19-09-21 Saturday II - The Rugby World Cup Starts

Four matches down so far, and they’ve all been good. I managed to watch most of the Japan v Russia opener yesterday, as it was on during my lunch hour and I had logged onto ITV Hub. I also had a little wager that Russia wouldn’t lose by more than 39 points, and as the game ended 30-10 to Japan, I turned 50p into £1. Unfortunately, I got a bit carried away and also bet £1 that Russia would win, and I only managed to save 8p of that by cashing out before things got too bad.  

Then this morning I was kind of awake but heard one of the girls up and moving at about 6:15, so knew that she was planning to watch the first game today – Australia v Fiji. It sounded like quite a good game; we were listening (in bed) to Radio 5. TW got up and went downstairs to watch it, and I got up at half-time to join them. Fiji are brilliant in open play, but Australia were able to muscle them in the forwards. It was a close-run thing, but Australia got the upper hand in the later part of the second half, and the Fijians were getting frustrated. Australia won, and I also won my bet that Australia would win by more than 14 points, turning my 21p into 40.  

I didn’t watch the French play against Argentina, but I know that France came out of the blocks quickly. It seems they stalled pretty much immediately after that though, because while I was taking part in the Park Run, the game ended 23-21. My wager on this game was that France would win by more than two points, so I lost 40p on that game – since it was a draw when the handicap was applied.  

The last match of the day was a heavyweight bruiser of a match between New Zealand and South Africa, and this match-up could be reprised in the final. The Kiwis weren’t clinical to start with; in fact, they seemed quite disorganised, but they certainly made the most of their chances. South Africa were most effective when they kept the ball in the forward pack and tried to muscle their way forward, but they weren’t able to turn yards won into points. I had bet that New Zealand would win by more than five points, and as the result was 23-13, I managed to turn 50p into £1 again.  

I’m looking forward to more games tomorrow, especially England’s opening attempt, and may update further after that.  

TTFN 

18-10-06 Sunday - A Month of Sundays

I love a Sunday. They are normally quite relaxed, and things tend to happen around me, if I manage it right. Today has been no exception. TW brought me a cup of tea in bed which was very pleasant – normally it’s the other way around. But then I wake up early and don’t like spending time in bed when I’m awake. So a cup of tea in bed for me is a rare occurrence.  

After enjoying my tea, I got up to have some breakfast, and made myself some toast with home-made marmalade. We have an Amazon Echo, and I asked Alexa to play some Cocteau Twins. None of the girls were up, so it was just me, my toast and the Cocteaus enjoying some early morning sun in the kitchen. What a pleasant way to spend time.  

Then it was time to pop to the Co-Op, since we’d run out of milk. Last week I managed to pick up a Mexican half a chicken on the bone, reduced from £4 to £2.40. I managed to get one again this week, as well as some southern fried chicken steaks and some chicken breasts, all reduced. And the milk, of course, which was what I went for in the first place.  

On a Sunday morning the girls normally play rugby and today was no exception, so we headed off to the rugby club. It was a lovely sunny morning, so it was a pleasure to stand around in the sunshine. Then once the practice session was underway, it was time to indulge in another guilty pleasure of mine – a sausage bap. The sausages they use at the club are delicious, and more so when smothered in a blend of brown sauce and English mustard. I was overcharged for my diet coke, but I let it slide – this time, at least.  

Back at home and Dad popped round for a cup of tea. He and Mum have just been on holiday in Cyprus, so it was good to see him and it was good to hear that they had a good time. Once he left, TW mowed the lawn in the back garden, and I pulled a few weeds. And now we’re on the countdown to Dr Who. It would be nice to have a relaxing beer, but I think if I had one, that might turn into several, and I don’t want to start the week with a hangover. It might be time to cook that Mexican chicken now... 

TTFN. 

Tuesday 17-03-21 Six Nations Round-Up

And so the Six Nations comes to an end for another year. It’s a great tournament and I really enjoy watching it. This year, highlights for me were Scotland beating Ireland and Wales. Their appetite and attacking play has really changed in the last two years or so, and it is a joy to watch. The way they physically threw themselves into the game against Wales had me worried / looking forward to the match against England. Eventually though, that fixture turned out to be a bit of a damp squib, meaning that England dominated the match from the start, and the end result was never in doubt. Scotland’s final game against Italy yesterday saw them keep a clean sheet against Italy, but there were points where the old style of game play surfaced again, where they passed back and weren’t able to go forward. Maybe that was due to Italy’s forwards, but it was a bit concerning.

