That’s it then. RWC 2023 is officially all over with South Africa making history by winning for the fourth time and winning back to back tournaments. I think it is fair to say based on the results, the pools, the teams dispatched, the best team did actually triumph. As stated yesterday there was something about South Africa’s demeanour and desire that led me to believe they would win. Under the leadership of Siya Kolisi, who epitomised what is good about our game on and off the field, they had the psychological edge. It was far from a classic encounter, but it was compelling from start to finish. Plenty of talking points too.

Let’s start with those. Bongi Mbonambi going off clearly injured and the yellow card to Frizell was the start. I for one think the card was harsh. I couldn’t see how his actions were avoidable. Then it became clear the South Africans were pulling a fast one by saying Mbonambi was NOT an injury replacement but a tactical one. Naughty to say the least. Then we have the Eben Etzebeth leading elbow in the tackle that was missed by all four officials. Not good enough. The Sam Cane red card was spot on. No mitigation, it was dangerous and unlawful. The Kolisi yellow card was probably right. I could have, just about, accepted it being upgraded but on balance yellow was right. The inane booing of Wayne Barnes at the end by the moronic Kiwis in the crowd was a disgrace.

Where was the game won? The Boks were hungrier at the contact area, pragmatic with the ball in attack, made fewer mistakes, and robust in defence. New Zealand looked lethargic despite being the more lightly run team. They got going after the Cane dismissal but only really started to motor when defeat started to stare them in the face. There was glimpses of the All Black flair but with the Boks able to stifle most attacks it usually came to nought. Pieter Steph du Toit was my man of the match but special mention to Fourie coming on after just four minutes, he played really well.

The result will have massive implications back home. The South African nation will be lifted and the country brought together through the medium of rugby. There will be much hand wringing in New Zealand. There was disquiet beforehand with many saying Ian Forster should have gone before the tournament. Like the UK, the game at the grassroots is not doing so well. Bringing the trophy home would have had a positive impact. It wasn’t to be.

Hats off to the Springboks. Three crucial games won by a single point and history made.

Has it been a great tournament? Yes and no. There have been some amazing contests and some amazing rugby played. The smaller nations have made a very good case to get more access to top flight competition. The grounds have been packed and for the most part the atmosphere seems to have been what we want from the game. On the other side of the balance sheet there have been too many incidents filling the column inches with negativity. The racial slur, the red cards that were given, the red cards that weren’t given. The lopsided draw. The consistency or otherwise of refereeing. The tournament seems to have been a very long drawn out affair. On balance I’d give it 7/10.

It is over so time to start looking forward. Time for Wales, England, Ireland to rebuild as many of the old guard hang up their boots. France will need to understand how they didn’t make the final with the resources and investment made. New Zealand have a core of young talent but Scott Robertson will still have his hands full in making the All Blacks all conquering again. Who knows what is next for Australia. It has just been announced that Eddie Jones has resigned. He is such a complete and utter shite. For South Africa there will be days and weeks of joy but beyond that, what next. I think the future looks bright when you look at their franchises and junior programs.

As the dust settles we will now have to be content with the domestic game until February when the Six Nations returns. The RFU must listen and recognise despite England’s return to some sort of form the game is in pretty poor shape. Clubs going to the wall at all levels, and playing numbers in massive decline.

That’ll do for now. Back tomorrow with more thoughts on the final, and to pick up on some of other rugby stories, including the nimby crowd already saying Wasps are not welcome in Kent.

Saturday 28th Oct: 09:10

Before we look back at last night’s 3rd/4th playoff, and look ahead to tonight’s final let me correct a few errors in Friday’s blog. I stated that Bongi Mbonambi had been cleared to play because the investigations into the allegations of racial abuse would not be concluded until after tonight’s contest. That was written in good faith but clearly incorrect. It transpires he was cleared to play due to “insufficient evidence”. I can fully understand the quicker decision as the people looking at this only had to review the 5 minutes before the alleged incident, the five minutes after, and of course the period during which the comments were allegedly made. Let’s say 15 minutes in total. Even with a myriad of cameras and several different sound feeds I would suggest that wasn’t an onerous task. I cannot for one moment think that the people reviewing the feeds would turn a blind eye to anything, or decide to overlook any piece of footage. Where I have a problem is this wasn’t an independent review, it was World Rugby, and as a consequence they decided not to interview Tom Curry at all. This was wrong as any investigation should have insisted on putting the allegations into context. For example “he said whatever he said as he was moving away towards his team”, is very different to something being said “whilst he was grabbing my shirt and looking me straight in the eye”. I share the RFU’s frustration. Maybe controversially, if the boot was on the other foot and Curry had called Mbonambi a “black c***” then you can be certain the nature of the investigation and the uproar from World Rugby would have been seismic.

The second error was about the South African selection. Jacques Neinaber has gone out on limb. A 7-1 bench is an extraordinary risk, in my opinion. As expected he has started Handre Pollard, and Faf de Klerk. More on this in a moment.

Ok to last night. It was a decent game with England hanging on to to clinch a win against a much improved Argentinian side. There were glimpses of things to come with a bold selection across the back line. A number of players put a marker down for the future; Ben Earl, Sam Underhill, Freddie Steward to name a few. There were some who failed to impress, Henry Arundell was at the forefront of that list. Marcus Smith again looked like a duck out of water at 15, tackling and indecision. England’s discipline was again a weakness. I thought there were a couple of occasions when Los Pumas didn’t get the rub of the green but their lack of precision at key moments was crucial. Two cracking tries from them however. The outcome will be a boost for England, and hopefully English rugby, but I continue to fear for the game without dramatic change in the way things are run.

A couple of specific points. Owen Farrell’s attendance at tackle school has achieved a big fat zero. Time and time again he tackled upright making no attempt to dip. I’m afraid he will see red again as the likelihood of head to head contact is high. Theo Dan’s try was very well taken after a powerful charge-down. What was extremely poor was his cheap, and totally unnecessary shot on the would be tackler in the dead ball area. It was patently obvious the TV director chose to omit this from any rerun of the try. Finally Joe Marler turning up at the medal ceremony looking like a brickies labourer, and then appearing to snub Bill Beaumont was pretty appalling. How ironic, of the top European nations it was England who come away with some sort of recognition.

Now we can look forward to tonight and New Zealand v South Africa. I’ll nail my colours to the mast and say I want the All Blacks to win. The question of whether they will win is a different matter altogether. There is just something which I can’t quite put my finger on that says the Springboks might edge it in a close game. The All Blacks will need to be at their patient and relentless best if they are to triumph. Keep the ball moving, the keep the tempo high and play with width. Discipline has to be spot on. The Boks have a different agenda: brutal and unforgiving dominance up front and winning the battles in the contact areas. The beers are chilling and I’m sure my mate Mal Bec will make an appearance.

