It was brilliant to receive a copy of a mail from a visiting club who played our Under 16s saying thank you for an amazing welcome, an excellent game and superb facilities last weekend. Rewarding stuff for those who put so much effort in.

The wheel of fortune continues to spin for Jamie George as he is restored to the England setup following the withdrawal of Luke Cowan-Dickie. George was unlucky not to be included in the first place and I expect he will leapfrog into pole position once those all important selection decisions come around. Anthony Watson’s appearance for England during the autumn has also hit the buffers as he too has been hit with an injury. His place has been filled by Joe Marchant who has been in fine form for Harlequins.

With regard to that all important team selection I am beginning to worry. Sir Clive Knowitall and I are on more and more occasions in agreement. He like me believes Marcus Smith at 10 is the way forward but that decision would be seriously compromised if Jones picks Farrell at 12. Smith needs a ball carrier on his shoulder, someone who is going to do the hard yards after Smith has created the space. Farrell is not that player.

By the way can anyone, other than someone wearing the fabled Exeter eye-patch explain to me why Johnny Hill is in the squad?

South Africa are yet to announce their touring squad but Faf de Klerk and Cheslin Kolbe will definitely not be part of it. They have injuries requiring long lay offs.

France have announced their 42 man, yes 42 is correct, squad and it contains nine uncapped players. Like everyone else Fabien Galthie has injury woes but he continues to focus on the ultimate prize of lifting the Webb Ellis Trophy in 2023. This looks a powerful squad and with New Zealand the final game in their three test series it will be a real test of how Galthie’s plans are progressing.

I read that two Wasps coaches have been charged as a consequence of their actions in the contest with Exeter. One kicked the ball away and the other prevented an Exeter player from retrieving it. This petty, childlike nonsense has to be stamped out of the game and well done Wayne Barnes for taking immediate action: removing them from the touch line. As an aside we are only a few months into the season and it sad to read that Essex RFU have already had to write to all clubs in the county about deteriorating behaviour across the board from, players, coaches, and spectators.

Covid continues to drive ridiculous decisions. Fiji who are here in the autumn will travel without coaches or a management team, basically because being mainly New Zealand and Australian their paranoid governments might not let them return home. As a consequence Gareth Baber will act as Head Coach with support from Rory Best, Duncan Hodge and Ritchie Gray.

It really is quite pathetic that WalesOnline are claiming “former Wales young gun backed to become world class for Eddie Jones”. Yes Alex Dombrandt played for Wales Under 20s under the student residency scheme but does that justify the headline?

Another packed weekend of domestic rugby ahead with Crowborough taking on Folkestone. More on this and the other games tomorrow.

Lots of soccer tonight and across the week. The World T20 qualifying is under way. The USA F1 Grand Prix is this weekend. A veritable cornucopia of sport to consider. Leicester City play Spartak Moscow in Moscow this afternoon. As the new washing machine arrives sometime today and therefore I am tied to the house and the weather is grim I might succumb to daytime TV for that one.

Ok before moving on I have to say here we go again. Prof Ferguson aka the king of bull is at it again. Guess after paranoia inducing guess trying to bring the country to its knees again. The mandarins in the NHS, and in my view there are more mandarins in the NHS than in China, are screaming for us to work from home again and mask wearing to be reinforced. The latter despite growing evidence that mask wearing is not only useless unless they are military grade or worse are actually doing more harm than good.

Finally there are always two sides to an argument. Yesterday I gave MY opinion that not having the Covid vaccination was foolish. I immediately received a text documenting how naturally acquired immunity is as good if not better than having the vaccine. Now I am no scientists but I’d like to think common sense works. If you have had Covid and this gives you immunity from further infection then yes why bother. My question is how do you know whether you have that acquired immunity without extensive testing. There lies the problem. Unless you have definitely had it you don’t know. So my view is simple. Fair enough, you’ve had the virus then don’t bother but unless you are willing to pay for extensive testing of your antibodies then surely having the jab for free makes a lot of sense…… in my humble opinion.

Tuesday 19th Oct: 08:15

Just a quick missive this morning as the granddaughter will be here again any minute now. Firstly Paddy O’Fez has been in touch and no there was no smirking or gloating. I sensed a genuine sense of shock at the extent of Saracens win against Bath on Sunday and a concern for the morale of those who are supporters of the West Country outfit. He does raise a good point with regard to Bath and that is why oh why have they invested in Cipriani. “A luxury they can afford to do without”. I agree Paddy, and I also agree that despite the depth of talent at their disposal they do seem to be going backwards.

Back to Paddy in a minute. Eddie Jones has now shown his hand and it looks as if 2023 and the World Cup in France is the priority. Out go the Sarries contingent of Jamie George and the Vunipolas. Farrell and Itoje keep their places. Based on form the omission of George Ford has raised an eyebrow or two but not with me. About time I think. Raffi Quirke is a surprise, or maybe not. I think it is now certain that against Tonga Marcus Smith will start, probably with Harry Randall at scrum half. Where Jones has a problem is several players: Cowan-Dickie, Anthony Watson and Itoje to name three are carrying knocks. With Jamie George out Leicester’s Nic Dolly could get the nod even ahead of Jamie Blamire. There are some unfamiliar names in the 34 man squad but if push came to shove Jones can and will field a very experienced 15 with the likes of Ben Youngs, Johnny May, Watson, Courtney Lawes, Joe Marler et al waiting for the call. I think it is an exciting looking squad with plenty of vibrant young talent who given their head could turn what has been a pigs breakfast into a silk purse. (Yes, another mixed metaphor!) The concern is two fold. One, will Jones allow players to move away from a tightly defined game plan, and two if yes, is having Farrell, which is likely to be the case, at 12 a mistake. In fact counterproductive? Everybody is an expert so lets wait and see.

Spare a thought for two groups of people this morning. Firstly Tom Youngs and his family as Tom steps back from the game as his wife bravely battles cancer for a second time. Then the family and friends of Sean Wainui, Maori All Blacks and Waikato Chiefs, who perished in a car accident at the tender age of just 25. A sad loss indeed.

I’ll be back with more rugby news tomorrow.

Two quick things I have been asked why I am not having the flu jab but eager to have the Covid jab. In my mind the answer is simple. The Covid jab is proven to work against this strain, and other strains of the virus. It has been scrutinised to the nth degree. I have never had the flu jab and as this years version is based on a wild guess I’ll give it a miss. I am sure most of you know the flu jab given to UK citizens is based on the predominant strain that has circulated the world, especially in the Southern Hemisphere in the previous 9-12 months. As there has been virtually no flu during the last 18-24 months then they are basing the flu jab on what? In my mind pretty much a wild guess. I’ll wait and see. That might be a folly but as with the anti-vaaxers that is a choice I should be allowed to make. With regard to Covid I think those still refusing to have it are fools and I think those who are frail and susceptible to chest infections and have other serious underlying illnesses should have the flu jab. I’m not.

