I’d like to say I am here in sunny Bridgnorth looking forward to a day doing outside jobs for my mother before going for a walk along the river. Fat chance. The forecast is dire, or as the BBC would put it: “as the weather worsens, the end of the world is nigh!”

Lots in the rugby pages to mull over.

Scrums. How long have I been bleating on about this issue. A long time but never so eloquently as Steve Diamond who has said boring scrums are to rugby what King Herod was to baby-sitting. He should be poet laureate with pithy statements like that but he is not wrong. If you endured, because that was what it was, a masochistic endurance, the Quins v Sale game you would have been frustrated by the time wasted by scrums and the ball being in play according to Diamond for 25 minutes. If you went to the cinema, wearing your mask and having sanitised every inch of your body, and the film advertised to run for 80 minutes was only 25 minutes long you would be demanding your money back pretty sharpish. You might also return your mask “as nearly new, hardly worn”. I still don’t know the answer but I say lets remove the opportunity for scrums. At a penalty or free kick the scrum is no longer an option. The ball is grounded in the in-goal area lets experiment with a goal line drop out. Let’s just engage and get the ball in like ye olde days.

The welfare of players has been brought sharply into focus by Dylan in his upcoming book. Again many have said despite the noises coming from clubs and the blazers I believe at the top of the game lip service is often paid to player welfare. You only have to look at the number of players with strapping holding together their body parts. With this truncated restart (which I will forever say should never have happened) player welfare has to be a top priority. As a consequence players will be restricted to the number of games they play between now and the end of the season. Sensible of course but benefitting those with bigger squads. The other action is the introduction of pressure sensitive mouthguards. Apparently they will be able to measure the power of impact and warn of injuries the player may have incurred.

Yet again question-marks have been raised about the Lions tour. This paranoia around Covid is not going away anytime soon and travel restrictions and quarantine and the pathetic wearing of masks etc, etc may see the tour being cancelled. The tour without fans is economically a non-starter.

Woe is me! Jamie Roberts tests positive for Covid-19. Let’s cancel all Pro14 games right now. Yes that is the madness of the times we live in. If it had been a lesser known player then it would have been a by-line underneath the small ads and none of us would have been any the wiser. The media has a lot to answer for in my opinion.

An interesting development is players like Kyle Sinckler and Johnny Gray will be able to play in the final rounds of the European tournaments when they get underway in September. You know my opinion about restarting the game but as it has then I can see a lot of sense in this pragmatic decision.

I will give you my (awful) predictions for this weekend’s games tomorrow but as a teaser I suggest the Dragons will .......... let mull that one over.

I don’t have decent access to excel so can’t look at the latest NHS stats re hospital admissions and deaths, especially in Leicester and Manchester , but am led to believe the paranoia around lockdown due to the increase in positive cases has not resulted in any increase in hospital admissions nor deaths.

I watched the BBC local news last night and Nick Owen the news anchor who has been reporting the Midlands news since George VI was on the throne screamed Birmingham close to going into lock down as 28 per 100,000 of the city’s population test positive for Covid-19. What is going on. Fascinatingly he glossed over the recent spate of road deaths and murders and knife crime in the area and the number of people now condemned because hospitals in the region are like the Marie Celeste with longer queues for treatment than we have ever seen since the inception of the NHS.

I am NOT an anti-vaxxer, in fact I think vaccination is good and important, especially for children in the fight against MMR and polio etc. However I suggest we be very afraid when we read Australia will make vaccination against Covid, which according to recent reports in several well respected medical journals has mutated to make it less deadly, COMPULSORY for all. Forced vaccination against something already mutating makes no sense..... IN MY OPINION!! Bear in mind the people over here who will tell you to be vaccinated are the same people who have presided over the PPE mess, the track & trace cock up, the travel quarantine nonsense, the destruction of the economy, the school results fiasco and of course the free holidays and welcome packs for dinghy migrants. Need I say more?

Tuesday 18th Aug: 09:15

Just a few words this morning, thankfully you cry, as Bridgnorth beckons. I watched the extended highlights of Saints v Wasps and can say "that was a bit better". Some of it was still turgid and pretty boring, and that was the highlights.

I also watched the Premiership highlights show on Channel 5 last night (before an excellent effort by moi during University Challenge). Firstly the Nanai sending off was a slam dunk. I am surprised it took the officials so long. No arms, with force directly to the head. A moment of madness that ended the game as a contest. From these the briefest of highlights Gloucester were able to throw the ball around but I fear these were the briefest of highlights.

Based on this I stick to my concerns for our game. Players have got to get to grips with the more stringent application of the laws at ruck/tackle. Referees MUST be more stringent with the offside line. Time and time again players were clearly offside, not only at the ruck/maul/scrum but also chasing kicks. Coaches have to get players to think "offload" and "get the ball wide". Likewise the reliance on the rolling maul from a lineout and the incessant desire to emulate an NFL linebacker where gains are measured in inches has to go. Finally the obsession with kicking away good ball aimlessly is the final nail in the games coffin.

Yesterday one of the hacks said you'll never get the same open running game as down under. During the claggy winter months that might be true BUT pitches are greatly improved so I see this as defeatist talk. This is a mindset that can be changed, in fact must be changed.

Incompetence at its best and proof you cannot please all the people all the time. The Government did a spectacular U-turn yesterday with regard to A-level results, quite rightly in my mind. No sooner had they done that the universities started to whinge about not being able to cope with the increased demand, and others who have benefitted from the shambles will have now have their grades revised back to the schools prediction using the "who says I wouldn't have aced the exams?"

