Scotland have made a number of changes, including Kyle Rowe in for the concussed Darcy Graham. The South African Pierre Schoeman starts, as does Jamie Ritchie. Gregor Townsend has been bold naming a six-two split on the bench. Finn Russell starts, and captains the side.

Matt Sherratt has been bold. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain. Ellis Mee who has been tearing it up at Scarlets makes his debut on the wing for the injured Josh Adams. Max Llewellyn comes straight into the centre to partner Ben Thomas with Gareth Anscombe at outside-half. There is an all new starting front row; Nicky Smith, Elliot Dee, and the one surprise, WillGriff John. Changes in the back row with both Jac Morgan and Tommy Reffell starting. Now that is bold. By the way, Jarod Evans is on the bench.

Results: Ireland by a mile. Anything else will be a bonus. England but only just. On Sunday France by a margin.

DON’T FORGET the games are on at the club, and Saturday Night is Quiz night.

Question 1: What does Bleater know about rugby
Answer: Bugger all

Thursday 20th Feb: 10:10

No local games of note this weekend, so the Six Nations takes centre stage. All the details about CRFC’s opening times for England v Scotland are on this website.

As previously stated I’m anticipating an England win but it should be a good contest. Scotland can’t be as lethargic as they were against Ireland, and England will have to replicate the form of the last 20 minutes rather than the first half when, quite frankly, France could have been home and hosed.

Plenty in the papers about the Fin Smith versus Finn Russell match up, that is if Russell is playing, which I’m sure he will be. The outside-halves don’t go head-to-head as such. Too many enormous back-row forwards see to that. The battle will be who controls the game best, and who can add that bit of stardust that makes the difference. I’ll be watching, cheering on … I’ll leave that for you to decide.

Ireland roll into Cardiff with a much changed squad. Caelan Doris is out injured. The side will be captained by Dan Sheehan. Sheehan is one of seven changes from the side that won in Murrayfield. For me the most notable absence from the starting XV is Bundee Aki. He moves to the bench. A terrifying prospect, him coming on late on when others are tiring. The abrasive Jack Conan starts at #8. Simon Easterby has lost several key players but at the same time a number of players are returning; Mack Hansen and Joe McCarthy in particular. Ireland hold all the aces and should win at a canter….. sadly.

Wales team announcement is later this morning.

As an aside the BBC reports that Immanuel Feyi-Waboso is in hospital after shoulder surgery. His involvement in the game will be curtailed for some months now, putting a Lions place in jeopardy. In reality without game time and plenty of other wings in great form he is unlikely to make it. However…. What do I know about anything?

The Torygraph brings us news Scotland rugby team is losing support over ‘plastic players’. Yes, this is a piece about the mercenaries who have made the Scottish team over recent seasons. The players who have only qualified through the three year residency, now changed to five years, or have very tenuous family links to the old country. The packed Murrayfield of late and the growing support for Edinburgh and Glasgow flies in the face of that argument. Ireland have Aki, Gibson-Park, Lowe and Hansen in their side so what makes them different to Scotland. All the countries have done it. The extended qualification rule is working so let’s move on.

The news is full of Donald Trumps outrageous attacks on Zelensky. I cannot believe that orange faced megalomaniac is cosying up to the psychotic, murderous Putin. Why is he doing it? He wants the minerals Ukraine have to make the US the only country with wealth, and sod everyone else. Yesterday the world, if it wasn’t already teetering on the edge of tyranny, it became a much more dangerous place. There are deranged tyrants everywhere. Israel, Russia, China, North Korea and the US. Sadly we have a limp lettuce and a bunch of twits whose only expertise is falsifying CVs.

Back tomorrow with the Wales and Scotland team news.

Wednesday 19th Feb: 10:20

Steve Borthwick has again announced his side early, making just the one change; Ollie Chessum starts instead of George Martin. He has also confirmed, despite the wobbles against France, that Marcus Smith is his front line goal kicker. Not much to be said really. I think England will win and all will be well in the world of English rugby, or will it? I remain unconvinced for one.

The Guardian highlights how grassroots rugby is really struggling. England doing well without tackling the issues lower down the food chain will simply paper over the cracks. To be fair some of the challenges faced by the grassroots game is societal. Young people don’t like commitment, even getting a job isn’t a priority, so how do you expect players to turn up regularly on a soggy Tuesday and Thursday evening to train under substandard lights (not at CRFC), and then commit to wiping away your Saturday. You can’t. Equally many young people now run their own business, and without adequate insurance, which is bloody expensive, the fear of injury and losing work is top of mind. Then for those who turn up you have rules and regulations that make the game less enjoyable. You have leagues that reduces flexibility for clubs often resulting in mis-matches. So I could go on.

Don’t get me wrong, there are still plenty of great stories, and great clubs around. On Saturday Uckfield were only able to field 11 players for their 2nd XV. They still wanted a game. Crowborough turned up with plenty so players were lent to ensure a 15-a-side contest. Crowborough turned up with the wrong kit. Uckfield immediately came to the rescue. This is what grassroots rugby is about.

I know of a side who conceded the game and got hit with a 5 point penalty to ensure all the senior players got a game, rather than bowing to regulations laid down by blazers in ivory towers so far removed from the grassroots they might as well be on Mars.

There is a very long and fascinating interview in The Torygraph with Warren Gatland. He highlights many of the issues the game faces in Wales, but also highlights my point above, without a solid, well thought through structure for the game as a whole, a successful international side simply papers over those cracks, which in Wales are more like abyss.

That’ll do rugby wise.

More and more cases where our judiciary are allowing undesirables to stay in the UK are coming to light, and allowing them to stay for the most spurious of reasons.

Donald Trump and Vlad the Impaler appear to be carving up the world for their own benefits. It is a disgrace. If we appease Putin then you have to ask, where next? He has got away with annexing Crimea, and now looks as if he will be able to seize more chunks of Ukraine thanks to Trump’s intervention. The world is on a precipice. If Putin is happy to deliberately target Chernobyl potentially releasing intense radiation across Europe where will he stop. Be afraid, very afraid.

Tuesday 18th Feb: 09:45

Another beautiful start to the day. Make the most of it before the rain returns later in the week. The build up to a massive weekend of Six Nations rugby has started. The Calcutta Cup at Twickenham will be the centre piece for most. Scotland could be able, amazingly, to field both Finn Russell and Darcy Graham. It has been two weeks since Graham was taken from the field on a stretcher but I would still question whether he has had sufficient time to recover from what was a significant head clash. While Scotland have been an Achilles heel for England of late I can’t see them getting past the men in white this time around. I think England, buoyed by the (lucky) win over France will have too much fire power.

Digressing slightly, I see Brian Moore is suggesting Steve Borthwick should experiment with Ben Earl in the centre. Not against Scotland of course, but he believes it’s worth a punt against Wales. Of course he is alluding to Wales being absolutely shite and its a foregone conclusion England will win. Be careful what you wish for Mr Moore.