Finally at last a scientist who has been published in the main stream newspapers speaking sense. She asks, or rather states, that mass testing in schools is causing chaos and should be abandoned. She is right as the bulk of positives reported are from testing of 10-19 year olds who are SIGNIFICANTLY less likely to become ill and even less likely to be hospitalised. We have to have a sensible debate about living with the virus and what is “acceptable” (thanks Paddy). We cannot go backwards. PLEASE remember that even if the positive cases reach 50,000 per day 1 million people will have been tested. That means 950,000 people or 95% of those tested were negative !!!!!!!!

Monday 18th Oct: 08:00

The Bath v Saracens game yesterday put our match against Charlton Park into some context. This was the sort of scoreline and mis-match many of the travelling faithful anticipated on Saturday. For me, looking back, it reinforces the point we played extremely well, the boys attitude and application was magnificent and we were very unlucky not to come home with the win.

Elsewhere in our league Gravesend beat Old Colfeians and Beckenham beat Thanet Wanderers pretty easily 51-28. This leaves the two teams top and 3rd with Charlton Park sandwiched in the middle in 2nd spot. All have played four, won four. This might just put our position of 11th in context in that we have already played the top three sides. Our next opponents Folkestone lost to Beccehamian 17-40 and sit in 10th whilst Ashford below us lost to Dartfordians. The message clearly is it is still early in the season. In the other game Old Alleynians put Deal & Betteshanger to the sword 55-15.

In London 3 South East our good friends over at Heathfield & Waldron are definitely on a roll coming away from Aylesford Bulls with a fine win. It wasn’t enough to go top as that is where unbeaten Bromley sit after beating Cranbrook at Cranbrook. Crawley remain rooted to the bottom after losing at home to Dover. It is disappointing to see Old Dunstonians getting a HWO over Pulborough.

In Harveys Sussex 1 East Grinstead 64 Burgess Hill 15 catches the eye as does Seaford 32 Eastbourne 71. Uckfield beat Hellingly and Lewes won at Hove II to complete the results here. EG and Uckfield remain unbeaten.

Other Sussex clubs had mixed weekends. Hastings & Bexhill lost at Park House, Bognor won at Millbrook and Hove lost at home to Chobham. In London 2 South West Hove find themselves winless like us sadly. Haywards Heath lost at Hove III.

In London 1 South Horsham enjoyed a fine away win at London Irish Wild Geese. London Welsh and Medway remain unbeaten.

In London Premier despite another influx of players at Tunbridge Wells it wasn’t enough for them to beat Sutton & Epsom. Sevenoaks had a great day however, Brighton didn’t. 50-3 the score in this one. Wimbledon head the table, CS Stags don’t.

Moving up into the ether of National 2 South Worthing are moving along very nicely indeed. They are top after a comfortable win against Barnstable. Canterbury also enjoyed a “w” beating Leicester Lions. Up in National 1 TJs lost narrowly to Blackheath 21-23 leaving them close to the foot of the table.

To complete the usual round-up Stourbridge won at Harrogate. Bridgnorth and Salisbury didn’t play.

Of the big boys the Bath v Saracens game was actually men against boys in that first half. Saracens were awesome, Bath were awful. A ten try rout. I’m glad I’m not at the inquests into that performance at the Rec. Whilst I often disagree with Mark McCall he is spot on when he says that it will be a real shock if Jamie George is not in the England squad announced later today. The London Irish v Gloucester match looks a cracker. I’ll try and catch the highlights of this one, and Wasps v Chiefs, later today, granddaughter permitting.

Wales suffer more injury woes with Josh Navidi out until at least April after shoulder surgery. Ellis Jenkins limped off on Saturday with a rib problem, ribs injuries being notoriously difficult to resolve. It could be an all Dragons back row that starts agains the All Blacks in a couple of weeks time.

I’ll do a missive this afternoon ready for tomorrow once the England squad is announced. If the Daily Fail is to believed there will be a number of shock omissions, including George Ford. We’ll see!!

Rassie Erasmus could be with the Boks for the Autumn Internationals, this despite his hearing not being held until the end of the month.

Is there any good news in the papers? No! It is the same paranoia inducing, panic causing sensationalist stuff as always. I do wonder after such a well managed superbly delivered roll-out of the Covid jab why the booster program is such a shambles. FYI I’ll definitely be having it if offered but I will be declining the flu jab.

Sunday 17th Oct: 09:40

Needless to say the few of us who travelled to Charlton Park yesterday did so with trepidation. The mounting injury list, absentees for other reasons and the unacceptable poaching of two more players by a club nearby just this week left us with a second row playing full back and hooker at inside centre. An early penalty for Charlton Park didn’t allay those fears but what followed was simply magnificent.

You cannot buy team spirit and togetherness (as some clubs seem to think you can) it comes from a sense of belonging. It comes because you are there because you want to be and not because you are a mercenary being paid to perform. Yes Crowborough lost by 20-17 but anyone who watched the game will tell you they didn’t deserve to be beaten, they were the better side and only a very, VERY, dubious late yellow card and a late try deep, very deep, into stoppage time meant they didn’t come away with their first win of the season.

Losing young Ollie Clinch due to a head clash early on meant yet more disruption but the boys coped in some style. Some of the support play was excellent, the running lines incisive and the general skill levels top notch. Defensively they were excellent. Crunching tackle after crunching tackle was put in. Charlton Park played their part too in what was a thoroughly enjoyable game played in good spirit. The watching crowd, often losing track of the refereeing decisions, were entertained by the speed and quality of play by both sides. To be fair to Park they too had suffered late withdrawals this week disrupting their plans but for those who have been at Crowborough’s other games the underdog definitely deserved to win yesterday.

The boys from Steel Cross should not be happy with defeat but can be proud of their efforts yesterday and having listened in to the words spoken by the players themselves this could prove to be a catalyst for turning “Ls” into “Ws”. On the drive home The Bard and I debated who was man of the match. It would be totally unfair to pick out any individual from Crowborough. This was an all round 18 man team effort. They were all man of the match!

On a personal note it was good to see some of the old farts from CP who Mrs Bleater & I haven’t seen for some time. They were on fine form…… as always.

Having dissected the game which made our frustration at player poaching more intense we decided to call in at the club on the way home. It was still busy and although the 2nd XV lost to Ditchling they were in good spirits, not quite as good as the 3rd XV, who with the help of East Peckham, beat Crawley Bulldogs relatively comfortably. Without question there was an overriding theme in the clubhouse, no-one really cared about the result, it was about playing with your mates against like minded teams and having a good drink afterwards. I don’t know the exact details but the fact the boys from East Peckham bolstered the 3rds was brilliant. I am led to believe Ditchling and Crawley enjoyed the Steel Cross hospitality.

