Virgilius’s theme today was just a little obvious, a mirror-symmetric grid with greyed-out rugby goal posts in the middle. Yes, it’s the Badminton Horse Trials…no, of course not, it’s the Rugby World Cup currently being played in France (and Wales!) Every clue somehow had a surface that was about rugby or alluded to it, some answers were rugby-related and several bits of word play used rugby terms (though not RL.) The competition is in the gap between the group stage and the quarter finals, at least one clue reflected this.

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Solving time: 24 minutes

I sometimes imagine Paul, in his spare time, at the end of Southend Pier, playing his banjo and telling rude jokes to the assembled punters in a straw boater and striped jacket.  However, having met the man, I can confirm that he doesn’t indulge in such behaviour.  However, sometimes, his puzzles
make you wonder whether he should indulge in the odd trip to the seaside, if the crosswords ever dried up, not that they ever would.

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