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Dean Ryan leaves Gloucester. Given 7 years of big budgets, big name players and no silverware (not forgetting the  countless drubbings in crunch games) it’s no surprise. I guess the utter embarrassment at the hands of the Blues at the end of last season was the final nail.

The only question is… can Redpath do better?

James Forrester, Gloucester and England, has been forced to retire due to the injury sustained last year. Both his club and his country will miss him, he was a genuine match changer. Harsh; very harsh.

Bracewell is returning to Glos. This (to a Gloucestershire supporter) is awesome news.

Oh how the mighty have fallen.  Not long ago the unstoppable force in limited overs cricket, now the whipping boy in near every form of the game. Despite the appalling summer last year they managed to turn a profit, yet this year they’re without a coach and with an ailing side. The latest move to refuse to pay agents’ fees smacks of desperation.

Here’s hoping Bracewell returns to Bristol and brings some much needed form with him.

Booboo, we hardly knew you. Mark Alleyne has been with Glos since I’ve been old enough to take notice of the team sheet. It’s hard to tell if his departure was wholly amicable, but I do hope it was. He’s been an outstanding champion for the club; let alone being the captain that along with John Bracewell took us through our glory years.

Top of the table clash.  Televised.  Both Sinbad and Vainikolo unable to play.  Cock.

Why oh why oh why do they always manage to pull it out of the bag?  Wasps do it again.

Well well.  Let’s hope England do as well, eh?

So. England get humiliated by the South Africans 36-0 and a reasonable amount of blame is placed at the door of ex-League superstar, Andy Farrell. The question is asked (yet again) can players change code and continue their careers at the same level?

At the same time, rather overshadowed by the farce of the World Cup, the Guinness Premiership kicked off this weekend, and another code switcher made rather a different debut. Start, as they say, as you mean to go on.

(I’m glad my South African colleague doesn’t care so much for sport. Any other South African I’ve met would be making my life hell all week after both the rugby and the cricket)

Absolutely fantastic match.  I’ve got no nails left.

Just wish we‘d won. (and slightly glad I wasn’t there with Kent man Rich as I’d hoped to be.  I have a feeling he wouldn’t have let me hear the last of it)