Yes, yes, I know, or I do now, the ULEZ doesn’t start to next week. Thank you to all of you who pointed out (with some glee) the error. Hey, better to be wrong that way than the other which could have cost you a small fortune!!!!

Caught the back end of Leinster v Scarlets when I got home followed by Cardiff v Sharks. Leinster were superb, especially in those latter stages. I enjoyed the Cardiff game although it wasn’t a classic. On Friday the Sale v Harlequins was, despite it lacking the whizz, bang, wallop of the previous Friday, reasonably enjoyable. That Raffi Quirke looks a player for the future. Him and Marcus Smith in tandem…… now there is a thought. I caught up with the Dragons v Stormers yesterday morning. Couldn’t believe how amazing the Rodney Parade pitch looked but could believe the Dragons snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. As a general observation I think the four South African franchises will dominate the second half of the season bearing in mind they are doing well now without any of their internationals.

Full round up of results tomorrow but Newcastle beating Bristol was a surprise and it is clear Leicester’s rising from the ashes is not a false dawn. Do you like the mixed metaphors?

Bath v Saracens today with Danny Cipriani set to make his first appearance.

Must mention Leicester City 4 Manchester United 2. Hoorah!

Whilst we can all justifiably criticise politicians the murder of Sir David Amess is outrageous. Yet another example that society is going to the dogs. Finally, and whilst it is in the Daily Fail, there is an article we should all take note of. It highlights that Covid has set a very dangerous and worrying precedent for the UK moving evermore into an overbearing draconian police state. Rest assured if flu is bad this time around how long do you think the doom-mongers will be proposing lockdowns and state sponsored dole.

Thursday 14th Oct: 09:35

Well done to Nigel Pooley and his squad from Sussex who acquitted themselves brilliantly in the Wooden Spoon Vets event held in Birmingham. Over £10,000 raised, they came 2nd out of a nationwide field and the contribution to the squad from Crowborough was excellent. More details on this website.

League rugby returns for us on Saturday at our good friends Charlton Park. They have started well and surely will start firm favourites. Don’t forget if you are planning on going to support the boys then make sure you have ticked all Sadiq’s boxes and got your overdraft organised. Google “London ULEZ” and you should find the site where you get liberated of your cash.

If you don’t want to travel then let Louise liberate you of some cash at Steel Cross. The 2s are hosting Ditchling. Kick off 15:00. According to the website the 3s are also in action and also at Steel Cross. Crawley Bulldogs are their opposition.

Outside those high profile contests two matches catch the eye in our league; Gravesend v Old Colfeians at the top of the table and Ashford v Dartfordians in our neck of the woods (table). In London 3 South East Aylesford Bulls host H&W who have been in fine form. Crawley host Dover and Pulborough travel to Old Dunstonians. In Sussex 1 East Grinstead v Burgess Hill has to be the pick of the fixtures. Elsewhere Hove host Chobham in 2 South West. It is true, Horsham do travel to London Irish “really mad geese this week”. That might be tough. In the Premier Inn the fixture of the day has to be Sevenoaks v Brighton. Tunbridge Wells host lowly Sutton & Epsom.

In amongst the big boys Worthing host Barnstable, Canterbury play Leicester Lions and above them TJs welcome Blackheath.

What else is happening worthy of note? Sale v Harlequins has to be worth watching on Friday or unless like me you have masochistic tendencies you could always watch Dragons v Stormers. The eye is drawn to Saturday where Wasps host Exeter Chiefs and their supporting headdress. Plenty of good match ups in the United Reform Church of Rugby: Cardiff V Sharks being the pick.

The Welsh squad for the upcoming Autumn Internationals has been announced. Putting to one side the drubbing the B team will get against the All Blacks it is a good looking squad, despite the injury list. The headline is being made by Christ Tshiunza, the 19 year old mountain of a lad plying has trade in Exeter. His is a fascinating story and unlike the Welsh educated Vunipolas he is not turning his back on the country that gave him his chance. BBC and others for more. Oh and Thomas Young is returning to Wales to join his dad at Cardiff Blues.

I see the Eco-mob were at it again yesterday. I really am not sure what they hope to achieve. Yes we can all do our bit by driving less, driving more economically, cutting food waste, changing our diet, recycling, making do and mend, and yes ensure our homes are well insulated. These little things done by everyone across the globe will make a difference but sadly it is the big things that count and the big countries like China that will make the biggest difference. If the Eco-mob really want to get the message across then protest outside the Chinese, or Brazilian embassies. Protest outside the offices of companies who have a poor record in terms of pollution. Don’t stop hard working people such as nurses, shop workers and lorry drivers from doing their jobs.

That’s enough for today other than to suggest you, after yesterday’s court ruling on the new fangled door bells with internet connected cameras allowing you 24 hour surveillance of your property, think long and hard about having one. As it also allows you 24 hour surveillance of your neighbours movements the courts have ruled it is a breach of privacy and fined the owner of the system an eye-watering £250k.

Back on Saturday, possibly. Back on Sunday definitely. Friday Club tomorrow certainly. That is as certain as everything is somebody else’s fault and the Government needs to fix it. It would have been good if they could have fixed my washing machine!!

Wednesday 13th Oct: 09:20

Just a little tip from someone who got embroiled yesterday in resolving what could have been an embarrassing and expensive error…………. If you are planning to travel check your passport is still valid. If not the consequences could be, let’s say, complicated. Some years ago I got that t-shirt to add to my many “cock-up” t-shirts.

To rugby. I have been sent some more information about last weekend. The tournament was amazing and the feedback excellent. These things aren’t all about winning, in fact winning is not that important for kids rugby. That said our Under 16s were undefeated drawing one game and wining the four others. Great stuff.

Having read the match report our Colts also did fantastically well at Uckfield. I mention this as these squads went through difficult patches with player numbers a little while ago. The coaches and supporters persevered and the results are now there to be seen. Well done all.

What else is in the news. Don’t bother going to Twickenham if you haven’t had the jab. A valid Covid passport will be required to gain entry to the ground during the Autumn Internationals, this despite the fact Covid passports are not required for events under English law. In my view this is discriminatory, totally excessive and extremely hypocritical. In today’s papers players who have refused the vaccination will still be eligible for selection. By the way there is sufficient proper scientific evidence out there, as opposed to Prof Ferguson’s outlandish wild guesses, to substantiate my ongoing rant that the vaccine does NOT prevent the spread of the delta variant (aka the Indian thing) and therefore Covid passports are a waste of time.

If you plan to travel to Coventry to watch Wasps v Exeter then leave your Chiefs headdress behind. Some sensitive souls from Wasps have complained that the wearing of Indian, Native American, as opposed to the other India, headdress is offensive and racist. Oh come on, do me a favour. How far does this woke, snowflake, pathetic lack of common sense go. How long before Saracens has to be renamed and the fez assigned to the bin. When will the birds and the bees gang up on Wasps. Why are Wasps so special. I think Bath should change their name as it is upsetting Shower Rugby. Actually in the case of Bath they are a Shower right now!

