I’ll get to the yawn fest shortly. Before that let’s talk rugby for a moment. The dust is now settling on the new Nations Championship and the question is: is it a good idea? There is definitely more purpose to the games than the usual end of term summer tour for the northern hemisphere sides. In most cases the games have been keenly contested with some great rugby and nail biting finishes. The downside is the format has made it impossible for fans to be part of the ‘party’. In 2022 we toured to South Africa watching Wales be robbed in the first test, win the second, and be run over in the third. It was a great experience. It was noticeable how few English supporters were present in Santiago del Estero on Saturday evening for example. The other positive, and this can’t be underestimated, is the wall to wall coverage on terrestrial TV. The officiating has been good and consistent. Yep, on balance I think it has worked.

Eighteen matches and just two refereeing decisions that give me cause for reflection. That has to be good, yes? Both are from last weekend. New Zealand flanker Jacobsen’s no arms entry into a ruck with direct contact to Ireland’s van der Flier’s head, with his shoulder, with force, was, in my opinion, a straight red card all day long. How they came to any other decision beggared belief.

The second was the last minute Argentinian try that wasn’t. Where I have an issue is for a decision made by the referee to be overturned, it has to be clear and obvious. The TMO was adamant, but the three officials on the ground were mindful to stick with the original call of ‘try’. In my mind, the images shown were not 100% conclusive and for that reason Argentina were denied an opportunity to draw level. To be clear however, the TMO was absolutely correct in law. If the evidence had been 100% conclusive his description of why it wasn’t a try was spot-on: clear and concise.

The other aspect that is disappointing is watching the childish spats between players, worse the appalling behaviour of Argentina post the final whistle, the unedifying scuffle off the pitch during Australia v Italy, and very specifically Henry Pollocks behaviour pre- and post-match whilst in Argentina.

His antics on the team bus were not acceptable in a potentially already hostile environment, and his overly exuberant celebration in the changing rooms causing a press conference to be cut short showed a lack of respect to the game. I fear he is getting too big for his boots. Stick to rugby and using your exceptional talent.

Each of the northern hemisphere sides have things to ponder. Scotland probably can look at things positively with their two wins from three, and the very positive showing against South Africa in defeat. Wales beat a poor Fiji side and that is about it. England have plenty to ponder after their drubbing in South Africa and how their lack of discipline in Argentina could have cost them the game. Ireland were lucky against Australia and put in their place by the All Blacks. Plenty for Farrell to worry about. France were France and head the table. Even more disappointing was how Italy failed to compete, especially on Saturday against the Aussies.

I’ll be interested to hear what you think. Bleater@crowboroughrugby.com.

Moving on, the Scaletrix from Belgium was pretty much a procession. A few bits of excitement. England beat India to win the ODI series. I caught quite a bit of this. England were terrific. Then we came to the World Cup Final. Would it be as crazily exciting as England’s 6-4 win over France? Well, at about 11pm last night the answer was ‘absolutely NOT!’. It was probably the worst game of the tournament. It lacked skill, and moments that would normally get you out of your chair were nil. It was tetchy and ill-disciplined, and at times spiteful with cheap shots and pathetic histrionics. The pre-game stuff was rubbish. What was that ‘bull….’ from Tom Cruise? Extending the half-time to close to 30 minutes was an insult to the game, especially as the entertainment was appalling. The posturing of Infantino was sickening. Were there any highlights. Yes, two. Firstly Spain won, and secondly Trump got roundly booed when he entered the field to present the trophy. You think the scenes post match on Saturday were bad, the post match behaviour of Argentina in defeat on Sunday was totally unacceptable. Truly appalling. It is sport for heaven’s sake.

Has it been a good tournament. To be fair, overall, ‘yes’. However the creep of Americanisms is worrying. Hydration breaks, half-time shows, overt and intrusive sponsorship at every turn. Thank goodness the next one is four years away.

Sunday 19th July: 08:30

There was plenty of jingoistic posturing after England’s win in Argentina last night, especially as a response to the antics of the Argentinian footballers with their flags claiming something is theirs when it never has been. What we have to remember is the Argentinians lost 649 combatants in the Falklands campaign. The families will still be grieving. A game of football, or rugby, pales into insignificance when you consider their loss, and those who didn’t come home to these beautiful isles of ours. It was a ‘classy’ stunt however, the replica football shirts from the 1986 ‘hand of god’ World Cup’.

I agree with Will Greenwood writing in The Torygraph that it was a match that highlighted everything that is bad about modern rugby. Tetchy, ill-disciplined, stop-start rugby with the officials getting their knickers in a twist. The behaviour of both sides at times was embarrassing. The constant ‘chat’ towards the match official was awful. Reset scrums, penalty after penalty, yellow card after yellow card. Not a great advert for rugby with grown men acting like spoilt, testosterone laden 15 years olds.

Yes, there were some outstanding passages of play from England in that first half, and Immanuel Feyi-Waboso was the one player who did cover himself with glory. Ben Earl and Jamie George made a mark too. There were flashes of brilliance from Fin Smith, and Tommy Freeman showed exactly why he has to play on the wing. Then came the second half when, as Matt Dawson says writing for the BBC, ‘England’s discipline was “verging on comical”’. Argentina came storming back and England quickly found themselves falling apart. Los Pumas were back in it. Tries from Smith M and Feyi-Waboso settled the nerves but then came the dying minutes.

Los Pumas had also irked Mr Gardner and saw yellow, but that didn’t stop them going over just before the final whistle. They thought they had scored a bonus point try and possibly a draw. It wasn’t to be as the TMO stuck to his guns and said it was ‘no try’. I for one would suggest he got it wrong as there was nothing clear and obvious, and as the on field decision was ‘try’ the score should have stood. The row between the officials was embarrassing, as was the behaviour of Los Pumas at that final whistle.

The win will mean the knives are back in the drawer and Mr Borthwick can sleep a little easier. The win however doesn’t mean everything is rosy in the England back yard. There is still much to be concerned about.

Talking of concern, Steve Tandy will be flying back from South Africa today wondering what on earth has he signed up for. A less than full strength Springboks scoring 43 unanswered points through seven tries, especially after Scotland’s heroics the week before. This was a very scrappy game with the home side being uncharacteristically sloppy. If it wasn’t for poor handling, and dubious decision making the scoreline could have been much, much worse. You cannot say Wales didn’t try. They tackled and tackled, albeit still missing too many first up tackles, and they had plenty of possession, but with the ball they went sideways or backwards. There was no cutting edge. It was all too sluggish. Wales set piece, the scrum in particular, was woeful and discipline was of concern as the pressure built. There are no crumbs of comfort for Wales from this one I’m afraid. We just have to recognise how good the Boks are and what amazing strength in depth they have at their disposal.

