09/05/2022 - I started this blog on 9th May 2007 - exactly fifteen years ago.Back then I was taking tentative steps to re-start my rugby journey by coming out of retirement aged 42, a comeback which may only have lasted a few short seasons but which rekindled my enthusiasm for the game and which stimulated my creative juices in the form of this blog, a vessel in which I have been posting mostly rubbish ever since.It has all been great fun but, over 2,600 posts later, I have to say that I am finding increasingly that I have very little original left to say and, over the past few months, have considered on a number of occasions knocking things on the head.With the rise of social media and podcasting platforms I think it's safe to say that the days of the humble little blog are becoming numbered and, rather then soldiering on with increasingly uninteresting content, the time is probably now right to call it a day.I'm not saying it will disappear completely - not yet at least - but I do think that it Collapse

01/05/2022 - Huge congrats to Leicester's Chris Ashton who yesterday became the Premiership's all-time top try-scorer.Ashton's 20-minute first-half hat-trick against Bristol at Welford Road took his Premiership try tally to 95, finally eclipsing Tom Varndell's 92-try total which has stood since 2017.Say what you like about Ashton (and he certainly divides opinion), no one can deny his almost supernatural ability to cross the whitewash. It may have taken playing for seven different clubs in order for him to achieve the record, but it is nevertheless a remarkable achievement.What will be interesting is whether, at 35, he extends his time with Leicester. If he does so he could feasibly put the record beyond the reach of anyone else for years to come. Collapse

27/04/2022 - England's women may well be on the brink of another Six Nations Grand Slam as they head to France this weekend.Their record so far - four wins from four games, having scored 42 tries and conceded only twice - is pretty damned spectacular.Yes, people rightly point to the fact that they have had the advantage of being a fully professional outfit and that the playing field is hardly level, but England can only beat what is put in front of them and the disparity in resources is really an issue for the wider women's game rather than something the England team should be losing sleep over.Despite the one-sided nature of England's matches thus far, I think this has, nevertheless, been a successful Six Nations all round with sell-out crowds and extensive terrestrial TV coverage which I, for one, have been pleased to take advantage of. Having its own calendar slot, separate from the men's tournament, has been a roaring success.If England are going to claim the Grand Slam this year, however, Collapse

26/04/2022 - Interesting minor spat between Leicester and England prop Ellis Genge and former England hooker Brian Moore.Moore had commented on the fact that, during Leicester Tigers loss to Harlequins at the weekend (great game, btw), Genge and fellow Tigers prop Dan Cole - both replacements at the time - appeared to have been trying to make points about the scrum to the assistant referee.Moore's point was that such actions were not appropriate as it looked as if they were trying to undermine the officials to which Genge, in typically amusing fashion, responded:Funny as that is, Moore's point remains valid. Whatever their intentions, replacements simply should not be engaging with the match officials at all. Of course, the perennial problem of gangs of replacements warming up in the in-goal area does not help - a subject, possibly, for a future rant. Collapse

05/04/2022 - Weeks after another awful England Six Nations campaign, it turns out that Eddie Jones is back in Japan, reprising his consultancy role with Japanese club Suntory Sungoliath.The RFU is said to be "comfortable" with the situation - and undoubtedly Jones's contract allows for it. Who knows, it may also be a useful way for Jones to unwind and recharge his batteries.But it remains a terrible look for both Jones the RFU. For Jones it just looks as if he doesn't give a monkeys about what anyone thinks - and there may be more than a grain of truth in that.Whilst for the RFU it just makes it look as if the tail is very much wagging the dog here, with the dog simply lacking the bollocks to do anything about it.It doesn't matter how much we hate it, or how much we whinge, we are stuck with it - but I can't help feeling that the RFU's inability to hold their employee to account has become a massive problem.  Collapse

01/04/2022 - I was intrigued to read this morning that the proposed $200 million investment in New Zealand Rugby by global finance company Silver Lake - which has been agreed by NZR and currently awaits ratification by the provincial unions and Maori Rugby Board – may, in fact, just be the tip of the iceberg. Further US investment in international professional rugby – via New Zealand – is likely to follow, with an as yet un-named US investment group planning a whopping $2.5 billion investment which, it is reported, will come with a series of conditions, including radical changes to the game to make rugby more TV friendly to a US audience such as:  · Dividing the game into 4 quarters of 20 minutes each  · Half time “Super Bowl” style entertainment  · Continuous rolling substitutions  · Overtime until a result is confirmed during which a player on each side is removed from the field of play every 10 minutes  · Collapse

29/03/2022 - My condolences and sympathies go out to the family and friends of Maddy Lawrence, a 20 year old student at the the University of West England, who has tragically passed away following an injury sustained playing rugby a few weeks ago.Maddy, a first year student who only started playing rugby last year, played on the left wing and was hurt in a tackle while playing for her university's 2nd team against the University of Bristol on 7th March. No one could have expected this outcome and and her family, friends and team mates must be absolutely devastated.RIP Maddy. Collapse

21/03/2022 - So, England finished in third place in the 2022 Six Nations behind France and Ireland, two excellent teams.No disgrace in that, you might think, but only two victories out of five in the Six Nations for the second year running tells a different story.Yes, England fought hard when reduced to 14 men against Ireland. Yes, they put up a bit of resistance against France - but surely that's the bare minimum you would expect from a team that only 2 years ago was (somewhat ludicrously) challenged by Jones to become the best team to have ever played the game?England, according to Eddie Jones, are heading in the "right direction" and, he says, are only 3% off where they need to be to become successful.WTF does that mean? As far as I can see there is very little sign of progress in any direction and no discernible plan as to what the team is trying to achieve. Yes, Jones has introduced some new players into the England squad and, inevitably, a bunch of Collapse

18/03/2022 - Here we go then, the final Saturday of the 2022 Six Nations - here is what I anticipate might happen:First up -  Wales vs Italy in Cardiff. Easy Welsh win, you might think, but Italy went well last time out against the Scots and I sniff an air of complacency about the Welsh selection for Saturday's game. Surely Italy can't win their first Six Nations game since 2015? Well, no, I don't think so but it could be close. Wales by less than 10.Next we have Ireland v Scotland in Dublin. The Scots have had a poor campaign, despite wins over England and Italy, while it is difficult to judge Ireland's play as it is a while since they have played against 15! Dropping Finn Russell is a major statement from Gregor Townsend but I doubt it will affect the outcome, with Ireland's forwards shading the battle upfront. Ireland by 9.And finally the big game in Paris - France vs England - where France will chase their first Grand Slam since 2010 (unbelievably). I'm sure the English forwards will be Collapse