Talking of Wales, Matt Sherratt will tell his squad today who is in the squad to play Ireland on Saturday. I anticipate Max Llewellyn and Gareth Anscombe will start with Jarod Evans on the bench. Ben Thomas will move to centre. We’ll know soon enough. For you few Welsh supporters who read this guff, I am still perplexed why Wyn Jones and Dylan Lewis are not in the squad. Jones in particular was excellent on the weekend against Sale.

Despite Ireland’s injury woes they will start runaway favourites with many predicting a scoreline of many points to very few in favour of the Irish.

France are set to rip up their side, according to The Torygraph, with Damien Penaud dropped for a lack of commitment. There are rumours circulating that Fabien Galthie will go with a seven-one split on the bench. Bold, very bold.

Changing tack, The Torygraph have built on the story recently aired on the BBC website about the state of schools / youth rugby. In essence it highlights what was a very well considered plan drawn up post the 2003 World Cup win was scuppered when responsibility for youth development was passed to the (Premiership) clubs. The issue was the link with schools and colleges was broken and recently the incentive to give academy players a game is not about developing them into long standing England internationals, it is about the money they get from the RFU to offset against the salary cap. It also suggests that plowing money into schools is ‘flogging a dead horse’. I don’t disagree with that. Put it into grassroots clubs with a good mini and junior structure. Finally, to answer one of Chichester Geoff’s questions, whilst the system is clearly failing young talent, it performs better than rugby league and the NFL. The conversion rate from academy to the Premiership is 34%, the American colleges to NFL is 17%, and rugby league is just 6.5%.

Talking of salary cap, how are Bath able to bring in so much talent for next season and still be within the salary cap. It is a mystery. In fact, it is downright suspicious!!!!

Jumping about a bit, I see someone is suggesting Marcus Smith learns to play scrum-half and becomes the ‘ultimate utility back’. This is another story from The Torygraph. So, lets make Smith a ‘jack of all trades’ and potentially ‘a master of none’.

In the proper news, who does Donald Trump think he is. Carving up Europe to his own ends, whilst allowing that odious, and psychotic Putin have is own way!

Is our Attorney General the most corrupt, Britain hating politician ever? Allegedly giving jobs to his cronies, fighting for causes that are contrary to Britain’s best interest, and giving our money away to foreign powers because his mates have influence, the Chagos Islands in particular. Only asking!

Right, that’ll do for now. Stuff to do. Lots of it.

Monday 17th Feb: 09:32

A beautiful frosty morning. A nice way to start the week. The sun streaming through the window. So, what happened this weekend? Well, from the wonderful Mr G and The Bard’s report I think it is fair to say we didn’t play very well making too many handling errors, and we endured a couple of bits of bad luck at crucial moments. The missed try opportunity being the final kicker. Park House deserved the 22-10 win. End of! They stay in 8th, we stay in 4th thanks to The Greenies losing 37-33 at Deal & Betteshanger. Bromley showed their credentials beating Cranbrook 64-33 and stay 2nd, and likely to be promoted. Beccs lost to table topping Canterbury II who are pretty certain now to be promoted. Charlton Park lost to Sevenoaks II and continue to prop up the table. VERY sadly relegation now looks a certainty barring a miracle turnaround in fortunes. In the other game Dover beat Ashford 19-12. Four games to go for most.

In Surrey/Sussex 1 Eastbourne won at East Grinstead 14-15. I understand this was a pretty intense contest. Eastbourne are looking safe in 6th but East Grinstead are on the cusp in 11th. Haywards Heath remain one spot above them in 10th after losing at home to Weybridge Vandals. Hove beat bottom placed Old Haileyburians 19-27 to do their chances of staying up a power of good. They are in 8th. Old Rutlishians are top.

In Sussex 2 you already know Uckfield are top, and clear, after beating Worthing III. Disappointing to see a HWO for Pulborough as Hove II again cried off. Brighton II beat Lewes by a lot to not many. Seaford beat Crawley 55-14 and Shoreham beat Ditchling 35-24. Pulborough lead the chasing pack in 2nd spot. Hove II are on an embarrassing -22points.

In Hampshire 1 Bognor came back from the Isle of Wight with a 20-30 win over Sandown & Shanklin. Havant II are still perfect at the top after beating my old club Trojans. New Milton are still bottom. Bognor move into 8th, a step closer to safety.

In Kent 3 Hastings & Bexhill ‘enjoyed’ a HWO over Old Gravesendians. They are now 6th. TJs II are still top, T Wells II are in 3rd spot. Both won again on Saturday.

Up into Regional 2 where find Chichester winning at Chobham 19-33. Good result that but Chi stay in 10th perilously close to the drop zone. Farnham are top with a game in hand, Andover are bottom.

Up one into Regional 1 and we find Tunbridge Wells losing at Old Alleynians 49-34. Horsham lost 39-15 at Bracknell. Brighton lost 53-33 at Camberley. The big result was table topping London Welsh losing 24-28 to Jersey RFC. They stay top but now by only 5 points. Brighton are bottom and adrift, Horsham are one place above them, TWells are 9th but far from safe.

In the ether of the National Leagues TJs go marching on towards promotion with a solid win at Canterbury. Sevenoaks beat Henley. Worthing beat Bury St Edmunds 38-35. ‘Oaks are now 10th and moving in the right direction. Worthing are 13th and in the relegation zone. Seven games still to play so all is not lost.

It wouldn’t be a league round-up without knowing Bridgnorth won at Long Eaton and are 5th in Regional Midlands 1. Salisbury lost at Swanage & Wareham putting pay to their promotion hopes. They are 4th however.

I didn’t watch any rugby yesterday. I do have the Dragons game against a depleted Glasgow recorded but knowing the result I’m not sure I’ll bother.

Alex Dombrandt, after a barn-storming performance in the Premiership Cup, has been called up by England. Ireland are sweating on the fitness of Caelan Doris and Ronan Kelleher. More Six Nations build up through the week.

That’ll do for now. I’ll get my teeth stuck into the proper news tomorrow…… except to say I see another mealy mouthed, lily-livered judge has allowed a convicted drug dealer to stay in the UK if he only smokes cannabis. What the f…lipping heck are these morons doing?

Sunday 16th Feb: 09:55

Before I get into the blog I bring sad news of the passing of Trevor Skinner. He passed peacefully in the early hours of this morning after a long battle with cancer. Trevor was recently a regular at the Friday Club and will be sorely missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with Claire and his family. Rest in Peace Trev.

I didn’t make it to Park House yesterday so can I refer you to the match report written by The Bard. It seems we were unlucky with a try under the posts chalked off with minutes to go. However, reading the report it also seems we were the architects of our own downfall with too many uncharacteristic mistakes allowing a huge Park House 15 to take full advantage.