Shambles number two is the axing of Public Health England. Now the virus is under control, not that in my mind it was ever out of control, it was simply following the natural curve of all previous virus, someone has to be blamed. Making PHE the fall guy is pretty disgraceful when the incompetent Matt Hancock, the devious and very dangerous Dominic Cummings and the scaremonger general Prof. Neil Ferguson are still in post acting as if they had nothing to do with the shambles we now find ourselves still mired in.

Dido, or as many who have worked for and with her call her Dodo Harding will head up a new organisation called the Institute for Health Protection. This is the same women who oversaw the shambolic NHS (England) track and trace system, was in charge at Talk Talk when they were mired in a hacking scandal and I have it on VERY GOOD authority that her incompetence at Sainsburys knew no bounds. This is bullshit with good people like my daughter possibly being about to thrown to the wolves and a person with a track record of failure with a ZERO science background being put in charge of a massive scientific organisation. Your health, if you didn't already know it is being politicised. Those of you have criticised my views on Covid might soon want to change your mind as these pathetic and unnecessary lockdowns and the spread of paranoia to keep us subjugated could become the norm.

The world is going mad and like it or like it not I am going to continue to comment on it. Lockdown is bull with a capital B. Get everyone back at work and STOP this pathetic paranoia.

Monday 17th Aug: 08:20

I have been taken to task for not mentioning the Friday Club BBQ, held quite obviously last Friday. The brilliantly well organised socially distanced event was a great success. Sadly a few members couldn't make it but otherwise it was pretty much a full compliment of old farts and their wonderful, long suffering other halves. Jacqui and Emma ensured the club was in full compliance with the latest (pathetic) Government's (pathetic) rules on being open, Nigel and Rebecca helped with the service and everyone else helped by keeping the till ticking over. Sorry to labour the point but yet again another reason why CRFC is such a great club.

Yesterday for us was good but it did mean I didn't see what sounds like the best game of the weekend. Wasps beating Northampton Saints was not what I had expected but that is what we got. Based on the report it sounds as if Jack Willis did himself a power of good ahead of the forthcoming internationals, which because of the pathetic quarantine rules and on-going paranoia are rumoured to be in jeopardy. Lee Blackett who took over from long serving Dai Young has clearly shaken things up at the Ricoh. Wasps move up into 4th.

Whilst my predictions were off the mark, a 50% success rate, what I said yesterday about the games being turgid seems to have been echoed by rugby hacks way more qualified than me. Chris Foy of the Daily Fail sums it up best pointing to the new more stringent application of the ruck/tackle laws as a key problem, especially those who blatantly became serial offenders.

Whilst the coaches and players might disagree the restart cannot all be about winning/money. The clubs have an obligation to entertain and re-engage. This isn't some form of altruistic lily-livered notion it is actually a business imperative. Right now fans are not engaged, many of them being drawn to other sport and past-times. A failure to grasp this point could result in half empty stadiums even when the (pathetic) Government's (pathetic) rules are relaxed.

I can only speak for my self but outside the Super Rugby I have found the rugby league royally entertaining. It is fast and open, with few stoppages and time-wasting resets.

Across the papers the hacks also seem united that some of the big names; Tuilagi, Radrada et al failed to shine. They also seem consistent in stating that Bath signing Ben Spencer was an inspired decision.

Pro14 returns next weekend but I guess unless S4C show the Welsh derbies no-one will be watching as it is exclusively on some obscure pay channel. Be afraid as this where English rugby could end up.

Elsewhere the Scalextric was a procession, and Manchester United yet again, despite being the much better side, crashed out in the semi-finals.

University Challenge tonight is our " appointment to view". Getting an answer right being the goal.

The blame game is well and truly underway with Public Health England in the firing line. The Covid mess obviously has nothing to do with the useless Matt Hancock and of course Dominic Cummings has nothing whatsoever to do with policy.

What a shambles: A-Level results. I know how incredibly hard my lad worked along with all his colleagues to submit fair and accurate grade predictions. I can only speak for him and his school but there was no fudging, no favours, no exaggeration, there were grades submitted based on the very best information they had at that time. It took weeks and weeks to produce and check and double check. What then happened beggared belief in that the Government allowed a totally unacceptable methodology be applied to the results penalising many kids in the process. My lad took me through it yesterday and quite frankly some of the outcomes are a disgrace. Young adults are being penalised based on a numbers game decided by chinless, faceless, brainless civil servants and an algorithm so complicated even Einstein would be scratching his head. What makes it worse is the young adults being penalised are often those who have worked the hardest to make the smallest improvements, those in the beleaguered state system. Of course the chinless, faceless, brainless clowns have ensured the independent system benefits from their work. Talk about disgrace.

I know there will be some that blame the schools or the teachers and in some cases that might be justified but this I am ashamed to say is another sign of a Government being led by morons who have absolutely no grasp on real life. I am also going to suggest if our Government hadn't put the country totally unnecessarily into lockdown this would not have happened.

Sunday 16th Aug: 09:30

My lads 40th birthday today. Where has that time gone? Happy birthday David.

Ok let’s get the positive out of the way. English rugby union returned on Friday night in empty stadiums. Now for the excuses: the weather was more mid winter than mid-summer and it was the first set of games after a long enforced break with limited training time.

In my humble opinion if this is what the next few weeks is going to serve up then I think I will stick with rugby league. Friday saw a truly turgid affair with Harlequins being slightly less bad than Sale and therefore coming out winners. Mike Brown featured, Tuilagi didn’t.

Didn’t see any of the Worcester v Gloucester encounter but as expected the Cherry & Whites were too strong. It seems the early red card for Melani Nanai after poleaxing Johnny May effectively ended the contest. It certainly did for May who failed the HIA.

Bath’s score line was impressive against a pretty average London Irish side. But for long periods watching paint dry would have been more fun.

