In our league we continue to hold our own and a fine 38-14 away win at Maidstone keeps us in 4th spot with a game in hand. Maidstone are bottom with no wins and no points however based on what I saw on Saturday I think they have the fire power to be more competitive as the season develops. Haywards Heath are the side showing consistency and a 29-0 win at Beccehamians keeps them top of the table. Beccehamian being a very tough place to go and get a win. Old Colfeians lead the chase after their single point win at Old Alleynians and Hove are hot on their tail after a 50-0 demolition of Thanet Wanderers. Our friends at Charlton Park suffered a consecutive narrow defeat this time at home to Gravesend and in the other game our next opponents Deal & Betteshanger beat Dover 12-10. The game against D&B is a consequence of the abandonment a few weeks ago. Despite the 18 point gap between us in 4th and Dover in 11th nothing has been decided in this league yet.

In London 3 South East it was a mixed day for the Sussex sides. The Greenies lost at Old Dunstonians and slip to 11th in the table. Uckfield enjoyed an excellent 13-7 home win against Aylesford Bulls and Pulborough came away from Vigo with a 15-3 win. Pulborough sit 4th and Uckfield 9th. Ashford's fine form continues as they beat Gillingham Anchorians. Folkestone continue to lead the chase with a win at Bromley. In the other game Park House beat bottom placed Old Willies.

Down in Sussex 1 East Grinstead go top with a win over Lewes. Eastbourne beat Hove II, Hellingly beat Burgess Hill and Crawley were the only away winners at Seaford. It is so depressing to see that both Plumpton and Ditchling have withdrawn from the league.

Up now into London 1 South where it was a bad day for the Sussex clubs. Horsham losing at home to Havant and Chichester losing away at Thurrock. Westcombe Park stay top despite losing at Cobham. Our friends at Medway beat HAC. Dartfordians remain at the foot of the table but did enjoy a win at home to Beckenham.

In the London Premier division Brighton beat Guildford, Tunbridge Wells beat Bedford Athletic and our friends over at Sevenoaks came home from CS Stags 1863 with a win. Wimbledon remain top after beating Hertford. Guildford are bottom with Brighton just above them. The Wells and the Oaks are 4th and 5th respectively.

In the National League 2 South TJs beat Esher and Worthing beat Dings Crusaders. TJs remain 2nd. Canterbury continue their losing run with a home defeat at the hands of Rams in National League 1.

Elsewhere Bridgnorth came home from Paviors with a 27-12 win but Salisbury lost at home to Buckingham. For the record Twickenham lost away at Tottonians.

For most teams it is a free weekend but for us it is Deal & Betteshanger and thankfully the club is laying on a coach for the team and travelling support. Contact Ian Geering to book your seat.

In Europe yesterday the French teams disgraced themselves by hitting the self-destruct button again. Pierre Bourgarit's eye gouging of Tom Curry was one of the worst acts of violence on a rugby field for a long time. He is a disgrace. Despite the man advantage, in fact for long periods a two man advantage Sale laboured to a win. Why oh why did they kick away so much good ball. La Rochelle could have seen a second red waved in their direction after another act of thuggery with their centre deliberately treading all over a defenceless Sale player on the ground after the whistle had gone.

Montpellier beat Gloucester after a Cherry & White fight back against 14 men. Jacques du Plessis was dismissed from the field after a clear elbow to the face of Gebrandt Grobler. (Have I missed something? Was this the European Cup or the Currie Cup?). With two defeats from two the after match tone of coach Ackerman would lead you to believe Europe has gone and they will now focus on the league.

I should have mentioned Exeter's fine win over Glasgow yesterday but I didn't. Sorry for that. Having seen the highlights Northampton were lucky to beat Benetton.

Based on the fact some of the games have been poor and after just two games some teams are already sending a clear signal Europe is not a priority, especially in the Challenge Cup Chris Foy of the Organ of Truth (not) has suggested it is time for the structure of the European games to have a rethink. It is hard for me to disagree with that.

That'll do for now. Back tomorrow with my thoughts on ring-fencing the Premiership in the wake of the salary cap questions.

Sunday 24th Nov: 10:00

What a miserable start to the day with that persistent drizzle under a battleship grey sky. Things improved with a fine pre-match lunch at The Walnut Tree, East Farleigh with the main course of the day delivering up a 38-14 away win at Maidstone.

The score-line flatters us slightly and despite Maidstone now being 9 losses from 9 games and no points to their name doesn't do them justice. We started well and could have, perhaps should have, been on the scoreboard within the opening minutes. Only good defence and conceding a silly penalty denied us the try. I'll come back to penalties shortly. Maidstone were not overawed by the gap in league positions and played some good rugby led by their scrum half and lively open-side flanker. They tested our defence to the full and moved the ball well between backs and forwards. We conceded way too many penalties early on which gave Maidstone the edge. In fact through their big centre they opened the score with a well taken try.

We then got our act together and an excellent solo effort from the mercurial Ali Main got us on the scoreboard. Not long after this we added a second through Rob Lester and things started to look more promising for us the visitors. Instead of kicking on we made many tactical mistakes kicking when a simple pass would have been more sensible and when we did pass it was wayward.

Maidstone were not to be silenced and fought back well scoring another well worked forwards try after Tom West was binned for his teams persistent infringements at the ruck. 14 apiece at the break was a fair reflection of the game.

It was the second half where things changed. The half-time ticking off by the coaches had the desired effect and the refereeing decisions started to go our way. 'Borough also beefed up their pack with the introduction of Will Creasy. This gave us an edge in the scrum and as the Maidstone pack tired so things became easier all round. Matt Botterman made good ground whilst the restored West and his half-back partner Main got the backs moving well. Maidstone still had their moments but the 'Borough defence was excellent stopping attacks in their tracks.

A third try took us to 21-14 but it was only deep into the game when we could relax. Maidstone had lost their influential No.7 with a head knock and the bounce of the ball went our way. Angus Weir and Zeb Kisbee and more latterly Bertie Boast were solid under the high ball and set up good attacking positions resulting in a series of tries the best of which was at the death. Weir latched onto an excellent Main cross kick and made good ground before off-loading to the excellent Lester who miraculously got the ball away in the tackle to the fast chasing Weir who then powered over in the corner. 38-14 the final score.

As stated the score-line flatters us slightly as we conceded way too many penalties, kicked away too much good ball and especially in the first half were sloppy in our passing and support play. In the second half we put a lot of that right. The score-line also doesn't do justice to the shift Maidstone put in for long periods. They played some attractive rugby but the two points of difference between the sides was fitness and 'Borough's superior defence.