The Barrett family will be as proud as proud can be. All three boys start and all three could be pivotal in securing success. Pollard and de Klerk for South Africa will be the zoo keepers ensuring the wildebeest are kept moving forward and the cheetahs in back line are let loose to attack their prey when the time is right.

Bring it on.

Just a couple of other rugby snippets. Well done England demolishing Canada in the WXV. Hard luck Wales as you lose heavily to the Black Ferns. Wasps have indicated joining the United Reform Church would be an option if one of the teams currently included were to fold. A very interesting position to take. Finally in an ironic twist of fate a RFU council member has been banned from all rugby for calling a volunteer a “black c***”. There is no place for abuse whether it be racial or otherwise in our game.

Thursday 26th Oct: 08:25

Steve Borthwick has rolled the dice for the last time in this tournament. As expected he has made several changes with some of the bit part players getting a run out before the team heads home. There is a sentimental final start for Ben Youngs, England’s most capped player, as he has now confirmed his retirement from the international game. Marcus Smith gets another run out at fullback with Freddie Steward switching to the wing. Henry Arundell is on the other wing. Sam Underhill gets a game as Courtney Lawes has run his race. Tom Curry starts, as does the excellent Ben Earl. It’s all change in the front row. Unsurprisingly Owen Farrell starts and captains the side. Michael Chile has made just three changes to his side. I expect an England win but it won’t be a disaster if they lose, or will it.

Unfortunately the racial slur saga rumbles on. It is totally unacceptable that Tom Curry is the subject of horrendous online abuse. If there was an incident then Curry is the innocent party. The fact he brought the matter to the referee’s attention speaks volumes. Sadly those who hide behind the anonymity of social media can do a significant amount of damage with just a few clicks of the keyboard. Bongi Mbonambi is free to start on Saturday evening as the investigation, conveniently in my opinion, will not be concluded before the game starts. I find this suspicious. There are plenty of cameras at each game, the three on-field match officials are all wired for sound, as are the two additional officials at each game, then you have big brother in the TMO truck, and the faceless one in the “bunker”. Surely it cannot be that difficult to analyse the game footage in minute detail in order to ascertain whether something was said or not. Yes, the delay is suspicious.

The team announcements for Saturday’s encounter will be made today. I don’t expect to see many, if any changes from the sides that took to the field for the quarter-finals. Handre Pollard might start for the Springboks.

One of Wales’ greats has confirmed he will retire from international rugby after the game against the Barbarians on Nov 4th. Yes, Leigh Halfpenny who has served his country well hangs up his international boots but will continue to play club rugby, but for who has yet to be confirmed. With over 100 caps to his name, including several for the Lions, including most memorably the 2013 tour, and of course a hat full of points he will certainly be in Wales hall of fame. We wish him well.

The announcement of the Nations Championship has been seen as a slap in the face to the smaller rugby nations. I can’t disagree. I think the old boys network have circled the wagons much to the detriment of the game. The Torygraph and the Daily Fail both carry good pieces on this very subject.

The Fail also carry an article about a guy called Nick Simon who is some sort of smart arse mover and shaker with plenty of fingers in plenty of sports pies. He has said rugby has missed an opportunity with this World Cup to bring more glitz and glamour to the tournament. Big name celebrities at the opening and closing ceremonies, pre-match celebs walking the walk much like at the F1. Not for me I’m afraid. Once you start going down that road you start attracting the wrong type of investors. Look at what is happening to golf. Money is tearing it apart. Look at soccer and the influence of the Saudis. Money flooding into the game but not necessarily making the game better, or teams more successful. The Times carries an article just this morning, thanks my friend The Bard, highlighting how despite the many millions poured into the game in Saudi Arabia at some games there are just 700 people watching. That is truly pathetic.

Whilst rugby does try hard to innovate and support the game globally it doesn’t always work. The new Women’s competition WXV is great idea but it is being played out in front of a handful of people, mainly family and friends. Why they decided to launch it during the men’s World Cup beggars belief. Not only that, having Wales play New Zealand in Wellington is a great idea the costs must be astronomical. So, going back to Mr Simon, yes the game needs new ideas but money and razzmatazz is not the answer. The product has to improve first and foremost. After all if you put lipstick on a pig, it is still a pig.

The club AGM is tomorrow night at 6pm followed by England v Argentina. Walking rugby tonight at 6pm. The final is being shown at the club. Details on the website.

With dismay I read that Israeli tanks have started to roll into Gaza. I fear this conflict is going to escalate into something apocalyptic. There are too many hotheads with their fingers on the trigger for this to end quickly.

When are the Americans going to learn that the right to bare arms is madness. Over 500 mass shootings this year alone and last night’s the most deadly of them all. 22 people killed and over 60 injured up in Maine. It truly beggars belief, but quite frankly the way the world is going nothing surprises me now.

Wednesday 25th Oct: 09:50

Team announcements are ahead of us today. That’s tomorrow’s blog sorted. Today we have much to explore. I’m going to start with the scrum and a message from my mate Colin. In essence “how has the game got to the stage that the scrum is unmanageable, and worse is now being used to milk penalties in the attacking zone”. Obviously many supporting England will be saying “that should never have been a penalty, and if it was then it should have gone to England”. I can’t argue with that viewpoint, and sadly I bet nor can the officials. Ben O’Keefe was quick to whistle and clear that it was England who infringed, but how does he know. The front rows have always been the masters of the dark arts. On reflection there appears to be a growing tendency for penalties to be awarded in favour of the attacking team, and further reflection leads to the question: has this been contrived by the attacking team. I can’t answer that, nor can Colin, but I agree it needs looking at. Anyone who has read this drivel for any length of time will know I have said the scrum is a mess and reset after reset is killing the spectacle. Add this new layer of complexity and the game becomes even more unattractive. Colin makes a very good point that penalties at scrums could be downgraded to free-kicks. As an aside I have long advocated that free-kicks should not have a scrum as an option. The South Africans are now opting for scrums even when a mark is called. No! No! No! I also believe there shouldn’t be the option to take a scrum at a full penalty either. Anybody else have a view?

I also thank The Bard for his contribution. The Times have said it is time for “blue sky thinking” (corporate bo!!oc4s) where England is concerned. There is a plethora of young talent out there. Many of the old guard are hanging up their boots. Has there ever been a better time to start with a blank page looking ahead to 2027. Good point. Crack on is what I say.

