Bleater's Blog
  1. The Season Run In
  2. It’s Six Nations Time!
  3. 2024 Has Arrived
  4. It’s Nearly Here…… January
  5. Countdown to Chri….. January!
  6. RWC 2023 - The Final Approaches
  7. Rugby World Cup 2023 Plus
  8. The Rugby World Cup Approaches
  9. The Summer Break
  10. The Final Countdown
  11. The Summer Tours Up Next
  12. Rugby Continues Thankfully
  13. The Six Nations - Happy Days
  14. 2023 Has Arrived
  15. The Halfway Point of the Season
  16. The Season Continues into Autumn
  17. Here we go! A new season
  18. The Twilight Zone
  19. The Season is Nearly Over
  20. The Six Nations and Some
  21. The 6 Nations Begins
  22. 2022 and All THAT!
  23. Christmas is nearly upon us!!
  24. We’re Still Waiting
  25. The Season Progresses
  26. At Last - We are back
  27. The New Season is Nearly Here
  28. Lions Tests are Here!
  29. The Lions Up next
  30. Now It’s Europe
  31. 6 Nations Beckons
  32. 2021 at last! A year of renewed hope!
  33. A New Premiership Season
  34. Still NO Grassroots Rugby!!!!!
  35. It Continues - NO GRASSROOTS RUGBY!!
  36. No End In Sight To The Madness
  37. Autumn Internationals BUT Still NO Crowds
  38. We're Back - In Part At Least
  39. The Restart is Still a Long Way Away
  40. When will we play again?
  41. Time for a beer and a haircut!!
  42. It's easing apparently???!!!
  43. Behind Closed Doors or ...... ??
  44. Lockdown or not to lockdown
  45. The Debate Continues
  46. Yet another new page
  47. The Nightmare Continues - the blog
  48. The Season Grinds to a Halt
  49. The Season Moves On
  50. It's Official - The Drought is Over
  51. 6 Nations Starts
  52. Another New Page - Sorry
  53. 6 Nations Beckons
  54. Welcome To A New Decade
  55. It'll soon be over. Xmas that is
  56. Xmas is Coming
  57. Back to the Grassroots Game
  58. Bleater in Japan
  59. The Grassroots Season Starts
  60. Not Long Now!
  61. Japan Still Beckons
  62. Japan Beckons
  63. Nearly Time To Look Ahead
  64. The Summer Break is Here
  65. The Final Countdown
  66. Yet another section of drivel
  67. The Season Continues for a Little Longer
  68. The 6 Nations Continues
  69. Six Nations and More
  70. It's RWC Year!!
  71. Its Definitely Winter
  72. Winter is here. Brrrr!!!
  73. Its the Autumn, soon to be Winter
  74. We Are Off And Running
  75. The New Season Approaches
  76. Still the Summer Tours Go On
  77. The Summer Internationals Plus, Plus
  78. The Season Climax Approaches
  79. Summer is Coming
  80. Another Section, More Drivel
  81. 2018 Already!!!! It'll soon be Xmas
  82. The Season Approaches the Half Way Point
  83. The Season Takes Shape
  84. The Season Starts
  85. More Pre-Season Build Up
  86. Pre-Season and Other Stuff
  87. The Lions Tested
  88. The Lions Roar
  89. We Are Still Counting Down
  90. It's All About The Lions
  91. The Countdown to Season's End
  92. The Season Continues Apace
  93. It's Time for the 6 Nations
  94. 2017 - Let The Fun Begin
  95. The Big Man Will Be Here Soon
  96. Let's Countdown to You Know What
  97. It's Time For Europe
  98. The Season Is Well Underway
  99. At Last Let The Competition Begin
  100. Not Long to the New Season
  101. Not So Much Rugby Now
  102. Still Plenty of Rugby to Debate
  103. The Summer Break
  104. Here Comes Summer
  105. They Think It's All Over
  106. Jones - A New Era
  107. It Was A Grand Slam!!!!
  108. 6 Nations - A Grand Slam??
  109. Six Nations 2016
  110. A New Captain, A New Start
  111. Welcome to 2016
  112. The Countdown to Christmas
  113. Winter Has Arrived
  114. November Movember
  115. The World Cup Is Over
  116. Rugby World Cup Quarters
  117. Rugby World Cup into the knockout stages
  118. Rugby World Cup Day 9 to Day 24
  119. Rugby World Cup Day 1 to Day 8
  120. Sept 9th to Sept 17th
  121. August 24th to September 7th
  122. August 11th to August 23rd
  123. July 16th to August 9th
  124. July 1st to July 15th
  125. June 17th to June 29th
  126. June 2nd to June 16th
  127. May 19th to June 1st
  128. May 7th to May 17th
  129. April 28th to May 6th
  130. April 22nd to April 27th
  131. April 13th to April 21st
  132. March 13th to Aprill 11th
  133. March 5th to March 12th
Bleater's Blog
  1. The Season Run In
  2. It’s Six Nations Time!
  3. 2024 Has Arrived
  4. It’s Nearly Here…… January
  5. Countdown to Chri….. January!
  6. RWC 2023 - The Final Approaches
  7. Rugby World Cup 2023 Plus
  8. The Rugby World Cup Approaches
  9. The Summer Break
  10. The Final Countdown
  11. The Summer Tours Up Next
  12. Rugby Continues Thankfully
  13. The Six Nations - Happy Days
  14. 2023 Has Arrived
  15. The Halfway Point of the Season
  16. The Season Continues into Autumn
  17. Here we go! A new season
  18. The Twilight Zone
  19. The Season is Nearly Over
  20. The Six Nations and Some
  21. The 6 Nations Begins
  22. 2022 and All THAT!
  23. Christmas is nearly upon us!!
  24. We’re Still Waiting
  25. The Season Progresses
  26. At Last - We are back
  27. The New Season is Nearly Here
  28. Lions Tests are Here!
  29. The Lions Up next
  30. Now It’s Europe
  31. 6 Nations Beckons
  32. 2021 at last! A year of renewed hope!
  33. A New Premiership Season
  34. Still NO Grassroots Rugby!!!!!
  35. It Continues - NO GRASSROOTS RUGBY!!
  36. No End In Sight To The Madness
  37. Autumn Internationals BUT Still NO Crowds
  38. We're Back - In Part At Least
  39. The Restart is Still a Long Way Away
  40. When will we play again?
  41. Time for a beer and a haircut!!
  42. It's easing apparently???!!!
  43. Behind Closed Doors or ...... ??
  44. Lockdown or not to lockdown
  45. The Debate Continues
  46. Yet another new page
  47. The Nightmare Continues - the blog
  48. The Season Grinds to a Halt
  49. The Season Moves On
  50. It's Official - The Drought is Over
  51. 6 Nations Starts
  52. Another New Page - Sorry
  53. 6 Nations Beckons
  54. Welcome To A New Decade
  55. It'll soon be over. Xmas that is
  56. Xmas is Coming
  57. Back to the Grassroots Game
  58. Bleater in Japan
  59. The Grassroots Season Starts
  60. Not Long Now!
  61. Japan Still Beckons
  62. Japan Beckons
  63. Nearly Time To Look Ahead
  64. The Summer Break is Here
  65. The Final Countdown
  66. Yet another section of drivel
  67. The Season Continues for a Little Longer
  68. The 6 Nations Continues
  69. Six Nations and More
  70. It's RWC Year!!
  71. Its Definitely Winter
  72. Winter is here. Brrrr!!!
  73. Its the Autumn, soon to be Winter
  74. We Are Off And Running
  75. The New Season Approaches
  76. Still the Summer Tours Go On
  77. The Summer Internationals Plus, Plus
  78. The Season Climax Approaches
  79. Summer is Coming
  80. Another Section, More Drivel
  81. 2018 Already!!!! It'll soon be Xmas
  82. The Season Approaches the Half Way Point
  83. The Season Takes Shape
  84. The Season Starts
  85. More Pre-Season Build Up
  86. Pre-Season and Other Stuff
  87. The Lions Tested
  88. The Lions Roar
  89. We Are Still Counting Down
  90. It's All About The Lions
  91. The Countdown to Season's End
  92. The Season Continues Apace
  93. It's Time for the 6 Nations
  94. 2017 - Let The Fun Begin
  95. The Big Man Will Be Here Soon
  96. Let's Countdown to You Know What
  97. It's Time For Europe
  98. The Season Is Well Underway
  99. At Last Let The Competition Begin
  100. Not Long to the New Season
  101. Not So Much Rugby Now
  102. Still Plenty of Rugby to Debate
  103. The Summer Break
  104. Here Comes Summer
  105. They Think It's All Over
  106. Jones - A New Era
  107. It Was A Grand Slam!!!!
  108. 6 Nations - A Grand Slam??
  109. Six Nations 2016
  110. A New Captain, A New Start
  111. Welcome to 2016
  112. The Countdown to Christmas
  113. Winter Has Arrived
  114. November Movember
  115. The World Cup Is Over
  116. Rugby World Cup Quarters
  117. Rugby World Cup into the knockout stages
  118. Rugby World Cup Day 9 to Day 24
  119. Rugby World Cup Day 1 to Day 8
  120. Sept 9th to Sept 17th
  121. August 24th to September 7th
  122. August 11th to August 23rd
  123. July 16th to August 9th
  124. July 1st to July 15th
  125. June 17th to June 29th
  126. June 2nd to June 16th
  127. May 19th to June 1st
  128. May 7th to May 17th
  129. April 28th to May 6th
  130. April 22nd to April 27th
  131. April 13th to April 21st
  132. March 13th to Aprill 11th
  133. March 5th to March 12th
Bleater's Blog 20 of 133

