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 54 of 133

54. Welcome To A New Decade


Wednesday 15th Jan: 09:00

There are times when you wonder what people must be thinking. The Scottish Rugby Union is far from the biggest union in our game. In fact I think it is fair to say that it is a small union with just two, albeit successful regions and a small and pretty vibrant league structure but still a small union. The national side has been reasonably successful of late and until the World Cup in Japan was seen to be on an upward trajectory. Taking all that into consideration it still beggars belief that the Chief Executive can justify a doubling of his salary to £933,000. Even at half that sum he appeared to be pretty well paid. It also seems out of kilter with everything else that is going on in our game that the cost of all the directors of Scottish Rugby has gone up from £1.13m to £2.246m. It should also be noted that Mark Dodson, in MY opinion, disgraced himself by threatening to take the World Cup organisers to court when the Scotland v Japan clash was in doubt due to typhoon Hagibis. The final point to consider is profit at the SRU fell by £308,000 to £1.8m.

To quote Shakespeare "something is rotten in the state of Denmark Scotland"

Going back to Japan one of the disappointments coming out of the typhoon was the brilliant Sergio Parisse was unable to say goodbye to those who love this great game of ours. It seems that despite not being in the Italian 6 Nations squad he is likely to get his chance during the upcoming tournament. Hoorah!

Wayne Pivac has a golden opportunity, one not to be missed by including young Louis Rees-Zammit in his first 6 Nations squad. There is a strong chance he will include Saracens Nick Tompkins who played in the successful England under 20s alongside Maro Itoje coached by a certain brother. Tompkins qualifies via a maternal grandmother which grates with me a little but that said Wales are chronically short of centres.

Northampton Saints supporters will be giving a collective groan of disappointment as Cobus Reinach announces he will leave the club at the end of the season. He has been a tremendous asset for the Saints and will be missed.

Looking ahead we host Thanet Wanderers on Saturday. Heaven knows what the pitch is like but with more rain today and even more tomorrow I am pretty pessimistic. Friday Club has been brought forward 24 hours due to Geoff Treen's funeral on Friday so no blog tomorrow but there will be on Friday which will include a pitch update.

Lots more praise in the press for South African captain Siya Kolisi and quite right too.

Plenty of stuff in the papers but what dross. The Markle saga, oh please. Should Big Ben sound for Brexit. No! No! No!. The £500,000 it would cost could be put into the NHS. The Flybe rescue has irked the boss of Ryanair. Anything that irks Michael O'Leary is fine by me. The weather is also making the headlines.

Driving home from Hawkhurst last night was horrendous. Gatwick flights were again diverted and if there were times you sat there thinking "boy that plane was low" then you were right. The number of "go arounds" was high. One Easyjet captain only took one run at it before deciding "bugger this, we are off to Birmingham". You feel for those on the flight from Alicante due to land at Gawtick just after 11pm finding themselves at BHX at midnight.

Just a reminder no blog tomorrow, back on Friday.

Tuesday 14th Jan: 08:25

Oh what a night! For some flying into Gatwick last night it was. A high number of "go arounds" due to the high winds and some diversions to Luton, Birmingham and Stanstead. Glad I wasn't up there.

Anyway, to Europe. This weekend sees the final round of pool games. Five teams have qualified: Leinster, Exeter, Clermont Auvergne, Racing 92 and Toulouse. Realistically the final three spots will be out of these four: Ulster who have the easiest task as they are at home to Bath and have 17 points in the bag, Saracens, Gloucester, Northampton. The three English sides have tough ties but I go for Saracens to clinch one spot even though they host Racing 92 as they are at home.

In the second tier competition things are less clear cut in that only four sides are through to the knockout stages and they are Toulon, Bristol, Bordeaux Begles and Leicester. Pool 1 is still wide open and with the Dragons hosting the Russian outfit they should get a bonus point win thus being in with a chance. Worcester host Castres which should be a cracker. As life is too short to work out the different permutations in this competition I'll tell you what's what next Tuesday.

King Eddie has very much like her majesty Queen Elizabeth II problems in keeping backroom team on-side. With the 6 Nations approaching he has drafted in England 7s coach Simon Amor and South African Matt Proudfoot to help him out.

It is good to read that Michael Fatialofa is making some progress towards a recovery.

In other sport it is Kansas City Chiefs v Tennessee Titans and San Francisco 49ers v Green Bay Packers in the NFL Championship games.

