Storm Bert has certainly wreaked havoc up and down the land. I think we in the South East got off lightly. I know from my family in Wales, and looking at photos on WalesOnline, things are pretty dire there with widespread flooding through the valleys. Lets hope things can be cleared up as quickly as possible, and lives can return to normal.

It is Monday, so let me crack on with a quick run around the various leagues. In Kent 1 some interesting results. Ashford lost to Park House 19-21. Charlton Park lost to in form Dover 0-10. Dover stay in 6th with CP one place above Ashford at the foot of the table. No surprise with Cranbrook losing at home to Canterbury II and Sevenoaks II beating Deal & Betteshanger. Heathfield & Waldron’s fine run of form continues with another excellent win, this time 31-8 over our next league opponents Beccehamian. The result keeps The Greenies in 4th one place and 8 points ahead of us in 5th. Canterbury II are top with Bromley and Sevenoaks leading the chase.

In Surrey/Sussex 1 a mixed bag for the Sussex clubs. On the positive side Eastbourne beat London Cornish, and Hove beat Weybridge Vandals. On the debit side East Grinstead lost to Old Rutlishians, and Haywards Heath lost away at Twickenham. Trinity continue to top this league with Haywards Heath still propping up the table one place below Grinstead. Hove move into 9th with Eastbourne in 7th.

Across in Hampshire 1 Bognor lost to Ellingham & Ringwood. They slip into the relegation zone and are now just one place off the bottom. It comes as no surprise that Havant II are still top despite their game over in Guernsey being postponed.

In Sussex 2 leaders Uckfield would have been frustrated by their HWO with Hove II failing to get a side out. Pulborough won at Ditchling, Lewes beat Shoreham, Seaford beat Brighton II, and Worthing III beat Crawley. Hove II are bottom.

It was a free weekend in the two Regional Leagues so lets move straight into National 2. It was an interesting day as Worthing secure a rare win over at Colchester, Sevenoaks won at Westcombe Park, but surprisingly TJs lost up at Bury St Edmunds. TJs stay top but could be overtaken when Dorking’s postponed game against Guernsey is played. Worthing remain in 13th and Sevenoaks in 12th. Still 15 matches to go so lots of points left to play for in this league.

Bridgnorth didn’t play, nor did Salisbury by the look of it.

As expected I watched the two games yesterday. Scotland certainly laid down a marker for the Six Nations and put both England and Wales in their place. I’m not sure the Aussies were at their best yesterday but credit where credit is due Scotland played some excellent rugby both in attack and in defence. The Finn Russell try was a thing of beauty, albeit you can question some of the visitors tackling. Keeping Australia to one try sends a very clear message. The Scottish defence was rock solid.

You English fans really must take your rose tinted glasses off if you think all is well in the England camp after beating Japan so comfortably. Yes, they put the Brave Blossoms to the sword, but these are the same Brave Blossoms that were hammered by Fiji in the final of the Southern Hemisphere tournament. Yes, England played some good rugby, yes, there were some promising individual contributions BUT you can’t hide the fact that when it mattered against the All Blacks, the Springboks and the Wallabies England were left wanting.

With still one game to go, Ireland v Australia, how do I see the Autumn Series being translated into Six Nations form. France in 1st place followed by Ireland, Scotland in 3rd, England in 4th but only just, Italy in 5th and Wales a distant 6th.

What could change? England could find a way of sorting out the lapses that caused them to lose three of the four games. Ireland’s transitioning side could be found out. Wales with nothing to lose could throw a few curve balls into the mix. Italy might not be able to sustain the high standards shown against the All Blacks. Scotland could be Scotland; excite and disappoint in equal measures.

As has been the case of late, lots to do. Back tomorrow.

Sunday 24th Nov: 10:10

I was close to not going to Steel Cross at 13:30 yesterday. It had been a long and difficult week, the weather was awful, and with a much changed side I’m embarrassed to say I feared the worst. No! That is not what a proper supporter does. So at 13:55 I was there at Steel Cross ready to give the boys whatever encouragement I could.

At 14:35 I’m back at home, soaked to the skin, cold and hungry. The weather made the game a lottery. Kick, after kick made it pretty ordinary fare. So, after 30 minutes of despondency I went home with the score at 10-0 to Bromley. They were by far the better side in the conditions so I feared the worst when it came to the final score. 16-0 to Bromley is a more than acceptable outcome when our very long injury and absentee list is taken into consideration.

Am I still embarrassed about wimping out? No! Absolutely not.

I’m not sure whether The Bard stuck at it. He looked like a drowned rat when I left. If he did then I’m sure his normal erudite missive will be on the website.

So, I swapped the cold and wet of Steel Cross for the warmth and comfort of my living room and three Autumn Internationals.

First up was Ireland v Fiji. Ireland were excellent in parts, pretty ordinary in others, especially when it came to the final pass. Fiji were not a patch on the side that pushed Scotland to the limit and beat Wales in Cardiff. The yellow card to Prendergast should have been upgraded to red. It was always an illegal act and the mitigation it was of low force was floored. His actions were intentional and the fact the force was low was irrelevant. The TMO bottled the decision!!!!

Next up was Wales v South Africa. Why oh why would you kick away hard won ball when the team receiving it are the calibre of South Africa. Two tries in the first ten minutes thanks to aimless and unnecessary kicking. To make matters worse two second rows strolling through a porous defence. To be fair Wales didn’t capitulate like they did against Australia. They stuck at it but there is simply not enough talent, skill or grunt to stay in touch with the Springboks. Wales now have to look at themselves and be brutally honest about what needs to be done. The infighting and self-interest has to be stop.

Post match Siya Kolisi summed things up as well as anyone else. Wales are where the Springboks were some years ago and need to make the tough decisions now. He also highlighted that one of the Boks backs had more caps than the entire Welsh back-line. Is that a crumb of comfort? No!

I ended the day with Italy v New Zealand. Ignore the scoreline, Italy played really well and could have won this one with a little more accuracy and composure. The last ditch Beauden Barrett score made the final result a flattering one for the visitors.

On Friday it was France v Argentina. France were ruthless against a very good Argentinian outfit. This was a pretty good game, as was chasing after the grandchildren when they got bored. France will be a force to reckon with come Six Nations time.

Scotland v Australia this afternoon. I think there might be another game on but I’m not sure.

Ok, that’ll do as I still have so much other stuff to do. Back tomorrow with a league round-up.

Thursday 21st Nov: 09:35

Plenty in the papers about the possibility of some sort of fantasy league funded by Middle Eastern money. Two things to add to yesterday’s comments. Firstly it is all well and good to have millions of investment but I ask is the Saudi Super League setting the world on fire. No! It is a damp squip with some games watched by fewer than we might get for the Crowborough v H&W RFC derby. Secondly, for it to work it would have to be like a touring circus. With limited interest around the globe how would that work? I’ve been wrong before, in fact on many occasions, but this is a waste of time and energy.