So to the penalty count. We got on the wrong side of the referee due to our inability to get to grips with his interpretation of the ruck. I thought Maidstone were "cute" at this phase of play and were allowed to go beyond the ball and go off their feet too easily. This made life difficult for us throughout.

We remain in fourth after this result but sadly for Maidstone they look rather forlorn at the foot of the table. A full review of the leagues tomorrow.

In Europe those who follow Saracens had something to cheer as they demolished a strong Osprey side. Cardiff lost at the death to a second string Leicester side last night. Both results highlight the gap between the English club game and the Welsh regional game. Munster drawing 21-21 with Racing 92 seems to be the game off the day. Northampton Saints only just got passed Benetton in a high scoring game. Quins held off a late charging Bath to keep their hopes of European success alive but send Bath into the abyss. I fear Bath will now do what we have seen from some already and that is play second string XVs in order to focus on the league.

Well done Leicester City. 2-0 against Brighton & Hove Albion to stay 2nd in the Premier League.

Must go as my blood pressure is on the rise as I listen to the politicians on the Andrew Marr Show of all hues talk complete tosh in the background. You must make up your own minds but there is one outcome I fear for all of us. Those of us who have worked hard and saved sensibly for a comfortably lifestyle in our dotage and those who are still working hard for a comfortable lifestyle for you and your family should be very afraid. Those who are bone idle can rest easy as you will be even more lavishly looked after for doing jack all than you are currently. Life is not fair and it never will be. Even in the dark days of Soviet Russia under the iron fist of Stalin those at the top of the tree were significantly better off than those at the bottom of the food chain.

MY VIEWS so whinge to me if you disagree.

Saturday 23rd Nov: 09:30

Busy day at the club yesterday but sadly no work on the pitches as they are waterlogged right now. As soon as they start to dry off we have another deluge of rain. Talking of rain I have assumed all our games away are all still on. I haven't heard anything to the contrary.

What a difference a week makes. Last week Clermont Auvergne looked like a Rolls Royce on steroids. This weekend they looked like an East German Trabant; all smoke and no action. To be fair Ulster snuffed out every attack from the French side and took their own limited number of chances really well. Ulster top the group.

14 man Scarlets fell at the last moment as Toulon snatched a late winner down on the Cote d'Azur. The Dragons came out of Siberia with a fine win and now sit 2 wins from 2 in their group. Am I dreaming? Bristol's win at Brive also stands out but I have said on more than one occasion the French sides don't take the second tier cup very seriously.

Martyn Williams has been named Wales team manager. Having met him recently he seems a top bloke so lets hope he is up for the task.

Terrible to hear that former Scotland and British Lion great Tom Smith is battling an aggressive form of cancer. We hope for the best for him and his family.

Australia as expected are reviewing the 60 cap rule. It will come as no surprise if Wales follow suit.

Did you watch the "leaders" on TV yesterday? No! Nor did I. I would have a question for each.

Wee Jimmie - why are you here? You are not an MP, have no chance of being PM and your party represents less than 5% of the UKs population.

Dear Jo - Is the UK a democracy? If yes why are you going totally in an opposite direction than the referendum result.

Comrade - This country is in a mess because of Brexit. Why should anyone vote for a man who cannot get off the fence with regard to this crucial subject?

Mr Buffoon - Why can anyone trust you with your track record of infidelity in your private life and your litany of broke promises whilst in office, any office.

Finally to Fiona Bruce - why can't we have Harry Redknapp as PM. He has more life experience and common sense than the above four combined.

See you at a soggy Maidstone later.

Thursday 21st Nov: 10:00

Always happy to be corrected and never shy to say I got it wrong.

In yesterday's blog I said "Rhys Patchell would have made a good alternative" for Gareth Anscombe. Of course I meant Rhys Priestland.

I also said Mark McCall would prefer that international rugby didn't exist. I still think there is a scintilla of truth in that but I must point out that he has come out and made it clear he expects all his stars to play for their country during the 6 Nations. This is a positive move from him which is good for the players (financially), good for the club (financially), good for the country (financially).

I also referenced rugby's finances being a mess. Two stories have therefore caught the eye that substantiate my view.

Cardiff Blues have with some delight announced their losses have been reduced from £2m to £500k and the revenue has risen from £9.6m to £13m. Excellent news! Or is it? Actually when you read on and see that one director wrote off debts of £3.3m and another £934k then the picture is far from rosy. In addition close to £2m of the revenue came from the WRU as part of the agreement to restructure the game in Wales. BBC for more

The second story relates to Sale who from the information I get run a very tight ship with a small squad by comparison to others. The co-owner Simon Orange has come out and said rugby union needs to "sort itself out" financially. He says the game needs more transparency in the wake of the salary cap issues and more must be done to protect clubs if wealthy backer to decide to withdraw their investment. The telling comment is "we [collectively] lost £50m last year and that is currently being covered by a load of idiot owners, one of which is me". The article goes on to talk about the average losses and making comparison with how Sale with their small squad are struggling to make ends meet compared to some who seem quite happy with squads twice the size. It is a fascinating article and can be found in The Guardian (one of my favourite sources for rugby news and avoided for left wing mantra).

Orange also raises the question of ring-fencing the Premiership. I would welcome thoughts on this so I can do a piece next week that balances my own "humble" opinion with those of others. Bleater@crowboroughrugby.com.

I was also pleased that Steve Diamond, often outspoken, has come out and stated the fact Saracens have been punished and have accepted it is a good thing so lets leave the powers that be sort out the ramifications and we can get on with the game.

Talking of which it is the second round of the European Cups this weekend. The fixtures are less eye catching but I have picked out ones I think will be worth keeping an eye on. Ulster v Clermont Auvergne is tomorrow. Another big win for the French side will send a clear message about their intentions. Likewise Exeter v Glasgow will be intriguing on Saturday. Can Exeter send a clear message about their European form. Quins v Bath is one where a second defeat might scupper the chances of one of these sides. Yes it is early days but two defeats on the trot is hard to come back from when you are in a pool of just four teams. Munster v Racing 92 looks good and for a range of reasons Saracens v Ospreys catches the eye. In the second tier Cardiff v Leicester is likely to be S4Cs game so one to watch instead of Strictly or any other rubbish that might be on TV at that time. As I prepare Sunday lunch I'll probably watch Sale v La Rochelle.

The Premier League returns tomorrow so I guess all eyes will be on Spurs away at West Ham. Not me I'll be keen to know whether the Mighty Foxes can keep their fine form going at the Amex. I'll be over at Maidstone by the way.

