Scotland team to face Argentina

UPDATED FOR ACTUAL SELECTION

Thought I'd just set up a marker post that we can all use before various team suggestions get lost in other posts

With 8 days to our next game of the RWC against Argentina, Scotland still have their fate very much in their own hands, having secured 2 wins from 2 against tenacious (if not always the most skilled) opposition. Both of these games represented potential banana skins, so 9 points is a good place to be in, but we shouldn't let that disguise the issues that have troubled the Scots so far - a pack that was bullied against Romania, a backline that lacked invention against Georgia, and a host of mistakes and handling errors in both games. Bearing in mind that we'll have a week after the Argentina game before we face England, what side would you put out against Arg and how will that differ to the one that you think Robbo will select?

my selection - Robbo's selection:
1 Chunk - Chunk
2 Ford - Ford
3 Cross - Cross
4 Hines - Hines
5 Hamilton - Kellock
6 Strokosch - Brown
7 Rennie - Barclay
8 Brown - Vernon
9 Cusiter - Blair
10 Jackson - Parks
11 R Lamont - S Lamont
12 S Lamont - Morrison
13 Ansbro - Ansbro
14 Evans - Evans
15 Paterson - R Lamont
Subs
16 S Lawson - S Lawson
17 Low - Dickinson
18 Gray - Gray
19 Barclay - Rennie
20 Blair - Cusiter
21 Parks - De Luca
22 De Luca - Paterson

And now for the real selection:

15 Chris Paterson (Edinburgh) 107 caps 22 tries, 90 conversions, 167 penalties, 3 drop-goals, 800 points
14 Max Evans (Castres) 22 caps, 3 tries, 15 points
13 Nick De Luca (Edinburgh) 27 caps, 1 try, 5 points
12 Graeme Morrison (Glasgow Warriors) 31 caps, 3 tries, 15 points
11 Sean Lamont (Scarlets) 58 caps, 8 tries, 40 points
10 Ruaridh Jackson (Glasgow Warriors) 9 caps, 2 conversions, 1 penalty, 1 drop-goal, 10 points
9 Rory Lawson (Gloucester) CAPTAIN 29 caps

1 Allan Jacobsen (Edinburgh) 58 caps
2 Ross Ford (Edinburgh) 51 caps, 2 tries, 10 points
3 Geoff Cross (Edinburgh) 7 caps
4 Richie Gray (Glasgow Warriors) 14 caps
5 Jim Hamilton (Gloucester) 33 caps, 1 try, 5 points
6 Alasdair Strokosch (Gloucester) 21 caps, 1 try, 5 points
7 John Barclay (Glasgow Warriors) 30 caps, 2 tries, 10 points
8 Kelly Brown (Saracens) VICE CAPTAIN 48 caps, 4 tries, 20 points

Substitutes
16 Dougie Hall (Glasgow Warriors) 36 caps, 1 try, 5 points
17 Alasdair Dickinson (Sale Sharks) 22 caps, 1 try, 5 points
18 Nathan Hines (Clermont Auvergne) 75 caps, 2 tries, 10 points
19 Richie Vernon (Sale Sharks) 13 caps
20 Mike Blair (Edinburgh) 73 caps, 7 tries, 35 points
21 Dan Parks (Cardiff Blues) 64 caps, 4 tries, 15 conversions,52 penalties, 15 drop-goals, 251 points
22 Simon Danielli (Ulster) 31 caps, 8 tries, 40 points

This is a tough one in my opinion. Robbo is pretty smart and I hope he can understand that if we use the gritty pack we had against Georgia and threatening backline we had against Georgia we'll have a very good chance of turning them over.

For what it's worth I would go for :

1. Jacobsen
2. Ford
3. Cross (would rather Murray but he'll be at the Kirk)
4. Hines
5. Kellock
6. Strokosch
7. Rennie
8. Brown
9. Blair
10. Jackson
11. Evans
12. S. Lamont
13. NDL
14. Ansbro
15. Paterson

16. Dickinson
17. Lawson
18. Low
19. Gray
20. Barclay
21. Cusiter
22. R. Lamont

I would almost certainly give Hamilton the match off and use him behind Murray to put the English row without Sheridan under the cosh in Auckland.

