Sport as an entity becomes irrelevant when you watch the horrendous scenes in Copenhagen yesterday afternoon. Christian Eriksen collapsing and having to be resuscitated on the field puts life and sport into sharp focus. Let us hope for a full and speedy recovery for the Danish midfielder.

Bristol v London Irish being called off due to the Covid bullshit made the complexity of the final round of matches significantly less interesting. Bristol automatically top the table as a consequence.

Sale almost sprung a surprise at Sandy Park but Exeter are not a side that throw in the towel. Even with Sam Skinner seeing red on the 54 minute mark Sale could not relax for a single moment . They took a well deserved lead and the bonus point win looked on the cards. Exeter dragged themselves back into the contest with Luke Cowan-Dickie and Stu Townsend tries with Joe Simmonds adding the extras plus two penalties. For Sale MacGinty was again the lynchpin but his efforts were not enough as they ultimately fell short. The two sides go head to head again next week.

The three other games all hinged on what Newcastle Falcons could do at The Stoop. As it happened they couldn’t do a great deal against a rampant Harlequins outfit. Newcastle looked to be in touch at half time but Quins turned on the afterburners in the second period. Even though the visitors scored four tries the hosts scored seven. This result meant whatever happened in the other games Leicester, Wasps and Bath would all qualify for Europe.

As it happens Bath did what they had to do by beating Northampton in a keenly fought contest. Leicester Tigers also put any concerns of missing out by beating Wasps with a bonus point. Wasps played their part by securing the losing and try bonus points. Both these games, despite having lots at stake, seemed to have been crackers. I’ll be watching the highlights tomorrow.

So where does that leave us? Bristol will play Harlequins and Exeter will host Sale next weekend. Over the course of next week we can look at the permutations but my immediate reaction is the final will be Bristol v Exeter on the basis Quins won’t be able to counter Bristol’s free flowing style, defence has been Quins issue, Exeter v Sale is harder to call but I go Exeter.

The big game is today. It is a real shame that it isn’t available on TV for the masses.

Of course it is impossible to ignore the fact England play Croatia this afternoon. I expect Bridgnorth to be very quiet this afternoon. This in stark contrast to yesterday when the town was unbelievably busy. The riverside walks, parks and bars were buzzing. Lots of activity in High Town too. Bridgnorth Rugby Club have set up the “biggest beer garden in Shropshire” and based on yesterday they were doing a roaring trade. The club is strange in that the clubhouse is in Low Town and the players have to walk along the river to get to the pitch. This is where their huge marquee was set up. No, we didn’t stop for a beer............. Neither of us had taken any money with us on our walk.

Right, that’ll do for now. Jobs to do for my mother!!

However I must ask if you watched the latest episode of “Would I Lie To You?” Matt Hancock in front of another select committee of nonentities asking mealy-mouthed questions. Where were the hard nosed challenges like “why are you lining the pockets of your mates with massive contracts?”

Hoping to throw away the mask and stand at the bar next to your mates any time soon? Forget it! The scientists are in full paranoia mode and Boris the Buffoon is being led blindfold into extending lockdown. This will never end if the scientists have their way. Even this morning the papers are saying the scientists are claiming there will be 100,000 cases every day in July. Why have we bothered to have a vaccination. This cannot go on. People being paid to do nothing, the travel industry going down the toilet, the hospitality industry about to collapse, people dying of non Covid issues because they can’t see a doctor, people being stabbed on our streets daily, poverty and deprivation on the rise, and all this while the scientists and moron MPs ride the gravy train that is Covid.

Friday 11th Jun: 08:10

Eddie Jones, in many respects, has been boxed into a corner and has named 21 uncapped players in his very youthful squad. The absence of players to the Lions, the play-offs and those deemed in need of a break are all contributors but let’s not forget the stinging criticism of England’s 6 Nations performance and Jones selection policy for that tournament. I won’t go through the squad as a) you can do that for yourselves and b) it will change as more players become available. Put Jones to one side as I still firmly believe his “use by” date is up these youngsters, if selected to play, have a golden opportunity to put themselves in the frame for the World Cup in 2023.

So to the weekend’s fixtures. The biggest game is Ealing v Saracens. I think Saracens will win and I think they will win pretty comfortably. The game is on TV but not BT Sport as I thought but on Premier Sports. This is a pay per view channel so unless you already subscribe then effectively the game isn’t on TV.

The Worcester v Gloucester cancellation means the Kingsholm outfit’s slimmest of mathematical miracles in making the Champions Cup is over. Exeter v Sale is the most meaningful contest at the top of the table. Any points for Exeter secures home advantage in the play-off. Sale have to win with a bonus point with Exeter getting nothing out of it. Highly unlikely.

In the other games there is still plenty to play for but much hinges on selection. Harlequins are in the play-off so could rest a whole host of players again when the Falcons visit. This opens the door for a Falcons win. Even if that were to happen other results will need to go their way. Northampton are the only side who have secured a Champions Cup spot so for the others wins are crucial. Bath host Saints. Bristol could do everyone a favour by beating London Irish at Ashton Gate. The most intriguing contest is Wasps v Leicester. This is a winner takes all battle. The loser could find themselves missing out IF the other results also go against them.

I am going to stick my neck out and say Exeter will lose against Sale but get the bonus points for that home tie. Bristol will beat London Irish. Bath will lose to Northampton but other results will go their way. Leicester will win at Wasps but in a high scoring contest. Wasps will qualify as Quins will hold off a spirited Falcons.

The player roundabout is in full swing. No fewer than 41 players are leaving the Welsh regions as squads are cut due the current financial pressures. One I didn’t see coming was Zack Henry returning to France to ply his trade. I thought the Leicester Tiger was on the cusp of greatness. Leicester are also likely to see Johnny McPhillips move to France. Wasps are losing at least three players including Kieran Brookes. A host of Harlequins are also leaving as their clear out continues.

Sale second row JP du Preez has picked up a three game ban thus ending his domestic season. When I say domestic the South African is playing here in England. He was cited for striking with the elbow.

That’ll do for now except to say what a pompous little man Msr Macron really is. Despised in his own country and now acting as the biggest anti-UK cheerleader of all time. Banning Brits from his shores, vetoing any compromise deal on the awkward Northern Ireland issue; the “sausage war” and saying the only language in the world is French. “Va tu faire enc...” is what I say!

Interesting piece in the Independent. The NHS have been told to “identify patients actually sick from Covid-19 separately to those testing positive”. From day one I have bleated on and on and on about this. The number of Covid deaths is inflated because people have died with Covid and not from Covid. People are being admitted to hospital for something other than Covid but because they have tested positive they are included in the daily propaganda and paranoia. The reporting has always been wrong and at last it has been recognised.