The Torygraph brings us news that the RFU are set to announce record losses ‘approaching £40m’. What can I say that I haven’t said before. Rugby is not soccer and the sooner the game starts to cut its cloth accordingly the better the game will be for all. Where will the cuts come? Not at the top where the gravy train continues to run at full speed but at the grassroots. The grassroots game is where money is needed. If it is not forthcoming the game will die in all but a few posh schools, and local clubs will stop bringing through the likes of the Curry brothers, and Aiden Murley, a Salisbury lad recently called up to the England squad, and players like our very own Dylan Hartley.

It is rumoured that sacking Warren Gatland would cost the WRU in the region of £1m. Already shafted by recent high cost departures this would put another huge dent in the already overburdened WRU coffers.

Gatland has thrown a few curve balls with his team selection to face the Springboks. Out goes Cam Winnett, one of the few who can hold his head high. Blair Murray moves to fullback where he has never played before. The diminutive Sam Costelow comes in at #10 with Gareth Anscombe missing altogether. No place for Tommy Reffell in the starting lineup. Why??

I understand chaos reigned at Twickenhma on Saturday with the roads blocked, the railway station operating at its erratic best, and entrance to the game allegedly blighted by ‘heavy handed’ stewarding.

Samu Kerevi will be missing when Australia run out against Scotland. The standard 3 match ban for him. That was quite some hit on Jac Morgan yet Morgan didn’t go off for a HIA. Why? That always seems wrong. There is chatter across the media about Tom Curry playing against Japan despite yet more concussion issues. I know the game is doing its utmost to keep the game safe, but, is it doing enough.

Plenty of grassroots action this weekend. High flying Bromley for us. I know this is pessimistic but like last weekend I’d take two bonus points from this one. I am sure a couple of our top performers from last weekend will be missing due to hamstring injuries: Gus Weir and Josh Rhodes. It kicks off at 14:00. I hope to be there.

An eclectic mix of fixtures in Kent 1 this weekend. Ashford v Park House, Charlton Park v Dover, Cranbrook v Canterbury II, The Greenies v Beccs, Sevenoaks II v Deal & Betteshanger. It could be all change in league positions on Saturday evening.

In Surrey/Sussex I’ve picked Eastbourne v London Cornish as the game where the Sussex club might pick up a win. I’ll bring you the league round-up on Monday. www.engalndrugby.com for all the other fixtures.

The F1 circus arrives in Las Vegas. Yawn!! The Premier League returns. Leicester City welcome Chelsea. The NFL starts to take shape with regard to the playoff picture.

Most of the papers lead with the passing of John Prescott. A proper politician who had a proper job, and knew what real life was really like. Not like the spotty faced, public school, university educated oiks who have never done a decent days work in their lives yet think they can pontificate about being working class and knowing about the rigours of daily life.

I see the Covid inquiry continues to roll on sucking millions of pounds out of the treasury. Another waste of space, a gravy train for lawyers and other irrelevant types. Put the money into social care!!!!!!

Wednesday 20th Nov: 09:50

If things weren’t bad enough for Welsh Rugby, Wales 4 Iceland 1 at a bouncing Cardiff City Stadium last night won’t have helped their cause. Craig Bellamy’s Welsh side played some terrific football and have now been promoted to the ‘A’ league meaning the cream of Europe will now be the challenge Wales face.

My brother, the really good rugby player, had a right old rant at the WRU and Wales yesterday. In essence, Warren Gatland should not have been given the job in the first place as the writing was on the wall at the end of his last stint in charge. He, like me, pilloried the selection policy when you have two fine #10s in good form, Jarod Evans and Sam Davies, nowhere near the squad because of an arbitrary 25 cap rule. The boards, old and new, are like lunatics doing the same things over and over again and expecting a different result. He does point out that changing the coach shouldn’t be feared. Australia is a case in point. Joe Schmidt took over a team in as bad a shape as Wales, within a union that was equally shambolic. Within a short space of time they have gone from chumps to a free-flowing winning outfit. Gatland is still in charge and will announce his side to face the mighty Springboks later today. Adam Beard is out for certain.

Rassie Erasmus has named his side. There are a number of changes with several players, including the Welsh qualified Cameron Hanekon making debuts.

The chatter around England also continues. Talk of a crisis is misplaced. Losing to New Zealand in New Zealand by a very small margin, then failing to get past them again at Twickenham, and losing to the Springboks is not a crisis. The escalation of events in Ukraine/Russia IS A CRISIS!! England should have beaten the Aussies and questions do need to be asked but come on. Lets get real. As it happens Steve Borthwick et al will miss out on bonuses because they have missed their targets.

Eddie Jones rolls into town on Sunday with his Japan side. Nothing but a win against Japan will satisfy the hawks hovering over Twickenham. Plenty of England players, especially Ollie Lawrence, will want to put two fingers up to Jones.

Plenty of talk about a LIV style breakaway. An elite tournament funded by Middle East blood money. Maro Itoje has already scoffed at the idea but plenty will look at it if the money is right. I can’t see how it will work. Rugby is tribal, take Bath v Bristol or Scarlets v Ospreys for example. Nothing beats Scotland v England in front of a one-eyed Murrayfield crowd. Barbarian sides going head to head with other Barbarian sides lacks any sort of appeal. We’ll see.

Looking ahead we face Bromley on Saturday but before that we have France v Argentina on Friday night. This will be a test of how far Los Pumas have come, and France’s strength in depth. I’ll be watching that one with interest.

Ireland v Fiji on Saturday will be interesting. Cian Healey is set to become the most capped Irishman. Well done him. What an amazing achievement.

I’m not overly bothered about watching England v Japan on Sunday evening, but I am keen to see how Scotland fare against Australia. That will be well worth watching before tucking into a nice pork Sunday roast.

The horrific events in the Middle East continue unabated. The atrocities from all sides is a sad indictment on humanity. I do believe the Israelis are now overstepping the mark by a significant margin however.

As mentioned above the Ukraine - Russia conflict took a turn for the worse yesterday with the very unreliable Putin lowering the threshold for the use of nuclear weapons. Trumps election win has certainly emboldened him.

The farmers struck the first blow in their war against the new inheritance tax yesterday. Rachel The Hood Reeves is also under attack from all sides about her NI daylight robbery plan. Eminent economists have gone on record to say jobs will be lost, inflation will increase and growth will stagnate as a result. No matter how well meaning it is to pump money into public services UK PLC has to be in a robust shape to underpin the investment.

Tuesday 19th Nov: 08:00

As you would expect the England defeat to South Africa and the shambles that is Welsh rugby dominate the rugby pages of the media. I’m going to start elsewhere however. Los Pumas almost pulled off a stunning victory in Ireland on Friday night. This was a great game of rugby with Ireland far from their best again against a dogged Argentinian outfit. Jack Crowley proved his doubters wrong for sure. Argentina played with style and panache using their limited resources extremely well. Ireland it could be argued have become a little arrogant, almost complacent. A win is a win however. Fiji up next for them.