20. The Six Nations and Some


Thursday 5th May: 08:40

At last Crowborough saw some rain. Not enough to make a difference in the main but certainly enough for me not to have to water my hanging baskets this morning, and what a glorious morning as I watch a squirrel leaping through the trees and sparrows, blackbirds and blue tits pecking away at the insects the rain has brought out. Simply marvellous, but also a painful reminder of how blessed we are as Putin’s forces continue to pummel Ukraine with ever more terrifying weapons. The world is as close as it has ever been to nuclear Armageddon I fear.

It seems somewhat awkward to move on to rugby, but move I on must.

Outside the Sussex Cup Finals being held at Crawley RFC and the Champions Cup the Challenge Cup is the next big ticket. The quarter-finals kick off with Gloucester v Saracens on Friday night. Gloucester will be fired up after their trouncing of Bath but what price a place in the Premiership play-off? I can’t see the Kingsholm coaching staff putting out anything other than their strongest side. Success breeds success.

On Saturday the two Scottish sides are on parade. Edinburgh host Wasps and Glasgow are in Lyon. This is a testament to the progress made by Scottish rugby highlighting the Welsh regions abject failures this season. On Sunday Toulon host London Irish. That will be a tough ask for Irish. I go Sarries, Wasps, Lyon and Toulon.

The pick of all the other fixtures is Ospreys v Dragons on Sunday and Leeds Tykes v Cinderford on Saturday.

I mention Leeds because their current Head Coach scored all Bath’s points when they won the Heineken Cup all those years ago. Since then Bath have not moved forward but have fallen back. So far back this season that they are bottom of the table and grateful there is no relegation. Andy Bull in The Guardian has done a nice piece on the fall and fall of the Bath empire. There is no single reason for the decline but a multitude of seemingly small factors adding up to what now is humiliation. Bull finishes his article with a pithy swipe at the RFU by saying “right now you wouldn’t fancy them to beat Ealing”.

Two other stories have caught my eye.

Naturally one is a further sad indictment on the state of Welsh rugby. A document has been leaked that the WRU are keen to reduce the number of Welsh regions from four to three. Obviously this means the WRU are keen to kick the Dragons into touch, always the awkward child in the WRU family. All the regions are haemorrhaging money and despite plenty of talent in their ranks unable to compete on the European stage. In fact pretty useless in the URC too. Yes something needs to be done but is scrapping a region the answer? Obviously as a Dragons fan I say no. As is often the case the proposals will be ripped up, self-interest will prevail and the only outcome will be further decline.

The reduced salary cap is causing Bristol to have a “fire sale” of some from its squad. Some high profile players are on their toes willingly but others are being forced to move on. Mark Tainton, Bristol RFC CEO has cocked up basically. He allowed contract extensions to be confirmed ahead of the cap deadline leaving Bristol between a rock and a hard place. With Ellis Genge and AJ McGinty arriving next season Bristol are having to move fast and decisively. Former Bristol hero Tainton is due to commit harakari sometime soon as a result.

If Welsh rugby wasn’t a laughing stock already the once mighty Pontypool, birth place of one Luke Pearce by the way, are kicking up a storm. They have been refused promotion back to the Premiership due to ring-fencing which the WRU blame on Covid. This season with one game to go they are in with a chance of lifting the Championship trophy again but need to play Beddau RFC. Beddau are refusing to play and the WRU are refusing to do anything about it. Pontypool have called for the entire community game board to resign. That isn’t going to happen. Nobody is going to jump off that gravy train. It is an unedifying shambles. BBC Sport carries a much better explanation than I have produced here.

So Manchester City fell at the penultimate hurdle. As the Beatles said “money can’t buy you love”. So it is Liverpool v Real Madrid in Paris.

The F1 is in Miami this weekend. I might catch some of that. I might not.

Ok, Friday Club as usual tomorrow and family business to attend to on Saturday so no blog until Sunday. A Happy 8th birthday to my grandson Matthew for tomorrow. Where have those eight years gone???

Wednesday 4th May: 09:40

I start with some sad news. Many of our older readers will recognise the name Graeme Martin. Sadly Graeme has left us for another place after battling illness for a little while. He captained the side in the 70’s and was chairman around the same time. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time.

Well, my PlayStation comment hit the mark. I have been inundated with photos of our 15s, 16s and Colts having a pretty amazing time at their awards evening, and as I have been told “not a Game Boy in sight”. Shame some of the coaches weren’t marketing men and had selected a better, more reflective image of events as the headline photo of the evening (smile please!!!!!!!)

I think it is fair to say that we at CRFC have, at times, struggled with the changing attitudes, priorities and lifestyles of young people today, and I am not just talking about the kids. I know like most rugby clubs Covid compounded the difficulties. These age groups, especially the Colts, have had their fair share of turmoil over the years so it is wonderful to see the full album of photos of the evening. It really is a testament to the hard work and commitment that goes into making these things work. The players, the coaches, the bar & catering team, the grounds-people and of course the parents. Success and contentment doesn’t happen by accident. You get out what you put in.

Sadly as I trawl through the papers and read about the bull political correctness and the woke warriors and the pandering to the minorities and the expectations of people today it seems to me far too many want to put nothing in and get lots out, and what comes out has to be 100% in tune with their wants. Life isn’t like that and at some point the world is going to have to wake up and smell the coffee, assuming coffee still exists by then and hasn’t been expunged from history like many other things have been.

Let’s get down to rugby. Robert Kitson in The Guardian has again hit the nail on the head. Rugby structurally is in a mess. Those at the top table dine off the fatted calf whilst those below dine on scraps discarded by the top table. Let me be absolutely clear however, not all things are bad and during the worst of the Covid crisis, certainly for CRFC, the RFU stepped up to the plate and helped us out massively. As a consequence the club is in a great place. It is uncertainty and apparent hypocrisy that makes life difficult. Ealing Trailfinders with huge ambitions topped the Championship but can’t join the party. Under the rules laid down, fair enough. However if ring-fencing is going to be permanent then so be it. Make it clear. There will be howls of derision but make a decision. Find a northern club such as Doncaster, fund them until they are self sufficient then make the pinnacle of the game everywhere else the Championship. Once this is known clubs can have certainty about their ambitions.