The Bard also makes a good point about the potential move by Wasps into Kent. What impact will it have on clubs in the locality. You can guarantee they will want to attract the best players, and more significantly, the best kind of sponsors. Would that influx of support be at the expense of clubs close by, Sevenoaks, TJs, Tunbridge Wells. Good question.

The Tom Curry abuse affair took a turn yesterday when it was stated that everyone has been looking in the wrong direction. The incident in question is different to the one covered in the press. The powers that be have to move quickly to be fair to all parties. If he is guilty a big ban is on the cards, if he is innocent then let him prepare for the final with impunity.

World Rugby confirmed the new global international season/tournament will kick off in 2026. This much to the annoyance and chagrin of the lesser nations. They effectively have been frozen out until 2030, and even then there is no clear path into the big time. World Rugby also confirmed the next RWC will feature 24 teams, 6 pools of four. The top two in each pool plus the next best third place sides will make up a round of 16 knockout stage. I like this innovation, an extra round of jeopardy cannot be a bad thing. It also allows four more of the lesser nations access to the tournament. The blazers also confirmed the draw will be made much closer to the tournament opener, 20 months out. That too is good.

Just when you thought it was safe for us Welsh to come out from under the covers the clubs are again revolting. The new pathway from grassroots rugby through the regions and on into the Under 20s / full Welsh squad was laid out and agreed. That’s what I thought anyway. Wrong, the clubs have gone back into their caves and said the big picture is not for us, we like it in the dark ages with the game in terminal decline. Making matters worse there is precious little money to go around in Wales and the clubs want to spend more. Madness! WalesOnline carry the full story.

Can I draw your attention to three articles that may help pass the time on this miserable Wednesday. Both unfortunately are from the lily-livered, bleedin heart, left leaning, pontificating BBC. BBC Sport is ok. They have done a piece on Rassie Erasmus. It gives an insight into the man, how his mind works when it comes to our great game, and dispels some widely held myths. “Disco lights and dark arts”. The second is about the mentality of the All Blacks and how they think their “easy company”, made famous by many a good war film, will be able beat the “bomb squad”. It highlights the strength of feeling towards the famous black jersey and what it means to pull it on. The final article is via BBC News Wales and insightfully asks the question “does it matter if other players develop your players?”. There are good reasons to keep the best players at home, but to be honest, no it doesn’t matter.

Plenty in the news about the weather but it is the horrors in the Middle East that continue to dominate. Two wrongs don’t make a right. A country has the right to defend itself. A country has the right to demand and execute retribution. I am not convinced a country has the right to commit atrocities of equal barbarity in the name of retribution. I have been struggling with comparisons between the horrors of the 1940s and the horrors of 2023. Have we not learnt from history, and is it acceptable to constantly refer back to the crimes committed against you when you are committing the same crimes against others. Food for thought perhaps.

Tuesday 24 Oct: 08:40

What is happening around the leagues? We remain second in Counties Kent 1 after our 31-16 win over Charlton Park who sadly remain rooted to the bottom. Canterbury II are top after their win at Deal & Betteshanger. Our good friends The Greenies enjoyed a very solid win, 31-19, over Thanet Wanderers. Bromley beat Cranbrook, Dartfordians beat Beccehamian, Dover beat Ashford. Cranbrook remain winless one place ahead of CP. Bromley are 2 points behind us in 3rd.

In Surrey/Sussex 1 it was a difficult day for the three Sussex sides. Hove lost at Trinity, Eastbourne lost at Old Tiffinians, East Grinstead lost at Old Walcountians. Teddington lead the charge in this league. Hove are the best of the Sussex sides in 8th.

In Hampshire 1 Bognor had a good day at Alton winning 31-0 and are now 7th.

In Sussex 2 Haywards Heath continue to lead the way with a comfortable win over Seaford. Uckfield lost at Brighton II, Crawley were well beaten at home by Pulborough, Shoreham had an easy enough win over Burgess Hill. Pulborough remain in second and are unbeaten. Sadly winless Uckfield prop up the table.

In Kent 3 Hastings & Bexhill lost narrowly to Gravesend II. TJs II beat Tunbridge Wells II. How those latter two are allowed to be in Kent 3 is beyond my understanding.

In Regional 2, Chichester enjoyed a fine win away at Reading. Salisbury didn’t fare so well away at top placed and unbeaten Jersey RFC. In Regional 1 Horsham lost by a single point at Bournemouth, Brighton lost by a lot at Camberley, Tunbridge Wells won at Hammersmith & Fulham 31-34. Havant remain top.

No games in National 2 so that just leaves Bridgnorth who beat Oxford Harlequins.

The women’s international tournament is underway. England have got off to a good start, Wales not so.

In the Premiership, now a few games in, we have Bath, Bristol, Gloucester and Sale at two for two. Saracens are at the foot of the table having lost both their games. Obviously sides like Leicester Tigers and Sarries are adversely affected by England’s turnaround in form.

In the URC all four Welsh sides lost their opening fixtures. No surprise there as they are still short of their international stars.

I see that Bongi Mbonambi is formally under review by World Rugby for the alleged incident involving Tom Curry. I apologise as I had thought this all happened at the end of the match. It seems the alleged comment was made with just 30 minutes gone. It is good to read the South African authorities have moved quickly by undertaking their own review. My feeling is this will amount to nothing as in Afrikaans “wit kant” translates into white side. If on the other hand there is something in this then South Africa could be up shit creek without a paddle, or a recognised hooker at least. Mbonambi is the only recognised hooker in the squad. We’ll see!!!

England have made the final. Yes, England will be in the final on Saturday. An all England team led by Wayne Barnes will be officiating. His wing men are Karl Dickson and Matthew Carley. In the truck and acting as big brother is Tom Foley. Well done to them.

Quite a number of the hacks have written about the positives coming out of England’s turnaround in form. They quite rightly have said it can’t stop there, highlighting it still doesn’t change the myriad of issues the game faces from financial challenges to declining player numbers to it being a poor spectacle.

The much vaunted global season with a two year cycle for the international league is under threat. A group led by Augustin Pichot is challenging the validity of the proposal on the basis it keeps the lesser nations in the back waters leaving them little opportunity to progress. He might just have a point.

Plenty of papers have picked on the latest article by the scientists who state every year of playing rugby increases the risk of a degenerative brain disease by 14%. It makes troubling reading for the game. The Torygraph and others carry the story.

Finally could Wasps be coming to Kent. There is much in the papers about discussions that have been going on with Sevenoaks council about relocating to the area. The BBC for this one. The plans seem extremely ambitious especially as in the same article it is suggested they would need to start off their rise from the ashes in Kent 5 (we are Counties Kent 1).