We remain in 4th as The Greenies lost at Deal & Betteshanger in a very high scoring keenly contested game. They do have a game in hand on us however. Despite D&B picking up all 5 points they remain in 9th on 33 points. That means they are 21 points behind us, so in theory if four clubs were to be relegated, with only 20 points left to play for, we appear to be safe. I stress this is in theory because the way the game is run anything could happen.

Instead of Park House I popped down to Uckfield to watch the 2s. Course rugby at its very best. Firstly we decided to turn up with a set of Under 13 shirts, so had to borrow a set from Uckfield and play in them inside out. They only had 11 players so we lent them 4 to make it 15-a-side. The game was then played in a cavalier spirit by both sides with Crowborough running out winners by a lot to not many.

I did spend some time watching Uckfield 1st XV win comfortably in the end over Worthing III. I can see why they are clear at the top playing some attractive rugby. However, as East Grinstead and Haywards Heath are finding, the next level up is tough.

A full league round-up tomorrow as normal. The Premiership Cup took centre stage yesterday in England with the URC being the centre of attention elsewhere. Three of the Welsh regions took on Irish opposition. All three losing despite the Irish being depleted thanks to Six Nations call ups. It became obvious why Ireland have been so dominant on the international stage of late. They clearly have strength in depth with the youngsters on show having come through the academy system. The players were used to high intensity rugby, and clearly very well drilled. Wales will be up against it next week in Cardiff when the Irish roll into town.

Chichester Geoff has been in touch. Good to hear from you. He brought my attention to an article in the BBC Sport website about the decline of rugby in schools, and the huge divide between the state and private sector. The public schools still provide a decent chunk of players to the England international set up. The players here are well coached, at great facilities, with every opportunity to shine. Where rugby is played in the state system that is definitely not the case. The article highlights too how any kid who shows real promise is snapped up by the public schools via bursaries and scholarships.

Here is the rub. Everyday we are hearing stories about the public schools being hamstrung thanks to Rachel Reeves thievery/class war. Some schools are actually going out of business, others are cutting back with bursaries and scholarships in the firing line. This cannot be good for the game. In addition many state schools are focussed on academic success with sport taking a back seat. Where sport is played soccer is all too often the choice. Why? Soccer is a simple game, rugby most definitely isn’t. Rugby’s laws are complicated, as are the practicalities. In addition the press coverage of head injuries has put a lot of people, staff and children, off the game. It is a depressing thought.

To be fair clubs like Crowborough and Chichester are picking up the pieces. Good coaching and decent facilities gives kids who are interested in rugby every opportunity to shine. This is a reason why the RFU must wake up to the fact the grassroots game needs support. If schools rugby is in decline, and the grassroots game is underfunded, then we are definitely on a slippery slope to oblivion.

In the proper news more horror attacks across Europe. They are playing into the hands of the right-wing fascist parties. To make matters worse, here in the UK, our judiciary continue to find the most spurious of reasons not to deport illegal migrants. The latest is the lady from Grenada, a beautiful, safe, friendly and reasonably prosperous island, because her Latvian husband would find it too hot and he doesn’t like spicy food. These moronic anti-Britain judges should be deported!!!!

Thursday 13th Feb: 09:45

Here we are Thursday already. No sooner had I posted that a proposed takeover of London Irish was off, in rides former F1 owner Eddie Jordon with a consortium in tow to bring the famed team back to life. So the dilly-dallying which sent the German/US investors in a spin was because Jordan was waiting in the wings. It is not clear how much has been invested, or what the plan is to get the team back to its former glory, a long road, but Jordon is an astute business man so lets hope the club is in good hands.

Plenty in the papers still about the departure of Warren Gatland and what Matt Sherratt has to do. I can’t see Wales winning any of the remaining three games but please, please, please let us at least see them trying to play rugby. Keep the ball alive. It would be good to see some bold selections of players in form. My number 1 inclusion has to be Max Llewellyn.

I know this is not a Wales centric blog, or it shouldn’t be, but can I draw your attention to an article in The Times written by Sam Warburton. It strangely echoes much of what I said this week, yes I can be a smart arse, in that you make the Welsh regions stronger and properly invested, you find places for the best young talent to get more competitive games more often, and you have a structure that whole game buys into.

In some respects English rugby is a similar situation. You have the ring-fenced, despite the plans for a play-off, Premiership. You have an underfunded and disparate Championship. You have talented youngsters getting limited playing time, let alone quality playing time. Below the top four leagues you have a league structure that in many areas, and for many reasons is a mess. On top of that, as Warburton mentions about Wales, you have the non-existence of rugby in many schools. The article is well worth a read if you can access it.

The weather of late, in fact pretty much since October, has been wet and gloomy, so can I bring you a ray of hope. Summer is on its way. How do I know? Easy, Super Rugby kicks of tomorrow and goes on through the summer. Hoorah! The quality of rugby is usually superb, and if you have SKY TV then ‘happy days’, they are covering it.

Closer to home the 1st XV are away at Park House. For a range of very good reasons The Bard nor I will make this one. I might head down to Uckfield to watch the 2s. The pick of the games around us are Deal & Betteshanger v The Greenies, Beccs v Canterbury II and Dover v Ashford. All have a bearing on our league position come 17:00 Saturday afternoon.

In Surrey/Sussex 1 East Grinstead v Eastbourne is the pick of the games. Defeat for East Grinstead could see them start to drift away at the bottom of the table, which would be troubling. We need strong Sussex teams playing as high as possible.

In Sussex 2 Uckfield should pick up all 5 points against Worthing III but my game of the day is Seaford v Crawley. Two evenly matched sides with a lot to play for.

Upwards into Regional 1 Tunbridge Wells could do themselves a lot of good with a win at Old Alleynains, but the game of the day has to be the top two going head-to-head: London Welsh v Jersey RFC.

As there are no Six Nations there won’t be a supplementary blog tomorrow, back on Sunday.

Before I go however mention of the Merseyside derby played last night. What a game. Packed with skill, excitement, controversy and the occasional punch-up. Brilliant viewing.

In the proper news Trump is trying to bring peace to Ukraine, albeit the Ukrainians will have to cede territory. The Gaza situation is about to explode again. The Israeli leadership never wanted a ceasefire, nor did Hamas. It is a dire state of affairs.

I see our jumped up, lily-livered judges are making the headlines again. This time allowing an eight time failed asylum seeker to stay in the UK. Why? She now claims to be a member of a subscribed terrorist organisation, which is a blatant lie. It is terrifying that British judges are not supporting the removal of failed asylum seekers, in fact seem to be supporting potential terrorists. The UK is heading towards anarchy. The growth of Reform led by the odious Farage will drive us faster and faster to civil unrest unless Sir U-Turn and his clowns get a grip.