The dilemma is, and you read the article, it is about money. Should the wealth be spread further. Truthfully there is not enough to go around and when you look at clubs in say National 1 the money that is available is going on mercenary players with little or no loyalty. They take the money and run. There is no planning for the future in terms of facilities or support. The game needs a structure and a long term vision. How do you exploit the growing popularity of the BUCS league for example. Cardiff v Swansea University is a hot ticket. Yes plenty of partygoers queuing up but the quality of the game is excellent.

There is an interesting comment about the Premiership mopping up all the local talent for much of it to spend hours in the gym and in the stands and minutes on the rugby field. The game needs to think about that. By the way it happens at the lower levels too. We have lost a number of players to other clubs with the dream of a) being paid to play and b) playing at a higher level. The latter is absolutely fine but in most cases, players are nowhere near playing at that higher level.

Robert Kitson, The Guardian, well worth a read….. and its free.

So to the weekend. Leicester Tigers v Leinster on Saturday at 17:30 has to be the big game of the weekend. In fact possible the biggest club game of the season. The Champions Cup also gives us Munster v Toulouse, another titanic clash, the all French La Rochelle and Montpellier match-up, with Racing v Sale on Sunday. I go three home wins with Toulouse being the only away winner.

I’ll look at the Challenge Cup tomorrow and witter on about other stuff as well, including the row erupting in the Welsh valleys led by Pontypool RFC.

I finish wishing Bill Sweeney, CEO of the RFU a speedy recovery. A pulmonary embolism is no minor issue.

Oh, and I found out last night, the 20 minute red card for the rest of the world has been knocked on the head…… for the time being. Hoorah!

Happy Star Wars Day by the way.

Tuesday 3rd May: 10:05

As sport, rugby in particular, battles with the conundrum which is head trauma scientists have developed a scrum cap shaped scanner - WAVi scanner - that measures electrical activity in the brain and plots it like a coloured fingerprint. The concept is you map players pre-season which gives you a baseline. If trauma is suspected then the scanner can be used to remap the brain and compare the plots. This all happens within 6 minutes and can be done on the sideline. London Cornish and Sevenoaks RFC are the rugby clubs trialling the equipment and the process. The Times carries the story (thanks The Bard) as does the BBC on their news website.

Anything that improves player safety has to be good. The dilemma is twofold however. Firstly this sounds brilliant but also sounds expensive, way beyond the reach of your average grassroots rugby club. Secondly there is a risk that the technology will uncover a veritable cornucopia of problems which will give grist to the naysayers and critics of our game, and sport in general. Football is concerned about heading the ball, and boxing and horse related events are all also in the firing line.

Well done to our Under 15s, 16s and Colts. Very successful seasons across the board. The awards evening went well by all accounts. The details of the award winners can be found on this website. I have to say the photo is not exactly inspiring; moody young men looking as if they’d rather be in front of a PlayStation. Not mentioned are the coaches and the people behind the seasons. They are winners too. People like Jeremy Evans, Dan Moore, Paul Chapman, David Shortland, Alex Hunn and many, many others who give up their time freely for the betterment of these young men.

The club have announced the date of the Summer Ball: July 2nd. Keep your eye on this website for more details.

The Irish Times highlights a not insubstantial issue with the Women’s Six Nations. It is the full time professional smashing into the amateur. England v Ireland, England v Scotland are the where the biggest discrepancies are. The game talks about player safety. This is not the way forward. The blazers also talk about the opportunity the Women’s game offers. Put your money where your mouth is. I think Ireland are moving in that direction but whilst the light has come on movement is slow.

Bristol favourite John Afoa is to leave the club at the end of the season. The talismanic prop heads to the French Pro Deux side RC Vannes with a two year contract in his pocket. They’ll miss him at Ashton Gate, that’s for sure.

Interesting piece in the Daily Fail by Rassie Erasmus, yes the disgraced Erasmus. He points out the bleeding obvious: the game is becoming unattractive and needs to shake itself up. The scrums are a mess, the ball in play time is pathetic and the referees are struggling to manage every aspect of the game. Actually I agree with two out of three points. The scrum has to be sorted out. It is sucking the life out of the game. Kicks at goals are taking way too long and players are now dragging out kicks to touch too. I am not sure about a second on field referee but with the speed and complexity of the game as it is now why not? It works in the NFL.

I’ll look ahead to the European games tomorrow.

In other news Boris is bracing himself for a battering on Thursday. It could see the clamour for him to go turn into a crescendo of noise.

The RMT are threatening to bring the country to a standstill not only with strikes but also with “extinction rebellion like disruption”. Basically anarchy led by the Trotskyist leader Comrade Lynch and his mob.

The horrors in Ukraine continue unabated. The Guardian covers it the best. The Daily Fail seems to think some pompous fashion awards night in the US is more important.

There is also a piece in the The Guardian about executives pay, and the need to rein it in. I think the captains of industry should be paid the going rate and if that means they get paid handsomely so be it. That said in some areas of the public sector eg the NHS, the Civil Service and in local councils there are a) way to many levels of management and b) salaries are excessive. It needs sorting.

Monday 2nd May: 09:15

The Brentford Community Centre is where I’ll start this morning. What a cracking game of rugby yesterday afternoon. A record breaking fifth draw for London Irish in the Premiership, eleven tries, plenty of drama, plenty of action. The result ends all hope of a play-off spot for Irish and effectively Wasps too. Mathematically they are still in it, but it would take an extraordinary set of circumstances of mind blowing proportion for them to qualify. Easier to say the draw has brought their play-off hopes to a conclusion.

The play-off battle is really now between Harlequins, Northampton and Gloucester. Quins are in the box seat with just two games to go and by my reckoning one win, especially with a bonus point should do it for them. Tigers are at home, that is now certain, and something dramatic would have to befall Saracens for them not to be the other home team. Several weeks to wait as the European tournaments continue their march towards Marseilles next weekend with four cracking quarter-finals.

Congratulations to Chris Ashton. He crossed the whitewash for Leicester again on Saturday thus making him the all time leading try scorer in the Premiership. Great achievement.

Spain, what have you done, again? The country goes through an arduous, torturous World Cup qualifying competition only to field an illegible player. The outcome, expulsion for the second time. Oh how they need Ian Geering doing the admin!!!! Their place will be taken by Andy Robinson’s Romania. Portugal are now in the running for the final spot as they take Romania’s place in the ultimate play-off games.

If you haven’t seen it yet cruise the internet (not like a Tory MP) for the heartwarming video of a young lad consoling another young lad who is finding things tough at a rugby training camp. The Times and many other papers covered the story. It is the very embodiment of what our game is about.

Worryingly Ben Kay, BT Sport, states that unless the governing bodies get to grips with player safety there won’t be a game in 50 years. In an exclusive interview with the Daily Fail he says the already worrying decline in player numbers due to social factors will be exacerbated by players leaving or not taking up the game as they worry about their health. Kay confirms what many have said; tweaking the laws here and there is not the answer. Something fundamental has to change. It is a good article if you can bring yourself to read anything in the Fail. I for one continue to say one immediate action is to reduce the number of substitutes to three across the game. Encourage players to be multi-skilled. Or, have eight players on the bench at the top of the game but you can only use three of them.

Talk of a World Club tournament raises its head again. Leicester v Canterbury Crusadrers, Leinster v Auckland Blues, Racing v Waratahs would all be box office draws but is it viable. How do you marry up the two hemispheres seasons? Where would you fit it in to an already packed schedule? This is about one thing and that is money. It is about the controlling influences, CVC for example and the big clubs making more money. Would it be a big showpiece terrestrial TV event? Probably not. It’ll be tucked away on Disney+ where one man and his mouse will be watching. A once a year shoot out between say the European Cup winners and the Super Rugby winners would be great but anything else makes little sense……. In my view!!!!!