And they're off. No not the nags in the 2:20 at Kempton Park but the two publicity hungry royals who are desperate to keep the press out their faces. The hypocrisy of it makes you sick. Lets move on but for the record I'm with Piers Morgan on this one. Read his views in the Organ of Truth (Not).

Just a quick reminder that it is Geoff Treen's funeral on Friday at Tunbridge Wells Crematorium at 11:30. No black ties or dark suits is the request of the family.

Finally thanks Tim for your mail. Fascinating stuff.

Monday 13th Jan: 10:00

An interesting set of results means a number of changes in London 2 South East. Our defeat at Old Colfeians means we drop to 6th in the table. With Hove losing 13-19 at home to Deal & Betteshanger OCs go into the play-off spot just behind Haywards Heath who remain top despite losing 33-19 at Old Alleynians. Our friends at Charlton Park move ahead of us into 5th after coming away from Beccehamian with a 10-39 win. Dover continue to struggle losing at home to Gravesend but remain well ahead of bottom placed Maidstone after their 43-8 defeat at Thanet Wanderers.

Just 15 points separate Heath at the top and Old Alleynians in 8th. With ten games still to go there is much to play for.

In London 3 South East it is Ashford who continue to lead the charge. Their win at Park House keeps them 6 points clear of Folkestone who beat Aylesford Bulls. Our good friends at Heathfield & Waldron enjoyed a much needed win over Gillingham Anchorians. In the Sussex derby Pulborough came out 34-0 winners over our good neighbours Uckfield. In the other games Bromley strolled past bottom placed Old Willies and Vigo endured a narrow home defeat at the hands of Old Dunstonians. Uckfield remain perilously close to the drop zone in 10th with the Greenies just above them.

In Sussex 1 Just two games were played. Burgess Hill v Lewes was postponed and Hellingly got an AWO as Haywards Heath II pulled out. In the games that were played Eastbourne stay top despite losing at East Grinstead. Seaford beat Hove II.

Up in London 1 South Horsham came home from Cobham with a 26-33 win in the bag. Chichester beat London Cornish 23-22 keeping both the Sussex sides comfortably in mid table. Our friends over at Medway beat Belsize Park. Westcombe Park remain top with Beckenham propping up the table.

In the dizzy heights of London & SE Premier it was a good day for Brighton who beat London Irish Wild Geese and Sevenoaks who came home from Guildford with a win. Our other good neighbours Tunbridge Wells didn't fair so well losing at Hertford. Rochford Hundred are top with Guildford bottom. Despite the win Brighton remain in 13th and in the relegation zone.

Moving up into National 2 South TJs continue their charge toward promotion with a 27-7 win over Bournemouth. Worthing had the dubious pleasure of travelling to Redruth only to be beaten 34-0. That must have been a miserable journey home. TJs remain top just a single point ahead of Henley Hawks. Worthing are mid table.

Bottom is where we find Canterbury after their loss to Sale FC 33-14. Wow that is another journey and a half. Richmond go back to the top after hammering Hull Ionians.

Elsewhere Twickenham lost to Eastleigh. Sorry John. Bridgnorth lost at Broadstreet and Salisbury remain rooted to the foot of their table after another heavy defeat this time at Oxford Harlequins.

If it is ok with you I'll look at the European results in detail tomorrow but noting Leicester's dismal season to date is somewhat less depressing after qualifying for the knockout stages of the Challenge Cup. Their win means Cardiff Blues are out.

In the other rugby news James Hook will retire at the end of the season to write children's books. Good on him.

In an unusual move Saints DoR Chris Boyd apologises to the supporters for his sides appalling display yesterday, this despite them winning. It was a crap game I have to say.

I think it is imperative that Wayne Pivac picks Gloucester's new sensation Louis Rees-Zammit in his 6 Nations squad. The boy is simply setting Kingsholm on fire and now he has qualified on residency for England (how pathetic is that) Pivac must move quickly. With Josh Adams and George North in the frame for the 13 shirt why not take a chance.

What an advert for our great game: Glasgow v Exeter. I watched the extended highlights yesterday. Just brilliant.

OK before I go I have had a few criticisms of my assessment of Saturday's referee at OCs. Some are saying I was too generous in my comments. To you I ask: have you refereed? No! Then back off please. The game is fast and furious now and oh so simple from the touchline. I have refereed and at this level and I remember some shocking performances by me. The young man was assessed and I am sure any decent assessor will have scrum management down on his list of areas to improve.