Hooray for Joe Biden. What!!! Yes, hooray for Joe Biden. His visit has taken those hand-wringing, self-centred, publicity seeking, snowflake hypocrites off the front pages. Yes I am taking about the Sussexes. What a pair of .......... yes, once again you can fill in the gaps.

That’ll do as the motorway beckons. Off to see my sister and Chelsea loving brother-in-law and my dear old mum. Nothing from me tomorrow, Back on Sunday.

Thursday 10th Jun: 08:30

Once again I have to start a blog with the sad news that one of ours has passed. In the early hours of Tuesday morning Len Frank handed in his membership card and passed away peacefully in his sleep. In the words of his grandson Matt “age finally caught up with him”. Len had been a loyal member of Crowborough RFC for more years than many can remember, having coached the juniors, worked behind the bar, marked the pitches all whilst steadfastly supporting the teams throughout with son Tony and grandson Matt regularly wearing the red and white of “the Borough”. Never known to be without something to say Len will be missed. According to Matt he was a stubborn so-and-so to the very end but that was what made Len, Len. Proud of his North East roots and an even prouder family man. Len, rest in peace. Our thoughts are with your family and friends at this difficult time.

I was plagued by IT issues yesterday hence I didn’t bring this news to you then. You don’t realise how dependent you become on the internet and technology. Anyway by the miracle of said technology here is what is going on in the world of rugby..... and beyond.

Eddie Jones will announce his initial squad for the upcoming internationals later today. Expect it to be packed with youngsters like Bath’s Miles Reid. None of the players who are due to play in the play-offs will be selected at this point in time. Twelve England players are away with the Lions and a number of “regulars” such as George Ford and Johnny May will be rested. More tomorrow.

One player set to miss out is Dave Ribbans after getting a three week ban following his red card for Saints against Exeter.

Congratulations to Poppy Cleall and Sam Simmonds. The RPA players of the year. Marcus Smith was young player of the year.

Pat Lam is apparently “over the moon” that the Afoa incident is to be investigated by the RFU. Just come clean Pat, you tried to cheat. There is one possible downside to this and that is how many times going forward will the full front row changes go down as “injured” and not as “tactical”??

I was going to review the Rainbow Cup but I really can’t be bothered. With the Benetton v Ospreys game cancelled thanks to positive Covid tests Benetton automatically go into the final against the winner of the South African mini-league. Fair play to Benetton as they are the only unbeaten side in the north league. Who they will play is yet to be decided. It is likely to be the Bulls but it could still be the Sharks.

Due to the Covid nonsense very exceptionally Wayne Barnes will referee two of the Lions tour matches. The games against the Bulls and the Stormers. The tests will be officiated by Nic Berry, Ben O’Keeffe and Mathieu Raynal with Jaco Peyper and AJ Jacobs picking up the rest.

Plenty of rugby ahead this weekend with Ealing Trailfinders and Saracens going toe to toe (I avoided head to head for obvious reasons) in the first leg of the Championship play-off. I think it is on TV, I think BT Sport. I will confirm tomorrow.

Then there is the last round of the regular Premiership season. Sale v Bristol is the biggest game but there are plenty of other matters to be resolved such as who will fill the final three Champions Cup spots. As I am heading to Bridgnorth this weekend I won’t be at Friday Club so will give you my best view on those games tomorrow. It does seem however that both Sam Simmonds and Dan Biggar are fit to play and Worcester v Gloucester is off due to you know what.

Right, let me wrap up. Who does Wee Jimmie Sturgeon think she is. Unless I have been in a deep sleep for many years and missed Scotland achieving independence Scotland remains part of the United Kingdom. What right does the poison one have to stop a cruise ship full of British subjects pretty much all of whom have had the two jabs and all the others have add more Covid tests than the Gloucester team from docking in Greenock. The women is a power crazed ............. fill in the blanks.

It must be a person of short stature thing because the other jumped up petty megalomaniac Msr Macron has been making waves too. He is going to demand that from the moment France’s turn to head up the EU comes around French and only French becomes the official language of the gravy train. What a prize pillock. No wonder someone tried to give him a slap this week.

Finally the woke nonsense is becoming ludicrous. The Queen being accused of all sorts of rubbish, Winston Churchill about to be removed from history and now the most woke President of the USA, one Joe Biden, lands on our shores. Things are getting out of control. I wait with baited breath for the time I get cancelled for not bowing to this snowflake, woke nonsense. If we don’t have history, good and bad, we will never learn, and never understand and as a consequence never change. We will live in a beige world of nothingness.

Tuesday 8th Jun: 08:55

Another busy, busy day ahead. The club looks great and is ready for the O2 sevens due to start this week, on Thursday to be precise. Well done to the team who have marked out the pitches but also to Drew, Head Groundsman and Gus as the entire grounds look sensational.

Granddaughter today so just a few words.

Sam Simmonds and Dan Biggar are injury worries for Warren Gatland. I think Biggar will be ok but Exeter were somewhat coy about the Simmonds injury.

Watched the highlights show last night. That fiasco at Welford Road was no better. I will retract my comments on Borthwick. He did hold it together pretty well. Pat Lam should hang his head in shame however. There were some great tries across the board but why can’t London Irish hang on to a lead. Northampton Saints were so unlucky not to win their game. Exeter were the least exciting of the weekend’s winners.

It’s not good that four South African players, two of whom are in the squad to face the Lions suffered quite bad burns in a fire pit accident. Damian de Allende and RG Synman and “substantial” burns to their legs, hands and face the report states.

Siale Piutau is set to leave Bristol. Didn’t see that coming as he had been excellent this season. Certainly ahead of his big bucks brother Charles.

Wales have picked five uncapped players for their summer tests against Canada and Argentina. Gareth Thomas, Ben Thomas, Taine Balham, Ben Carter and Tom Rogers are all included. The team will be captained by Jonathan Davies. It’s not a bad looking squad despite the big names heading off to South Africa. A real chance for players like Callum Sheedy to put themselves in the frame for starting in France in 2023.

Ed Robinson will stay with England as skills coach for the summer tests against the USA and Canada. Alex Codling joins as part of the forwards coaching team.

A couple of things to moan about.

The NHS is going to sell you data, even your most private information unless you opt out. Email me on bleater@crowboroughrugby.com if you can’t find the opt out form.

Portugal being removed from the green list is a disgrace, like much of what this government has done of late. The decision smacks of incompetence and reinforces the view there is no plan, just ill-advised knee jerk reactions.

Finally I read yesterday that one of the so called experts advocating “freedom day” is deferred stated 950 people a day are being admitted to hospital with Covid. According to official figures the total number of people in hospital is 964 with 129 on ventilators. This number has hardly changed over the last month Do these jokers think we can’t look at the data for ourselves?