I thought the France v New Zealand game was another splendid affair. Fair play to the French they showed how you respect your visitors. The band belting out the New Zealand anthem, and then the crowd giving the haka their full respect. Not like the clowns at Twickenham. France have strength in depth. I’m not sure that is the case for New Zealand anymore. Too many uncharacteristic mistakes from New Zealand. Mistakes that France exploited with aplomb. They have built their team around Antoine Dupont but he is just a cog in a very well oiled machine. France will be favourites for the Six Nations in my opinion.

As you would expect Scotland beat Portugal. This was a regulation win for the Scots ahead of Sunday’s clash with Australia. It is good to see countries like Portugal getting the opportunity to test themselves against the likes of Scotland.

An English win over South Africa was always possible, and with the resources available to England should be achievable. It wasn’t. There is something not quite right in the English camp. The switch to a blitz defence is at the heart of the problems, especially as the architect is on gardening leave. What a mess that is!!!! Is their fitness a problem? It could be. England continue to concede way too many penalties at crucial times and when in possession they are often predictable. That said, there have been plenty of signs of a more open, free-flowing style, and the blend of the team is looking more balanced. The question being asked is why can’t they close out games. Is it because they have become accustomed to losing. I don’t know the answers but I do feel that with the huge resources being thrown at England it isn’t good enough.

Welsh rugby is on the cusp of imploding completely. The four regions financially are on a cliff edge and are uncompetitive in the URC. The player pool is tiny by comparison to England. The pathway for talent is improving but still a path full of unnecessary obstacles. The running of the game is farcical, continually mired in controversy. The Welsh national side is bereft of ideas on and off the field. Constantly outmuscled in the contact area, ill disciplined with and without the ball, lacking in a cutting edge, and defensively at times porous. There are no quick fixes. Changing the coaches is something to consider but who is willing to pick up the poisoned chalice. Scrapping the cap criteria for selecting players would help. If you are eligible to play for Wales you should be in consideration for selection. This self-imposed limitation makes no sense for a country of 3m. South Africa scrapped a similar rule and look at them now. It is the Springboks up next. Lets hope Rassie Erasmus rests his front line players. It isn’t going to happen. It will be a bloodbath.

Congratulations to Brett Robinson the new World Rugby chief. The first Southern Hemisphere candidate to hold the position. It will be interesting to see if he can breathe life into the old dog.

The 20 minute red card was in action again on Sunday at the Principality. I am convinced more than ever it is a bad idea. Dangerous acts are being rewarded with a fresh player coming on after just 20 minutes. We need to get dangerous play out of the game. This is not the way to do it.

The Lions tour down under could have been a damp squib. The resurgence of the Wallabies under Joe Schmidt is excellent news for those heading down under for the tour. A genuine contest can now be expected.

In other news Donald Trump is planning to create mayhem. A rabid anti-vaxxer in charge of health. A sympathiser of Russia in charge of intelligence. Aggressive ‘hawks’ in charge of domestic policies. A coal and gas man in charge of the environment.

Is the attack on farmers part of this Government’s idealistic class war. I cannot see any other reason to put the UKs food supply chain at immense risk. There are merits in clawing back the winter fuel allowance. There is merit in increasing certain taxes. Attacking farmers makes no sense when hedge fund managers and the energy companies have been left relatively unscathed.

Monday 18th Nov: 09:35

It’s Monday so its league round-up day. Before that however a few comments about England’s loss to South Africa and Wales capitulation to Australia. It was the curate’s egg for England at Twickenham late on Saturday with some good bits and definitely some bits that weren’t very good at all. Going forward England showed some creativity and with Marcus Smith at #10 there was a je ne sais quoi oh so lacking in seasons gone by. That said there were also many occasions when England were simply too predictable. The ‘one out’ runner at the back of the ruck will never get past a defence as solid as the Springbok one. It was the white blitz defence that failed again I’m afraid. Too often players shot out of the line leaving a gap for the Boks to exploit. Too many silly and unnecessary penalties added to England’s woes. It looked as if England’s fitness was lacking which potentially contributed to them not being able to defend a lead….. again.

The less said about Wales the better. At 13-19 down at half time there was a scintilla of hope. The second half was a masterclass in playing the game simply and accurately by Australia with Wales looking like clueless Under 15s. It is was an embarrassment, no wonder the crowd left early. Taking off Tom Rogers defied any logic. The backs tried but were not good enough. The forwards were second best. Even when Australia were down to 14 Wales still couldn’t break them down. More on this tomorrow.

What happened around the leagues? We could have won our game on Saturday, but to be fair Deal & Betteshanger were marginally the better side. I’m happy with two points from the game and staying in 5th. Bromley leap frog into 2nd spot after beating The Greenies 31-21. They are going to be a handful at Steel Cross next week. Sevenoaks II put Park House in their place with a 13-64 win. Canterbury II won at Dover to stay top and helped us by keeping Dover in our rearview mirror. Charlton Park hammered Ashford 53-14 to move off the bottom. Beccs strolled past Cranbrook. Charlton Park and Ashford are somewhat adrift but otherwise it is still all very close. A couple of wins and league positions can change dramatically.

In Surrey/Sussex 1 Haywards Heath beat Hove 23-22. They stay bottom but are now in touching distance of East Grinstead who lost to table topping Trinity. Eastbourne had a tough trip home from Cobham after losing 60-20. Whilst Eastbourne are in 7th they are a long way from being comfortable.

In Hampshire 1 it was another difficult day for Bognor who lost 55-12 at Gosport & Fareham. Havant II are still perfect at the top. Bognor slip to 11th just above New Milton and behind my old club Trojans.

In Sussex 2 I understand the Pulborough v Uckfield top of the table clash was a feisty affair. Uckfield came away 10-41 winners and are now clear at the top. Brighton II beat Hove II, Seaford beat Lewes, Shoreham lost at home to Crawley, Worthing III lost at Ditchling. Hove II are bottom.

In Kent 3 we see that Hastings & Bexhill enjoyed an excellent win over Gravesend II to move them into 4th spot. Tunbridge Wells II are top with TJs II in 2nd and Beckenham II in 3rd.

Upwards into Regional 2 South Central. Not a great day for Chichester after losing 66-19 at Bournemouth. Tottonians remain top, with Chi in 9th and Guildford at the foot of the table.

Up one more into Regional 1 and we find Tunbridge Wells losing 44-23 to Bracknell. Brighton lost by a single point at Maidenhead. Horsham lost by 2 points to Wimbledon. London Welsh remain top. Its good to see somebody Welsh doing well !!! Horsham are 9th, TWells are 10th and Brighton bottom.

In the rarified National League 2 TJs continue their march to promotion beating Old Albanian 41-28. Worthing however are continuing to struggle losing heavily at home to Dorking. Sevenoaks lost narrowly to Colchester. Worthing are bottom, ‘Oaks in 12th. Still a long way to go so lets not write anybody off just yet.