The love that is supposed to emanate from Exeter Chiefs is clearly on the wane. The season isn’t over and they sack defence coach Julian Salvi. He will be replaced by Haydn Thomas. All might not be well in deepest, darkest Devon me thinks.

One of my proudest playing moments was running out for two senior fixtures alongside my lad. Well, Mike Ireland of Heaton Moor RFC tops that by a long way. In his last ever game he ran out with his seven, yes seven sons in a third XV match vs Wythenshawe last Saturday. Apparently he also has eight daughters. I bet the song “Father Abraham” goes down well in Heaton Moor RFC. I am surprised he ever had time for rugby!!!! Seriously though, what a wonderful story.

Family are coming over shortly so that’ll do for today. Back tomorrow if I can find anything to write about.

Sunday 1st May: 09:55

I’ve got to start by congratulating England’s Women; Six Nations Grand Slam Winners. It was a brutal, bruising encounter which they deserved to win but hats off to France for making it a contest. In truth I was disappointed. The game was more akin to the men’s game than I expected. Way too much kicking, little free flowing open rugby, too much dependence on the driving maul and suffocating defences. There was some incredible talent on show and despite constant barracking from the crowd I though the officiating was generally spot on. It was just a little turgid. What put the tin lid on it was the resetting of scrums. The scourge of the men’s modern game is now infecting the women’s game, and as the women become even more technically astute it will only get worse.

The weather was too nice to be inside watching Wales lose to Italy. Apparently this was a tight game with Wales scoring late on to go ahead only for victory to be snatched from their grasp with an Italian penalty with seconds to go. The losing bonus point was enough to keep Wales in 3rd.

I didn’t watch this one either but it sounds as if Ireland v Scotland was a scrappy but enthralling encounter with Ireland snatching victory at the death with a late try and conversion. The defeat condemns Scotland to the Wooden Spoon, which is no surprise as they are now the only fully amateur side in the tournament. The win could be a turning point for the Irish as the blazers running the game have woken up to the opportunity the women’s game offers to the game as a whole.

England will be favourites, by a long way, to win the World Cup in October but each of the other sides will be able to build positively on a very good tournament. ITV have the rights to the tournament which is great news.

Elsewhere, Friday’s game between Northampton and Harlequins was a cracker. Some amazing rugby ending in great tries, plenty of drama and a last minute kick to win it for Saints. The Joe Marchant piece of skill was sensational and seeing Courtney Lawes back so soon was brilliant. This was how the game should be played. An eight try thriller.

If my good friend and Bath devotee Damper reads this then perhaps he can tell me why the wheels have come off Bath’s wagon so spectacularly. When I saw they had capitulated to a 64-0 drubbing at Kingsholm I thought my eyes were deceiving me. On paper this is a decent Bath side with lots of talent across the field. What is going on? Gloucester on the other hand are slowly but surely moving from last seasons chumps to this season’s surprise package. They could still snatch a play-off spot and then all bets would be off if that were to happen.

Leicester Tigers comfortable win over Bristol and Saracens Saturday stroll at Worcester means a home semi-final is looking pretty certain for both. London Irish and Wasps go head to head this afternoon. A win and they are still in with, albeit slim, a chance of being at the end of season party. A loss and it is the Premiership Cup for Irish and a long cold bath for Wasps. Depending on the weather I might watch this one.

I caught some of the Zebre v Dragons on S4C before abandoning the TV in favour of my book. The Dragons are not a bad side, in terms of personnel, they are just incompetent. They came from behind with a superb try and look set for a rare away win, only to throw it all away with two moments of madness. The first being a unnecessary tip tackle, the second being a pathetic kick at the ball whilst lying in the ruck. Yellow cards both and a penalty try the latter. The Ospreys v Scarlets game sounds a cracker. End to end rugby and lots of tries, thirteen to be precise. An old fashion Welsh trial ahead of the summer tour!!!

Wow, TJs won at Bishops Stortford. TJs season has been challenging to put it politely but a win on the final day will give some comfort. Leeds Tykes have also had an awful season but they will be buoyed by their win at Taunton. They have one game to go and could leapfrog several places with a win. Worthing beat Guernsey and finish a very creditable 4th in Nat 2 South

No F1 today so I’ll keep my eye on the football, especially Spurs v Leicester City.

Back tomorrow with a look at the Rugby World Club proposal, Spain being kicked out of the World Cup, again, and anything else that takes my fancy, and no that won’t be Angela Rayner.

If the cess pit known as Parliament wasn’t stinking enough an MP caught watching porn in the chamber is a new low.

Long debate at Friday Club about WFH. In many instances it makes sense and can prove to be more productive. In many cases it is a nonsense and has to stop. What is clear is if someone gets an extra allowance for working in London and now works from home that allowance should be stopped, especially for the civil service!!!

Thursday 28th April: 09:10

Another slow day for the rugby writers. No I didn’t watch the Gloucester v Worcester game which according to the BBC was a much closer and more entertaining game than the first semi-final. Worcester fielding a strong side including several 1st XV players took on Gloucester academy. It was Gloucester who started the stronger and lead at half time. Eventually Worcester’s class and fitness told with them going into an unassailable lead. Gloucester did score late tries to close the gap. When you consider Worcester fielded players like Duhan van der Merwe the result comes as no surprise but praise has to go to the Kingsholm boys for sticking at it.

Irish will host Worcester at the Brentford Community Stadium on 17th May.

It is sad to see that Leicester’s Tom Youngs is retiring from the game. His priority is his wife and family. His wife has been battling serious illness for many years and it is a testament to her fighting qualities and Tom’s commitment to supporting her that her life has been extended, and with him around so to the quality of life. Sorry to see you go Tom but you have achieved much on the rugby field and will continue to achieve much in this much more challenging contest.

Sam Bedlow has been banned for four weeks for his bruising and dangerous tackle on Adam Hastings in last weeks match at Ashton Gate.

Plenty of talk about the success of the Women’s game, especially the Six Nations. The challenge is how to build on that success. Lots of people are saying money. There is little enough of it as it is and money would only make England even more dominant. Keeping the tournament free to air is a must and getting some of the upcoming World Cup games on terrestrial TV would help. I understand the English Premiership is a good watch so get some of those on BBC or ITV as we are seeing with Women’s football and cricket.

What’s coming up this weekend? Cardiff v Merthyr tonight via YouTube if you are interested. Not when Leicester are playing Roma thank you very much. Tomorrow Saints v Quins is worthy of attention. Sale v Newcastle could be another fascinating if not brutal contest. Munster v Cardiff is the headline URC game.

On Saturday the Six Nations takes centre stage. I hope that not only will there be a fill house in France there will also be a record TV audience. I have it as my “appointment to view”. Gloucester v Bath and Tigers v Bristol are both intriguing contests. I expect home wins for both. Ospreys v Scarlets is the pick of the URC but Stormers v Leinster could be interesting.

Elsewhere I thought Horsham were due to play KCS Old Boys. Definitely playing are TJs who travel to Bishops Stortford, Leeds who go to Taunton, wow, and Worthing who host Guernsey.

The only other story of note is the performance of Henry Arundell for London Irish on Tuesday catching the attention of England, Scotland and Wales. He has been making noises about his talent for sometime but his performance on Tuesday was outstanding. So much so there is talk of him being fast tracked into the England setup. He has Welsh and Scottish grandparents so there is a lot of interest from that quarter too. Watch this space.

Didn’t watch the football last night but well done Liverpool.

So how was the Great British Sewing Bee? Fascinating actually. Fun watching Mrs Bleater get so agitated about some of the contestants ineptitude and some of the music they play to accompany the programme is great. For me the show highlights the pathetic way the BBC and the country panders to political correctness. Are these the best sewers in Britain? Absolutely not! Has the BBC made sure they have covered every possible combination of gender, race, sexuality etc, etc.? Yes! Nothing wrong with that in many respects but if this a contest to find the best of the best then it shouldn’t matter if they are all men, or women, or pit ponies or black or white or anything else.