Ireland were put in their place by the All Blacks. The home side played with pace and power, and when aided by Ireland’s errors, which there were many, they ran out convincing winners. Are the All Blacks back to their very, all conquering, best? No, not yet, but they are heading in the right direction. Can’t wait for the game against the Springboks. Andy Farrell and Ireland have much to ponder. The normally pragmatic and reliable Irish have lost a little of their mojo. They are no longer wearing down sides with their attritional possession game. Much to ponder.

Well done to Scotland. A fine second half performance put a much improved Fijian side in their place. Likewise there was a moral boosting win for Australia, a fine way for Joe Schmidt to sign off, and to set the Aussies up for the Rugby Championship.

That’ll do for now. We have the F1 from Belgium, the World Cup Final to look forward today, and tomorrow it is the anointing of new Supreme Leader, a man who wants to take us back to the delights of 70’s Britain. Yep, strike after strike, the lights going out, and failing state owned businesses costing the taxpayer billions to keep afloat. Happy days certainly.

Thursday 16th July: 13:40

Good afternoon, or good morning depending when you are reading this. If you watched the football in the hope of England reaching the World Cup Final then ‘good’ might not be appropriate. The minute Mr Tuchel decided it was a good idea to put the barriers up and defend the ramparts the game was lost. It was a bitty, ill-tempered affair lacking in real quality. The post match antics of the Argentinians was unacceptable.

OK, moving on. Steve Borthwick has stuck to the side that beat Fiji meaning Henry Pollock and Janse van Rensburg remain on the bench despite calls for them to start. Tommy Freeman is on the wing and Marcus Smith at #15. It is an interesting back row with Chessum at #6, Pepper at #7 and Earl at #8.

It will be quite the game after yesterday’s football. I’m sure the fans of Los Pumas will be more than aware of the significance of their fight to claim the Falkland Islands as theirs. On the field England will need to be aware of the power of the Argentine pack and the flair out wide. On paper England look man for man a stronger side, but Los Pumas as a unit can be a real handful.

The game of the weekend will be New Zealand v Ireland. As expected Andy Farrell has brought back some of his ‘big guns’. Robert Baloucoune is fit and starts.Gibson-Park returns at scrum-half with Sam Prendergast outside him. Hugo Keenan is another returnee. Last week’s star, Sean Jansen drops to the bench. New Zealand will have been buoyed by their wins over France and Italy and I expect them to start as favourites and go onto win.

Wales have made a number of changes ahead of their daunting clash with South Africa. Dewi Lake is fit, which is a surprise, and starts. LR-Z starts on the wing. There is a new centre partnership of Max Llewellyn and Ben Thomas. The back row is robust with Alex Mann, Aaron Wainwright and Jac Morgan all starting with Reffell and Botham waiting to join the fray from the bench. Dan Edwards and Tomos Williams are the pivots at #9 and #10. I can’t see beyond anything other than a comfortable win for the Springboks. All that us Welsh can hope for is Wales give of their best from start to finish, get those first up tackles in, and maintain their discipline.

Scotland play Fiji at Murrayfield. The Scots should win, even though Gregor Townsend has made 14 changes, but I am assuming Fiji really can’t be as bad as they were against England. The only player retained in the starting XV is Gregor Brown who shifts from lock to #8.

All the games are live on ITV1 or ITV4.

Don’t forget the Under 20s are on RugbyPassTV if you think gorging on Saturday won’t be enough. Wales U20 play on Friday at 17:30, England U20 play on Saturday at 15:00 against New Zealand.

That’ll do until Sunday.

Have a great weekend. Enjoy the weather, and the rugby, and whatever else you have planned.

Wednesday 15th July: 08:25

Still no rain in sight. Somewhat troubling me thinks. Very little in the rugby pages to get stuck into I’m afraid, this despite another big weekend lying in wait. The Under 20 World Championship drawing to a conclusion, and the last round of this part of the Nations Championship. Can Wales U20 beat Scotland to claim a very creditable 5th spot. Its on Friday evening if you go to RugbyPassTV, kickoff 17:30. Hoorah, Bleater’s bar will have re-opened by then.

I guess rugby will pale into insignificance, if it hasn’t already, if England beat Argentina tonight in the football. That said, England rugby face a tough test out in Argentina on Saturday. An England win and the Red Rose rugby fraternity will be relieved and can start looking toward the Autumn, and on to the World Cup. A defeat and the pressure will be on Mr Borthwick and serious questions will need to be asked and answered about why the richest union on the planet fails, and fails again, and again.

Wales face a huge challenge down in Durban. Now that is a beautiful part of South Africa. You can’t look beyond a home win, but the hope is it is not as embarrassing as the defeat in Cardiff when South Africa strolled past Wales by 78-0.

New Zealand v Ireland is the pick of the games. A real test of whether Ireland still have what it takes, or are they on the wane.

OK, that’ll do for now. Good luck to England tonight. Back tomorrow afternoon after the teams have been announced.

Tuesday 14th July: 08:55

Whilst the morning has dawned somewhat overcast there is still no sign of rain in the forecast. It is troubling, but some of the headlines are pure fantasy. Climate change is real and the ever increasing temperatures are of significant concern, but the drumbeat of woke climate propaganda is to scare us into a state of compliance. It is oh so reminiscent of the covid period where downright lies were used to subjugate us into faithful devotion to the word of so called experts. We have to change our behaviours, and be way more conscious of the impact man is having on the world, but a slavish devotion to climate dogma is not going to achieve the objective. Banning the use of hosepipes is a small thing but why should we comply when the water companies are losing significantly more in leakage from their infrastructure than a ban will save. Then you have the real ‘kicker’…. People on benefits don’t have to comply. That is an April fool’s joke surely. What makes them so special, or their situation different from say pensioners who find tending their garden therapeutic and life enhancing. Well this pensioner is NOT going to comply if those on benefits don’t have to. I tell you, anarchy is just around the corner.

Sorry, got carried away there, and don’t start me on the union barons earning salaries well in excess of £100k spouting Marxist crap about inequalities. They should write a thesis on hypocrisy in modern society.

Rugby Bleater. Where is the rugby news? Sorry again, couldn’t stop myself. England U20 were unceremoniously dumped out of the World Championship semi-final by an amazing second half display of power and skill by the ‘Baby Boks’. They were aided by an outrageous act of thuggery by England’s Seb Kelly who viciously head-butted a prone South African following a tackle. Quite rightly Kelly was shown a straight red. Down to 14 men for the next 50 minutes took its toll. In the other semi France beat New Zealand in what was a cracking contest. The games are live on RugbyPassTV and are generally of good quality.

Talking of red cards, well done Hollie Davidson. No hesitation, no doubt, the Fijian kick on Ellis Genge was a straight red. She didn’t bottle it, off he went. She really is one of the best match officials on the circuit right now.