The papers are full of ......... I'm not going there but I was pleased to see that his mummy has cut his pocket money and sent him to his room to contemplate the error of his ways.

I love a nice tale with a happy ending so was delighted to read that Comrade Corbynov has found an orchard of money trees next to Jack's beanstalk. The friendly hairy one intends to spend all the money from the orchard on the needy and because he thinks he can climb the beanstalk unaided and slay the Buffoon of a giant who lives at the top of it he can promise that only those pesky rich folks will have to pay more in taxes. Once he has achieved that he can leave his miserable existence behind him and run off with the love of his life Princess Diana of Abbotshire and live happily ever after in the sunshine state of Venezuela.

I also read in the same book of fairy tales that Wee Jimmie Sturgeon who wants to be Queen of Scotland and rule over her 4m subjects has found a magic wand that will bring her dream come true. She will wave it and magically she will be free of the rule of Westminster and be independent. Sadly the wicked Buffoon of a wizard had laid a trap for her and whilst she was free of the 60+ million English who decided her fate she now was under the rule of the wicked French, the pesky Germans and the nonsensical Italians who couldn't give a tinkers cuss for her 4m people of deep fried Mars bar eating Scots. Sadly Wee Jimmie Sturgeon had come to realise the grass wasn't always greener on the other side ............. of the now mined border with gun emplacements and vicious guards with their scary Morris dancing.

Back on Saturday after a long lie down without the grandkids to fret over.

Wednesday 20th Nov: 10:00

If you are planning for the weekend already then sadly Steel Cross with be devoid of rugby on Saturday. No bad thing as the pitches and hard working staff can catch their breath. The 1st XV travel to Maidstone, the 2s to Midhurst and the Crows to Heathfield & Waldron.

If you are a Saracens fan then for your it never rains it pours. As the dust begins to settle on the salary cap saga so the club gets hit with a fine for failing to show up at the launch of this seasons Champions Cup. Whilst I can almost defend their approach to the joint investment plan failing to turn up at the launch of this seasons Europe's premier competition is indefensible. It smacks of childishness and most certainly of arrogance and almost certainly of disdain for everyone else in the competition and the people who pay the money into it.

Move on before the hate mail hits the inbox........ again!

Wayne Pivac has announced his squad to face the Barbarians in ten days time. He is missing a number of key players due to injury so has drafted in Johnny McNicholl and Willis Halaholo both qualifying on the grounds of the pathetic residency rules. Yes both have been good players over at the Scarlets but this residency rule is complete nonsense. I despair. Surely with four years before the next World Cup now is the time to bite the bullet and change things. Here is my position.........

You are eligible if
you were born in the country
either of your parents were born in the country
you arrived in the country prior to your 17th birthday and have been here for 3 years and in part educated in the country
you have played and lived in the country continuously for SEVEN years.

There is one exception and it applies to some who may have served in one of the military forces of that country for a period of a year or more then you are eligible to play for that country if you so choose. I think here of Fijians serving in the British Army.

There is a different complexity some countries face. Wales and Australia have placed an arbitrary cap limit of 60 for those who wish to ply their trade overseas. Dan Biggar can play for Wales as he exceeds the limit. Rhys Webb can't because he falls well short. The idea is to keep the best talent playing at home and I support that. There is however the other side of the argument that says you are shooting yourself in the foot. Wales would have been stronger with Webb in the squad in Japan, likewise when Anscombe was injured Rhys Patchell would have made a good alternative. Australia are faced with a similar dilemma as they have many who by birth are qualified for Fiji e.g. Samu Kerevi. Kerevi is off to Japan to play so with only 29 caps he can no longer play for the Wallabies and because he has 29 Aussie caps he can't play for Fiji. The move makes him money but puts him in the international wilderness. The story is covered in The Guardian where they suggest it would be to some countries advantage to accept reality; money talks and reduce the cap limit to say 30.

By the way will Liam Williams leave Scarlets to return home to Wales sometime soon?

Eddie Jones has said Scotland should take inspiration from Japan if they are to compete on the World stage. I say to King Eddie: mind your own business and explain to those who spend their hard earned cash following England and the game at grassroots level why after the millions and millions spent on your squad over the years they failed yet again to deliver when it mattered. Put your own house in order before interfering in others me thinks.

Australia appoint Dave Rennie to head up the Wallabies coaching team. Good choice based on what he has done at Glasgow Warriors on a limited budget and with a squad of good players but no real global superstars. Danny Wilson ex of Cardiff Blues is set to take over. Not sure about this as the Blues were always the bridesmaid and never the bride under his tenure. In fact for most of the time they were probably just a guest at the party.

Paul Gustard has commented on the dilemma now facing Saracens international stars ahead of the 6 Nations. It is nothing to do with him but as written yesterday I think it is a lose-lose scenario if they pull out. As a by-line however those who read this drivel regularly know I have often commented that I believe Mark McCall would prefer international rugby didn't exist and his players weren't regularly off to play for their country.

Israel Folau. What a complete plonker. People are entitled to their beliefs but his are now entering the area of the mentally disturbed. Move on!

Did you watch the leaders debate last night. No! Nor did I. Yes this election is vital for the country but listening to someone who wants to turn this country into a communist wasteland a la Venezuela debating with a complete and utter buffoon who doesn't know his arse from his elbow and is so far removed from the real world is not compelling viewing for me. I watched Wales beat Hungary to qualify for Euro 2020 instead.

I see Spurs have sacked their manager Mauricio Pochettino for an even bigger self opinionated clown than Donald Trump, one Jose Mourinho. If excrement was able to be arrogant Mourihno would be the biggest arrogant shit in the world.

Must go before the censors remove the word arrogant from my description of Mourinho.

Tuesday 19th Nov: 10:00

Whether we like it or not there is only one story in town and that is: Saracens - The Salary Cap Saga

Nigel Wray and the clubs executives, so Nigel Wray has decided not to contest the findings of the investigation into wrong doing with regard to the salary cap. They accept the punishment with the caveat they still want to sit down with the Premiership Rugby chiefs to go over the findings in detail.

In essence they accept they made mistakes by doing the "wrong thing for the right reason" and apologised for "administrative errors relating to the non disclosure of some transactions". They have stated "they are committed to the salary cap and the underlying principle of a level playing field".

The bottom line however is certain players were rewarded financially for playing rugby for Saracens and this reward was not captured within the details submitted under the rules of the salary cap. Saracens have argued they did not try and deceive anyone and still claim that the rules are unclear with regard to this method of reward. It was a creative way of exceeding the limits and they have been brought to book as a result.