After an early scare Exeter overcame a feisty Leicester Tigers. Exeter played the way Exeter do: grinding the opposition down before putting them to the sword. I dipped in and out of this game so will read all the reports in more detail soon.

It was then time for what I had anticipated being the game of the day. Saracens even without Farrell and Barrett looked strong and Bristol were eager to get their show on the road. Well, all I can say is it was lucky there were no fans in the ground as they might be suing both clubs under the Trades Description Act. Rugby it wasn’t. It was a cross between the royal rumble and NFL. Despite the cast list this was one star at best. Steve Lansdown will be happy with the win because that is what he is paying for but I am not sure too many others can be.

So what went wrong. In my humble opinion and basic knowledge of the game there were a number of factors. In every game the first instinct of the players was to go full bore into contact. When that failed the second instinct was to kick the ball aimlessly upfield. The new more stringent application of the ruck/tackle laws made the game stop start. The scrum was a mess with reset after reset. All too often the lineout was simply a tool to set up another rolling maul. Finally the mantra of “if you are not clearly onside you are offside” was not applied. All too often players were not behind the hindmost foot thus closing down what little space there was.

By comparison the Highlanders v Hurricanes game was like watching a different sport. It was played at pace with players constantly looking to offload, and get the ball wide to the pace men. There were 30 players on the field who had enough confidence in their own ability and those around them to keep the ball alive. There was more action in 80 minutes of this game than all the English games put together.

Not able to watch Saints v Wasps this afternoon but not sure I would be rushing to watch anyway. Even the Scalextric from Spain might be more exciting.

Our very own Dylan Hartley must have a book coming out. Why? All of a sudden he is in the papers slagging off Eddie Jones, that might be fair however, and talking about the brutality of rugby. It’s out on 3rd of September ...... I think.

Manchester City crashed out of the Champions League last night.

Manchester United play in the Europa Cup tonight.

Why do I mention this? In order to get the games out of the way so a new season can start the knockout stages are being played in one country for each tournament with just two stadiums in each country. It is an interesting format which could work well for the knock out stages of the two European tournaments in our great game.

That’ll do for now except to say that if you are in France worried about quarantine on your return. Don’t! Simply turn up in Calais and get the first dinghy available. About half way across our wonderful Border Force or Royal Navy will pick you up, give you a full medical, whisk you off to a hot meal before letting you get on with whatever you want to get on with no matter how nefarious.

Thursday 13th Aug: 09:40

It all kicks off with Quins v Sale. Before the break Harlequins were an uninspiring mid-table but could look to the medical room where a plethora of stars were queuing for treatment as an excuse. The break will see players like Mike Brown and Nathan Earle return and that along with Joe Marchant back from his short stint down under will give the boys from the Stoop a boost. Chris Ashton could also make an appearance with him signing for Quins from Sale just before the imposed break.

Sale on the other hand were riding in second place. Their no-nonsense style when required and willingness to get the ball wide when the opportunity presented itself justified their place in the table (noting Saracens have a better win loss ratio). The arrival of Tuilagi will be where the cameras are pointed and as already stated that could be one of the best pieces of rugby business for some time. Lood de Jaeger, or as the Mancs call him "Loads of Lager" will make his long awaited debut tonight, or so I am led to believe. With Sale now a South African province it will be fascinating to see how they go as some of the stars were late back to the party.

Along with Tuilagi the players to watch are Marchant fresh from the Blues, Faf de Klerk, Mike Brown and Tom Curry. These could be the game changers. I hope for an open game and am keen to see what difference the lack of supporters makes. I go Sale by not many.

On Saturday the big one is Bristol v Saracens. Super ambitious Bristol with Steve Lansdown still throwing millions at the club against a side who already relegated could say "sod it" and play a weakened team with an eye on the European games still to come. I go ....... ??

Exeter Chiefs v Tigers should be straight forward for the home side, as I think will be Bath v London Irish. Write the Irish off at your peril but on the newly laid turf at the Rec and players well rested I can't see beyond the home side.

Worcester v Gloucester is more difficult to predict. Only a few points separate them near the foot of the table. Prior to the break Worcester were showing signs of improvement whereas The Cherry & Whites were in turmoil. It has been all change at Kingsholm and I think this local derby will see a resurgence of the men from Gloucester. This could be the game of the weekend.

On Sunday Saints host Wasps. Both have something to play for; a spot in the waste of time play-offs and the bragging rights in this East Midlands derby. I think even without fans at Franklin's Gardens Northampton will have the edge.

What is important, even more than the result is the quality of the game. If we are served up dross after the (much?) anticipated restart and the negative press following Lord Myner's report and the bickering between clubs about the new salary cap plus the shambles which is financial management then the game is doomed. It isn't actually but I thought I'd pretend to be writing for the BBC where everything seems to be "doomed".

Who takes a knee is something else the press and others will be looking out for. Am I bothered? Actually I am. Racism and sexism and other forms of prejudice are unacceptable but sorry I cannot under any circumstance support Black Lives Matter when their avowed aim is to smash capitalism, close prisons and do away with the police. That is not a fight for racial equality that is pure unadulterated anarchy.

Sorry again, but "so what!!" Four people, just one of the a player, have tested positive for Covid-19 in the latest round of testing. 989 tests were carried out and just four positives. That is an excellent result.

Hypocrisy and hypocrites. Look it up for a full definition. If you can't be bothered just think Prince Harry and that devious self-publicising wit.. wife of his. We are leaving Britain because we want a quieter life, a life away from the prying eyes of the press. Why then are you courting publicity at every opportunity, commenting on anything and everything just to get in the press and to make matters worse trying to make money out of it.