Looking ahead to Saturday, as expected Rassie Erasmus has rung the changes again, ten of them, for the game against Wales. I have to say it is not as strong as forecast with four new caps taking to the field. It is still a powerful looking squad. Wales will be without Dewi Lake due to a groin injury. Ryan Elias will start.

As mentioned yesterday there are calls for Henry Pollock and Noah Caluori to start against Los Pumas. What will Mr Borthwick do with the South African? I guess he will start… unfortunately… but I am jaundiced in my opinion with regard to Janse van Rensburg.

The football continues tonight with France v Spain, and it is Bastille Day. Vive La Republique. England v Argentina is tomorrow evening. It has been a decent tournament so far, and with the exception of the Mexicans revolting at the opening game it has been trouble free. In fact, watching the packed stadiums with fans intermingling has been a breath of fresh air for the game. That said, extra police have been drafted into Atlanta for tomorrow’s encounter. It would be a real shame if a wider political issue, The Falklands, was to mar the tournament. It must be pointed out that England’s fans in the US seem to have behaved impeccably, where as the morons still here in the UK, drinking way too much, have caused trouble across the country.

Have I told you, I’ve been to the Falkland Islands. Only to Stanley, but a great place. The museum is amazing, and I defy anybody who visits not to shed a tear when you see the section on the war.

OK, that’ll do. Hypocrisy and self-serving politicians. Top of the list: Ed Milliband. He is now willing to u-turn on North Sea oil. Why? Not because of national security, or helping those struggling with fuel costs, or preserving jobs. No, none of these. He wants to kowtow to the new Supreme Leader and secure the job as Chancellor. Heaven help us all if that were to happen.

Back tomorrow…. Maybe!!!

Monday 13th July: 08:30

It seems Steve Borthwick can’t win. England blow Fiji away scoring try after try, yet there are still murmurings of discontent. The win apparently papers over the cracks, for this week at least. The true test, according to some, will be Argentina next Saturday evening, especially as Scotland beat Los Pumas in Argentina just two Saturdays ago. To be fair to the critics of Mr Borthwick his selection policies have been questionable, and, from what I have now seen for myself, Fiji were very, very poor last weekend.

I don’t want to do Henry Pollock down but his three tries, albeit all three looked very spectacular showing what a turn of pace he has, came when the game was effectively over and the Fijians had seemingly thrown in the towel. That said, I think there is a case for him starting against Los Pumas, especially if England decide not fight fire with fire but to use what will be superior fitness to keep Argentina’s big beasts on the move. I see Raffi Quirke has been called up for this one.

I haven’t yet watched any of the Springboks v Scotland game but the more I read the more it seems Scotland were very good in defeat. Plenty are saying the 14 point difference between the sides doesn’t reflect the closeness of the game.

I did, on the other hand, watch extended highlights of the Japan v Ireland game. Andy Farrell’s view was spot on. Ireland were far from their best. Some of their play was ‘sloppy’ and inaccurate. Whilst they kept Japan to two tries, defensively they were not at their sharpest. The All Blacks will rip them apart if they take that form to New Zealand next week. It was a much changed Irish side to be fair.

So to Wales. The Argentinians deserved the win. They were much the better side across all aspects of the game. Three areas where they had the edge: power, making metres, and winning the big 50/50 collisions. Wales big problem was missing first up tackles allowing Los Pumas momentum. When in possession all too often the ball went sideways with pace but to no avail. When it mattered they were out muscled. Wales are still making progress in my, and others, opinion, but it is slow, and with South Africa up next that progress could be brought to a thundering halt. I read, that having rested some of his big guns against Scotland, Rassie Erasmus is planning on putting out his biggest and best to play Wales. That is ominous!!!!

Didn’t watch it as the tennis took centre stage yesterday, but Wales U20 beat Australia 38-36 in their seeding match. Scotland also won beating Argentina. England play today. South Africa lie in wait. Kick 17:30.

The football continues with England progressing. The Norwegians are kicking up a fuss about the ball hitting an overhead camera cable. Hey Ho! The tournament has not been without controversy, the biggest of which is FIFA bowing to Donald Trump’s pressure and allowing a ‘banned’ player to play. This stupidity is compounded when England’s Quansah received a two match ban for an almost identical foul. It is FIFA, not an organisation that has a pristine record for integrity, so lets move on.

The horrors in the Middle East continue to have global consequences. The nightmare bombing of Ukraine and Russia continues unabated. This is the week Andy Burnham, without a mandate, will be anointed as our new Prime Minister, soon to be renamed ‘Supreme Leader of the Socialist State of Britannia’. That appears to be the direction of travel. Work doesn’t pay. Being bone idle and sponging off the state is the way forward.

A quick mention of what seems to be the mindless slaying of Ann Widdecombe. Not everyone’s sweetheart but at least she said it as it was, and didn’t pussyfoot around with woke or politically correct platitudes.

A mention too for Dermot Murnaghan, a fine journalist. He passed away with prostate cancer. Why do I mention this? I kept the fact that I was diagnosed with prostate cancer in December ‘24 from my dear old mum. She went to meet her maker not knowing that, nor that I went through the rigours of radiotherapy, and thankfully have come through it all with the ‘all clear’. Why the difference between me and Mr Murnaghan? I was very lucky and got diagnosed very early because my GP took the safety first approach and got me tested straight away after I presented with concerns. It is important for those of you who read this guff, if in doubt ask for the PSA blood test. It is not perfect but it could be the difference between a life extended and a life shortened.

Sunday 12th July: 08:55

Let me start at Crowborough Leisure Centre where our minis and our walking rugby crew put on a fine show to kick off ‘Crowfest’. On display were the silky skills of walking rugby, followed by an energetic display from some of our minis. Both showcased everything that is good about CRFC. Well done to all who took part, and all who organised our contribution.

A ‘well done’ too for the Town Council. Often much maligned, from what I saw the event as a whole was beautifully well organised showcasing many and varied aspects of the town and the local area, as well as offering a wide range of food and drink and entertainment options for all. Great stuff.

So to the rugby. As expected New Zealand cruised past Italy with Will Jordan becoming the countries all time leading try scorer. Australia v France was a game of two halves. The Aussies looked great in the first half but fell away in the second as France turned on the afterburners. Some of the rugby from France in that period was sensational, and whilst Australia tried to emulate them the blue defensive wall held firm.

I caught some of the Japan v Ireland game, which I hadn’t realised was actually being played in Australia. I think it is fair to say, and looking at the BBC headlines Andy Farrell agrees, the scoreline flattered Ireland. Japan were dogged throughout but Ireland had too much nous, and even though they were far from their best, it was enough to get them the bonus point win. If Ireland are as scrappy as they were against New Zealand next weekend it could be an embarrassment.