They now need to face up to the reality of a 35 point penalty. Ignore the £5.4m fine as Wray will sort that out as he has done with many of Saracens other substantial debts.

On a positive note this should now put to bed the bickering between clubs and allow the Premiership game to review the cap and close any loopholes.

I have challenged some readers on the use of the word "bile" when referring to some of the comments made about the Saracens situation. If this has come from social media then more fool the readers as social media is full of self-serving, shallow, ill-informed morons. Rise above it and take on board the erudite words of Paul Kitson, Mick Cleary and even Sir knowitall.

Likewise I did smile when 12 of the 13 clubs state the salary cap is challenging but accepting it for what it is: a way to level the playing field and stop the game being a big dick contest between men with more money than sense. That is of course except for those with the Saracens eye-patch on who think the cap is too low. Actually you could argue with 12 of the 13 clubs in debt the cap is too high and squads too large.

There has also been whingeing on about the French capping their salaries at £10m. Yes but they have simplified their system so it is based on adding up all the salaries in the squad and arriving at a total. There are no exceptions for marquee players or home grown academy players, or, or, or. The English system has lots of add-ons and variations so when these are considered the caps come out about the same.

Finally and the most mis-guided comment of all was to compare rugby with soccer. This is like comparing apples with sirloin steak. Rugby is a minority sport played seriously in just a few countries whereas soccer is a global game with billions of followers world wide. CVC invested £250m spread over a number of years into 13 clubs. You do the maths. Manchester United's shirt deal is worth £64m alone with most other top flight clubs earning about £45m per shirt deal, and don't forget the rugby clubs gave up 27% of revenue for their deal. The soccer clubs bank the money in exchange for a bit of exposure and a couple of executive boxes. If further comparison is needed the Pro14 are lauding a £120m investment into that league again for a 27% cut of revenue. This is compared to the £1.2bn BT have given UEFA for the TV rights for the European football tournaments noting this only covers the UK so heavens knows how much UEFA are taking in total.

By the way if rugby doesn't start to take their indebtedness seriously soon then they could go the same way as Bury FC, Bolton Wanderers, and many other soccer clubs who when their benefactor walked away the clubs collapsed.

What next for Saracens and England. Saracens have the squad and the determination and the togetherness to get out of this mess but they will need to continue with their policy of not taking the European tournament seriously. There is already talk that the plethora of international stars in the Saracens squad might sacrifice their places in the 6 Nations in order to help their club survive the drop. This is a double edged sword as the unions compensate the clubs handsomely for releasing their players and the players get paid handsomely for each international appearance. This feels like a lose - lose scenario. There is also the external factors and Allianz has already raised its head above the parapet by stating that as an internationally renowned financial organisation they might find it hard to continue to support a club that has admitted financial impropriety.

In conclusion I think Saracens accepting the findings and making the comments they have is a very positive way forward. I also firmly believe and have said so consistently that top flight rugby is heading for a fall and one of the top clubs is going to collapse when the money man walks away. When this happens perhaps they will see sense and start to run their clubs with a clearer eye on the bottom line.

If there is no level playing field English rugby might as well become some reality auction program. You put the trophy on display and the 12/13 Chairmen try and outbid each other. The Chairman with the deepest pockets wins. Is that what you really want? Is that what the game deserves? It is what will happen if there isn't a level playing field.

bleater@crowboroughrugby.com if you want to send me "bile" or any other kind of abuse. Whilst you are abusing me you are giving someone else a rest!!

Monday 18th Nov: 10:00

Things are definitely back to normal as I sit here in Salisbury having just got the grandkids off to school.

Anyway less about me, let's have a look at what happened in the leagues on Saturday. The more I reflect on it the more I think Saturday was a great result for us. Charlton Park are a very good side, a side we have struggled to beat in the past. They were plagued by a litany of errors but in part that was caused by our excellent defence. Equally when we had chances, albeit very limited in number we took them. The win keeps us in 4th with a game in hand. It is clear the form team are Haywards Heath who top the table after beating winless and pointless Maidstone 15-0. Old Colfeians are not to be shaken off as they enjoyed a 38-25 win over Hove. Dover lost at home to Old Alleynians keeping them in 11th spot . Thanet Wanderers beat Beccehamian whilst Deal & Betteshanger enjoyed the trip back home down the M2/A2 after beating Gravesend. Whilst Maidstone are struggling there will be many changes in this league as the season develops. We for instance cannot rest on our laurels especially as we travel to Maidstone next weekend.

In London 3 South East, the league which I think is the most competitive in the London Division, it is Ashford who are leading the charge. A 26-20 away win at Aylesford Bulls keeps them top. Uckfield came away from bottom placed Old Willies with a fine 29-25 win and Pulborough enjoyed a 34-10 win over Park House. Our good friends The Greenies had a les enjoyable day losing at home 20-8 to Bromley. Second placed Folkestone beat Vigo and Gillingham Anchorians beat Old Dunstonians in the other two games.

In Sussex 1 despite not playing this weekend Eastbourne are top. Crawley in second strolled past Haywards Heath 2s, Burgess Hill comfortably beat Seaford, Hove 2s beat Barns Green and Lewes lost at home to Hellingly. East Grinstead away at Plumpton has no result against it for some reason.

Upwards and onwards into London 1 South. Westcombe Park top the table after a narrow win over Horsham. Chichester beat bottom placed Dartfordians by a single point. Our friends over at Medway strolled past Beckenham but it is Camberley who beat KCS Old Boys at their place who are keeping the pressure on Westcombe Park.

At the top table of the London Division Wimbledon continue to lead the way after beating Brighton 41-24. Sevenoaks beat those wild London Irish Geese and Tunbridge Wells came home from Tring with a good win. In terms of the table the Wells and the Oaks are nicely mid table but Brighton is in the drop zone. Way too early for that so let's move on.

Moving into the ether that is the National Leagues Juddians fine season thus far took a knock after the narrowest of defeats at Clifton which drops them to second spot. Worthing came home from Barnes after beating them by a single point.

Elsewhere Bridgnorth won at home against Nuneaton but Salisbury got hammered away at Banbury and now look forlorn at the foot of the table. My friend John's Twickenham lost away at Winchester and for the record Canterbury lost at Hull Ionians (boy that's a journey and a half) and are adrift at the foot of the table.

Some great games in Europe over the weekend. For me the pick of the results were Exeter winning at La Rochelle, the way Clermont Auvergne took Harlequins apart, Connacht beating Montpelier and Northampton's first half performance against Lyon. Dan Biggar was outstanding by the way.