Yeah, here they come…….. Bridgnorth lost to Bromsgrove 21-19, and Salisbury won at Corsham.

OK, that’ll do for now. Tomorrow I’ll take another look at the weekend’s internationals including the Ireland v Pumas contest and France beating the All Blacks.

Sunday 17th Nov: 10:20

This match report has gone onto the website . I’ll do a league round-up tomorrow. As stated below the two bonus points could prove important. The other results in the league went our way so we stay in 5th.

The trip on the coach highlighted the fantastic team spirit we are developing.

Deal & Betteshager 29 - Crowborough 27

By their own admission this was a very much changed Deal & Betteshanger side that lost heavily to Heathfield & Waldron in the last round of fixtures. It showed as they started well with their big forwards putting Crowborough’s defence to the test from the off. It was Crowbrough however who took an early lead following some excellent interplay between the Marchesi brothers. The men in black transgressed leaving Jonah Houghton with an easy three points in front of the posts. Immediately from the restart Dave Bennett took the ball and galloped deep into the home half. The ball was off loaded but the final pass which surely would have ended in a try was wayward.

Deal & Betteshanger regained their composure and using the scrum as dominant platform started to release their pacy backs. A last gasp try saving tackle by Josh Jarvis prevented a score but moments later after clever support lines their big centre was crashing over for a try. Only 8 minutes gone and hosts were ahead, and with the conversion the score was 7-3.

As the game developed Crowborough began to get the measure of the Deal & Betteshanger forwards, but the hosts lively fly-half, Ollie Best, was still keeping the red and white defensive wall honest. Sadly too often in the first quarter Crowborough found themselves having to relinquish possession due to silly infringements in the contact areas. Deal & Betteshanger grew in confidence and their big pack was constantly hammering away at Crowborough’s defence.

It was the visitors who scored next however. Under pressure young Sam Marchesi threw a looping wide pass to wing Gus Weir who took the ball deep into the D&B half. He offloaded to the onrushing support players and several smart passes later Will Pitman latched onto the ball and crashed over some 5 metres from the touch line. The conversion sailed wide but Crowborough were ahead 7-8.

A penalty had pushed the hosts further ahead and with half time approaching Deal & Betteshanger extended that lead. Following a powerful scrum Ollie Best scampered unhindered into the ‘Borough half before releasing the big centre who crashed over close to the posts. Half-time 15-8

I don’t know what was said at the break but the visitors came out of the traps like greyhounds on heat. Almost straight from the kick off Crowborough drove at D&B. From the first contact Josh Rhodes got his hands on the ball and decided the best option was to canter from 50 metres out through the weak home defence and score near the posts. The conversion was again missed. 15-13.

Within minutes Crowborough went ahead with another passage of amazing handling between backs and forwards. Jarred Hermann making his 1st XV debut put in a beautiful raking kick which was pounced on by the charging red & whit back line. The ball was popped left then right, then left and back again before Sam Edwards crashed over for the score. The conversion took the score to 15-20.

Crowborough continued to pile on the pressure and it wasn’t long before the lead was extended to 15-27. A speculative kick ahead and with the ball now bouncing our way Gus Weir found himself chasing the ball towards the corner. Deft footwork and a pacy follow up saw him dive on the ball for the score, and the try bonus point. The conversion was added by Jarrod Herman. Sadly for Weir this was his last action as he limped off with a suspected hamstring injury.

The Crowborough backs continued to play with gay abandon with mesmerising pace and accuracy of passing. Sadly the scoreboard remained static. With about 15 minutes of the half gone the tide slowly turned back in favour of the hosts. The big pack now finding a second wind started to put concerted pressure on the ‘Borough defensive line. Time after time they were knocking on the door, but amazing defence and sloppy handling when it mattered kept the visitors ahead.

The home pressure finally told when young Hermann tried to clear the ‘Borough line. The trajectory of his kick was inches too low allowing Deal & Betteshanger’s man of the match Ollie Best to charge down the kick and touch down for the try. He added the extra points taking the score to 22-27.

The game relentlessly headed to full-time with more and more pressure from D&B. The dam finally broke with the clock deep into injury time. The scrum was the platform with the ball making its way to the centre who crashed over under the posts. The conversion took the score to 29-27.

The boys were disappointed with the loss but two bonus points from this tricky away tie could prove to be crucial at the end of the season.

Bromley up next at Steel Cross. Kick-off 14:00.

Thursday 14th Nov: 09:40

That was short lived. What was? The lovely autumnal weather. Grey and dreary and damp right now. Good job I’ve got a stack of admin to do. That obviously includes looking ahead to the weekend.

We travel to Deal & Betteshanger. Whilst their form has been patchy they are always a handful at home. Check the website for bus departure times. Elsewhere in our league The Greenies travel to Bromley. That looks the game of the day. Both in fine form and playing attractive rugby. Beccs host Cranbrook, Charlton Park and Ashford go head to head, Dover host Canterbury II and Park House face Sevenoaks II. The table is pretty tight. I expect quite a bit of swapping around come late Saturday afternoon.

My pick of the Surrey/Sussex games is Haywards Heath v Hove. Heath really need to get something out of this one otherwise they could be cast adrift at the foot of the table. East Grinstead host perfect Trinity, 8 from 8. Eastbourne travel to Cobham.

In Sussex 1 my eye is immediately drawn to Pulborough v Uckfield. The top two facing off against each other. An Uckfield win would put clear blue sky between them and the rest.

Tunbridge Wells travel to Bracknell. Brighton in desperate need of points are at Maidenhead. Horsham go to Wimbledon.

All eyes on Twickenham on Saturday as the Springboks roll into town. Steve Borthwick will have to make changes but how drastic will he be. Not very is the short answer. If the Boks turn up with their heads in the right place, and England fail to be at their very best, I can see a heavy English defeat on the horizon. Defence is where England will need to be spot on from minute one to minute 80+. If the blitz defence fails then South Africa will be in behind them and over for tries in the blink of an eye.

Ireland v Argentina tomorrow night. Looking forward to that, as I am my salmon fillet in white wine and herbs with salad potatoes and veg. Los Pumas will be no pushover but I expect an Irish win. A huge day for Cian Healey as he will equal Brian O’Driscoll’s record number of caps.

I should be back from Deal in time for France v New Zealand. This will be a real test of where France are ahead of the Six Nations. Can the All Blacks make it 3 from 3? I don’t think so but this should be a cracker.

Plenty in the papers about Wales and their awful run of form. I’m not sure getting rid of Warren Gatland is the answer. The Autumn injection of masochism starts at 16:10 on Sunday. I can not see beyond an Australian win.

Elsewhere it has been announced that Scotland have posted an eye-watering £11.3m loss for the period to June ‘24. They will not be the only union up to their neck in debt. The game is on its uppers to say the least.

