Here we are in September already and autumn is definitely around the corner with winter lurking in the wings. Where has the year gone? That one is easy to answer: down the toilet for the reasons we all know why.

With no games now until Friday, which I will preview tomorrow there is not much in the rugby pages, but what there is merits a comment or two.

Firstly, in The Guardian there is a piece about how 84 academics and scientists have rubbished World Rugby's claims about the risks to transgender people in our sport and why the ban should be lifted. Well, we all know what a brilliant and superb job the scientists and academics have done with Covid which is why we are in the unprecedented mess we are in living like quivering wrecks in the confines of our homes paralysed by fear. I for one have every sympathy for those whose chromosomes and genes are mixed up being born in the wrong body. I can't and won't go into detail but I have seen it first hand and it makes live incredibly difficult. That said I wholeheartedly support World rugby's stance on this, especially as rugby is such a physical contact sport (which is why we are last to be back playing thanks to Covid). I also think because of political correctness going mad and common sense nowhere to be seen it is the norm to pander to minorities at the expense of the vast majority which is why so many jump on the bandwagon. In my opinion there are many, many who see transgender as a fashionable life choice and that clouds the issue. The PC and woke brigade can say all they like but I think for the safety and benefit of all on this point World Rugby have got it right.

In the same paper there is much criticism of the decision to continue to plan for a southern hemisphere Rugby Championship this year. The article points out that money and politics are driving the decision rather than common sense. The unions are desperate for cash and with an election looming in New Zealand the opposition leader Grant Robertson sees a NZ based tournament as a vote winner in the rugby loving country. Those who question the plans argue that with New Zealand fighting to keep Covid under control opening their borders even to a few hundred rugby players and support staff is a risk too far. Rushing players back to play is another (WAY MORE VALID) argument than Covid and highlights how core values of our game can go out of the window in the chase for cash. You make your own minds up.

Talk of South Africa and SA teams playing in the north have been heightened by the Covid nonsense and because the Pro14 "experiment" has captured the imagination, even though it is a very expensive experiment. By the way South Africa will not be replacing Japan in the UK based autumn series. It appears that vacancy has been filled by Georgia.

Eddie Jones has made it clear the autumn is about winning so he won't be experimenting. He will pick the strongest side for each of the games bearing in mind some rotation will be required. It comes at a time when England seem to have gone from a dearth of players in certain positions to a veritable cornucopia of stars. Only time will tell.

Two other things come out of the article. Firstly how much time coaches spend analysing player data and how much faith they put into it when making decisions. Data, a game killer perhaps. Does it lead to over-coaching? Secondly England launch their new Umbro kit tomorrow. Eddie Jones just happens to now be an Umbro ambassador. No wonder he can take a 25% pay cut!!!!!!!

Wee Jimmie Sturgeon is rocking the boat again. "We are having another Independence vote" she proclaims. OK then, can you immediately repay all the money that the taxpayers of England have given you on an on-going basis and then add on all the furlough money those north of the border have had since March. Wow, 154 people in Scotland have tested positive for Covid. That really does justify bringing back stricter rules on the movement of people............ NOT. How many people have died of Covid in Scotland recently........mmmmm.... none! This is political bullshit, advantage taking for her own ends!!

Tuesday 1st Sep: 10:00

No-one can argue that Saracens aren't giving their all. In another clinical display they put London Irish to the sword. I think clinical is the best way to describe this match as any use of "exciting" would be misplaced. When Brad Barritt crashed over from a rolling maul you knew this was not going to be a game to keep for posterity. Owen Farrell and Mako Vunipola are being kept in cotton wool ahead of the European restart but otherwise this was a pretty strong Sarries side. It is clear that they will still have a say in who lifts the trophy in a few weeks time.

Bath failed to live up to their billing losing at the death to Wasps. Whilst this was another game that lacked enough open play it was packed with incident and intrigue. Losing four players early on turned out to be Wasps advantage as the game went to uncontested scrums. Without question this was to the visitors benefit. No skulduggery on the part of Wasps just a hint of seizing the moment. A player who has hooked before decided it wasn't for him despite his management team originally suggesting he could and would hook. As the game wore on the lack of proper scrums was exploited more and more by the visitors with Bath failing to use their exciting outside backs when the opportunity arose. Wayne Barnes refereed with a light touch but I think he got it horribly wrong late on. Bath scored with Barnes on the verge of awarding a penalty try which inevitably would have seen a Wasp in the bin. In my view the Wasp player should have seen yellow. This was compounded when at the death Wasps were awarded a penalty try and Bath saw yellow. When challenged Barnes stated the difference was Bath scored. WRONG! A yellow card offence is a yellow card offence regardless of scoring.