Wednesday 12th Feb: 09:45

Needless to say there is only on place to start and that is the soap opera that is Welsh rugby. Did he jump or was he pushed? In essence it doesn’t matter. Warren Gatland has gone. Hindsight is a marvellous thing. Most of us are blessed with the 20/20 version, and as consequence are saying much the same thing: ‘he shouldn’t have gone back’. After the loss to Italy Gatland’s position became untenable. Not solely because they lost but because of the spineless, inept, and totally embarrassing way the team played. Bereft of ideas. It is not all Gatland’s fault. The return of Robert Howley was a mistake. Even in his first stint prior to his departure due to gambling misdemeanours there were questions asked about Wales attacking game plan. Right now there isn’t one. Howley has to go too.

To be fair to Gatland at times he did make a fist of it with more players unavailable at any given time than there were to choose from. He came into a broken system with talent being wasted and the game in decline across Wales. It must also be remembered his first 12 year stint was one of success.

It seems he lost the changing room, and that along with former players slinging mud on social media, and past players expressing their serious concerns during punditry, as a consequence the writing has been on the wall for a while.

Gatland has done the decent thing and waived what would have been a substantial six figure pay-off.

So where next? Matt Sherratt steps up to the plate as interim head coach. He is not going to miraculously turn a sows ear into a silk purse but he has the opportunity to make some changes. Here are my suggestions. Bring in Max Llewellyn, Jarod Evans, Wyn Jones and Dillon Lewis. Players in form and with experience of the big games. Get players to take responsibility on the field by playing what is in front of them. Stop kicking the ball away.

What about the longer term. Simon Easterby has to be the first choice. He lives just outside Cardiff for heavens sake. It isn’t about the Head Coach however. It must be about the whole structure of the game. How can we better integrate the regions. Let’s get the young talent playing at higher level more frequently. Build a sustainable league structure that is a genuine, but financially sustainable, meritocracy below the regions.

It is not just Wales waking up to the fact many young talented players are languishing in academies not getting enough game time. English rugby considers a ‘rookie league’ because as The Torygraph states ‘data shows top talents are not playing’. The idea is a Premiership Under 20 league that (sort of) mirrors the Premiership itself. Instead of players being loaned out, often to clubs of a much lower standard, they would stay in the club environment assured of a better quality of competition. It is an interesting idea.

Looking at the England Under 20s there are plenty of players at the big clubs but when you dig deeper you actually find they are playing elsewhere. The same is true of Wales but the ‘elsewhere’ is often of a much lower standard than the England or Irish equivalent, and certainly not how the French do it.

The other story that caught the eye relates to Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Not only is he making a pigs ear of Manchester United, he has buggered up Sir Ben Ainslie’s chances in the America’s Cup sailing, and now he is being take to court by the All Blacks. It seems he is reneging on a shirt and shorts sponsorship deal. Another story covered by plenty of the media if you are bored.

London Irish, remember them? Well, it seems a £20m takeover deal is on the verge of collapse because those running the club now still can’t get their arses in gear. Actually they did, but it was to constantly change the parameters of the deal. Yep, the investors have decided its not for them so are now taking their £20m to greener pastures.

Where’s the week gone. Back tomorrow with a look ahead to the weekend’s games, and more ranting about how our judges are screwing Britain more completely than our nominal enemy states. A perfect example is allowing Albanian gangsters to stay when they should have been on the first plane back to Tirana. Instead they are here causing mayhem on our streets with their organised crime and drug dealing.

Tuesday 11th Feb: 10:10

A late start this morning. Lots going on, and I mean lots, so time is of the essence. Plenty in the papers about the fallout or otherwise from the weekend. Let’s look at the positives first, especially of those from the Emerald Isle. Get past France, which despite their off colour performance against England will be no easy task, the Grand Slam is yours. Ireland will need to declare at half time against Wales thus being able to bring on their U12s to finish the job. Yes, Wales are that bad. Italy won’t be a huge hurdle but our friend ‘complacency’ must be nowhere to be seen.

Plenty of positives coming out of the England camp. A win is a win. Brian Moore in The Torygraph does echo what I alluded too and that is France were decidedly cavalier making a plethora of mistakes that could have changed the game significantly. He also goes on to suggest England, namely Steve Borthwick, need to be careful of repeating the mistakes of the past and shoehorning players into the team as they did with Ford and Farrell. He points out that, yes, Fin Smith had a great day at the office but Marcus Smith was not at his mercurial best. Moore says Smith M at fullback was ‘not an unqualified success’. He has a point. England now have the opportunity to put together a run of successive wins. Scotland at Twickenham, Italy also at Twickenham and the Wales in Cardiff. The Scots will pose the biggest challenge. They cannot be as lethargic, and error ridden as they were against Ireland.

Plenty in the Welsh press, WalesOnline to be precise, that Gatland will be gone within days, not weeks. The expectation is Mark Jones, former Wales wing and now main man at the Ospreys will be his temporary replacement. To be fair Jones in his stint with the U20s, and now at the Ospreys, has put steel into the side whilst playing a more expansive game. Last ditch wins for the Ospreys against Pau and Scarlets of late show the resolve he has brought to the side. Many are suggesting Gatland (and Howley) have lost the changing room therefore removing him now makes a degree of sense. Longer term Simon Easterby is in their sights, his Welsh connections being very strong. He’s married to Sarra Elgan, S4C, TNT, BBC presenter if you don’t recognise the name, and they have a home in Wales. Franco Smith seems to be the other option. We’ll know soon enough.

The Guardian brings us the news that the Government are more and more pessimistic about the state of rugby unions finances. Sport in general, and especially rugby at the top of the game is indebted to the Government to the extent of many millions of good old British pounds. The collapse of Wasps, Worcester and London Irish already means a chunk of that debt won’t be recovered. Looking at the parless financial state of the clubs in the Premiership the Government are right to be concerned.

My good friend Colin has been in touch and reiterated the point I made about forward passes going unpunished. Some would say they are going unnoticed, but that is nonsense. At the top of the game there are cameras covering every angle, 3 match officials managing the game, 2 more on the sidelines, the TMO and his toys, and someone in a bunker. The forward passes are not being missed they are being ignored for the sake of entertainment. If we want to turn the game into WWE where everything is choreographed for the paying public then so be it……. But I’m off. Wayne Barnes is wrong. For the integrity of the game we cannot keep bending the rules. Thanks Colin.

Ok, that’ll do rugby wise. I need to keep something for the rest of the week.

In the proper news I see the Government has employed a PR agency to bring us up to date with what they are doing. It bears no resemblance to what really is happening but gives the impression this shower of sh…, bunch of clowns is tackling the illegal immigration crisis. They are not.

The slick videos were countered by our lily-livered, left leaning, snowflakes of judges allowing illegals who should be on the first plane back to whence they came to stay here for the most spurious of reasons. Trawl through the papers and read about the bloke who was allowed to stay because his son didn’t like the chicken nuggets at home. I’m sure the papers exaggerated the story for effect but it makes us a laughing stock.