There is a feasibility study looking into the viability of a Women’s Lions team. Yeah, why not, except the Women’s game whilst improving domestically in England has huge disparities in the quality of the game internationally. Only England, France and New Zealand have teams of real depth and quality. I think it is too early. Let us see what happens in Women’s World Cup and look at the quality of the teams involved and assess whether there would be a country or group of countries worthy of opposing a Lions (England) team.

Good news for those men who like to wear leggings. World Rugby has changed the laws so in addition to Robin Hood, Men in Tights we can now have men playing in tights leggings. Actually it is a sensible move as more and more AGPs are now in use. The skin abrasions that can and do occur playing on these surfaces can cause serious infection. Up until now only women were allowed this “luxury”.

The grassroots game returns to the London leagues this weekend. Full preview tomorrow, however an early warning for the Steel Cross faithful. Charlton Park our opponents find themselves in the latest Mayor of London’s money making wheeze: the “ULEZ”. Yes they are in the Ultra Low Emmision Zone which in essence means you need to get an overdraft arranged so you can travel to support the boys. Details are somewhere on the interweb thingy.

Finally the WRU being in desperate financial straits thanks to the “C” word decided on an additional international match outside the agreed window against the mighty All Blacks. Well those chickens have come to roost pretty quickly. Wayne Pivac has a list of injuries and non availability as long as your arm. In fact at the last count 21 “first” choice players are missing. If that isn’t bad enough you can’t watch Wales B being thrashed by New Zealand on terrestrial TV. Amazon Prime have that sown up tighter than my wallet.

In other news the Covid recriminations have started. It is all someone else’s fault. No, actually it is the scientists fault for ridiculous forecasts, the media’s fault for the paranoia propaganda and the Government’s fault for relying on others (ahead of shifting the blame) and not making sound governmental decisions. Don’t forget Matt Hancock has a LOT to answer for. By the way 1 million people were tested yesterday and only 39,000 tested positive. You do the maths. It also should come as no surprise with the paranoia in schools most of the positives were kids aged between 10 & 19. Strange then that the vast majority of those passing from this life into the other are over the age of 75! STOP this nonsense. Treat it like the common cold, which surprise, surprise can take the elderly from us.

Monday 11th Oct: 10:00

The only place to start is Steel Cross where yesterday the club hosted the Sussex/Harlequins Under 16s Tournament. Due to unforeseen problems Mrs Bleater & I didn’t make it but I have it on very good authority the whole day was expertly managed with every club, coach, spectator having a splendid day. The volunteers who ran the tournament along with the staff: Louise & Jacqui, were at the heart of making it an event to proud of. Apparently the work put in by Drew Pratt, Head Groundsman and the old farts from the Friday Club didn’t go unnoticed either. Well done all.

I must also mention our Colts who travelled to Uckfield and came away with a fine 41-5 win. Great stuff.

No senior rugby for the club on Saturday but there was plenty played around and about. Worthing continue to go great guns in National 2 South winning 35-33 at Dings Crusaders to top the table. Canterbury enjoyed the journey back from Barnstable after winning 22-10. In the rarified atmosphere of National League 1 it wasn’t such a good journey home for TJs after losing to Birmingham Moseley 34-21.

Salisbury enjoyed a win against Swindon College Old Boys with their new stand proving to be a popular addition to the ground. My daughter and her family enjoyed this one. Up in the Midlands Bridgnorth beat Dudley Kingswinford to move them into 5th in their very competitive league.

Didn’t watch it as had the F1 and the IPL to contend with but have seen the highlights (lowlights) of Munster’s drubbing of Scarlets. The Scarlets tackling and defensive work was quite frankly woeful. A team packed with Welsh internationals should do better than what was on show yesterday.

Wasps brought Northampton’s winning run to an end in a hard fought encounter. I’ll try and catch the highlights of this one later. It’s going to be quite a season I think. No relegation will take the pressure off clubs and hopefully deliver up a more expansive game like Friday night’s extravaganza.

Uruguay have qualified for the 2023 World Cup knocking out Canada in the process. The USA are now in a “do or die shoot out” with Chile for the final Americas spot.

What a day of sport. The F1 was fascinating for a change, the IPL was great, the NFL was highly entertaining and by the way didn’t Tottenham Stadium do that game proud. Plenty in the paper about Tyson Fury, what a win, and about young Emma Raducana, out in the first round in Indian Wells. All that and I haven’t mentioned the Women’s Super League, Leicester City lost, nor the Women’s Premier 15s where Sarries Women beat Exeter and Wasps beat Gloucester. Bristol remain top with 5 wins from 5 games and a full house of bonus points.

World Cup Qualifiers take centre stage today. Come on Wales.

In other news there was an excellent article in The Guardian about social media. Having been out with neighbours on Friday and seeing them surgically attached to their phones and going on about Facebook and Tik-Tok and so forth, most of which went over my head, the piece hit home. It was titled “Is Facebook the tobacco industry of the 21st century”. Without question people are addicted to social media (yes this drivel falls into that category) and the ills that go with it. Falsehoods, misinformation, torment, self doubt, mental illness and on and on. A good read.

Then just this morning another article this time in the Daily Fail highlights how many who are “addicted” to social media confuse their views with facts. “Nearly half of young people think those who disagree with them are provably wrong”. This is why freedom of speech is going the way of common sense.

Right, that’ll do as I’m off to sort the unexpected problem………….. buying a new washing machine, oh and to panic buy loo paper…… NOT!!!!

Sunday 10th Oct: 09:50

Do you ever worry about your mental capacity and whether whatever marbles you have are dwindling in number? I do. So, the Wooden Spoon vets tournament was in Birmingham not anywhere near Steel Cross, the girls rugby open day at Steel Cross is next Sunday, not today, there were no games in the London leagues yesterday despite what I said on Thursday. The one thing I did actually get right was the Sussex/Harlequins Under 16s tournament IS today and it IS at Steel Cross. The grounds look immaculate despite recent rain so it should be a cracking event.

What a superb game of rugby on Friday night. Harlequins v Bristol. Not just the turnaround from being down 24-7 at half time to win 52-24 but the quality of the tries and the quality of skill on show from both sides. If Marcus Smith and Alex Dombrandt don’t start for England in the Autumn Internationals then Eddie Jones is a bigger clown than I think is.

Next up came Saracens v Newcastle. Not as enjoyable as the Friday game but enjoyable nevertheless. Saracens were rocked back on their heels in the first half by a determined Newcastle outfit but showed their class in the second with a pragmatic and well executed game plan in the second. I have to say I thought Owen Farrell was a disgrace. His attitude to the referee was appalling and certainly NOT an example for the many youngsters present. I also thought he didn’t play that well either. Jamie George and Billy Vunipola did ok and I am sure Mr E Jones would have noted that.