A big week ahead for World Rugby as Bill Beaumont’s replacement will be confirmed. Three candidates are standing: Brett Robinson from Australia, the great French forward Abdel Benazzi, and former Italian lock Andrea Rinaldo. The Aussie is tipped to be the winner, and if so with that will come a significant power shift and attitude to the game. Benazzi is also talking bullishly about a massive overhaul of the game, fearing without change Wales, Scotland and Australia could be cast adrift.

All the candidates talk about spreading the gospel. I think that is a grand idea…. Except…… Rugby is very, very complicated and the target markets will inevitably be dominated by other sports. The US it is NFL, India it is cricket, Brazil it is football. Rugby, except for say New Zealand, South Africa and France, is a minority sport everywhere else.

I’ll avoid the news, news this morning, it is so depressing.

Wednesday 13th Nov: 07:20

Much on the agenda today so just a few words from me.

First up Stephen Jones writing in The Times clearly agrees with me that the number of substitutes in the game has to be reduced. The sight of South Africa bringing on six enormous wildebeest just after half time against Scotland was the seminal moment for Jones. Like me he thinks it is now dangerous and someone is going to get seriously hurt. It is also spoiling the spectacle. No longer do we see space open up as players tire. Equally importantly the game is no longer a game for all. Unless you are a leviathan you are no longer wanted. It’s a good piece.

England will be without Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Tom Curry on Saturday. Both suffered head contact injuries and are obliged to sit this one out.

The inquest into Wales loss and ongoing dire run of form continues. Plenty of sniping but very little by way of solution. Wales will be without Mason Grady who is destined for ankle surgery.

Ireland v Argentina will be well worth watching on Friday evening. I expect Ireland to bounce back but Los Pumas are no mugs.

The BBC reports Wasps are a step closer to rising from the ashes. They have secured land in Swanley and now must look to find a way to get a team together. Developing the land and establishing a team able to compete is not a quick fix. Don’t expect to see Wasps back any time soon however.

Plenty of good local action on Saturday. We are at Deal & Betteshanger. There is a coach for this one so let the wonderful Ian Geering know if you wish to travel.

Ok that’ll do except to say ‘what a load of boll…’. CopOut 29 descended into farce this week when the Azerbaijan President got up and said ‘oil and gas were a gift from god’. Then you have Sir U-Turn, as he did in the election, making promises that are impossible to keep. Plus, and this is the worst bit, thousands of hand wringing, the world is doomed scare mongers, showing their hypocrisy with the sheer number of polluting air miles they’ve covered.

Tuesday 12th Nov: 10:00

Finally we wake up to a beautiful autumnal morning. Clear blue skies and sunshine. There is an edge to the wind but I’ll take that over the dreary leaden skies of late.

Talking of leaden skies it is all doom and gloom in Wales as the inquest into Wales 10th consecutive defeat on the international stage continues. Wales are now considered a Tier 3 nation by the way. There is simply not the talent to draw from and except for those being exposed to the Premiership or Top 14 the URC simply isn’t tough enough on a regular basis. As has been the case for many seasons whoever they pick at #10 is not good enough. There is a lack of a consistent cutting edge in the backs. Certainly on Sunday the forwards were outmuscled and outthought. Discipline was poor, even when in possession Wales conceded penalties. That in itself is a disgrace. Warren Gatland must take much of the blame, especially as the decision to go with a 6-2 bench and then put on diminutive Sam Costelow when Mason Grady got injured was a real cock-up.

All the above implies Fiji should have been an easy win. No, absolutely not! Fiji have just triumphed comfortably in the Southern Hemisphere Nations Cup. They have real talent plying their trade in tough leagues, e.g. the Top 14 and Premiership. They were worthy winners playing some attractive rugby and taking their opportunities as they presented themselves. At#10 Muntz is a classy playmaker. Exactly what Wales are lacking.

Before moving on to England’s loss I must touch on the 20 minute red card. Semi Radrada’s hit on Cam Winnett was red all day long. Despite Winnett being small Radrada had plenty of time to assess the implications of his actions. He didn’t and smashed into the defenceless Winnett. Why Winnett didn’t have a HIA is odd however!!! This was an avoidable incident so why should Fiji benefit by bringing on a replacement after 20 minutes? The answer is they shouldn’t. I know all the arguments about a fair contest and spectators etc, etc. Winnett, one of Wales few bright sparks, could have been out of the game as a consequence of the hit. This feels like a thugs charter to me.

So to England. How on earth, after scoring what looked a winning try at the death, did they fail to close out the game. It beggars belief. A team of the supposed quality of England should be able from a restart maintain possession for a couple of minutes. They didn’t. Then you have to ask why was it so easy for Australia to create such space out wide for Jorgensen to canter over in the corner. I’ll leave Steve Borthwick to answer that. I would suggest that part of the answer is England aren’t as good as they think they are, and England’s defensive frailties come from adopting a defensive system that has to work 100% of the time. The Wallabies scored five tries. That would indicate to me that defence wasn’t just an issue in extra time, it was an issue from the very start. Get the blitz defence wrong and you leave gaping holes for your opposition to exploit with impunity.

I believe England have the talent available to them to become a force to be reckoned with. I am not sure Borthwick with his laconic style and spreadsheet mentality is the man to get the best out of the squad however. The number of changes to the backroom staff hasn’t helped, and sticking with players like Dan Cole who are close to being at their ‘best before’ date lacks imagination and forward thinking. The Springboks roll into town next weekend. That will be quite a challenge.

Scotland made a decent fist of it in their game against South Africa. They couldn’t cross the whitewash however which speaks volumes about the Springbok defence. By contrast the men in green ran in 4 tries. I think it is fair to say that the South Africans were below par and it was only the arrival of a mass of replacements that finally turned the tide in their favour.

I’ll be on the coach back from Deal when the England game kicks off. It should be quite a contest. If England get it right there could be a surprise. If they don’t and South Africa bring their ‘A game’ then the heat under Borthwick will really be turned up.

When war rages on in the Middle East and innocent people are being indiscriminately slaughtered Gary Lineker leaving Match of the Day is NOT headline news.

I have heard about a relatively small business employing a number of people who are now having to find a whopping £700,000 to cover the increase in NI contributions. Staff pay rises have been cancelled, redundancies already being considered, and planned staff recruitment cancelled. How really small businesses are going to survive heaven only knows. That Reeves women really has shafted UK plc in a single stroke.

Monday 11th Nov: 09:45

Armistice Day November 11th. ‘Lest We Forget’. The senior members of the club paid their tribute on Saturday and I’m sure the juniors and mins paid theirs yesterday. Up and down the country Remembrance Sunday services were held to honour the ‘Fallen’. We must not forget those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. We should learn from the horrors of the past but sadly it seems we are not. Conflicts rage around the world where young men and women are taken from us all too soon. Those who rattle the sabres must be brought to book, and those who are striving for resolution in places like the Middle East and Ukraine need our support and encouragement. I wear my poppy with pride today. ‘We will remember them’.