It comes as no surprise that Saracens fielded a weakened team against Racing 92 and lost as they have prioritised league survival. It seems they will not contest the punishment handed down to them. More on this tomorrow when I will respond to an email I have received on the subject. An email that is almost as ostrich like as Prince Andrew's recent pathetic TV performance.

Israel Folau has highlighted why he cannot and must not win his case against the ARU. He has again outraged the nation with his misguided views.

Jamie Joseph is staying with Japan until 2023.

The Pro14 have a done a deal with CVC worth £120m more on this tomorrow.

Must go as I am really desperate to hear more outrageous and insincere promises from our deceitful and shallow politicians on the campaign trail.

Sunday 17th Nov: 09:00

Before I reflect on yesterday's game a couple of comments.

Firstly a big "thank you" to all of you who have said how much you enjoyed the blog from Japan. I would have written it even if no-one other than Mrs Bleater and I were to read it but to hear that many of you did read it and enjoyed it is humbling. Thank you.

Secondly what an amazing job the Friday Club have done in recent months. With the deluge of rain we have had over the last few weeks it was amazing any rugby took place at Steel Cross yesterday. For three games to go ahead was simply amazing. Well done all, and well done to Jacqui, JP and team with three games and a league lunch hats off to you too.

Crowborough started brightly with the forwards playing a controlled off-loading game with Matt Botterman, Will Creasy and Harry Slatter all making good forward progress. Tom West and Ali Main got the backs moving when presented with the ball and when Main gave the deftest of passes to Rob Lester allowing him to break the defensive line things looked promising. From the ensuing position ‘Borough found themselves deep In Charlton Park territory and from a lineout a well executed catch and drive allowed Harry Slatter to power over for the opening try. With just five minutes gone and the Oli Clinch conversion Crowborough were 7-0 to the good.

The try galvanised the visitors into action so Crowborough now had some defending to do, which they did with some aplomb. Charlton Park got themselves into some good positions only for the last pass to go astray, something that plagued them throughout. With about 15 minutes gone Crowborough extended their lead after some excellent interplay between the forwards. Andrew Orchard made good ground before off-loading to the fast charging Tom Kent in support who crashed over for Crowborough’s second try. Clinch missed the extra points. 12-0.

Charlton Park playing some attractive rugby with backs and forwards linking well clawed their way back into the game. On the 27 minute mark Charlton Park reduced the deficit after a series of good off loads they scored in the corner.

The visitors finished the half much the stronger and it was only resolute defending by the Steel Cross men and sloppy last ditch passing by Charlton Park that kept the score at 12-7 at the break.

The second half started much the same as the first with Crowborough coming out of the blocks much the quicker. Clinch had an opportunity to extend the home lead but his long range effort went wide. Not long after Park had the opportunity to reduce the gap to four points but his effort also sailed wide. The game ebbed and flowed but with both sides defending as if their lives depended on it neither side could break the deadlock. In the growing gloom and with the pitch sapping the energy out of both sides legs the game became somewhat bogged down in mid-field with more handling errors plaguing both sides and the penalty count increasing. Clinch had another opportunity following another penalty but yet again his effort sailed agonisingly wide.

Charlton Park’s pack started to dominate the scrum putting ‘Borough under increasing pressure but the defensive line held firm; a last ditch tackle by Zeb Kisbee epitomising the effort. The game could have been put to bed when with the ‘Borough scrum going backwards the ball squirted out to be picked up by Botterman. With no-one at home down the blindside he drew the defence to him before off-loading to Clinch. Clinch made good metres and the simplest of passes to Kisbee would have seen Kisbee over in the corner. No, the pass went astray and that opportunity went a begging. In the dying minutes Botterman was correctly penalised for off-side but was harshly shown a yellow card. ‘Borough held on however to close out a scoreless second half for the 12-7 win. We remain in 4th spot but this was an excellent result against a side we have struggled to beat over the years.

Well done the 2s beating Newick 31-10 and well done The Crows even though you lost 38-0 to Eastbourne. You got a side out and you got a game.

Full league round-up tomorrow.

Caught some good games of European rugby yesterday. More on this tomorrow and Tuesday when I will also reflect on some mis-guided comparisons between rugby and soccer when it comes to discussing the salary cap.

Saturday 16th Nov: 09:35

If the rest of the European campaign continues as it started last night then happy days. Two amazing solo tries by Gloucester new boy Joe Simpson to take Gloucester into an impressive 20-9 half time lead. Toulouse weren't exactly on the ropes but they didn't look like a side tipped for domestic and European glory.

Then came the second half and a dynamic Toulouse fightback. 16 unanswered points with the French putting on a handling masterclass in the final 20 minutes. Only resolute Gloucester defending kept the French at bay. Silly penalties contributed to the cherry & white demise but let us not ignore how the French raised their game. Plenty more European stuff today and tomorrow.

Apologies for the mistake of yesterday. Fiji take on the Barbarians today at Twickenham. The Barbarians are coached by King Eddie who continues to beat himself up over his World Cup Final selection. Call me cynical but I can't move away from the fact this introspection coincides with King Eddie's autobiography hitting the shelves. I bet if the book wasn't coming out we wouldn't hear anything about it. I would rather hear about how despite the millions thrown at him and his England squad and the 30+ support staff he didn't bring home the cup. Money can't guarantee success but it is a question that needs to be asked. Nothing was left unspent in the pursuit of the Webb Ellis Trophy yet King Eddie and his team still fell short.

Sam Underhill is back in action today having given his World Cup medal away to his mum and dad. His dad by the way is an RAF man through and through and served in Kandahar with my son-in-law during the Afghanistan conflict.

Wayne Pivac has brought Byron Hayward into his coaching set-up as defence coach and interestingly Sam Warburton as a technical advisor. The latter is an inspired decision as a) Warburton knows his stuff and b) he is still an inspiration to many in the current squad.

I hope you haven't got shares in any of the telecom companies especially BT after Comrade Corbynov announced he will nationalise a large chunk of it. Free broadband is an attractive proposition but at what cost? What cost to us the tax payer, BT shareholders, pension schemes, future tech investment from overseas? Think communist Russia, think Venezuela.

Have you watched daytime TV lately? I did yesterday. I didn't realise that for £3 per month I could save donkeys, snow leopards, cats, dogs, the homeless, the Klingons and just about any other worthy cause known to man (and woman and transgender person and any other description of a human being).

Back tomorrow with the match report.......... hopefully.

Thursday 14th Nov: 08:20

Steel Cross Saturday. Crowborough v Chartlon Park. K.o. 14:30. Bring your thermals and wet weather gear as the forecast is grim.