By trying to pander to everyone we are at risk of heightening prejudices as the silent majority become more and more alienated and ignored. Prejudice of any kind is abhorrent and the toughest measures need to be taken to eliminate them but I ask is the BBC way the right way.

Wednesday 27th Apr: 10:15

A late start this morning, sorry. If it wasn’t for the whirr of next doors mower then the bin men strutting their stuff I think I’d still be in bed.

You have to look extremely hard to find mention of London Irish’s thrashing of Leicester Tigers last night. Virtually no comment anywhere other than the BBC Sports website. Yes this a Mickey Mouse, make weight tournament for the Premiership to make more money but nevertheless you would expect some reference to it. After all, on the homepage of the BBC sport website I find that Ethan Heyter wins the prologue stage of the Tour of Romandie. Who? What? Where? I can answer the second question: it is one of the warm up cycling tours for Le Tour de France.

Anyway back to the sparsely populated Brentford Community Stadium where a well drilled, reasonably experience London Irish side played some amazing rugby putting Leicester’s academy and loanees to the sword. It was all over by half time which is why I switched over to watch Man City v Real Madrid. What a game of football. End to end stuff, with little time to catch your breath. Only one intervention by their version of the TMO and not a single reset free kick!

Praise for London Irish. They have often been the whipping boys just ahead of Worcester but this season they have played some great rugby. They sit mid table and mathematically can still make the play-offs. Yes, they have their imports but they have focussed on growing their own timber and last night the policy bore fruit. A very commanding performance indeed.

Tonight it is the turn of Gloucester v Worcester. A similar situation to last night with Glos on the edge of the lucrative play-off picture with Worcester’s goal not finishing bottom. I expect the Warriors will be gunning for victory with Gloucester more intent on keeping their powder dry ahead of Bath on Saturday. I definitely won’t be watching this one as The Great British Sewing Bee returns to our screens. Way more entertaining!!!

England’s Sarah Hunter is out of the decider in France. A rib injury prevents her from leading the side out in this eagerly awaited clash.

Courtney Lawes wrist injury appears to be not as bad as thought and a return before the end of the season could be on the cards. Good news for Saints and for Eddie Jones.

Many down under, especially in New Zealand are decrying the lack of discipline and suggesting further crackdowns are required. The steady flow of yellow and red cards are doing nothing to improve the tackle technique and it is time to hit players in their pockets. I think, and yes I am using this to justify my position, this supports the view that the 20 minute red card is a cheats charter. It is not a deterrent, a way to improve player safety. Teams know all they have to do is weather the storm for 20 minutes and they are back in it. I like the idea of additional fines, after all the top flight players are very well rewarded indeed. stuff.co.nz for more.

George Kruis is eyeing up the opportunity to finish his career at Twickenham, not for England but for the Barbarians. Nice way to go out.

Damper has sent me The Times article which, as many before, dives deep into the problems facing Welsh Rugby. Undoubtedly it is a shambles. I have written about it for some time but this article is probably the most comprehensive assessment of what is wrong. The fact the amateur clubs, many of them hanging on by their fingernails, still have so much power and influence beggars belief. Something has to change or the game will whither and die on the vine.

Many in Wales are looking at the tour of South Africa as a possible seminal moment. Many fear three tests and three demolitions of a proud rugby nation. Mrs Bleater & I will be there but for us the rugby is a sideshow. It is the tour of the wonders of this amazing country that is our rationale to go.

I read with some dismay the eco-zealots are at it again. This time vandalising a government building. I’ll say again we are in a Climate Crisis and yes we should fight for change but this bunch of morons are doing the cause no good. The amount of time, resource AND energy used to clean up after them destroys all credibility. Sorry these are troublemaking anarchists. One of their bunch who had recently been caught causing mayhem at an oil facility was later caught selling high end leather handbags on eBay. Yep, hypocrites the lot of them!!

Tuesday 26th Apr: 09:20

Let me start at Steel Cross. Firstly it is a great honour for the club to be hosting back to back county games on May 21st. All the details are on the website.

Secondly congratulations to all our mini and junior sides who have performed admirably across the season. It is the minis awards on Sunday, always a fun occasion. Last Sunday our Under 15 girls secured their first league win beating East Grinstead 30-24. I for one am delighted, thanks to the efforts of Sharon G and Dan M and others, our girls section is going from strength to strength. Our Under 16s rounded of their season beating Hastings & Bexhill 30-17. They lost just two games all season and finished third in the table. Our Colts after winning their league lost at home to our friends from Heathfield & Waldron 30-17. H&W play in the Sussex Colts Premiership so this is an excellent result for us despite the defeat.

Yes results are important, yes league position is important, yes we should want to win but taking part with enthusiasm and playing the game the right way is equally important. I think across the board all our sides from 7s to Colts have done just that.

Still plenty of rugby to come with the final weekend of the Six Nations the highlight. France v England Women is the “big” one. I have booked my slot in front of the TV for this one. It should be a cracker. Wales to beat Italy for third spot would be fantastic leaving Ireland & Scotland to round off the tournament.

Tonight London Irish host Leicester Tigers in the first semi-final of the Premiership Cup. For Irish this is their only chance at silverware so I fancy their second string might be bolstered with a few 1st team squad members. Leicester are chasing Premiership and European glory so they might want to keep many of those on the cusp of 1st XV rugby away from danger. Kick 19:45, live on BT Sport.

The test dates and venues for Ireland’s tour of New Zealand have been confirmed. The first three Saturday’s of July at Auckland, Dunedin and Wellington. Nice!! I’ll be in South Africa!!!

Lots of praise for Owen Farrell’s performance on Saturday. Good for Saracens as they chase Premiership success after their year in the Championship wilderness. I still say that Eddie Jones should look beyond Farrell if England are to win the World Cup, which they wont as France will.

In between chasing the granddaughter around yesterday I pondered Lawrence Dallaglio’s comment on rugby’s profile and as I desperately search for things to write about this morning I get his point. Not a single rugby story anywhere near the main sports headlines. Soccer, Golf, Snooker, F1, the NFL draft are all there. Rugby, not a mention until you go to the rugby pages of the websites. Even then there is nothing new. It is an issue.

When you add in the lack of terrestrial TV coverage it gets worse. Even when it is on TV some of the games are so turgid it is enough to turn even the devotees like me off. The scrum is a nightmare, the return of the rolling maul (yawn), the TMO show ponies and the complicated laws it is no wonder interest is on the wane.

Now, I am not advocating nonsense, but there are no real bad boys in the game any more. Joe Marler and Ellis Genge are the closest but compared to Micky Skinner, Mike Watkins, Dylan, Dean Ryan, Richard Cockerill, the Moriartys (Richard and Paul) they are choir boys. Everything is so sanitised and controlled.

Not sure what the answer is.

Anyway, you know the world is going mad when Putin and his No.1 acolyte Sergei Lavrov are intimating nuclear war with NATO is on the cards features in the news BEHIND the Angela Rayner Basic Instincts story, the hypocrite-in-chiefs the Sussexes, and the fact your holiday is likely to be ruined if your passport is not up to date. It beggars belief how shallow people have become and how stupid stories like these get more air time than the possibility the world might be at risk of Armageddon.

The good news is Covid rates are falling like a stone. Of course they are. Mass testing has come to an end. I said over and over and over that was the quickest and most efficient way to stop the paranoia.

Monday 25th Apr: 08:35

Let me start by congratulating Sevenoaks, beating Hertford on Saturday means they top London & South East Premier. Brighton ended their season with a win over bottom placed CS Stags. Tunbridge Wells disappointing season ended with another heavy defeat, this time to Dorking. They finish just one place ahead of the Stags and ten points behind Brighton.