No blog tomorrow or Saturday but I will be back on Sunday with a review of the weekend's games including what looks a cracker: Blues v Crusaders......... obviously if it goes ahead as by then another four people might test positive for Covid-19 and New Zealand will need to go into lockdown.

Wednesday 12th Aug: 09:20

Nearly there, the restart of the Premiership season is Friday evening. Of course with that comes the restart of Sir Knowitall. This time he is right however. The clubs have an obligation to entertain. They have been put in a very, very privileged position by being able to play rugby in these bizarre times. If they think they can turn up and carry-on as they left off with players taking their wages and clubs simply refilling their coffers they are mistaken. Fans, especially those who pay good money week in week out to follow their club deserve better, and those who are involved in the game at other levels who see no sign of the game returning soon need something to keep them engaged. We'll find out Friday when Quins host Sale. More on this tomorrow.

Anthony Watson has been brave enough to say players should not be forced into taking the knee in support of Black Lives Matter. Absolutely right too. BLM has been proven to be a far left anarchist led organisation with some of their objectives totally against common decency and law & order. I am happy with the approach the BBC have taken "hate won't win"as I am with UEFA's "respect" campaign.

Clubs failing to meet their obligation with regard to fixtures due to players or staff failing to follow the rules could see them being hit with a 20-0 defeat. Interesting way forward and fascinatingly the Daily Fail use just two photos in their article; one of Danny Cipriani and another of Steve Diamond. Need I say more.

Alex Goode is another who has committed his future to Saracens but will spend a year in Japan on loan with the wonderfully named NEC Green Rockets. Interesting piece covered by Sky highlighting the loyalty Saracens players have shown to the club and their coaches. Loyalty is so lacking in sport today so it was pleasing to read that money was not the only factor.......... but I bet money was a big part of the decision.

Agustin Creevy, Argentina's talisman signs for London Irish. What a signing that is.

Fascinating in the wake of the Saracens scandal and Lord Myner's report and the need for constraint money still seems to be in plentiful supply. Make of that what you will!

I can hear those chickens smugly coming home to roost in New Zealand. This weekend's netball program has already been cancelled and there are calls for the two remaining Super Rugby games to be as a minimum played behind closed doors. Infections have returned to Auckland causing alarm amongst the politicians. Those who didn't follow the herd by stating all New Zealand has done is postpone the inevitable are one small step closer to being proven right.............. however they have only recorded FOUR new cases and that was within just ONE family unit. It will not be defeated by trying to eradicate it.

Aberdeen is in lockdown following one pub, YES just one pub reporting infections, out of hundreds of Aberdeen pubs. Wee Jimmie Sturgeon cancelled Aberdeen's game against Hamilton after two players got infected when they broke the lockdown rules. Likewise Celtic's game is off following one player thinking it was ok to fly to Spain and back without following any of the protocols agreed by the SPFL. On the one hand I fully agree with the hard line on footballers. They have been put in a unique position of privilege and are being paid handsomely for it too. They need to set an example. On the other hand the lockdown on Aberdeen, as it is elsewhere is totally unnecessary based on the miniscule number of people infected and the number of new hospital admissions at almost zero and deaths also almost at zero across Scotland let alone in Aberdeen. Wee Jimmie has been very statesmanlike during this nonsense but for her to pontificate about closing down Scottish football sounded more like a Soviet dictator than an democratically elected leader.

I was going to stop airing my view on Covid-19 but as I continue to read statistics which are being used for one means only: to keep the public scared to death, I will continue. One headline said we need to be extremely cautious as cases amongst young people rose by 35%. What they conveniently forgot to tell you was that was a rise from 11 to 15 people amongst 100,000. They are conveniently not telling you that Covid-19 deaths have fallen below that of flu and other illnesses. Nor are they telling you of the 102 deaths they shouted about this morning how old the people are, how long have they been ill, did they have underlying health conditions.

Manchester is in lockdown, Aberdeen is in lockdown. If things are to have any meaning whatsoever then the number of positive tests is absolutely irrelevant unless it is matched by the number of people directly related to those positive tests being admitted to hospital and subsequently dying. We also need the full breakdown of age, health, etc. etc. If not the statistics are about as useful as a chocolate teapot.

You who read this are all clever people. Social media, mass media and rumour and conjecture have helped split opinion. I don't want you to take my word for what is going on. What I would very much like you to do is not simply follow the crowd but do your own in depth research and challenge what is going on. Then please challenge me.

I'd like to rush off and have my morning coffee. No water in Crowborough this morning however as a main has burst in Rotherfield. Hey Ho! Thank goodness I have a couple of cases of beer in the fridge!!!

Tuesday 11th Aug: 09:25

The next few weeks will be crucial for rugby union in Britain, putting to one side that grassroots is being screwed over by the Government's mis-guided and totally unnecessary restrictions on returning to play and the RFUs funding cuts. Soccer, cricket, rugby league, snooker, boxing and darts are all back on our screens. It took several weeks for us to get back into soccer as some of it was positively boring and without crowds a waste of time. The other sports have come back fighting and their offerings have been pretty good. Add in the Super Rugby and the NRL rugby union cannot return on Friday with the same offering as pre-Covid. As Robert Kitson so eloquently puts it "rugby union battles twin threats of Covid-19 and public indifference".

In essence clubs are going to have to come out fighting. The stricter application of the laws, the firmer grounds, and for some having something to play for should make the game faster, more open and less turgid. We want to see 9s with their heads looking up for opportunities to break or set free the gazelles and not simply aimlessly kicking the ball away at every opportunity. We need the big men in support not just as bulldozers but as pivots. We need wingers to be seeing the ball more often than they see their wives and girlfriends.

