It has now been three months since I began chemotherapy for the treatment of Myeloma and so far the medication has had a positive effect on the disease.
Each week I have a series of blood tests to monitor the effect the chemo is having and ensure my vunerability to infections are not too compromised but every month they do a special test to check how many blood cells of the different types are being produced.
Myeloma produces too many white blood cells which gum up the kidney works and the purpose of the chemo is to get the ratio of the different cells in the correct proportion.
The danger is that it is the white blood cells that fight off infections so if too many cells are destroyed you might succomb to some other disease.
Dr Marie Hughs reviewed my progress which she regarded as better than the average response to the medication after three months.
The free light chains are both reduced and the Kappa cell count is back to normal.
The K/L ratio is now 0.32 and you may remember that the K/L ratio expectation for normal kidney function was between 0.26 and 1.65 which should make Gavin Kidney doctor pleased as he doubted I would get back to normal.
The free light chain is only one of the abnormal cells that they monitor and there is still evidence of what they call para proteins in the blood which they need to get rid of. If they can, then a complete absense would mean remission after treatment concludes is likely to be longer than if some para proteins remain in the blood. In other words, statistically, my life expectancy would be increased.
The other good news is that Marie anticipates that chemo should be completed by Christmas and I can then use the next few months to get myself walking fit again prior to returning to the UK, however, I may be left with some bone pain as she showed me that the xray's did show some spinal bone deformation which is never going to change. I discussed my plans for the Macmillan charity walk and her advice was to 'go for it'.
Woke Sport
The photo above is of me in a Waikato Chiefs jersey which may be in danger of being banished. It all began with the Washington Redskins in the USA being pressured to change their logo of an ethnic American Indian (with a red skin). This was followed by the RFU reviewing the singing of 'Swing Low' by English rugby fans and now Exeter Chiefs are of course reviewing their logo.
When the Exeter Chiefs play it is a delight to see fans in full Indian head dress. When the drums start their 4 beat rythm and the war chant begins you can almost see the players react to the support with an increase in determination to score a try. Exeter are renowned for statistically scoring once they get over the 5 metre line. If you stop that support it will be to the detriment of English rugby and IMHO is completely harmless as is singing Swing Low.
Exeter Chiefs War Chant
If I were an American Indian I would be proud that a rugby team were emulating the bravado and culture of my forefathers to inspire their team.
The Waikato Chiefs have not said yet if they will review their name and I suppose they have more important things on their mind having lost their last 7 games but I anticipate wokery will raise it's ugly head eventually. The Crusaders reviewed their name after the Christchurch massacre and decided to keep it so they are still racing round the field on their horses before every home game to the delight of the crowd. I hope Kiwi's generally are made of stronger stuff to resist this PC pressure which has never been a popular pastime here.
Oscar the Cat
Now that Sox the Cat has gone to a new home, Kelly's cat Oscar feels safe to come round with her when she visits. As you can see from the above photo's he makes himself at home on my computer chair and even on my bed!
STOP PRESS
Exeter Chiefs Rugby have now completed the review of their marketing and will drop their silly mascot, thats all. The Exeter Chiefs name, logo and all the rest will stay as before. Another blow for the PC brigade and let's hope Waikato Chiefs come to the same conclusion.
Two good games of rugby this week the first at Hamilton between the Chiefs and the Crusaders.
This was a close game until half way through the second half when the ref had a brain fart. His jersey said it all 'should have gone to specsavers' because in a one point game, Quinten Strange knocked the ball on 5 metres from the try line and Sevu Recce touched down. The ref and the TMO said the ball had gone backwards and awarded the try which put the Chiefs on the back foot from which they never recovered.
Another questionable decision came at the end of the game when the ref gave a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on when the player obviously attempted to catch the ball so the poor old Chiefs lost the game 19-32, their eighth loss in a row and a world record!!
Dunedin saw the Blues in fine form against the Highlanders who were comprehensively outplayed for a 5 tries to two bonus point 21-32 win to keep the competition interesting.