Monday 7th Jun: 07:40

Busy, busy, busy so just a few words this morning. Yet another game I didn’t watch but will comment on. It seems Exeter and Northampton was pretty enjoyable viewing. Dave Ribbans seeing red for a high tackle on Luke Cowan-Dickie would have been a huge blow for Saints. At 18-0 up at half time and looking good for that scoreline you wouldn’t have thought they were a man down. It sounds as if Dan Biggar had another cracking game but that wasn’t going to be enough to hold off the second half Exeter onslaught. Despite Saints adding another 8 points so it proved with Exeter going over for four tries and putting 29 points on the scoreboard. The win means Exeter are back in second spot with Sale to come next Saturday. As the game is at Sandy Park you have to make Exeter favourites but Sale are on a roll right now. This is certainly going to be the play-off match-up unless of course Bristol slip up badly against the Falcons.

Sam Simmonds limping off couldn’t have been a good sight for Warren Gatland.

Kyle Sinckler has been called into the Lions squad to replace the injured Andrew Porter. Unlucky for Porter who picked up a toe injury against Leinster but many believe Sinckler should have been in the squad anyway.

Still haven’t got my head around this Rainbow Cup nonsense yet but Zebre are bottom of the table with Glasgow top. The Bulls head the South Africa mini league. I did watch the game between Bulls and the Stormers on S4C last night. It was a pretty good offering. Plenty of open running rugby and some good tries. If South Africa play like this against the Lions then we might see a great test series and the Lions will definitely be up against it.

Right, that’ll do for today as I’m off to the club shortly and we have someone coming to do some work at the house.

Before I go WHY is “freedom day” being moved? Having poured over the official data I cannot see any reason why. It is madness led by that mealy mouthed Matt Hancock who seems desperate to keep us subjugated for ever.

Finally Laurence Fox has stirred the pot again by saying he hopes England get knocked out of the Euros in the first round. This against a back drop of an attack against woke footballers taking the knee before kick off. I disagree with him about losing in the first round. Success at sport is very often a boost to the country and can lift morale, and boy oh boy don’t we need that right now. Where I agree with him is taking the knee has become an empty gesture by footballers earning hundreds of thousands of pounds PER WEEK. It has changed nothing as racial and social discrimination is still rife. Knife crime amongst gangs, many of whom are black, is still a horrible reality on our streets. People are still living in dire need in some of the most deprived parts of the country. Stop the tokenism and if you really want to make a difference give up some of your cash, stop parading around like lords, stop pontificating on social media. Get out onto the streets and talk to the people, follow Harry Kane’s example, (Google Kane and Leyton Orient). Taking the knee is doing nothing, putting money behind local clubs and sponsoring charities can do a lot.

Sunday 6th Jun: 09:00

June 6th. D-Day. Let us remember those who sacrificed their lives on the beaches of Normandy and beyond for our freedom.

What unedifying scenes. What a disgrace. Yes I am talking about those last few minutes at Welford Road. I have been a big fan of Pat Lam and what he has done at Bristol and how his team play. Yesterday much of that admiration was shot down in flames when he blatantly tried to cheat. Claiming Afoa was injured was nothing less than scandalous. Yes, I know it goes on but to do it in such a blatant way at the highest level was appalling, and all for what? Afoa returns to the field and in that final scrum takes his opposite number apart. Game over.

It wasn’t all about Lam, Steve Borthwick didn’t cover himself in glory with his finger jabbing and haranguing of the officials. I can sympathise with his frustration and annoyance but he crossed the line yesterday, maybe only just but....!

That mass brawl after the whistle, started by Afoa, was an awful advert for our great game.

Should the officials shoulder some of the blame? No, I don’t think so. Although I did think some of Ian Tempest’s officiating of the scrum was somewhat “off” let’s say but was he to blame for what happened at the end? No!

It was a real shame as I had enjoyed it as a game up until that moment. The game had a bit of everything with some amazing skills, some appalling skills, plenty of open rugby, plenty of technical grunt, some great tries and couple of heavyweight two metre drives for a score. Harry Randall looked good coming back after injury and Max Malins looks a cert for England during the summer. Leicester mixed their game up with the ball going wide alongside their steamroller approach to the game. Did Leicester deserve to lose? Did Bristol do enough to justify the win. On the balance of play I would suggest it was just about a fair result. What a shame it will be remembered for the wrong reasons.

I enjoyed Friday’s game too. Sale were way to good for an inexperienced Harlequins side. Sale put on quite a show but fair play to Quins they stuck at it crossing for two tries, the first early on being a beauty. Sale will contribute five players to Rassie Erasmus’s South African squad. A squad packed with non South Africa based players but a squad packed with talent and plenty of very big men. Buffalo roaming the High Veld spring to mind.

London Irish fall to the late, late sucker punch again. Reading the report it seems Irish were well in control of this one leading 33-10 at half time. Wasps seem to have come roaring back with Tom Willis scoring a hat-trick including a short range effort deep into stoppage time. The result boosts Wasps hopes of Champions Cup rugby next season. London Irish are not out of it but with Bristol away as their final game let us say “it is all over’.

Newcastle did what they had to by beating Worcester with a bonus point. Worcester did fight back after being 24-0 down but that doesn’t sweeten the bitter pill of looking forlorn at the foot of the table.

Bath were awarded four points after their game was cancelled. The least said about that the better!!

Northampton Saints v Exeter today. I might watch it, I might not.

Looking at the table still plenty to play for in the last full round of the season. Five clubs mathematically fighting for the three remaining places in the Champions Cup. Logically Newcastle and London Irish will miss out but the twist might depend on which side Quins field against the Falcons. Will they continue to rest players ahead of the play-offs? Only time will tell and we have all of next week to debate that.

I might have a bash at the Rainbow Cup results tomorrow.

Azerbaijan Grand Prix today. If qualifying was anything to go by it could be worth watching.

The build up to the Euros continues but I can’t get enthusiastic about that either.

Must go but not before I say how appalled I am that “freedom day’ is likely to be pushed back two weeks. That is a disgrace.

If you are planning to go to Europe for a holiday and don’t want to quarantine on your return or pay exorbitant testing charges try this ruse. Jump on dinghy from somewhere close to Calais or Boulogne and our wonderful Border Force people will pick you up, even in French waters, and whisk you to the UK and take you straight to a hotel for free. No expensive tests and no ridiculous charges. Give it a go. Oh and if you are particularly nice they might even find you a new home and give you lots of other benefits.

Thursday 3rd Jun: 08:05

So Bleater you’ve been AWOL. Yep, several days of intense grandparent duties. Loved every minute of it but not a moment to ourselves. Even those most personal moments get interrupted. “Grandpa, are you in there?” “Yes, I am, I’m having a s...”