Then came England’s demolition of Fiji. I hadn’t expected such a commanding and convincing win but there you go, what do I know. I haven’t seen any of this game so those who have will be the judge of how good this England performance was. It looks as if early tries set the tone, then Fiji going down to 14 men, meant the writing was on the wall. Looking at the papers this morning Henry Pollock is front and centre with his hat-trick of tries. Plenty are saying he must start next weekend. I see both Noah Caluori and the South African van Rensburg scored on debut.

Why didn’t I watch it? Well, I went to Crowfest, then to Spoons with the walking rugby crew, then home to sit in the garden with my Spanish friend San Miquel and my iPad watching the cricket. The cricket was excellent, another impressive England win over India.

I didn’t get to watch any of the South Africa v Scotland game either. Unlike the England game I am sorry I missed this one as it sounds as if Scotland played brilliantly in defeat and the game is described as a ‘10 try thriller’.

Then we came to Argentina v Wales. The headline sums it up: ‘Argentina provide reality check for Wales’. Los Pumas played with a lot more precision than they did against Scotland, and unlike Scotland the Welsh defence was left wanting at times. First-up tackles in particular. Argentina’s power drove them forward to victory without doubt. There were positive aspects to Wales game but all too often they went sideways in possession whereas Los Pumas went forward. The scale of England’s win against Fiji puts last week’s Welsh result in perspective, but there are positive signs the Welsh are heading in the right direction.

Then came the football. I’ll be honest, after a long day in the sun with my mate San Miquel and his girlfriend Rosé I went to bed at the first hydration break. Spoiler alert, stop reading if you don’t know the outcome. The England win means that in the space of three days England take on Argentina. Wednesday it is the turn of the footballers, then next Saturday it is England rugby’s turn.

That’ll do for now. Back tomorrow with more comments on the weekend’s games. There are four Under 20 games today including Australia v Wales. RugbyPassTV for those.

Plenty in the proper news to get the blood pressure on the up including the Iranians trying to bring the global economy to a standstill by closing the Straits of Hormuz and Trump reacting by bombing Iran. Talk about a vicious circle.

Thursday 9th July: 13:50

Plenty of dice being rolled with regard to selection for Saturday. Let me start with England. Mr Borthwick has seen sense and moved Tommy Freeman to the wing and recalled Henry Slade. Marcus Smith stays at full back. Guy Pepper replaces Tom Curry in the back row. Where it is interesting is the bench. Noah Caluori and George Kloska are set to make their debuts. Annoyingly, for me at least, Janse van Rensburg is also likely to make his debut. (Go Fiji, go!). Who is going to win. I think England have to start as favourites, and if they play with common sense, and defend resolutely, they should overcome a lively Fijian outfit. Don’t write the Fijians off however. They could have beaten Wales with a little more composure.

What about Wales. Steve Tandy has made a number of changes. As predicted Ellis Mee starts instead of LR-Z who drops to the bench. Sam Costelow starts with Dan Edwards not included. Max Llewellyn is on the bench. Also as expected James Botham starts after his sound contribution last week. Exeter’s Kane James is set to make his debut from the bench. He has been making waves down at Sandy Park and is more than worthy of a start. Ryan Elias will win his 50th cap from the bench.

Argentina have made five changes to their starting line-up. Lock Guido Petti will win his 100th cap when he runs out on Saturday. Who will win? You have to favour Argentina at home especially as a wounded Puma is a dangerous animal indeed. However, don’t rule Wales out. Confidence is high in the Welsh camp.

Scotland have brought Finn Russell back into the side. That is the headline. Zander Ferguson and Gregor Brown are also recalled to the starting XV. Rassie Erasmus has made 10 changes highlighting the strength in depth at his disposal. It is a side packed with experience but also some relatively new faces eager to make their mark. Whilst Scotland’s win in Argentina was impressive the Boks will be an altogether different proposition.

Finally we have Ireland. Andy Farrell has made a number of changes with four players in line to make their debuts: Sean Jansen, Billy Boham, Sam Illo and Bryn Ward. A number of big names are missing including Jamison Gibson-Park, and you would argue this is a far from full strength Irish side. Japan will not be a walkover but you have to think Farrell has one eye on July 18th when Ireland play the All Blacks. Tadgh Beirne captains the side.

The two other games are Australia v France and New Zealand v Italy.

The TMO, oft the villain of our great game. Sometimes put in a difficult position thanks to the whim of the host broadcaster. It seems World Rugby are looking at how things can be improved. One idea being tested is the use of a central TMO for all games using ‘hawk-eye’ technology. At present there is a TMO physically present at each game. This is costly if nothing else. The blazers are arguing that having a central TMO with a vast array of technology at his or her finger tips, and no broadcaster influence, will improve the TMO contribution: faster and more consistent. The Daily Torygraph for the full story.

Crowborough walking rugby are up at ‘Crowfest’ on Saturday. I think they are up early doors so why not give them your support. Crowborough leisure centre.

Back on Sunday.

Wednesday 8th July: 08:25

Another big weekend of rugby awaits, but you wouldn’t know it from trawling through the media. Coverage is pretty spartan to say the least. Obviously the odious Nigel Farage playing silly games, Prince Harry’s Daily Fail embarrassment, and Egypt seemingly being mugged by FIFA and Argentina yesterday take centre stage.

There is much rugby to ponder and the Under 20s are ripping it up in Georgia. Wales lost 52-33 to South Africa yesterday but having watched this I can say the Welsh boys did them and the country proud in defeat. They played some exciting rugby, sticking to their task right until the end, against an extremely well drilled and pretty enormous South African outfit. England play the junior Boks next Monday after scraping past Argentina 38-40. Apparently a last quarter revival turned England’s fortunes around allowing them to sneak past Argentina at the death. The other semi-final is France v New Zealand. BBC website has all the results and the upcoming fixtures on Sunday and Monday. RugbyPassTV has coverage. For info it was a bit of a ‘todo’ for me to access the Welsh game yesterday so you might need to redo passwords etc.

Then we have Saturday to contend with. Another six games back to back. Australia v France is the pick but the BIG ONE is Argentina v Wales at 20:10. You, dear reader will be focussed on Fiji v England. This could be a real challenge for England. Fiji have had to ‘suffer’ a short bus ride from Cardiff to Liverpool whereas England have endured two by twelve hour flights, plus the additional travel hassle. Don’t underestimate how knackering that is. Before I retired I was flying to South Africa regularly and even in the comfort of business class you are drained, this despite no discernible time differences. Secondly Fiji are a good side. Don’t be fooled by their defeat to Wales. If things had stuck Fiji could have been out of sight in that first half. If they tone down the flair, and offset that with a little more pragmatism they will be a handful. Then you have to consider England’s injury list and selection dilemmas. Tom Roebuck has been drafted in to replace George Furbank but will he start at fullback. Chandler Cunningham-South has been recalled, as has Emmanuel Iyogen. They replace the injured Cadan Murley and Ben Obano. Then you have the question of centres. Surely Tommy Freeman will revert to wing leaving space for the South African Janse van Rensburg. If he starts I’ll be very tempted to shout for Fiji. It is a joke.

