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The travails of the sport of Rugby Union

Regular readers will be fully aware of the Rust’s somewhat idiosyncratic approach to editorial matters which is why today I make no apology for returning to the subject of the current state of the sport of rugby union generally – and specifically some of the “take aways” from the [...]

March 23, 2023 // 0 Comments

Grace and The Gold

One detective series ended and another began last Sunday with ostensibly little in common. Both reflected how police investigations have changed, illustrating the ways the police go about their business. In Grace the detective invented by crime writer Peter James has to investigate assaults on lone [...]

March 21, 2023 // 0 Comments

The Tanner Report: FA Cup quarter final: Manchester United 3 Fulham 1

Two minutes of madness undid 70 minutes of a professional performance. After 70 minutes Fulham were one up and, if not coasting, looking the likelier side to play Brighton in the semi-finals. At that point I felt confident enough to message Ivan Conway, but then it all unravelled hopelessly. [...]

March 20, 2023 // 0 Comments

The Six Nations

Unusually for me I was fervent for an English victory which might have happened yesterday in Dublin had there been parity on the pitch. Why, as I am a keen admirer of Irish rugby? Gone are the amateurish troubadours of the past like Moss Keane as nowadays the structure of the four provinces – [...]

March 19, 2023 // 0 Comments

Israel/Daniel Gordis

I have just finished Daniel Gordis’ concise but thorough history of Israel from the time of Zionist Theodore Herzl to the present day. It’s written from the Israeli point of view but aware of the country’s failings and sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinians. The journey from Herzl to [...]

March 19, 2023 // 0 Comments

Spike Denton RIP

Yesterday I learned on a Fulham WhatsApp group that Spike Denton had passed. He was a colourful character – the sort of working class intelligent entrepreneur that the 1970s generated. He was a hairdresser who organised raves, was film critic of LBC and boyfriend of the successful singer [...]

March 17, 2023 // 0 Comments

Thoughts on the Six Nations.

I watched every Six Nations game this weekend. First up was Italy v Wales in Rome for the wooden spoon. Had Italy had Ange Cannone and Capuozzi they might have given Wales a close game but in their absence the away side won comfortably. This was followed by England v France. When Jack van [...]

March 13, 2023 // 0 Comments

Six Nation rugby/ England 10 France 53

Like no doubt several million English sports fans yesterday, I settled in front of my snug’s television screen shortly after 4.00pm in order to watch the live build-up to the rugby union clash at Twickenham Stadium between England and France and then the match itself – kick off scheduled [...]

March 12, 2023 // 0 Comments

Sussex Landscape/chalk, wood and water

This exhibition does very much what it says on the tin by sticking to landscapes of Sussex in water colours, chalk and woodcuts. It features artists who came to Sussex to paint – like Turner – and those who made their home in this most attractive of counties – John Constable, Ivon [...]

March 11, 2023 // 0 Comments

Eighteen months later: back behind the wheel again

As a senior citizen on the wrong side of 70 with – shall we say – an unfortunate propensity over the past fifty years for collecting “occupational hazard” speeding fines – I am often mocked by friends, family and acquaintances for the obvious reasons that since (generally) they are [...]

March 7, 2023 // 0 Comments

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