If all we get is the same old pick & drive then fans will desert the game faster than I leave the bar when its my round. When the gates finally re-open, which in my opinion should be Friday, the prophecy of Exeter's Tony Rowe will come true: clubs will go bust without crowds, but in part that will be their own fault if what is on offer is rubbish. Its in their hands now so fingers crossed.

Kitson has also written about the damage being done to the game as a result of the cuts to the grassroots and how that and Covid could deny the game of a generation of talent. Youngsters aspiring for greatness have no chance of being seen because instead of making headlines in their local rags they are currently being dragged through shopping malls by their partners or have discovered golf or have found that DIY on a Saturday is quite rewarding etc, etc. Sadly, even though we have moved one small step closer to restarting grassroots rugby we are still miles from anyone other than the very top flight playing the game properly.

By the way the Championship is still up in the air about when they can restart. I am eager to see if Sarries will be faced with an extra layer of complexity but also see how the fixtures stack up now there are 6 full time professional sides and 6 part-time sides in the league.

Well there is a negative for you. World Rugby have given dispensation for those who would have qualified to play for a country in 2023 the opportunity to play in 2021 due to the pandemic. I can see the rationale but in my opinion the pathetic residency rules should have been changed years ago and this now prolongs the issue.

Forget Covid, forget rugby read about how close Tom Wood came to death after a catastrophic blood clot on the lung. Life is precious.

BT have started the renegotiation of TV rights already. What are you talking about? BT have said Covid-19 and the current economic climate will reset the bar for TV deals at a more realistic lower level and the rampant inflation of previous years has gone. I think they are right and if we look to Australia where the ARU are struggling to do a deal as what on offer is not worth what they think it is BT could be right.

BT have also said when they show the games over the coming weeks there will be artificial crowd noise but it will not include Exeter's "tomahawk chop" chant. Fair enough.

Well, well, I would never have thought it. The country is finally waking up to the futility of lockdown and the unbelievable damage that has been done and can't be repaired as a result. Unemployment is at unprecedented levels and the number of people missing important hospital appointments and worse ignoring new symptoms has gone through the roof. Unlike Covid-19 which as expected has followed the same curve as previous epidemics this will leave a tragic legacy for generations to come.

There are times when I feel like a lone voice in the wilderness and have wondered if I have got this whole Covid thing wrong. Based on where we are now and the emails I have received from people with brains way bigger than mine and some of those have scientific backgrounds as good as any of the wanabee TV professors it is clear I am not alone. You might be fed up with me but please go to jbhandleyblog.com and read "its over". You might just see things differently.

By the way it cannot be right that teaching unions are putting pathetic and spiteful barriers up to prevent kids going back to school in September, especially as the kids who will suffer the most are those who are already "under-privileged". That is not just me saying that, THE SCIENCE SUPPORTS THE ARGUMENT: KIDS CAN GO BACK TO SCHOOL. THE RISK TO ALL INVOLVED IS MINISCULE.

Monday 10th Aug: 10:00

Much to get through today but I'd like to start with a surreal experience at Steel Cross. In my many, many, many years at CRFC Friday evening's socially distanced AGM outside in the car park turned beer garden was a first. It worked.

After six years of amazing work as Financial Director Peter Johnstone stepped down. Quite rightly his contribution was recognised earning him HVP status and much praise from those present. In the same way Richard Lambert before him was definitely the right FD for the time Peter brought a different approach which once the new clubhouse was opened was exactly what we needed. Sharon Green steps up to the plate and now takes over the financial reins at this very trying time.

Based on the latest update from the RFU there is very little chance of any proper 15-a-side rugby until the new year...... in my opinion. Whilst the controls were relaxed slightly over the weekend with the possibility of 10-a-side touch rugby on an in-house basis now approved and 10-a-side interclub rugby to be approved possibly for the beginning of September little has changed. Contact rugby at the grassroots is a very long way off yet. Sad but true.

With the government scrapping their daily targets because as many of us have suspected they have constantly been inflated by poor accounting, the fact that recent spikes are nothing more than government paranoia, especially as hospitals are empty and the Swedes who didn't have lockdown are having the last laugh, the decision to keep rugby on its knees subjugated to the god of paranoia: Covid-19, is disgraceful.

The Premiership returns on Friday evening and until crowds are allowed back BT will show every game live. The game will be tweaked in that there will be a water break at 20 minutes and 60 minutes. The referees will be applying the same strict application of the off-side and ruck/tackle laws as down under. Changing rooms are now the bars with temporary showers in the car parks. In addition when travelling away there will be a bus for the team and a bus for the coaches and support staff and everyone will have a single room. The Daily Fail carries a decent update via an interview with Mike Brown who returns after a long term injury.

The same paper carries an in-depth interview with Bill Sweeney who defends the cost cutting decisions just announced and a view of the future of the game. It is well worth reading and I may revisit it later in the week.

One of Sweeney's big concern centres around the lack of supporters at games. Having arranged what looks like a decent autumn programme he argues having no supporters present makes it almost useless. The cost would be greater than any benefit. My good friend Simon, another who is spitting chips at the way Covid-19 has unnecessarily screwed us all, has sent me details of a possible solution. A tech start up working with leading medical and science institutions has come up with (what seems) a very reliable 10 minute blood based Covid test. The result plus an innovative app based health passport should allow fans back into grounds. It is being tested at Sale Sharks and is endorsed by Mike Tindall. There is a sting in the tail in that costs £15 a go and is only valid for a fortnight. There are likely to be four games in that period so an extra £4 per game on your ticket price. Being a cynical so-and-so the companies involved will become multi-millionaires very quickly if it gets approval and takes off!!! Also being cynical this is another step down the road of Big Brother watching your every movement.

