London Welsh have had quieter weeks. First, they discovered that their appeal against a points deduction had been rejected. Then, they received unexpected support in the House of Commons.
The Exiles have hinted at further attempts to contest the sanction imposed on them for fielding an ineligible player this season - by possibly taking the case to the High Court or the Court of Arbitration for Sport. As aggrieved as the club feel, this action must be resisted.
They have been found guilty as charged. In a nutshell, their grounds for complaint are two-fold - that they were unwittingly undermined by a 'rogue' employee, former team manager Mike Scott, and that the Union were at fault for not identifying the problem sooner.
Well, Scott may have acted in a rash, inexplicable, illogical way, but he was a paid officer of the club when he did so. Welsh chose to employ him so just because he has since left his post they cannot detach themselves from his conduct at the time. It is akin to a player conceding a penalty and his captain telling the referee it is unfair to punish the team collectively for the individual indiscretion.
As for the RFU's role, they should have realised there was a glaring issue over the registration of Tyson Keats before the Exiles made their admission. But the primary responsibility must lie with the club - they cannot rely on bemoaning the fact that they weren't caught sooner.
Following the appeal verdict, Harrow West MP Gareth Thomas raised in a Commons debate the subject of inequality in funding payments to Aviva Premiership clubs. He argued that the financial imbalance between founder clubs and newcomers gives the league 'all the appearance of a cartel' and has asked for the Competition Commission to investigate.
Premiership Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty has rejected the 'cartel' claim and the scale of the inequality suggested by Thomas. The figures may be disputed but the principle is not - established clubs receive greater funding than those trying to join the elite and survive.
Back in 2010, Exeter chief executive Tony Rowe said the Premiership was run 'like an old boys' club' and condemned the situation as 'disgusting'. He and Thomas are right - this inequality is wrong. With Premiership Rugby sitting on a lucrative new TV deal it is time to level the playing field.
England's recruitment of Rob Baxter (right) and Paul Gustard to join their coaching staff for the June tour of Argentina - while Andy Farrell and Graham Rowntree are away with the Lions - is a shrewd step with an eye on the bigger picture. Stuart Lancaster could have taken the simple option of utilising inhouse RFU personnel but this move to bring in Exeter's head coach and Saracens' defensive guru should produce benefits on various levels. Firstly, these are outstanding operators in the domestic game who come armed with new ideas and methods. Secondly, any such arrangement can only lead to closer ties between the top clubs and national team. Finally, it serves as succession planning too - providing an insight into the demands of Test rugby for men who may one day work in it on a full-time basis. The policy should continue on tours even when there are no Lions absentees to broaden the spread of international coaching experience within the domestic game.
Bad boy Beale gives Lions a lift
More bad news for Australia in the countdown to the Lions tour.
Following the knee injury which has ruled out captain and star flanker David Pocock, now the Wallabies have problems with one of their talented mavericks, Kurtley Beale (right).
The utility back at the Rebels (an appropriate franchise for him, given his colourful record) has been 'stood down' indefinitely, fined and ordered to undergo counselling after punching team-mates Cooper Vuna and Gareth Delve last weekend.
With Beale's participation against the Lions in doubt, ex-Australia coach Eddie Jones has warned that the fly-half-cum-full-back and his friends Quade Cooper and James O'Connor shouldn't all be picked for the Wallabies as their collective presence spells trouble. He has a point, and Robbie Deans - the current coach - has another problem.
Meanwhile, Jerry Collins' life story is turning into a surreal film script. From Wellington binman to All Blacks flanker, the 32-year-old has often caused a stir, with bar-room confrontations, urinating on the pitch before a Test against Australia and turning out for an impromptu game with Barnstaple 2nd XV while on holiday in Devon.
Now Collins has been released from jail in Japan after being arrested for walking into a department store and placing two large knives on a counter. Eye-witness reports suggested that 30 local policemen assembled to escort the Samoan-born giant away. Collins has since claimed that he was being pursued by a Brazilian gang, apparently due to hi s relationship with a woman who had links to them. You really couldn't make it up.
The last word
Saracens pride themselves on being pioneers and that status is likely to be enhanced in the near future. No sooner had the London club officially opened their Allianz Park ground in Barnet with a state-of-theart artificial pitch allowing allweather, non-stop use, than it emerged that Cardiff Blues are now considering the installation of a similar 4G surface at their Arms Park home. Amid this lingering, freezing winter, it makes sense for the Welsh region to make the investment sooner rather than later.
This is the future taking shape. There is no point being at the mercy of the grim British elements when an initial outlay will soon pay for itself many times over. Give it 10 years and surely every top club will have come round to the view that plastic is indeed fantastic.
More... Moon's uprising in the north can only make Six Nations champions Wales stronger Premiership chief McCafferty rejects MP's claims that he runs the league like a cartel