Let’s move on. One of the fans favourite clashes of the season, Gloucester v Bath at Kingsholm, is off due to the “C” word. “C” being for the cretins who are still insisting on testing in our game. Even at the height of the infection spread I was dismayed at the draconian rules being applied to sport. Now there is the dimmest of light at the end of the very, very long tunnel why is this game being cancelled? It is madness.

By the way that dim light is Matt Hancock. He wants this to go on for ever because you can rest assured, putting to one side Dominic the weasel’s vitriol, he is going to be front and centre when the firing squad arrive.

Dan Biggar got away with one. That clumsy, reckless hit on young Umaga in the Saints game versus Wasps could have seen his Lions dreams go up in smoke.

Eddie Jones says he is firmly in charge as he defends his record and his extra-curricular activities. I say “shame’, shame that you are still in charge.

In our heads what was inevitable has come about, but in our hearts we held on to the dream for as long as possible. We are not going to South Africa for the Lions tour. Yep, that dream ended on Tuesday morning.

Isn’t the weather gorgeous and it is possible this weekend will be more of the same. I will definitely watch Sale v Harlequins tomorrow, although this could be a little lopsided with the power of Sale snuffing out Quins flair and panache.

On Saturday I probably would have found time for Gloucester v Bath but Leicester v Bristol, Newcastle v Worcester, and London Irish v Wasps don’t hold the same attraction, and even more so if the alternative is being outside in the flesh air with my new summer friend Pinot Grigio Rose. Leicester v Bristol has something riding on it but as a consequence will it be a cagey affair? On Sunday it is Saints v Exeter. The same principle applies, the lure of the garden and some quality time with my other all time best friend Sav Blanc, and OF COURSE Mrs Bleater, I might have to resort to the evening highlight show.

What a heartbreaker? Paolo Odogwu is out for sometime with a cruciate injury. He would have been capped this summer for sure. I am not absolutely sure but didn’t he take to the field bandaged up? If I am right, he and Wasps need to take a good hard look at themselves. One player, if he stays fit, who must surely be capped during the summer is Marcus Smith. Jones has to pick him...... in my opinion.

Scott Williams, once of Scarlets and previously a regular starter for Wales is leaving the Ospreys. He has been plagued by injury but if he can stay fit he would be a great asset to a club or region, the Dragons perhaps. There is talk Alex Cuthbert is on his way back to Wales with Ospreys being the perfect fit. He has had his injury woes though.

The travel list is due to be updated today. I will bet a Mars bar that little will change and there are even rumours Portugal might go amber. Madness. The French have decided to act like school playground bullies: “it’s my ball and you are not playing”. Despite their woeful vaccination record, their still high case and death rate by comparison to the UK, we are not welcome. Brits account for a significant amount of tourist euros so as far as I am concerned; “go ahead, shoot yourself in the foot!”

Finally the media are at it again. Let’s censor out the really good news about vaccinations and hospital numbers going down and the fact the UK death rate for all reasons is now below the 5 year average. Let’s hype up the paranoia again and build the fear factor talking about cases going up whilst not mentioning that it is a result of mass testing. Oh and don’t mention hospital admissions are only going up with the elderly who have not been vaccinated. Just ignore that very important point. The facts about the futility of all this is there for you to see for yourselves. Talk of delaying June 21st “freedom day” now has nothing to do with the virus, it is about self-preservation, self-interest, preserving power and keeping all the other issues like gang crime, knife crime, mental health, care crisis, homelessness, unemployment, cancer deaths, non Covid hospital waiting lists off the front pages.

Oh, and before I go, Wee Jimmie Sturgeon. What a self-serving hypocrite! Glasgow is one of the worst* affected areas for the new Indian variant, newly name by WHO “Covid Winnie the Pooh” to avoid offending the Indians. It is also one of the SNPs heartlands. Strange despite all her rhetoric about taking a hard line she has relaxed the restrictions in Glasgow!!!!
* “worst” of course is within the contest of the very low case numbers of today.

Monday 30th May: 09:00

I didn’t watch Exeter’s training session versus Newcastle Falcons yesterday but that is what it must have felt like. Exeter are still not guaranteed of a home play-off spot as they travel to Northampton before hosting Sale. Newcastle could still make Europe as they have Worcester on the agenda but would have to beat Harlequins at The Stoop, and with a bonus point, to have any chance. Not likely me thinks.

Congratulations to Harlequins Women as they lift the Premier 15s title. They fought back from being behind then holding off a late Saracens charge despite having players in the bin. According to the reports this was an exciting game and a great advert for the women’s game. I’ll try and catch the highlights today. Grandchildren permitting. Yes we have them for a few days.

It is great to open your email and see a mail praising the club. The Under15s hosted their TJs counterparts yesterday and whilst the result didn’t go their way the praise for how the pitch and the grounds looked and how the place was managed by Mike and Jacqui were fulsome. Great work and thanks to all involved.

Many of you will have heard that next seasons 1st XV fixtures are out. No local derbies for us! We are off to Folkestone, Deal & Betteshanger, Thanet Wanderers, Ashford, Gravesend, Beckenham, Old Colfeians, Old Alleynians, Dartfordians, Charlton Park, and Beccehamian. Surprised we don’t have games against Calais and Boulogne!!!! After missing nearly 18 months of rugby it is going to be tough for everyone but despite the travelling it will be great to see the boys back in action.

The Lions haven’t left these shores yet and there are many aspects of the tour up in the air but already there is talk of late call ups for Manu Tuilagi, Marcus Smith and Ellis Genge. Not sure about any of these to be honest. What you can be sure of is players will get injured between now and the tour and definitely injured on tour so call-ups are inevitable.

Big game today: Newport County v Morecambe. Won’t be watching this either as the weather is set fair and we are taking the kids out.

I have managed to find some reports of Saturday’s protest march through London by tens of thousands of protesters, possible well over a hundred thousand protesters but not a word in the mainstream media. WHY? Censorship, that is why.

Whether people have the vaccine or not should be their choice BUT the majority of us who have had the jabs cannot be kept in lockdown as a consequence. That is what could happen. Protesting against wearing masks and lockdown and vaccination might seem pointless when one of the key triggers for getting away from these draconian and unnecessary rules is the (success of the) vaccination.

While I am at it, who are these faceless experts who say June 21st “freedom day” cannot happen. Let’s have a reality check......