It is brilliant that across sport this weekend the ‘fallen’ were honoured. Certainly at the Principality Stadium the two minute silence was immaculate. Sport went on so let me now do a league round-up.

In our league our hard fought 10-7 win over Park House keeps us in 5th. The Greenies put Deal & Betteshanger to the sword 57-0 despite being down to 14 men for most of the game. Sevenoaks II beat lowly Charlton Park, Ashford lost to Dover, Canterbury II beat Beccs 45-7 and Cranbrook lost to Bromley 7-49. Canterbury are top with Heathfield & Waldron hot on their heels. Bromley are 3rd, Sevenoaks are 4th then us in 5th. At the foot of the table is Charlton Park with Ashford and Cranbrook keeping them company. Deal & Betteshanger away is our next challenge. Don’t think that will be easy based on Saturday’s results.

Over in Surrey/Sussex 1 Eastbourne lost 33-36 to East Grinstead. That is a surprise based on league positions. Hove are finally finding some form beating Old Haileyburians 39-36. Haywards Heath on the other hand are finding life tough. They lost 95-0 to Weybridge Vandals. Trinity are top on the same points as Weybridge Vandals. Heath are bottom with East Grinstead just above them. Hove are in 9th, Eastbourne in 7th.

Over in Hampshire 1 Bognor Bognor drew 12-12 with Sandown & Shanklin. They are in 12th spot. Havant II remain perfect at the top.

In Sussex 2 we find Crawley beating Seaford, Shoreham winning at Ditchling, and Pulborough winning at Hove II. Lewes v Brighton was postponed and Uckfield had a HWO over Worthing. Uckfield remain top with Pulborough in second. Hove II are bottom.

In Kent 3 Hastings & Bexhill enjoyed an excellent away win at Old Gravesendians 15-7. They move into 5th. Above them are TJs II, Tunbridge Wells II, Beckenham II and Whitstable. It is an absolute joke that second XVs from clubs of that stature are playing at level 9 !!!!!!

Up in Regional Central 2 Chichester lost 31-35 to Chobham. Chi sit in 9th just 5 points above bottom placed Guildford. Tottonians top this one.

In Regional Central 1 Brighton lost at home to Camberley, Horsham drew 26-26 with Bracknell and Tunbridge Wells beat Old Alleynians 25-24. London Welsh remain top with 40 points from 8 games. Brighton are bottom, Horsham are in 9th and Tunbridge Wells just above them in 8th. How some of the clubs at this level conduct themselves with the poaching of players and contracts is a disgrace.

In the rarified air of National 2 East TJs continue their fine form with a win at Barnes. Sadly for Sevenoaks and Worthing things were not so rosy. Losses at Dorking and Oxford Harlequins respectively. TJs remain top with 9 wins from 9 games all with a bonus point. Worthing are one from bottom in 13th with only Colchester below them. Sevenoaks are in 12th.

It wouldn’t be Monday without telling you that Bridgnorth beat Long Eaton and Salisbury beat Swanage & Wareham.

Plenty of action in the Premiership Cup however it is Wales I take you to. Nothing more needs to be said other than Wales 19-Fiji 24. As you regular readers know I had suggested this would be the case. Wales started well but faded all too quickly. Too many basic mistakes, being out-muscled and defensive errors. Yes the old failings. Warren Gatland going with a 6-2 split on the bench didn’t work. Fiji played well and took their chances. With plenty of the squad now playing either in Super Rugby or the Top 14 you write the Fijians off at your peril. The pressure is now on Gatland.

Scotland suffered defeat at the hands of World Champions South Africa. The Scots fronted up well but were still not good enough to beat an under par South Africa.

More on these games, and England’s defeat tomorrow.

Sunday 10th Nov: 10:15

Despite the 10-7 scoreline the contest at Steel Cross was a thoroughly enjoyable affair. No quarter given, nor quarter asked. Before that however was the advertisers and sponsors lunch and what a splendid lunch it was too. How Jacqui caters for so many, delivering high quality food from such a tiny kitchen is beyond my understanding. Louise and Ryan kept the thirsty hoards happy too. A great team effort. President for Life Clarky struck exactly the right tone with his pre-lunch words, and the tribute to the ‘Fallen’ was exemplary.

So to the gloom and the heavy Steel Cross pitch. Another minutes silence and then battle commenced. With a half time score of 0-0 you would think this was a snooze fest. It was anything but. Crowborough played some good rugby with their much changed pack more than holding their own. Newly promoted Park House back in Crowborough after a few seasons absence showed their mettle in defence, and tried to play an expansive game only to find Crowborough’s defensive qualities equally robust. Strangely the wayward kicking added to the entertainment value. All too often kicks missed touch causing both sides to run the ball back in attack. I think it is fair to say ‘Borough dominated those first 40 minutes but with zero to show for their efforts.

The second half, still in the gloom, saw the deadlock broken. Finally the young, devil may care ‘Borough backline got in behind the Park House defence and with some mazy running, slick off loading, and great support lines Sam Marchesi finished things off under the posts, 7-0.

This score proved to be a cattle prod to the visitors as they started to really take the game to Crowborough. Their big forwards led by their #7 and #2 took the ball into contact and the backs used it wisely once the tackle zone was cleared. The large and vociferous Steel Cross crowd cheered the boys defensive efforts but the inevitable came to pass with 7 minutes to go. Park House crashed over and with the score at 7-7 it was backs to the wall for both sides.

As those final minutes ticked down the visitors failed to keep on the right side of the laws conceding a penalty in a kickable position. Young Josh Houghton stepped up, Steel Cross was a silent for his kick as it was for the tribute to the ‘fallen’, he took aim, he hit the ball and it sailed through the posts, 10-7. The closing minutes were tortuous but ‘Borough survived and a huge sigh of relief could be hear across the town.

On reflection 7-7 would have been a fair result but in such a competitive league we have to take everything we can, when we can.

We stay in 5th, Park House slip one place into 7th just behind Dover who beat lowly Ashford. Unsurprisingly Canterbury II are top. Full league round-up tomorrow as normal on a Monday.

After a celebratory drink with a friend from Chichester who happened to be an ex-Crowborough player, and in the area, it was home for the second half of England v Australia. This was quite a game and once I’ve done my Spanish lesson, and some rugby admin I intend to watch it again on catchup. Yes, after a great lunch, a few beers, the best part of a bottle of red, and an afternoon of fresh air I dozed off, only to awake as the Aussies were cantering over for the win.

You have got to ask yourself how can England continue to fail so spectacularly. The defeat to New Zealand was put into context when they beat Ireland on Friday night, but losing to the Aussies for heavens sake. Questions have to be asked!! I haven’t looked through all the media reports yet but will do ready for tomorrow and on into the week ahead. Why can’t they close out a game? To concede 42 points at home to an Australian side that is nowhere near as good as Wallaby sides of old is a disgrace. After paying close to £160 for a ticket you be right to ask ‘why am I bothering?’.