TEAM
P
W
D
L
+/-
POINTS
Crusaders
6
5
0
1
+61
24
Blues
7
5
0
2
+27
22
Hurricanes
6
4
0
2
+7
16
Highlanders
6
2
0
4
-37
10
Chiefs
7
0
0
7
-44
5
So the Crusaders remain the favourites to win the trophy leading the competition with a game in hand. The final game will be at Eden park between the Crusaders and the Blues and may well turn out to be the decider.
More Bad News
One of Sue's best friends, Anna Hossack, who is living in France has emailed me with the news that her husband Tim Barnsley has had a massive stroke and is not expected to recover. Tim took the dog for a walk and failed to return home. Anna eventually found him in a field and he is now on a life support machine which they will turn off in the next few days.
We have known Anna from when we first went to live in Edinburgh and we were guests at her marraige to Tim, all of which has been reported on this web site. Both of them have often featured in our lives and Tim's dry wit will be sorely missed. Tim was a Francophile who found peace and contentment in the South of France.
Drugs for chronic pain
I have a continuous pain in my left hip. Nothing can be seen on a recent xray but bone pain is a known side effect of the chemo I am having for Myeloma. Before chemo started the pain was intense but it is now bearable and just a constant niggle which increases with standing or walking any distance.
I was taking the prescribed maximim doses of 4000mg of paracetamol and 60mg of codeine every 24 hours and a couple of weeks ago I cut this dose in half with no discernable change in pain levels. A few days ago I stopped the pain killers altogether and once again with no discernable change in effect.
I took this action after reading a report from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) who said "Commonly used treatments for chronic pain can do more harm than good and should not be used"
NICE went on to say "..people with a type of chronic pain called chronic primary pain should be offered supervised group exercise programmes, some types of psychological therapy, or acupuncture" and went on to say that "paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (these include aspirin and ibuprofen), benzodiazepines or opioids should not be offered".
As long ago as 2016 Dr Andrew Moore who is an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Oxford warned that "paracetamol use is associated with increased rates of death, heart attack, stomach bleeding and kidney failure" and questioned wether it should be prescribed for long term pain. Interesting that considering I have impaired kidney function as a result of Myeloma.
I gave up taking Statins against the advice of the GP because I have a very low cholesterol count and did not like the side effects. I have now given up paracetemol and codeine as they do not seem to have any effect on my pain levels in fact it might be my imagination (psychological?) but the pain seems to have eased slightly. If the pain is a side effect of the chemo I will find out once treatment concludes.
New Zealand Referenda
Kiwi's and permanent residents like myself will vote in a general election on the 19th September this year. We will also vote on two referendums, to legalise the recreational use of cannabis and to legalise euthanasia for those with a terminal illness.
Details of what we will be voting for are contained on this page and clicking on this link will expand the page to reveal the details.
The NZ parliament has already passed the End of Life Choice Act but it will not come into force until at least 50% of voters in the referendum vote yes.
Who would be eligible for assisted dying
be aged 18 or over
be a citizen of permanent resident of New Zealand
Suffer from a terminal illness that's likely to end their life within 6 months
have significant and ongoing decline in physical capability
experience unbearable suffering that cannot be eased
be able to make an informed decision about assisted dying
A person would not be eligible for assisted dying if the only reason they give is that they are suffering from a mental disorder or mental illness, or have a disability of any kind or are of advanced age.
What constitutes an 'informed' decision.
Under the Act, a person is able to make an informed decision about assisted dying if they can do ALL of the following things:
understand information about assisted dying
remember information about assisted dying in order to make the decision
use or weigh up information about assisted dying when making their decision
communicate their decision in some way.
Making sure the choice is freely made.
The doctor must do their best to make sure that a persons choice to ask for assisted dying is their own.
If, at any time, the doctor or nurse practitioner thinks a person is being pressured about their decision they must stop the process.
A health practitioner is not allowed to suggest that a person consider assisted dying when providing a health service to them.
What would be the process of assisted dying?
Requesting assisted dying.
The process of assisted dying begins with the person asking their doctor.
Determining who is eligible.
The persons doctor and an independent doctor must agree that the person meets the criteria, which includes being able to make an informed decision about assisted dying.
If either doctor is unsure of the persons ability to make that decision, a psychiatrist needs to assess the person. If a person is not eligible they cannot receive assisted dying.
