So, Leicester Tiger v Saracens on Saturday. Two sides with a very pragmatic game plan with solid defences and a ruthlessness in the contact area. I fear this could be a slug fest with many minutes of Greco-Roman wrestling at the breakdown, but then again what do I know. Leicester will surely want to use their catch and drive at the lineout. Harlequins proved that can be effective against Saracens. Saracens will want to go hard at Tigers early on. Both Leinster and Saints proved Tigers can be slow starters. On a man for man basis Saracens are the stronger squad but Leicester were not top of the table and in this final by accident. Alongside the wresting I am fairly certain both sides will use the arial bombardment as a regular tactic.

What are the key head to heads? Jamie George and Pablo Montoya is right up there. Not in their role in the scrum but as lineout throwers, and for their grunt at the ruck and maul. The lineout will be an important part of the final therefore the hookers need to be error free. They will also be key around the try line when that final surge is required.

Aled Davies and Ben Youngs will need to be on top of their game. Wales v England but of course that is irrelevant. I think Davies will have the edge here as his pass is snappier and he is lightning quick around the tackle/ruck. Youngs with his 100+ caps is no slouch but he can be a fraction of a second slower with his passing, Davies will be all over that, as will Saracens back row.

The back row where Tommy Reffell and Ben Earl ply their trade. Reffell recently called up by Wales has the opportunity to prove he is worthy of that call up ahead of Jac Morgan and justify the praise heaped on him across the season. Earl has nothing to prove, he simply has to be his ruthless best. The breakdown is going to be a battle royal.

The two front rows, both packed with caps. I expect this to be a battleground with Ellis Genge being in the middle of all things good…… and not so good.

Finally Owen Farrell vs George Ford. Long time friends and long time team mates on the international stage. Both were outstanding in the semi-finals. I expect Ford will use the boot a lot more than he did against Northampton and his goal kicking will be crucial. Farrell will be Farrell, being precise with his decisions but probably less mercurial than Ford when that moment of magic is required. Take Farrell out of the game, the Saracens machine will continue to roll on. Take Ford out of the game and Leicester will lose that important top gear.

Elsewhere I think Saracens have the edge and if Nick Tompkins gets any space he could be the key difference outside the two fly-halfs.

So what’s left? The man with the whistle will be intrinsic to this whole contest. Wayne Barnes has that honour (for the 10th time), ably assisted by Luke Pearce and Christophe Ridley. As a team they will need to be watching like hawks at ruck time and that offside line needs to be policed perfectly. Barnes will have his hands full at scrum time and he will need to be all over the two windup merchants: Genge and Maro Itoje. It is going to be a steaming hot day but that shouldn’t mean every two minutes an army of water carriers in their bright orange vests have to invade the pitch. Keep the game going and keep that interfering Tom Foley (TMO) quiet.

Despite my concern that this will be a turgid affair I will be watching.

Who will win? I have no idea!

A couple of other things in the rugby pages. Plenty of coverage of the release of the players salaries which highlights your show ponies at #10 are the highest paid. Several of the articles use the information to reinforce the need for a salary cap and support the reduction to £5m.

Plenty of pundits suggesting Danny Care has the opportunity on Sunday to push for a place in the England setup right through to the World Cup.

Another article, BBC Sport, highlights the embarrassing state of Welsh rugby and how reform is all to quickly thwarted by the non business dinosaurs running the game. Amanda Blanc brought in from Aviva to shake things up lasted just 18 months because working at Jurassic Park wasn’t for her. To be fair it isn’t the regions that were the problem.

As always Friday Club tomorrow so back on Sunday with my views on the three finals and maybe a rant or two. Right now there is plenty to rant about.

Wednesday 15th June: 09:00

Twickenham will be the centre of attention for many thousands of people this weekend. First up will be Saracens v Leicester Tigers. As mentioned yesterday a full house is expected and the game will be live on ITV4. Next up comes England v Barbarians on Sunday, kick off 15:00. If you are not going to the game you’ll need Amazon Prime for this one. I know money is tight for the RFU at the moment but surely ahead of an intriguing tour to Australia you would want to expose this match to as many people as possible!!!!

The Premiership Final is very much about redemption and turnaround. The salary cap debacle and Saracens deportation to the Championship has been widely publicised. Their rise through the table since their return to the top flight and reaching this final is testament to the clubs attitude. It is seen by many as redemption from the sins of the past.

Leicester Tigers over recent seasons have been chumps; languishing at the foot of the table and being mired in their own salary cap indiscretions. It would not be too far from the truth to say they had become a laughing stock. Out went the architects of that debacle, in came Steve Borthwick and topping the table and reaching the final on Saturday makes the turnaround almost complete.

It should be a cracking contest but as I need something to write about tomorrow I’ll look at the head to heads, the key areas and possible pitfalls for both sides then.

Eddie Jones’ England will be minus those who trot out on Saturday but it looks an intriguing squad. Plenty of youth and as of yet untapped talent intermingled with experience and wise heads. Will Jones give Henry Arundell a game and if so does that take him out of the clutches of Wales or Scotland who he qualifies for? The inclusion of Danny Care is interesting. For once Jones has picked on pure form and not his usual mix of preferred playing style and ability to kowtow to Jones. The Barbarians are coached by Fabien Galthie and will of course include an eclectic mix of talent. Most notable will be the inclusion of George Kruis who now plays in Japan and a plethora of stars from La Rochelle. I have access to Amazon Prime (thank you Sarah) and with heavy rain forecast for Sunday this could be my afternoon viewing sorted.

Also this weekend we have Bulls v Stormers in Cape Town. The URC final kicks off at 18:30. Unless you have paid through the nose for Premier Sports you won’t get to watch this one, which is another reason why the URC is a failing tournament with failing regions.

Talking of which, Eddie Butler, nice bloke, has stirred the pot with regard to the game in Wales. He has suggested the regions should be disbanded and the game should go back to a club based system. WalesOnline carried the story. Being objective there is much in the idea which makes sense. Obviously those with a self-interest and are on the WRU gravy train have poured scorn on the idea.

Ireland have named five uncapped players in their squad to face New Zealand in July. The party is led by Johnny Sexton and is full of the usual suspects. It does include 12 players with ten or fewer caps and with three full tests and two games against the Maori many of these youngsters are going to get a game.

Talking of New Zealand all eyes will be on Eden Park on Saturday evening, Saturday morning here in the UK. The Blues v Crusaders go toe to toe in the Super Rugby final. This should be a cracker and if you have Sky Sports then it is on channel 408 from 08:00. I will be watching this one for sure.