King Eddie is still ruing the defeat against South Africa. I am sure it hurts and it hurts badly especially after the hopes of success were raised after that stunning defeat of New Zealand. He claims he should have changed the team to freshen it up. Quite possibly but the bottom line is at the time he made what he thought was the right decision and beating himself up about it now after the event is madness. Accept it and move on, and that is exactly what I think he will do. Move on. Why do half a job? Get somebody (cheaper) in now who is able to take England through to 2023 in France.

Jones will take the Barbarians to Twickenham on Sunday for a money spinning fixture against Fiji. If fitting tier 2 nations like Fiji into the calendar is hard then high profile fixtures against the Barbarians is a good way of enhancing their coffers and raising their profile. Rory Best leads the Barbarians.

I read with interest that Saracens have parachuted into their set up communications consultants FTI to help manage the flak from the salary cap investigation. That won't come cheap and is sure to be funded by Nigel Wray. Saracens are refusing to answer questions about the salary cap at normal pre-match briefings, quite rightly. The focus should be on the games ahead but that said I think it is fair to ask how the punishment will affect their selection policy ahead of European games versus domestic matches when they have stated Premiership survival is their priority. In communication there is always a fine line between protecting confidentiality and following protocol and having something to hide. I therefore hope the introduction of FTI is about Saracens remaining focussed on the game and nothing more.

It is an end of an era for Wales and their coaching team. Warren Gatland heads home to New Zealand, Robbie McBryde heads to Munster, Rob Howley heads very sadly and I genuinely mean this to gamblers anonymous, and Shaun Edwards goes to France. Of all the moves the latter is the biggest news. How the abrasive Edwards will fare in France is a fascinating question but if he can bring structure to the French defence then don't count them out for quickly becoming pretty unbeatable.

Paolo Odogwu has been given a six week ban for that outrageous kick to the head of Rohan van Rensburg. Aled Brew will enjoy three weeks on the naughty step for his striking of George Furbank.

England soccer play Montenegro tonight in their penultimate Euro qualifier. Yes I'm clutching at straws trying to find things to write about. The Royal Mail strike is off by the way. Some good news I guess.

Donald Trump is being impeached, something to do with Joe Biden and Ukraine. Sadly nothing to do with him being a blithering, self-serving, devious idiot.

Talking of which both the Buffoon and Comrade Corbynov have been heckled this week. Good! They both deserve it for being.............. I refer you to the above comment about Trump.

Greta Thunberg is sailing from the USA to Madrid for yet another conference on climate change. I guess a Thunberg in the Atlantic will make a change from an iceberg. By the way what is wrong with Facetime or Skype and why aren't you in school? I guess that might have something to do with your pushy mother and your PR agency.

If the climate zealots had their own way flying would become the preserve of the rich and ruling classes and beyond the reach of hardworking citizens around the world. Does that sound fair? Equally if we followed the guidelines these zealots want us to follow about diet and lifestyle each individuals costs would go up. I agree with the need for change but there has to be a way that the poorest in society isn't the first to be hit.

Got to go before I get onto 13th century Chinese pottery. By the way you know when someone isn't a rugby fan in any way shape or form when he prefers to talk about Chinese pottery on the coach to the World Cup Final rather than discussing the merits of Slade vs Tuilagi. Yep that is true!

Wednesday 13th Nov: 10:30

I watched Wales v France in the quarter-final of RWC 2019 last night. Boy we were lucky but that elbow to Aaron Wainwright's face was an outrageous act of thuggery which has no place in society let alone on a rugby field.

What price Wales 4th place as Jonathan Davies, Josh Navidi, Liam Williams, Rhys Patchell, Thomas Francis and Gareth Anscombe are all likely to miss the 6 Nations.

King Eddie has said with hindsight he should have freshened up his team for the World Cup final. You didn't and you lost but I can understand the thinking behind the comment; England v New Zealand was THE final and reproducing that standard was always going to be tough.

Sir Knowitall has commented on the salary cap issue. Yawn. Let's now wait until the appeal is completed please.

The European tournaments start on Friday. The Champions Cup is a step up from the Premiership and bridges the gap to the international game. The Irish provinces always take it seriously but I can see them struggling this season after their poor showing in Japan and their ageing stars on the wane. The French blow hot and cold with regard to Europe. Those in the second tier cup often can't be bothered but those in the top tier do see it as something to go after. Wales only has the Ospreys in the Champions Cup but with so many players returning from Japan I expect them to struggle early on. That leaves the English clubs. The games are an opportunity for revenue and I can see them doing well. Saracens approach will be fascinating as they have already said prioritising their Premiership league status is this seasons No.1 objective.

The Cup opens on Friday with a mouth-watering clash between Gloucester and Toulouse. On Saturday it is Ospreys v Munster and Bath v Ulster that stand out but don't disregard La Rochelle v Exeter and Clermont Auvergne v Quins. Plenty of good match ups in the Challenge Cup but it is hard to get excited by them. All eyes will be on Racing 92 v Saracens on Sunday but sadly for all the wrong reasons.

Whichever games you watch lets hope for some open running rugby and no serious injuries and please no red cards.

As we head towards the general election on Dec 12th I need to be careful about what I write, or do I. What I do need to do is stress two things: 1, the views expressed in this blog are mine and mine alone and do not reflect CRFC's. 2, I am extremely grateful to CRFC for allowing me to use the clubs website as a platform for me to write about our great game and sometimes about other stuff.

Is it true Mike "Loadsa" Cash's RMT have proposed a 27 day strike over the on-going dispute about guards on trains? You know my views on this which basically centre around you might as well have a chocolate teapot on board most of the time. Please consider the following when thinking about voting. The RMT can go on strike for 27 days under the current restrictive rules with regard to strikes. Just imagine the joy the commuters will have after Dec 12th if Comrade Corbynov prevails when the current rules on strikes are thrown out of the window and the unions given more power. Truly happy days me thinks.

Please can someone tell me if since being in Japan Britain has found the secret to growing money trees. Based on the ludicrous sums being thrown around for the NHS, the police and any other cause that might win one more vote it seems we must have. When oh when will it become a legal requirement that election "promises" are have some degree of cost justification to back them up.

Off for a lie down whilst I mull over how much more tax I will be paying if ............. wins the election.

Tuesday 12th Nov: 08:15

A couple of club announcements first. We play Charlton Park next weekend. There is a league lunch at Steel Cross so book your place with JP at the club. The Deal & Betteshanger game has been rearranged for Nov 30th. I'll try and keep you abreast of travel arrangements. Well done the Friday Club. Despite horrendous rain both the Colts and the Under14s were able to play at Steel Cross on Sunday. A testament to the club's investment and the hard work done by the old codgers.