Yes there have been 127,781 deaths, all of them sad BUT most were over 75s with co-morbidity.
Basically they had Covid when they died of something else.
Prof. Ferguson predicted 500,000 people would die of Covid. Wrong!
In some cases up to 40% of infections were caught IN hospital.
9,000 people went into hospital WITHOUT Covid and died in hospital WITH Covid
Prof Whitty and Pat Vallance said that 50,000 cases would be found every day for months to come. For just one day did cases peak at 60,000+ and for just one week was the average more than 50,000. For the vast majority of time cases were well below this.
The same doom-mongers said 4,000 people a day would die. The highest we got was just over 2,000 and the worst week was only 9,037. I am NOT making light of any of them but these are the same experts who are saying we cannot have our freedoms back!
Right now there are just 878 people in hospital WITH Covid and 128 on ventilators. Most are old with other problems and haven’t been vaccinated!
Just 22% of the adult population have not been vaccinated and most of these will be under 30 so less likely to become ill.
The data states clearly that the vaccine works and works against all variants.

I am not an expert. I am not a scientist. I have an opinion. That opinion is the evidence says these experts have been wrong on many occasions and based on their data there is no indication they are right this time. We MUST have our freedom back!

Sunday 30th May: 07:45

When will this madness end? We have fans back in stadiums, people are eating and drinking in the pubs, the shops are finally seeing footfall. Despite all this Ulster v Scarlets and Saracens v Hartpury were cancelled/postponed on the weekend because of positive Covid tests. It is madness. STOP this testing bullshit. From the very start the testing has been a significant part of the problem with false positives, cross-contamination in the labs and so on. Madness.

I really don’t know if I enjoyed Sale v Bristol or not. It was a defensive masterclass until the last quarter when exhausted bodies and minds came to the fore. Sale ran out deserved winner albeit the Semi Radradra yellow card was pivotal. Bristol’s Ioan Lloyd came on early but was anonymous until that piece of magic. In, out, shake it all about and score. Manu Tuilagi was back but a back he is not. I have been consistent in my criticism of him. He is just a battering ram. Bristol have to wait to secure the home berth and Sale highlighted why I think they are the dark horses to lift the title.

Whilst that was going on Gloucester and London Irish served up seven tries and a game that ebbed and flowed. The result only being decided with Billy Twelvetrees converting a penalty at the death.

Having spent several hours in the sun on Saturday morning the respite came in the form of Harlequins v Bath. Now this was some game. A game where at times tackling was optional. Both sides played with the intention of playing what was in front of them and that led to a pretty good spectacle, especially for the fans back at The Stoop. Bath had their backs to the wall with the set piece creaking and the Quins playing their free flowing game. Then came the second half with Bath coming out of the changing rooms like greyhounds in season. De Glanville and Max Ojomoh bringing back memories of Bath’s glory days of the 90’s. Game on. Sadly for them the pressure could not be maintained with the hosts switching on the afterburners to take the win. Joe Marler, what a game he had.

Next up Saints v Wasps. I caught some of this before succumbing to an offer of a beer or three with my mate Roger over the road. This was entertaining fare with plenty of action. The Dan Robson try set up by a brilliant piece of foresight by Thomas Young was something else. Young Sleightholme chasing down Basset and some of Freeman’s runs from deep were brilliant. From what I saw Saints deserved to win and have secured their Champions Cup spot.

Where does all this leave us. Firstly it is top eight into the Champions Cup not top six as I wrote last week. Sorry! The play-offs will feature Bristol, Exeter, Sale and Harlequins. Saints are definitely in the cup. The other three spots are still up for grabs with only Worcester definitely out of contention. Worcester losing to Leicester yesterday by a single point. Newcastle will be still be in with the slimmest of chances of qualifying even if they lose at Sandy Park today. Which they will do.

A couple of negatives from the weekend. Christophe Ridley, a pompous peacock at times. The handling of the Radradra incident and his management of the officiating team was poor. Me, me, me!

Dan Biggar whinging at Adam Leal, who I thought had a good game with the whistle, was out of order. Leal was way too pally and should have closed down the chat early on. Biggar limping off was not good news.

Ben Spencer not finishing that try. Yes the defensive effort was superb but he had to score surely.

Elsewhere the Dragons lost to Glasgow. Hey Ho!

Mike Brown fails to overturn his six week ban. Shame in some respects but right when you take the emotion out of it.

Well done Chelsea, Champions League winners. My brother-in-law will be like a dog with two d.. tails this morning!

Have you read about the thousands protesting against lockdown in London yesterday? No! A massive anti-lockdown, anti-mask, anti-vaxx rally was held, mainly peacefully. If there has been coverage it is not about the numbers protesting and the breadth of the demographic and it’s mainly peaceful march through the city. It has focussed on the anti-vaxx element and the issue at the Westfield Shopping Mall. Real shame Henry Slade has gone public about not having the vaccination. Absolutely his right but he is a poster boy and it would have been good if he had opted to have the jab.

June 21st “freedom day” is in the balance because case numbers have gone up. Nobody is making the same fuss about the numbers in hospital continuing to go down as are the numbers on ventilators. Not much being made about the fact it is old folk who have not been vaccinated driving the cases up. Put all that to one side as it is all bull. The more you test the more cases you will find. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you trebled the number of road policing officers on our roads the number of uninsured, drink, drug drivers caught would go up in the same way. I don’t see a clamour to stop people driving. Stop all this testing and give us our lives back!!

Thursday 27th May: 08:15

In case I forget, and as we can’t attend Micky Bell’s funeral, here is the website so you can participate virtually.

www.obitus.com

The passwords are:- buza0008 and 559855

1st June @ 2pm

The big story is how the Lions have been able to jump the queue and get vaccinated ahead of their tour to South Africa. That’s great, or is it? On the basis that we are close to the stage where all adults will be offered their first dose and most of the the older and more vulnerable have had their second jab then fine. Get on with it.

What’s happening this weekend. First up is the big game of the weekend Sale v Bristol. A win for Sale and they could sneak into 2nd spot and a home tie in the play-offs. Bristol win and they are definitely at home. Will this be a good game? Who knows but you can be sure Manu Tuilagi will be the focus for the hacks.

Gloucester v London Irish is interesting, or maybe not. The Irish still have a chance of finishing in the top six, but will they. Gloucester are playing for pride.

Two good match ups on Saturday. Harlequins v Bath up first. Bath have the slimmest of hopes of getting into those European spots but Quins at home have been formidable, and there will be a crowd this time around. The men from The Stoop will want to put their play-off spot to bed and a win will do that. Northampton v Wasps is all about the European spot as I really can’t see Saints catching Quins now. On the basis of the erratic form from both sides this could be a cracker or it could be the Monaco Grand Prix - turgid.

Leicester will beat Worcester on Saturday and Exeter will beat Newcastle on Sunday. Let’s move on. By the way Leicester are in pole position for that final European place, or more accurately the Champions Cup.

There some Rainbow Cup games notably Munster v Cardiff, Ulster v Scarlets and Dragons v Glasgow.

