Wales v France at the Rugby World Cup - What a shame that the referee seems keen to see the land of his father win!

Holy patron, pray for your people!

I am just about to head off to the LMS Pilgrimage to Aylesford, after watching the first-half of the Wales v France Rugby World Cup semi-final.

A cousin of mine happens to be playing for Wales, so I am particularly interested in this game's result. I was therefore greatly disappointed to have witnessed the unfair and frankly unjust sending off of the Wales captain, Sam Warburton, by the half-French referee from Ireland, Alain Rolland (yes, he's even got a totally French name!). Seeing that Wales beat Ireland last week to get to the semis, and that they are playing France today, is it right that the referee for this game is a French Irishman?

It is absolutely shocking that one of the most important games in international rugby has been tarnished by such an apparent injustice, or by seeming impartiality at least. Surely, there must be some law in the game of rugby that safeguards against allowing men who would have an understandable bias against one of two teams from acting as referee? If not, there should be!

This photo shows the mosaic of St David in Westminster Cathedral, taken yesterday. It was blessed by Pope Benedict XVI during his Papal visit to the UK last year. I offered a candle at this shrine yesterday, asking the saint to intercede for all the players today, but especially my cousin and the men in red - well, isn't that what patron saints are for?

Dewi Sant, gweddia drosom ni!