However the justification for picks against Argentina, It's a high risk high reward team I have gone for. If the weather is good I think that is the backline that will stretch the Argies wide and create gaps for Sean Lamont to burst through and give NDL some space. Against Georgia De Luca looked dangerous in open play and now he has seemingly tightened up his weakest area of his game (tackling) IMO as done enough to oust Ansbro from the 13 position.

Ansbro shuffles out to the wing to replace Danielli who despite scoring 2 tries by being in the right place at the right time did little else against Romania.

Half Backs, Blair had a good game against Romania and Jackson despite some poor decisions gave our backs the chance to score some tries. Parks, I really don't rate and to be honest would have left behind and brought Laidlaw instead, so I guess that shows what I think his involvement should be. Jackson it is.

The pack was a tough choice. Leaving Gray out is a big call but I think he could be best served to bring on as an Impact sub. I reckon we'll need Hines power in the boiler toom to negate the powerful pumas scrum. Backrow was a tough call too. Strokosch takes the blind side role due to his tackling prowess. This will be needed for keeping Lobbe under control. The only reason for picking Rennie over Barclay is the fact the Pumas like to stay big in the contact. Rennies' strength over Barclay is the fact he can strip possesion better when the ball carrier runs in high in comparrison to Barclay who is better at scrapping for the ball in the deck at the breakdown.

Barclay's ability to scrap on the ground is what made him such a handful for the English backrow in the 6N. They did not have a proper "fetcher" in their backrow then and I don't think that problem will be adressed by the time we come to play them in Auckland so I would try and keep him fresh for that game.

Brown was IMO Scotland's best player against Georgia by some considerable distance. I hate to say it but I feel he played no.8 better than he played on the blind side against Romania.

Front row picks itself in the absence of Murray. I also feel it's important to have a full front row on the bench again to front up against this brutal Argentinian pack.

Spot on team from you Aslong.

I'd go for exactly the same.

What is also encouraging in addition to the potential banana skins being avoided, is the fact that we have no injuries.

Very encouraging!

I think we'll have a 5-2 split on the bench again, so I expect to see Low, S Lawson and Dickinson feature on the bench.

My team:

1.Jacobsen 2.Ford 3.Cross

No brainer. AR will do the same. Bench as per the above.

4.Hines 5.Gray

Plenty of debate here, and other than Gray/Kellock, I could live with any combination selection. I would opt for the above, and have Kellock on the bench to give added leadership and line-out capability late on (when Ledesma will be off the pitch).

6.Strokosch 7.Barclay 8.Brown

Again, debate to be had here. Rennie has played very well recently. I'd have the above with Vernon on the bench for impact. Rennie to face England, regardless of what happens in this game. I think AR might use the Romania back row here. That would be a mistake, as would using Hines at 6.

9. Blair 10. Jackson

This is easy for me. Our quickest players in these positions and with Blair, our form scrum half. Quick slick distribution is crucial in this one and these guys are fundamental to that. We want the new Blair, the one that gets the ball away quickly and makes good decision, not the old ponderous slow Blair. Argentina will harass each and every breakdown, and if we don't shift the ball quickly, we'll get dragged into their messy game plan. Lawson on the bench.

12.S Lamont 13.Ansbro

I think Ansbro has done enough to edge NDL, although it's close. S Lamont for me is just a more dangerous runner than Morrison, and we need to be busting the line here. I think AR will play Morrison though.

11.Danielli 14.Evans 15.CP

I'd have R Lamont on the bench and go with the above. Danielli played really well against Romania, and we should reward that performance. He's not everyone's cup of tea, and can be lazy at times (his performance against Italy in the warm-up was horrible), but he's a proven finisher. R Lamont has never been great shakes on the wing. I think AR will have Morrison at 12, and S Lamont at 11, so I suspect Danielli won't be picked. Evans has to play for obvious reasons.