Monday 23rd Oct: 10:00

As The Bard and I were leaving Charlton Park on Saturday so the tributes started to flood in after the passing of football legend Sir Bobby Charlton. The word “legend” is bandied about all to easily today but Sir Bobby was a true legend of the round ball game. I recall watching him at Filbert Street when Leicester City drew 2-2 with Manchester United, then again the following season when City lost to a rampant United 5-0. Charlton along with Best, Law et al was simply magnificent. Growing up watching him during the ‘66 World Cup and the the ‘67 European Cup triumph over Benfica was an absolute joy. His contribution to the game on and off the field has been immense and that from someone who as a young man cheated death in the Munich air disaster. That is a tribute to the quality of Sir Bobby. His legacy will live long in the memory.

England losing to South Africa almost seems irrelevant as a consequence but life goes on and sport is a great healer, and a great leveller. There is much to debate following the defeat so let me crack on. Lawrence Dallaglio has stated Ben O’Keefe lost England the game by awarding that crucial last gasp penalty to the Boks. To me that seems churlish, especially as he makes no reference to England being marched back 10 metres because of Owen Farrell’s attitude. That extra 10 meters allowed Mannie Libbock to slot home the three points.

It seems that Kevin Sinfield will be removed from the England coaching staff to be replaced by Irishman Felix Jones, currently defence coach for the Springboks. After England’s amazing turnaround from chumps to (almost) champs this seems a bit brutal.

Courtney Lawes is the first to officially announce his retirement from international rugby. Johnny May is expected to confirm his departure shortly, and it is very unlikely Dan Cole and Joe Marler will follow suit. I expect Ben Youngs might also call it a day with a few more games for Leicester Tigers being his plan.

Then we have the big story, the bust up post match. The mass brawl started it seems by an overly provocative celebration by Willie Le Roux upsetting Danny Care. That isn’t the worst of it. Tom Curry has alleged Bongi Mbonambi called him a “white c***”. If proven this is an absolute disgrace. World Rugby have to act and act decisively if Mbonambi is found guilty. If the shoe had been on the other foot there were would have been an outpouring of abuse towards Curry and cries for a very long ban, and quite rightly too. You can’t have it both ways. Abuse is abuse and it is totally unacceptable. If this gets swept under the carpet I for one will be writing to Bill Beaumont to complain. The starting point for such abuse is 6 weeks.

Video has emerged of a pretty cynical trip by Owen Farrell being missed by all the officials, including Big Brother in the TMO truck. Hey ho.

So, what next? Well, we have the game no one wants to be in, the 3rd/4th playoff. What will England do? Will Steve Borthwick give those who have been lightly run an opportunity, or will he go full bore and play his best XV. Personally I know walking away with a win under the belt would be good but flogging already battered, bruised and quite frankly, knackered horses is not the way forward. Borthwick has talent at his disposal, let them have a run. No-one cares or remembers who comes third or fourth.

We can now look forward to the final with a degree of neutrality. The All Blacks will want to remove the scars of the recent humiliation by South Africa at Twickenham. They had a much easier semi-final and look to have regained their ruthlessness both in attack and in defence. There is something about this South African side under the captaincy of Siya Kolisi however that says “do not write us off, under any circumstances”. The win over France, Saturday’s win against England speaks volumes. The willingness of the coaching team to make the tough calls also cannot be ignored. This could be one of the greatest finals of all time. It could be one way traffic. It could be boring with a capital “F”. We’ll know soon enough.

I’ll do a league round-up tomorrow but would like to mention our 2s. Yes, we got a second XV out on Saturday and they came away from Hellingly with a fine 32-29 win. I understand it was a cracking contest. Well done boys. Sadly our Vintage XV didn’t play as Hastings & Bexhill 2s cried off at the last minute. Shame, its been a VERY long time since we got three sides out on a weekend.

Plenty of other sport in the news. England’s poor performance in the ICC World Cup continues. Leicester City won 3-1 at Swansea. Max Verstappen wins again. Lewis Hamilton is disqualified for a technical infringement with his car.

Sadly the horrors in the Middle East continue, and seem to be escalating. The atrocities of both sides seem to be relentless and the war of words growing evermore hostile. The inhumanity beggars belief. I’m sorry, but I cannot now condone the actions of either side when innocent civilians are being slaughtered with impunity. Equally troubling is the ongoing struggles in Ukraine with yet more examples of Russian war crimes being uncovered. What is wrong with people?

Let me finish on a much happier note. On behalf of all of you the readers, both of you, can I congratulate Dave Bennett and Harry Slatter, second rows of this parish, for becoming fathers for the first time. Our very best wishes go out to them, their lovely wives who did ALL the hard work, and of course their new born baby girls.

Sunday 22nd Oct: 10:00

What a few days of rugby. If you are an England supporter you you’ll be wondering what the hell happened last night. If you are any sort of sports supporter you’ll be wondering exactly the same. What a contest. Before I look at the game in detail let me cover off Crowborough’s game over at Charlton Park.

We arrived in fine form, they arrived after a few weeks of serious disruption typified by having to cry off last week. The pitch looked great and despite the torrential rain in the previous 48 hours was extremely good under foot. The game started at quite a pace and Park did not look like a side who have struggled to get a team out. We scored early with an Ollie Clinch try from a scrum. The game ebbed and flowed and not too long we went further ahead. Park were galvanised into action and clawed their way back into the game, a game that had been very scrappy thanks to regular breaks for injuries, basic mistakes, and, I wouldn’t normally say this, bemusing refereeing decisions. The second half started much the same: stop-start, ball retention non-existent, much head scratching from the players of both sides as penalty after penalty was conceded. Slowly but surely Crowborough finally got their game together and as Park tired we took control. A well deserved try put us ahead, then from the ensuing kick off Crowborough scored an amazing try to effectively kill off the game. Alex Purnell took the ball from the kick off and burst through a series of would be tacklers, he off loaded to the galloping George Jones in support who in turn linked up with the backs. The ball went wide and over went Sam Marchesi. Park didn’t lie down, they stuck at it to the end, but we ran out deserved winners 31-16. We stay second. The Bard will supply you with the usual blow by blow account.

The game is desperate for referees, and they deserve our thanks and respect, but…. I have to move on.

As it was Friday it was time to open the bar and settle down for the New Zealand v Argentina clash. The opening minutes saw Argentina shoot out of the blocks putting the All Blacks under severe pressure. The All Blacks soaked it all up and slowly and relentlessly turned the screw driving Los Pumas into the ground. Except for a few flashes of brilliance this was the consummate professional performance. The All Blacks tackled ferociously, waited patiently for the ball to come their way and consistently and effectively turned that into points. Seven unanswered tries speaks volumes. Unlike any other side I have watched in the tournament their strength lies in the fact every player who takes the field can ruck & maul like the best of the forwards, or can handle the ball like the best of the backs. No matter the number they play what is in front of them. Their ability to soak up pressure and be patient both in defence and attack is what I now think will take them to the title next Saturday.