Los Pumas showed the lacklustre Italians a thing or two. I enjoyed this one, having got my second wind and now onto white wine. Last up was a France masterclass in how to get things done. Nothing flashy or outrageous. Keep the game simple and take the chances when they are presented to you. Plenty of fresh French talent on show which augurs well for the Six Nations.

Wales v Fiji this afternoon. I can see Fiji winning that, and well.

Finally, it is an absolute disgrace that Sadiq Khan has caved into the ransom demands of ASLEF and the RMT to avert tube strikes. The deal is extraordinary with more money, less hours, four day weeks and paid lunch breaks. In return hardworking, tax paying Londoners get absolutely NOTHING. Not a single benefit in terms of service and reliability. In fact what they’ll get is higher fares and a smiling Khan and his union paymasters joyfully putting two fingers up at them.

Thursday 7th Nov: 09:15

Firstly I thank The Bard for bringing to my attention the madness of politics. Sir U-Turn not so long ago was decrying the university tuition fees and saying he would abolish them. We have Rachel The Hood Reeves blathering on about the ‘working class’, even though she has no idea who they are, and how this (useless) Government will not only protect them, but give them opportunities they have never had. I’m ok with that until she then goes on to put the very same hated tuition fees UP thus making it even more inaccessible for the so called working class. They have only been in power a short time but already they are making the last lot of complete morons look like level headed, sensible politicians.

I’m guessing London Underground train drivers on £65k+ per annum are still ‘working class’, whereas someone running their own business trying to make ends meet with take home earnings of say £35k are not ‘working class’. What nonsense. Obviously you are only working class if you are part of the state system, run by the state for the benefit of those in the system. I must have missed being transported to North Korea!!!!!

So to rugby. The clash between Ireland and New Zealand tomorrow night will be a monster occasion. Can Ireland continue to maintain their very high standards atop of the world. Will the All Blacks be good enough despite their win over England last weekend. I for one am eagerly awaiting this to kick off. My mate Mal Bec will be round to join me, and yes, we’ll be shouting for Ireland.

The Irish team is packed with talent and experience. How much longer some of those can continue is one for the IRFU to ponder but for now that looks a powerful team. The All Blacks have made a couple of changes. Beauden Barrett is out of the squad with Damien Mackenzie starting at #10 and Will Jordan at fullback. Either way it should be a cracker.

Saturday we have England v Australia. England should win, England must win. No more needs to be said about that.

I gave you some of the local fixtures of interest yesterday but let me add the rest of the games in our league. Ashford host Dover, Canterbury II host Beccs, Cranbrook welcome Bromley and Sevenoaks II have Charlton Park. This league is so unpredictable but I go for wins for Dover, Bromley, Canterbury and ‘Oaks. The Greenies should beat D&B. Our game is too close to call.

In Surrey/Sussex 1 …………. Who knows!!!!!! As I was typing so the Englandrugby website goes down. Perhaps the Russians or the North Koreans have hacked into it !!!!

The British and Irish Lions have unveiled the shirt for the upcoming tour to Australia. Some have likened it ‘my nan’s curtains’. As you would expect it is not cheap either, £82 to £60 for a junior size.

Good piece in the Torygraph about David Campese being ‘cancelled’ for his honest assessment of the state of Australian rugby and this current crop of Wallabies. Isn’t it troubling how quick people are to dismiss honesty, especially if it doesn’t chime with their viewpoint.

Obviously the Trump win dominates the papers. I for one state we were damned whichever way the result fell. I listened to the World at One on the radio driving home yesterday. It made for gloomy listening. Nentanyahu was overjoyed as he now has an ally in the White House. The ‘genocide’ in Gaza and beyond will continue. Putin wasn’t slow in getting one of his puppets to say they would soon be over-running Ukraine. Tariffs were mentioned a dozen times. In essence, everyone asked stated without hesitation the world has suddenly become an even more dangerous place than it was on Monday.

Ok, back on Sunday with my views on our game and beyond.

Wednesday 6th Nov: 09:10

Just a few words this morning as I have much to do, and the return journey to Crowborough beckons. Is the world about to spiral out of control after yesterday’s American elections. It looks as if Donald Trump is about to be re-elected. I know I can be outspoken and sometimes radical but that orange faced, bigoted clown takes it to another level. That said, I’m not sure that Kamala Harris would have been any better. In fact, in some aspects, she could have been worse. Let’s leave that for now and see how it pans out.

In the micro-world of rugby England have announced the same starting XV for the game against Australia. The bench has had a shake up however. In comes Luke Cowan-Dickie, and Ollie Sleightholme. Out goes Ben Curry, and Theo Dan. The bench is now a 5 - 3 split. England should have the edge over Australia based on recent form.

There has much been made on England Rugby’s social media post that states ‘sometimes you win, sometimes you learn’. Quite rightly the fans have had a real go because this was the same mantra that Eddie Jones used to spout. How much longer is this ‘learning’ period going to be before they get into a ‘winning’ phase. The England national team has money thrown at it like no other country. It has the biggest pool of players to choose from. There should be no platitudes about losing. It isn’t good enough. If you follow Wales or Scotland you can only look with envy at the resources available to England.

Steve Borthwick has had to wade into the soap opera around Eddie Jones tenure. Statements abound that Jones was a bully and intimidated players. Borthwick is having to defend his style as a consequence. I know a little about Jones, and he was a despot. I know nothing about Borthwick but have heard he is a workaholic, and loves the minutiae.

It is disappointing to read about the fall from grace of Stuart Hogg after he plead guilty to domestic abuse. A truly unacceptable state of affairs. No wife should endure abuse. Nor in fact should any husband.

Johnny Hill being banned for 10 weeks after physically abusing a fan at the back end of last season during a Bath v Sale game is another poor advert for the modern player. No more needs to be said, except 10 weeks seems a little lenient perhaps??

Wales will be announcing their squad in the coming days. You’ll probably have to digest that for yourselves as I don’t think it will happen before tomorrow’s blog.

The grassroots game is back into full swing this weekend. We are at home to Park House. Note the earlier kick off time of 14:30. The Greenies host Deal & Betteshanger. In Surrey/Sussex my pick is the local derby Eastbourne v East Grinstead. In Sussex 2 Lewes v Brighton II will be interesting as will Uckfield v Worthing III.

A look farther afield tomorrow.

Oh, and I’ve just spotted that any notion of an Anglo-Welsh league is now off the table. No surprise there.

The media is full of the impending confirmation that Trump will be back in the White House. I see Sir U-Turn and his Lammy are falling over themselves to congratulate the big orange one, but I bet it is through gritted teeth.

I also read that the planned London Underground strikes for tomorrow and next week have been suspended. I wonder how much of the UK pensioners money will go on paying off the tube drivers, who are already massively well paid!!