Monday 10th Feb: 09:30

It’s Monday, so despite there being the Six Nations to review a league round-up is up first.

In Kent 1 we move into 4th on the back of a stunning performance by the boys in pretty challenging conditions. We leapfrog The Greenies by virtue of the fact their game against Ashford was postponed. Ashford turned up but deemed the pitch unplayable. They went home. Beccehamian are still hot on our tail after a comfortable 48-12 win over Deal & Betteshanger. Bromley beat Dover 43-8 to continue their excellent season. In the other game Cranbrook beat Charlton Park 23-14. Canterbury II are clear at the top and, unless the league structure changes, are set for promotion. Bromley are 2nd. Charlton Park are looking doomed for relegation, as are Cranbrook. Shame on both counts. Next week’s opponents Park House didn’t play, they are some 19 points behind us but I’m sure they will present a tough challenge on Saturday.

In Surrey / Sussex 1 Hove triumphed 18-11 over East Grinstead to move further away from the relegation zone. They are 8th. Grinstead are in 11th and at risk of the drop, as are Haywards Heath who lost 19-25 to London Cornish. Old Rutlishians are top in this very topsy turvy league. Eastbourne didn’t have a league fixture, they were beating Worthing II in the Bob Rogers Cup. We will play them in the final, probably April 26th at Steel Cross.

In Sussex 2 Lewes weren’t able to get a side out so Uckfield endured a HWO. Whilst it cements their place at the head of the table it does nothing for bar takings. Ditchling beat Crawley and Pulborough beat Shoreham in the other games played. Still plenty to play for but with a run of home games to come Uckfield are very much in the driving seat.

In Kent 3 Hastings & Bexhill won at Old Dunstonians. Tunbridge Wells II won at Whistable to go 2nd behind TJs II. H&B sit nicely in 6th.

Up in the rarified atmosphere of the National League Sevenoaks came away from Bury St Edmunds with a narrow but well deserved win. TJs beat Havant and stay top. Worthing’s dismal run continues with defeat at Old Albanians. Oaks are 11th with Worthing in 13th and looking in danger of the drop.

Bridgnorth lost at Derby. Salisbury didn’t have a game.

So to the Six Nations. That was an enjoyable game yesterday afternoon. Ireland for the most part looked pretty comfortable. Still not at their best but good enough to get past Scotland, who yet again failed to live up to the hype. Losing two key players early on didn’t help but nevertheless for long periods, particularly in that first half, they weren’t in the game. It was at the breakdown where the game was won. Ireland were excellent, securing good ball enabling Jamison Gibson-Park to give the backs quality ball on the front foot. Scotland made too many basic mistakes and at times looked lethargic. Only France now stand in the way of an Irish Grand Slam. Beating Italy and Wales are givens.

Plenty of positivity around England’s win against France. The title is still in their sights if France beat Ireland. England stuck to their task for the full 80 minutes, the balance of the team looked better, and the bench, Jamie George in particular, had an impact. I was proved wrong AGAIN as the Fin Smith / Marcus Smith selection worked well. Steve Borthwick will stick with it I’m sure. There is a huge caveat however. France could have been out of sight in the first half if they had played with a degree more pragmatism and hadn’t coughed up so much ball. Some of which was with the line begging. With Scotland being the last challenge before Italy and Wales England could be looking at a moral boosting 2nd place. Still not good enough based on money spent but better than previous seasons.

Well done Italy, you deserved the win. Wales were absolutely dreadful with a capital ‘F’. Not a single idea in attack. In defence there were some positives but even there it was not good enough. Gatland and Howley have to go, and go now. The players need to take charge. Stop kicking the ball away and go out and have some fun. If we are going to lose, at least go out at trying to play rugby, not kick tennis.

OK, that’ll do except to say ‘well done the Eagles’. Winning the Super Bowl is quite something.

Sunday 9th Feb: 09:45

I for one, didn’t expect that coming. No, not Wales losing to Italy, that was a forgone conclusion. Us beating Sevenoaks II, and so convincingly as well. At 10am yesterday morning the pitch was perfectly playable, if a bit heavy, and with the forecast to be dry from there on it was ‘game on’. As all too often is the case the forecasters couldn’t tell you what happened yesterday, let alone what was happening in the next few hours, so the persistent drizzle following the inspection made the pitch VERY heavy indeed.

A word of praise for the Friday Club. During a brief let up in the weather last week they did some remedial work on the pitch that enabled the game to go ahead.

Crowborough got to grips with the cloying clay quickly and soon had Sevenoaks on the back foot. Backs and forwards working in tandem and playing what was in front of them to perfection. They were soon over for the first of six tries. By the way the Bards blow by blow account is on the website for the exact details. Skipper Dave Bennett was leading from the front and with the lineout working well and the scrum a serious weapon the backs were seeing plenty of ball. Josh Jarvis, like most of the side a product of our wonderful junior system, made some telling breaks and the Marchesi brothers kept the opposition guessing.

The Sevenoaks defence was resolute for long periods so despite the plethora of possession the scoreboard slowly ticked over. That said we scored a further three tries in the first half making the half time score 24-0. The tries came from the brute force of our forwards, and the guile and quick thinking of our backs.

The visitors had their moments but found our defence equally resolute. Whether it was Will Pitman out wide, or Andy Kidd and Adam King nearer to the action, the tackles were impactful. Sevenoaks were also getting on the wrong side of the referee, who I thought managed the game in VERY difficult conditions well, and as a consequence found themselves marched back 10 after back chat, and dominating the penalty count.

The second half was more evenly contested with us having to defend more frequently and the game being played more often in the ‘Borough half. Sevenoaks, through their skipper at #10, created space making the defence work all the harder. It was at the final hurdle where they fell down with ‘Borough winning crucial turnovers, or the last pass or offload not sticking.

We were still securing good ball at the lineout, and with driving maul and scrum delivering good ball we added two further tries taking the final score to 36-0. With The Greenies not playing, and other results going in our favour we move into 4th in the table.

Everyone in red and white made a telling contribution but it was brilliant to see our veteran props, Rosie and Tasker with ball in hand and playing like accomplished backs on a bowling green of a pitch. It wasn’t, it was a swamp. The only thing missing were migrating geese and mud loving hippos.

Speaking to a couple of visiting supporters this was a much changed Oaks 2s, a view supported by my friend Liberty who keeps abreast of these things, but you cannot take anything away from the way ‘Borough played. The boys played what was in front them using the ball wisely, with accuracy, and a high degree of skill. When defence was required it was superb. Park House away next week.