Watched some of the Europa League Final last night. What has soccer come to when the most exciting bit was the two goalkeepers taking penalties. Between 9pm and 10pm I was watching the Great British Sewing Bee with Mrs Bleater. Yeah, yeah, yeah! Comments on a postcard to .....

I also watched the new wildlife programme about weasels. It was fascinating. I thought foxes were sly old things but weasels are at the top of the premier league when it comes to deviousness, duplicity and hypocrisy. I particularly liked the way the film makers brought the weasels to life by giving them names. The weasel named Dominic was definitely the leader and most devious. Slipping in and out, ducking and diving, plotting and conniving, and all the time looking as if he was about sneak up on his prey and bite its head off.

I have set my Sky box to record the next episode when the other weasel Matt will be the focus of our attention. Without doubt he is another weasel aiming for a champions league spot in deviousness and duplicity and dishonesty.

The series could be set to run and run. What I am disappointed about is the weasel know as Prof F is not due to be featured. I think his deviousness is right up there. There are times that like Matty the weasel Prof F is also tainted by deviousness blended with incompetence with a splash of self-importance. These are weasels who are constantly preening themselves in public which is not very pleasant.

Right that’ll do for today, as it is my wedding anniversary today. I’m about to............ wait for it.......... go to the club to help with some repairs that need doing. “Bleater, you old romantic!”

Wednesday 26th May: 08:55

We are in that hinterland of the season, the European Cups are done and dusted, the play-offs are yet to begin, the Lions are still some weeks away, and grassroots rugby is a dim and distant memory hence no blog yesterday. There was nothing to write about except to rant and I couldn’t be bothered.

What I can be bothered with because it is important is to pass on a message from Shereen Bell, Micky’s daughter. She has asked that I pass on her heartfelt thanks for all the kind messages she and the family have received. The many reminiscences have brought back happy memories, especially those in the old clubhouse when she was a child with her dad propping up the bar or washing glasses behind it. You’ll recognise many of the reprobates who propped the bar up with him in today’s photo.

There is an interesting piece in The Irish Times with the headline “Sport may have to become ‘boring’ to ensure safety, says UK sports minister”. Yesterday Sports Minister Nigel Huddleston alluded to the fact that the injury lawyers are circling sport like vultures over a carcass as a result of the many cases of head trauma, early onset dementia and other injury tribulations. It is not just rugby, soccer is in the firing line too. Mr Huddleston made it clear the government will hold inquiries and hold sports to account but the sports themselves have to get their own houses in order, “put their hands in their pocket”, as there is enough money in sport without government having to stump up cash. He urges sports to increase the investment into head injury especially. The huge dilemma facing rugby is in order to make the game inherently safer the laws would have to fundamentally change. This in turn would make the game significantly less exciting, in fact boring. Whilst rugby should invest, in fact must invest in research, it is not in a position to withstand massive lawsuits that might be coming down the tracks. The game is on a knife edge.

One of the reasons the game has found itself in this position is at the top of the game, and now trickling into the lower echelons of our sport is the obsession with power. Only this morning in the Daily Fail the headline reads “Manu Tuilagi looks ‘scarily’ powerful as injury-hit Sale centre prepares to make his first appearance in eight months against Premiership leaders Bristol”. In another paper “Alex Sanderson says ‘Manu looks as strong as a bull’ ”. Here lies the biggest problem. You now have guys of 6’ plus weighing up to 18 stone of pure muscle running at ridiculous speeds into players of the same size and stature. The forces involved are immense. When you add in, and sorry this is one of my oldest bleats, eight hunks of finely tuned buffalo who have been prodded and poked for 60 minutes coming onto the field as others are tiring the outcome is inevitable. Clubs won’t look at players and say “sorry you are too big and powerful” so the law makers have to seriously look at the number of replacements in a game, and if they are to tweak the laws make it less attractive for the buffalo and make it more appealing to the gazelles.

I would say to Mr Huddleston many sports are inherently dangerous, in part that is why we play them. The risk and reward, the exhilaration, the thrill of the chase. Take that out of some sports and you and take out the sport. I do NOT underestimate the importance of reducing head trauma in sport but we cannot take another step down the road of being a nanny state. Not only can’t we say anything we won’t be able to do anything soon.

The WRU are hoping to have 10,000 fans in the Principality Stadium for the summer tests. Good but why are numbers being restricted in July? The Covid updates from Wales are good. I’ll tell you why? Once mark Drakeford et al give up these draconian powers and allow the people to get their lives back they will be under the spotlight for things they have dodged for the last 18 months. Crime, mental health, poverty etc, etc.

Back tomorrow with a preview of the weekend’s games. In the meantime why oh why are people talking about not lifting restrictions on June 21st. I’ll tell you why, because they are self-serving morons. Why should I who has had both jabs, despite whinging about lockdown has done the right thing with regard to social distancing and travel etc be kept under martial law because others won’t get vaccinated. Where are the hot spots and why are people not being vaccinated? There are a number of possible answers. Here are a few. They are in places with high immigrant populations where possibly people have come back to the UK and are refusing to self-isolate, or they are not here legally and want to stay under the radar, or have believed all the bullshit about vaccination perpetuated by the media. Yes some people will have adverse reactions, some people may even die but the risks are tiny. For me it was summed up the other night when a guy of about 30 with no job but was able to ride what looked a brand new motorbike around the streets WITHOUT a helmet said he wasn’t getting vaccinated because it’s was too dangerous. Well pal, you will be dead long before that if you continue to ride that bike, which I don’t know how you can afford, WITHOUT a crash helmet.

Monday 24th May: 08:20

Happy Birthday Sarah, where has that time gone?

Not much in the rugby pages today so let me start at Steel Cross. It was so good to have a beer in the clubhouse with friends and then watch a game of rugby from the balcony. The Colts hosted Reigate and played some really good stuff. I am not sure about the hybrid laws but that is irrelevant in the context of having rugby played on the amazing pitch that is Steel Cross. Yes it looked perfect. Yes there were mistakes and yes some decision making could have been better but when you consider these kids have been starved of rugby for how long it was good to watch. We left after the third of four 20 minute quarters but the ‘Borough were winning quite comfortably by then. Well done to all involved especially our visitors who too must have been starved of rugby and stuck to their task throughout.

As an aside well done to Mike & Jacqui who between them had the bar and kitchen running like a well oiled machine in the face of current restrictions.

I believe it will be the turn of the Under 15s next weekend. Weather permitting I’ll give that a go too.