The problem is Parks can be a complete liability - and often is. He did work well at Glasgow - helped in no small part by the size of the Firhill plating pitch. I think AR has to put some trust and faith in Jackson and play the back line he knows will win this game. That is 15 R Lamont, 14 Max, 11 S Lamont, 12 Morrison, 13 Ansbro/

Good wins for Argentina and England over Romania and Georgia respectively - pressure on us

I would disagree with that As, I reckon Argentina and England will be going into the match as favourites. Works for me.

I was more worried about the Argentina performance. Some really nice stuff from their back division. We really are underdogs for that one.

England weren't particularly impressive I didn't think. Conditions were quite different and Georgia only had a 4 day turn-around. I think that was quite significant in the last quarter when England got their points. If England give us that many penalties, Lord Paterson will feast.

SchlongAs - agree entirely with your selection although I'm not so sure that AR will disagree as much as you think.

It's more about who Andy will save for England rather than whom he will play here. I think that he will pick Hamilton to pack down behind Murray and will choose Morrison's defensive strength to try and muzzle Tuilagi.

This means that Slamont and Ansbro are the most likely centre pairing. I hope that he doesn't p!ss about with scrum half. No point rotating that position. Let's stick with Blair for now - his problem recently has been inconsistency.

Am getting fed up with the press' general snide remarks towards a Scotland team, whose worst crime has been not to dominate each match in its entirety in the p!ssing rain of the South Island. How can you compare playing Romania and Georgia first (when each has had months of prep to target their first games with box fresh players) with playing the battered shreds of their first XV a mere 4-6 days later?

Who cares? I really hope that we light up the Pumas.

Let the press write us off as toothless and weak. We'll show them otherwise next weekend. I know for a fact regardless what dayglow, Ryder and vickery think of us I have now doubt MJ will not let England take us lightly.

Johnno is a pretty smart coach and he'll know exactly how up for the match we'll be.

Scotland will always be up for England. Could be a classic. Hope you guys beat Argentina and qualify (2nd to Eng, of course).

My pick would be Hamilton and Kellock in the second row.

Hamilton brings the bulk to sure up the scrum (he was the difference between the two matches) with Kellock to control the line out

I have not been that impressed with Gray so far, and think he currently brings more hype that substance (not entirely his fault, as press went mental and he needs time to grow into that role)

I'm trying to stay as positive as I can be and I know we have the players to beat Argentina and England but I am extremely nervous about the Argies this weekend. Robbo will be announcing the squad on Thursday Morning (their time) so it will be Wednesday night for us when we see the team.

It'll certainly be an interesting announcement, so many positions up for grabs for this one, it's very hard to tell which way Robinson will go.

8:30am on Sunday morning. I feel I should have an actual countdown on my wall at work!

I hope Scotland will win this, but I just don;t think the team is hitting the heights necessary to take Argentina out. Neither team is offering much in attack, but Argentina are more streetwise and has a tougher pack.

I wish there was a way of getting Scotland to play somewhere near it's potential, but everything is going to have to go their way for them to win this game. Still you have won 5 in a row so at least confidence is building, and Conteponi seems to have gone to the dogs kicking wise, he was rubbish against Wales and England so there is a bit of hope.

I think that's going to be a key area - the kickers. I'd certainly back CP over Contepomi, and his fitness generally is going to be an interesting issue. Lots of pressure on him need from Barclay/Rennie.

I agree, they have the more streetwise pack, in fact Ledesma and Albacete are two of the most "streetwise" forwards in world rugby. What does help is the new fussy officiating of the offside rule around the rucks. Albacete has made a career of being offside at the rucks, so hopefully we'll get a few penalties from them there. The downside is that the pick and drive has become a more dangerous weapon, and that's the Argentina bread and butter. I can see them picking and driving through 10+ phases and then having Contempomi in the box seat for the drop goal.

Still, we do have some strong attacking runners, and when England got a few phases together they did make some headway. If we play smart, keep the ball (and their pack) moving, we should be able to edge this one. Massive selection calls to make for Robinson.

It would be great if S Lamont has two runners with him when he makes his breaks - and he'll undoubtedly make at least two on Sunday.