Back tomorrow with comments on Europe but I leave you with this thought. A benefactor has left an old roman fort on Hadrian's Wall to the nation. Hooray! The first of many gun emplacements when we build the new border wall between us and the Socialist Republic of Alba perhaps.

Sunday 12th Jan: 10:00

For Mrs Bleater and I it was a splendid day out; a great lunch with The Bard and his lovely wife, lots of fresh air, and then an evening with our good neighbour Roger and his mate Shi Raz (Mal Bec wasn't available).

For the boys who took the field over at Old Colfeians it was a tough day at the office. Conceding an early push over try put them on the back foot from the get go and that is where they stayed for much of the game. OCs used their bigger pack to good advantage dominating both scrum and lineout. Their backs were quick and their handling sound. The scoreboard was mainly redundant however as they often butchered the last pass. Our opportunities were few and far between thanks to OCs excellent defence and at times our inability to string good passes together. No-one watching could or should criticise the boys who took to the field in the red and white of Crowborough. To a man they gave of their best. The opposition yesterday was simply better and more disciplined.

Discipline was an issue for us with players getting on the wrong side of the referee and their defensive discipline in open play being nowhere near as good as it had been pre-Christmas. Mitch Mulherbe put in some thumping tackles but too often others with their flailing arms were not good enough. Their defensive work at ruck and maul was excellent however and contributed to keeping OCs at bay for long periods. Sadly when down to 13 men that defensive wall cracked too. A disappointing result but still much to play for.

I wouldn't normally comment on the referee but I will. Our players failed to hold their feelings in check and we suffered, quite rightly, for this behaviour. However I think it is very fair to stay when the frustration was because of the man in the middles unfathomable decisions at the scrum I have a small scintilla of sympathy. I emphasise a tiny amount of sympathy as we all, players and spectators alike need to respect the contribution referees make to our great game. Take the scrum out of the equation he had an otherwise solid game.

Our 2s continued their fine form with a good win away at Steyning. Well done boys.

Thanet Wanderers next week. We need, as The Bard has said in his match report to "get back on the horse".

Big day in Europe yesterday. What a game up in Glasgow with them and Exeter ending up 31 apiece. Saracens keep their hopes alive with their win against the Ospreys. Likewise so do Gloucester and Ulster. The Leinster and Saint games plus Racing 92 v Munster take on even more relevance today.

In the Challenge Cup Castres win over Dragons puts the Welsh side on the back foot with regard to qualification to the knockout stages. Scarlets blew their big opportunity losing to a dynamic Toulon. Leicester v Cardiff is the big game later today. A Tigers win and they are through. A Cardiff win and it is all to play for.

A full league round-up and much more tomorrow.

Saturday 11th Jan: 09:30

To answer Thursday's question it has stopped raining..... but for how long? Good news for those who are travelling up into South London this afternoon to watch the game against Old Colfeians. It will be windy but dry. I haven't seen the side yet but I believe a number of 1st XV regulars might be missing today. Hey ho. If some of the 2s who played so well last weekend are drafted in then I am sure we will still give a good account of ourselves.

As it was Newport RFC at Rodney Parade I watched the game against Aberavon last night. I wish I hadn't. Not because the black and ambers lost but because it was a game littered with errors, low in skill, punctuated by penalties and all of this on a bog of a pitch.

Over on BT Bath 2s lost to Quins. This looked a better game, at least the 30 plus minutes I watched. I understand King Eddie watching from the stands would have been impressed by young Quin Alex Dombrandt but dismayed when Bath's Anthony Watson limped off. The other positive news for King Eddie was the return of Kyle Sinckler.

Sale are out of contention for the knockout stages of the Champions Cup after losing in La Rochelle.

Changing tack it is interesting to read new premiership head Darren Childs suggesting the time to get tough has arrived. Going forward breaking of the rules, especially about the salary cap could see even more draconian measures. That is fine but the structure of the salary cap needs to be simplified and alleged loopholes need to be closed. Lets see what happens next.

Bath will need to be careful when the new rules come in as San Underhill bags himself a very generous three year deal. It is rumoured he will net £1m during that period. Still not sure how clubs so far in debt as Bath are can afford such generous deals.

Wales 6 Nations squad will be announced next week. Back row is not a problem. Centre is. George North and Josh Adams will be moved in one place when they trot out for their regions today. Both will wear the 13 shirt.

Talking of Wales they will tour Japan and New Zealand later this year. If we win the lottery we'll be there. As we don't buy a ticket that isn't going to happen!!!

