Happy 5th Birthday Kerrang Radio, I speak to Tuffer's plus a preview of tonight's sporting action!

I can't tell you how lucky I feel to come in each day and work with some of the funniest, most down to earth people in the media industry, and I am not joking when I say that we really do all get on with on with each other and all hang out outside of work......well apart from me.....but that's cos I smell!! In fact I have the feeling tonight could be rather messy, but not for me, as I am in detox now for Pre-Preseason, so I reckon I might have to be responsible for taking some very embarrassing photos for when everyone else is messed up!

Another reason I am pumped today is that I have managed to get through three whole days of cycling (how exciting!) without my neck causing me to cry like a little girl, which is nice!

With pre season for the Bees kicking off a week Monday, I have a lot of catching up to do, but hopefully the lovely physio Emma will let me know how long it will be till I can get the lycra on and walk round the gym saying "OOCHHAAAA!"......aka weight training...because not being able to lift is driving me crazy!

It's a strange thing when you train loads, because you really get addicted to it, and its so frustrating to have been training so hard with the Bee's and with the Legend that is Scott at Arch 20 Gym in the Jewellery Quarter only to have to take loads of time off due to an annoying injury, and it starts to affect you in strange ways.

Your mind plays tricks on you, even though you actually won't have lost much strength or fitness, you become paranoid that you are turning in a lazier version of a three toed sloth, and that when you return your muscles will have wasted away and you wont even be able to lift your colour coded water bottle to your lips.

Actually noticed that this morning, what is it with people putting effort into their outfits for the gym??? Am I an exception to the rule? I go to the gym to work out, to push myself harder each day and try and obviously get stronger and fitter for rugby..........I don't go for a fashion parade!! That's what I love about my gym, its proper hardcore, people go there with no other agenda than to mess themselves up and I love it!! None of this standing around admiring yourself in Lycra......well unless I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror to be fair, then I might be there for a while!!

Anyway, I'm also excited as today you have some great sporting action to get your teeth into, first up the Lions take on the Sharks out in Durban, and of course England take on Andorra in another crucial World Cup Qualifier.

First up the Lions, I really like the look of the team "Geech" has picked, I think it shows a good balance between power and pace, although they will face a much sterner test against the Sharks than they have so far on this tour. There has been a lot of talk about how the Lions must dominate the breakdown, and its true, if you do this well you are going to win games.....simples!

The problem is that a lot of factors have to come together for you to get on top in the contact area, and it's not just a case of going out there and running into every ruck like a madman. If your going forward, and making sure you are taking the ball at pace and getting across the gain line, then it pretty much looks after itself, the problem comes when the defence gets on top of you and starts making you go backwards.

There are so many little factors in rugby that all contribute to how your team performs, but my dad always said, and I stick by this, if you do the basics well then the rest takes cares of itself.

Look at the game on Saturday against the Cheetahs, for the first twenty minutes we tore them apart, then suddenly we were down to 14, they had a bit more confidence up front and starting gang tackling around the fringes, and our forwards found it very hard to generate quick ball. This is where you need leaders on the pitch to just get people to reset, and start thinking, right we need to get the advantage back, lets hit the big runners, make sure they have a lot of support and start knocking them back again!

Anyway, I'm a winger, so while all of those forwards are bashing the living bejesus out of each other in an almost primeval way, I'm too busy doing my hair and making sure my nice manicure doesn't get ruined when I catch the ball!

Almost straight after the rugby, Cappello's men kick off against Andorra, in what should be 3 points written blind! England will probably rest a lot of players, but even if they rested say Rooney and played his cousin we will should still walk it..........hell even if they played his cousin's girlfriends mums friend called Dave's pet goldfish they should still nick it!

I would also like to see Theo Walcott get another chance to show what he can do after his rather lacklustre performance in Kazakhstan, this boy is class and if there is space for him to exploit, expect him to cause havoc!

It will be a good chance for some fringe players to push there cause, and it's going to be great going into the game against Croatia next season having won all 7 of our qualifying matches! Oh but it might be a bit quiet at Wembley due to the Tube strike.......although I have no idea what a Tube is now I live in Brum, oh and if they lose, I will eat my hat okay???

God please don't let them lose!

I also just had one of the best ever chats with England cricket legend Phil Tufnell, or "Tuffers" as he is better known, what a top bloke, highly amusing and I can't wait to welcome him back for the Offside show on Sat, to talk about the Twenty Twenty World Cup and also to preview the forthcoming Ashes series..........sweeeeeeeeeet!

Check it out from 1pm on Saturday on Kerrang, and don't forget you can catch me doing my specialist new music show from 3-5am during the week too, and if that's a bit early for you, why not spend your lunchtime with me on Q radio from 1-3pm Mon-Friday!

I get everywhere! Right I am off to take out the new Triumph Rocket 3 Tourer I have this week for the Motorcycle Diaries (independent.co.uk/motorcycledairies)out for a spin, then its all about the sport and Kerrang Birthday Party!!!

I'll blog again tomorrow to let ya know what I think of everything that goes down tonight!

Word!