2 down, here go another 3

Bath Rugby Club. An establishment famed for its rich heritage and scenic grounds. A place where you'd assume that butter wouldn't melt in its mouth. Evidently, you'd assume incorrectly.

On May 10th 2009, the professional players from Bath RFC descended on mass to a north London haunt rather inappropriately named 'the church' - you couldn't get more unholy if you frolicked with the devil. Notoriously known as a rough drinking establishment, the players apparently wrecked havoc before leaving for another London pub, this time down in Fulham.

Then the real 'magic' began. By chance (or not), the pub they chose was host to another rather illustrious club's end of season do; Harlequins. By all accounts, the raucous atmosphere quickly turned aggressive and fists were thrown. 'Plank' Justin Harrison allegedly took a shot to the chin and was sparked out cold. The police were called and the crowds dispersed.

The aftermath was not quickly forgotten. Almost instantly, drug related rumours and compulsory testing ensued. At this point, Harrison terminated his contract with immediate effect and has headed back down under. Weird eh.

But it doesn't stop there. Recent rumours have come to fruition today in the media with 3 more high profile players resigning from (or being sacked) from Bath for missing 3 drug tests. England International, and club captain, Michael Lipman, co-captain Alex Crockett, and speedster Andrew Higgins are now all involved in yet another high profile case of drugs within Bath RFC. I wonder how it will end...

The big bang theory

I'm back. Various reasons for an absence in posting, but no better topic to come back to than that of a fresh announcement of the 2009 British lions squad. 37 men will descend to South African shores in June, in eager anticipation of the 1st test on 20th June.

So, what of the squad? Ian McGeechan's vision has been clearly defined by two key areas. The intended game plan, and the picking on form, not reputation. Something that historical lions tours would certainly plead guilty too.

Firstly the game plan is clear. From the talismanic giant Paul O'Connell who will lead the squad, preferred in favor to his compatriot Brian O'Driscoll. Perhaps Geech wants an oaf; a hard nosed leader over the softly spoken, and possibly haunted, O'Driscoll. After all, his 2005 experience is well documented.

The selection oozes power, strength and brutality. Simon Shaw, Joe Worsley, Stephen Ferris and Alan Quinlan will provide the literal ballast upfront to take on the likes of Spiers and Burger running at full tilt. The omission of messieurs Croft and Armitage highlight the downgrading of fluid running flair over the power needed to overcome to Boks. This will be some seismic battle.

I'm also surprised, but not dissatisfied, with the omission of some 'bankers' including Jones, Henson, Hook, Haskell et al. Players who had a non-descript 6 nations have had their poor form well and truly brought to the floor.

It’s certainly an interesting selection. With only 2 full backs, and more importantly 2 fly halves, the impetus is clear. Go to South Africa. Smash. Grab. Get on the plane home. I'm not predicting this will be pretty, but it will certainly be explosive.

Watch out Andrew!

Andrew Sheridan is widely regarded as the strongest man in world rugby. A qualified builder, and former body builder; he is not a man to be messed with. A goon in the truest sense, yet softly spoken with gentle mannerisms.

But how the mighty can fall. Literally.

Sheridan has this season been a shadow of the man who single handedly destroyed the Australia team in the 2007 world cup. His England team mate, Julian White, compounded this misery further by well and truly flooring him with a single blow during Saturday's sterling win for Leicester over Sale. Julian received a red card for his troubles, to which he is no stranger. But Mr Sheridan is not your usual bully boy victim. White could well have been on the flight to South Africa this summer but if he receives a lengthy ban, this could jeopardise his quest.

On the subject of the Lions, Josh Lewsey threw his hat in the ring for Lions selection, verbally rather than through physical endeavor. A prolific try scorer in his prime, Lewsey this week announced his retirement from the game altogether but made clear his intention to make it 3 consecutive lions tours. However, the mouth is not being matched by his performance. Luckily, I believe McGeechan will pick on form and touring heritage. Therefore, in my eyes Josh will be touring.

A passionate English man who always gave 100%. Possibly providing one of the greatest ever covering tackles that Twickenham has ever seen. A great ambassador of the game, and it certainly won't be the last we hear from him.

I make that two Jenson

I wonder how Lewis Hamilton is feeling right now. The drastic changes to the F1 structure certainly don't seem to favor him. Operating budgets slashed by 90%, structural and aerodynamic overhauls and kinetic energy generating braking systems. Phew, what a list - and that is just a starter for 1o.

Lewis suffered a gear box failure during qualifying which saw him finding his feet staring up the starting grid with no one in his (now much cheaper) rear view mirrors. Amazingly, he finished third through a series of crashes ahead of him and a 25 second penalty levied upon Jarno trulli when he overtook during the safety car.

I therefore make that 2 winners in today’s sun basked GP. Firstly, Jenson Button. The under achieving playboy of the race circuits was almost without a drive not so long ago, but I would say that his self denounced pay cut (to a meager £7m....) has 'paid' off.