Looking further ahead the RFU have sprung a surprise on many clubs up and down the land by announcing the league season kicks off on Sept 3rd. We at CRFC had organised a friendly with Hove on that date but now travel to Aylesford Bulls for the first of 22 league fixtures in Counties 1 Kent. I will try and put the hyperlink to the fixture list in the blog tomorrow.

Thankfully the bin strike in our area is over. Good luck with our recycling bin today!!

I wasn’t going to mention the Rwanda deportation flights but I will. I read that the first flight was stopped by faceless mandarins in Strasbourg which happens to be in France. They have ruled the deportation is illegal under the woefully lily-liveried European Court of Human Rights. These are the same faceless mandarins that allow the French Government to ignore, or in my mind be happy with, the illegal deportation of migrants, who could easily have claimed asylum in France, to Britain. This sort of double standards is why the world is in such a mess.

Tuesday 14th June: 08:40

The Premiership highlights reinforced a couple of things. Firstly the scorelines flattered the winners but Saracens and Leicester were both worthy winners. Secondly whilst not classics by a long way there was enough drama and action to keep the viewers interested. Thirdly Owen Farrell and George Ford were both back to their imperious best and going head to head adds space to Saturday’s final.

The highlights also proved Saints, and to a lesser degree Harlequins, contributed to their own downfall. In the case of Saints butchering nailed on try scoring opportunities was hard to watch. For Quins that handling error as the second half kicked off gifting Saracens a try was a major turning point.

I’ll look ahead to the final in more detail over the next few days but a couple of quick comments. The final will be shown live on ITV. This is a huge decision and one which I applaud. It is expected 82,000 will fill Twickenham which is also excellent news. The interesting news is Premiership rugby is considering playing the semi-finals back to back at a single venue. Great idea. They are also considering moving the final away from Twickenham. At the moment they are contracted to play there but that changes for the 2024 final. Nice idea as long as it is not simply a different venue in London.

Plenty more tributes flood in for Phil Bennett. The more you read the more you realise what a top bloke he was.

Stuart Barnes has reinforced my view that Wales qualifying for the football World Cup in Qatar is potentially a dagger to the heart of the oval ball game, especially if as anticipated the tour to South Africa is an unmitigated disaster.

The All Blacks have announced their squad for the upcoming arrival of Ireland. A mighty powerful squad it is too.

Ok closer to home let me sing the praises of Drew Pratt our Head Groundsman. We are blessed at Crowborough RFC with great staff and great volunteers and an exceptional Exec. Working in harmony is why we punch way above our weight on and off the field. Right now the grounds are looking spectacular. Significant investment has been put into the pitches and the grounds as a whole. That investment counts for naught if the work is not carried out properly. Drew has not just over this post season but over many years worked tirelessly to improve our pitches. The geology of the area makes pitch management extremely difficult but one look at the pitches today will tell you the investment and Drew’s hard work are paying off in spades.

Now, I have to say he does have significant help in the form of the Friday Club, in particular Max and Gus, tractor drivers extraordinaire. This bunch of old farts put their heart and soul into getting the place looking wonderful week in week out. Well done all.

Drew not only leads the charge when it comes to the grounds but most of the photos on our website are taken by him. The former professional snapper loves nothing better than being behind the lens. Home or away he’ll be there with his gear producing the amazing shots you see each week. You are a top bloke sir. Thank you.

Now his twin, one Graeme Pratt, a doyen of the Friday Club, is still refereeing even at his age, and doing a splendid job at it too. Pratty is keen to get more referees into the game so if you are interested in taking up the whistle if only to do the kids on a Sunday get in touch with me and I’ll pass your details on. Bleater@crowboroughrugby.com. The idea is to get something in place early September.

If you believe everything you read or hear in the news then you are fool. I did pick up however that the hypocrisy of Mick Lynch knows no bounds. To go on TV and berate the oil and gas companies for making huge profits whilst his union has millions of pounds worth of shares in the same companies beggars belief. Not only that, it is stupid. Why would you bite the hand that feeds you.

I am not going to wade into the Rwanda deportation question despite really wanting to. Likewise the Northern Ireland protocol would be a good topic. That is way above my IQ so I’ll move on. I will say that Wee Jimmie Sturgeon needs to wake up to the fact that Scots are more concerned about the drug epidemic blighting their streets and the very poor performance of the NHS than they are in fffffnnnn independence.

Monday 13th June: 08:25

The rugby pages are quite rightly filled this morning with the news that Welsh great Phil Bennett passed away yesterday at the age of 73. Bennett was one of the greatest players of his generation. In fact I think it is fair to say one of the greatest of any generation. His mercurial skills lit up pitches around the world playing for Wales, the Lions, the Barbarians and for Llanelli. Behind the scenes he worked tirelessly for Llanelli and more latterly the Scarlets, and for the WRU. This thoroughly nice and humble man will be missed by his family, his friends and the wider rugby community. May his soul rest in peace.

I haven’t had a chance to look at the highlights of the Premiership semi-finals yet so I’ll leave further comment on the games until tomorrow.

Much in the press, or the Welsh press at least, about the upcoming tour. Most are predicting a whitewash with the South Africans breaking all scoring records for a tier 1 international. A grim prediction.

Dan Biggar hopes to be fit for the tour. Let’s hope so.

Danny Care has been called into the England squad ahead of the clash with Barbarians next Sunday. Johnny May is also in line for a recall following injury.

Granddaughter has arrived early today so I’ll call it a day in terms of blogging.

Back tomorrow hopefully having seen the highlights show. I will also give you an insight into the work of our Head Groundsman Drew Pratt. Do you know anyone who like to give refereeing a go? More on this too. Finally I think we are still looking for medical provision for next season. Details are on the website.

Sunday 12th June: 09:05

A full on day of rugby with much to discuss. Let’s start up in Hendon with Saracens v Harlequins. Quite a feisty affair with plenty of spills, skills and controversy. The normally unflappable and affable Luke Pearce had his hands full at times with players acting like school-ground bullies and spoilt brats, that is without the incredible speed of the game and the arial ping-pong. Marcus Smith and Danny Care combined to produce a moment of brilliance early on but it was ultimately the Ben Earls’ show. He was magnificent throughout, not just scoring three tries but his all court game was terrific.

This was a brutal contest that wouldn’t have been out of place in the Roman colliseum of yesteryear. The collisions were fierce and at times the blood flowed freely. Defensively it was an immense contest adding to the overall tension of the occasion. Saracens tackle technique was very suspect causing Mr Pearce to do a fine impression of a Belisha beacon regularly flashing yellow. On balance he got the calls right but the Lozowski collision was very reckless and could have been red.