As an aside the Saracens homecoming to the Premiership raised a number of questions, especially around the salary cap. They did the crime and served the time BUT when I looked at the 23 who started and the high profile names who didn’t you do have to wonder how they are now below the cap. This especially with the knowledge that Farrell and Maro Itoje are being paid very big salaries indeed!!!! My good friend and bon-viveur Paddy O’Fez is sure to put me right.

Despite the lovely weather I succumbed to S4C and Connacht v Dragons. The Dragons winning was a surprise. The Dragons winning away and playing some excellent rugby was a massive surprise. Defensively they were very good indeed. Jonah Holmes certainly put his hand up for involvement in the Autumn Internationals.

Next up in the S4C extravaganza was Cardiff v Bulls. This was a game Cardiff should have won but fair play to the men from Pretoria they stuck to their task and put Cardiff in their place. Not a bad game all told. The injury to Josh Navidi early on didn’t look good and that will be a worry to the watching Wayne Pivac. Rhys Priestland did ok and might be the short term fix for the Welsh 10 spot whilst Callum Sheedy and Dan Biggar are unavailable.

Elsewhere Exeter with their Lions back in the fold steamrollered Worcester. Gloucester and Sale put on a thriller with Gloucester hanging on for the win. Leicester held a dogged London Irish at bay with George Ford’s boot rescuing the visitors late on.

In the URC there were wins for Leinster and Glasgow with Edinburgh and Stormers drawing 20 apiece.

Today brings Wasps and Northampton together with Scarlets hosting Munster which could be the game of the weekend but that might be a challenge with the Quins endeavours in mind. Both are on TV: S4C and BT Sport. I am not sure that Mrs Bleater will let me have control of the remote as the knockout phase of the IPL starts today. See how lucky I am. We are not at odds because she wants to watch some mindless soap but because she wants the cricket.

I’ll do the other rugby results tomorrow as normal. Nice piece on the BBC website about Maro Itoje being “more than just a rugby player”.

The Daily Fail ask whether Farrell has broken the 100 international cap mark? Yes is the answer. He made an appearance in the Lions v Japan warm-up fixture and unless Japan is no longer a country then that is an international.

The same paper also states Sale are concerned about any plans to restrict the number of overseas players in club’s squads. As South Africa B so they should be worried. I think overseas players should be restricted in number.

Then having thought more about the colour blind plan proposed by World Rugby it is now obvious what to do. Wales could play in dark blue, Ireland in all white and they could be called Scotland and England and play for the Calcutta Cup. I am sorry for anyone who suffers from colour-blindness but we can’t in life keep trying to please everyone. Even British Airways have gone woke. Staff can no longer say “Ladies & Gentlemen” for fear of offending someone. The world is going made. Even though 46 enormous blokes, that is MEN went head to head in the games I watched there wasn’t a “man of the match” it had to be a “player of the match”. Common sense has truly been assigned to the bin.

Thursday 7th Oct: 09:10

A few quick Parish Notices before I start. On Saturday in Birmingham there is the annual Wooden Spoon Vets charity fundraiser. A number of CRFC players will be and have been involved. The charity does a great deal of good work across the country but money raised in Sussex is spent in Sussex on many worthy projects. Details are here on the website.

On Sunday CRFC hosts the Sussex Under 16 Festival. Should be lots of great rugby on show. Four pitches of action.

Also on Sunday there is an open day for girls rugby at Steel Cross. Women’s and girl’s rugby is growing and it is important as many clubs as possible support the RFU in their drive to grow this aspect of the game. Details are also here on the website.

No grassroots rugby from our league downwards. Upwards there are games. Horsham travel to the very angry London Irish Wild Geese. Further on up Sevenoaks v Brighton is the pick of the fixtures with Tunbridge Wells hosting Sutton & Epsom. In the National League Worthing travel to Dings Crusaders, Canterbury are a million miles away at Barnstable. In National 1 TJs travel to Birmingham Moseley.

What else is going on Bleater? Well, on Friday Harlequins host Bristol. That should be an interesting game, especially if both sides play with the swashbuckling style that defined last season. Also on Friday Ospreys welcome the Sharks to Swansea. Won’t be the first time sharks have been seen in the city.

On Saturday there are four Premiership games none of which set the pulse racing. Saracens v Newcastle will be interesting. Is the Falcons good start another false dawn. Gloucester v Sale is probably the pick of the fixtures but the question I want answered is can London Irish knock Leicester Tigers off their perch, not that Tigers sit on perches! In the United thingy Cardiff host the Bulls and Dragons travel to Connacht. We have to wait until Sunday for the game of the weekend; Scarlets v Munster. Oh, and Wasps host Northampton on the same day.

Plenty of other action in the Women’s Premiership. The pick there is also Quins v Bristol. The Championship and the Top 14 are well underway but I am struggling to get enthusiastic about any of that. In both leagues that is about who has the most generous benefactor. Yawn!

The men on the naughty step have been to the Headmaster’s office with Worcester’s Ted Hill and Leicester’s Dan Kelly both getting 6 match bans reduced to 3 because they haven’t been on the naughty step before.

As the furore around England’s soccer stars being vaccinated rumbles on the IRFU claim that 99.2% of professional players have had at least one dose.

I see World Rugby is planning to tackle the issue of colour blindness by making the problem more widely understood. As a consequence when Wales play Ireland both teams could end up playing in unfamiliar colours. I think it is right sport aims to be all inclusive but, and this might be controversial, it can’t cater for every affliction. SKY Sports website for the full story.

Just a couple of other things you might have missed……….

Hoorah! The power crazed Wee Jimmie Sturgeon has been brought crashing down to earth by the Supreme Court who ruled she had significantly overstepped the mark with some of her recent legislation. The key point is the ruling indicates that the Scottish Parliament has no power to rule that a second independence vote would be legal without Westminster’s blessing.

How far up their own backsides do politicians have their heads. One Peter Bottomley, almost appropriately named, has said MPs are struggling to survive on £82,000 per year and it should be raised to £100,000. It beggars belief when the national average is £31,000

The holiday rules are relaxed today. Hoorah for that but I am not sure I will be rushing for a range of reasons.

Ok dear readers. Can you help me? Forced vaccination. If having the vaccine does NOT prevent the spread of the virus a) why such a fuss about vaccine passports and b) why are care home staff about to lose their jobs for not having the vaccine? A serious question as I genuinely can’t get my head around these draconian measures. By all means insist on vaccinating all elderly in care homes and vulnerable people in the community to help reduce the impact of the virus but if vaccination doesn’t stop the spread why the fuss?

