THE absence of much local rugby on Saturday enabled me to watch the Inter-Hemisphere clash on television, and like many others I was immediately struck by the differing quality of the two teams.
The South had taken the match so seriously that all their international skippers, and many of their most famous players, all turned up to help the tsunami appeal, but the North faced the current problem of having far too many games to play.
Until the authorities deal with the problem, and rejig the top players' annual commitments, the British standard will continue to drop.
Poor England coach Andy Robinson is having to select reserve after reserve, as his stars get injured, and I shudder to think what sort of a British Lions squad Clive Woodward will be able to take to New Zealand in the autumn.
At least Saturday's match had one local bonus, with the former Waterloo hooker, Andy Titterell, showing how close he is to winning his first full cap before being substituted early in the second half.
Titterell has developed consistently since joining Sale, and is now ranked England's second best hooker, with a very real chance of promotion in the near future.