A couple of news stories.

Meghan and .............. NO! I am not going to waste my time on that publicity hungry women and the Prince she has obviously turned into a frog.

The Iranians have finally admitted they did accidentally shoot down the Ukrainian passenger jet. They should have done this upfront. As terrible as it is let us not forget the Americans have made exactly the same mistake some years ago when they feared what on the radar looked to be an Iranian fighter was attacking one of their warships.

Finally Comrade Rebeccanova has at last shown her colours. Her true blue colours living in a leafy middle class neighbourhood in a very comfortable and spacious detached home with lovely gardens. She'll be waving off her high flying marketing executive husband as he leaves in his high end Audi to pick up another chunk of his £100k+ salary. Quite clearly she can talk about austerity and poverty and being one of the many not the high earning few..... OR CAN SHE?

Thursday 9th Jan: 09:45

What a dreary start to the day. Will it ever stop raining? That said we are in a much better place than the Australians who have faced month after month of drought and now with bushfires ravaging the country. Did you read the appalling story about the number of fires that have been started deliberately. What sort of person would do that?

Anyway, I meant to mention yesterday that in addition to ours 1s travelling to Old Colfeians our 2s are slated to play at Steyning on Saturday. After their excellent showing in the cup last weekend lets hope for a good result.

Fabien Galthie has immediately made his mark on the French national side ahead of the 6 Nations. Out of the squad go many household names, in come 19 uncapped players. The average age is now just 24. Galthie obviously has an eye on the future and dare I suggest World Cup glory on home soil in 2023. No, I wont be going to that one.

Andy Farrell is yet to announce his squad but Joey Carberry will certainly be missing and there is the possibility that Johnny Sexton won't be there either, both being injured.

If you like a curry then England is the team to follow. Both Curry boys, Tom and Ben are rumoured to be in the squad that King Eddie will announce shortly. Good call I say.

Watched a piece on BT Sport website yesterday about the Saracens stuff. I don't normally agree with Austin Healey (as I think he is a bit of a dick at times) but yesterday I couldn't help but nod furiously in agreement when he launched into the weasels known as agents who have driven up costs in the game and lined their own pockets very handsomely.

You can bet they along with the clubs are now circling Barnet like seagulls on Brighton beach waiting to see what is about to discarded for them to pounce on. The latest rumour in the Organ of Truth (not) is George Kruis might take the opportunity to jump ship and head to Japan with a lucrative new deal in his pocket. His contract is not up for renewal soon so that makes that move more complex. You can guarantee a weasel of an agent has let that slip out though.

It is heartening that the first step in Michael Fatialofa's recovery, the all important surgery on his neck injury has been a success.

Elsewhere well done England cricket. A well deserved win in the 2nd test against South Africa.

Leicester City drew with Aston Villa last night in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final, another outdated competition in my mind. That said if the Foxes make the final I'll be watching.

Let us hope the Big Orange is right and that yesterday's rocket attack by Iran on the American bases signals a de-escalation of tension rather than a ramping up of tension. There will be months of sabre rattling rhetoric but please let us hope the lunatics from both sides keep their fingers off the missile launchers.

The papers are full of Harry and Meghan. What a ffffnnnnn soap opera that is. She is a typical fame hungry, hypocritical Hollywood luvvie who in my humble opinion has cast a spell on Harry and not a spell for the good. He carries a lot of anger in his heart from the death of his mother and the way the press continue to "hound" him and his new family I have a degree of sympathy with his position. That's enough of that except to say lets hope the money we save as a country goes into the NHS or the police.

STOP EATING MEAT demands some tree hugging professor. Well you can sod off. I will continue to eat meat as part of a well balanced diet which will also include plenty of fish and fruit and vegetables thank you very much. It is not the fact we eat meat that is the problem my friend. It is the fact the global population is growing at an unsustainably fast rate and growing most in the countries who allegedly are the worst polluters.

Whoopy doo, Greggs vegan sausage rolls have been a great success. Yeah that is great news especially as it turns out many of these vegan alternatives to good honest wholesome burgers and sausages contain more of the bad stuff than the meat original.

Likewise the switch from plastic to alternatives is actually more harmful to the environment than the original. Paper bags and glass bottles end up with a bigger carbon footprint than the plastic alternative so the papers tell me.

There you go. In Bleater's world every silver lining has a big black cloud hanging over it!