Maybe talk of a Bath resurgence is premature and what happened to the exciting open play we saw a few games ago. Teams appear paralysed by the fear of losing.

A couple of whinges I'm afraid. When will referees and their chocolate tea pots of assistants start getting players clearly on-side at ruck and maul? When did the law change allowing players to be significantly in front of the kicker with impunity from sanction. When will TMOs and officials make the TMO process quicker rather than the protracted nonsense it is now.

I am led to believe there will be announcement today on the start date of the Championship, rumoured to be December??

Good news for the game is we have moved to "D" along the roadmap back to playing, if screwing rugby clubs and the game over by not allowing us to play is good news. This means clubs can now go to controlled contact training. We are still a long way from playing but this is another small step along the road.

With Super Rugby up in the air as New Zealand and Australia argue and South Africa appear out in the cold there is talk of the Pro14 going to 16 clubs with the addition of two extra SA franchises. It is also rumoured that Japan could be forced out of the upcoming eight nations tournament being replaced by South Africa. No travel problems for them of course, there must be at least 50 top flight South Africans in the UK already!!!!

That'll do for today as the grandchildren are demanding attention.

Monday 31st Aug: 09:15

Good morning on this bright Bank Holiday morning, not that a Bank Holiday means anything to us old farts other than another opportunity to get stuck into the sherry..... or is that just Mrs Bleater?

Anyway, I'll skip over the F1 as except for a spectacular crash it was boring as hell.

Sadly I forwent the T20 cricket for two games of rugby.

As expected Exeter were way too good for Worcester. The Chiefs purred like a well oiled machine and in the first half crossed the line at will. It was good to see the ball moving around between backs and forwards and tries being scored wide out. Stuart Hogg, if he stays fit, will be on the Lions Tour. On this form Exeter will finish top and win the useless play-offs.

Gloucester, with Danny Cipriani acting as ring-master, were superb in the first half in their clash with Leicester. Has young Ollie Thornley's time come? Will Eddie Jones bite the bullet and pick him? Johnny May was good but definitely overshadowed by the young speedster. This was a fascinating and enjoyable game. Some excellent passages of play and some great tries. Leicester looked dead and buried at half time. Cipriani limping off and for the Tigers Ben Youngs and George Ford coming on turned things around. Leicester now played some good rugby at last stringing some passes together, eliminating the mistakes and competing at the scrum. They clawed their way back into the contest and for a brief moment it looked as if a shock win was on the cards. Gloucester regained their composure and a late try earned them the win. The game won, Gloucester won and in part so did the Tigers. They didn't lie down and capitulate, however, they can't always rely on their big guns to bail them out. George Ford almost singlehandedly kept them from the drop in 2018/19

Today London Irish host Saracens but the game of the weekend could be Bath v Wasps. Bath are certainly on a role and a win today will reinforce the view that many are now saying: "they are on track to bring back the glory days ..... " Chris Foy, The Daily Fail. Not sure I'll watch this if the weather stays nice but who knows. I go Saracens and Bath.

Cardiff Blues put on a good showing against the perennial underachievers the Ospreys. Even with a handful of Welsh heroes the Ospreys couldn't match Cardiff's intensity. I've only seen the first half but from what I saw it was again decent enough stuff. Still too much yardage gained by forward grunt and not enough fluidity from off-loading but certainly less turgid than some games I've watched. Yes, the programme starting at 9pm after a day on the sauce was a step too far pour moi!.

I understand Barnsey has done a good piece in The Times. Unfortunately I haven't read it (a hint for you Times subscribers) but I am led to believe he discusses the nonsense at ruck and maul and the inability of players to stay on their feet thus killing the ball and turning the game into a mud-wrestle.

Sorry, but I now have to vent!!!!!!!

Have you ever read such misleading and disgraceful reporting? Sky News scream "India sets grim world record for highest daily coronavirus infections". The article then goes on to say the country has seen 78,761 new cases in a day and the total death toll now stands at 63,498. NOWHERE in the article does it mention that India's population is 1.4bn, yes 1.4 billion so for India, a country where millions and millions and millions live in abject poverty in slums, to have a death toll of just under 64,000 is remarkable and to be testing tens of thousands per day is brilliant. Bearing in mind we have lost 41,498 from a population of 70m and what we call poverty is luxury by comparison. It is an absolute disgrace how our news channels continue to be able to whip up paranoia at will yet when 10,000 people stand up and protest they are called loonies.