A couple of pop passes off the shoulder in succession would result in tries I'm sure of it. NZ have it perfected so we should try to emulate them.

It's not rocket science. Look for the pass and not cleaning out the ruck.

To be honest, I'm absolutely crapping myself about Sunday and I know that I'll go through more emotions during that 80 minutes than I did for the first two years of my kids life.

Fingers crossed for a Scotland win no matter how scrappy it is.

Good news - I've had a wee word with the almighty, and he says that it's ok for Big Euge to play on the sabbath

Praise be indeed.

If only Jehova's witnesses would take a Sunday off (especially first thing in the morning).

Altogether now....

You can stick your f*****g Watchtower's up your ar*e

Tattie Scones RRN wrote:It would be great if S Lamont has two runners with him when he makes his breaks - and he'll undoubtedly make at least two on Sunday.

A couple of pop passes off the shoulder in succession would result in tries I'm sure of it. NZ have it perfected so we should try to emulate them.

It's not rocket science. Look for the pass and not cleaning out the ruck.

It's even more infuriating when you consider that we don't really have anyone else making breaks. If Parks made a break I could understand there being no support, but surely the back row have been instructed to follow Lamont when he has the ball.....

Today's Scotsman newspaper is reporting that CP is likely to play at Full Back... so I presume that means Jackson at 10?

Duke, you would suspect that would be the case

I hope so... Like so many supporters i feel nervous when Dan Parks is on the team sheet. I want to see us playing 15 man rugby, which isnt the case when Parks plays.

The side has been announced and I am disappointed

Scot XV for Arg:
Paterson
Evans
De Luca
Morrison
S lamon
Jackson
R Lawson(c)
Jacobsen
Ford
Cross
Gray
Hamilton
Strokosch
Brown
Barclay

Suprised (but not disappointed) that Kellock has been left out. I thought Robinson would pick him due to the captaincy. Hall and Dickinson worry me on the bench. Glad to see Brown moved to 8 instead of Vernon.

Do you think Gray played well enough against Romania to be picked?

I was suprised at Argentina last time out, they played a fast and really expansive game. To counter this I would have played Ansbro on the wing, with Slong at 12. I certainly would have selected Rennie for his workrate and Hines for his brutality!! to start.

I wouldnt have started Gray or Vernon

Saying that I haven seen the bench yet

EDIT
Scotland: C Paterson; M Evans, N De Luca, G Morrison, S Lamont; R Jackson, R Lawson (capt); A Jacobsen, R Ford, G Cross, R Gray, J Hamilton, A Strokosch, J Barclay, K Brown.

Replacements: D Hall, A Dickinson, N Hines, R Vernon, M Blair, D Parks, S Danielli.

NO
Rennie
Ansbro
Rory Lamont

Disappointing

No Ansbro, Ramont, Rennie, or Schlong at 12. Hmm....

this is a must win game, but that team doesnt suggest it.


you do have to wonder what Rennie needs to do to cement his place in the 7 shirt. Barclay hasnt had a really good game since the saffers, and Rennie always seems to be a much better link player when he comes on, as well as not getting penalised at the breakdown so much.

If Barclay wants to infringe at the rucks, then he has to stop being so mouthy and drawing attention to himself.

Agree on first two games that Rennie was better but I think its a tough decision between two good players.

Can't say I'm much of a fan of Lamont at 12 but would've liked to see Ansbro playing.

Have to say I'm pretty worried about Sunday, the Romania game was stressful enough, not looking forward to sitting through another close game

The only good thing about Morrison at 12, is that Parks isn't at 10! I'd have preferred both Lamonts and Sean at 12 tbh. The pack looks mobile enough without giving away much weight too.

I'd have picked our best XI for this, our best form XI at least. We can win this match and need to, Rennie deserved to be in but if Barclay plays as well as he can there will be no complaints about it afterwards. It's a real pity that Murray rules himself out, he is finally back to some kind of form and we need him in this match more than the England game.