Chris Foy of the Daily Fail is very positive about the return of Premiership rugby. He is anticipating some titanic battles and with the threat of relegation removed and the stringent application of the laws is also hopeful of a more open free-flowing game much as we have seen from down under. The role Saracens play is important. He quite rightly believes they will forgo the opportunity to simply tune up for the European games to come but will play a very active and in fact dominant part in deciding the destination of the title. Again well worth reading and I will revisit as I look ahead to the fixtures coming up.

Much in the papers about how Saracens will use their team not only in the Premiership but also when the Championship eventually gets under way. They have a unique opportunity to use their time and team wisely and unusually for Mark McCall to say this but also in a way that benefits England and the Lions. Good man! There are some positives to be had from this debacle me thinks.

That'll do for now other than to say........

Sean Edwards has slammed the door shut on his chances of joining Warren Gatland's Lions set-up. Andy Farrell leaves the door wide open for his inclusion.

UK Sport have gone all French and said "non!" to them supporting the huge gap in funding for the 7s format of our game.

The spat between the ARU and NZRFU is becoming a full blown row over the future of Super Rugby. Yawn! When will the blazers who run our game move from the 1970s into the current time zone?

The excellent Robert Kitson of The Guardian has written a brilliant piece following Edward Griffiths 76 page report on the game. More on this tomorrow.

Finally, and I know many of you are sick to death of my opinion on Covid, can I refer you to The Times and their piece about empty hospitals and exploding the Covid myth. Can I also you refer to articles in several of the papers finally waking up to the death toll from non Covid deaths as a result of lockdown and please read the Daily Fail and their piece on how Covid deaths have been over reported and the Swedish outcome.

Finally thank you for the many mails of support for my stance which it appears is a more widely held view amongst you the readers than I dared hope for.

Thursday 6th Aug: 08:30

There is only one place to start and that is with.......

"Happy Birthday Mum, 88 today. Have a great day with Deb. We'll speak later"

Yep, my dear old mum who reads this guff is 88 today, and yes she too criticises my opinion.

On this day in 1945 at 08:15 Tokyo time an American B29 dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima instantly killing tens of thousands of people, and over the coming days, months and years killing many more. Man's ability to self-destruct is incredible. So is man's ability to survive and revive. Hiroshima is now an amazing and vibrant city. As we argue and bicker and dispute the facts about Covid-19 at some point the world's priority will have to be about change and recovery. Let us use Hiroshima as an example of how out of adversity comes hope and a "new way" and in this world of social media and 24 hour news channels hopefully a renewal of trust and respect which is currently missing from society. Please look toward Japan and let us learn from them.

So to rugby. The swinging axe at the RFU has struck at the very heart of the game. The entire department who looks after grassroots rugby, those supporting the development of the game has been made redundant. The department has been redefined and those wishing to do so can now apply for the few roles that will remain: 130 out of 234. This sadly is another effect Covid-19 is having and the long term repercussions will make the death toll of the virus pale into insignificance. For grassroots rugby this is a hammer blow.

I use CRFC as an example in that over many years CRFC have received amazing support from the RFU thanks to Rick Bruin. If it wasn't for his support our fantastic clubhouse wouldn't exist nor would the ever improving grounds and facilities. Without the help of Mal Chumbley we wouldn't have got our schools programmes off the ground nor achieved our goals of accreditation. We are one of the lucky ones. The RFU support both financially but more importantly the human resource got us to a position that inspired the membership to support our great game, our great club and our great community and allow us to be where we are now; an amazing local grassroots rugby club for all.

Owen Slot in The Times covers the story best.

I don't blame Bill Sweeney. In fact I applaud him. Here he was this time last year in his dream job with a few issues to deal such as the East Stand development overspend but otherwise England was going well, Japan 2019 was on the horizon, the fixtures for 2020 were sorted and the RFU and the Premiership had called a truce. Then bang, along came Covid-19. Sweeney has not shied away from the big decisions, he has not tried to fudge the issues and he has not tried to bullshit anyone. Where money to help has been available it has been distributed, where support is possible it too has found its way to the right places, where communication has been required he has spoken openly and honestly. We might not like what we hear but at least we can understand it. Oh how our self-serving politicians and scientists could learn a thing or too about trust and integrity!!

Moving on, the 6 Nations will be completed on 24th October, Ireland v Italy, with the three remaining matches being played on October 31st. I assume BBC and ITV will share the coverage. The women's game will also be played on those dates with the one remaining fixture being completed on Dec 5th.

We are just eight days away from the Premiership restarting. I still think it is madness. Not because of Covid-19 but because the new season could have started in September and all the wrangling would have been avoided if the 2019/20 season had simply been scrapped. Yet again we have to suffer the pathetic headline that two people have returned positive virus tests out of 917. Is this the way it is going to be: "Breaking News: Desperate Dan has tooth ache. Government advisers call for all games to be cancelled until Dan recovers".

Bristol Bears want to be the first club to have fans in the stadium with a plan to host 10,000 of them at the end of this month or early September. With Professor Neil Ferguson, yes the guy who predicted the country would be awash with dead bodies and now is saying a second spike will be worse than the first and it is on its way, having fans in stadia is a dream. By the way go onto the interweb and do just a little research into the good Professor and look to see what he is working on and where his funding comes from and then ask the simple question "is there a vested interest at play here. Is it in Ferguson's best interest to continue to be the harbinger of doom?" Oh, and by the way, he is the same Ferguson who ignored lockdown to go have rumpy-pumpy with his lady friend.

Well done to the Friday Club for their work yesterday. A great example of volunteering at its best.