Selecting the method and timing.
If the person is eligible, they choose the method, date and time for taking the medication.
Administering the lethal dose of medication.
At the time the person has chosen to take the medication, the doctor or nurse practitioner must ask the person if they still chose to take the medication.
If the person chooses to take it, the doctor or nurse practitioner gives it. The doctor or nurse practitioner must be available to the person until they die.
If the person changes their mind, the medication must be taken away.
What are my views on the subject?
Having recently experienced bereavement myself with the premature death of my wife Sue with cancer, she might have qualified for assisted dying. She did say to me and others that she wished it was all over and she had enough lethal drugs at her disposal to end her life herself but she chose not to.
Apart from the 'unbearable suffering' she would have qualified and I think doctors would have argued that with enough painkillers she still had an acceptable quality of life. I would and did certainly encourage her to live her life to the natural end, however, if her suffering had really been unbearable then assisted dying might have been an option.
I therefore intend to vote Yes in this referendum.
The other referendum would allow people to possess and consume cannabis in limited circumstances.
A person aged up to 20 or over would be able to:
buy up to 14 grams of dried cannabis (or its equivalent) per day only from licensed outlets
enter licensed premises where cannabis is sold or consumed
consume cannabis on private property or at a licensed premises
grow up to 2 plants, with a maximum of 4 plants per household
share up to 14 grams of dried cannabis (or its equivalent) with another person aged 20 or over.
If the vote is Yes the new government will bring in a Bill to legalise cannabis. If the vote is No then cannabis will remain illegal apart for medicinal use as prescribed by a doctor.
The government says the bill will reduce harm to people.
The bill intends to reduce cannabis related harm to individuals, families and communities by:
providing access to legal cannabis that meets potency and quality requirements (although how they control that by allowing people to grow plants is beyond me?)
eliminating the illegal supply of cannabis (and earning more money for the government in taxes in the process?)
raising awareness of the health risks associated with cannabis use (by increasing its availability??)
restricting young peoples access to cannabis (like they do unsuccessfully with other drugs, smoking and drinking?)
limiting the public visibility of cannabis (by opening licensed premises?)
requiring health warnings on packaging and at the time of purchase (as if smokers take any notice of such warnings and I presume the cannabis will be smoked?
improving access to health and social services, and other kinds of support to families (which could be done without legalising it?)
making sure the response to any breach of the law is fair (just like they do now?)
The Bill will control the production and supply of Cannabis.
The government say the Bill would regulate Cannabis supply by:
limiting the total supply of licensed cannabis for sale (and if demand exceeds production what then?)
controlling the potency of licensed cannabis and cannabis products (apart from the home grown stuff?)
applying an excise tax when a product is packaged and labelled for sale (ah do we now see the real reason for the Bill?)
setting up a licensing system under which all cannabis-related businesses must hold a licence (except the cheaper tax free unlicensed producers?)
regulating location and trading hours for premises whose cannabis is sold or consumed in consultation with local communities
banning people from importing cannabis and allowing only licensed businesses to import cannabis needs (no need to import when you can grow your own?)
separating businesses that are licensed to grow cannabis and produce cannabis products from businesses that are licensed to operate premises where cannabis can be sold or consumed.
What are my views on the subject?
I have a son who is schizophrenic after using cannabis in adolescence. He is now in his 50's and has wasted his whole life since. I know personally of several others who were similarly afflicted. The latest study says that statistically the odds of psychotic disorder among daily cannabis users were 3.2 times higher than for never users. The same study revealed that the daily use of cannabis in Amsterdam, one of the first cities to legalise the drug, had twice the incidence of psychotic disorder than London.
Legalising cannabis in my opinion will not resolve the problems of its use and indeed may increase the problems so for that reason I will be voting No.
The Waikato Chiefs travelled down to the capitol on a cold Saturday evening to play the Hurricanes for this, their final game in the competition and 22,000 turned up to watch.
The Chiefs had no prospect of winning the trophy having lost all seven games in the competition but the Canes did have an outside chance depending on results in other games but needed to win this game with a bonus point.