Scotland arrive in South Africa on a high but I fancy they will find the Boks an altogether different proposition. The big question for Scotland is whether to recall Finn Russell. It is a good question too. I’d be tempted to leave him out, but as always; ‘what do I know’. It is likely Rassie Erasmus will make changes but when you have such a cornucopia of talent at your disposal I’m sure it won’t make any difference to how they play. What is certain this will be a benchmark of Scotland’s standing in the game right now, which is very high indeed.

Ireland travel to Japan. I anticipate another Irish win but you underestimate Japan at home at your peril.

Wales travel to Argentina buoyed by their win over Fiji. Like England they now face an arduous journey and this time they are plagued by a significant time difference. Yes, I have been to Argentina, and yes I would go back in a heartbeat. It is rumoured Wales will drop Louis Rees-Zammit to the bench alongside Dan Edwards. Ellis Mee and Sam Costelow could be in line for starts. I’m pretty sure James Botham will start. Los Pumas will have been stung by last week’s home defeat, not just because they lost, but also how easily Scotland took them apart at times. I really can’t see anything other than an Argentinian win but me and my buddy Mal Bec will be watching this one with hope in our hearts. In mine actually as Mal will be shouting for his home land.

Team news tomorrow so like last week I’ll bring you an afternoon blog ready for Friday morning.

I have already referenced the news items making the front pages. What needs to be mentioned is the fact Iran and its odious regime have started attacking vessels sailing through the Straits of Hormuz again, and Trump has started bombing Iran again in retaliation. It is an appalling situation in which the idiot Trump has got us into this mess and now can’t get us out due to the cards held by the Iranians.

Monday 6th July: 09:50

Whilst the dust has settled following Saturday’s Nations Championship the country’s euphoria is on the up as England progress to the quarter-finals following their 3-2 win against Mexico. I’ve just watched it, and it was quite a game. Norway up next after they beat Brazil, which was a bit of a surprise.

Anyway, back to the rugby. There is plenty in the papers about England’s defeat to the Boks, with much of the focus on England’s lack of discipline. The knives are again being sharpened with Steve Borthwick clearly the man with a target on his back. Some of the criticism is justified, especially when it comes to selection. Playing a wing in fine form for his club in the centre makes no sense, especially when you have centres like Max Ojomoh tearing it up for Bath being left out. It also makes a mockery of the Janse van Rensburg selection. After all the fuss about his eligibility not to pick him seems insane.

There is no shame in losing to South Africa who undoubtedly are in a different league. Their physical presence alone sets them apart, and now they have added guile and invention to their play, they are ‘simply the best’, as Tina Turner would say.

So to Wales. They weathered the storm of the first half well. Fiji played some great rugby but Wales stuck to their task, albeit with a decent quantity of luck thrown in. In the second half Wales’ superior fitness came through and their pragmatic approach took them to the finish line, not quite as easily as the scoreline would suggest however. Is this a new dawn for Welsh rugby? Not necessarily, but under Steve Tandy there are signs of improvement. They have a little bit of strength in depth in a number of positions, and good club form is being carried through to the international stage. Discipline has improved too. There is still work to be done. Defensively things are looking better but Wales were exposed wide out on more than one occasion.

OK, that’ll do for now as I have a raft of things to be done.

Before I go however a quick mention of the T20 final. England women were outplayed by a superb Australian XI.

As you would expect the media is dominated by England’s win over Mexico, all this while Russia and Ukraine are trading missiles and drones killing innocent civilians. Sport is important in our lives but we must not overlook the horrors of war that continue to rage around us.

I read that our good friends H&WRFC have suffered some vandalism at Cross-in-Hand. Their new robotic mower has mindlessly been vandalised by morons as yet unidentified. For those who use our club be mindful of the need for security.

Back on Wednesday. Lots on tomorrow.

Sunday 5th July: 08:55

Quite the day of rugby yesterday. I didn’t watch all of the games in full, that would have been pushing my luck to the limit. I did watch, and thoroughly enjoyed, New Zealand v France. What a game that was. Free flowing and end to end, high levels of skill, a smattering of brutality, and the occasional bit of controversy. I think Ruben Love’s tackle was worthy of more than just a yellow card. Some of the tries were top drawer, and the result was in doubt right until the final whistle. More games like that please.

As an aside it was great to see Christchurch finally getting a new stadium following the 2011 earthquake. From the comfort of my living room it looked quite the arena.

I didn’t see much of the Australia v Ireland game. I went for a walk, and had food to prepare. I understand this too was an amazing contest. A ten try thriller with Ireland snatching victory at the death. Despite popular opinion Ireland are not yet finished, and the demise of Australian rugby is clearly misplaced. I’m sure I’ll find this on ‘catch-up’ later in the week.

Didn’t watch any of the Japan v Italy game. It comes as no surprise that Japan won. At home they are a force to be reckoned with, and, like him or not, Eddie Jones is a wily old fox when it comes to tactical nous.

It was soon time to turn our attention to Cardiff and Fiji v Wales. A massive ‘well done’ to the Fijian organisers and the people at Cardiff City Stadium. The pre-match was excellent, and with the sun beating down you could have imagined yourself to be in Suva or Nadi. So to the game. It wasn’t quite the same quality as the All Blacks game but there were some outstanding moments. Wales, for the most part, played with discipline and defensively were good. There were some spectacular lapses which will need to be addressed, and some moments when Fiji were at their mercurial best. No-one would have stopped them. It was mainly Fiji in the first half but Wales ‘dogged’ it out and came good in the second. It’s been a long time since Wales scored six tries, and a long time since they played this well. If you haven’t seen it, the Josh Adams poacher’s try is worth watching as it sums up the change in attitude since Steve Tandy has been on board. Jac Morgan was outstanding, as were Aaron Wainwright and Tomos Williams. If Dan Edwards boot had been working properly the scoreline would have been more emphatic. A morale boosting win ahead of two very challenging games that lie in wait.

Now, I didn’t watch the South Africa v England game live. The weather was gorgeous and the food previously prepared now had to be eaten. I did however ‘speed’ watch it later in the evening. As many of the papers suggest the South Africans outmuscled, out-thought, and out-played a ‘faltering’ England. The last minute withdrawal of George Furbank would have disrupted things slightly, and I emphasise ‘slightly’, but don’t forget the Boks lost Etzebeth before kick off and were without a number of key players. Being 17-0 down in the blink of an eye didn’t help the English cause. They did fight, back but watching the second half England looked bereft of ideas, and the penalty count was also a hinderance. There will be plenty of questions asked about Borthwick’s tenure but I would direct people’s attention to two things: firstly altitude will undoubtedly have played a part, but more importantly England have just come off the back of a gruelling season.