The game between Wales and Ireland last week was a brilliant, breath-taking game, quite literally. TW was holding her breath, she was so excited…! I could have done with a lie-down in a dark room to calm down afterwards.

There were two outstanding games which I think will be talked about for years to come; the first is of course the England - Italy game, or “ruckgate” as it will be forever known. Basically, Italy didn’t want to come to Twickenham and get beaten by England on England’s terms, and so they refused to commit men to the ruck area. This completely confounded England, because they had their routine all sorted: take the ball in, get tackled, go to ground, ruck over, recycle, take the ball in… How could England progress without a vital phase of their game? Unfortunately it took England much longer than it should have done to adapt to the game Italy were trying to play, but they still won through.

There have been rumblings that the laws of the game need to change to prevent teams playing like that in future, but I think it was a high-risk ploy, and if you play like that you risk losing massively; so it is self-managing. It was a fascinating match to watch though.

The other match which stretched the bounds of the game was the France-Wales match, which took 20 minutes of extra time to play a scrum. So the game took 100 minutes to play. Unfortunately at 80 minutes Wales were ahead, and by the time the clock showed 100 minutes, France had taken that lead. I think Wales should have won, so it was a pity, from my point of view, that the scrum had to be reset so many times.
It was though an exhilarating competition all round, with some brilliant moments and some awesome contests, and I can’t wait until next February comes around…

Sunday 17-02-19 Girl of the Match

So I couldn't let TE's first rugby tournament go unmentioned. Last weekend we went to Reigate for a mini-tournament, involving five girls' sides; two from Essex, Old Reigatians and Pulborough (I think). The two Essex sides were Eton Manor and Barking. It was a freezing day, the wind was bitter, and it wasn't pleasant. We got there and TE went off into the changing room with the other girls from Worthing.

She's not been playing long with Worthing RFC and others in the team joined after her. She used to play at Worthing Leisure Centre but gave it up. Then she asked if she could go back, and her coach suggested she might benefit from going to the town club. So that is how we ended up where we are, which reminds me, I need to pay her club fees...

So that recap was by way of explaining that expectations weren't high. Worthing are a new team, in the sense that there were a lot of new team members, and they were up against some pretty organised competition. Old Reigatians for instance seemed to have a very desirable set-up, a seemingly new clubhouse and very well-kept pitches. And their team was good, I think in the final reckoning  they were the team who won most games. And that makes sense, right? I mean, why invite other teams to play at your club unless you are confident in your abilities to contest the game? And the clubhouse was really nice; it was the sort of place that people want to be a part of. If I lived in Reigate, I would probably enrol my daughters in the club just for the social aspect - apart from the bar prices. They may have been club prices, but they were more Fabric prices than Tarring Working Men's Club prices. That came as a bit of a shock! But we lived through it...

Worthing Girls, on the other hand, managed to lose their four matches. But the team, despite taking some injuries, weren't despondent. The coaches encouraged them, and pointed out what they were doing well, and congratulated them when they put into practice what they had learned in the training sessions.

So even though the weather being cold and damp, and the scorelines not being encouraging, the girls weren't disheartened. We asked TE if she had enjoyed it, and she said yes. She certainly didn't appear to have struggled at all. She scored a try, which always puts a better spin on the day, and she was one of three girls who got a "Man of the Match" (I suppose it should be "Girl of the Match") award, for improving over the course of the day and being instrumental in some of the closing plays of the final game.

Most of the team are moving up to the 13-year old side (TE currrently plays with the U13s). So she will be one of the longest-serving players, which means, possibly, that the other girls in the team will look to her for support and guidance during games. I hope that Worthing can keep up the momentum and generate more interest in girls' rugby. The current coaches are moving up with the girls, so I hope that they can get some replacements who do as good a job and be as positive as the current guys are.

I'm certainly glad that TE is enjoying her rugby, and I hope that future tournaments are played on better days (weather-wise) and the results are kinder, but if she enjoyed playing on a bitterly cold day even when they lost all games, I think maybe she might have found her passion?

Sunday 17-01-22 Rugby Morning

This morning TE practised with the U13 girls at Worthing Rugby Club. I took her, as TW was out last night and was still sleeping at 10am. We had expected that though, and planned for it. There was a gas leak along the A259 which I thought might slow us down, but as it was we were able to get to the ground in plenty of time. I dropped TE down to the area of the ground where the girls were gathering, and I went off to sample the facilities.