By the way I'd like to ask the same news organisation why they feel it is ok to report in a supportive tone 300 Black Lives Matters activists cause mayhem in parts of London by illegal means. Yep, the truth today is whatever you want it to be other than the actual truth.

Sunday 30th Aug: 10:10

Hope you don't mind but I am going to start at Friday Club. What an amazing job the guys are doing. The pitches look great, the club house is looking smart (thanks Dutch), and Bob and Graeme are doing an amazing job repairing the furniture we got from the Blue Anchor.

Moving on to Saturday lunchtime. It was great to see plenty of (socially distanced) people enjoying a beer or two in good company. Emma and Jacqui are doing a great job. For me being able to have a proper face to face chat with my mate Paddy was great. Yes Covid was part of the chat but in many respects we are aligned especially about the impact on young people, the incompetence shown across the board and the misleading and bias reporting of the press. We naturally chatted about all things rugby and yes we are agreed that much of what we have seen of late has been rubbish.

That cannot be said of Saturday's games however. Whilst there was still way too little open rugby I thought the Rebels v Waratahs game was enjoyable stuff. Then came Sale v Bristol. Sale put out a very strong side versus a much changed and weakened Bristol outfit and that needs to be taken into consideration when looking at the scoreline. That said I thought Sale were excellent dominating both attack and defence and if it wasn't for an overly ambitious looping pass that went astray Bristol would have left the North West with nil point. Sale's approach to the game appeared contrary to Steve Diamonds game plan with him telling his players to calm down and stop slinging the ball around in such a cavalier fashion. The support play was excellent, those Curry twins outstanding and the James brothers made a positive impact too. Faf did what Faf does best and I thought Tuilagi quietly and without any arrogance played really well. Yes I was wearing the Sale eye-patch but I thought this was a good game.

Despite the heavy defeat I thought the Dragons put up a good fight against a very well organised and powerful Scarlets side. This too was most enjoyable to watch, in part due to the company I was keeping; Mal Bec by my side. The Dragons were without their big hitters such as Hibbard and Moriarty but Nick Tompkins showed why he has become such an instant hit in Wales. Ken Owens on his 250th Scarlets appearance deserved all the plaudits as he led from the front. Dan Jones at #10 showed why he could be the surprise selection for the upcoming international series. Both sides tried to play an open game and as a consequence we got a decent spectacle.

It was amazing to see the Rodney Parade pitch looking good and the rarest of rarities the sun was shining in Newport.

Cardiff v Ospreys today, also at Rodney Parade as the Arms Park is a car park outside the NHS storage facility aka a Nightingale Hospital.

Quins v Saints catches the eye, Exeter will stroll past Worcester and Gloucester should beat Leicester, this despite some pundits suggesting there are positive signs coming out of Welford Road.

In other news the few hundred allowed into Murrayfield saw Glasgow beat Edinburgh.

The hype around Dylan's book is growing and based on the extracts I've read (thanks Paddy) he will certainly provoke some soul searching at the clubs and at the RFU.

England players have agreed to cut their pay by £6000 per match. They will still get an eye-watering £17000 per match though so let's not shed too many tears of sympathy.

Before I go I make no excuses for a) using the word "paranoia" in relation to the Covid nonsense and b) berating our press/media for bias and doom laden reporting. Two perfect examples........

The Daily Fail did an article, albeit short, saying the country was "paralysed by paranoia". Hoorah I thought until just two articles further on there was a doom laden piece about Matt (Useless) Hancock suggesting 81,000 could die in the second wave which the (self serving) scientists are predicting. No wonder the country is paralysed when there is much evidence to suggest a second wave is not going to happen.

Then in the same paper an article about the 10,000 people who met in Trafalgar Square to protest about many aspects of the Covid crisis. Instead of, as should have been the case, reporting that these were sensible human beings with genuine concerns and challenges about lockdown, testing, press reporting, the direction of travel with regard to vaccination etc, etc they were all deemed to be conspiracy theory lunatics who have joined forces with the anti vaxxers under the guidance of David Icke. That my friends is why we are in this mess. We simply cannot trust anybody: the press, the Government or the scientists.

Thursday 27th Aug: 10:30

Yes I did get to watch two games of rugby last night. Yes both were pretty poor in my opinion. If you are Saracens fan you might think differently so let me start there.

