The first-floor concourse in the west stand at Twickenham has clearly not been swept for a while. The local pigeons have spent the summer roosting overhead and, outside the shuttered Thirst bar, significant heaps of grey-white droppings are piling up. Sadly, it is not even close to being the biggest mess in English rugby, with a steady torrent of toxic news still pounding down on poor, cash-starved Worcester.
Watching things go pear-shaped in a proud Premiership heartland is not how anyone wants to commence a shiny new rugby union season. Which is a crying shame in itself. It would have been lovely to have spent more time discussing rugby at Thursday’s season launch: whether Leicester can win back-to-back titles, whether Bath will finally escape the trough of despair or whether some of the league’s precocious young talent can kick on again.