No blog now until Monday. Please on Sunday take a moment to reflect on the fact that on August 9th 1945 a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki. This event brought the horrors of the Second World War to an end. Sadly, and most worryingly, it escalated the race to have nuclear weapons and most troubling of all is the men with their fingers on the trigger all seem to be mentally unstable: Messrs Trump, Putin, Johnson, Netanyahu et al.

Have a good weekend......... if you can.

Wednesday 5th Aug: 09:00

Another beautiful day but sadly another day of mixed, confusing, contradictory news about Covid-19. Alarmist nonsense you can't trust in MY view so lets move on quickly.

By the way those amazing key workers the bin men have just arrived. Their truck sounds like two orcas humping. Lets move on even more quickly.

England's 7s squads take a massive hit as both the men's and women's squads are cut. Players have been told their contracts have been ripped up with almost immediate effect. Some of the players are now desperately seeking opportunities with the 15-a-side game but many will sadly join the millions who will be without work as a result of Covid-19.

The 7s set ups were undoubtedly expensive with a squad of contracted professionals and support staff and a global program of events. I rather expect other nations will follow suit which would be a tragedy as 7s is a way into people's sporting repertoire of events to watch. I don't think the Tokyo Olympics will go ahead but if they do GBs 7s representation will only go ahead now if the British sports bodies front up and fund a squad. Another window of opportunity for rugby missed.

Excellent piece about Graham Henry's time in Wales and how it set the platform for his glittering All Black career with his side winning the World Cup in 2011. Stuff.co.nz if you have no other pressing engagements today.

Australian legend Phil Kearns is set to lead Australia's bid to host the 2027 World Cup.

Not much else of note so lets look at some of the things that might speed up our great game.
1. The officials must continue to rigidly police the off-side line. If you are not clearly on-side you are off side
2. Likewise they must continue to apply the laws as they were intended at the ruck/tackle area
3. With regard to point 2. I would seriously consider bringing back old fashioned rucking where players stay on their feet and drive over the ball at the tackle
4. I think I would keep the goal line drop out instead of 5 metre scrums
5. Reduce the value of a penalty to two points
6. Remove the option of a scrum at a free kick or penalty. You either tap and go or kick to touch
7. Reduce the 22 metre line to 20 metres or even 15 metres
8. Scrap the mark. You catch it, you play it.
9. TMOs have to speed up. If it is not clear and obvious it is the referee's call.
10. Reduce the number of substitutes by at least two
There has to be many more ideas but that'll do for now.

Well done Fulham. Promotion back to the promised land of the Premier League.

I know many think our Government are handling the Covid thing badly but what about that Trump fellow. What an absolute jerk. I spoke to my aunty and my cousin in New Orleans recently and they reckon Homer Simpson would make a better, well balanced and sensible President than the big orange Oompa Loompa.

Terrible explosion in Beirut yesterday. Tragic loss of life and horrendous number of casualties. If I remember rightly ammonium nitrate is a fertiliser that can also be a key component in making explosives.

Finally I leave you with two things. One, like our amazing shop workers bin men and of course bin ladies and bin people of indeterminate gender are brilliant. Secondly, feel free to criticise MY opinion of Covid-19 but please have a look at some of the papers that are now waking up to the undeniable fact that the death toll post Covid will be significantly greater as people miss out on crucial healthcare and devastation of job losses hit hard. Food for thought.

Tuesday 4th Aug: 09:00

Firstly thank you to those who asked to see my missive on Covid. I was surprised there was so much interest. Even more important is the fact some of you have come back asking for clarification of my sources and more detail, challenging me on a few points, but overall highlighting your own concerns about the direction of travel of this as it is often driven by knee jerk politics. bleater@crowboroughrugby.com for a copy.

The Premiership ring-fencing also raised some eyebrows. I have been a proponent of it for some time so was comfortable with the current ideas being put forward. A couple of interesting questions have come up, raised by a couple of people. Firstly that of competitiveness of matches. No relegation takes a huge threat away from teams and it is thought this would reduce the competitiveness. I disagree and look to New Zealand and Australia. Just five teams per league with only pride at stake for winning and embarrassment (Chiefs) for losing but boy oh boy those games are very competitive. I cannot see a day when Bath v Bristol or Gloucester v Bristol is not competitive. If it was the fans would vote with their feet.

I don't see ring-fencing happening quickly but Paddy O'Fez raised the point about Saracens. If it were to happen and by some quirk of fate Sarries didn't come top of the Championship there would be an outcry if they were included. Well I'm sorry folks but in many respects that is tough. Saracens are a shareholder in the PRL, one of 13 and they would have to be included. Ring-fencing is not going to happen any time soon and when the Championship gets going the Saracens will stroll it.

If ring-fencing were to happen then I would scrap the play-offs; it would be winner takes all so no second chances thus making every game count. I would also make prize money and TV revenue based on league position. Nothing like a cash incentive to drive competitiveness. I would also limit the number of overseas players in a match day squad thus making the draft system viable.

What else is in the news?

Jamie Roberts signs for (Newport Gwent) Dragons. Previously at Bath and then in South Africa he is becoming something of a journeyman. He'll add value to the Dragons as he did at Bath. Not being in the frame for international selection this is a shrewd piece of business and him and Nick Tompkins as a centre pairing is looking pretty tasty. I love to gloat/name drop but I have met Jamie Roberts and he is a genuinely nice bloke.

Tom Wood, Northampton Saints, will miss the start of the restart if you get my drift. He has been diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism. Let's hope the doctors can sort that out quickly, not just because of the rugby.

The 6 Nations catch up dates have been confirmed but for Wales as yet no venue. They are still waiting on the Government's decision on allowing spectators in stadiums.