Despite Saracens ill-discipline and at one point being down to 13 men they weathered the storm and eventually triumphed. Quins tried to get their off-loading game going but for the most part couldn’t. Saracens were ruthless in attack and defence and ultimately this was the difference. Ben Earls try at the death gave the scoreline a lopsided feel but the better side did win. Two Welshman stood out with Aled Davies and Nick Tompkins playing superbly for the men in black.

After a sojourn and a pint of cider in the sunshine it was time for Leicester v Northampton. A very emotional pre-match and it looked early on as if Saints were going to heap misery onto the home side. They could easily, in fact should have been, 21 points clear within the opening quarter. Basic skills went missing. Leicester finally found their feet and the contest became a little more like chess. George Ford and Dan Biggar traded penalties with the first half closing 6 apiece. There was plenty of open rugby to enjoy, much to my relief, but also plenty of Leicester grunt. Slowly but surely the Tigers tightened the screw with George Ford being the engineer at the helm. Whilst the better side eventually won an outrageously poor decision by Matthew Carley didn’t help. The yellow card of Saints replacement prop was a disgrace. It was wrong. He also later on penalised Saints when the indiscretion was clearly by Leicester. Like the first semi-final a late try by the home side made the final scoreline slightly more flattering than the balance of play would suggest.

Wales captain Dan Biggar going off with back spasms is a worry ahead of the tour to South Africa.

So we have Saracens redemption complete having done their time in the Championship after their salary cap indiscretion facing in the final Leicester Tigers who have been the best side all season, but tainted by their own salary cap failings.

The URC final will be played between the Bulls and Stormers after the Bulls shocked Leinster and Ulster threw away a decent lead to allow the Stormers to snatch victory.

The Super Rugby final will be between Blues and Crusaders after two cracking ties. I have to say I think the Brumbies were hard done by with Ben O’Keefe being very generous in waving a yellow card instead of red on two occasions. The spear tackle in particular was, pardon the pun, a slam dunk.

All three finals are next weekend.

South Africa have named a provisional squad ahead of the Welsh tour. Eight uncapped players makes no less daunting. You could probably pick a starting XV from the England based players and they would still be too good for Wales.

The Australia squad for the England series includes six uncapped players. There is no place for Will Skelton but Quaide Cooper is included.

That’ll do for now. Off to enjoy the sunshine and once the clock has ticked beyond 12 noon a few glasses of wine.

Thursday 9th June: 09:30

A very dark shadow will hang over Welford Road on Saturday as Leicester Tigers run out to face Northampton. The announcement that Tom Youngs’ wife Tiffany has passed away after “a long and heroic battle” with cancer will undoubtedly take the gloss off a very special occasion. Youngs recently retired to care for Tiffany and his young daughter and whilst rugby will be furthest from his mind on Saturday I am sure he will want a Tigers win in honour of his wife who has been taken way too early at the tender age of 35.

Let our thoughts be with the families and friends of Tom and Tiffany at this most difficult of times.

Rugby seems of little importance when you read of circumstances like these but the rugby will go on. The mouthwatering clash with Saints now has an added dimension but I will put that to one side and look at what we do know. Leicester have gone back to the Leicester of old with a focus on a dominant pack and a solid defence. Of all of the Premiership outfits I would say it is the ugliest game plan of the 13 teams but it is clearly a winning game plan. Topping the table from round 1 to round 26 is no mean achievement. The brutally pragmatic approach may be their Achilles heel if Northampton can secure enough ball and create enough space to get the big men on the back foot. I expect George Ford to send the ball high into the Leicester sky on regular intervals putting Northampton’s back three under constant bombardment.

Northampton have to turn up with their A game in perfect condition. They will need to play with the gay abandon that saw them tear Newcastle, and others, apart with their speed of passing and their precise support play. Dan Biggar will need to be at his very best mixing up the game with pinpoint kicking, accurate passing and darting runs. Keep Leicester guessing basically. The Saints forwards need to avoid the set-piece and as they have been doing move the ball away from the contact area with speed. If they get into an arm wrestle with Tigers you know how that will end.

As with the first semi-final I hope for a good game, especially as the contrast in styles could set that up but I fear the tension of the occasion will deliver something akin to the NFL. I go a home win setting up what I would consider to be the least appetising of finals: Saracens v Leicester Tigers.

Johnny May, Kyle Sinckler and former Dragons coach Bernard Jackman have all commented on the 100 or so Premiership players and the 50 something URC players (mainly from the Welsh regions) who are out of contract this summer and without a club right now. May makes the sensible comment that rugby is not football. The billions that pour into top flight soccer and the eye-watering salaries the players at the top get is a million miles from where rugby is. Rugby is tiny by comparison so we in the game at whatever level have to be realistic in our expectations. Times are hard and cloth has to be cut accordingly. Jim Hamilton, former Gloucester and Scottish forward says the players need to be paid more saying the French have a higher salary cap and don’t seem to have a problem. We are not in France Jim and with Worcester players contemplating legal action because some have still not been paid their salaries for May there is clearly a problem that needs to be addressed. Clubs are propped up by largesse and until that changes then the game will need to recognise the reality of economics. Yes you can spend what you haven’t got but 100% of the time that will end in disaster.

Scotland have announced their squad for the trip to Chile and Argentina. You can read the list for yourselves but noticeable by their absence is Stuart Hogg and Finn Russell. Gregor Townsend insists it is to give the two players a rest as they have been non stop for pretty much two seasons. That makes sense but some suggest it is punishment for leading the drinking at an unsanctioned night out during the Six Nations.

Don’t forget the Super Rugby semis are this weekend. Crusaders v Chiefs on Friday morning, Blues v Brumbies on Saturday. Both games on Sky kicking off at 08:05.

My final RMT rant of the week. Mick Lynch had the brass neck to go TV to try and justify his unions strike action. In no order her berated the fat cats running the rail companies. Well in my mind Lynch’s c.£160k a year salary makes him a very fat cat indeed. He praised his members for toiling through the pandemic. The hypocrite did not once mention the billions of tax payers cash poured into the railways to keep them running despite limited passenger numbers. Many of his members enjoyed full salaries as a consequence. Convenient to forget that me thinks. He rattles on about inflation and not having had a decent pay rise in three years. He very conveniently ignores the fact the high inflation we see today has only hit in the last few months. In the years he mentions inflation was at very low levels. The man and his union want to turn the UK into North Korea where only union bosses can afford the high life and everyone else has to suffer. For the record he did mention the profits of the rail companies. This is where I agree that things aren’t right. The rest of what the man says is pure Trotskyist propaganda, and no I don’t think I was wrong to use the word terrorist yesterday….. so there!!!!