When I said Saturday’s cup final was not a classic what I should have said was it was pretty dire. Having now caught up with the papers properly and realising that my mate Mal Bec might have influenced my comments I will defer to Robert Kitson of The Guardian. He points out that Martians landing at Twickenham on Saturday would have been very confused about the proceedings and suggesting sport this was NOT! Kitson points to the stilted nature of the game with decision after decision going “upstairs”, the amount of time players spent standing around drinking from plastic bottles, and the utterly confusing laws. This latter point was the same as mine in that a red card was shown, rightly, but very similar incidents went totally unpunished. The games are now going way past the two hour mark which doesn’t help. I think his most important comment was, and I paraphrase, how many players receiving lengthy in-game treatment before the alarm bells start to ring? He also mentions the problem of mighty buffalo on the field being replaced by even mightier buffalo during the game. Gone has flair in exchange for size and power. It’s a good article.

Looking ahead three games to go in the Premiership before the play-offs, which even in these times and taking into account international call-ups are unnecessary. What is at stake? Bristol and Exeter want to cement a home tie. Sale and Harlequins need just one more win to secure their play-off spot as Northampton are the only team that can catch them and that would take three bonus points win and one of Sale or Quins not to pick up points at all. With regard to being in the Top 6 and securing Champions Cup rugby Saints are in pole position but Leicester, Irish, Wasps and Bath are all still in the mix. Worcester are playing for pride and looked set to prop up the table.

Chris Foy of the Daily Fail has written a good piece on how future World Cups should result in a more equatable spread of the spoils. Rather than being about revenue look at spreading the love. If Australia win the bid for 2027 which has to be a formality then give a couple of the games to Fiji, Tonga and Samoa. The travel time is no different to say Perth to Brisbane. Beyond 2027 what about a North America tournament with both the US and Canada involved. Like the Kitson article it is well worth a look.

In other sport the Monaco Grand Prix was............ There is more action around Crowborough green during the school run than there was in that crock of ......

The Big Dipper that is Leicester City were in action yesterday. It was deja vu missing out on Champions League action next season. That said way back in September I would have snapped your arm off for the FA Cup and 5th place.

I started to watch Newport County at Forest Green last evening. When the County went two nil down and looking as if that was that I turned over. Bit of a mistake as it turns out this was a play-off cracker. The County at Wembley. Nice one! So are Swansea by the way. Real shame Cardiff fell away at the end of the season.

That’ll do for today except to say now its all good news about Covid strange how the media are not bigging that up. Just the briefest of mentions about the amazing vaccine progress, no noise about the lack of deaths, nothing about the dramatic reduction in hospital cases. No! Strangely though they continue to make a lot of noise about case numbers when by comparison to the 40,000 per day we are now only at just under 3,000 per day and those in areas where the population have eschewed the opportunity to be vaccinated.

Sunday 23rd May: 09:40

Well, Friday was Friday Club, and yesterday was Saturday Club. Why? The damaging high winds of Friday had done exactly that. Done damage. One of the marquees at the club had become unstable so needed to be taken down. Great job guys.

Those there did get to talk about the Leicester v Montpellier game while working. “Rubbish”, “Awful”, “Dire”. There was nothing positive about the game to discuss. The first Montpellier try maybe. He stuck to his task and took the opportunity Rob Howleyesque. The second Montpellier try was well worked but that was the only other bright spot in the dullest of dull games. All I can say is “thank you” to our good friend Sav Blanco who kept us company throughout. I really can’t be bothered to say any more about this one.

Saturday’s affair was a bit better. There were glimpses of brilliance, the ball was kept in hand a reasonable amount of time, and there were things to debate. The red card was a slam dunk in my opinion. High, with force, and contact to the head. There was a very similar tackle by a Toulouse player which was looked at but got no more than smile from Welshman Mr Pearce. Yes good old Luke hails from Pontypool. Ntamack and West kept the scoreboard ticking over for their respective sides. The Toulouse try was well worked created by that spiralling pass out wide by Msr Ntamack. The occasional swapping of tips on handbags added to the fun. It was far from a classic but in a strange way I enjoyed it, as did our other good friend Mal Bec. Five time champions Toulouse: well done!

Perhaps I have poured over the team sheets incorrectly but across the two games, considering three French sides were involved, there weren’t actually that many Frenchmen playing. Plenty of South Africans on Friday and veritable cornucopia of talent from the Southern oceans on display on Saturday. Hey ho! Just saying.

Excellent news: the 6 Nations will stay free to air. The Propaganda machine will show all of Wales and Scotland’s home games. The other lot will show the rest of the matches. The Women’s tournament will be covered in the same way but the Bullshit Broadcasting Corp will exclusively cover the Under 20s, often the best games.

Mike Brown is to appeal his six week ban on the grounds it was harsh. Difficult one this but the ambiguity of the findings with “accidental” and “high end” in the same sentence means he might have a case. We’ll know this week.

Wasp’s Ben Morris and Gloucester’s Matias Alemanno both get three weeks for their indiscretions. The Argentinian’s offence looked more severe than Morris’s. Just my opinion!

Saracens are closing in on Ealing Trailfinders. They are now five points behind them with their final game in hand to come next weekend, which is at home to Hartpury RFC. The Hendon outfit put 73 points, 11 tries on Coventry who failed to register a single point. Puts the Ampthill result into context.

Australia confirm they are bidding to host 2027 World Cup.

Right that’ll do for today as we are off to the club later to watch the Colts play Reigate, and I might just meet up with other good friends the Harveys.

Before I go though. Didn’t we do well in Eurovision; Pointless. Alexander Armstrong and Richard Osman were over the moon. The Italians were very disappointed with their 500+ points. So much so the lead singer seems to be despondent with his nose to the table!!!!!!!

Are you fed up with the Harry “woe is me” show because I am. You left our sceptred isle for peace and quiet, or so you said you hypocritical attention seeking clown. I know he fought for his country and yes he might have cause to whinge but...........

This next bit is quite difficult as I think Dominic Cummings is a devious weasel of the highest order. However I can’t but agree when he accuses Matt Hancock of “spouting bulls..t, lying about herd immunity strategy” - and then claims “all lockdowns could have been avoided if competent people had been in charge” (Daily Fail). Too right!

Friday 21st May: 07:30

VERY GOOD NEWS the club will be showing all the Lions Tour games on TV so .....

as mentioned yesterday...............

Gullivers Travel have advised that as travelling supporters will no longer be touring to
SouthAfrica with the Lions, they are stuck with a load of excess merchandise. They are happy to
sell off the shirts at vastly reduced prices to members of Crowborough Rugby Club. The fully
branded official Lions shirt that retails at £75 is available for £48 including postage and the Zip fleece is discounted from £58 to £36

Gullivers is not really geared up as a retailer to sell rugby shirts but is doing its best to satisfy orders.