Wednesday 8th Jan: 09:30

Our season gets underway again on Saturday with the trip to Old Colfeians. With them and us both currently in the hunt for the play-off spot this could be quite a game. Kick off is 14:15. The boys trained hard over Christmas and again last night so I know they will be ready. OCs are always well prepared so I am looking forward to this one.

European rugby is the order of the day for the big boys. Most of the games are a "busted flush" with nothing to play for except pride. Bath v Quins on Friday will be a second team outing for sure. Saracens have something to play for with their trip to Ospreys on Saturday. Even with a 70 year old Nigel Wray in their side they could still beat the Welsh outfit. Likewise there is something on the Gloucester v Montpellier match-up. I expect the bottom placed French outfit to turn up with their second string so Gloucester should sneak into the quarter-finals as a consequence. The big game is Racing 92 v Munster with plenty riding on this one. Munster need to win with a bonus point to keep Saracens at bay.

A similar picture in the Challenge Cup with Castres v Dragons, Scarlets v Toulon and Leicester Tigers v Cardiff Blues being the pick of the round. Not because the Welsh regions are involved but because these are the games with something riding on them. Shame that on Sunday the Racing game and the Tigers game kick off at the same time.

The currently pathetic Ospreys have been given a boost with the return of the talismanic Alun Wyn Jones and the arrival of Mike Ruddock's arrival as performance director. The vastly experienced Ruddock will shake things up a bit.

Liam Williams is set to head home earlier than planned as part of Saracens plan to get their house in order. Several others such as Callum Clark are rumoured to be on their way out. In my mind this highlights the extent of Saracens indiscretion and why there is an urgent need for the full investigation to be published. If the Barnet out fit is shedding a £1m in wages this quickly how big is the difference? It also raises a second question: did Mark McCall the very canny Ulsterman really not know about any of this?

I didn't watch the Golden Globes because watching a bunch of self-aggrandising, hypocritical, snowflake, publicity hungry luvvies strutting their stuff is not for me. Apparently the very erudite Robert Kitson of The Guardian did and he was inspired by Ricky Gervais ripping into the Hollywood set with no holds barred. Kitson suggests that Gervais should do the same to the mandarins who control rugby and tell them some home truths and pose them some difficult questions.

Why has it taken so long to punish anyone for breaching the salary cap? Why if we love Pacific Island rugby so much we are not sharing our home gate receipts with them? Why are so many of the laws of the game being ignored match after match?

Kitson writes at length about the Saracens saga but it is the CVC money that has got him interested. Lots has been said about the size of the investment but nothing has been said about possible beneficial outcomes and for Kitson most troubling is the fact that CVC have said not a single word about their plans, objectives and goals.

He goes on to ask why the offside law is not applied at ruck and maul and why all too often chasers are in front of the kicker. He challenges the current high risk clear outs that are ignored, as are the players contesting for the ball not being on their feet. He also moans about the scrum half "twitch and go" routine at the base of the ruck. I am proud to say all things I have moaned about for sometime too.

There are other areas he comments on. The sterile nature of the game with the characters turning into corporate robots and the ridiculous challenges faced by clubs in the lower leagues, especially with regard to travel and of course the lack of mainstream TV coverage. He even talks about the three pint jugs that drive sales but also force consumers to be up and down like a whores draws (that's my phrase not his) during games. Perhaps I overegg the "well worth reading" comment but in this instance it most definitely is. Robert Kitson of The Guardian I salute you sir.

I am just picking up on the news of the rocket attack on a US bases in Iraq. The bases house coalition troops but none thankfully have been reported as injured. This retaliation was to be expected but for all our sakes lets hope the Oompa Loompa in Chief sucks this one up and does not get into a tit for tat escalation.

This country needs a viable and pro-active opposition. Currently we don't have one. That will still be the case if the opposition elect a person to lead the party who believes Comrade Corbynov scored 10 out of 10 for his election campaign. Ostrich and head in the sand or what. Or maybe head somewhere else the sun doesn't shine.

Tuesday 7th Jan: 08:45

It simply won't go away. The Saracens salary cap issue continues to be the lead story for many, especially as new, or should I say returning Chairman Edward Griffiths has implied they are still not complying. The inference being Saracens will have to either cut head count or cut wages to comply. He has not said they will have to do either but has clearly stated both will need to be explored. This whole thing is a distraction that the Premiership and rugby in general could do without but the bottom line remains Saracens bent the rules and inevitably must suffer the consequences.