Warren Gatland is looking ahead to this time next year. Apparently he has had initial discussions with Stuart Lancaster about being part of the Lions coaching team. Not a bad idea in my mind.

World Rugby is finally set to do what it is meant to do. It is hoped they will get the row between New Zealand and Australia off the back pages. In essence they will support New Zealand's proposal telling Australia they have been given a huge financial lifeline by World Rugby so grab what you can when it is on offer and lets work around a longer term plan based on Australian rugby being on firmer financial ground.

Israel Folau makes the papers again by not taking the knee in support of BLM. Whilst I abhor his homophobic rants he is right to take a stance against taking the knee. Looking again at the pictures of the paramilitary march through London I don't think anyone should take a knee. Racism is totally unacceptable but following the late John Hume's example violence and extremism is not the way to achieve it.

CRFC is a great rugby club, a club I am very proud to be a part of for so many reasons. On the weekend a call went out for help moving some garden furniture from a local pub to Steel Cross. The upgrading of furniture due to the Covid nonsense is good news for Steel Cross. Within no more than an hour nearly 15 old farts had put their names forward to help. Absolutely brilliant.

Finally today's photo. I have recently been chatting to my son-in-law about his job. I can't tell you what he does, because I am not allowed to tell you, but several times a week that is the view from his office window. Envious or what. I was going to send him photos of me driving the tractor towing a trailer full of sods. Apparently I am also now known as "the miserable sod, king of the sods".

Monday 3rd Aug: 08:45

The lead story in a couple of the papers is the report produced by former Saracens Chief Executive Edward Griffiths outlining a ring-fenced Premiership, a redesigned Championship and a centrally controlled academy system run by the RFU. There is much in the report to cheer especially the scrapping of club academies and handing that responsibility over to the RFU. It is proposed the RFU manages a small network of regional hubs that in turn feed the two conference Championship; north & south. From there the Premiership would meet their needs via a draft system.

The Championship would actually play fewer games than current but the objective would be for those games to be of a higher quality. “Fewer games, bigger matches”. It is also proposed that there would be a four year moratorium on promotion and relegation thus allowing any new system to bed in. I haven’t seen the full 76 pages but looking at the headlines the proposal is much in line with what I have been saying for sometime. Ring-fence the top of the tree and have the Championship clubs as feeders. This is an interesting variation with the draft system being proposed. The regional Championship makes a lot of sense with an end of season 1st v 1st, 2nd v 2nd, season ending finale being a possible money spinning add-on.

It is proposed that the Championship becomes self governing to avoid “a sludge of self-interest and compromise which affects other leagues”. I am not sure how that would work with 50% of the current set up full time professionals and 50% amateur and part-time.

I am also unsure how all the overseas imports would fit into this proposal either. It will be all well and good having expensive regional academies for young talent only for them to overlooked for overseas journey men.

The bottom line in these changing times nothing should be ruled out in getting rugby union back into the psyche of sports loving Brits. The Daily Fail covers this best.

The French are revolting again. Even the French drain at Steel Cross is causing us a problem or too. It comes as no surprise the French have threatened legal action against World Rugby over the extended international window from October to the beginning of December. The club v country battle was never going to go away and it was inevitable the French would lead the charge. The English clubs have agreed but I would have a wild stab that acceptance would be less forthcoming if the extended window became the norm which World Rugby is considering.

Another article that caught the eye was “Premiership chiefs eye dedicated TV channel.....” The current TV deal is up for renewal in 2021 and as part of the renegotiation Premiership rugby would like to see a dedicated channel much as there is Sky F1 and Sky Golf. I am sure they would but right now with no crowds and rugby unions inability to agree anything quickly I suggest the TV companies have the whip hand. I like the idea though and Sky as they have rugby league in the UK and Australia, the Super Rugby and had the Championship could easily add the Premiership making a Sky Rugby channel a year round sensible proposition. If CVC/PRL go to Amazon or Disney or whoever then a dedicated channel is effectively useless.

Nice piece in the Daily Fail about Semi Radrada and his rise from gold mining to top flight rugby in the UK. It highlights why rugby across the globe is packed with South Sea Islanders. Well worth a read when you are not topping up your tan.

Thanks Geoff for your input into the debate about scrums and how the game has become somewhat tedious as a result of resets. To build on this I found an interesting article in stuff.co.nz by former Wallaby Matt Williams writing for the Irish Times. He has pulled no punches about the amount of time lost due to scrums and scrum resets but also about kicks at goal. He points out how little time the ball is in play. He is absolutely right and that is another reason why union is falling behind league. He suggests a radical overhaul of the points scoring: make tries worth more, penalties worth less and the drop goal worth only one point. There is a lot of merit in this but solving the scrum must be the number one priority. On this basis the goal line drop out being trialled in Australia is growing on me. It doesn’t seem to damage the attacking side too much. Rugby union has to evolve.

The league format of the game restarted yesterday and some of what I saw was pretty good. They have scrapped scrums altogether. In league that is fine as they were simply a means to restart the game as opposed to a proper contest. The change did close down the extra space following a scrum reset but otherwise it worked well enough. I am NOT proposing this for union but do suggest the blazers must think outside the box if the game is recover from the blow of Covid and arrest the decline in interest that we had seen for some time prior to that.

Except for five laps of tyre mayhem and two crashes how boring was the F1. Max Verstappen epitomised the boredom by whistling to himself as he toured the Northamptonshire countryside.

Finally be very afraid when the Covid paranoia means anyone over 50 could be forced into lockdown. Be even more afraid when what looked like a paramilitary style organisation was allowed to march through the streets of London in support of Black Lives Matter with a police escort and not even a passing mention on main stream news programmes.