Then on Saturday evening after a tasty curry it was time, time for the big one. England v South Africa. It was far from a classic. In fact to the casual observer, the neutral, if there is such a thing when England play, this was a pretty dire game. The ball spent more time in the air than a Wimbledon final, the backs of either side saw the ball on fewer occasions than I filled my glass, and I took it easy last night, the referee’s whistle was more prevalent than a Parisian traffic cop directing traffic around the Arc de Triomphe. Don’t mention the scrums or the lineouts, both of which were all too often scrappy. Nonetheless this was a compelling encounter. For long periods England were by far the better side winning the contact areas keeping the South Africans at bay, more like rabbits in the headlights than wildebeest on the hoof. Freddie Steward was immense under the high ball, and when not acting like a petulant spoilt brat Owen Farrell was immense. The combination of Lawes, Earl and Curry kept their counterparts at bay. The Boks normal confident calm resilience was absent epitomised by them pressing the panic button early doors. Off went Libbock, on came Handre Pollard, which ultimately was the game changer. As the clock ticked down, the impossible looked increasingly possible: England in the final. It wasn’t to be. Steve Borthwick rolled the dice bringing on what he thought was his bomb squad. Sadly it was more like bomb disposal as out went the control at the scrum, out went the dominance at tackle area, out went the precision under the high ball. When the biggest of the wildebeest, Snyman went over things looked ominous. Then came the Pollard dagger to the heart and with 170 seconds left to play that was that! England can hold their heads high however. This was a remarkable turnaround from the woeful Six Nations and World Cup warm-up fixtures. England were the better side and deserved to win. Sadly they didn’t.

Ben O’Keefe was excellent but I question why he allowed so many players to be in his ear. I question strongly how Farrell was allowed to behave as he did, marching him back for 10 metres seemed mighty lenient. That said, subtract those three points from the penalty and the scoreboard looks very different. To be fair he spoke well post match.

Bring on New Zealand v South Africa!!!

Thursday 19th Oct: 09:50

Good morning from a very soggy, very gloomy Crowborough. Plenty to cover this morning so let’s put the weather to one side. Charlton Park host Crowborough in the big game of the weekend. It’s still 15:00 kick off, and don’t forget you will have to pay the highway robber the ULEZ charge if your car fails to meet the emissions standards.

Tomorrow evening we have New Zealand v Argentina. I cannot see further than an All Black win. As you would expect both sides are the strongest possible. Talea returns on the wing for New Zealand after his indiscretions of last week, Bertranou, Dragons boy, returns at scrum half for Los Pumas. They seem to be the only changes. Argentina will of course give it a go but on a head to head basis there is no comparison. Friday night for this one.

Saturday at 20:00 England take on South Africa. Logic tells me this too will be a forgone conclusion with South Africa overpowering the English to win at a canter. The Boks have selected the same side that put France away. I’m a little surprised that Handre Pollard isn’t starting for his better kicking alone. There is much talk in the papers about England’s selection. Motor mouth Rassie Erasmus has gone on record and done Steve Borthwick’s job for him. I think it is pretty close in that I think Sinckler will start ahead of Dan Cole, and Freddie Steward will start at fullback, this driven by the rumoured HIA issues Marcus Smith is having. Mr Erasmus is nearly as adept at the bullshit mind games as one Eddie Jones.

To state the obvious the two key battlegrounds are the breakdown and discipline. If South Africa’s wildebeest take control of the tackle zone then it could a long day on the back foot for England. Discipline has to be spot on. If the Boks come under pressure and start conceding penalties Owen Farrell will keep the scoreboard relentlessly ticking over. This will be a fascinating encounter. I don’t expect this to be a beautiful game. I do expect it to be brutal. Borthwick cannot make the same mistake as Jones did four years ago in Japan when England tried and failed to outmuscle their opponents. England will need guile and patience if they are to triumph.

Please note: the club will be open for this one. The details are on the website.

Augustin Pichot has gone on record saying rugby is not in a good place. I agree. There is much wrong with the game and change is needed. At international level the cabal which is the Six Nations and the Rugby Championship want to keep the status quo keeping upstarts like Portugal, Fiji, Samoa and Uruguay in their place. That has to be addressed. Domestically things are moving in the right direction. Wales for example have finally banged heads together and have a joined up approach from top to bottom. England are beginning to smell the coffee but have a way to go. The Torygraph indicates that talks are underway to have a British & Irish “super league”, it could also include the best from Italy and South Africa, as merging the Premiership and URC has been mooted. We’ll see if that one flies.

Is he, isn’t he? Well in both cases the answer is “he is”. Warren Gatland has confirmed he is staying on as Welsh coach until the 2027 World Cup in Australia. He has liked what he has seen thus far, and is excited by the crop of talent coming through. The planned improvements to Wales league structure and improved relations with the regions has been another factor in his decision. The departure of some of the old guard opens the door for him to reshape the team much as he did ahead of the 2011 World Cup.

The other person staying is Eddie Jones. He has put aside all the speculation about a move to Japan and committed himself to the Aussie cause through to 2027. That is until he is sacked or moves to Japan.

Rugby continues to be on a financial precipice. Ulster have just announced a £900,000 loss for the season just gone. The bulk of that due to the late call off of a European game due to a frozen pitch. The ensuing refunds plus the costs of relocating to the Aviva in Dublin hit them hard. It is troubling when the cancellation of just one game can have such a massive financial impact on a club.

Worcester Warriors ladies team has gone the same way as their male counterpart: down the toilet sadly. The Primary backer, Cube International, pulled out at the last minute due to a financial restructuring of their business. Basically another bunch of charlatans who had ambition above their station. This leaves the women’s league in chaos unfortunately.

When is rugby going to wake up to the fact it is not soccer and has to cut its cloth accordingly???

OK, that’ll do for today. If you are travelling be careful out there. Also spare a thought for those in Ukraine and the Middle East who are suffering untold misery on an hourly basis.

Tuesday 17th Oct: 09:00

I’ll do a quick run around the leagues to start this morning’s missive. I’ve had some feedback that suggests one or two of you find this update useful for keeping up to date with what’s happening around us. After our fine win over Dover we sit second in Counties Kent 1. Canterbury II are top after demolishing Dartfordians 52-7. Our good friends The Greenies lost narrowly at Beccehamian but did come away with a try and losing bonus point. Ashford lost at home to Deal & Betteshanger and Cranbrook lost away at Thanet Wanderers in another high scoring match. What is troubling is Charlton Park, our next opponents, crying off ahead of their fixture with Bromley. The reason is unclear but as I hold CP in high regard I hope it was for something out of their control as per the statement on their website. It is still very early days but Park are now bottom with Cranbrook then H&W RFC above them. We were in a very similar position last season and look how we ended up.