I've been to rugby mornings before and I was looking forward to a bacon roll and a tea or a coffee. As it was, they did have bacon butties, but I plumped for a sausage in a roll, smothered in mustard and brown sauce. It was very nice. And as I sat to eat it, and drink my coffee, I had this scenery to digest as well:





Sometimes life isn't so bad :). Sitting in the sun, watching kids train and learn the intricacies of rugby (something I never did), I thought that we're actually quite lucky, living the life we do.

Tuesday 15-10-20 A Weekend of Good Rugby and Dashed Hopes

This weekend just gone was the weekend of the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
First up Wales played South Africa, and although I find it difficult to recall what happened four games ago, Wales were doing well. South Africa scored an excellent try at the end though, there was no defence on the blindside to stop the winning try. So Wales fell. It was a shame, I thought Wales had a chance against RSA, but it wasn't to be.
Next up France played New Zealand and fit stuffed - that match was on Saturday night at 8pm. The odds were so against France, and France had played well against the All Blacks in past World Cup events, that I thought it was worth a small flutter. Well, there is a reason why the All Blacks are the tournament favourites, and that was £2 wasted. Every time France had the ball they seemed to be confronted by a wall of black shirts. On the other hand, when the Kiwis had the ball, they seemed to dance through the chinks in France's defence with ease. So it was goodbye to France, and my £2.
Sunday was a new day, this was much more straightforward. Ireland were favourites to beat Argentina and Australia were odds on to win against Scotland. I even put a little bet on, a double that both Ireland and Australia would go through. The talk before the Ireland game was of how dangerous Argentina were, but I poo-poohed that suggestion: surely Ireland were the more professional, organised side? Yes Argentina had passion and flair but they wouldn't be able to last eighty minutes against the men in green? Well, yes they could, actually. They blitzed Ireland and were 17-0 up after 15 minutes. Ireland then woke up and got back on terms, but Argentina then broke through their defence several times to score and take the game away from Ireland. So even before the final quarter-final of the day, my bet had already gone bad.
Actually, after the Ireland match, we went out for a walk in Arundel. I was planning on catching up with the highlights later, because surely it would be a walkover for the Aussies? Well no, as it turned out. We got back to the house at half-time, and before I could close my eyes and not see the score, it was 16-15. So we whizzed through the first half and sat down to watch the second half semi-live... It was a gripping match, and ended 35-34 to Australia. The final points were awarded dubiously, Australia were given a penalty instead of a scrum, and they took the three points as well as the lead.
Scotland are a much-improved side and I look forward to seeing how they do in the Six Nations next year.
I had already put a pound on Australia to win the whole thing, and after New Zealand's performance, I've also put £2 on them to win. It looks like it might be an Australia - New Zealand final, so I'll be happy either way, but given the upsets in this competition so far, it's not a given.
Bring on the semi-finals next weekend!