The Canes came out with all guns blazing and the Chiefs were on the back foot from the whistle. At the break the Canes were two tries up 12-3 but the Chiefs quickly got themselves back in the game within 5 minutes with a well worked try from Sean Wainui. They stayed in touch until the last quarter when the Canes ran away from them for a bonus point 31-18 win and the Chiefs claiming a new world record for them of nine losses in a row.
The Crusaders needed to lose against the Highlanders at their Christchurch home on Sunday for the Canes or the Blues were to have any chance of winning the competition. Most gave the Landers no chance but they came determined to win and the Saders were playing catch-up for most of the game and trailed 22-13 right up to the last quarter when a combination of mistakes by the visitors and increased pressure from the home side led to three quick tries who won the game 32-22.
TEAM
P
W
D
L
+/-
POINTS
Crusaders
7
6
0
1
+71
28
Blues
7
5
0
2
+27
22
Hurricanes
7
5
0
2
+6
21
Highlanders
7
2
0
5
-47
10
Chiefs
8
0
0
8
-57
5
That win puts the Crusaders 6 ponts ahead in the competition with only one round left to play so no other team can catch them. It all means the last round next week is only of academic interest and most rugby fans outside Christchurch would have preferred the Saders to loose this game so the competion remained open to the final week.
New Zealand Covid latest
After 102 days free of any new infections everyone here thought we had the problem licked until four South Pacific Islanders in South Auckland tested positive for the virus with no apparent connection with anyone from ourside NZ meaning is was an infection from within the commununity.
Jacinda's reaction was to lockdown the whole of Auckland at alert level three from Noon today (12th August) for three days which means stay at home except for visits for food and medicines, all bars and restaurants closed and the weekends Super Rugby games cancelled. She also imposed alert level two on the rest of the country which means we must observe social distancing and that means back to long queues at the supermarket.
On Friday evening Jacinda announced that she was extending the current restrictions for a further 12 days but that the cases so far confirmed were all linked to the same cluster in Auckland so ther was no thought of increasing the alert level at that stage. A further review would be carried out in a weeks time.
I think that the governments actions have been broadly accepted by the majority of the population. The strategy was well explained and measured in response to the outbreak.
The general election has now been postponed from 19th September until 17th October. All the opposition parties wanted a postponement so there can be no complaint about the decision from Jacinda. It does raise legitimate democratic deficiency questions though when Trump is criticised for wanting to delay the US elections but Jacinda is lauded for doing it. We do have postal voting here which is easy to do but it suited all parties to delay the vote.
Rugby Union
The English premiership resumed after the covid virus lockdown. Here in NZ we get all the games live on SKY TV here and I watched the first one between Quins and Sale at the Stoop. Empty stands, taped crowd noise and lack of game time made for a high penalty rate which saw Sale ship three penalty goals in the first half. They were a bit better after the break, scoring a try to put them back in the game but had to be content with a 16-10 losing bonus point for their efforts.
In NZ the Super Rugby sell out big game at Eden Park between the Blues and the Crusaders was cancelled but the Highlanders v Hurricanes game went ahead in Dunedin in an empty stadium which finished 38-21 to the home side.
Worcester hosted Gloucester at Sixways and began well until Melani Nanai Vai decided to shoulder charge Jonny May's head and received a red card for his efforts. Things then went from bad to worse with the Warriors getting a good drubbing from Glaws who finished with a 15-44 bonus point win.
GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP Round 14
Pos
Team
Pl
W
D
L
Pts
1
Exeter Chiefs
14
10
0
4
50
2
Bristol Bears
14
9
1
4
42
3
Sale Sharks
14
8
0
6
41
4
Wasps
14
7
0
7
38
5
Bath Rugby
14
8
0
6
35
6
Northampton Saints
14
7
0
7
35
7
Harlequins
14
6
1
7
32
8
Gloucester Rugby
14
5
0
9
31
9
London Irish
14
5
1
8
28
10
Worcester Warriors
14
4
0
10
22
11
Leicester Tigers
14
4
1
9
20
12
Saracens
14
9
0
11
-62
Leicester under their new coach Steve Borthwick met Exeter at Sandy Park and put up a spirited defence against the champions but still lost 26-13. They will be pleased with their progress from the doldrums though.