Wednesday 6th Oct: 09:30

I took time out yesterday to catch up on the highlights of round 3 of the Gallagher Premiership. I know on Saturday the weather across the UK was dire but if that is what Premiership rugby has to offer then heaven help us.

Bristol v Bath did offer up some excellent tries, or at least Bath did. I also thought there were some pretty outrageous decisions that went against Bath during that game. The least said about Leicester v Saracens the better. Yes Aled Davies shouldn’t have dived in at the death but that should have been overturned for an appalling act of thuggery by the Leicester centre. Northampton Saints were lucky to beat London Irish. When the Irish realise gifting the opposition points at the start is madness they could be a force to reckon with. Newcastle v Wasps had plenty of drama if not much open play. Yes it was a red card. There can’t be any argument about that. Gloucester finally got their show on the road at Worcester thanks to a wonderful display by Adam Hastings. Another red card that is difficult to argue against in this one. However, yet again we saw the invidious sight of a player going up for a high ball extending his leg in an unnatural position and subsequently making contact with an opponents face. The blazers need to look at that. Finally Sale v Exeter on Sunday. Henry Slade was the ring-master scoring two well taken tries and kicking the goals. Yet another red card in this one. I wasn’t so sure about the card but contact with the shoulder was made with the head with force.

These were the briefest of highlights per game but as I have said there was little for me to get really excited about. I’ll preview this weekend’s games tomorrow.

I also caught up with the second half of South Africa v New Zealand. This was a brutal encounter in which the centre of attention way too often was Matthew Carley and the TMO. In perfect conditions this should have been a free flowing encounter. Way too often it was punctuated by the referee’s whistle and long chats with the TMO. What made it worse was common sense had gone out of the window and any empathy with the game and players ability had clearly been assigned to history. This might not make sense but I was disappointed South Africa won but happy New Zealand lost.

Just a few other snippets of rugby news. The first is very disappointing and a terrible advert for our game which prides itself on its pillars of decency. Cory Hill, and some of his mates, have been arrested for a drunken rampage in a strangers house in South Wales. Pillocks!! Liam Williams is almost certainly out of the Autumn Internationals after and appendix operation. Saracens coach Mark McCall says Eddie Jones would be foolish to ignore Farrell, George, and the Vunipolas. By the way this the same McCall that previously has said the international game should be cut right back.

International football returns this week with the next round of World Cup qualifiers. The F1 bandwagon rolls into Turkey and the IPL heads to its conclusion with the final round-robin matches.

Not everything in life is governments fault. Not everything that goes wrong should be solved by government. However, when you have self-serving clowns (on both sides) hiding away their riches, with no idea of real life then you have a recipe for disaster. No-one could have foreseen the Covid situation but please don’t tell me those in power didn’t see the exodus of cheap foreign labour as a result of Brexit causing the problems we have now. Many, including me, said once the those from other parts of Europe who make our coffee, pick our fruit, drive our trucks had gone the vacuum caused wouldn’t be filled by those Brits who find it too convenient and WAY too easy to live on benefits.

What I found interesting yesterday was seen at Uckfield Leisure Centre. Over the last few weeks we have enjoyed taking our granddaughter swimming. Yesterday it was just as busy with mostly the same kids BUT instead of the mums and dads it was the grandparents overseeing the kids. I can only surmise now the holiday, aka furlough, is over the parents have had to go back to work.

You really have got to love the French haven’t you. Today it is alleged, despite the fact Msr Macron derided the AZ vaccine, he diverted many millions of doses legally destined for the UK to France. Then you have the French fishermen threatening all sorts of action because they can’t fish in OUR waters. France obviously is only for the French but so it seems is the rest of the world.

Finally the Eco-mob. I am genuinely worried about climate change and the impact it will have on my kids and grandkids. We have to do something. However when you have jokers like that Roger Hallam stating he would happily block the path of ambulances no matter how critically ill the patient is then he is doing more harm than good. The fact he can’t see that is typical of society where all too often no matter how small the cause it is “my way or no way” and as consequence we will never move forward.

Monday 4th Oct: 09:00

Up and at it this morning. In London 2 South East we are off the bottom with Ashford now in that dubious position having lost to Old Alleynians 5-29. Charlton Park are top after beating Beccehamian with Gravesend hot on their heels in 2nd after their win at Thanet Wanderers. Old Colfeians are 3rd and Beckenham are 4th. All of these sides have played three, won three. Dartfordians took the spoils over Folkestone. An empty weekend next weekend so an opportunity to charge the batteries and get the injured up and running.

In London 3 South East Heathfield are doing ok thank you very much. A 31-8 win over Old Dunstonians proves that point. Crawley on the other hand took another beating losing at top of the table Bromley 72-0. Pulborough came unstuck at home losing to Cranbrook 3-12. The Greenies lie 3rd with Dover bottom. Aylesford Bulls are the other unbeaten side in this league.

In Sussex 1 a full set of fixtures which is great news. Burgess Hill lead the way beating Hove II. Uckfield and East Grinstead enjoyed away wins at Eastbourne and Hellingly respectively and Lewes beat Seaford 7-6. Eastbourne prop up the table.

In the other leagues where Sussex clubs play Hastings & Bexhill beat Faversham, Hove lost at Chiswick and Bognor beat Eastleigh II. Hove, like us haven’t got off to the best of starts but disappointingly in their league (London 2 South West) London Exiles and Old Tonbridgians couldn’t get sides out.

Above us in London 1 South a better day for Horsham coming away from London Cornish with a 24-7 win. Chichester continue to do well beating KCS Old Boys to stay 2nd. Medway won at Farnham.

In the Premier division Brighton triumphed over Sutton & Epsom, Sevenoaks strolled past Sidcup by plenty but Tunbridge Wells suffered a narrow defeat at Maidenhead. Wimbledon lead the way in this one.

Onwards and upwards and that is definitely the case for Worthing as they beat Rochford Hundred to go top. Canterbury lost to Dings Crusaders. In the posh league TJs lost at home to unbeaten Cinderford.

Elsewhere Bridgnorth won at Doncaster Phoenix but Salisbury lost at Swindon. Talking of Salisbury my grandson played his first ever competitive game when Salisbury Under 10s travelled to Chippenham.

Looking across the Premiership there were some pretty tight contests none more so than Leicester v Saracens. A penalty try at the death to seal it for the Tigers who are now top. Northampton who are also unbeaten squeaked past a dogged London Irish. In the M5 derby Gloucester took the spoils over Worcester but it was Newcastle beating Wasps that caught the eye. Exeter got their show back on the road with a fine win at Sale yesterday.

In the URC Dragons lost to Leinster 6-7 but according to the papers Dragons could have been worthy winners. The other three Irish regions also all won. In the Welsh derby Ospreys beat Cardiff on Saturday. The surprise of the weekend was Benetton 28 Edinburgh 27.