In rugby news there is much talk about whether King Eddie will stay on until France 2023. Me, I think he should go. He is costing the RFU a fortune and with all the resources thrown at him and the team they still came up short in Japan. England is by a very, very, very long way the biggest and richest Union on the planet and should be dominating the sport.

Out of a sense of commitment and decency Warren Gatland has turned down the opportunity to be the next All Black coach. He leads the Lions in 2021 and that is the deal breaker for him. Good on you Gats.

Joe Marchant built the ability to play Super rugby into his contract when it was extended recently. It still seems bizarre until you recall that Quins have some sort of arrangement with NZRFU.

Watched the highlights from the Premiership last night. Some good games with some good tries. The sending off of the Wasps winger and Bath's Aled Brew were both spot on. Quite surprised to see World Cup players returning so soon. Henry Slade being the most notable. The players union is questioning the speed at which some have returned but I guess if Slade didn't want to play he wouldn't have played.

The spectre hanging over the weekend of course was the salary cap debate. As hoped for Paddy O'Fez has been in touch and as always makes some very good observations albeit with a slight Sarries bias to some. I will try and be as objective as I can and disseminate both sides of the argument and contest some of the points made.

Let us start with two facts. The review was undertaken by a judge and in the words of The Sunday Times Stephen Jones "two wingmen". These are people who know their way around the law and the gobbledegook written into contracts. As a consequence to come out with a fine of £5.3m and a 35 point deduction would indicate this is no minor indiscretion or a simple backroom administration cock-up. The dilemma, and this is where it gets messy, is no-one has seen the full judgement and it appears the very secretive PRL have no intention of releasing it. We are therefore left to draw our own conclusions.

The second aspect is many of the comments have come from people who should remember the adage "let him without sin cast the first stone". It does seem that many, including me have forgotten the scandal of Quins and bloodgate, a truly disgraceful day for our great game. The indignation of some like Danny Care might therefore be considered in that context.

Both Jones and my mate Paddy use the word "bile" in referencing the comments made towards Sarries. I personally think that is being rather defensive as I would suggest that how Saracens have been able to afford the plethora of stars for so many seasons is a question that has been around for quite some time.

Jones makes the very good point that this investigation must not be allowed to overshadow the fact that Saracens have an excellent academy system bringing players through, a tremendous coaching set-up and a brilliant team ethos which have been as much a part of the success as the players.

The bottom line is simple however and that is based on the part of the findings revealed to the public Saracens have breached the salary cap rules, not in a malicious underhand way but in a clever and imaginative way which they have never hidden. It is a breach of the rules nonetheless. No matter how you wrap and sugar coat the deals done with Nigel Wray they have enhanced the earnings of key players in return for playing for Saracens. They should be included in the salary cap calculations and as a consequence I personally think Sarries need to be punished.

Put all this to one side however as there is a much a bigger issue overriding all of this. The simple truth is that with one exception all of the clubs are living beyond their means and are in debt. I would go as far as to say significantly in debt in some cases and only survive due to the largesse of their owners. I think Sarries are one of the worst offenders in this instance with Nigel Wray having written off debt on several occasions and the bean counters doing marvellous things with the accounting to make the debt look less than it is. This cannot be sustainable. Players wages are a significant chunk of costs so a salary cap makes a lot of sense hence the reason why there is so much concern about teams looking to find ways around it. Basically looking at ways to make them more indebted.

Premiership Rugby's business model is flawed. If this was the High Street seven of the stores would be closed, five would be in administration and just one would be open for business. Food for thought?

I'll leave it there with a look at the European games starting tomorrow.

Monday 11th Nov: 08:15

"At the going down of the sun we shall remember them." On this the 11th day of the 11th month I shall pause at 11:00 for a moments reflection for those who have so gallantly given their lives in the pursuit of peace. Their sacrifice has known no bounds.

Sport brings people together and there is no better game for doing that than rugby so let me now do my first weekend round-up of the season.

In London 2 South East Haywards Heath continue to lead the way after a fine 12-34 win on the road at Thanet Wanderers. Fellow Sussex side Hove remain hot on their heels with a 36-7 demolition of Dover. The other comfortable winners were our friends and next week's opponents Charlton Park who beat bottom placed Maidstone 29-0. Old Colfeians narrowly beat Beccehamanian 8-11 to stay in 3rd just ahead of us in 4th. In the final game in this round Gravesend left Old Alleynians with a 17-20 win. By the way the more I think about it the more I am convinced our referee on Saturday was not fit prior to kick off thus making the abandonment even more frustrating.

In London 3 South East it is Ashford who lead the way beating our good neighbours Uckfield 47-20. Our other good neighbours Heathfield & Waldron lost by a single point at Vigo 12-11. Pulborough flew the flag for Sussex with a convincing 45-5 win over bottom placed Old Williamsonians. Bromley beat Gillingham Anchorians, Old Dunstonians beat Aylesford Bulls and Park House beat 2nd placed Folkestone in the other games. This remains an incredibly competitive league in my view.

Sussex 1 highlights the issues of grassroots rugby. No sooner had the season started Ditchling pulled out. This week Plumpton cried off giving Hellingly a HWO. In the games that were played leaders Eastbourne were held to a draw by Crawley, East Grinstead beat Barns Green, Seaford beat Lewes to remain 2nd and Burgess Hill came away from Haywards Heath II with a win.

Moving up into London 1 South where Horsham and Chichester fly the flag for Sussex. The former came away from Belsize Park with a 34-18 defeat to their name and Chichester came home from Medway having been beaten 20-10. They remain comfortably mid-table however. Westcombe Park top the league with Camberley in 2nd. Dartfordians prop up the table after losing to London Cornish.

Onwards and upwards into the London Premier Division where Brighton enjoyed a fine win over Sidcup. In the Kent derby Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks fought out a 15-15 draw. Wimbledon remain unbeaten at the top with Guildford very much at the other end. Despite their win Brighton look somewhat forlorn just two points ahead of Guildford in the relegation zone.

Way up in the ether of National 2 South Tonbridge Juddians continue to lead the charge with a 42-5 win over Westcliff. Worthing beat Esher 20-15.

In other results Canterbury had a terrible day losing 50-0 at home to Richmond. Bridgnorth won away at Newport (Salop) with Salisbury losing at home to Wimborne. In a nod to my friend John Adams Twickenham beat Chobham.