My Barf boys entertained London Irish at the Rec and I found it interesting how many of the players had changed their appearance, especially Rhys Priestland who had died is hair blonde!
The star attrection was new scrum half Ben Spencer fresh from Saracens who excelled in the role in his first game for Barf and scored a try. Hooker Tom Dunn was in his element as was Barf's use of the rolling maul and he scored a brace of tries. Jonathon Joseph touched down spectacularly in the corner with the rest of his body well out of touch but in mid air from a tackle while Jack Walker completed the tryfest.
We have a good record against the exiles and were expected to win but Barf dominated the game from the off and were worthy bonus point winners 34-17 taking them into 4th place in the table just for the day.
Brissle made it a clean sweep for West Country sides beating Sarries at Ashton Gate 16-10 in a game which went to the wire but the Bears hung on to their lead in the closing minutes as Sarries threatened to score with ex Barf Max Lahiffcollecting a yellow for his sins.
Finally Wasps travelled to Franklins Gardens where they beat Northampton Saints 21-34 to displace Barf from 4th to 5th place. Exeter stays top and Sarries stay bottom and will be relegated to the championship as a result of cheating the salary cap.
Premiership round 15
Exeter travelled North to where the new look Sale was a team stuffed with Boks. The Chiefs then proceeded to demonstrate how to play proper rugby as they stormed to a bonus point 22-32 win 4 tries to 3 although Solomona did get a well worked consolation try a few minutes from time or it would have looked much worse.
GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP Round 15
Pos
Team
Pl
W
D
L
Pts
1
Exeter Chiefs
15
11
0
4
55
2
Bristol Bears
15
10
1
4
47
3
Wasps
15
8
0
7
43
4
Sale Sharks
15
8
0
7
41
5
Bath Rugby
15
9
0
6
40
6
Northampton Saints
15
8
0
7
40
7
Harlequins
15
6
1
8
32
8
Gloucester Rugby
15
5
0
9
31
9
London Irish
15
5
1
9
28
10
Worcester Warriors
15
4
0
11
22
11
Leicester Tigers
15
4
1
10
20
12
Saracens
15
9
0
5
-57
Bristol did a demolition job on Gloucester at Kingsholm with a 5 try 24-33 bonus point win, the 4th try coming after only 28 minutes.
Worcester went to Coventry or at least that is where they Waspies sent them! The thing is they dominated the game for the first hour with they Waspies buzzing around on the back foot chasing the game from the off. Eventually good breeding prevailed and the Warriors succumbed to a severe stinging in the final quarter 32-17.
Quins put up a valiant effort at Allianz Park against Sarries who were back to their best after their defeat by Bristol last week. Sarries dominated the first half scoring the requisite bonus point 4 tries but took their eye off the ball in the second half allowing Quins to come back. It finished 38-24.
Northampton put London Irish to the sword at Franklins Gardens in an Irish home game at the Stoop 3-27.
The final game was at Welford Road where Leicester fielded a side of young Tigers I had never heard of against my Barf boys. They quickly went 6-0 up after Barf penalties until the more experienced pack took charge. Four tries before half time and six in all but they let them in at the death and it finished 16-38.
Round 16 will be held during the week so coaches are having to decide which games they really want to contest with having to play two games a week and Borthwick obviously decided this was one he couldn't win so would blood his youngsters. The premiership games are therefore not always a genuine contest now, especially as we all know that Sarries will be relegated. Exeter look like retaining the top spot but the other play-off places are very much up for grabs. They have another 7 rounds to play which are scheduled to be completed by 4th October and that means a lot of one sided games.
New Zealand Covid
At the time of writing the Auckland cluster of covid cases is still ongoing although most of the contacts have been traced and quarantined. Kiwi's await the cabinet decision on whether to extend or increase the alert levels on Monday 24th August with bated breath.
I think it is finally beginning to dawn on people that the current government strategy can not continue for much longer, otherwise the NZ economy will collapse. Should the government decide to extend the current alert levels I suspect it would not have popular support.
Despite its low population density (15 persons per sq km) and remoteness, the current outbreak has shown, if nothing else, that NZ is not immune to further outbreaks and never can be unless we remain cut off from the rest of the world for ever. Even if a vaccine becomes available there will still be outbreaks around the world so that it is just one more virus we will eventually have to live with.