So to Wales. This was an awful game. Wales were next to useless. They had no idea, absolutely clueless in every aspect of the game. A teaspoon would have more of a cutting edge than Wales. Kick, kick, after aimless kick. The players were like rabbits in the headlights. Gatland and Howley have to go. There is no game plan and the best players are languishing outside the squad. Pick Jarod Evans and Max Llewellyn. With 20 minutes to go I wanted Italy to win. Wales getting the Wooden Spoon and changes being made as a result is a must. That said the whole structure in Wales is rubbish so I don’t hold out much hope.

What a contrast. The England v France game was chaotic, exciting, exasperating, brilliant. England stuck to their task at last. The bench made an impact. The tactics were right. All that said have you ever seen a French side of the recent era making so many handling errors when not under pressure. No, neither have I.

More on the Six Nations tomorrow and through the week. Scotland v Ireland this afternoon. Should be a cracker.

Friday 7th Feb: 09:35

Ok, as promised a quick look at the teams for tomorrow. As expected Fin Smith starts at #10 with Marcus Smith moving to full-back. I’m not a fan of that decision but for those of you who have read this guff over many years, what do I know. You can expect France to pepper Smith M with high balls, and the French back row to be in the face of Smith F from the start. Also as predicted Tom Willis gets the nod at #8 with Ben Earl moving to #7, and Tom Curry filling the remaining back row slot. Whilst the idea was right last week, the impact of three loose forwards all with the same DNA didn’t work. This looks a better balance. Ollie Sleightholme comes onto the wing to replace Caden Murley. The bench is bolstered by the return of Jamie George with Eliot Daly replacing Sleightholme.

France have made two changes, one enforced due to the thuggery of Ntamack. In comes Damian Penaud, that is going to weaken the team….. NOT! Matthieu Jalibert comes in at #10, another who has been in fine form for his club. Double try scorer Theo Attissogbe is dropped from the squad altogether.

On paper this is a French win. The game is not played on paper and one of these days England will get it right.

Wales have made a couple of changes for the Italy clash. Taulupe Faletau returns from injury. One player doesn’t make a team but that, if he lasts the game, is a huge boost. Aaron Wainwright makes the bench with Tommy Reffell being left out. Eddie James will start in the centre alongside Nick Tompkins. Otherwise it is the same squad.

Italy will start as clear favourites, why wouldn’t they. I’ll be watching this on catch up as Crowborough v ‘Oaks II takes precedent.

Ireland have made a number of changes for the game against Scotland. Peter O’Mahony gets a surprise recall. Robbie Henshaw replaces Garry Ringrose. That should be a cracking game, but again what do I know.

Tonight there is U20 rugby with Italy v Wales, and England v France. Leicester City travel to Manchester United in the FA Cup.

In the proper news the Government are now reaping what they sow, and they have achieved that in a very short time. In-fighting and indecision, the economy tanking, and despite promises the state controlled activities are still wasting huge amounts on woke non-jobs.

You know the world is going mad when the National Science museum declares that Lego, yes the kids (and adults) favourite, is anti LGBTQ+. Have you ever heard such pompous, lily-livered woke bo!!o nonsense in your life?

Back on Sunday.

Thursday 6th Feb: 09:25

Another massive weekend of Six Nations rugby, but we’ll get to that later. First let’s look at what is happening closer to home. As you know we host Sevenoaks II. Kick 14:00, and its not too late to order lunch. Elsewhere The Greenies host Ashford. That should be an easy home win. Bromley v Dover is a big game. A home win will keep Dover below us. An away win and we could slip back to 6th. In fact, if Beccs beat Deal & Betteshanger, which is highly likely, then we could drop to 7th if we get nothing out of the game against ‘Oaks. Much to play for.

In Surrey/Sussex 1 the game of the day has to be Hove v East Grinstead. Three games in Sussex 2, the pick of which is Pulborough v Shoreham. Uckfield host Lewes but I expect a home win in that one. Out of interest Sevenoaks 1st XV are away at Bury St Edmunds.

Obviously Italy v Wales is THE biggest game of the weekend. In Bleater’s household at least. Team announcement later today so check in tomorrow for comment. England and France will also announce their teams. One absentee is Romain Ntamack, he will be absent after being handed a three match ban……..

Let me rant here because he will actually only miss the England game. Why? The following weekend is a free weekend for the Six Nations which means in theory Ntamack is available to play for Toulouse. France will claim that as the second match. Then of course being a highly paid rugby superstar he will be allowed to go on a coaching intervention course as an alternative to the third match ban. So in essence, what we have here is a situation where a blatant, deliberate act of thuggery, in which an opposition player could have sustained serious injury is punished by a one match ban.

I know a local player playing at Level 8 mistimed his tackle making contact direct to the head. He was rightly shown a red card and will tonight get a FULL 3 match ban. His actions were reckless not intentional, yet his punishment is harsher than Ntamack. There is something wrong with the process. This portion of the blog will be cut and paste and send to the RFU.

For the old farts in The Friday Club there is a great piece in The Torygraph about the Twickenham groundsman and how he keeps the grass pristine. Basically it must cost a few bob. As an aside, last week at Steel Cross was an old friend of the club who has worked with the RFU and several local clubs, football and rugby, helping them with pitch maintenance. He felt, despite the ridiculous amounts of rain, and the troublesome Wealden clay, our A Pitch was in pretty good condition.

Also in The Torygraph is an article about the head injury claim against the unions. This has been rumbling on for some time. Being a cynic with a capital ‘C’ I am sure there are some who have jumped on the bandwagon in the hope of a quick payout. The article clearly states that the only money being made right now is by the lawyers, and the side hustles like brain testing. Making matters worse of course is there is no indication, despite the case clearing the latest hurdle, that it will go to court any time soon. Can I add my normal disclaimer that there are some who have suffered and we in the game cannot a) ignore that and b) continue to be striving to protect players from head contact. I refer you back to my previous rant.

A couple of things in the news caught my eye. First the useless Sadiq Khan stating there is a lot of shoplifting in London because there are a lot of shops. So Sir Khan, it has nothing to do with how lawless London as become as society breaks down under your stewardship. All this why you continue with your woke vanity projects.

I do believe the we have now lurched so far to the left in the UK that we now live in communist state run by despots. Local elections have been cancelled. Not because of an impending reorganisation sometime in the future, but because the voters would give the Government a bloody nose, and some.

Finally I mentioned the breakdown of Swedish society following the mass shooting. Well, it is coming to light this lone gunman had become frustrated with the number of migrants and took things into his own hands.

On that depressing note, do drop back tomorrow for a review of the teams.

Wednesday 5th Feb: 10:10

Well, well, well. It seems that Steve Borthwick is going to roll the dice expecting a double six. That double six comes in the form of Marcus Smith at full-back and Fin Smith at #10. That will be a bold call, assuming the papers are right. The Triple Crown and the Grand Slam have gone so nothing to lose I guess. Borthwick is also likely to give Tom Willis a start instead of Ben Earl at #8, with Earl moving to the flank partnered by Tom Curry. Caden Murley is out with Alex Lozowski brought into the wider squad. Whoever is in the match day squad knows this the big one. Lose this and England, especially Borthwick, will be under sever pressure as the tournament is effectively over for them.