Wednesday 8th June: 09:40

Congratulations to Ben Earl, Premiership player of the season. A well deserved accolade for a player in fine form and with plenty more to come. I don’t think it is any coincidence that Bristol’s fall from grace started when Earl (and Max Malins) returned to Saracens. Unsurprisingly Steve Borthwick is coach of the season and Harry Arundell is “discovery” of the season. Well done all of them.

The United Reform Church has announced its team of the year. It is packed with players from South Africa and Ireland. Not a single player from any of the Welsh, Scottish or Italian sides.

The normally reliable WalesOnline is bereft of any other rugby news. None, nothing, zilch. The Sport section is packed with football news however. Wales host Netherlands at the Cardiff City Stadium tonight, kick off 19:45 and it is live on S4C.

The USA has been given both the men’s and women’s World Cups in coming years; 2031 and 2033, but sadly the game is mired in controversy. The burgeoning MLR is attracting bigger audiences and better players, albeit many of them in the twilight of their careers which is great for the game over there. Right now however their play-offs have been thrown into chaos as both LA and Austin have been disqualified for salary cap breaches. Both clubs are owned by Australian Adam Gilchrist (former Aussie cricketer I believe) and here lies the heart of the problem; money. As the game has grown and since the announcement of the World Cup money has flowed into the game but so have big ego investors. As a consequence more and more issues blighting the MLR have arisen. The Guardian carries the full story plus details of the sides in the Championship race.

Also in The Guardian is an excellent article by Gerard Meagher headlining the departure of many high profile names from the Premiership as a result of the salary cap reduction. Meagher not only covers this very well but he touches on the financial frailty of the game. He also highlights how the game of late has served up a much more enjoyable, free flowing contests with plenty of tries and plenty of high drama. Finally, and I forgot to mention this, he reminds us the RFU are committed to restoring some form of relegation from the Premiership for the 23/24 season.

Two cracking play-off semi finals ahead. Before I weigh up the runners and riders a comment on the play-offs. In the past I have been scathing of the play-offs as no more than a marketing gimmick to reward the sponsors. Despite general opinion I can be open-minded and on this point my view has changed. During the Six Nations, an almost seven week period, many clubs were shorn of their stars. As you would expect the clubs at the top of the table will be worst affected by absentees so a play-off does on the face of it make sense. However I still feel there is a very strong argument that says this is a reward for Gallagher who plow millions into the game. Fair enough.

First up is Saracens v Harlequins. Home advantage has to be brought into the equation. Also Saracens rested pretty much their entire first team squad ahead of this one whereas Harlequins travelled to Sandy Park with most of their big names on show. Saracens are ruthlessly pragmatic and usually tight as drum in defence. I expect Quins joie de vivre will be stifled and Marcus Smith will be smothered by black shirts from minute one to minute eighty. If, and sorry Quins fans it is a big “if”, the visitors can get their free flowing game going and Smith is allowed to release the pacey backs and offload to the hard charging Dombrandt then there is a chance for an away win. Esterhuizen will need to be at his best and Tyrone Green will need to be rock solid under the high ball. In the contact areas it is also advantage Saracens but if the Quins scrum can get on top then that might be a source of good ball for Care and company to exploit. Look at what Toulon did to Saracens in the Champions Cup.

I go for a home win but hope for a high quality game. Sadly I fear the tension of the occasion and Saracens pragmatism might leave us all a little bit disappointed. Needless to say I will be watching.

Leicester v Northampton preview will be tomorrow.

A couple of club notices. Don’t forget the Summer Ball. Tickets are still available. Ladies and girls touch is back on Tuesdays and boys and mens touch starts tomorrow. Full details on this website. Further in the future CRFC will host Hove on September 3rd in a pre-season friendly.

That’ll do except for me to express my complete and utter disgust at the RMT. The Lynch mob are no better than terrorists. Yes I use that word correctly as not only are their actions likely to cause untold misery for millions there is the possibility that if food and fuel supplies are disrupted then people could die as a consequence, and no I don’t exaggerate. If I had my way I would freeze the assets of all the RMT leaders and sanction them like we have Putin. Make their lives a misery and see how they like it. I am not anti-union, in fact most unions are a very good thing. This is not a union it is a terrorist organisation with the only aim of bringing this wonderful country of ours to its knees.

Tuesday 7th June: 09:10

The RMT Trotsky inspired anarchists continue to bring chaos to London this morning. If hard working shop workers who toil for long hours for low pay were threatening strikes I would have a high degree of sympathy, especially after their valiant efforts during the Covid thingy, and more recently slaving away while we overindulged on patriotism, and alcohol. The leaders of the RMT earn significantly more than most, well over six figures. Tube drivers pick up around £65k per annum for a 35 hour week and despite what the papers say their pension scheme is very generous. This is anarchy at its worst from Putin supporting hypocrites. Naff off to North Korea or Russia and see what your utopia really looks like.

Sorry, I needed to get that off my chest.

Eddie Jones has included a number of uncapped players in his squad ahead of the game against the Barbarians and the Australian tour. Obviously a large number of players are unavailable due to their involvement in the play-offs but it is a good opportunity for those who have shone elsewhere to experience the England gulag training setup.

Missing from the tour are Manu Tuilagi and Kyle Sinckler. Both due to be under the surgeons knife at some point soon. Is it time for Tuilagi to recognise the catalogue of injuries he has already suffered might just be telling him something??

On the credit side of the balance sheet Jones will be pleased by the recovery of Jack Nowell and it is understood Luke Cowan-Dickie and Johnny Hill have been in full training with Exeter.

England and Gloucester great Phil Vickery has sent a clear and unequivocal message to Eddie Jones: “stick your journey up your fff…. jacksie”. Basically stop all this rubbish about a journey and stop the pathetic excuses and start delivering ahead of the World Cup. Nice one Phil!

Sam Warburton, a long time critic of the URC format, has reiterated his position by saying the URC “makes no sense”. As I said yesterday it makes absolutely no financial sense except to the blazers who are blinded by the TV money. The contests home or away have not enticed bigger crowds into the stadiums and with most games hidden away on Premier Sports the TV audience is non-existent.

Bye, bye Danny Wilson. After their humiliating defeat to Leinster last weekend by 76-14 Glasgow Warriors have sacked Wilson. It was the final straw after eight matches of mediocrity.