On Wednesday 24th August Jacinda announced that all the present Auckland alert level 3 restrictions would continue until midnight on Saturday after which time Auckland will revert to level 2 and the rest of NZ will stay at level 2. Face masks will become mandatory on public transport throughout NZ. Those restrictions will be again reviewed on September 6th.
As if waving EU flags and wearing those silly blue beret's by the Woke contingent of promenaders was not bad enough, now they think the songs are 'crudely jingoistic' and as for singing that 'Britons never, never, never, will be slaves' the very mention of the word 'slaves' is sacrilege. I expect they used to join in the singing enthusiastically before they became wokified!
The concert will not have an audience due to the covid restrictions and musicians and choir numbers will be severely reduced. One BBC columnist thinks now is a good time to consign this 'toe-curling embarrassing anachronistic farrago of nationalistic songs' to the dustbin of history. Never mind that a huge international audience loves the event.
Quotes 'wot I like: "The BBC is now without either hope or glory.
Sir Michael Ferguson 1957 - .
Politics should be kept out of such celebrations IMHO and traditions that go back over 100 years and more are unlikely ever to conform to modern day puritanical political correctness.
The BBC has now decided to perform the music but not the lyrics of Rule Britannia and Land of Hope and Glory and says it will revert to the traditional singing next year. It would appear that the guest conductor, a Finnish lady called Dalia Stasevska, who is a supporter of Black Lives Matter, is reported to have influenced the decision to prevent a British cultural tradition being performed although she denies she was involved in the final decision and realises the importance of the tradition.
Boris and his merry men are of course spitting blood and this can only be another nail in the coffin of the eventual demise of the BBC as an independent broadcaster. It is also likely to upset license payers who will be asking how the BBC can afford to support six symphony orchestras for a minority interest group when it claims to be short of funds and wants more cash from the government.
My Myeloma progress 27th August
Since my last update I have begun a daily walk of almost exactly a mile which I take at a leisurely pace and complete in about half an hour but it does include a very steep hill on which I live. The pain is always there in my hips and lower back but the intensity varies, possibly according to where in the chemo cycle I am on the day.
I applied for a course of physio which is specifically designed for cancer rehabilitation. An organization here in NZ called the Pinc & Steel Trust subsidises the treatment and it was recommended by my cancer nurse as something that might be beneficial. It turns out that it was the Cancer Society who subsidises the physio fee here in the Bay of Planty who are woefully short of funds at the moment as much fund raising activity has been stopped due the the coronavirus restrictions. I could fund the treatment myself but at $100 a session I think I will wait until my chemo is finished to see if the bone pain is still there afterwards.
This week is one of those where special blood tests are done to measure my progress in overcoming myeloma and once again I have made good progress. The various blood tests show that my kidneys are continuing to withstand the barrage of drugs that I am taking for the cancer that hinder the proper functioning of the kidneys.
To recap; when I was first diagnosed with myeloma the Kappa cell count was 14 and the Lambda 11166. This was progressively reduced once I began chemo and last month was 7.9 and 23.4 with a K/L ratio of 0.34. This month the Kappa cells are 7.7 and Lambda 12.3 resulting in a K/L ratio of 0.63. A normal K/L ratio is considered to be between 0.26 and 1.62.
Progress too on the paraprotein levels in my blood. Last month they were 4g/L and this month they are down to 1.8g/L. The objective is to get them down to zero.
The Doc told me that I could expect to be treated with different drugs on my return to the UK. Drugs she would like to use after chemo is finished are not funded here in NZ. The latest prognosis is 5 to 7 years.
So I am half way through the chemo cycle now which, providing my body stands the strain, will be completed just before Christmas.
English Premiership Rugby
To include all the games in the 1919/1290 season Premiership are including midweek games but with the following rules in place to protect players welfare:
“No player will play more than 180 minutes if selected in a matchday 23 on three occasions in a week No player will start all three games in a week No player will be selected in more than six matches in the seven games staged between 14 August and 13 September A player's training load will be managed if they are selected in three matchday squads in any given seven-day period”
All players and coaching staff involved are tested for covid before each round of games and if positive are isolated. There have been a number of positive tests each week but in the latest two tests only one person has tested positive.