Wales head to Italy with nothing but a win good enough. A loss will signal the end of the Gatland era. Interestingly Stuart Lancaster left Racing 92 this week, and rumours abound that he could be the man to get Wales back on track. Very much a ‘Steady Eddie’ so I’m not convinced. To be honest who would want the job? It is a poisoned chalice and with the game in Wales in a shambolic state I wouldn’t blame anyone for saying ‘no!’.

Scotland host Ireland. Can the Scots finally shake that monkey off their back. Their record against Ireland is poor to say the least. With the Irish buoyant after beating the English, and recognising they were far from their best, it could be a really tough ask.

Team selections start coming in tomorrow, so for the next few weeks at least there will be an additional blog on a Friday morning.

We host Sevenoaks II, kick off 14:00. There is a buffet lunch before this one. Sevenoaks II are currently second and with a squad that put us in our place over there Saturday could be a tough day at the office for us. The Charlton Park HWO might have worked in our favour with several first choice players carrying knocks and missing last week, they should be back this. Anything from the game will be a bonus for us. Yes, that sounds pessimistic, but it is a realistic assessment.

Wayne Barnes writing in the Torygraph states ‘rugby should not be looking to chalk off tries for debatable forward passes’. If it is not clear and obvious, and momentum carries the ball forward, and the hands were facing backwards, then yes. The French try WAS FORWARD in every sense, and any suggestion that it should be ignored is complete and utter nonsense. The integrity of the game is at stake. There is enough nonsense in the game as it is without allowing forward passes to go unpunished.

Talking of punishment, Makazole Mapimpi has been banned for three matches for making contact with the eyes of Cardiff’s Efan Daniel in an off-the-ball incident playing in the URC. It is just about acceptable looking at the sanction table.

OK, that’ll do except to mention the terrible events in Sweden. A country once the envy of the world is now at the centre of attention following a mass shooting yesterday. The motives are not clear. Whilst there is NO evidence that is linked to either terrorism or immigration Swedish society is on the decline as immigrants are failing to integrate, are the cause of much gang related and drug related crime, and driving Swedes from a welcoming country to one with increasingly far-right attitudes. If it is happening in Sweden it is no wonder the odious Farage and Trump are winning in the polls here and in the US.

Then you have the bizarre situation where Trump, what planet is he on, suggesting displacing all the Palestinians from Gaza and letting him turn it into a Mediterranean paradise.

Tuesday 4th Feb: 09:50

When will get anything like a prolonged dry spell of weather? Whilst it is dry now it is still somewhat gloomy. If you are Welsh that is a perpetual state of affairs I’m afraid. The Welsh team are a shambles but that is driven by the whole game in Wales being a mess. On Saturday evening Wales Under 20s lost to France by 63 - 19. To be fair the Welsh boys played their hearts out but it wasn’t good enough. Size was a reason. The French were enormous by comparison. It also came down to the same issues that the senior side have: a lack of a cutting edge, although Wales did score a couple of good tries, poor ball retention, and a lack of discipline when it mattered. The big difference was the lack of experience in big games. Most of the French side had experience of either the Top 14 or Pro D2. Only a couple of the Welsh boys had any URC experience, most languishing away in the various academies. This told.

Why do I mention this when most of you are supporters of the Red Rose? In my mind England, although less pronounced, has the same problem. Promising youngsters aren’t getting exposed to the toughest levels of the game often enough. Currently we have the Premiership Cup but is that enough. Key positions are often filled with overseas stars. Is the Under 20 Six Nations enough to get the best young talent ready. Some pundits are saying England has a problem that players are not able to step up to the rigours of international rugby. France and Ireland have robust systems so the best are always ready. You may think differently, but clearly with the resources available to England there is something dramatically wrong. With little old Wales it is understandable, to a degree, but England shouldn’t have excuses for their persistent failings.

On that point I think Steve Borthwick and his constant repetition of excuses is part of the problem. ‘Oh woe is us, it is an inexperienced young side’. Bo!!oc4s is it!

France are heading to town. Can the juggernaut be derailed? We’ll know soon enough.

Scotland v Ireland will be tasty, as will Italy v Wales. Much to gain, a lot to lose on both games. More on this tomorrow and Thursday.

Player watch. Caden Murley is a doubt for England. Wales’ Owen Watkin is certain to be out of the Italy clash, as is Aaron Wainwright. Plenty of chat about Finn Russell not being at his best against Italy. Equally, plenty are saying the two Scottish wingers, Graham and Van de Merwe (not that he is Scottish) should be in the Lions squad. Ireland’s Mack Hansen and Finlay Belham hope to be fit for the Murrayfield clash but there is a doubt.

Yes, this is a Welsh whinge, but that Dupont pass was forward. Why with all the camera angles, and the upgraded role of the TMO was it not checked? Freddie Thomas yellow card was wrong, he was clearly onside.

So to Msr Ntmack. That was a disgraceful, spiteful act of thuggery. The regulations stipulate that is a 6 match ban that can be reduced to 3 matches if he accepts guilt and has a clean record. If it is less than that then it is a disgrace. His was a deliberate act. Here in leafy, soon to be concreted over, or covered with solar panels, Sussex, I’m aware of a player who will appear before a panel under the same regulation. His actions were reckless not intentional but he will miss 3 matches. Where is the justice in that….. if as I suspect the idiots running our game find a way to be lenient in Ntmack’s case.

February already, and the nights are shorter and the days are longer. Walking rugby will be back soon. So will Southern Hemisphere rugby. Hoorah.

What else is happening in the world. Donald Trump is now the world’s biggest bully. He has threatened Mexico, Canada and China with tariffs. He has warned Greenland of a possible invasion. The Panama canal is at risk too. However, whilst he is an odious character he has cut through all the bull and is making things happen. USAid is being closed down and looking at the wasteful way the money was spent, and the sheer number of people on the gravy train, he is right. He is right too about cutting through the woke and political correct nonsense driven by the very few to the detriment of the many. He is slashing waste in the government by riding a coach and horses through the establishment. He has tackled illegal migration head on with affirmative action.

Close me down if you wish, but we in this country need to get a backbone and start doing much the same. The lily-livered judiciary, and the hand-wringing limp wristed politicians need to wake up and make the UK great again. How can a judge decide not to proceed with vital energy developments in the North Sea knowing that the outcome will be putting our energy needs into the hands of foreign powers. It is a joke.