In London 1 South it was not a great day for Chichester losing at bottom club London Cornish. They finish in 10th. A better day for Horsham beating Guildford. They still have one game to go but cannot finish higher than 6th. As I said recently I think that should be considered a good return for their efforts. Camberley topped the table with London Welsh in second spot.

In National 2 South Worthing lost at top placed Esher. With one game to go Worthing find themselves in 4th. They play Guernsey in the last match of the season. In National 1 TJs dismal season continued with another defeat this time at the hands of Rosslyn Park. They are destined to finish bottom even if they beat Bishop Stortford next weekend.

As expected England beat Ireland comfortably yesterday to top the Six Nations table. England certainly didn’t have it all their own way in the first half with dogged Irish resistance and England’s sloppy mistakes keeping the score to 10-0. The second half was a different matter with the Roses moving up a gear, aided by an Irish red card. England top the table and go into the decider with France confident but with much to improve on.

A splendid second half display by Saracens secured their spot in the play-off jamboree. Exeter started strongly but wilted in the second as Owen Farrell, playing as well as he has for a long time, guided the home side to victory. The goal now is for the men in black to secure a home semi-final.

The two Premiership Cup semi-finals are tomorrow and Wednesday.

Rather than being downcast about Biggar’s red card some are saying it is a good thing. Three weeks away from the rigours of the game could be a blessing for the overworked Biggar and therefore for Wales.

Lawrence Dallaglio is saying the game has to have a massive push to raise its profile. He believes the lack of high profile stars is holding the game back and the game as a whole needs to promote itself more aggressively. A single boxing match had significantly more media coverage than all of rugby put together. This includes the Women’s Six Nations and Emily Scarratt’s 100th cap in front of a record breaking crowd. Yes that game was on BBC and the Sarries game on ITV but the absence of regular coverage on terrestrial TV is an issue.

The F1 was not as interesting as hoped for.

Didn’t see any of the football, much too busy drinking with neighbours.

I see Macron won the French election. Another five years of Britain bashing and indecision.

That’ll do as the granddaughter wants my attention.

Sunday 24th Apr: 09:35

Firstly a big thank you to Jacqui, Louise, Ollie and all involved in organising last nights excellent Awards Dinner. Good fun, great company, tremendous food and worthy winners. Some would argue 9th in the league is nothing to crow about. I say poppycock. London 2 South East is a very competitive league with every away game being long distance. Fifty different players across 22 games highlights the challenges we faced. We did OK thank you very much. Alex Purnell player of the year and Andy Orchard the supporters player of year are just two who picked up awards.

A mention for Dan Moore, Head Coach and Callum Catterill, our medico. Both are standing down after many seasons of valuable service. A huge thank you to both of you.

Plenty of rugby action on Friday and Saturday and more to come today. The Bristol v Gloucester game was a cracker. Some excellent tries and a nail-biting finish. Louis Rees-Zammitt certainly sent a message to Wayne Pivac about being on the plane to South Africa. Wales Women lost as expected to France. It was a valiant effort by the Welsh girls but the gulf in class and size and skill was noticeable from the kick off. Wales did score a try which was the least they deserved.

Yesterday it was a bitty TV viewing day. In between nursing my still sore hip and catching up on household chores I did squeeze in some rugby. The Reds v Chiefs was pretty good. The first half of Dragons v Scarlets was ok, the second half of Quins v Leicester was thoroughly entertaining. Not a classic but engrossing. Cardiff v Ospreys was pretty turgid only coming to life after I had left for the club.

I kept an eye on the scores elsewhere and couldn’t believe Bath giving up what at one point looked an unassailable lead. That was some comeback by Saints. I’ll certainly watch that on catch up. Good win for Wasps which keeps them in the chase for a play-off spot.

Italy triumphed over Scotland yesterday evening in the Six Nations leaving Scotland rooted to the foot of the table. It was a good game apparently. England v Ireland today which will be little more than a training run for the English Women sadly. If I am back in time from Maidstone Saracens v Exeter might be on the agenda but it could be usurped by the F1.

A few other bits of rugby news.

Ealing Trailfinders have abandoned their appeal to join the Premiership. It does seem unfair that promotion wasn’t automatic and the rules unless changed will make it almost impossible for any club to reach the top table. Why should they mortgage themselves up to the hilt with the distinct possibility that the glory of the Premiership could only last one season. There is plenty of coverage of this across the media

The Guardian brings news that the England Under 20s doctor has been banned for four weeks after his unacceptable (my view) handling of a head injury late on during England’s defeat to Italy. The powers that be talk about improving player safety and reducing head trauma being a priority. Stories like this and the way referees are mitigating down clear and serious head contacts says otherwise. I have seen stills of what look like eight, yes eight, clear illegal contact with the head in a single game which an officiating team of three either chose to ignore, or simply missed. Neither of which is acceptable. The game has to do better.

I say this as Steve Thompson’s situation is covered by many papers. The World Cup winning hooker is finding his health deteriorate at an alarming rate. Obviously when he and Alex Popham were playing things were different and we can’t turn back the clock. We can, and must learn however, and the game must change.

It was terrible to read that former Springbok Pedrie Wannenburg, just 41, died in a road collision in Texas. He and is family were struck by a car being pursued by the police. An awful situation.

The Worcester v Bath game will NOT be brought forward as I suggested on Thursday. The other clubs all said “No!”

That’ll do for now. Back tomorrow with comment on the few local fixtures that took place yesterday. Good luck to our girls side, our Under 16s and our Colts all playing at home today. Thanks again to all involved with last night. My head is somewhat sore this morning!!

Thursday 21st Apr: 08:40

Another busy day ahead so lets crack on.

First up the immediate fixtures. You know about Wales v France and Bristol v Gloucester on Friday, along with Newcastle v London Irish on the same night. There are also three URC games, two Super Rugby games in the morning and Darlington v Leeds in National 1, kick off 19:30

On Saturday we find the best of the Six Nations with Italy v Scotland. I say best because this will be the most competitive. Three Premiership games of which Quins v Tigers has to be the pick. Damper will say otherwise with his beloved Bath hosting Saints. Wasps v Worcester could be one way traffic the way Wasps have rediscovered their mojo.

It is the URC where my eye is drawn with Dragons v Scarlets and Cardiff v Ospreys. These games were scheduled to played during the height of Comrade Drakeford’s draconian covid lockdowns. “Luckily” all four sides succumbed to the virus with games being postponed to now. Now being in front of full houses!!!!!

It’s the final game for many, except the Championship Cup which kicks off round 1 on Saturday. In the London Premier Inn Sevenoaks host Hertford. A win or two losing bonus points and they are champions. Second placed Dorking could snatch the title with a bonus point win at Tunbridge Wells, which sadly is highly likely. Brighton welcome bottom placed CS Stags. Not a great season for Brighton but a win would be a decent note to end on.

In London 1 South Horsham host Guildford. Too close to call this one but a Horsham win wouldn’t be enough to improve on their 6th place. They do have a game in hand but that still is unlikely to be enough. To be fair if I was Horsham I would be delighted to finish 6th. Chichester are at bottom placed London Cornish. A win, and other results going their way could see Chi leapfrog several places.

In National 1 TJs host Rosslyn Park. Park are in 3rd with 2nd spot their only hope. That is important if the RFU relent and allow Ealing to be promoted to the top table. Worthing are at Esher, table topping Esher, need I say more.

The 2023 Six Nations (Men’s) fixtures have been announced. Wales v Ireland will again open the tournament before England host Scotland, these on Feb 4th. It all wraps up on March 18th with Ireland v England. Reading the papers it seems that you will need not only to mortgage your homes but also sell your children into child labour to afford a ticket. I’ll be watching on TV.

Dan Biggar gets the usual three weeks for his high tackle.

Bristol suffer a blow as Radradra’s season is over after knee surgery.

Irish and Leinster prop Sean Cronin will hang up his boots at the end of the season.