Last up was Argentina v Scotland. I had anticipated a home win. How wrong was I? Scotland played brilliantly in a twelve try thriller, and hung on at the end as Los Pumas came storming back. As the BBC report says, Scotland were ‘sharp, focussed and clinical’. It has to be said that the Argentinians were somewhat off colour, and not their precise and ruthless best, but that shouldn’t detract from an excellent result for the Scots, and an outstanding game to watch, albeit after too much sun, food and vino.

Bring on next week is all I can say.

Today’s sport has to be the Scalertrix from Silverstone and the T20 final from Lords. Come on England. I think the Aussies will win though.

Enjoy your Sunday. It is destined to be a beautiful day. Lamb steaks on the BBQ with home grown produce to accompany it, plus there is a veritable cornucopia of alcoholic delights on the menu.

Thursday 2nd Jul: 14:35

Sorry for the delay, but Mr Borthwick decided to leave his squad announcement until 14:00. Why, I have no idea as the team was leaked a couple of days ago. So who’s in and who is out. The big news is, as expected, Henry Pollock is on the bench. Chessum, Curry and Earl start. George Furbank returns at #15 after a long absence, Fin Smith, quite rightly, gets the nod at #10 and Cadan Murley is on the wing. Tommy Freeman remains in the centre, which I for one find strange. Beno Obano and Asher Opoku-Fordjour are on the bench. It is a 6-2 split with Mitchell and Smith M covering the backs.

It’s a tasty looking side but I fear South Africa will be too strong. They have home advantage, and at altitude to boot. Don’t forget its live on ITV4

An international week is never dull in Wales. Another strike has been thwarted after the WRU resolved a dispute about match fees. Steve Tandy has said it hasn’t disrupted preparation ahead of the Fiji clash, especially as they are in their usual surroundings of The Vale just outside Cardiff. The side sort of picks itself but there a couple of notable changes. LR-Z is fit and moves from fullback to the wing. Young Blair Murray wears #15. James and Hawkins are in the centre, which is ok, but I would have liked to have seen Max Llewellyn at #12. No place for Tommy Reffell which is a shame, but Mann, Morgan and Wainwright looks good enough, especially with Plumtree and Botham on the bench.

Playing in Cardiff Wales might just sneak this one. ITV1 at 14:10 for this one.

Elsewhere Scotland will be without Finn Russell for the clash in Argentina. I am struggling to see beyond a home win in this one.

The headline for the followers of Ireland is Pendergast starts and Osbourne switches to the wing. It is a strong Irish side and even though their recent form has been patchy I fancy they might just creep past the Aussies on Saturday morning.

The Champions Cup pools have been announced with Northampton, Bath and Cardiff all in the same pool. That doesn’t get going until mid-October.

Ok, that’ll do until Sunday.

Before I go I must comment on England football. Woeful to average for long periods but came good in the end. That was some comeback by Belgium. I couldn’t stay awake so went to bed thinking ‘and another one bites the dust’ only to see they beat Senegal 3-2 in the 125 minute.

Plenty to get uptight about in the proper news. The indiscriminate bombing of Russia by Ukraine and the tit for tat bombing of Ukraine by Russia. The ‘messiah from the north’ noticeable by his absence from Parliament this week. Not good enough in my view.

Have a great weekend, and don’t forget to keep hydrated. At 96% water I find beer is good for that!!

Oh and don’t forget England Women v South Africa tonight in the T20 World Cup.

Thursday 2nd July: 08:30

Just waiting for the teams to be announced. For the few of you who read this guff at all, let alone regularly, please come back later. I’ll put some words down, not necessarily in the right order, once messers Borthwick and Tandy have shown their hand.

Wednesday 1st July: 08:50

If you were ever in doubt that rugby was a minority sport in the UK look no further than ITV’s scheduling for Saturday and South Africa v England. Yes, this high profile game in the inaugural Nations Championship has been shunted from ITV1 to ITV4. The mandarins of ITV deem it more important to show Tipping Point and Canada v Morocco in the FIFA World CUP. I don’t know how many Canadians or Moroccans live in the UK but this seems a somewhat counterintuitive decision when ITV have paid millions for the sole rights to the rugby coverage. The good news is ITV4 is still free to air, and they are showing every game on Saturday live, most on ITV1. Fiji v Wales is at 14:10, just as the bar opens at Bleater’s Manse. Thankfully, as I mentioned previously, the games will not be interrupted by ads.

No official team news from the England camp as of yet but it is rumoured Caden Murley starts on the wing and Max Ojomoh in the centre. No starting place for Henry Pollock. This is a surprise based on his current Saints form. This is not a surprise as the Boks have made no secret of the fact he is a marked man. South Africa have announced their side and it is a very strong one too. Manny Libbok at outside half, over 900 caps in the pack, and all of them wildebeest. Etzebeth starts which is always a sign of strength. It is a 5-3 split on the bench but one of those is former Quins favourite Esterhuizen who can, and has played back row.

Wales have reduced their squad to 34 players. No place for Ollie Cracknell but Tommy Reffell does return. Sadly Dafydd Jenkins is missing due to a shoulder injury picked up in the Premiership play-off final. Rees-Zammit is a doubt due to a ‘niggling’ injury. This game is being played in Cardiff which is a bonus for Wales not having to endure the tortuous travel that others are about to discover.

To mark you card, the day opens with All Blacks v France, then Japan v Italy followed by Australia v Ireland. Then the BIG one: Fiji v Wales with the games of secondary interest South Africa v England and Argentina v Scotland to follow. It’s a marathon not a sprint, and I’m not sure how many I’ll get a pass for.

The takeover of Exeter Chiefs by Black Knight has been completed. A deal worth an estimated £25m. After Dyson’s huge investment in Bath and Red Bull’s takeover of Newcastle, is this a sign of a healthier future for rugby in England, or is it simply a reshaping of the old format; benefactors with loads more money but still able to pull the plug at short notice. Time will tell.

Common sense might have prevailed. The Champions Cup has put forward a proposal that the 16 team knockout phase is decided on the basis of points not just pool position. With the bonus point being restructured to be in line with the Top14, three more tries than the opposition, this stops the pathetic situation where just one win can take you forward. Beyond that there is a proposal to reduce the tournament to just 16 teams making it a truly elite competition. The issue to be resolved is the involvement of the South Africans. I think they will pull out after next season and that will make the decision to reduce the size of the tournament much easier.

The football continues. England tonight. Will they be going the same way as Germany and Netherlands, that is over the water to home with their tails between their legs. Two so called ‘powerhouses’ of football dumped unceremoniously out of the World Cup by ‘lesser’ nations.