As an aside I find it difficult to comprehend how despite the ongoing issues they are being linked with high cost players like Johnny May for next season and before Paddy O'Fez goes off on one I do know that other high cost players like Liam Williams are leaving.

In yesterday's missive I quoted £490,000 per club going to each club. In several papers today there is a figure of £350,000 being mentioned. Either way Exeter have donated £350,000 to the Exeter Chiefs Foundation which does amazing work in and around Exeter for disadvantage people, especially disabled children. This might be all or part of the money but it is a brilliant way to use the money from Saracens indiscretion. Exeter being the only club not in debt will have found it easier to be magnanimous than all the other debt-ridden clubs me thinks.

Some fantastic tries were served up this weekend in the Premiership. My personal favourite was the Minozzi try for Wasps closely followed by O'Connor's try for Bristol. The Muppet of the weekend remains without question one Joe Marler. As a talking point where would Leicester Tigers be without George Ford?

Watching the games over the weekend I find it more and more infuriating that players warming up in the dead ball area consistently join in try celebrations, and worse I find the growing tendency for "waterboys" and medics to be coming onto the field to join in and worse in a couple of instances end up in the middle of melees. This happened in Bath two weeks ago when they played Sale and again last Friday when Sale played Quins.

European action returns next weekend but more on this later in the week.

Elsewhere Donald Trump continues to act like the playground bully with the Iranians and Iraqis taunting him with "come on if you think you are hard enough".

Rebecca Long-Bailey has finally entered the Labour leadership race. As the continuity candidate she'll hence forth be known as Comrade Rebeccanova.

Must go as my lovely granddaughter has arrived. Back tomorrow.

Monday 6th Jan: 10:10

A number of clubs returned to action on Saturday so let me do a quick run around the leagues.

In London 1 South Horsham shrugged off the Christmas turkey with a convincing 55-24 win over HAC. Chichester travelled to KCS Old Boys and enjoyed a narrow 15-18 win. Our friends at Medway won at Camberley. Westcombe Park are top.

The London & SE Premier Division continues to be led by Guernsey. Tunbridge Wells beat Brighton 38-5 and Sevenoaks beat Wimbledon 24-16. Guildford remain bottom but their draw with CS Stags takes them within 4 points of Brighton.

No game for Bridgnorth as they were due to play South Leicester who have withdrawn from the league. Salisbury wish they hadn't played suffering another heavy defeat, this time at home against Old Patesians. They look increasingly doomed to the drop.

In the big boys league TJs continue their charge towards promotion with a 21-10 win at Old Redcliffians. Worthing lost at Taunton Titans who keep up the chase behind TJs. Above them in National 1 Canterbury remain rooted to the bottom after losing at home to table topping Rosslyn Park.

Northampton Saints snatched a late winner against Wasps despite being down to 13 men. The red card was spot on by the way. This was a pretty enjoyable encounter which keeps Wasps perilously close to the relegation zone.

Wow! I didn't see that coming. What? Premiership rugby have decided to share the £5.36m fine amongst the other Premiership clubs. The £490,000 per club will be most helpful in offsetting some of their sizeable debts however £5.36m would have gone a long way if invested into the grassroots game but that was never going to happen was it.

Two things coming out of the Worcester encounter. Is Farrell going to be cited for another dangerous tackle? Call me cynical but this close to the 6 Nations will the citing officer bottle it? More importantly is the worrying news Michael Fatiolofa is being kept in intensive care after his neck injury. Whatever happens to Farrell is irrelevant when compared to this.

Bernard Lemairtre, Toulon's owner, has ripped into Rhys Webb for being dishonest and disloyal towards his club. It comes after it was alleged Webb had already done a deal with Ospreys to return home even before he had been released from his contract. It is true his family failed to settle in the South of France (I cannot understand why) and he didn't bother learning the language making life difficult I'm sure. It is not an ideal situation but Webb back in the Welsh fold is a good thing.

Interesting article in the Organ of Truth (Not) about the importance of international players in a clubs squad matched by the dilemma and risk of losing them for long periods due to international call ups. The epitome of the "double edged sword". Well worth a read.

In other sport the New Orleans Saints choked when it mattered. Actually they didn't. Minnesota Vikings had their measure and put together the perfect game plan to thwart Drew Brees and the usually reliable Saints offence.

The cricket continues........... yawn! 20/20 is the only way forward. Test cricket is so slow.

