easier.

Finally we have TJs in the very rarified atmosphere of National 1 travelling to play Leicester Lions. Not an easy trip that, opposition and travel.

Obviously anyone can find all the fixtures at englandrugby.com but I’ll look to do this on a Thursday in the same way I do a Monday results round-up. Yes, Yes, of course I will bring you Bridgnorth and Salisbury results!!

A couple of snippets from the wider game. The President of Racing 92 has gone off on one about Owen Farrell. He said it caused him to nearly vomit with rage when he saw Farrell playing for the Lions. He accused Farrell of duplicity and many other things after having missed a large part of the season with injury, especially the crucial last few games.

Gregor Townsend is not off to Newcastle, he is staying with Scotland stating he has unfinished business and ‘more of the same is no longer good enough’.

Former Wales Women coach Ioan Cunningham will face his previous employers as his Fiji side try to avoid finishing bottom of the pool on Saturday. I really do fear the worse: another Wales loss.

England have picked what looks their strongest side to take on the Aussies at the Amex on Saturday. That is going to be a cracking day. Councils come in for stick but Brighton & Hove have pulled out all the stops for this one, as they did in 2015 for the men’s tournament. Well done them.

More F1 this weekend. The Italian Scaletrix up next. International football takes centre stage this weekend. Wales play Kazakhstan tonight.

What a terrible tragedy out in Lisbon. The iconic funicular crashing killing 15 (at time of typing). Innocent tourists doing what tourists do and this happens.

Sadly the Angela Rayner affair rumbles on. I’m sorry but if you are a housing minister with a seat in the cabinet you should have a modicum of understanding of how the housing market, especially with regard to tax, works. In my opinion she knew exactly what she was doing. This was not a mistake. She was not badly advised. She would not have come clean if she hadn’t been rumbled. People are ending up in jail for speaking their mind. This is worse!!

Wednesday 3rd Sept: 07:45

‘We need the rain’ everyone has been saying. Looking out of the window this morning I say: ‘be careful what you wish for!’ Another bleak day ahead where getting anything done outside will be impossible unless you have webbed feet and quack like a duck.

Less of this misery, let me look ahead to the weekend. The Women’s World Cup marches on, this time heading to Brighton. Two sold out games at the Amex with England playing Australia and New Zealand playing Ireland. This will be England’s sternest test but I’m pretty confident they will win. This is the only pool where the final placings have not been decided. A big England win and USA beating Samoa by a sizeable margin could see the USA move into 2nd spot.

New Zealand and Ireland is all about topping the group. Whilst the ladies in green have performed well, and certainly entertained, I think New Zealand will win this one, possibly more easily than some might have expected. Spain and Japan fight it out for third.

In Pool B Wales will be looking to avoid humiliation by beating Fiji. They played well enough against Canada but that pathetic showing against Scotland is still top of mind. I hope for a Welsh win but expect more misery. Canada and Scotland should be a good contest for that top spot but I anticipate Canada being too strong.

Finally we have Pool D. South Africa, this wasn’t expected, top the pool but I expect France to triumph and therefore move into the quarters as pool winners. Italy should beat Brazil to avoid finishing bottom.

As you can see there is plenty to play for, and hopefully plenty of good rugby for the paying public to enjoy. Having glanced through The Guardian this morning it seems the public are enjoying the spectacle. The atmosphere at the games has been good against a backdrop of a well organised tournament