Without question this was a second string Saracens side but you wouldn’t know it. It was still a well oiled machine who played with passion and intensity. Gloucester were also missing their big names but this was a very poor Gloucester side making mistake after mistake and never really putting Saracens under pressure. The scoreline was a reflection of Saracens dominance accepting the one try was a gift following another mistake by the hapless Charlie Sharples. A right Charlie indeed. Saracens supporters will be saying what a great game and we should be in second spot now. Fair enough. From a neutrals point of view this game was turgid until about 30 minutes in when Gloucester scored a well worked try to be followed quickly after by a Saracens response. The second half was much the same with only glimpses of anything like the rugby neutrals want to watch. It was predictable pick & drive, one up runner charging into a brick wall, kick and kick again or a rolling maul from a lineout. Then you have the constant TMO intervention not to mention the reset scrum after reset scrum.

Then came what was billed as the big game of the round; Northampton Saints v Bath. Now I know Bath supporters thought this was a great game. Why, because Bath won away at Franklins Gardens and keep their fine form going and I’ve already heard from one. Bath were the better side, no question, but let us not be too churlish about it Saints were rubbish a lot of the time. You could almost predict every move. This was another game following the same routine as detailed above. Only once or twice did we see any off-loading in the tackle and when we did the game came alive. It was so rare I found myself marvelling at how the seats in the stands were so well laid out they spelt the Carlsberg name and logo perfectly. Yes it was that turgid........ in my opinion. Like Saracens though a win is a win and Bath seem to be one to watch.

Leicester overcame London Irish but not by many. Worcester Warriors enjoyed a morale boosting win over Harlequins but to be fair this was a second string Quins outfit.

By the way I have no problem with sides putting out players with limited first team experience, or as has been the case giving youngsters their debut. Player welfare is important and clubs have to cut their cloth according to the new salary cap (except it seems Bristol!?!) so blooding youngsters now makes a lot of sense.

I think overall the referees are doing a good job and seem to be consistent but PLEASE can we get the assistant referees to start properly policing the offside line at ruck and maul. Quite frankly the cardboard cutouts at some of the grounds have more idea.

Today’s quiz question.
What are the three most useless words in rugby union?
Answer: “Use it nine”

No need for an explanation.

I see that Quins v Bath will be the first test event where fans will be allowed in the ground. 4,000 of Quins faithful will be able to watch Greco-Roman wrestling and buffalo roaming the prairie all at the same time. Seriously though fans should be in the grounds and whilst I want to bleat on about you know what this at least is a step in the right direction. Right now, based on the games I have watched I would want to be paid to go to a game.

By contrast to the rugby I watched an amazing documentary about the Japanese Southwest Islands which includes Okinawa. This by comparison to the rugby was compelling, superb, amazing, breathtaking. Animals living in harmony and working together, people holding on and respecting their history and traditions, people and the environment at one.

What a contrast to what is happening around the globe: political correctness gone mad, common sense nowhere to be seen, me, me, me being the first demand, extremism on the rise, both left and right wing, and of course the continued paranoia about you know what.

Today’s troublesome fact......
Birmingham, a population of 2,607, 400 of which sadly 1,216 died of Covid-19. That is 0.05%
Currently there is panic in the city because 20 (down from 30) of each 100,000 people are testing positive. That is 0.02%
Right now in the Birmingham University Trust 2178 beds are occupied of which 69 are patients with Covid. There are 75 mechanical ventilation beds of which 4 are Covid patients. Reported deaths of Covid in the last 5 weeks in Birmingham is zero.

Please help me understand why Birmingham City Council are considering destroying the lives of tens of thousands by proposing they have a local lockdown?????

Wednesday 26th Aug: 09:00

Just to let you know I had my homework marked yesterday and like Bart Simpson got a big fat "F".

The corrected grammar is .........

Standing up against racism and demanding respect and decency in our society is something we should all do but supporting a group of unashamed anarchists is not for me.

What a miserable day yesterday and with nothing on TV to watch I succumbed, with Mrs Bleater's blessing, to watching rugby. I think BT Sport, Sale and Wasps should be in court for misrepresentation or fraud. That first game was dire and rugby it wasn't. Not even the excellent Nick Mullins could generate enthusiasm for this encounter. Yes the windy conditions didn't help but what a crock of .......... (fill in the blanks yourself). Progress was made by Sale in inches and passes could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Wasps penalty count was something to be ashamed of but to be fair there were times when I thought Craig Maxwell-Keys was off the mark with some of his decisions. The Sale try was the one and only bright spot. Sale won't care how they played, this was a much needed win, and with a pretty much second string outfit. Wasps will be licking their wounds and I guess calling in a referee to help with discipline.