You can read for yourselves the latest about the repercussions from the American actions against Qasem Sleimani. All I say is "be afraid, be very afraid". I genuinely fear this could quickly escalate out of control.

Out of control are the bush fires in Australia. Please don't tell me climate change is a fallacy. With all the coverage of the fires the terrible devastation in the Philippines due to the typhoon and the flooding in Indonesia is being overlooked.

Food for thought perhaps.

Sunday 5th Jan: 10:00

What a splendid day at Steel Cross yesterday. A thoroughly enjoyable game of rugby was the centrepiece but also because the game happened at all after the deluge of rain that has plagued the region for many weeks. A big crowd swelled by the old farts of the Friday Club enjoyed the winter sun and for many a cold beer or three. It was great to see the club's second string so well support as these are often the unsung heroes of any club. Splendid stuff.

As for the game itself it was fast paced despite the stodgy pitch with no quarter asked and no quarter given. Veterans Ben Martyn and Steve McCabe led from the front and some of the youngsters like Sam Ayres and Zack Kisbee will certainly be pushing for a first team spot at some point this season. The tries came late in the day as H&B tired but despite the convincing nature of their defeat they contributed throughout. Well done to all and to the merry whistle blower who played his part well.

After that it was Gloucester v Bath. Bath started much the stronger but wilted at the end with the cherry and whites running out deserved winners. Cipriani contributed positively in the second half whilst his counterpart Priestland was kept on the back foot. The boy Jake Polledri was outstanding and was instrumental in turning the game around in Gloucester's favour. The Kingsholm outfit go third.

Leicester finally got a moral boosting win over high flying Bristol. It keeps the gap between them and Saracens at 18 points. Sarries demolished Worcester but worryingly the headline will be about Michael Fatioalofa's neck injury. Lets hope it is not as serious as it sounds.

It must be frustrating that despite running in10 tries some papers are more focussed on Saracens new chairman Edward Griffiths again having to apologise for the salary cap indiscretions and reassuring those around him the club is now complying with the rules.

The Dragons heaped more misery on the Ospreys with a fine win at Rodney Parade. the misery was compounded with Justin Tipuric and George North limping off late on. The Tipuric injury is the biggest concern for Wales.

Wasps v Saints is today's viewing before the proper Saints, the New Orleans Saints host Minnesota Vikings in the NFL wild card match up.

Well done Leicester City, a satisfactory win me thinks. The County crash out and Cardiff snatched a draw against lowly Carlisle not that any of you are interested.

If you are looking for something to do this morning then our Colts host Tunbridge Wells. Kick off at 11:00.

If you can't make that then there is sabre rattling from the US.

Saturday 4th Jan: 09:30

A frantic day at the club yesterday with the Friday Club focussing on getting the A Pitch playable for today. As I type I have assumed the game between our 2s and Hastings & Bexhill 2s is ON. The pitch will be very heavy but the combination of wind, sun and the absence of rain since noon on Friday will surely have dried things out sufficiently for a 13:45 kick off.

I'll see you there perhaps?

That was better from Sale last night. They had plenty of good fortune and if I was a Quins fan I'd be asking if the officials and the TMO were still on Christmas holidays as they seemed to miss a couple of blatant forward passes in two of the tries and the offside line had obviously moved to the middle of the ruck. Additionally Quins contributed with unacceptable mistakes and poor discipline. Joe Marler's actions being moronic at best. Even without the mercurial Faf de Klerk and with World Cup winner Loadsa Lager getting close to making his Sale debut the Salford outfit are beginning to look the real deal. Quins on the other hand are looking as if they are in danger of being in a relegation scrap with Leicester and Saracens.

Elsewhere Scarlets beat Cardiff in a dogged affair with the boot of Leigh Halfpenny back to its metronomic best.

Wales have wasted no time in making scrum half Rhys Webb eligible for the 6 Nations. His impending move back to Wales ticks enough boxes to make that happen.

The big story of the week is Nigel Wray stepping down as Chairman of Saracens. He was at the centre of the salary cap affair and has decided it is right to fall on his sword. Bizarrely he will continue to fund Saracens. This I struggle with as surely he will want a say on how his money is spent and also isn't it likely he will now be one step removed allowing him to put in place more dubious deals with players. On this point the more I think about it the more I question whether anything has changed at Saracens and do they really comply with the cap.

Interesting piece in The Guardian asking whether rugby has gone too far in the use of technology. Players are analysed within an inch of their lives and could this be stifling on-field creativity. As is often the case with The Guardian it is well worth a read.