In the Surrey/Sussex league it was a good day for East Grinstead beating Kingston and likewise for Eastbourne who beat KCS Old Boys. Hove didn’t fare so well losing by a decent amount at home to Twickenham. Teddington top this league with Eastbourne the best placed of the Sussex clubs in 7th.

In the Hampshire equivalent Bognor lost at home to unbeaten, table topping Petersfield by quite a few points. Bognor are 10th. I see one of my old clubs, Trojans, beat Bournemouth II. Worryingly there was a “HWO” in this league too. Alton cried off.

No games in Sussex 2 but in Kent 3 Hastings & Bexhill did play losing at home to Old Alleynians II. It is no surprise that Tunbridge Wells II top this league. I don’t blame our friends from St Marks but including second teams of clubs whose first XV play at a significantly higher level is wrong, in MY opinion.

Looking upwards to Regional 2 Chichester had a fine, albeit narrow win over Witney. Salisbury are finding the step up to this league tough. They lost to Newbury Blues 7-40. Chichester are 9th, Salisbury 11th. Interestingly Jersey RFC top this league.

In Regional 1 it was a mixed day for the clubs I follow. Horsham beat Maidenhead, Tunbridge Wells lost at home to Camberley, and Brighton drew 39-39 with Bournemouth. Havant top the table in a league where every game seems to be very high scoring, which is good!

In the ether we find TJs who drew 29-29 with Sevenoaks. Worthing won at home 46-36 over Old Albanians. Dorking top this table with TJs the best place of “our” three clubs in 6th. Another league with plenty of points on the scoreboard. Hoorah!

I know you are desperate to know….. Bridgnorth lost at Stourbridge. That is as close as they get to a local derby.

Plenty of Premiership action last weekend but you can look that up for yourselves.

As expected I indulged myself with England v Fiji while Mrs Bleater was at netball. On the positive side of the equation England were much improved. There was a more varied game plan and the ball spent less time in the air and more in the hand. England dominated the contact areas, albeit on a number of occasions I thought they got the benefit of the doubt from Msr Reynal. The set piece worked pretty well. Ben Earl was outstanding, with Courtney Lawes close behind him. I think England have improved since their lucky win over Argentina in round 1.

Where things are not so good are as follows, in my opinion! The Marcus Smith experiment was ok but not great. Going forward he was ok but in defence he got run over by some big beasts on more than one occasion. Fiji outscoring England 3 to 2 in tries paints a picture. Not being able to turn possession, territory and ruck dominance into tries is a concern. Comparing Fiji to South Africa is like comparing apples with gummy bears. There is no comparison. Where England got rolling mauls driving forward they were the result of poor Fijian defensive technique. Likewise at the break down whilst Earl and Lawes reigned supreme I am not certain the Bokke wildebeest will be as accommodating. As Fiji showed cracks can appear in England’s defence, this will need to be ironed out before next Saturday.

Owen Farrell. A review of any England game is not a full review without looking at Mr Farrell’s contribution. I thought he played with a steadfast assurance in his own ability choosing the right option 9 out of 10 times. His distribution was good, off loading to support runners at the right time. His kicking from hand and for goal was precise. Where I have a concern is in defence. On more than one occasion he went into the tackle very high, narrowly avoiding head on head contact. I also spotted a couple of rucks where he joined with what looked like no attempt to wrap his arms. It is those fine margins that might let him down next week.

Ok, that’ll do for now. No blog tomorrow as I have family business to attend to. Back on Thursday.

Monday 16th Oct: 10:14

Rugby was put into perspective on Saturday when Wisbech v Diss in Eastern Counties 1 was abandoned after 27 year old Arturas Radys suffered a catastrophic cardiac arrest following what seems an innocuous collision. Despite efforts by the medics and ambulance crew the young Wisbech player was pronounced dead at the scene. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this terrible time.

Irony of ironies, Ireland, France, Scotland and Wales are all on their way home whilst England survive. England can be described as average at best yet they are in the World Cup semi-finals. There continues to be much chat about the draw but the key point has to be England topped their group and beat Fiji yesterday to progress. It doesn’t really matter how they did it but they have. To be honest I haven’t watched the game in its entirety as we had the family around. I’ll comment further tomorrow.

I did however watch France v South Africa which was an amazing contest. That first half was something else. Both sides played some brilliant rugby going forward, and in defence it was a truly brutal affair. Ben O’Keefe has copped some flak for his performance but I think he got pretty much everything spot on. The Eben Etzebeth perceived knock-on was correctly adjudged to have gone backwards, despite the howls of protest from the players and the packed stands. I also thought the yellow card decision was correct. The second half was a more cagey affair but no less compelling for that. Ultimately it was the South Africa pack that as the legs tired took control and won the game. The normally rock sold French forwards faltered, and the rest as they say is history. Jacques Nienaber made some bold calls taking off Siya Kolisi with plenty of time still on the clock. The change at half-back also made quite a difference. Whilst Antoine Dupont showed no signs of being affected by his injury his amazing contribution was not enough. Olivon was immense for France but that was eclipsed by Pieter Steph du Toit’s contribution for the Boks.

Kolisi’s post match interview was brilliant: no gloating, or self aggrandising, just humble praise for the opposition and his team. He spoke about what it meant for the country of South Africa. I think those words highlighted the togetherness of the squad and the motivation to succeed.

We can now look forward to New Zealand v Argentina on Friday, a game which the All Blacks should win at a canter, followed by South Africa v England on Saturday. It is knock out rugby so anything can happen but I cannot see anything other than a comprehensive win for the Springboks.

In my opinion England getting to the semi-final is a double edged sword. On the positive side it has energised the fans and kept interest at home alive. That has to be good. The negative, and I’m sorry but this massively outweighs any short term feel-good factor, is the success papers over the substantial cracks in the game at home. From the top to the bottom there is much wrong with rugby union. Thinking a fortuitous draw and a few lucky wins is going to solve the games problems means you well and truly have you head where the sun don’t shine.

Making matters worse are the embarrassing images of England fans fighting amongst themselves in the stands and being ejected from the ground. Rugby prides itself on its decency. If we start to overlay thuggery then the game really is doomed.

Two coaches have decisions to make. Will the inevitable happen and Eddie Jones be confirmed as Japan’s next coach, probably much to the relief of many Australians. Will Warren Gatland depart despite the imploring of the players and administrators and pundits and fans for him to stay. We’ll know soon enough.