Thankfully Bristol v Exeter was a different thing altogether. This was rugby as we know it, not a Greco-Roman wrestling / NFL mashup. The game ebbed and flowed from the start. You could argue this was a second string Exeter side but in that first half you wouldn't have known. They played with pace and accuracy and kept Bristol guessing about their intentions. Gone was the predictability of one out runners, or the incessant kick from the base of the scrum or the catch & drive from the lineout. Everything clicked and Bristol were on the back foot with no possession and no territory. Yes Bristol had also made changes but most of their big money stars were present. Exeter's tries were well worked aided by sloppy tackling but no-one could argue the visitors didn't deserve their healthy half time lead. Bristol did get going late on with some great off-loading and support play of their own only to be thwarted by Exeter's excellent defence.

The second half saw Bristol come out all guns blazing and it was now Exeter's turn to be under the pump. Some charging runs by Bristol's big (money) men put them back in contention. Hughes, Piutau and Radradra at last showed why they are on the big bucks. Before you knew it the clock was running down and Bristol had taken the slimmest of leads. Never write Exeter off as in typical Chiefs style they got close to the line and as they do so often bullied their way over for the winning score.

Mr Miserable here thought this was a great game and in no small part thanks to one Wayne Barnes who didn't take himself too seriously and kept the game flowing with empathy and experience.

Two player mentions. For Bristol I thought Kyle Sinckler was anonymous, for Exeter I thought full back Josh Hodge was a revelation. A revelation because he had obviously thrown away the 120 page coaching manual about what to do in every position of the pitch and just "went for it" every time he had the ball. His kicking at time was rubbish but whenever he got the ball you had no idea what he was going to do next. More of this from more players please.

Four more games tonight. I am not sure I am going to be able to have back to back games on TV but Saracens v Gloucester looks intriguing and there is much riding on Northampton v Bath. Not really bothered about the other two games but I would like to see London Irish beat Leicester Tigers at Welford Road. Oh how the mighty have fallen!!

George North got four weeks off for his reckless tackle on Saturday. The panel have made clear in this disjointed Pro14 season they have to be "meaningful" games which means he will miss games at the start of next season, whenever that is.

Ok, that'll do for now except to say please do some research and look at the rubbish that is being talked about Covid and Birmingham.

U-turn, after U-turn, after U-turn. It is no wonder the country is at odds over Covid. One more U-turn and we will truly be going round in circles. By the way when did Wee Jimmie become PM. She seems to be dictating policy.

Back tomorrow, albeit after 10:30, when I will review today's games and let you read Meghan and Harry's special piece for this blog, after all now they are shunning the limelight they have time to support all sorts of minor drivel.

For you young people out there this is a FULL STOP in this land of hope and glory!!!!

Tuesday 25th Aug: 09:35

What a bleak and miserable morning. It seems like Autumn has arrived early and with the continued gloom and doom in the media staying in bed all day was for a while a very good option.

A quick correction, thanks PK, Edinburgh beat Glasgow on the weekend and not the other way around as I put it. Never met the bloke but never really took to Richard Cockerill for some reason but he is doing a fine job up there north of the DMZ known as Hadrian’s Wall. There must be Premiership clubs with him on their radar. I am surprised Gloucester didn’t snap him up earlier this year. Cost perhaps.

Anyway, tonight’s games, especially the mouthwatering clash at Ashton Gate between Bristol and Exeter has been overshadowed by the fact death threats have been made to many of the Sale squad for not taking the knee for Black Lives Matter. You know my view and that is the group Black Lives Matter stand for things I could never take a knee in support of. Standing up against racism and respect and decency in our society is something we should all do but supporting a group of unashamed anarchists is not for me. Those who stood at Sale are predominantly South Africans, and white South Africans at that, but even that is no excuse for death threats. Surely that is akin to racism in itself. Let’s move on.

Wasps host Sale tonight in a game Sale surely need to get their show back on the road. In the game against Exeter they showed glimpses of what they are capable of but were then steam-rollered off the ball. Wasps have won both their post lockdown games but that was against Northampton and Worcester. By the way from what I saw the Wasps v Worcester game was the most turgid depressing bout of Greco-Roman wrestling masquerading as rugby on record.

The Bristol v Exeter game has taken on a new significance with Bristol on a roll after their two post (the pathetic and totally unnecessary) lockdown wins, including the one against Saracens. It is a real shame Ashton Gate will be empty. However, and this is important, Rob Baxter is forced into making 14 changes to his starting line-up to comply with the player welfare guidelines whereas Bristol go with pretty much a full strength side including the new poster boy for the Bears; Semi Radradra. In the absence of anything else to watch, including paint drying, I will succumb to temptation and watch both games, especially if it hasn’t stopped raining by then.