Some interesting results at the top of our game with Bristol stunning the Chiefs. Bath beating the Saints the day before allowed Bristol to go top. London Irish beating the Tigers comes as no surprise as Tigers woes continue. Wasps are also struggling to find form.

I'll trawl through the papers tomorrow for more stories but one I can't quite get my head around is Quins are allowing centre and lynchpin Joe Marchant to go to Auckland Blues on loan from January. Any help understanding that would be gratefully received.

Noticeable by his absence is my very good friend Paddy O'Fez. I wait in anticipation for his views on the salary cap situation at Sarries.

Sunday 10th Nov: 09:00

It was supposed to be "back to normal" yesterday but as it happened it turned out to be far from that. Having had an excellent 36 hours with The Bard and his lovely wife in Boulogne and Deal we were excited to be back watching the boys. The game started brightly with Deal & Betteshanger looking lively with their forwards and backs linking well. The ball when moved wide stretched our defence on several occasions. The 'Borough defence remained resolute with Angus Weir looking solid under the high ball. Eventually the black shirted swarm broke through scoring a fine try.

This galvanised Crowborough and as is often the case the imperious Matt Botterman led the way. Some strong carries supported by Alex Purnell put us on the front foot. Ali Main at #10 kept the Deal & Betteshanger guessing with his darting runs and raking kicks. After a series of penalties and failed pushover attempts CRFC got on level terms with an excellent try after moving the ball wide with some great inter-passing between backs and forwards.

As Main was collecting the ball for the conversion so the sizeable crowd spotted the referee lying on the floor in obvious agony. Despite a lengthy period of treatment and a valiant attempt to continue that was that; match abandoned.

It was a real shame as the game had started well and on a day both sides honoured "the fallen" and D&B stalwart David Teakle. That said many D&B supporters suggested that David might have had a rye smile on his face as the players dejectedly trudged off the field.

I have more than a suspicion that the referee was not fit prior to the match. I, along with others, watched some fairly unusual warm-up techniques, techniques normally associated with a person recovering from a serious injury. If I am wrong I am very happy to stand corrected and apologise but if I am not then I suggest that it is an insult to both sides for a referee to turn up at a game injured and in the case of CRFC causing a large number of supporters and the club itself to incur costs that could have been avoided.

I'll do a full league round-up tomorrow. The centrepiece of the Premiership was Gloucester v Saracens. Saracens ran out winners but as will be case going forward the shadow of the salary cap investigation will hang over every game in which the Barnet crew play in. There is no easy solution going forward and whilst Danny Care made a strong case for them to be relegated I don't see that as a solution. Where I do agree with Care is that many people have been adversely affected by Saracens "cheating" making the current fine and points deduction seem inadequate. Obviously PRL's hands are now tied until any appeal has been heard but I feel Saracens should be forced into complying with the cap either by shedding players or by significantly reducing the wage bill. The downside of this is it is the players who suffer for the clubs indiscretion. Sadly at some point that is what is going to have to happen because the stark choice is either the unpalatable one of increasing the cap for all or cutting wages/players in order to comply.

It is sad that the SRU's behaviour in Japan is still making headlines. It was unedifying to be whining about having a game cancelled when some people had lost their lives and many had lost their homes due to Typhoon Hagibis. Mark Dodson should be ashamed that he saw one game of rugby as more important than the livelihood of the millions affected. Let's move on and remember the rest of the tournament and be thankful that more people weren't hurt by the events of that fateful day.

I am going to close with our very own Dylan Hartley. Dylan has been forced into retirement after failing to recover from a serious knee injury. Dylan joined us as a 16 year old and under the wing of the one and only Dave Pass flourished catching the eye of several clubs. He ventured to Northampton via way of Worcester and the rest is history. 97 England caps many as captain speaks volumes of how his career developed. Lifting aloft several 6 nations trophies and the Premiership title with Saints is testimony to a pretty impressive career. He also has a litany of misdemeanours to his name which meant amassing 60 weeks of suspension which meant missing a Lions tour amongst other notable consequences. We at CRFC and I am sure all at Northampton Saints will stand and applaud you and your very first international shirt covered in blood and muck will remain front and centre at Steel Cross. Well done Dylan and good luck for the future.

Thursday 7th Nov: 09:00

Back to reality this week. It has taken some time to catch up hence no blog yesterday. What does reality look like? Brexit nonsense, the build up to Christmas despite it only being early November, Brexit nonsense, a general election and cold wet weather.

As expected now the World Cup is over the big rugby story is the Saracens salary cap issue. The investigation has found that Saracens have breached the rules on the salary cap by setting up businesses in key players names with Nigel Wray being the only other shareholder. Let us not be too churlish about this as it is a very creative way to get around the rules but that is exactly what the deals have done: got around the rules. For a while the average punter has been asking how Saracens can have a plethora of high profile stars, not just English, and stay within the salary cap. This answers that question.

What happens next? Sarries are certain to contest the £5.3m fine and the 35 point deduction. The more important question is how does the Barnet outfit now comply with the cap? Shedding players is the obvious solution alongside cutting players wages which will be hard to do. The alternative is for the PRL to change the rules thus allowing such deals to be acceptable.

In my opinion this would be madness. Saracens have been bankrolled and bailed out by Nigel Wray for many seasons. He has ploughed many, many millions into the club and there lies the problem. If he was to walk away then Saracens would fold over night. Bristol Rugby is in a similar situation where a single super wealthy businessman is funding the game in the city. I know East Grinstead is not Saracens nor Bristol but their demise is the perfect example of how a "high flying" club can spiral into the mire when the money man walks away.

In my mind Steve Diamond has hit the nail on the head in that salary breaches could bankrupt the game. That is a dire but very real prediction. It also throws the games creditability into doubt which is a shame for all of us who love this great game.

Also let us not kid ourselves I am sure there will be clubs below the Premiership who are using similar dodges to get around the wages guidelines at the grassroots level.

It seems sad that England losing the World Cup final is good news for the game at large. The £6m bonus payments have been saved and can now be invested elsewhere. Based on the twenty brand new Mitsubishi Twin Cab L200s parked at CRFC some of this might already have been spent.

Having been in Yokohama last weekend it is Deal this weekend for our first XV encounter with Deal & Betteshanger. The 2s travel to Shoreham and 3s to Rye.

The brilliant Tendai Mtawarira announces his retirement from the international game on the day the Springboks are enjoying an open top bus tour through Pretoria to celebrate their win.

I'll be back on Sunday morning as we travel to Deal via Boulogne tomorrow with the Bard and his lovely wife.