In terms of headlines Welsh fly halves Dan Biggar and Gareth Anscombe both starred for Saints and Ospreys respectively. Hoorah! However, if you were hoping to watching either of them in the Autumn unless you have Amazon Prime forget it. You won’t even be able to watch on S4C and don’t even think about trying to listen on the BBC. The WRU are desperate for cash but selling your soul to the highest bidder is a folly. You want as many, not as few people as possible watching games and being excited about the contest. Right now the WRU, and the other Unions are doing the opposite. Absolute madness. I have access to Amazon Prime so tickets at my house start at just £55 each!!!!!!

The “sold” sign has gone up at Saracens with a rumoured £32m deal being agreed between a consortium that includes the great Francois Pienaar and Nigel Wray. £32m is small return on the huge investment Nigel Wray has made in Saracens over the last 26 years but it is better than nothing I guess.

Good piece in the Daily Fail about Zac Mercer’s move to Montpellier. Definitely as far as England are concerned one that got away.

Ok, that’ll do for now as I am off to sit in my car and gloat as I stare at the fuel gauge reading “full”. The fuel situation. Another problem caused by incompetence and blown out of all proportion by the media.

Sunday 3rd Oct: 09:25

The weather couldn’t spoil what was an excellent occasion at Steel Cross yesterday. Past Players Lunch, and thoroughly enjoyable it was too. It was brilliant to see many players from a previous era some of whom hadn’t been at the club since the new clubhouse opened some ten years ago. Also present were members of the John Wilmshurst family honouring his passing. John was a stalwart of the club and we were very much part of his family and as he was of the Crowborough Rugby family. The food and service were excellent. Well done Jacqui and Louise. Thanks must also go to Graysey and Judith for their part in organising the day and the raffle respectively. A splendid occasion indeed.

So to the contest. Despite the result and the awful conditions, I got soaked, I enjoyed it. The wind and the rain made handling difficult but the boys tried hard to play an open game. There was plenty of kicking, much of it wayward but there was also much to be applauded. We, in the main, held our own in the lineout and scrum, in fact sometimes dominating. Where we were second best too often was in the tackle/ruck area. The ball we got was too slow and worse, too often we turned it over. We were also on the wrong end of the refereeing decisions some of which were, how best to describe them, strange. On top of this our discipline was not the best conceding several kickable penalties. If they weren’t immediately kickable after back chat they became eminently kickable. This is something Crowborough need to address.

Not making excuses but seeing key players Tom Noot and Adam King limp off with ankle injuries was not helpful either.

Beckenham were well organised and defensively excellent. They played with width despite the conditions and had a kicker who missed nothing when goal was the target. It was difficult to select one man from Beckenham as a stand out player as theirs was a genuine team effort. 15-9 was about right and they deserved the win.

There were two occasions when their physio was on the field looking after Crowborough players which was brilliant to see. Thank you! On the flip side as someone who wholeheartedly supports the RFU “Head Case” initiative I was horrified to see their No.4 return to the field after what looked a substantial head knock. Serious enough at the time to bring the game to an immediate halt by the players themselves. Yes there was a substantial period of time before leaving the field and returning but in my opinion his return to the field was wrong. This is my only criticism of the visitors, as pre, during and post match they were a credit to the game.

Despite defeat our boys can also hold their heads high. Everyone one of them tried their best and that is all we can ask.

Looking forward if we can improve our discipline, be more clinical in our passing and sort out the breakdown we’ll be there or there about. Getting the injured players back is also crucial.

On the lower pitch our 2s hosted Shoreham. This was a pretty one sided affair with Shoreham strolling it by 54-0. You would expect our 2s to be downhearted, especially playing in awful conditions. Wrong! The better side won and won easily enough but our boys thoroughly enjoyed it. They were happy to be playing without restrictions, they were delighted to be back in the bar with their mates and that of course meant those who had run out for the 1st XV.

A splendid day at Steel Cross and despite the weather a great day all round.

I’ll do the full league round up tomorrow. In the meantime a comment about the two internationals. The Aussies played very well putting a weakened Argentinian side to the sword. To be fair when you consider how long the Pumas have been on the road away from home you have to admire how they have stuck to the cause. It wasn’t a classic, especially the first 20 minutes which was dire. It improved thankfully. I have only seen the first half of the South Africa v New Zealand contest. Yes I have seen better but I have seen much worse too. The Lions series for example. The result was a surprise and I’ll certainly watch the rest of it after I have watched the NRL grand final between Penrith and the South Sydney Rabbitohs.

I caught some of the Scarlets v Lions game on Friday. Some of the scores were definitely worthy of any highlights reel. Excellent. I also understand the Bristol v Bath game was pretty good too. This afternoon Exeter v Leicester and Dragons v Leinster take centre stage.

Ok that’ll do but before I go a comment. On BBC News on Friday Jane Hill with a deadpan, serious look on her face told us in hushed tones that 4.5% of England school pupils had tested positive for Covid since going back to school and this was concerning. Wow, I nearly went into self induced lockdown until I computed HOORAH 95.5% of pupils tested NEGATIVE. The news media should be closed down, the paranoia they peddle is disgraceful!

Thursday 30th Sept: 08:45

Another big weekend of rugby so let’s crack on. We host Beckenham who are two wins from two games. This will be tough for the injury ravaged team from Steel Cross but in front of many past players (its their lunch on Saturday) I am sure they will give of their very best. Table toppers Charlton Park are at Beccehamian and Gravesend travel to Thanet.

Our 2nd XV host Seaford which should be a good contest. Both games kick off at 15:00

It is the last weekend of the Rugby Championship with NZ going head to head with the Boks again and Australia take on Argentina. An Argentinian side without six players who left the Covid bubble without authorisation.

In the Premiership, Friday night brings Bristol and Bath together. Neither side have started well so this, even this early on, could be a season defining moment. Scarlets hosts Lions in the United Rugby thingy. Saturday brings us possibly the game of the day: Leicester v Saracens. I know Paddy O’Fez is excited by this one……. He’s told me so. Worcester v Gloucester is also a result to look out for. Another Welsh derby is the pick of URC on Saturday with Ospreys taking on Cardiff.

In other leagues I’ll be looking to see how The Greenies go against Old Dunstonians and Crawley fare at Bromley. Pulborough v Cranbrook could be good. Eastbourne v Uckfield is the pick of the Sussex 1 games. In London 1 South Horsham at London Cornish is my pick. Our neighbours Tunbridge Wells travel to Maidenhead, Sevenoaks to Sidcup and Brighton host Sutton & Epsom. For the sake of completeness TJs host Cinderford and Worthing host Rochford Hundred in their respective leagues.