“Harlequins confirm a total of up to 3,500 tickets will be made available to Harlequins supporters for the Gallagher Premiership clash with Bath Rugby at The Stoop, on Saturday, 5th September, kick-off 2pm.”
It ain't like nuffink like the mighty Quins usual numbers who fill the Stoop but they are not selling any tickets to Barf supporters for, they say, safety reason of travel. What a load of rubbish but we will silence those Quins supporters with a magnificent display of rugby magic!
Sale went to the Ricoh to play Wasps who played catchup the whole game but never did. It was a classic arm wrestle which Sale eventually won 11-20.
GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP Round 16
Pos
Team
Pl
W
D
L
Pts
1
Exeter Chiefs
16
12
0
4
59
2
Bristol Bears
16
10
1
5
48
3
Sale Sharks
16
9
0
7
45
4
Bath Rugby
16
10
0
6
44
5
Wasps
16
8
0
8
43
6
Northampton Saints
16
8
0
8
40
7
Harlequins
16
6
1
9
32
8
Gloucester Rugby
16
5
0
10
31
9
London Irish
16
5
1
10
29
10
Worcester Warriors
16
5
0
11
27
11
Leicester Tigers
16
5
1
10
24
12
Saracens
16
10
0
5
-52
Next was the big game at Ashton Gate between league leaders Bristol and Exeter. Brissle went to sleep in the first half and at the break were 15-3 down. In the second half Executer went to sleep. Piers O'Conor and Luke Morahan scored tries in the blink of an eye before Ioan Lloyd scored another to put them ahead. Executer then woke up sending over Billy Keast in the dying minutes of the game which Steenson converted to sneak the win 22-25.
A good game of cup tie rugby with Executer fielding a very good 2nd XV against a full strength Brissle.
Leicester Tigers met London Irish at Welford road and managed to end their miserable run of losses beating them unconvincingly 13-7.
Gloucester travelled to Allianz Park to play Saracens and it was Glaws who opened the try scoring sending Steve Varney over for the first try which was converted to get back into the game after a load of penalties 9-10. Sarries retook the lead just before half time with a converted try from Manu Vunipola to go in for orange sucking 21-10. Revitalised by citrus it was all Sarries in the second half with a hat trick of tries from Tom Woolstencroft to finish a bonus point 36-20 win.
Worcester did the business at Sixways against struggling Quins with a 29-14 win, their first win this year putting their 12 man rolling maul into devastating action which Quins were unable to control.
My Barf boys went to Frankins Gardens the show they Northampton Saints how rugbidly godly they really were, Tom de Glanville going over eventually in the 57th minute for a try and injuring himself in the process for the glory of Barf. Tom is a Bath academy player, the son of Phil who was a Bath and England Captain in the good old days. Ruaridh McConnochie finished the job scoring a try in the last quarter to beat the saints comprehensively 18-3 putting the us up to 4th place in the standings. Whoopie!
Premiership round 17
Sale Sharks managed make Brissle bare of points at the A J Bell stadium (note clever play on words!!). They completely outplayed the Bears scoring six tries, four of them in the first half with a brace for Luke James while Brissle could only manage a consolation try. The final score was an embarrassing 40-7
GALLAGHER PREMIERSHIP Round 17
Pos
Team
Pl
W
D
L
Pts
1
Exeter Chiefs
17
13
0
4
64
2
Sale Sharks
17
10
0
7
50
3
Bristol Bears
17
10
1
6
48
4
Wasps
17
9
0
8
47
5
Bath Rugby
17
10
0
7
45
6
Northampton Saints
17
8
0
9
40
7
Harlequins
17
7
1
9
37
8
Gloucester Rugby
17
6
0
10
36
9
London Irish
17
5
1
11
29
10
Worcester Warriors
17
5
0
12
27
11
Leicester Tigers
17
5
1
11
24
12
Saracens
17
11
0
5
-47
Quins also punished Northampton at the Stoop. The Saints were still in the game at the break with 2 tries each but in the second half Quins let loose with two more tries as the Saints lost the plot to go down 30-17.