The Aussies strolled the first semi-final in the T20 women’s world cup. England play tomorrow evening.

The Scaletrix rolls into Silverstone this weekend. The circus that is F1 followed by luvvies everywhere should be worth watching actually, especially as it is a sprint weekend.

The coronation of Andy Burnham is looking more and more likely in the coming weeks. He’s done the talking, he now has to do the walking. I genuinely fear hard-working tax payers are in the firing line again, and the economy will suffer even more. I see Sir U-Turn has favoured benefits over defence in his latest and possible last prognostication. The problem is that when you come out from under the blankets and look at the alternatives, quite frankly they are all as bad as each other. Basically equally inept.

Today’s closing question is about flags. In my life I have been lucky to travel far and wide across the globe. From Moscow to Mumbai, Buenos Aires to Adelaide, Vancouver to Auckland, Tokyo to Cape Town and many places in between. One thing is consistent. Flags. The locals proudly fly their national flag from state buildings, homes, above supermarkets. You name it and you will see the flag flying proudly. Can I ask, why are councils in the UK banning residents from flying the national flag, especially at the time of a football and cricket world cup? I’ll leave that poser with you.

Monday 29th June: 09:00

Congratulations to Saracens Women who beat Ealing Trailfinders 52-12 in the PWR play-off final. I had way too much to do so didn’t watch this one. Marlie Packer led the charge apparently in her final game for Saracens before moving to Harlequins.

There has been plenty of movement of players between the clubs, and plenty of recruitment, which highlights my concern for the England national side. The club’s, on the face of it, have control and are not thinking about the impact on England. Plenty of the recruitment is from outside England. For Wales this is great. The girls will get a much better standard of game week in, week out. Is it good for England. I don’t think so. I refer you back to what the French are doing. They are taking a top to bottom approach which means they control player development and pathway. Yes, here in England the PWR will be an even better league, but it is the success of England Women that has driven interest in the game. If that wanes then no matter how good the PWR is interest will decline. Food for thought.

As an aside, the PWR will become JAECOO PWR next season after a major sponsorship deal was signed. A good deal but it doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue.

ITV have announced a plethora of big names to front their upcoming coverage of Nations Championship. It is the usual suspects but there is one big ‘hoorah’….. Austin Healey isn’t among them. He drives me nuts. There are moments of fantastic insight into the inner workings of our complex game, but all too often overshadowed by banality and misplaced humour. Actually it’s not vaguely funny, just trite nonsense.

In other sport the football continues unabated. Ben Stokes is quitting international cricket. No surprise there after being hung out to dry by the blazers running the game. He was a bit of a jerk sneaking off to the nightclub, but all the same! The F1 circus saw a Brit, George Russell, on the podium. The women’s T20 World Cup continues. Now that has been exciting. England are doing well. Semi-final against South Africa next Thursday at 18:30. The Aussies play WIndies in the other semi on Tuesday at 14:30. Wimbledon starts today for those who love their tennis.

So to yesterday’s question. We have arrived at the situation where it is better not to work than earn a living by sweat and toil because successive governments have allowed it to happen. The useless lot before this useless lot sewed the seed with their generous Covid concessions. Instead of life carrying on as normal they paid handsomely for people to do bugger all. People got used to it. They also made it way too easy for people to milk the system, or quite frankly defraud the system with a) little chance of being caught, and b) punishments when caught laughable. This new lot in charge have made matters worse with their zealous approach to equality. They think throwing money at scroungers and the idle at the expense of hardworking tax payers is helping equality. Yes, it is, but before long we’ll all be equally poor. It is farcical.

Having just been through the vagaries of the British social care system and what it costs I fear for the long term. Social care is a shambles, and it is horrendously expensive. If you have any form of asset you are forced to pay for your care. In essence I have no fundamental problem with that. However, if the politics of envy and class warfare continues those with assets will become fewer and the state will be forced to pick up more and more social care costs. That makes no sense.

The UK welfare budget has to be targeted for savings. It is not sustainable in its current form. The benefit system is way too generous, and way too easy to exploit. The state pension triple lock is unsustainable, as are the very generous Civil Service pension schemes. My view anyway.

Ok, that’ll do for now before I get closed down. Oh, not before mentioning the fact the government have u-turned again by saying illegal migrants can now claim UK citizenship. If there weren’t enough incentives for illegal migration: free board and lodgings, a daily allowance, the opportunity to slope off and work illegally, often in the murky world of crime, they can now claim UK citizenship. Honestly, it is a farce. All that while we are preventing people who want to arrive legally and work in jobs such as care that bone idle Brits feel are beneath them. The trouble is, in my opinion, politicians have absolutely no idea about the real world.

Sunday 28th June: 09:20

Right now football is dominating the front and back pages of the papers. This despite the horrendous and tragic death toll in Venezuela, the ongoing Middle East crisis, and Ukraine and Russia trading deathly drones on an hourly basis. Hey ho.

Rugby hardly gets a look in despite us being just one week away from the new global Nations Championship. Wales warmed up for that with a narrow win over the Barbarians at Twickenham yesterday. It was a bit dour to be quite honest. George North lit up proceedings in the second half highlighting the work Wales have to do in defence if they are not to be humiliated over the next three weeks. There were some positives, including another strong performance from Aaron Wainwright, with both Kieran Hardy and Dan Edwards making a strong case to start next week against Fiji. If there is some encouragement for us downtrodden Welsh, it comes in the knowledge that 13 players were unavailable for selection as they play in England. A bit daft as the league season is over but what do I know.

As an aside, it is equally daft that Christ Tshiunza will now be ineligible to play for Wales following his move to Sale. The WRU must scrap the ludicrous 25 cap rule. We have few resources as it is. We can’t afford to shoot ourselves in the foot in this way.

Well done to Wales Women after their 17-34 win, also against the Barbarians. A moral boosting victory, even if it comes against a side that unashamedly had been partying hard all week.

Congratulations to Toulouse beating Montpellier 28-20 in the Top 14 Final. I understand it was a cracking game, if a bit brutal. I understand a severe storm brought proceedings to a halt for some minutes during the second half.

Elsewhere the World U20s got underway yesterday. Wales enjoyed a last minute win over hosts Georgia. England beat Ireland and Scotland beat Italy. The BBC has the full list of results. The next round of games is Thursday when Wales play Uruguay and England play USofA. RugbyPassTV is definitely showing the games live. If you happen to have a modern LG tv you can find RugbyPassTV as one of the LG channels.

Today, there is the PWR final between Saracens and Ealing Trailfinders. Why they need a play-off I have no idea, but it is today at 15:00, and it is on TV.

Hoorah! ITV have decided to shelve the mid game ad-breaks that we had to endure during the Six Nations. Apparently the decision was based on the ire of viewers, but let us not kid ourselves, the lack of interest from advertisers is the main reason. You can bet your last shekel that if advertisers had been clamouring to fill the spot it would have remained in place.