I know some of you have read the excerpts from Dylan’s upcoming book being serialised in the Daily Torygraph and have been horrified by the injuries he has sustained and the impact they are having on his post rugby health. Recently Jack Clifford had to retire at 27 because his body is already held together by Duck Tape. Tom Rees, also 27 went before him. Sam Cane down in New Zealand is the centre of attention as his battered and bruised body may prevent him ever leading the All Blacks. Can I suggest you go to stuff.co.nz and read a piece by Mark Reason pointing out that if World Rugby doesn’t get a grip with the size and power and destructive ability of players in our game the (slugs) injury lawyers will. It is an excellent piece and really hammers home how intense the game has got with those playing in the Super Aotearoa saying “enough is enough”. Yes for us the fan it was amazing but for the players it was literally crippling.

Reason comes up with three ideas to reduce the pressures. Reduce teams to 12 players not 15. He suggests getting rid of the flankers and a wing. The idea here is to make more space on the pitch. More space means less collisions. Nice idea but not sure that will fly. His second suggestion is to go to one substitute. Substitutes is something I think many agree is an area where changes (pardon the pun) can be made. I have gone for three, others have said six, Reason suggests just one and only then for injury. All have their merit but the point being right now players are tiring and then being hammered by testosterone fuelled buffalo coming on for 20 minutes of mayhem. That simply cannot be right. His third suggestion is interesting. Reduce the coaching staff to just one. A coach, full stop. He points out the teams are now coached within an inch of their life which is killing the game. I can support this for cost reasons but unless you depower the game I am not sure that will change much. Overall the article is well worth reading.

You might have missed this. If it is true then it really highlights the stupidity of wearing a mask. If it is fake news it is the best fake news yet. “100 nudists test positive for Covid-19 after ‘very worrying’ outbreak at French ‘Libertine’ naturist resort - despite wearing masks”.

The other news is a linguistics expert says the use of a full stop is troubling our young people today. It sends too forceful a signal in communication. “Get a fffnnn life!!!!!!!” I say. Clear and forceful enough???

Finally thank you to Simon. He has asked if I would ask you dear readers if as the UK suffers an average of 4.85 road deaths per day, 68.05 serious road traffic injuries and 374.57 other road traffic casualties per day, when is driving in the UK going to be banned?

Monday 24th August: 09:20

Some interesting bits in the rugby pages this morning but before that Ospreys v Dragons. I am guessing not many of you will have watched this one as it was buried amongst S4C's late night schedule. It was like the Curate's egg: good in parts. Both sides tried to play an open expansive game but all too often the things that have been the scourge of the Premiership raised their ugly head. The game was spoiled by the early sending off of George North. If you haven't seen it have a look. His actions weren't malicious or intentional but definitely reckless and the outcome very dangerous. The referee had no option but to give a red card. Nick Tompkins, ex Saracens, stood out for the Dragons as did Justin Tipuric for the Ospreys. In amongst the dross there were some bright moments with some well worked tries and some good free flowing passages of play. In the absence of anything else it was ok viewing for a Sunday evening.

Much praise has been lauded on Bath but several of the rugby writers have been somewhat disparaging about Leicester Tigers decision to rest many of their front line players ahead of Wednesday's clash with London Irish. If it wasn't for the Saracens points deduction Leicester would be bottom and justifiably so. A win against Irish and a Worcester loss to Quins would see the Midlands side effectively off the bottom of the table. Chris Foy leads the charge with regard to criticism and highlights this is a result of clubs being forced to rotate their squads due to the intense schedule and player welfare demands. He also suggests this highlights the risk to the games integrity if the Premiership were to become ring-fenced. I tend to disagree with the latter point but can see his point. Clubs have squads for a reason and inevitably certain games will be prioritised. Relegation or no relegation and in "normal" circumstances I can see squad rotation happen. Leicester are in a dire situation and have started a rebuilding process. Why wouldn't they use every opportunity during this strange time to plan ahead and prepare for next season.

Here it comes....the well worn record....... the season should have been scrapped and then none of this would have happened.

Elsewhere over the weekend Leinster beat Munster, Connacht beat Ulster and Glasgow beat Edinburgh. The return fixture up in Scotland could see fans present. We shouldn't be having this debate as fans should be present but this is a step in the right direction.