Exeter did did the biggest demolition job on poor old Worcester who went from bonus point glory over Quins the previous week to abject misery against the champions. By the break the Chiefs had scored 7 tries and went in 36-0 up but did take their eyes off the ball in the second half letting the Warriors in but the try was dissallowed who also scored a consolation try at the death but suffered 9 tries against them in total to lose 59-7.
Gloucester looked like doing a similar job as Exeter on Leicester as Ollie Thorley became the fastest man to score four tries in the premiership in the first half hour. At 36-6 up Head Coach Borthwick had enough and brought on George Ford and Ben Youngs who proceeded to direct operations. The Tigers came back to with a six point margin but they left their comeback too late and Glaws eventually restored their lead to finish 46-30.
It was a round of one sided games so far which continued when Saracens entertained London Irish at the Allianz. It was a foregone conclusion that Sarries would win which they did 40-12. The only close game of the round was between Bath and Wasps at the rec.
Barf quickly took a 13-0 lead in the first ten minutes but after injuries to Wasps two hookers, referee Wayne Barnes asked the coaches if they had someone who could hook. They said they did and would continue to contest scrums but then Barnsie asked the nominated prop Tom West if he was confident playing hooker who said he wasn't?? Daft question really as he was always going to say no despite having had previous experience playing in that position but he at least had the good grace to look embarrassed. Barnsie then went back to the coaches and said that scrums would be uncontested as player safety was paramount and that West had said he was not confident.
Wasps then had to substitute another forward but the decision was a hammer blow to Barf as it nullified the strongest part of our game. Wasps eventually played themselves back into the game and in the final 10 minutes Barf were deemed to have collapse a maul and they Waspies were awarded a penalty try to win the game 23-27. Guess who scored the try? That cunning bastard Tom West of course!
Wasps have to play Sarries next Saturday so they will get their comeuppance whereas Barf will face Quins at the Stoop which I reckon they can win.
Fund raising in memory of Sue 4 different ways:
On my return to the UK I will be organising a sponsored walk to raise funds for the Macmillan charity along the Macmillan Way West. I am also a cancer victim and undergoing treatment in New Zealand but in the meantime, depending on your location, you can donate with this widget below directly to the Macmillan charity by subscribing to the JustGiving web site:
All money donated will go directly to the Macmillan charity. The donation pages on JustGiving default to Pounds Sterling currency. You can change the currency but there are limited options. If your currency is not listed, here is another widget below to convert to whatever is your home currency:
Currency Calculator
To Donate without subscribing to JustGiving:
As an alternative to using the JustGiving widget you can click on the photo below and you will be taken directly to my JustGiving page where you also donate without needing to subscribe to JustGiving. You can also chose not to make an additional donation to JustGiving should you wish.
Text your donation
This is a quick and easy way to give either a one-off or regular monthly donation for those with UK mobiles.
Donations are taken out of the phone bill at source.
Text MOBILE to +44 70550 to make a £5 single donation
Text REGULAR to +44 70550 to make an ongoing donation of £5 a month.
Please obtain bill payer's permission. Age 16+. UK mobiles only. One off donations charged at £5 + std rate. Monthly subscription donations charged at £5 + std rate each month. Macmillan Cancer Support is a registered charity in England & Wales 261017, Scotland SC039907, and Isle of Man 604. Macmillan receive 100% of all donations.
I will be placing the above invitation to donate at the bottom each new page of this web site until the sponsored walk has been completed. My own cancer treatment is unlikely to be finished before the Spring of next year (2021) so the summer of 2022 is the most likely time for the sponsored walk to take place. If you would like to be included in the walk and receive email updates you can register your interest here.
Donating with a UK credit card
You can click on this link to donate directly to Macmillan if you have a UK credit card. If you choose to donate directly to Macmillan in this way it is linked to my JustGiving page so your donation will be credited to the total in memory of Sue.
Donating from overseas
If none of the alternative methods of donating are suitable then you can make a direct bank transfer by emailing Macmillan at fundraising@macmillan.org.uk or calling them on +44 207 191 2172 and they can provide you with their bank details to make a bank transfer directly to their account.