The women’s game has gone from strength to strength over the last couple of years but it is dominated by England. Only France and New Zealand come anywhere close. Domestically the Premier 15s has grown in stature and quality quite significantly. Wales and Italy and to a lesser extent Ireland have realised that investment in the women’s game is crucial. They have closed the gap but is that gap about to be widened again. The Premier 15s have been instructed to focus much more on English talent than they have before. This will be a body blow to Wales as all of their recent Six Nations squad play in the Premier 15s. I can understand the RFUs desire for this to happen as they plough millions into the women’s game but is it short sighted. England thrashing everyone out of sight is not an appealing prospect. Does it make sense domestically? Do fans want to watch the best or do they want to watch some of the best and plenty of almost rans. I don’t know. Exeter and Bristol for example are packed with non English players so what next for them? It is an interesting conundrum for all in the game.

Looking ahead we have the play-offs this weekend. The F1 is back from Azerbaijan. England play Germany tonight in the Nations League. The big story is about how golf is about to blow its self apart thanks to, yes you guessed it, money. Saudi Arabia are ploughing millions into a series to rival the PGA tour and many of the world’s top golfers are selling their soul to the odious regime in pursuit of the money, in fact more money because most are already wealthy beyond your or my wildest dreams.

I couldn’t not mention the fact Boris got a bloody nose yesterday. In fact a bit more than a bloody nose, a good old thumping. This is as much about self-serving weasels trying to preserve their jobs and their seats on the gravy train as it is about discontent with Boris. The fact Boris put us into an unnecessary and draconian lockdown only for him to party away is a disgrace and he needs to take responsibility for that hypocrisy and duplicity. However who is there to take over? They’re all weasels and on the other side of the political divide they are no better. Mr Starmer and Ms Rayner are not exactly paragons of virtue as they have been caught out in dare I say it lies being very economical with the truth. Heaven help us all is what I say.

Monday 6th June: 08:40

D:Day, always a poignant day in the calendar.

The 64 year wait is over and Wales finally qualify for the World Cup. Yes Wales beating Ukraine last night sends them to Qatar in November where they will face the USA, Iran and England. Wales to top the group then???

The end of the 64 year wait will also pour more misery on to Welsh rugby as the nation turns toward the round ball game for comfort and joy. It is a brilliant achievement for little old Wales but it could not have happened at a worse time as far as rugby is concerned. Wales will tour South Africa next month and many, including me, expect three horrendous results with Wayne Pivac on his bike shortly after. Much hand-wringing will follow at the WRU offices but more troubling will be the defection of loyal supporters to soccer.

Elsewhere the mandarins at the Premiership are slapping themselves on the back with two mouthwatering semi-finals in prospect. You’ll need BT Sport to watch them however. Will flair defeat ruthless pragmatism. More on this later in the week.

I watched the Premiership highlights last night. A veritable cornucopia of tries. Some absolutely sensational like Louis Lynagh’s after that Marcus Smith break from his own line. Some pretty turgid dumper truck trundles from the lineout catch and drive. Great stuff. Did ring-fencing have an impact? Many hate the idea but I for one would suggest the game has been a better spectacle with the removal of relegation. The fear of losing has gone out of the window and the ball is thrown around with gay abandon. Steve Diamond summed it up when he said Worcester were playing for pride and did not want to be bottom, whilst putting on a show for the fans (or something like that anyway). The other side of the coin came from David Flatman saying “Bath checked out”. That is a damning indictment of the once mighty West Country outfit. They couldn’t be bothered!! I am not sure that is the case but I do accept ring-fencing might be a factor.

In all of this my support for ring-fencing has always been based on the need for sustainability. Even reducing the salary cap to £5m and sadly shedding players like a snake sheds skin will still mean most clubs rely on largesse to keep going. Those already at the top table can survive but where it falls down is the mad scramble to join them. Ealing Trailfinders are propped up by an ageing business man who might leave significant in his will to keep the club going for years to come. On the other hand the family waiting in the wings might have different ideas and poof the money has gone and so has the club. London Scottish and Richmond almost went out of existence as a result of chasing the dream. Clubs around us are paying players and paying them handsomely but is it sustainable? An emphatic “No” is my answer and that is one reason why ring-fencing needs to be in place. There are clubs chasing the dream who don’t own their own ground, their facilities are poor, they don’t have a proper business plan or development plan. They simply have someone who is foolish enough to plough money into mercenaries pockets, often at the expense of the club at large. Madness.

My vision would be a 14 team Premiership with the additional club in the North. A semi-pro Championship acting as a breeding ground for the Premiership with mainly English qualified players taking centre stage and a pyramid below that which is amateur. Clubs could get into the Championship but they would need to pass a range of tests among which would be financial sustainability and of course a player development pathway. Lots of you will rubbish this but our game is on a precipice and money is not the answer.

What nonsense! Five South African sides will take part in next years European tournaments. The Stormers, Bulls and Sharks in the Champions Cup and Lions and Cheetahs in the Challenge Cup. In my humble opinion having the South African franchises in the URC is madness let alone having them in Europe. What hacks me off is clubs across Europe have sweated blood and tears yet missed out but the Cheetahs have been invited to take part without going through any of that trauma. The tournament will lose out as fans won’t travel the immense distances especially as money is tight. The massed ranks of Leinster fans in Toulon, or the La Rochelle hordes at Leicester bring the tournament to life. A few thousand locals in the enormous Ellis Park will not do that. This is about money, TV money. Stupid. The costs for the clubs will be massive and unless that TV money is given to the clubs I can see serious problems ahead. I don’t like the idea, end of. Many of you will argue that the South Africans will bring greater competition. Fair enough as rugby is about competition but will it be enough to capture the imagination of the fans and the TV audiences.

That’ll do for now except to say what a great advert for the United Kingdom yesterday. The diversity of the pageant was brilliant. What a nonsense, people criticising Len Goodman for saying his nan called called curry “foreign muck”. Times were different then and we must be able to accept that. What happened happened so suck it up.

A day of misery for millions today. Thank you RMT, you militant anarchist bast….

Sunday 5th June: 09:45

Plenty to get my teeth into this morning so lets crack on. My views on ring-fencing should be well known by now and I am sure fans of Bath are mightily pleased it is in place. Tomorrow, now the regular season is over, I will recap my views again but for now I’ll just make a few references to it.

So Worcester beat Bath comfortably and although Newcastle got hammered by Northampton it is Bath that props up the table. Oh how the mighty have fallen. It is not that they don’t have a good squad or their facilities are substandard so why have they been so very poor this season? I don’t know the answer. What I do believe is yesterday’s score line would not have been 43-27 with ten tries on the board if relegation had been in place.