Sunday 15-09-27 Just an Average Saturday

The kids were awake at 05:50 yesterday morning, probably because they had some friends staying for a sleepover. They were making a bit of noise so we told them to pack it in and go down to the living room; after all, we've got neighbours and they don't want to be woken up at some godforsaken hour. TW managed to go straight back to sleep, as she always does, I read a few bits of news online myself and also managed to get a bit more sleep, and all of a sudden it was 08:45 and a much more human hour of the day.
I nudged TW and suggested it would be a good idea to get up, since the kids had already been up for three hours already. She grumbled a bit, and I threatened to breathe on her if she didn't move. She'd already complained about my morning breath so I used the thought of my oral stench to get her moving. Quite a successful ploy, even if I do say so myself.
Then downstairs to the kitchen, to tidy up the bomb site and clear the work surfaces. Well, we call them work surfaces, but normally they are so covered in junk and stuff that it is impossible to work on them... Anyway, I washed and tidied, and TW made pancakes for the seven of us, and then I spread syrup and chocolate spread on pancakes and got drinks and cutlery for the kids, and then I had a few pancakes myself. We were aiming to get out into the fresh air in the morning, but it didn't happen unfortunately. We dropped the Middle One and her friend off at a party at 1pm (TW took them) and then we returned the remaining guest back to her parent, and then we hit the seafront.
We parked up at the Bluebird Café and took a walk west along the seafront. TW and the girls went down to the sea's edge as the tide was out, but I wasn't wearing appropriate footwear (when am I ever?) so I stayed at the top. I sat on the pebbles at the top of the beach, and did notice a woman reading a book a distance away. We were between the same two groynes, and I thought no more of it. I laid down and closed my eyes and enjoyed the sun and the calm, and relaxed. I realised at some point that there was movement, the woman was getting up and moving. I thought no more of it. Then TW phoned me and suggested I walk along the top of the beach and we meet up a bit further along. Of course, it was a good idea, so I stood up, picked up my jacket and started walking. Then I noticed that the woman who had been sitting not so far away had simply moved to the next groyne. I wouldn't say I'm a threatening or imposing figure, and I didn't think I had chosen to sit particularly close to her. Nor was I making any noise or causing a disturbance, so I can only think it was her issue. Still, I felt a pang of worry - what had I done to upset / disturb her? Well, we will never know.
Then as we were walking along the green, TW managed to step into one of the rabbit holes or dips there, and she fell over. It wasn't funny, she has a weak ankle anyway, and she was in some pain. But she was grateful that we didn't laugh, so that was all okay. And then we had an ice cream, and went to Waitrose.
Waitrose is not our normal shopping destination, it has to be said, but TW had some vouchers so we thought we'd use them. £8 off a £40 spend, or 20% - not too bad. Anyway, we spent £45 on not very much and came home. The day had been building towards the England vs Wales rugby match, and we watched a bit of the South Africa Samoa game to get us in the mood. We had decided to have a takeaway - from the Thai Spice Kitchen - and more or less as soon as the evening game started, the meal arrived.
It was delicious, and with a beer as well, the perfect accompaniment to what was shaping up to be a good game of rugby. England were playing well, and it was looking good. Then, there was an unfortunate passage of play where about three Welsh players all got seriously injured. One walked off, holding his (dislocated?) arm, one was carried off on a stretcher, and was another replaced as well? I want to say it was at about the sixty minute mark, but I maybe wrong. Anyway, after that, Wales played out of their skins and it was a thrilling finish. Unfortunately for us, Wales won 28-25, but I had placed a sneaky bet - only 50p at 3-1 - on the Welsh, so despite feeling a bit gutted that England lost, I benefited financially. And then it was ten pm and bedtime.

So, an average Saturday? Maybe not. We had more kids than normal, we got to go to Waitrose, we had a takeaway and we watched a thrilling international rugby match. Maybe I should have just written that, I could have saved us all a lot of time.

Sunday 15-03-22 Six Nations 2015 - The Final Round

And so it came down to the final set of games to decide the overall winner of the Six Nations 2015. England, Wales and Ireland had all lost only one game, and so they were the three teams in contention. Although, to be fair, Wales's points difference was atrocious, and they would have to put on at least 40 points against Italy to even draw level with England and Ireland.
I was looking forward to the afternoon, but I was dreading it as well; I've watched three rugby matches in a row before, and I got rugbied out - I was hoping that wasn't going to happen again. And I would have to pause the matches to take TW into town to watch Hairspray at the end of the first match...
So the Italian-Welsh game kicked off at 12:30 in Rome, and it seemed to be a bit of a slow burner. Italy took the lead with a penalty, and then kept inching slowly ahead of Wales until at half-time Wales were one point up, and the score was 13-14. In the second half, Wales came out and scored two quick tries, to start taking the game away from Italy. And then they increased the pace, in a truly dazzling display, to add 47 points in total in the second half. Italy scored a consolation try at the end to take their tally to 20, and the final score was 20-61. The Welsh gave it their all and confirmed their brilliance in execution, and Italy fell apart, it has to be said.
In scoring their 61 points, Wales had gone past both Ireland and England, so both teams had to perform in order to win on points difference. Ireland beat Scotland, which frankly wasn't a surprise, but Scotland played some good rugby. The final score was 10-40, and so that left England having to beat France by 26 points.
England played well, and scored early, but then gave away a few penalties and the initiative. France came back and took the lead, before England reasserted themselves. They came close, and there were a lot of points scored, but unfortunately England were a converted try short. They beat France by 20 points and the final score was 55-35. That meant that Ireland were crowned Six Nations winners. England left the field dejected, but I think that the Six Nations result obscured the fact that we beat France by 20 points, and properly dominated the game for the most part.
It was an exhilarating afternoon of rugby and an excellent advert for the game. I shouted myself hoarse during the England match, and drank a number of beers as well. My nerves were shredded, and we ended up going to bed early.
A great day.