To purchase a shirt
Check out the image and sizing chart before calling, so you know exactly what you are buying
Click on this link to help you decide exactly what size https://i.emlfiles4.com/cmpdoc/6/5/1/8/0/1/files/73192_official-lions-merchandise.pdf?dm_t=0,0,0,0,0
I suspect they will struggle if you order the wrong size so make every effort to get it right first time!!!!!
To order best to call 01684 851017 (PRESS 1 FOR LIONS TOUR) with your credit card handy or email kit@gulliverstravel.co.uk with your details or any questions

Thanks to our good friend Peter K for organising this.

Thursday 20th May: 08:25

It is with a heavy heart I advise of the sad passing of Micky Bell. Micky was a stalwart of Crowborough Rugby for many years especially on the field as a player and captain. He passed away this week in Scotland where he had made his home. Micky was a larger than life character who lived life to the full “and some”. The tributes I have seen are testament to that. I had the pleasure of running out for CRFC with Micky and you knew you were playing with someone who wouldn’t take a backward step and someone who would always be first at the bar. Micky you will be greatly missed and our thoughts are with your friends and family at this sad time. RIP you old bugger!

Micky would have been the first to say life goes on and this weekend that means European Cup Finals. Tomorrow it is the Challenge Cup between Leicester Tigers and Montpelier. Montpelier will be a tough nut to crack especially if they put up the sort of resilience they showed against Bath in the semi-final. Their defence was awesome and they took their chances when they were on the table. Leicester of late have shown they have more weapons in their armoury than blunt force ones. They will need all these tomorrow night along with the passion they showed against Ulster in their semi, and again last week against Harlequins. If they go with a kicking game it will need to be spot on as the big French (South African) leviathans will just keep running straight at them if it isn’t. This is a tough one to call but for the sake of English rugby I hope for a Leicester win but my head says Montpelier by a couple

On Saturday La Rochelle and Toulouse go head to head in the Champions Cup. The new(ish) kids on the blog take on European royalty. La Rochelle have an almost unbreakable defence and when it gets into gear an amazing attacking game. They will need all this on Saturday at Twickenham. If the men in yellow, and it is bright yellow too, are to lift the trophy they have to go out there to win. I know the old adage of “defence wins games” is important but in this case La Rochelle have to focus on attack. Equally Toulouse will need all their verve and panache and trickery to get past the yellow brick wall (yes I know it should be road) and in contrast they will need to bring their “A” game when it comes to defence. I am not sure this will be one of the great European classics, in fact I fear this might be a game of chess with the queen swapped for a battering ram. I think at the end of this one we will see a new name on the cup: La Rochelle

Don’t forget that both games are being shown live at the club with a full drink and food service available at your table. See this website for details.

Now, my brother-in-law has been in touch calling me all sorts as I didn’t mention Leicester City losing to his beloved Chelsea on Tuesday night. Yes they did, and yes it was painful, and yes it is deja vu. Leicester City will miss out on the Champions League. Being a (nearly) life long Foxes fan, 58 years and counting, you know it is like being on the big one at Blackpool pleasure beach. The are massive ups and very steep downs. The beauty of sport.

Wow!!! As I type a US Airforce Boeing KC-46A Pegasus has just flown over Crowborough. Bet you didn’t know that. If that wasn’t enough a RAF Eurofighter Typhoon FGR.4 has been scrambled out of Coningsby and has just flown over to the west of us.

The Lions have had to refund a significant number of ticket holders as BT Murrayfield will not be at full capacity for the warm-up game versus Japan. This of course thanks to the despotic decision of the poisoned one known as Wee Jimmie S. There will be 16,500 fans present however. I guess it will seem strange cheering a BRITISH & Irish Lions side when they want independence. This is the problem with Sturgeon and her followers, they want independence but only the good bits, the bad stuff she expects the rest of us to keep funding her for. Well she can .... ...!!

Would you be interested in official Lions merchandise at reduced prices. If yes, I might have just the deal for you. Back tomorrow with more details

Is there going to be another Sportsmail Saracens witch hunt? Are Saracens heading for another salary cap investigation, or are they putting two fingers up to the game and carrying on as they did before they got punished for their salary cap infringements. It appears Nigel Wray has been investing in a company owned by Owen Farrell based in Cyprus (tax efficiency). It could just be the Daily Fail mud slinging but when you read that Farrell (and Itoje) already earn £750,000 per year questions might need to be asked again.

Wednesday 19th May: 07:55

Bizarrely busy, busy, busy today so just a few words on yesterday. Quite simply Exeter were ruthless. Not the champagne, laissez-faire rugby of Bristol, nor the one dimensional attritional rugby of Leicester. They were simply pragmatic and ruthless. The defence was rock solid in the main and when a chance presented itself they took it. In Sam Simmonds they have a talisman who the troops rally behind. It is not a one man show but a show epitomised by one man. Forget the record breaking tries it was his other work that stood out for me. The supporting cast of Luke Cowan-Dickie and his brother Joe along with Henry Slade played their part. Cowan-Dickie showed why he is in the Lions squad and you have to ask why Slade isn’t. It wasn’t all good news for Exeter and the Lions. Stuart Hogg showed quite a few defensive frailties last night and going forward he lacked his usual incisiveness. Exeter weren’t perfect and were gifted a number of those opportunities by London Irish. The title is not done yet.

London Irish were hoping a win would put them in the running for a European Cup spot next season. That dream took a hit last night but it’s not over. Irish have a very talented back line which when on song are as good as any. They lack experience and when under pressure can make basic mistakes as we saw on several occasions yesterday. In Paddy Jackson they have a playmaker and the forwards have bite. They simply need it all to work together for 80 minutes and not in patches.

Was the game a classic to be kept for posterity? No! Was it worth watching? Absolutely.

The two European finals coming up this weekend so I will preview those tomorrow.

Little other news to report but there is a fascinating article in WalesOnline about the pay packets of the touring Lions. Maro Itoje tops the list commanding annual earnings in the region of £750,000. By comparison Alun Wyn Jones earns about £450,000. It is no wonder top flight rugby is constantly in financial difficulties and sorry Paddy but it begs the question how Saracens can remain within the salary cap when Owen Farrell is also reputed to be on £750,000 per year.

Must go as the car is not going to get itself to the garage and I have to formulate my letter to Dear Nus Ghani. Yes I will be venting my spleen on the absolutely outrageous fear mongering of SAGE and their quite frankly Harry Potteresque and very fanciful forecasts for another wave, plus the ongoing appalling propaganda of the BBC and most importantly the Government now flagging that “Freedom Day” of June 21st is not going to happen.

Next to no deaths, hospital numbers falling and less than 1000 with only 125 of those on a ventilator and new daily cases of c.2,000 across the UK is nothing. What makes it so frustratin