I’ll do the league round-up, and give a more enlightened opinion on England v Fiji tomorrow.

In other sport England lost to Afghanistan in the ICC World Cup. That was a shock. Scotland qualify for the Euros, Wales are still in with a chance. The New Orleans Saints lost… again!

Sport however is irrelevant when you read of the ongoing atrocities in the Middle East, the horrors in Ukraine, and the unacceptable death rate of young people on the streets of Britain.

Sunday 15th Oct: 10:00

Another fine win for the boys and what an excellent occasion. The past-players lunch is always a cracking day and so it was yesterday. Lots of reminiscing about games long gone, and adventures past. The place looked fantastic and lunch was excellent. One topic of conversation was the Steel Cross pitch. Having endured swamp like conditions intermingled with playing on concrete many there were stunned by how magnificent the pitch looked. A huge amount of praise must go to Drew, head groundsman, and his team of elves, and the Friday Club, for the work they have put in to get the pitch to this state.

There were a few changes to the Crowborough side who took to the field but that didn’t change the standard and style of play. Despite their season not starting as well as they had hoped Dover played some good rugby from start to finish. They opened the scoring with a well taken penalty after putting Crowborough under severe pressure. The boys bounced back and, unlike last season, with a back line full of pace they soon had the home side of the scoreboard moving. Ollie Clinch’s amazing solo effort was the catalyst for the boys to move into top gear. Forwards led by Alex Purnell, Dave Bennett and Andy Kidd were combative in the contact areas and powerful in the loose. Will Creasy’s bullocking runs kept Dover on the back foot. The backs with Bertie Boast at ten looked fluid and confident both in attack and defence. (The blow by blow account of the game will be on this here website).

There is still much that could be improved on but overall Crowborough are looking a well oiled machine and deserved this win. The scoreline doesn’t do justice to Dover’s efforts to be fair and I’m sure they will do well in this league. We travel to Charlton Park next weekend who bizarrely pulled out of yesterday’s game with Bromley. The dreaded “AWO”.

For Mrs Bleater and I the minute the final whistle went it was a mad dash to the car and home for Wales v Argentina. Wales started brightly and for long periods in the first half dominated the game. At 10-0 up they looked as if everything was under control. Sadly it wasn’t and conceding two penalties just before half time was an ominous omen of what was to come. Wales lack of discipline and inability to secure good ball at the lineout was ultimately where the game was lost. Argentina without being spectacular stuck to their game plan, soaking up Wales kick and chase with relative ease and being dynamic in the contact area. When Tomos Williams went over Wales looked back on track for success but it wasn’t to be. Louis Rees-Zammitt went close but close wasn’t good enough. The Sanchez interception brought Wales hopes to an abrupt end sadly.

With many writing Wales off before the tournament this was a decent enough achievement. Several players like Dan Biggar, Taulupe Faletau, Leigh Halfpenny and Dan Lydiate are likely to hang up their international boots and there lies a problem for Wales. Strength in depth is a weakness and you only need a couple of the key players to be off form and things go awry. The proposed new league structure in Wales and with players of the quality of Dewi Lake, Jac Morgan and Mason Grady coming through there remains hope. Wales player of the tournament was in my mind Nick Tompkins, an absolutely wonderful contribution in every game he played.

The Guido Petti hit to Tompkins head raised a lot of eyebrows but to be fair to Karl Dickson the incident was explained fully and Wales have to accept it. There were a couple of occasions when Dickson, who had come on for the injured Jaco Peyper, left Wales players and supporters alike scratching their heads. Hey ho! The better team won and deserved to advance to the semi-finals.

Next up was Ireland and their heartbreaking loss to New Zealand. During the week I had said all the games were too close to call and this one in particular could go either way. Was the New Zealand resurgence real or a flash in the pan? Well, I think they proved it was real in the most emphatic way yesterday evening. Ireland did not play badly, in fact they played very well indeed but it was simply not good enough against the men in black. Defensively New Zealand kept the Irish quiet for long periods, and in attack they kept Ireland guessing. The Will Jordan try was the clincher and the Irish dream was over.

Johnny Sexton leaves the stage with his head held high. Ireland can go home proud of what they have achieved. I intend to watch the highlights of this one again as my mate Mal Bec was constantly interrupting me during the game. I’ll give a more considered view later in the week.

Bring on England v Fiji and France v South Africa. It would be somewhat ironic if the Boks beat France and England beat Fiji. One of the worst ever English teams of all time being the only northern hemisphere side in the semi-finals. We’ll know soon enough.

Saturday 14th Oct: 09:25

What a contrast between two weekends, both nice and sunny but that ten degree drop in temperature is a bit of a shock to the system. Oh, and didn’t we make up for the lack of rain recently. It absolutely hammered down for a while last night. Not to worry as I was watching a pretty entertaining contest between Bristol and Leicester, the opening game of the Premiership.

The countdown is on. Not long now until Crowborough v Dover. Wales v Argentina is obviously eagerly awaited by many but the main event by a very long way is India v Pakistan in the ICC World Cup. That starts shortly on SKY. Of course Ireland v New Zealand is important and is the biggest game of rugby anywhere in the world for quite some time. It should be a cracker. The French would argue their game with South Africa is right up there too. Can’t disagree with that. Antoine Dupont will start and is ready for the “suffering” that will come his way from the wildebeest in green and gold. To be clear however, the audience for all four Rugby World Cup quarter-finals combined will pale into insignificance by comparison to the audience that will watch India play Pakistan.

England v Fiji almost feels like a Christmas stocking filler. I’ve got this thing and I don’t know what to do with it. I know, I’ll put in the stocking with the tube of pastilles and the clementine otherwise it will be dwarfed by all the other gifts. Steve Borthwick has been adventurous and picked an exciting, free flowing side to face Fiji. As he heck! Yes, picking Marcus Smith at fullback is a bold selection, as for the rest of the team it lacks imagination and the “je ne sais quoi”. Henry Arundell should be in the side. George Ford should be at outside half. Dan Cole ahead of Kyle Sinckler, what is that about. The back row is good, but it is defensive back row. Great jacklers but what about the go forward? Ben Earl has that but he can’t do it on his own. I hope to be proven wrong but England will try and outmuscle Fiji and that is where they could come unstuck.

That’ll do for today. Back tomorrow when I am sure we will see xxxxx and xxxxx in the semi-finals of World Cup. I have absolutely no idea which way any of them will go.

Thursday 12th Oct: 09:10

Today feels like the calm before the storm. Only Ireland have announced their squad which is pretty much the same one that beat Scotland last weekend. A couple of changes to the bench with James Ryan the notable absentee. Mack Hansen and James Lowe have been passed fit and start. The Irish camp seems to be in a good place, and there is a quiet air of confidence when you listen to Andy Farrell and Johnny Sexton talking about what lies ahead.