It was always to be that Saints would beat Newcastle and secure that final play-off spot. The East Midlanders romped out to a big lead before the Falcons got out of second gear. There was a moment when the visitors looked as if they were going to claw their way back into the contest. The Robinson red card scuppered that and the rest is history. Fifteen tries in this final day extravaganza. I do ask “if Newcastle were at risk of relegation would they have put up a stiffer test?’’. The other side of the ring-fence argument.

Gloucester did what they had to do by demolishing Saracens very convincingly. Yes this was a Saracens 2nd XV but the job still needed to be done and done it was. Some of the rugby in this one was excellent. Eight tries to one. Sadly for the Cherry & Whites it was not enough. Did Mark McCall’s decision to rest his front line players do the competition a disservice? No, Saracens earned the right to rest players by qualifying in second place and guaranteeing a home semi before this final round.

Leicester as expected beat Wasps in what turned out to be a low scoring affair by comparison to the other games. Leicester top the table something which they have done every round since the first game of the season. Quite an achievement!! It would be a shame if they didn’t lift the trophy in the play-offs.

So we now have it confirmed: Tigers v Saints, and Sarries v Quins next weekend.

Talking of Harlequins they lost in a thriller at Sandy Park. A stack of tries and the lead changing hands over and over. The highlights of this one is on the agenda for today.

Rounding up proceedings was a very comfortable win for Sale over Bristol. The Ashton Gate contingent have had a poor season and this defeat was just desserts for that. Sale have blown hot and cold but will be in Europe next season. The top four plus Gloucester, Sale, Exeter and London Irish make the cut.

The semi-finals of the URC took place this weekend with Ulster beating Munster, Leinster beating Glasgow, Bulls beating the Sharks and Stormers beating Edinburgh. Leinster host the Bulls while Ulster travel to the Stormers.

Because I could I watched Blues v Highlanders and Brumbies v Hurricanes yesterday morning. Two cracking contests in the Super Rugby play-offs. The quality of this tournament is outstanding in my view. However, the 20 minute red card rule which was used in both games is wrong. It is rewarding foul play not deterring it. If the game is serious about preventing head injury then a red card should mean something. I get all the arguments about entertaining the crowd and fair contests but I don’t think those arguments are enough to compromise player safety.

Congratulations to Saracens Women who beat Exeter Women to lift the Premier 15 trophy. Didn’t see this one. Too busy out socialising, actually eating and drinking.

Lots more to debate such as the Premier 15s looking to discard most overseas players for English qualified players and the fact five South Africa sides will compete in the Champions Cup next season, but I’ll keep that for tomorrow and beyond.

For now on a dreary Sunday morning I’ll leave it there other than to say it has been a great long weekend so far. Started Wednesday evening and its been going strong ever since. Thank you your majesty. I’ve not seen any of the celebrations but have seen plenty food and alcohol !!!!!!

Wednesday 1st June: 09:45

With very little rugby news in the papers let me do a Wooden Spoon special. As you would have read somewhere amongst the other guff I write Ben Martyn and Danny Turnock rode from Crowborough to Marseille to raise money for a very worthwhile cause; the Wooden Spoon. Seven days and well over 800 miles is no mean achievement. The ride was masterminded by Nigel “Big Vern” Pooley with the able assistance of Dave Radford. The route was meticulously planned to avoid as many hills as possible but that didn’t always work. Yes a number of vineyards were identified as stops en route with Big Vern quaffing the cyclists quota no doubt.

Not everything went according to plan with road closures, wrong turnings, farmers fields being “no through” routes, the occasional accident and of course realising that Chateauneuf is a very common prefix to town names, and of course most are found atop a hill.

The boys did up to 130 miles per day leaving about 90 for the last stretch into Marseille by which time they were well and truly knackered. Meeting Luke Pearce was a wonderful way to conclude the ride and knowing they have raised about £5k to date made it all worthwhile. There is still plenty of time to donate and Big Vern has some Chateauneuf du Pape to auction off which indeed will swell the coffers somewhat.

How are Ben and Dan now? Still tired with backsides like blood oranges but recovering nicely. They, quite rightly, are immensely proud of their achievement and know the money will be put to excellent use where it is most needed helping disadvantaged kids in Sussex.

This blog and I am sure all of CRFC are mighty proud and salute the cyclists Ben and Dan and thank the two able and invaluable support team, Nigel and Dave.

Some marvellous pictures from the Under 15 Girls county games at Steel Cross on the website. It looks as if everyone had a great day and the quality of rugby very high indeed. Well done all involved on the playing side. Well done all on the organisational front too. Jacqui tells me all went like clockwork…….. as you would expect at Crowborough ….. ;-)

Ex Aussie coach Robbie Deans has warned England you arrive in Australia expecting a 3-0 whitewash at your peril. Australia are on a roll and eager to put the pommes in their place. Should be a good series.

Just a reminder that Summer Ball tickets are available now. Get on line and book your places.

Women’s and girls touch continues on Tuesday nights and the boys and mens start a week tomorrow June 9th. Check the website for details. Don’t be afraid to stroll up for a beer or three, just the one if your are driving please.

Plenty to do today so that’ll be enough for now except to say what a shambles if you are trying to get a way for a holiday. The airports and the airlines took the covid furlough money but still let thousands of workers go. These workers have found new jobs and the airlines and airports are now stuffed. Instead of waiting until recruitment levels were satisfactory the money grabbers opened up, took bookings and more importantly took your money before they were anywhere near ready to operate normally. I know the Propaganda Broadcasting Service and Pie-in-the-Sky News and the Daily Fail will have sensationalised the worst of the stories because normality doesn’t attract viewers/readers but this is a shambles driven by greed and incompetence.

No blog now until Sunday morning. While you celebrate her majesty’s jubilee, or don’t, do spare a thought for those in the Donbas region of Ukraine being slaughtered by Putin’s troops, do also spare a thought for those who will be working through this extended bank holiday period.

Your majesty I for one salute you.

Harry & Megan hypocrites, I salute you in a very different way. The two fingered salute.

Tuesday 31st May: 08:40

The final weekend of the Premiership beckons. Plenty still to play for. Before that however some club notices.

The Summer Ball, one of the highlights of the social calendar is back. July 2nd at Steel Cross. Details are on this website. Book early to avoid disappointment.

The marvellous Callum who kept many players in tip top condition during many years as our medical provision has, due to pressure of work, left us. Crowborough RFC needs a replacement. Details are also here on this website.

I am waiting for feedback on how the Under 15 county contests went but looking at the photos I would suggest it went very well indeed. Congratulation to all involved, especially the girls who took to the field.