Monday 3rd Feb: 10:05

Plenty more to say about the Six Nations but first a look at the leagues. In our league, Kent 1, our HWO moves us back into 4th as Dover lost 43-19 to a resurgent Beccehamian. The Greenies stay 3rd after what looks a tight encounter with Park House. 15-5 that one. Cranbrook lost narrowly, 17-20 to Deal & Betteshanger but move into 11th as a result of CPs points deduction. Ashford stay 10th after their game at Sevenoaks was postponed. It is looking increasingly likely that the bottom three are in danger of the drop. Four teams, in theory, could be relegated, so right now it is D&B who are in that 9th spot. On 28 points, they too are a little adrift, 21 points behind us, but there are still six games to go. Canterbury are top after their win over Bromley. Sevenoaks are in 2nd but now have two games in hand over the leaders.

In Surrey/Sussex 1 Eastbourne enjoyed an excellent 64-17 win over Trinity. ‘Bourne stay in 6th and are the best of the Sussex clubs. Haywards Heath lost to Old Rutlishians. East Grinstead lost by just a few points at KCS Old Boys. I understand that at one point Grinstead were down to 13 men. Hove’s return to form continued beating London Cornish. This league is topped by Old Rutlishians. Hove are in 8th, Heath in 10th and East Grinstead bottom but just by one point. I am assured seven, yes seven, clubs could in theory be relegated from this league.

In Sussex 1 Crawley beat Lewes 31-24, Seaford beat Ditchling 0-27, bottom placed Hove II lost by a lot to Worthing III, Pulborough beat Brighton II and Uckfield beat Shoreham 31-13. Uckfield stay top and with a game in hand over Seaford, and plenty of home games to come are favourites for promotion. Hove II are effectively relegated on -17 points.

In Hampshire 1 Bognor enjoyed a win, 3-10, at Eastleigh. This moves them up one place to 9th. The stupidity of the league structure again comes to light with Havant II beating Basingstoke 86-5.

Talking of crazy league structures in Kent 3 Beckenham II beat New Ash Green 0-94. Hastings & Bexhill won at Brockleians 12-28. They are looking increasingly safe in 6th. TJs II are still top!!!

Up in Regional 2 Chichester lost by a few points to table topping Farnham. Andover are adrift in this league with Chi in 10th.

In Regional 1 it was a good day for Tunbridge Wells beating Maidenhead 45-17. They are now 9th. It was not such a good game for Horsham losing 31-0 to CS Stags. They are in 11th ahead of Brighton who lost narrowly to runaway leaders London Welsh 26-29. Sadly Brighton look doomed whilst Welsh are pretty sure of promotion.

What happened with the ‘big’ boys of National 2? Well, Sevenoaks lost at home to table topping TJs 17-24. Worthing lost narrowly to Canterbury. Worthing are bottom along with Colchester. Sevenoaks are 11th and reasonably safe. TJs are now closing in on promotion. Six points clear and a game in hand.

Let me round things off. Bridgnorth thumped Kenilworth 84-7. Salisbury beat Dorchester. Out of interest Salisbury are now in 4th.

Still plenty of games to go, so plenty to play for. We have the very tough task of Sevenoaks at Steel Cross next weekend. There’s a buffet lunch and the England v France game will be on the big screen.

Plenty in the papers about the Six Nations. In essence Wales were woeful, against a French side that weren’t at their best. Scotland made hard work of beating a very good Italian side. Then we have England. Plenty of the hacks have ripped into England asking why did the discipline collapse after a solid first half. Why did the team fade so badly as the game wore on? There were plenty of comments about the lack of impact from the bench, particularly in comparison to the impact the Irish bench made. Last night on BBCs Six Nations Rugby Special both John Barclay and Sam Warburton also questioned why when in possession in that first half, when things were looking rosey, the ball was kicked away. It seemed to them this was a pre-ordained game plan, and to me it is a failing of the English game. They are too rigid in what they do. Both the Irish and French won because they played what was in front of them. The playmakers, at 9 and 10 in particular, dictated the game, not what was decided on the training paddock earlier in the week. Your views????

Sunday 2nd Feb: 10:10

What a few days. Firstly Friday was a complete wash out. The rain was incessant, the pitches were flooded, and as a consequence the Friday Club was at a loose end. I’ll get back to Friday night in a minute. The boys were keen to play, both the 1st and 2nd XVs, so on Saturday morning a few hardy souls turned up to do a pitch inspection and if by some miracle it passed then to line and dress. Both pitches did pass the inspection so the old geezers set to work. Within a couple of hours the lines were down and the pitches dressed with flags and post protectors.

However, then came the bombshell that Charlton Park had cried off. They simply could not raise a team. Four out of five possible points in the bag for us, and a five point deduction for them. Thankfully the work didn’t go to waste as the 2nd XV were elevated to the A Pitch in front of a large and vociferous crowd.

With the 1st XV squad on the balcony giving them not so helpful advise the rag tag bunch set about their task of beating Crawley 2s with relative ease. Fair play to Crawley they turned up with 14, we lent them a player to make it 15, and set about the task of making a game of it. At half time with the game being slightly lopsided, and injuries reducing the visitor numbers, we bolstered their team to keep the contest honest. From the side it was clear all those taking part were enjoying the encounter and whilst we ran out comfortable winners in the end plenty of praise needs to go to our visitors. They too could have cried off leaving Steel Cross devoid of rugby.

I understand those lunching had a good time too. A cracking lunch was the feedback I got.

So going back in time to Friday evening and the Stade de France. Wales started brightly enough but without a cutting edge of any description, and France dominating possession, the inevitable came to pass. The French are a very good, well drilled outfit and when they have the ball use it well. Antoine Dupont was again the ringmaster but when you have a superb supporting cast alongside you wins are a given. Being a bit churlish one of the French tries looked to come from a clear and obvious forward pass. Also the yellow card for Freddie Thomas late in the second half was a disgrace. He was onside. France will be pleased with their training run against Wales ahead of a much stiffer test against England next weekend. The Ntmack red card was a slam dunk, a stupid act of retribution which will mean a three match ban, probably reduced to two because the blazers are stupid. Once I know the outcome I’ll do a proper rant….. if a rant is needed.

Wales go to Italy with some positives but very, very few. It is difficult to be positive when your best ball carrier was a prop who came on in the second half, Nicky Smith. Injuries will force Gatland into changes, but unless Wales find a cutting edge in attack, cut out the basic mistakes, and improve their discipline they will come home from Rome with another big fat ‘L’ against their name.

I ‘sped’ watched the Scotland v Italy game. Scotland deserved to win but were disappointing at times, and ultimately the scoreline was flattering. Italy played well and deserved more from the game.

Next up, Dublin. What can you say other than the old failings came to the fore and England lost. Discipline was an issue with Ben O’Keefe getting more and more agitated, and the men in white faded away as the game entered the last quarter. Ireland played with mix of imagination and pragmatism and whilst England got off to a flier the men in green always looked in control. There was a more adventurous style from England but as the game wore on Ireland always had an answer. To be fair up until half time an England win was a distinct possibility.

Turning points. Marcus Smith yellow card. James Lowe making Alex Mitchell’s look daft, shrugging him off like a fl