England announce their team tomorrow but if you believe the papers George Ford might not even make the squad, this despite being one of the few English players to get to this stage with credit in the bank. It seems Owen Farrell will start at outside-half, and in a bold move Marcus Smith will start at fullback. Glancing through the last Borthwick press conference I anticipate the rest of the selection will be “steady as she goes”, not that he has much choice.

Warren Gatland will announce his team later today. The back row is the big talking point where the wise money is on seeing Jac Morgan and Tommy Reffell both starting with Aaron Wainwright being the third of a very dynamic back row trio. Dan Biggar will start, and if fit Gareth Anscombe will be on the bench. Will Dewi Lake have done enough to start at hooker is the other question. Me, I would go with the less dynamic but more reliable (lineout man) Ryan Elias. Argentina will be a handful, and anything less than 100% from Wales will see them on the plane home on Monday.

Not much chat about the France v South Africa game on Sunday but there is much speculation that Antoine Dupont will start. We will know tomorrow.

One thing that has been resolved is the flying of the South African flag and the singing of their anthem. WADA have agreed to postpone any action to the end of the tournament as South Africa have committed to resolve the outstanding amendments to their anti-doping legislation.

Surprise, surprise, Eddie Jones continues to be in the news. The story about him going to Japan is not going away. The noises out of Australia indicate there was a secret interview despite Jones’ protestations to the contrary. If proven he can add “lying b’stard” to his CV. It seems he will throw in the towel and head for the land of the rising sun shortly.

When tragedy strikes it tends not to come alone. Fiji have been rocked by the news that hooker Sam Matavesi’s father has passed away. The player was naturally distraught when he was informed but has vowed to stay on and do his father, and his country proud, by taking to the field on Sunday against England.

The Portuguese got a very warm and enthusiastic welcome home following their excellent exploits during the tournament. They will be guests of honour at Portugal v Slovakia, UEFA qualifier, tomorrow night.

That’ll do for now with regard to rugby except to direct to the Daily Fail. Yes, I know it is a rubbish newspaper, but there is a very nice article about an unsung hero of Welsh Rugby; Caroline “Caz” Morgan. In essence she is the “fixer” and has been for 20 odd years. All we ever see is the front of house stuff, we never think of what happens behind the scenes. Go on, be bold, have a read.

The horrors in the Middle East quite rightly dominate the news. It is horrendous and the implications frightening. Whilst the actions of Hamas are inhumane, appalling, criminal, disgusting and many other adjectives too, we simply cannot sit back and allow the Israelis to undertake equally horrific and barbaric acts by slaughtering innocent civilians as retribution. An eye for eye is not going to solve this unfathomable crisis.

On a happier note I remind you Crowborough v Dover at Steel Cross on Saturday. The weather is set fair but rather chilly with a brisk north wind forecast. I’ll be back on Saturday morning with a brief synopsis of the team announcements and a pontification of anything else in the news.

Wednesday 11th Oct: 09:50

When I flicked through the papers this morning I couldn’t but wonder how with the many lessons from history people continue to deliver acts of such devastating barbarism. What is now going on in the Middle East is outrageous. You cannot condone such atrocities ever, and of course the aggrieved will want vengeance but retaliating with acts of equal barbarity simply makes them as much savages as the initial perpetrators. Already the conflict is spilling over into neighbouring countries and we are even seeing battles between the rival supporters on our streets. How this can be brought to any sort of conclusion when dithering Joe Biden is sabre rattling is beyond my understanding. There is no quick fix so all we can hope for is some modicum of common sense and decency to prevail, and soon.

I have started with the above as talking about the joys of the Rugby World Cup whilst people are being slaughtered like animals, by animals, is very difficult.

The big news comes tomorrow when team announcements are made. I am pretty certain Wales will be able to pick from a full squad minus Taulupe Faletau. Will Henry Arundell get the nod for England or will the alleged bust-up with the untouchable Owen Farrell continue to rule him out. If Arundell is being excluded because he has fallen out with Farrell then I hold out little hope that Steve Borthwick can improve England’s fortunes. Dear old Rassie is at it again. He simply cannot keep his mouth shut. This time he has more than suggested French players are quick to simulate injury when involved in the big hits. This is tantamount to accusing the French of cheating. Watch out for the back lash on that one, especially as one Malcolm Marx did exactly that at Twickenham not so very long ago. World Rugby have stated following the impact of the so called tier 2 nations they will find ways to give them greater access to top flight games, and have confirmed plans for a 24 team World Cup in Australia are well advanced.

Elsewhere there is still plenty of whinging about the lopsided nature of the draw. I’m sorry but that ship sailed a long time ago. Move on! What we now have is four fascinating quarter-finals where based on recent form all are too close to call. There are plenty who are saying it could be a Northern Hemisphere whitewash, others have hinted it could be adios France and Ireland. Next Monday morning we will know the answer and be able to dissect the games in minute detail.

Talking of dissecting games, in the absence of any other sport I watched a re-run of Ireland v Scotland last night. For 60 minutes Ireland were outstanding. On that form, with that defensive ability I am struggling to see how they won’t progress all the way to the final. That said, albeit after a raft of changes, they were sloppy in the last 20 minutes allowing Scotland to score two very good tries. Do that at any point against the All Blacks, who I do think are retuning to their very best, and Ireland could well be on their way home sooner than hoped for.

Scotland were disappointing, especially after I had suggested they could surprise us with a win over the Irish. Their attack was blunt and their work in the contact area was below par. Perhaps during the Six Nations, and more latterly, they have flattered to deceive and have now been found out.

Before I wrap up I read with interest that Billy Vunipola and England are happy to be seen as “public enemy number one” when they face Fiji. Yep, perhaps that is right. People will want Fiji to win because they are small nation with limited resources who punch above their weight, and they play with a degree of freedom. A direct contrast to England me thinks, and that is without the perceived arrogance of the English. It seems England v Fiji has not sold out which would indicate an ambivalence to England’s chances as you can bet the Fijians have bought all their tickets.

There is a piece in the Torygraph about a new Amazon Prime documentary about the English Premiership which will be released tomorrow. From the article it seems like it could be worth watching, if you have access to Prime video of course!

That’ll do for today except to say Crowborough v Dover on Saturday. I believe it kicks off at 15:00. It is also Past Players Lunch so a cracking day will be had by all. If you haven’t booked in for lunch get hold of Louise quickly.

Tuesday 10th Oct: 09:05

The countdown begins. Yes, we are now j