The Lions tour packages have been announced. The one we are considering looks amazing. Not cheap but as they say you are a long time dead. Will we see Crusaders Scott Robinson part of Warren Gatland's coaching set up? Now that would be interesting.

Still haven't seen the Sarries game v Quins but I understand Sarries were good and could have put Quins to the sword. The visitors wouldn't lie down and fought back to make the score line look more respectable. The reason I mention this is because Owen Farrell and his teammates have dismissed any notion that the Barnet crew's only game of note is the upcoming game against Leinster. Farrell has made it clear they are not there to make up the numbers they are there to play and enjoy themselves, and that means winning. I am not a Saracens fan but this attitude might suggest that Nigel Wray's money was not the only factor in the club's success.

The Premiership returns tomorrow but a review of those games can wait until then.

I went for a quick beer at the club on Saturday, and was, I am not sure whether I should say taken to task or criticised or chastised. In essence it was pointed out that my opinion doesn't necessarily match everyone else's and those who differ have no right of reply. To a degree that is more than fair enough but in my defence right now the overwhelming majority of emails I get is in support of my opinion on Covid. Those who have disagreed and have taken the time to do their own research are rare but again in my defence when good points have been made then I have commented on them and have been willing to support them. I know only too well that me and others have gone on ad infinitum about the situation and it is hacking people off but slowly and surely the real facts are coming out and more and more of what we have been saying is proving to be correct. By all means write to me at bleater@crowboroughrugby.com but can I ask that you at least justify why you disagree. Where I am wrong I will always admit that fact, unlike our self-serving tossers of politicians.

I will leave you with something to ponder. The media and the Government, national and devolved, are going on about spikes in cases and putting in place draconian lockdown measures. Here are a few facts they are not giving you. (This data is about 10 days old and is from NHS England's own database).

Total hospital beds in
North West (inc Manchester) 14,944 of which 301 are mechanical ventilators (MV)
Covid cases take up 136 of which 14 are MV

Midlands (inc Birmingham and Leicester) 16,328 of which 282 are MV
Covid cases 89 with 6 on MV

South East 14,105 of which 264 are MV
Covid cases 72 with 8 on MV

In all instances there as been a steady decline in cases in hospital with just 2 Covid deaths across the three regions in the last few weeks. Those on MV are all long term. In Birmingham during the last two weeks of reporting their hospital trust had ZERO beds taken up by Covid cases. You draw your own conclusions and feel free to write to me why we should all be in this state of paranoia.

Sunday 23rd Aug: 10:00

I think it is fair to say “that was better...... but not necessarily by much”. I have watched, because I can, four of the six Premiership games this weekend and do believe there was an improvement in quality from last weekend.

Let me start at Sale. This game started well with Exeter’s opening try “a thing of beauty”. Sale battled back quickly and my hopes of an end to end humdinger were raised. Sadly both sides returned to type and the steam-roller that is Exeter fired up the engine and put Sale firmly in their place. The second half also started brightly but the entertainment value in my mind was not sustained. Exeter are a very good side with some great players, and when they turn it on, which they did on Friday in bursts, they are fantastic but otherwise boy they are boring.

Then came Gloucester v Bristol. I thought this was a better game overall. More open and dynamic with some good passages of play. Bristol are shaping up to be the real deal (thanks to..... yes you’ve guessed it..... money) under Pat Lam and their new signings are already making their mark. By the way Tuilagi for Sale was much more influential this weekend. Bristol host Exeter on Tuesday. Both squads will be tested with such a quick turnaround but this has to be “a must watch” match.

Yesterday I caught most of the first half of London Irish v Northampton Saints which quite frankly was only marginally more exciting that watching paint dry. The second half was a big improvement, but that was never going to be difficult. Saints simply overpowered Irish whose scrum was woeful at times and when the penalty try was awarded the writing was on the wall. The one Irish player who was head and shoulders the best player on the field was Blair Cowan. Shame he was on the wrong side of the result. A mention too for Saints Nick Isiekwe, what a short term asset he will be. Irish will continue to struggle but Saints might just be rediscovering their mojo.

The final game of the day was Leicester v Bath. I have been very disparaging about English rugby versus Southern Hemisphere rugby but I can honestly say Bath played like a super rugby side. The ball was pinging around with great offloads, great support on the back of sensible decision making. Ben Spencer was at the heart of all things positive but all 15 Bath players made a positive contribution. It has to be said that after their initial early burst the inexperienced Leicester side were pretty ordinary, however, fair play, they didn’t let their heads drop and after Bath had made a plethora of changes they got a couple of well taken late consolation tries. Keep an eye on Bath going forward me thinks.