Monday 4th Nov: 10:00

The inquest into England’s failure to beat the All Blacks, despite being ahead with not long to go, and more importantly seemingly having the game under control, continues. Much is being made of bringing George Ford on to replace Marcus Smith. Let’s not blame Ford. Yes, he missed the drop goal but the issue is much deeper than that. The concept of ‘finishers’, your late flurry of substitutes, is fundamentally floored, especially when the player you are bringing on is very ring rusty after only just a few minutes of game time recently due to injury. We saw it with the front row too. England suddenly found themselves going backwards in the scrum after the entire front row was changed. Smith was having a great game, and as I said yesterday managing the game perfectly well. Why change him? Only Steve Borthwick can answer that question. Sadly, as Brian Moore in the Torygraph points out, Borthwick is steadfastly refusing to answer. Likewise, why change a dominant front row at a set time when things are going well. There is no answer to that either.

The outside half conundrum is one to ponder. England’s issues go deeper than simply asking why was Smith taken off. The RFU, and the game at large should look at the bigger picture. Just taking the last full weekend of the Premiership, who played #10 across the piece.
Leicester Tigers - Handre Pollard - South Africa
Bath - Finn Russell - Scotland
Gloucester - Gareth Anscombe - Wales
Quins - Jarod Evans - Wales
Saracens - Tim Swiel - South Africa
Bristol - MacGinty - USA
Sale - Du Preez - South Africa
To make matters worse you could do the same across many other key positions. I rest my case.

Joe Marler has decided to remove himself from the goldfish bowl that is England rugby. He has hung up his international boots for the second and final time. His contribution has been immense, not always on the right side of the line but immense none the less. The game has very few characters now and Marler’s retirement means one less. He has, by his own admission, struggled with mental health issues, and wants to spend more time with his family. England’s loss will be Quins gain.

Sale’s Asher Opoku-Fordjour has been called into the squad as cover.

Two positives have come out of the games from Saturday. Firstly, the referee announcing their deliberations and decisions over the stadium sound system has been very warmly welcomed. It adds a layer of clarity to what is going on, as well as another element of drama. The second positive is clearing blockers out of the way of approaching tacklers. This added jeopardy to the high ball both in attack and defence.

By way of contrast I’m not sure the scrum shot clock added anything. The reset after reset was still tedious. The reduction in time for taking kicks at goal is still too long.

We host Park House on Saturday. It should be a cracker but more on this later in the week.

In other sport can I suggest F1 needs to have every race in the wet. Cars skidding all over the place and jeopardy from start to finish.

Leicester City scored a late equaliser against Ipswich to salvage a point.

Rachel The Hood Reeves squirms like a naughty school girl trying to defend the indefensible. Hitting GP practices, dentists, care homes with the increased National Insurance contribution is an absolute disgrace. Unless of course you have a masterplan to put the private health practices out of business then picking them up under state control. Basically a communist agenda.

The nightmares continue with the US election looming on the horizon. Heaven help us.

No blog tomorrow as Britain’s motorway network and Bridgnorth await.

Sunday 3rd Nov: 09:30

That was a disgrace. What was? The total disrespect given to the New Zealand national anthem ahead of kick yesterday. The sound was very poor, and the fact the RFU couldn’t bring themselves to have a singer leading the anthem, as they did with God Save The King, was appalling.

Then came the haka. As expected the prawn sandwich brigade did their best to drown things out with the pathetic Swing Low. It was embarrassing. Then, to top it all, well into the second half the prawn sandwich crowd were still quaffing their champagne in the hospitality areas.

So to the actual contest on the lush Twickenham pitch (I’m not being paid £100m so Twickenham it is). For 20 minutes it was pretty ordinary stuff. Thankfully it came alive with both sides making ground and looking dangerous. The English back five were pretty awesome from start to finish. That is quite a combination, and with a degree of strength in depth at second row, things look promising going forward.

The English blitz defence in the main was solid, but on the few occasions the All Blacks got behind them alarm bells started to ring.

The England starting front row more than held their own. Sadly the replacements, including veteran Dan Cole didn’t fair so well.

There was bags of talent in the backline and we saw glimpses of what they have to offer. The Feyi-Waboso try was a cracker, made by the Marcus Smith interception. We’ll get back to him in a moment. The 3 tries to 1 speaks volumes, and plenty in the media are saying England need to sharpen their cutting edge before the South Africans roll into town.

With limited ball and less possession the visitors were still able to convert their few opportunities into tries. Telea on the wing only needs a sniff of the try line and he is in. There is pace and creativity across the park. This was the difference in my opinion. There were times when England looked a little formulaic by comparison.

You write New Zealand off at your peril and so it was the case yesterday.

Why did Steve Borthwick take Marcus Smith off? Logic tells you for George Ford to close out the game. Smith was having a fine game, didn’t look tired, and was the one player whose impetuosity and creativity could have taken England to the close. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and this might be me on my high horse, but having so many subs allows this sort of decision to go horribly wrong.

After a short sojourn it was up to Murrayfield for Scotland v Fiji. This was an entertaining, if one-sided encounter. The Scots looked sharp against a very much second string Fijian side. You can only play who is in front of you and Scotland did exactly that. Some of the rugby was excellent. South Africa next Sunday afternoon will be a whole new challenge.

Gregor Townsend will be pleased with the result, but I would expect more pleased how his newcomers performed on the home stage. Scotland’s recruitment policy, you know where Edinburgh is so you are eligible, is paying dividends, as is the quality coming through the two Scottish regions.

Looking ahead England host Australia. You have to go England. South Africa will win in Edinburgh. Wales will find it very tough against a full strength Fijian side. Italy will lose to Argentina and France will beat Japan. On Friday night we have Ireland v New Zealand. This is my choice of game for the weekend. CRFC host Park House on Saturday so that’s where my attention will be. Sunday, come on Wales.

In other news the The Hood’s budget is a dagger to the heart of small businesses, it is also likely to screw GP surgeries even more than they are already screwed. The farmers have been done over like Stalin did in Russia in the 30s! It is social care where I fear the worst. Lots of low paid staff with private homes already stretched to the limit. To level the NI changes on Social Care providers is an absolute disgrace.

Thursday 31st Oct: 09:05

Where does the time go. Here we are, October 31st so tomorrow is November already. October 31st, halloween, that ridiculous import from America that allows people to knock on your door and irritate you from here to the moon and back. ‘Bugger off you little scroats’ is my standard reply.

Moving swiftly on, Saturday sees England host New Zealand. Forget the rugby, this is a multi-million pound money spinner for the RFU. It should be worth watching if you have access to TNT Sports. If not then Steel Cross is the place for you, as I’m guessing most of you refused to take out a mortgage to buy a ticket. Steve Borthwick has stuck his neck out and picked Henry Slade despite the lack of game time following injury. Ben Spencer gets the nod at scrum-half which makes sense based on club form. The back row looks exciting with all three players in