Talking of taking to the field Holly Davidson breaks new ground taking charge of Portugal v Italy during the summer round of tests. She will be ably supported by Sara Cox, Aurelie Groizeleau and Claire Hodnett (TMO). An all women team taking charge of a men’s Six Nations team for the first time. In many respects this shouldn’t be news as all four officials are top class and should be, and are there on merit, and not because of their gender. More of this please. I have been pushing for this for a long time.

Northampton and England’s Tom Woods is to hang up his boots when this season eventually ends. 50 England caps and many other accolades. A great career in our great game.

That leads me nicely on to the weekend’s fixtures. Northampton Saints versus Newcastle Falcons being one of the key match ups. A Saints win and the play-off positions are done and dusted. A Saints defeat then Gloucester remain in the hunt, but they have to beat Saracens. Mathematically Sale are still in it if Saints fail to score any points but for that miracle to happen the planets would truly have had to have been aligned. Forget Sale for the playoffs but don’t discount 5th spot.

There is a bit of jockeying for the final European places but that is also pretty much done and dusted. With Wasps in 9th, and playing Leicester at Welford Road, they are almost certain to be the team to miss out.

Most intriguing is Worcester v Bath. The battle for bottom place. If Bath were to lose and finish bottom there will be an outpouring of anger that ring-fencing is in place. It would seem very much like self-preservation. On the other hand it could be that neither Bath nor Worcester will finish bottom. That indignity could fall to Newcastle. A Worcester win with Bath scoring bonus points and Newcastle losing without bonus points and the Falcons will have landed at the foot of the table.

I still remain convinced for the sustainability of the game long term ring-fencing is the right way forward.

If you you want to know where all Wales stars are jetting off to on holidays before the summer tests then WalesOnline has all that for you.

Stuart Barnes has been decrying the fact the South African franchises are eligible for next year’s European Cup. He is also concerned that as money talks it won’t be long before South Africa join the party with a 7 Nations tournament. The South African teams have brought a new dimension to the URC but financially it must be a nightmare. I know how expensive it is to travel to South Africa. You multiply that by a squad of say 30 and a minimum of 20 support staff and you are talking big numbers. One of the attractions of the 6 Nations is the travel whether it be Paris, Dublin, Rome, Cardiff, Edinburgh or heaven forbid Twickenham. The atmosphere is electric. It is the same for the big European Cup games. Would cost bring that to a crashing halt if the South Africans were involved. Yes it would. You only have to look at the empty stands in the URC with zero away fans present to realise that will be the case. Yet again I side with Stuart and say “it is a bad idea”.

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

Monday 30th May: 09:15

If the rugby pages were barren before the European games they are now a chasm of emptiness. Not much to write about at all. If there is anything it is praise for Ronan O’Gara and La Rochelle. It is a good story coming from a well known but relatively small city in France about how they have torn up the rule book and risen to the top. What hasn’t been mentioned is how much money the owner has ploughed into this venture, and it is millions and millions of €uros. The success has even caused some to ask whether O’Gara is England’s next coach in waiting?

For me that is a daft question and a question born out of the absence of succession planning. The RFU should know by now who is Eddie Jones successor, or at least have a robust short list. You cannot simply say “oh, he’s won this or that last week so he must be the man”. Would O’Gara want the pressure of the England job, or would he want to build his reputation further before jumping ship?

The other thing that has come out of the La Rochelle story is the Premiership’s lack of relegation. Some say that ring-fencing has stifled ambition below the top flight and made the top flight complacent. I am not sure that is the case but if it is then I say financial sustainability has to be taken into consideration, and it might be a perception but I feel since ring-fencing the quality of the Premiership offering as a spectator has improved. Sides are playing to win as opposed to playing with fear of losing. It should also be noted that the French clubs now have very strict quotas on overseas players versus domestic players. Maybe the preponderance of South Africans and South Sea Islanders in the English game is a hinderance to success? I don’t know? Just a thought.

The other article is from the Fail which highlights the increasing number of players being thrown on the scrap heap. The reduction in the salary cap is one factor. It is a sizeable reduction so squads will have to be reduced so inevitably those at the upper end of the age bracket and those on the fringes of first team rugby will be let go. The other aspect is those who are kept will find themselves on reduced salaries. It is not all about the salary cap as without doubt Covid has had an impact. Almost two years with dramatically reduced revenues is a massive hit. The largesse of the owners won’t be able to fill those voids. When you put those two things together and then add-in the reality that the game has always been sustained by largesse then things had to change. Times are tough for everyone and I see no reason to weep for those at the top of the game who have until now had it very comfortable indeed.

In other sport congratulations to Nottingham Forest. The Premier League next season…… the Championship the season after???

A big round of applause to Gujarat Titans. They took the Rajasthan Royals apart in the final of the IPL.

The bits of the Monaco Grand Prix I saw were interesting at best. That is the way forward; just before lights out pour gallons of water on the track.

The fallout from the Champions League Final continues. As expected it was everyone else’s fault. Having read many of the articles and listened to some of the pundits who were there I say on the balance of probability the French police and UEFA have questions to be answered. Two weeks before the game however there were plenty of stories about fake/forged tickets, and by encouraging supporters without tickets to travel you were always going to have problems.

Right, that’ll do except to say the RMT are acting more like a terrorist organisation than a union set up for the betterment of its members. You can’t believe everything your read in the papers, especially rubbish papers like the Fail, but even The Guardian are questioning the validity of some of the RMTs demands. The working practices are arcane and should be got rid of. The age of steam is long gone so why are some of those practices still with us and the costs associated with them passed on to hard working commuters. The cost of living crisis is bad, for some awful, but for the massively well paid barons of the RMT to pontificate is a disgrace. This especially when many, many of their members earn significantly more than most in society.

Sunday 29th May: 09:30

It would be wrong of me not to start in Marseille, not with the two cup finals but with the amazing exploits of Ben Martyn and Dan Turnock. Cycling from Crowborough to Marseilles in just 7 days in time to hand the match ball to Luke Pearce on Friday evening was simply brilliant, and raising a lot of money for the Wooden Spoon along the way.

Once in Marseille they would have witnessed a pretty average first half between Lyon and Toulon but a decent second half. Lyon ahead at half time they almost immediately turned the screw with early scores in the second period. They should have been further head except for a toe nail touching the whitewash of the dead ball line. Lyon’s defence was excellent, even when down to 13 men, although you could say Toulon were not as sharp as their semi-final win over Saracens. Cheslin Kolbe scored a late try but it was not enough.

Eddie Jones and his entourage were in the crowd watching former Sarries youngster Joel Kpoku. They would have been mightily impressed with his contribution for Lyon.

