The Phantom Horseman

We really don't need to start adding further VR shenanigans for something like this which most people don't see as an issue anyway. It's not easy to pinpoint the exact moment a kicker's run-up starts because a lot of kickers aren't especially still in the moments before they approach the ball, and the production team would need to line up the kicker with every player across the goal line, probably requiring multiple camera angles - this would be a massively unpopular development with fans, and all for an issue that hardly anybody sees as a problem at the moment. Sorry, it's a hard no from me.

It wouldn't be so annoying that he often gets things wrong if he didn't have that thinly-disguised edginess you mention towards some of his club's perceived rivals, and more recently, if he didn't constantly try and attack some of the actual journalists that we have in RL. He uses the "clickbait" jibe but whilst we all hate clickbait journalism,most of us understand that clicks are how much of the modern media is funded. The difference is, if I take exception to something Matt Shaw or Johnny Davidson or Aaron Bower etc say, I would know who to complain to, because most of their output is for a recognised operation, whereas TGC's "journalism" consists of his own social media feeds, that's the only reason he isn't a "clickbait" journalist, because he doesn't have a platform outside of social media. It's a shame because I believe he genuinely loves rugby league, and he does get some things right in terms of his stories, but he doesn't help himself with his tendency to antagonise people and his inability to filter information and stand stories up.

Ouch, my bad. I don't think you are going to believe this, but I actually have a degree in French as well. The shame!

And if part of this comes to fruition, I suspect the apology will be forgotten and he'll be quick to tell everyone where they read it first.

A lovely tribute (via the Rugby League Record Keepers' Club Facebook page) from Mike Latham, the widely-respected ex-chairman of Leigh. I attended the funeral service for the original RLRKC founder Irvin Saxton at Pontefract Crematorium today. It was a lovely, non religious service. Irvin’s passion for Featherstone Rovers and his immense work and research for the record keepers formed part of the tribute alongside his many other interests, music, local history and coal mining history particularly ventilation. I made myself known to the family and passed on our sincere condolences. Irvin was 94 and had written much of the account of his rich and varied life. I have written a tribute to Irvin for the August edition of Forty20 magazine

Quel surprise...

Firstly, when you say "If the Championship and League 1 had been left as they were" presumably you mean if we had stuck with the previous system (which was part of a two-year plan, let's not forget, to reduce the Championship to 12 teams in 2 steps), Toulouse would have gone up to SL, Salford would have come down and there would have been an 8-team play-off system between the bottom 4 in the Championship & the top 4 in L1 which strongly favoured the existing Championship clubs, with the very likely outcome that London, Sheffield and Batley would have survived in the Championship and Hunslet would have been relegated. Leaving aside the Featherstone situation (which the Championship would have had to deal with regardless of its composition) that would have left a Championship of: Salford, York, Bradford, Oldham, Halifax, Featherstone, Widnes, Doncaster, Barrow, London, Sheffield and Batley. The difference in likely competitiveness between that league and the current shambles is like night and day. What's more, the previous League 1 teams would not have had the usual status-linked opportunities to improve that is generally afforded to teams promoted from L1 to championship. Yes, Salford are a bit of anomaly in terms of how weak they are for a relegated SL club, but equally, Newcastle are also an anomaly in that they have gone from being the weakest L1 club to being 1 of the stronger Championship teams. When this whole situation was first mooted, I pointed out repeatedly what I thought the long-term outcome would be - the Championship would be downgraded, making it immensely difficult for Championship teams to grow into SL challengers, and in time there would be a group of SL teams perennially near the bottom but with no jeopardy, and no challengers to their status. I still think that's what's likely to happen over the next two or three years.

Feel it's worth chipping in with the occasional reminder that as well as the question of whether 14 teams is working for SL, there's also the side issue of whether it (and its knock-on effect) is working for the game as a whole...here are yesterday's Championship results. Dewsbury 18 Halifax 36 Hunslet 16 Oldham 60 Salford 4 London 62 NW Crusaders 0 Newcastle 90 Swinton 0 Doncaster 56 Sheffield 38 Workington 12 Whitehaven 46 Goole 16 Midlands 42 Rochdale 4

Indeed, but Harrison has been sparely played at back row for many years and he has often been very effective on the occasions when he has played there - he has such a long stride that opponents underestimate him, for all he plays prop he's no plodder.

Looks like it has now (kind of). https://www.alloutrugbyleague.co.uk/news/london-broncos-warned-over-promotion-1924945

Fine, in all honesty there are hundreds of things that deserve mockery more so perhaps that's the wrong phrase. I just want to see amusing or original social media posts from sports clubs, not lame rehashed ones where it appears they've tried to copy someone else's joke without getting it.

Well, you're right, if you want clicks and engagements, and teams are positively rewarded for that under the grading criteria (assuming it hasn't been quietly binned now). I was thinking in terms of not making posts that merit widespread mockery, but I guess widespread mockery isn't a bad thing.

How not to do social media: 1. Basketball legend Lebron James is set to leave the LA Lakers and strongly linked with a move to the Golden State Warriors, creating lots of "Lebron to join Warriors" headlines. 2. New Zealand Warriors put up a social media post saying "the rumour is true", with Lebron photo-shopped into a (NZ) Warriors jersey. 3. The London Broncos SM team sees this gets lots of likes so for some reason think this gag will work for them too

2 minutes after I post this, Brook holes out for 21 off 10 balls.

Watching Stokes' innings, and then Harry Brook pulling his first ball for six and then ramping his second ball for four, I'm reminded of Pierre Bosquet's verdict on the Charge Of The Light Brigade: "C’est magnifique, mais ce n’est pas la guerre: c'est de la folie."