The issue is Jackson and his inconsistency with his kicking, until he nails that we have to have Mossy at 15, otherwise I would select Rory for his penetration if you know what I mean

Well, I'm not sure anyone would be completely satisfied with any team selection. The team is not settled enough at this point in time. That said, I am with the majority when I see Parks wearing 21 instead of 10. Good news indeed. Not the biggest DeLuca fan, but I have a sneaky suspicion he will play well in this match. I also would have liked to see Ansbro on the pitch.

But, I think the key is how Brown plays. This is a match tailor-made for a big time Number 8. If he plays as he is capable, I think Scotland have a great shot at a big win.

Think Paterson does the kicking?

Here's hoping Rory Lawson continues his 100% winning rate of captaining the side to victory...

Well, didn't see some of those coming, which hopefully means that certain players have been going really well in training as well as Robbo having thrown off his conservative shackles!

Front row of Chunk-Ford-Cross was a no brainer, but it remains a mystery to me why Dickinson remains the preferred replacement - there is a myth that he can scrummage equally on both sides - this is simply not true, unless we can add the word 'bad' to that phrase. Looks like S Lawson still has some tightness in his calf, so the waterboy Hall has to sit on the bench,

Didn't see a second row pairing of Gray-Hamilton tho - am surprised that we have ignored the lineout expertise of Kellock, altho i understand why we might need the extra bulk of Big Jim behind Cross. Gray hasn't been playing to the levels that we saw in last season's 6Ns, so I feel is lucky to make the team, but I'm glad that Hines is there on the bench and can see him making a significant impact around the 60th/65th minute.

Am relatively happy with the backrow of Stroks-Barclay-Brown - Brown is by far the best 8 on the tour, so that leaves an opening for Stroks, who is one of the best head on tacklers that we have, and let's be honest, we're going to need plenty of that. Barclay is maybe a little fortunate to get the nod over Rosco on form, but perhaps Robbo is right to reflect that the groundhog breakdown skills of Barclay are what we need over the pilfering skills of Rennie, who could still feature against England. Vernon will provide an injection of pace from the bench.

The half-back pairing of R Lawson-Jackon was not what I expected either - I am delighted that Parks is confined to the bench, and with Jackson in situ, I think we're stating what kind of game we'd like to play. Lawson has never lost as a Scotland captain, and I guess that he, Blair & Cus are largely interchangeable, even if they all have slightly different strengths. Blair on the bench is fine.

In midfield he's gone for the pairing of Morrison-De Luca - I see Morrison as the defensive leader in that backline, which I suspect is why he has been given the nod ahead of S Lamont, with NDL as the creative foil. Can't imagine the Argentine's are losing too much sleep over these two. No cover on the bench, so if there's an injury I suspect Schlong moves inside.

Backthree of S Lamont-Paterson-Evans provides strength, guile and pace. Lamont will come inside looking for ball and I hope that we see Evans put into space. Mossy is there to keep the scoreboard ticking along nicely, altho he'll have to improve on his kicking display against the Romanians. Danielli in to cover all three positions, I suspect - I personally think that Ansbro or R Lamont would have offered more, but that's detail!

Overall, can't complain, not quite what I expected but I don't see that as a bad thing - can't wait for Sunday now, a mixture of excitement and nerves

This really should be a classy game.

so happy to see Jackson not Parks on the team sheet

I reckon with the exeption of Gray and Barclay the team that has been picked is a fair reflection on who has played well in the last 2 games.

Despite not scoring any tries NDL had a very strong game against Georgia. When he eventually did get the ball he looked mildy threatening and defensively he had a very good shift too.

Seeing Parks on the bench is a massive source of relief for me, however that was spoiled when I saw Mr Accuracy in the line out himself on the bench as cover for Ford. I really hope Ford is feeling fresh and fit because if I were AR I would not want Hall within 100 paces of the pitch.

The argies will be a tough nut to crack, no doubt about it. However I for 1 am pretty happy with the team. The only change I would make would be to swap S. Lamont with Morrison and put Ansbro on that wing.

Its time to get 100% behind the boys and have a beautiful single malt at the ready in case we are celebrating.........or forgetting.