Oh, and on Sunday the England v Ireland game at Welford Road will be in front of another record crowd.

Finally in another shocking article about the dilemmas the game faces Andy Bull, The Guardian, brings us the story of Humphrey Bodington who was forced to give up the game he loved before it had really got started due to head trauma. The injuries that caused him to move away from rugby are bad enough but the fact it is a Guardian lead story highlights why the game must continue its focus on reducing contact with the head. This is not going away and the more sensational the reporting the worse it will become.

I meant to mention the Premiership blazers will allow Bath and Worcester to bring their final game forward from June 4th to May 14th as they otherwise would be in a rugby void for nearly a month. Obviously this is a result of their pathetic season. Who would have expected Bath to be bottom. Bet they are voting for ring-fencing.

Back on Sunday. Must dash, must catch up on the erudite and well thought through bullshit comments of the wonderful ash… Prince Harry.

Happy 96th Birthday Your Majesty. Ignore your grandson, he is a tosser with oak leaf clusters.

Wednesday 20th Apr: 08:25

Another glorious morning so lets not waste time indoors.

England v Ireland 6 Nations clash is likely to be more one sided than you would normally expect. Ireland have lost a raft of players to the world 7s series. In my mind this makes a mockery of the move away from the men’s version. Let’s not clash with the men and get more exposure. Cracking idea. Let’s move it so it clashes with something else. Ridiculous idea. To be fair I think it is only Ireland that is affected, but then again I might be wrong.

Courtney Lawes’ season, including England’s tour down under could be over. The hand injury suffered in the clash with Gloucester sounds pretty serious.

Dan Biggar will be resting his backside for a few weeks after seeing red in the same game. His tackle technique was pretty suspect a few weeks ago when I for one think “he got away with one!” He was bang to rights this weekend however. That is no excuse for a spectator to abuse him from the stands and definitely no excuse for Biggar to react poorly to said abuse. Allegedly a steward had to step in and calm things down.

Premiership Rugby are planning to take the game around the country. Good idea. I did smile however when the article talks about exposing the game to new audiences and the first ground they talk about is Twickenham. That said I think games at say Elland Road or St James’s Park or the Amex in Brighton is a cracking idea.

I read in The Guardian that Bath’s Ben Obano owns and runs a media production company. He has just finished making a fly on the wall documentary about Harlequins. Robert Kitson reckons it is a great idea and will make good viewing. I am led to believe it will be aired on Amazon Prime so a limited audience to start with however. Read the piece for yourself.

That’ll do for now with regard to rugby. I’ll look at the weekend’s fixtures tomorrow.

Not that anyone but me is interested but Leicester City are at Everton tonight. Big game for both sides.

The Partygate scandal rumbles on. I think Boris should go but who will replace him. The list is virtually non-existent. An election? No thanks.

The Eco-mob hypocrisy knows no bounds. Here they are trying to take us back to the dark ages and living in caves whilst it is ok for them to party away in a nightclub burning up tons of fossil fuels with guitars and amplifiers blaring away, lights a plenty and drinking copious amounts of alcohol that has used plenty of fossil fuels to produce. Dear Eco-mob, you cannot have it both ways!

What is the alternative to fossil fuels? Renewables of course. Then why are they not battling with the bedraggled nimbys protesting about wind and solar farms.

Finally fracking. There is plenty of high quality shale gas beneath our very feet. We are beholden to a murderous thug or to despotic sheiks for our energy. We could be much more self sufficient. Come on people. Common sense makes sense.

Maidstone here I come. Back tomorrow.

Tuesday 19th Apr: 09:50

We are in a dead zone for rugby news right now. As that is the case let me remind you of the senior awards night next Saturday. All the details can be found on this website or by clicking on the link at the bottom of yesterday’s missive.

A couple of stories have caught the eye. Steve Borthwick has come out firmly against the extension of the 20 minute red card. He has had two players red carded in consecutive weeks but remains convinced it is better for the game to improve tackle technique and lower tackle height thus improving safety rather than fudging the issue with this sop to the elite game and the media. When you read about the deterioration in the health of players like Steve Thompson and Alex Popham, player safety and health have to come way ahead of “keeping the games competitive for the paying public”. I have said before and I will say it again, World Rugby has to do something to improve player safety. If they don’t the ffffnnnn injury lawyers will and as a result there won’t be a game.

The review of Wales Six Nations performance in both the full tournament and the Under 20s tournament is under way. It is clear, and has been for sometime, that those who make it to the top have the ability to compete but there simply aren’t enough of them coming through. The regional structure is a mess, you’ve only got to look at the absence of the Welsh regions in either of the European competitions. The biggest failing is the decline of the grassroots game, which means fewer players climbing the ladder to the top. Those who make it into the academies are short changed getting very little quality game time leaving them woefully behind the other nations. During Connor O’Shea’s tenure the Italian game, with its limited resources, was completely restructured allowing for talent to be identified, then nurtured in a comprehensive and cohesive way. Wales does not have that. The continued bickering between the regions and the WRU then the WRU and the local clubs continually gets in the way of progress. Former Wales wing Nigel Walker, Wales Performance Director, is the man charged with putting it right.

Two relatively easy fixes could be a) having a URC academy league and b) having a draft system where the Welsh Premiership clubs get given regional academy players to bolster their meagre squads……. But what do I know. Neither of these would immediately improve the quality coming through but there is nothing like game time to sharpen ones skills and fitness.

Even though the red card trial is in full swing down under I am pleased to see there is no let up in the severity of the sanctions for the miscreants who see red. Scott Barrett for example will warm his backside for four weeks after being sent off last weekend.

Plenty of praise for the two leg Champions Cup. It is unlikely to continue due to the already congested fixture list but as a one-off it worked and worked well. The blazers running the game might want to look at how it could be extended.

The Women’s Six Nations continues this weekend. First up will be Wales v France on Friday evening. Not sure whether I’ll be watching. If BT are showing Bristol v Gloucester then I won’t. If it is Newcastle v London Irish then I probably will.

Very sadly we haven’t seen anything yet with regard to Ukraine. Putin is redeploying his troops to the Eastern border with the objective of a massive attack on the Donbas Region. Nothing will be off the table in terms of depravity as we saw in Georgia, Chechnya and Syria. Putin is beyond desperate to stand on the dais atop of Lenin’s tomb and announce a great victory against the Ukrainian “aggressors” when his troops parade through Red Square on May 9th.

You’ve got to laugh at Msr Macrons pathetic attempts to look cool and appeal to the young voters of France. He looks like a jerk. He is a jerk.

Before I go I read that the NHS are saying they are close to breaking point because of bed availability. To them I say some of that is your doing because many hospitals are still operating the bed spacing introduced during the worst of the Covid crisis. The second aspect is the link between hospital and social care being badly broken. This means a massive 20,000 beds are being blocked by people who are clinically well but either won’t or can’t go anywhere else. This has to be sorted. Three meals a day, staff on call 24/7, and plenty of company. If you are old why wouldn’t you want to block a bed???? No easy answers but one of them isn’t money. More money is thrown at the NHS than anywhere else. We are now in 2022. What was founded in 1948 is no longer fit for purpose and needs a root and branch rethink. So there!!!!

Monday 18th Apr: 09:35

I hope your long Easter weekend has gone as well as mine has. Plenty of family and friends time, too much to eat and drink and a smattering of excellent rugby.

Let me focus on the rugby. Leinster v Connacht was one way traffic on Friday evening but this was more than made up for by Bristol v Sale. The first leg of this one was probably one of the worst elite games for a long time. The second leg was a cracker. A thoroughly enjoyable contest with a mix of brilliant skills, amazing defence, and plenty of ball in hand time. Bristol have lost their edge and Pat Lam’s tactic of keeping his superstars on the bench for long periods defies any sort of rugby logic.