I estimate a shrewd Jenson had an idea that prudence would come to fruition and his faith in Ross Brawn (and more recently Richard Branson) certainly has. Jenson's reputation of a party boy isn't far from the truth, but most people won't know that he funds literally most of his staff through his own pay check. Something that Mr Hamilton, and most of the other F1 drivers, certainly won't have to do.

I mentioned 2 winners. The second, in my eyes, is the punter. F1 racing has long been overdue a shake up that actually does something. Over the past few years, a number of measures have been tried - but most would argue these have failed. It seems taking away financial advantages is doing the trick…

Today saw one of the most event filled GPs in a long time. Long may it continue.

What a weekend. What comes next?

A wise man once said the immortal lines "When you win, you win. When you lose, you think about it." This will be epitomised by several of the 6 nations teams in their post match rationalisation. England somehow obtained a second place in the tournament rankings. Wales blew their chance of a title at home, and Ireland coped with the pressure to land their first grand slam for 61 years. One Irish man in particular will certainly be trying not to think of what could have been, for Paddy Wallace almost was at the centre of Irish heartache when, after on being on the pitch for minutes, gave away a kickable penalty. Stephen Jones, normally so metronomic in his kicking duties, appeared to rush and subsequently missed the chance to break the Gaelic hearts.

So where next? Not only has the 6 nations finished on a knife edge, the premier league is hotting up. Manchester United appear to have swapped form with a reinvigorated Liverpool side who brushed Martin O'Neill’s Aston Villa aside with the guise of a magnificent team. Rafa Benitez has signed a £4m a year contract, and rumours suggest that Gerrard is on the cusp of a £140k p/week deal to commit his future to the Anfield establishment.

Looking forward, things will only get better. The climax of the premier league, a sun basked Royal Ascot and the 2 sporting events of the summer. The Ashes, and the Lions tour. Several players have stood up and been counted over the past few weeks, so my team now stands as the following:

1. Euan Murray
2. Matthew Rees
3. John Hayes
4. Paul O'Connell
5. Alan Wyn Jones
6. Tom Croft
7. Martin Williams
8. David Wallace
9. Mike Blair
10. Stephen Jones
11. Shane Williams
12. Riki Flutey
13. Brian O'Driscoll (c)
14. Rob Kearney
15. Delon Armitage

The passion is back

What a relief it is to finally enjoy the subsequent media coverage of an England game. I honestly am struggling to remind myself of a similar reaction (and performance) from the public and media as this. Even Martin is smiling.

England opened up at 100 miles an hour, and completely wrong footed the lacklustre French side by running in 4 first half tries. It was, in equal measure, cataclysmic French rugby vs robust confidence from the English. How invigorating is it to see the likes of Ugo Monye skinning his man on the outside, and the devilish running of both Flutey and (in particular) Delon Armitgae terrorising a quaking defensive line.

Up front, fortunes favoured the brave. Johnson sticks with Borthwick. Borthwick fronts up. Pack play well. A simple equation of faith + confidence = excitement.

Although we mustn't get ahead of ourselves, I do hope this is a sign of things to come.

A further visionary predictor is that of the French revolution. Monday morning sees James Haskell rethinking his move to Stade Francais in an unprecedented reversal. Francis Baron, RFU chief executive, sent a comprehensive letter to all the elite squad outlining the potential repercussions of a cross channel move. Coupled with the outstanding performance from young Tom Croft on Saturday, Mr Haskell has to decide on whether the money is worth it.

This could well put a spanner in the works of further French money moves, including perhaps the speculation around a certain Mr Wilkinson who linked with a move to Toulon. Or is he.

Watch this space.

Everyone deserves a second chance, as long as they are honest

In October 2003, Dwain Chambers was tested positive for the steroid THG. The impact was huge. Like a mistaken marriage, his accomplishments were annulled from 2002 onwards. This not only affected his personal achievements (including a European record), but all team medals. Dwain was banned for 2 years. Quite right too.

Cheating is a difficult barrier for fans to get over. Dwain damaged a much wider circle than simply himself. The sport, his family, his friends. They were all impacted by the vicious circle in which he found himself.

I could spend a while on here lambasting the man and indeed documenting his subsequent pursuits - remarkably even including the polar opposite game of rugby league. But I won't. Indeed my opinion of Chambers, 30, has come full circle to date to one now of admiration.

I need to be clear in my definition of admiration however. It’s not the drug taking I admire, far from it. It’s the courage that he has shown in adversity. To you or I, peer group negativity may last for a day, or even a week, after a harsh word or two. But Chambers has been vilified in the media, blocked from world wide events, booed at every event he has attended, and had his revenue streams cut. But the man from north London has kept his mind focussed and stormed to a deserved European title in Turin yesterday.

The list could go on. But I won't. He will surely divide opinion, but you can't fail but be impressed by his perseverance. Apparently his times should translate to sub 9.90 for the 100m – that is a feat which will be impossible to ignore.