So to the round ball game. England win again, but was it a scintillating performance? Not in my opinion. They progress as group winners and now face DR Congo in the first of the knockout stages.

I see Steve Clarke has resigned as Scotland manager as they failed to progress.

A highlight has been Ecuador beating Germany. That was quite a game.

The Scaletrix circus continues with the Austrian version of follow my leader this afternoon. I’ll be watching, in hope of more spectacular spills like Mr Verstappen crashing out of qualifying yesterday.

In the proper news we have to spare a thought for those who have so tragically lost their lives in the Venezuelan earthquake.

A simple question: how have we arrived at a situation where it is better not to work, and live off the state, than it is to go out to work?

Back tomorrow, maybe with my answer to the question, and and a view of the long term impact.

Thursday 25th June: 08:50

The end of an era came to pass yesterday for Bleater. My dear old, and now late departed mum’s house is in the hands of new owners. A weight off my shoulders, but a sad day in many respects. All those memories tied up in the house, and of course the joyous hours on the M23, M25, M40, M42, and M5, not to mention the delightful A roads en route. Going to Bridgnorth is not necessarily a thing of the past, but it will certainly be much, much less frequent.

Having trawled through the rugby pages there is scant news of our great game. Wales face the Barbarians, men and women, on Saturday at Twickenham. I hadn’t realised that so many first choice players were unavailable because this game is outside the test window. So, where I thought this would be a pointer to selection for the Nations Series opener, it is actually an opportunity for some to put their case forward for selection. Wales will face George North, who is hanging up his boots after this one, and Eliot Dee, the Wales and Dragons hooker. I thought Dee was in the Welsh squad, but apparently not. I will watch this one, but not necessarily live. It will be on catch up if, as forecast, the weather eases down to a more manageable temperature.

The Nations Series was going to have Qatar Airways as the headline sponsor. The £80m deal is on hold due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East. The deal is not off (yet), it is simply a case of wait and see. The Guardian tells us the TV deals for the new tournament have more than covered the costs so the series itself is not in jeopardy. The icing on the cake with a main sponsor is within grasp, but not yet over the line. If, as we all hope, the Iranian situation has been resolved then we could see the Qatar Airways Nations Series in place for November.

Marcus Smith is bigging up England’s chances against the Springboks. Nothing will be left out on the field. One would hope not Marcus, but I fancy you’ll be warming your backside on the bench for most of the game.

The mind games begin. Rassie Erasmus, never slow to come forward, has taken a swipe at Steve Bothwick by suggesting he ‘works with numbers and chases trends’. He goes on to say ‘he thinks like a machine’ before adding ‘in a good way’. Look, lets not kid ourselves here, Bothwick is process and data driven. He loves his spreadsheets and puts together meticulous game plans. There lies the Achilles heel. Lack of flexibility on the pitch. I have said this on many occasions. The final Six Nations match against France was a cracker with England playing as well as they have for a long time. Why? The players took things into their own hands and played what was in front of them. Against South Africa that is what you have to do. You cannot go into the game thinking you have a plan to take them on up front, a) because that is a battle you won’t win anyway, and b) the Boks will simply change their approach as the game develops. They have that flexibility. It all kicks off on July 4th. The first game is at 08:10 with games throughout the day finishing at 20:10 in Argentina.

Top 14 play-off on Saturday. Toulouse v Montpellier. That will be a cracker. The World Under 20 Championship gets under way on Saturday as well. This is always a great tournament. I have no idea how you can watch it but if it is available then I suggest you do. The quality of rugby is always excellent. It is all taking place in Georgia. That is Georgia in the East of Europe and not Georgia the US state. Actually, I do have an idea how to watch it. S4C will cover most of Wales games, live or on recording. RugbyPassTV is another option. For those who have shelled out then Premier Sports has it covered.

The football World Cup continues. England were pretty turgid against a solid Ghana. Scotland could be on their way home after a 3-0 drubbing by a resurgent Brazil. That’ll do with that.

England Women have qualified for the semi-final of the T20 World Cup. They were pretty impressive against the WIndies last night. Very controversial 3rd Umpire review in the game. The pictures clearly saying one thing, the ‘snicko’ saying another. Technology is not perfect.

You can read about the latest shenanigans in British politics for yourselves. Having worked hard, paid my taxes, been sensible and put a little aside for my dotage, I am quite frankly terrified.

The earthquake in Venezuela looks awful. The forecast for the number of casualties is troubling. What is also of concern is we have record breaking temperatures across the globe, and just this week there were signs of an impending (huge) quake in California. Is the earth trying to tell us something.

Have a great weekend. Friday Club tomorrow so back on Sunday.

Tuesday 23rd June: 08:25

I’ve just put some washing out and what do I hear? A rumble of thunder. Yes, that is the way of the world. Just as we were becoming accustomed to the bumbling, u-turning of our wet lettuce Prime Minister so a Messiah appears on the horizon. A Messiah my rear end! A very nasty wolf in sheep’s clothing. If, as suspected, the Government lurches to the left, then be ready for some very painful tax hikes, and the economy squeezed so tight it can no longer breathe.

Whoops, sorry!! I forgot this is CRFC’s website, all things rugby, and don’t they do it well. Do fill in the annual survey. The EXEC find it most helpful in determining priorities.

Finally the domestic season has ended. In my opinion it is ridiculous it has been extended into June. Saints are the top dogs and deservedly so. There has been some fantastic rugby through the season at the top of the game, but with so many teams qualifying for Europe, and no prospect of relegation, there have been plenty of games with nothing but pride to play for.

At Steel Cross we’ve also seen some fantastic games, that in part due to the reduction in tackle height. That has now been enshrined in law at the grassroots level, and there is much talk it should be adopted by the top of the game.

We can now turn our attention to the Nations Series, for which Wales warms up with a game against the Barbarians at Twickenham on Saturday. S4C has coverage. It won’t be anything other than a training run but we, the Welsh that is, will get an idea of Steve Tandy’s direction of travel. I see he has brought Paul James in as forwards coach ahead of the mighty Adam Jones.

After the humbling by a France XV last weekend Steve Borthwick has announced his squad. As expected Maro Itoje is omitted. Jamie George will have the honour of captaining the side. In my view it is very much ‘steady as you go’. The South African mercenary is included ahead of Ollie Lawrence, which in my mind makes little or no sense. I agree with a number of the papers: Fin Smith and Henry Pollock have to start. Their recent form for Northampton demands a starting berth. Whilst a risk, I’d give Caluori a run too. Damper will be happier, Max Ojomoh is included.

Premiership Rugby are to scrap home advantage in the play-offs. The semi-finals will be played at large neutral venues such as Everton’s new Merseyside ground. It is all about revenue and marketing. This isn’t unt