...and the Six Nations Rolls Around Again

So last night was the start of the Six Nations 2015, and the opening match was Wales vs. England at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The kids were up in bed, TW was out for the evening, and I was ensconced in the living room with a bottle of red wine. Work was done for the day, I had taken off my suit (we had had visitors) and I was relaxed.
The build-up to the match was sensational; they turned off the lights in the stadium and had a brilliant light show. England refused to come out on to the pitch because they thought that Wales would keep them waiting, and as it turned out there were more fireworks and build-up before the Welsh team emerged. The match started, eventually, and things went Wales's way, they were very quickly ten points up. England scored a try to pull back five points, Mike Brown put in a lovely little grubber kick which was picked up by Watson for the try.
The rest of the half was enthralling, they played hard and fast, Wales put on another two penalties, and England took one, so that the score was 13-8 as half-time approached. Wales were pushing hard, and on the last play before half-time they dropped a goal to go 16-8 up. What a threatening way to finish the half, and I was gutted.
However, it seemed that a different England team came out of the changing room after half-time. They upped the tempo, and Wales were on the back foot, scrambling to get back and defend in an organised manner. Within five minutes of the restart, England had another try, Joseph slipped a tackle and was clear, he crossed the line and ran it back to almost under the posts, making the conversion simple for Ford. England were in touching distance, at 16-15.
It was a tense twenty minutes before there was another score, England took a penalty to go 16-18 up; it was a start, but the match was nowhere near won, and there was still fifteen minutes to go. If I had any nails, I would have been biting them, and I was hugging myself and gently rocking, hoping against hope that England might hold out against Wales. I was worried that they would suddenly get a second wind and take the game away from England. As it was, England scored again, which broke the tension, but then it was disallowed because Easter had over-run the ball, and obstructed the game. Gutted! The score was back to 16-18. Haskell as well, made it as far as the line, but was prevented from scoring by the goalposts. He tried to deposit the ball at the base of the posts, which would have been a try, but it didn't work out. England were in the ascendancy, but they just couldn't turn their advantage into points on the board. It could still have gone Wales' way; all they needed was a quick break and they could have been home free.
In the last minute of the game, Ford took another three points and England were 16-21 up. It wasn't possible for Wales to win from there, but they played out the game. It was a tense game, I was tense for the full 80 minutes, and it was as though we were on a tightrope, teetering high and liable to crash out at any point. What a great game, both sides gave it their all, I thought, and it was a great way to start the tournament. The icing on the cake was the win for England.
With the wine drained, and the excitement levels slowly returning to normal, I headed off to bed. I am looking forward to seeing today's matches, although I think TW might have something to say about that...

An Afternoon of Rugby

So today we've not had any social plans, which has been nice. I had to go to Asda to replace a toaster, but after that, I've been able to watch some rugby. Earlier it was Sale Sharks vs. Munster, and it looked like Sale had it sewn up. But you can never discount Munster and they pulled themselves back into the game in the second half. Eventually they ended up winning by one point, with a dropgoal in the 81st minute. I really thought Sale had done enough to get through, but unfortunately not - what a gripping game!
After that, there were highlights of the Bleddisloe Cup, Australia vs. New Zealand. Again, as expected, it was an exhilarating game. New Zealand played close to the wind as they always do, but Australia matched them early doors and were ten points up at one stage. Then in the second half one of the Kiwis was sin-binned, but incredibly New Zealand upped the pace and forced the score. Then as we hit the 80 minute mark, New Zealand were in possession but six points behind. They managed to get the try and the extras, robbing Australia of the bragging rights. Again, it was a brilliant game and reminded me why I watch rugby.
There is a third match today, Northampton Saints vs. Racing Metro, but I'm not sure I will be able to watch it in full. Let's give it a go though...

Swimming

Ah, Sunday brings the weekly trip to the swimming pool in Worthing, the Aquarena.

Today was one of the better sessions; the youngest kept the general populace entertained by throwing herself with gusto into the pool at any and every opportunity.
Lulu went down the big slide, with me. It was the first time for both of us! Amy was trying to persuade me to take Hattie down, but I refused - she's too young.
And this afternoon has brought some entertaining Six Nations rugby, as I expected. Ireland vs. France was always going to be good. Let's see how it ends...

Posted via email from Rob Thorley's Posterous Site

Bill McLaren, a fixture of our national sporting life, passes away aged 86 | Sport | guardian.co.uk

Bill McLaren, a fixture of our national sporting life, passes away aged 86

Sad news. The Six Nations was never the same once he stopped commentating. The man had such a voice, it was like going back to a familiar pub year after year. RIP.

Dear Martin Johnson...

Any chance of a win this afternoon?
TTFN.