What was not impressive was the aftermath of Eben Etzebeth’s hit on Niniashvili. The hit looked bad but was legal. Niniashvili was clearly concussed yet the French medical team and Mr Pearce allowed him to play on for several minutes. This was an awful advert for the game and made a mockery of World Rugby’s focus on preventing head injury.

On Saturday La Rochelle stunned Leinster with a dominant performance. Ronan O’Gara’s master plan worked well. Defensively they kept Leinster to penalties, seven in total. Even when down to 14 men late on La Rochelle were still able to keep Leinster at bay. Despite early pressure and being ahead for most of the game the Irish region were unable to cross the line. La Rochelle on the other hand crossed for two deserved try, the Rhule effort being very impressive, before that last minute killer blow by Retiere.

The loss will be a disappointment for Leinster but most poignantly for Johnny Sexton who will be leaving stage right after the World Cup. He was unable to rally the troops with not only him being stifled but the men outside also being wrapped up before the ball could get to the speedsters out wide.

It wasn’t a classic but it was gripping. That last ten minutes with Leinster camped on their goal line was as tense as it gets. Why Wayne Barnes didn’t go to his pocket in that period is a mystery. Congratulations to La Rochelle, led admirably by Gregory Alldritt. Yet another reason to think France will lift the World Cup next year.

Closer to home I hope the tri-county girls under 15 tournament at Steel Cross went well. Nothing was left to chance in terms of organisation so I am sure it was a great day.

Elsewhere Wigan beat Huddersfield in the rugby league Challenge Cup. I caught some of this ahead of the Leinster game.

The Monaco Scaletrix qualifying was boring, the race will be even more boring. We’ll be watching Rajasthan take on Gujarat in the IPL final.

Liverpool fell short against Real Madrid last night. From what I saw and what I read the organisation fell a lot shorter. Fans queuing for hours with some being tear gassed. As with everything there is always two sides to an argument so I am sure out of the many thousands of fans who travelled without tickets a number would have tried to get into the ground. The French police would have been more than aware of that possibility and the trouble as a consequence. I suspect that as journalists were “forced” to delete incriminating evidence against the police there was much wrong. However I think Jurgen Klopp might need to look in the mirror and ask himself was his suggestion to Liverpool fans “get to Paris and paint it red” a sensible one? Oh and fake/forged tickets was another problem. Sadly it spoilt one of the great sporting occasions and I fear we will see an outpouring of grief from Liverpool as it is never their fault, whilst the French will shrug their shoulders and blithely carry on as if nothing had happened.

I’ll be back tomorrow when I’ll look at the article in the Fail which talks about the large numbers of Premiership players that will find themselves out of work due to the revised salary cap, the aftermath of Covid and dare I say the financial mismanagement of clubs over a long period.

Thursday 26th May: 09:10

It’s terrible when you have to scratch around for stories to fill this blog, so let me start with Bath who have had to scratch around for wins all season. Edward Griffiths brought in as a consultant to help turn things around at Bath is leaving after just six months. He took over as chairman in January but it seems his no nonsense approach has rubbed people up the wrong way and he is off. Griffiths was CEO at Saracens during much of the period they dominated the game so he knows his stuff. There are contradictory reports that his departure was a result of a power struggle between him and Stuart Hooper, but other papers are saying Hooper has been demoted as part of yet another restructuring. It is a shambles. In my mind at the heart of the problem is owner Bruce Craig. It is alleged even though he stepped down he continues to “meddle” in all things Bath and that cannot be helpful. Plenty of papers carry the story.

Animal rights protesters might want to look away now. WalesOnline are reporting a huge cull across the Principality. Player after player is being discarded from the four regions in a frantic effort to cut costs whilst retaining star players. One player being retained is Dan Lydiate. He has signed a one year extension at the Ospreys.

There was a time when rugby union was a feeding ground for their rugby league counterparts. Right now several Premiership clubs, including Sale, and the WRU are looking at St Helens superstar Regan Grace as someone who could light up any union pitch. His try scoring record certainly looks impressive, 84 tries in 134 games.

Andre Esterhuizen picks up the prestigious players player of the year award. Good choice after an amazing season with Harlequins. Freddie Steward picked up both the young player and the men’s player of the year. Marlie Packer picked up the women’s equivalent. Chris Ashton received a special award for passing the Premiership’s try scoring record. Sky Sports carries the full list of winners.

A little more on the new RFU league structure. Leeds Tykes retain their place in National 1 despite a poor season and the league being reduced by two teams. Tonbridge Juddians drop into the new National 2 East where they will find themselves sitting alongside Worthing and promoted Sevenoaks. Adding a league at this level and reducing the number of teams has reduced the travel times. At level 5 there are now six leagues instead of four and just 12 teams per league. Tunbridge Wells are in Regional 1 South East with Medway and Westcombe Park, Brighton are in Regional 1 South Central with the likes of Havant and London Welsh. Below that we now have 12 leagues at what is called Regional 2. Here in Reg South East we find Horsham and Chichester along with the four sides who were promoted from the old London 2 South East. For info Salisbury are in the South Central version. Below that level comes us. By the way Bridgnorth are in Reg 1 Midlands.

A few clubs in our league have asked why is just called Counties 1 Kent and not Kent/Sussex. It is all to do with who voted for and who voted against including second and third XVs in each league. Kent said “yes”, Sussex said “no”. As an observer the reasoning for the name seems spurious to me but what do I know. I think our league looks competitive and outside the travelling, which was supposed to have been reduced, we should do ok.

Congratulations to Roma on winning the Europa Conference Cup. I only mention that as it was Roma who beat Leicester City in the semi-final.

Can I thank the weather yesterday. The damp and dreary conditions meant my planned hedge trimming went out of the window which enabled me to watch a sensational IPL contest between Bangalore and Lucknow.

In other news the horrors of the Texas shooting continue to be revealed. Partygate drags on following the release of the insipid or damning or longwinded (whichever fits your politics) Gray report. Boris photoed with a can of Coke. This is horrendous following his war on obesity. He should be sacked immediately and let Harry & Meghan run the country!!!!

As is now the norm, no blog until Sunday when the two European finals will take centre stage.

Wednesday 25th May: 09:00

How was the Friday Club breakfast? “Excellent” in a word. The Nevill Crest & Gun did us proud. Plenty of chat about the new league structure too. More on this shortly.

A couple of club announcements.

For those who knew him Graeme Martin’s funeral is on June 6th at Wealden Crematorium, TN21 0EX, with the wake at the Yew Tree, Chalvington.

On a happier note touch rugby starts Thursday June 9th. All details on this website.

Outside the 6 Nations and international series this is one of the biggest weekends of the rugby union season; the culmin