Ellis Genge has gone on off on one about loyalty in the game being bullshit. Wow! I didn't know that! What, players being lured away with the promise of cash, players at the top flight more worried about their next contract with whoever rather than who has given them their break, players flying all over the world in pursuit of money from rugby. Yep, Genge might be right.

The counter argument is each week c.95% of the players pulling on a senior shirt at Crowborough RFC are home grown and they actually pay to play. Loyalty does exist but it is on the wane across the wider game.

In other sport 3rd Round of the FA Cup today. Come on Leicester, Cardiff and Newport.

I will leave you with a chilling thought. Has the Oompa Loompa in Chief set the world on course for an apocalyptic global conflict. It is difficult to argue against the assassination of an unquestionable peddler of death and hate BUT, and it is a big BUT, is the unilateral act of being judge, jury and executioner a risky one.. Once we get into an "eye for an eye" mentality the risks become huge. Most certainly the threat of retaliation through terrorism has gone from likely to most certainly.

Sorry to be the harbinger of doom on a Saturday morning but some things worry me more than others and the lunatic know as POTUS worries me greatly.

See you at the club this afternoon.

Thursday 2nd Jan: 09:50

Welcome to 2020. A VERY Happy New Year to you all.

Let me quite rightly start at Steel Cross. Subject to the pitch being playable our wonderful 2nd XV have a cup game against Hastings & Bexhill 2s on Saturday. Kick off 13:45 yet to be confirmed. I haven't been to the club since before Christmas so have no idea about the state of the grounds so please check back in on Saturday morning when I will be able to give you a definitive answer about the game.

Some weeks ago I referred to an article by Owen Slot in The Times about the "worst club in the country"; Yorkshire Carnegie. No surprise they are languishing at the foot of the Championship table. Well Owen Slot has done a counter-piece about some of the wonderful rugby clubs around the country who are making a difference in their local communities. Clubs like Eton Manor, The Rams and Stockton RFC. Whether it be rising like a phoenix from the from the ashes or working with the community or using their green credentials to save money which is then reinvested into growing the club. If you can access it it is well worth a read. Crowborough RFC could easily have been included having moved from a condemned shed in 2011 overlooking a field of a pitch into a modern clubhouse with a pitch which for the most part is the envy of many. A club who grows most of its own talent where the players pay to play and not the other way around. A club with an amazing junior and mini section which along with the seniors punches above its weight. A club now seen as an integral part of the community with non rugby activities filling the clubhouse on many weekends throughout the year. There are hundreds of clubs up and down the country just like ours which is why I am so passionate about protecting the grassroots game.

It comes as a worry when well respected scribes like Chris Hoy of The Organ of Truth (Not) state there should be less international rugby and this season should see the Autumn internationals scrapped. The international game is what helps fill the coffers of the RFU which in turn filters its way down to clubs like ours. Cuts are already being made and any further dilution of investment could be catastrophic for small clubs at our level and below.

Leicester Tigers coffers will be depleted next season after Ellis Genge agrees to sign a new deal worth £400,000 p.a. George Ford and two others have also agreed new contracts and you can be sure that they are enhanced deals. There goes the CVC money!!

Ugo Monye writing for the BBC has raised the spectre of a ring-fenced Premiership again. The clubs could, with the distinct possibility of seeing Leicester or Saracens being relegated and with Newcastle favourites for promotion, quite easily declare UDI and set-up a ring-fenced top tier. It would cause an outcry in some respects rescuing the Saracens from the drop after their salary cap indiscretions but I for one still think it is the blueprint for the future.

Talking of the salary cap Exeter have been most vociferous about Saracens indiscretions yet they seem to be able to buy in big names with impunity. Johnny Gray is rumoured to be joining the Chiefs for next season. I am sure he isn't doing that for a cut in wages.

The Munster medic is going to be out of pocket after incurring a fine for his part in the disgraceful brawl in the game with Sarries. Steve Diamond has yet again incurred the wrath of the discipline panel and he too has been fined for his remarks to match officials recently.

Sale host Quins tomorrow and Cardiff host Scarlets. Two good match-ups I think. On Saturday Gloucester v Bath and Dragons v Ospreys are the pick of the weekends fixtures. That said Worthing travelling to Taunton caught the eye.

That'll do for now and I'll keep my comments on recent politically correct boll nonsense for next week. Friday Club beckons tomorrow so back on Saturday.