English Management

Well, once again I find myself out of touch with "the common man". It looks like Johnno is going to be the next England Rugby manager, despite the fact that Brian Ashton has done a good job to date. Is it because he's not called 'Ashto'? I did read that Mike Catt might be involved, which would be good - Catt is class. I also read that Wilkinson was considering a kicking coach position, but I think that might have been an April Fool. In my humble opinion, the RFU are woefully mistaken to replace Ashto (see? it could catch on...) at this stage. I also recall reading that club rugby is very structured, whereas Ashto would like to play a looser game, and players have a hard time getting that. I don't know. It's all second-hand gubbins to me, but I'd like to see Ashto carry on.
TTFN.

Six Nations - End of

So, in the end England came second despite two (one and two halves) poor performances. The second half against Wales, the second half against Italy, and the whole match against Scotland. The team performed well against France & Ireland. It's disappointing that we couldn't achieve some consistency. For me, Nick Easter & Jamie Noon were the standout players of the tournament for England (it was funny that Cipriani thought he had been named "Man of the Match" yesterday...!). Ian Balshaw gets the "most room for improvent" award, although he gets that every time - perhaps it should be changed to the "out of my league"award - very fitting for union. Ho ho.
And I hope that now the calls for Ashton's head recede. In the last two competions, (WRC 07 & RBS6 08), England have been runners-up. That's not bad going. Winning would have been nice, but you can't please all the people all the time. It's a bit of an anti-climax really.
TTFN.

Seismic Surprises in Team Selection...

So, I advised TW this morning on the way to work, in tones of disbelief, that Ashton (England rugby coach) was in danger of being fired. In the same incredulous tones, I advised her that they were considering dropping Wilkinson. It seems that Wilko has now been dropped (in favour of Cipriani) - which I find amazing. How long now before Ashton goes? I can only hope he does not go - it is still possible for England to come a respectable 2nd in this Six Nations, after all. It is my opinion, limited and ill-informed though it might be, that the mercurial (in the literal sense) performance of the England rugby team is due to conflicts in the coachinmg team, and I think if these are resolved, the England rugby team could - and SHOULD - perform better on the field.
In my opinion (please note previous caveats above), England rugby does not have the leaders necessary to shape a cohesive side. I recall seeing a mini-rugby tournament, where a nine-year old, playing outside centre, screamed "where's my f***ing line?!?". I think there is not enough of this urgency and reminder of the basics in the international English rugby side.
I believe it will take some time to shape these leaders, or "generals", and as a result I think English rugby could be in for a deep and prolonged funk.

Compare and contrast with the English cricket side. The two 'senior' bowlers, Harmison & Hoggard, did not perform during the first test vs. New Zealand. Hoggard is worth another punt, in my opinion. However, as much respect as I have for Harmison's past achievements, I believe that he is rudderless and lacking direction at the moment. It's almost as though he's there to complete the numbers, but he has no self-belief. The interview he gave to Sky (Nasser Hussain?) was honest and truthful, but showed Harmison to be unaware of his priorities - one minute the most important thing in his life was cricket, & the next it was his family. The guy does not know where to concentrate his efforts. Mike Selvey in the Guardian today recommended ending his test career, as harsh as that sounds, and I agree that Broad should be lined up as his replacement.

If Wilko and Harmo are both retired this week, it will be the end of an era. Two men who have achieved more than was ever expected of them, both of whom have smashed previous impressive records. However, it could be that History is claiming two heroes in one week. I hope their replacements are up to the task.
TTFN.

DOOM...!

A poor weekend for the English national teams. Drubbed in the rugby & the cricket...
TTFN.

Shocking

England Rugby. Other words - dismal, shapeless, unplanned, unco-ordinated, chaotic, disappointing.
TTFN.

What a Disappointment...

We went into Brighton yesterday for lunch with the MiL and GiL (Mother-in-law & Grandmother-in-law). It was a nice day, if a bit cold. We went on the pier and had a go on the 2p machines for a while, and Monkey went on a Noddy ride.
We had a very nice lunch at Carluccio's, and afterwards I decided to put a bet on England to win the Six Nations.
That could be a wasted ten pounds. The first half of the game yesterday was good, but for the second half England were running around like headless chickens. Someone needed to step up and control the game for England. Balshaw needs to go. I don't like to criticise, usually, but Balshaw, despite the occasional flash of brilliance, is more of a liability than an asset. He makes the wrong decisions. And that passage where England just shooed the ball back! No leadership...
The only thing I can hope is that the awful second half makes them rethink and play the rest of the games like champions. They made the World Cup Final, for goodness' sake.
TTFN.