BBC Newsround have asked the question - is rugby safe for kids? Yes, when it is well coached at good clubs which invariably grassroot clubs are. The game becomes more “dangerous” when you get into adult rugby where players are bigger and stronger. Kids can get concussion so there is a worry but with RFU and the World Game really focussing on head injury prevention and head injury management parents should be reassured. Like anything in life; crossing the road, riding a bike, going to school, there is risk and risk has to be managed. I can’t comment on other clubs but I know CRFC and Salisbury (my grandson’s club) take managing the risk very seriously and are very well run. Yes there is more that could be done but in essence kids playing rugby can enjoy SIGNIFICANTLY more benefits than the few risks they face. The article is well worth watching.

Scotland and Wales are soon to introduce vaccine passports for big events. There is no evidence this will prevent the spread of the virus and that isn’t just my opinion that is from eminent scientists too. Those in power who are now besotted by power think it is tool to encourage vaccine deniers to get vaccinated. There are two hopes of that and one is Bob. Having the vaccine DOES NOT prevent the spread of the virus. People who are unvaccinated are only putting themselves at risk. The argument is unvaccinated people are more likely to go into hospital if they catch Covid. So here is an idea. An unvaccinated person going into hospital is charged £500 per day for the privilege. That is likely to focus the mind rather than the pathetic and undemocratic notion of vaccine passports.

Just a couple of other things. I read the Eco-mob are at it again this morning. Today it is the Thurrock junction. I am passionate about free speech which is why I persevere with this drivel but these morons are putting lives at risk, including their own. The police and the legal system should be ashamed of themselves. These people are taking the 9155 and need to be dealt with. Climate change is a serious issue but it is NOT a single issue such as insulating homes. If these zealots are serious then they should be protesting outside the Chinese embassy, the Chinese being one of the biggest polluters.

Finally the French. Bless them. They make it virtually impossible for any country to take advantage of French business and protect their assets with a fervour. The UK has left the EU so we are now able to do the same. I find it ludicrous the fuss the French are making because they can’t fish in OUR waters.

Maybe back on Saturday but definitely back on Sunday. Off to the club for Thursday Club having been there yesterday and I will be there doing my bit on Friday.

Wednesday 29th Sept: 09:15

It is so nice to be able to take the granddaughter swimming on a Tuesday without having to worry about ridiculous Covid rules. It’s good for me and Mrs Bleater too but I’m sure you are not bothered by that.

It is a real shame Premiership Rugby in their infinite wisdom desire for cash have taken the hourly highlights show off Channel 5. I am lucky in that I have access to BT Sport so can watch the highlights in a single show, IF I am so inclined. Others have to navigate the tortuous website of Premiership rugby. It is so short sighted to beggar belief.

By the way I had a long debate with my brother about cricket on the weekend, women’s v men’s and the new Hundred. Won’t go into details but it is fair to say cricket is being talked about again and mainly thanks to The Hundred. Why? In my opinion because the BBC covered quite a lot of it live on BBC2.

Back to the Premiership. Gloucester are starting where they left off. Losing. Leicester Tigers have reinvigorated themselves under Steve Borthwick. Gloucester’s new AGP looked amazing. Are AGPs the way forward? A debate for another day. The eye catching result was Wasps 44 Bristol 8. Bristol have lost Max Malins and Ben Earles back to Saracens and they have players still to come back from Lions duty but I certainly didn’t see that coming. Bath losing at home to Newcastle highlights the halcyon days of Bath Rugby are well and truly over. Exeter have a number of players also resting post Lions duty but they previously prided themselves on the depth of their squad. The Sandy Park faithful would have been shocked to lose to the Saints. Quins overcame a dogged Worcester in what seems to have been a very good encounter. Worcester might just be dark horses (if I am allowed to say that in this pathetic woke world we live in) this season. Finally only saw the second half but as already stated I was mighty impressed by London Irish’s fight back against Sale.

In the United Reform Church of Rugby (yes I will stop calling it that soon) the South African franchises didn’t fare too well with only the Lions winning at Zebre. Lions normally eat Zebre don’t they? Cardiff v Connacht was a pretty acceptable offering on Friday night, especially when viewed in the company of our mate Sav. The Scarlets lost at Edinburgh which begs the question why does the Welsh national side punch above its weight when regional rugby is often shi! rubbish?

Other rugby news tells us a Covid outbreak in Brisbane (probably one person and his dog) has forced the four international sides to pull up the drawbridge and isolate before this weekend’s final round of games.

England’s new attack coach says they want to win the World Cup in 2023 and to “create opportunities and finish them”. Well Martin that is earth shattering news. I will now go to a darkened room to meditate over those amazing insights.

Wales sweat on the availability of a fly half for the Autumn Internationals. Injuries and absentees (Biggar and Sheedy) leave Wales pretty exposed at 10.

Qualifying for the Women’s World Cup is underway. I’ll try and spend some time on this for next week.

As a preview of tomorrow’s preview I read that several Lions tourists have been released to play this weekend well ahead of the agreed ten week lay off. It also seems that Lions players who were due to miss one of the autumn games will ignore that ruling/guidance. Player welfare versus money. Sadly money is winning.

I have been pilloried for my Covid views and have been lambasted as a “remainer” but if you go back 12 to 15 months and read some of my previous drivel you will see my forecasts are significantly more accurate than that clown Professor Ferguson. The economy is in pretty precarious shape, redundancies post furlough are on a steep incline, the NHS is a shambles with well over 5m now on waiting lists for treatment, including cancer, the country is a mess because bone idle Brits won’t do what the Romanians, Bulgarians, Poles and others used to do and I could go on.

On top of that the police have turned into some sort of bleeding heart liberal social service and we continue to welcome illegal immigrants with open arms putting a roof over their heads and food on the table at tax payers expense when there are millions around the country working all hours and several jobs and even then only just existing. Madness.

Finally don’t you just love Nicola Sturgeon. Scotland has one of the worst, if not the worst drug problem in Europe with crime and destitution rife. What does she do? Decriminalises drugs. Problem solved.

By the way there is an interesting correlation between Wales and Scotland increasing the price of alcohol and the subsequent increase in drug use.

Monday 27th Sept: 15:50

Just back from an excellent few days in Wales. It was great to see things getting back to normal even though the rules on masks are different (pathetic). People were clearly catching up for lost time and enjoying their new found freedom.

Obviously getting the news that Crowborough had been beaten 50-0 by a well organised Gravesend side was not a good way to start Sunday morning, especially after reading The Bard’s excellent report. Quite clearly injuries, especially to our back line, are not helping and it seems indifferent decision making when we have possession doesn’t help. Some interesting results in our league reinforcing the point this is going to be a tough season. Last week’s victors, Deal lost at home to Thanet which is an omen. Next week’s opponents Beckenham beat Beccehamian. Charlton Park are top after their win over Dartfordians. In the other games Folkestone beat Ashford and Old Alleynains lost to Old Colfeians. The boys from Steel Cross will need to regroup this week.

FYI I was WRONG. We have played Gravesend before, just not away.

Elsewhe