My final game of the day was Scarlets v Cardiff Blues. This was ok. Both sides tried to play an open game but at times this too was pretty turgid stuff. Scarlets looked good as did Cardiff in bursts. Josh Adams stood out for Cardiff with no one player from Scarlets standing out as their’s was a truly positive team effort. Man of the match was Nigel Owens. His 80 minutes of non stop commentary, coaching, disciplining was entertainment in itself but in all seriousness his control was what helped the game to keep flowing. No nonsense at set piece, and woe betide anyone ambling to a lineout. Great stuff.

As I said I haven’t seen any of the Saracens v Quins game or Wasps v Worcester but it seems as if Sarries were deserved winners but it wasn’t a stroll in the park. Wasps on the other hand had a much easier day.

In summary my observations are
These were much better games as a spectacle
Players first reaction remains to run into contact made worse by not looking to offload
The persistent offside is killing the game. Referees have got to be better at managing this
Scrums are a mess. It is the major thorn in the games side
Nearly all line outs are turned into turgid rolling mauls. It’s a game killer. By the way Bath’s off the top ball at the lineout created time and space for the outside backs. A lesson for others me thinks.

One law change I would make immediately. Free-kicks have to be taken as “tap and go”.

I read that JP Doyle has been made redundant. He is another casualty of the Covid bullshit. He was always pretty good in my mind. A bit of a show pony but generally refereed with empathy.

Finally before I do some manic housework, Mrs Bleater returns today from a break in Salisbury, I have to advise I have come in for some criticism. Not before time some of you might say. More on this tomorrow.

Thursday 20th Aug: 09:20

As the heading says we are no nearer grassroots rugby starting. The paranoia continues so we in the rugby world have to suck up it. To be fair the loss of rugby pales into insignificance compared to the millions of lives being ruined by ineptitude, failed science and the politics of self-interest.

There is rugby this weekend starting tomorrow morning with Western Force v Queensland Reds. The Pro14 gets underway with Benetton v Zebre. If you have BT sport then you have three interesting Premiership match-ups to watch.......

Sale v Exeter is the most prominent. Can Sale get their show back on the road after slipping up against Quins last week. Will Exeter continue to steam roller everybody en route to the title. I think Sale will come alive but quite frankly I don’t care. All I want to see is a decent open running game of rugby. I do not want to see kick tennis or two sets of rutting buffalo going head to head.

Gloucester v Bristol should be a cracker but again only if Pat Lam gets Bristol back to their cavalier best and the Cherry & Whites continue with their more free flowing approach of last week.

Wasps impressed last weekend and should stroll past Worcester at the Ricoh.

Moving on to Saturday we see the first of the two Welsh Derbies with Scarlets v Cardiff Blues, hopefully on S4C, plus Leinster v Munster and Edinburgh v Glasgow. No chance of seeing those unless you subscribe to whatever channel they are on.

Saracens host Quins. Saracens will bounce back I am sure and despite Quins having an almost complete squad I can’t see anything but a home win.

London Irish v Saints. I am almost tempted to say who cares but I am sure there will be Irish and Saints fans out there who do. London Irish will host at The Stoop which will be as unfamiliar to them as it will be for Northampton. Strangely this could be the best game of the weekend. I go Saints.

Finally we have Leicester v Bath. Leicester remain a deeply troubled side and as impressive Bath were last weekend I can see Leicester springing a surprise. Not really I go Bath but not by many.

It doesn’t stop there. On Sunday, the BIG ONE; Ospreys v Dragons. Two crap Welsh regions going head to head. Come on Dragons ............ but the Neath/Swansea outfit will win.

Bringing up the rear is Connacht v Ulster. You’ll be worn out by then me thinks, or bored to tears.

Interesting articles about big Billy Vunipola and why he is not taking the knee. Good man. Stand by your principles. I disagree with him about his support for Israel Folau but can applaud him for having the cojones to not follow like a lame sheep when are others by default are supporting a bunch of anarchists: BLM.

If you ever wondered why it is important to have a back up plan when you become a professional rugby player then look no further than Jack Clifford. The Quins and England forward has been forced into retirement at the age of 27 due to a persistent shoulder problem. Rugby inherently carries risks which is why we have seen wages going up but more than ever youngsters looking to play at the top flight need to have a good education, a plan B; something to fall back on. You are out of the game for a lot longer than you are in it.

Must go, Friday Club tomorrow, back On Sunday with a review of this weeks games.