Next up was Harlequins v Montpellier. Oh so very close for Quins. The normally reliable boot of Marcus Smith failed just when it was required most. What a great game though, end to end stuff, lots of great tries, exactly what the game needs.

I only caught snippets of the other games due to those family commitments but you have to be impressed with the way Munster demolished Exeter and Leicester cruised past Clermont. You do have to ask what has happened to Exeter. I know a significant number of their quality players were sat in the stand but the wheels are definitely wobbling on the Chiefs wagon. I did see a little more of the Ulster v Toulouse match-up and as I type I can’t quite get my head around how Ulster got so many key moments wrong. To be fair Toulouse showed why they are European royalty but nevertheless Ulster will be kicking themselves. Some exciting quarter-finals to look forward to at the beginning of May.

In the secondary competition Edinburgh beating Bath quite comfortably, Gloucester beating Saints and yesterday Saracens beating a dogged Cardiff side are just some of the results. Haven’t seen any of these but will seek out the highlights show, if there is one.

In the URC, Dragons beat injury ravaged Scarlets putting a dent in Scarlets hopes of play-off rugby. Dean Ryan was incensed by a Jonathan Davies high shot on Josh Lewis. I mention this as it follows on from the criticism last week that the officials are not getting it right when it comes to contact with the head. The concern is the way the disciplinary process works the referees are untouchable which means, as has been the case recently, coaches who challenge officials have been hit with lengthy bans. Abusing match officials is totally unacceptable and should not be tolerated but I do think it is fair that when clear and obvious high tackles/hits to the head are mitigated down, and worse, missed, asking a question of an official should be acceptable.

Really interesting piece in The Guardian about the women’s game. It highlights how England and France are way ahead of the other nations but slowly some like Wales and Italy are moving in the right direction. The report suggests those that are failing or falling further behind is a result of the old duffers running the game as a whole not being in tune with the differing needs of the women’s game. Ireland and New Zealand men are right up there in the rankings. The women aren’t. I think it is right to say what makes the men successful isn’t a recipe for success for the women. The powers that be must think and act differently. For example “too many old white men” in NZ is part of the problem.

Couple of other results to bring you. TJs lost at Taunton Titans 43-40. That must have been one heck of a game. Leeds beat Plymouth Albion. Worthing v Westcliff was postponed. Bridgnorth beat Oundle moving them up to 3rd. With the restructuring kicking in that could mean a leg up a level.

In other sport Leicester City lost at Newcastle. Burnley sack Sean Dyche which strikes me as a bizarre move. Someone will snap him up pretty sharpish. The World Snooker from The Crucible is on. Do you remember the days when we were all glued to the TV watching that. Not now though. Oh, and Ed Sheeran forces Munster v Toulouse to move to Dublin. Thomond Park is hosting his concert that day. It looks as if BT will retain the rights to cover the European rugby.

The situation in Ukraine is as bad as ever. The plan to ship migrants to Rwanda is a hot topic. Strangely the proletariat masses are less worried about this than the woke liberals. The hypocrite-in-chiefs, the Sussexes are all over the news. Yawn!!! The Guardian highlights how the cost of living crisis is affecting many. That said other papers are full of stories of streets and restaurants being packed with Easter revellers. Finally the story of the weekend is Putin’s absolute denial that Russia’s flagship the Moskva has been sunk. Pictures of the captain and his crew on parade at some unknown location is a perfect example of the lengths Putin is willing to go to to deceive his people.

DON’T forget the Awards night - the details ARE HERE!

https://www.crowboroughrugby.com/news/senior-awards-night--23rd-april-2022-2689024.html

Thursday 14th Apr: 08:35

You know it is going to be a short blog when the lead rugby story is Gareth Southgate visiting Harlequins training ground ahead of their 2nd leg clash with Montpellier. A couple of the papers, like me desperate for something to write, cover Southgate’s time with Quins. He has been pretty successful as a manger, most latterly with England, and has vast experience of the opportunities and pitfalls that two leg play-off games offer. I wonder how useful it proved to be when the “erudite” Adam Jones only comment was “he wasn’t as tall as I thought he would be”. Adam, that comes as no surprise as top flight rugby is obsessed with size!!!

Wales Women are doing ok in the Six Nations. This is no small part because recently 12 full time contracts were signed and something like 15 part-time contracts agreed. This allows the girls to focus on their rugby careers with both club (all English by the way) and country. Italy have seen the change in Wales and have agreed 25 part-time contracts for their women’s squad. The women’s game is the one area where we see growth so this is good news all round, as long as the value of the contracts remain sustainable.

Anybody who has followed Welsh rugby for any length of time will know the name Mike “Spike” Watkins. His reputation as a hard man, a nut case, a bl004y good hooker are fabled around the valleys of Wales. Both my brothers played with him at Newport for many a season and can tell you more stories than I ever can. I only played with him once in a charity game at Crumlin. Within 5 minutes of kick off he was stamping on a player…. One of his own side for being slow to a ruck and not punching the scrum half. As a diversion for you this morning there is a good interview with him in WalesOnline.co.uk.

Sean O’Brien, an Irish and Lions great, will retire at the end of the season, as will Exeter and twice capped for England Don Armand.

What a disgrace. Chelsea and Manchester City fans fighting in Madrid. What an awful advert for the game. Equally awful were the scenes during and after Athletico’s match with City. Some of the actions of the players were disgraceful.

Let us hope things go smoothly when Leicester City travel to PSV Eindhoven this evening.

Lots in other news to digest but I am not going to wade into the “trans” rows, nor the Partygate scandal, but will mention the plan to ship illegal migrants to Rwanda. Some will say it is an outrage. Some will say it is a bold move. Some won’t know what you are talking about as they keep up with the Kardashians. Me, it is illegal activity, both as an immigration move but worse by the people smugglers making a fortune out of others misfortune. Something has to be done to stop it. As heartless as this seems it is costing us the British tax payer a fortune to house and feed these migrants when hard working British taxpayers are struggling to put food on their own tables and keep a roof over their own heads. Something does have to be done and if it is radical then who am I to argue.

Finally as the sun comes out and the weather is set fair for the next few days we cannot turn our backs on climate change. After the bushfires and the severe storms in Australia, the bushfires and tornadoes in the States, the melting of the ice caps, and now severe flooding in South Africa we do need to wake up and smell the coffee. Blocking refineries and glueing your hands to the road is not the answer. A more reasoned approach of everyone doing their bit from eating less meat, driving less and when you do drive do so more economical will help. Cut back on waste. Use less plastic and so on. It is not for me to pontificate but I fear the eco-mob will have the opposite effect and rather than getting people on board. They will antagonise people thus losing support.

OK back on Monday. Have a great Easter break.

Wednesday 13th Apr: 09:30

As widely touted last weekend Graham Rowntree will take over as Head Coach at Munster at the end of the season when Johann van Graan departs stage left. Munster have recently not reached the heady heights of previous seasons and criticism of late has never been far away. Rowntree has served a long and varied apprenticeship and I for one think he will do a good job.

Unsurprisingly a number of Premiership coaches have come out and said they are in favour of the 20 minute red card. Of course they are. As I said yesterday they train to mange absences when down to 14, and even 13 men, and they have heavy duty replacements on the bench ready when the time has expired. I remain opposed, especially as we are still not seeing any significant change in behaviour with regard to protecting players. Winning and money, that’s what its about, forget the bull about spectacle and paying public.

Robert Kitson, The Guardian, highlights the challenges facing the game with his article about rugby being stuck “between a ruck and a hard place”. It is a good read as always building on what Owen Doyle wrote about inconsistencies in refereeing and how some seriously dangerous tackles are being mitigated down from red cards. Kitson too points to the tackle by Gibson-Park on Friday evening as an example. He also touches on the Guy Porter red card which I am now convinced was a mistake. It is in the final paragraph that gets to the nub of the problem. The game is losing players for a host of reasons as a result of parental reservations and players prematurely retiring to injury and life’