Not altogether surprising. AR has put his faith in experience here. It's a tough call - I cannot decide whether the England or Argentina match is the most important. I think that Robinson is actually saving Hines and Roscoe for the English.

1. Second row is a new combination in real money. I don't have any problem with Hamilton. Fitness was always his issue and so we will see Hines with 30 to go, I'm sure. Not sure if Kellock will see action again in this tournament unless he is being saved to counter Deacon at the English line-out.

2. Thank god he didn't tinker with the back row. Brown needs to have a huge game. He gets a lot of respect in the Argentinian press, especially from those based in the Premiership.

3. Surprised about Lawson. Cusiter?

4. Morrison is there for his defensive effort although he is almost certain to start against England unless Schlong is brought in instead to muzzle Tualagi. Have no problem with DeLuca - he is a form player and is looking more confident now. He always had the talent - it was his temperament I doubted.

A very, very important factor not yet discussed here is whether Felipe Contepomi plays. The Pumas look twice the team when he is there - he is their captain and utterly instrumental. We are far more likely to lose if he plays. Has anyone heard anything more about the bruised ribs that kept him away from the previous match?

No offence, but I hope that he cannot play.

I'm baffled at the hypocracy of it all.

AR states in all newspaper articles I've read that our backline really needs to attack the Argentinians.

He then chooses Morrison at 12.

I now have a very bad feeling about Sunday.

Tattie Scones RRN wrote:I'm baffled at the hypocracy of it all.

AR states in all newspaper articles I've read that our backline really needs to attack the Argentinians.

He then chooses Morrison at 12.

I now have a very bad feeling about Sunday.

That may well be for his defensive abilities. He is very solid.

The Argies have a pretty tidy backline.

But I agree with your point.

Althgether not 100% unhappy with this team. A few points of note

Gray at second row - not sure he is playing too well and it is anothe new partnership with Hamilton - both very tall, so may work out ok. Am happy with Hamilton, think he has been a different player this year (starting at Gloc) and really helps sure up the scrum

Morrison at 12 - sign. So no go farward ball then. 31 caps and yet to see him not slow down before taking contact - sign

Happy that R Lamont not starting - thought he was actually quite a liability in the last game. Threw the ball away and got turned over - reminded me of NDL of old (I may be the only one)

Bench looks VERY weak and I hope AR doesn't do the its 60 mins, lets cahnge it around

Maesteg

I see what you're saying about his defensive capabilities but in the Georgia game, he was outperformed in that department by NDL. S Lamont isn't too bad either in that department but offers much much more in attack.

This team just tells the Argentinians that it's going to be forward orientated so get your gloves on.

This is a 50/50 game now and their pack is a lot stronger than when we beat them in Argentina.

Is Ansbro injured? Why is he not selected? I'm no expert on Scottish rugby but Ansbro is definitely worth at least a bench spot in my opinion!

Tattie Scones RRN wrote:Maesteg

I see what you're saying about his defensive capabilities but in the Georgia game, he was outperformed in that department by NDL. S Lamont isn't too bad either in that department but offers much much more in attack.

This team just tells the Argentinians that it's going to be forward orientated so get your gloves on.

This is a 50/50 game now and their pack is a lot stronger than when we beat them in Argentina.

Agreed, Tattie - why go to thebother of picking Jackson over Parks and then select another blockage in the form of Morrison?

screamingaddabs wrote:Is Ansbro injured? Why is he not selected? I'm no expert on Scottish rugby but Ansbro is definitely worth at least a bench spot in my opinion!

+1

The more I look at this the more I am worried we will be going down the path of our match agaisnt them in 2007

We played their game and let them dictate the pace.

We can not arm wrestle them into defeat - we have tried to do that for the last 10 years against worst teams than this and failed.

My hangover on Sunday is going to be even more painful aint' it

Totally agree AsLong.

When I read yesterday the CP was at Full back, I was really hopeful that Jackson would have a firing back line with Ansbro and NDL to take on Argentina. But as you rightly point out, what is the point of having Jackson there if the ball will be stopping at Morrison.

I hope I am not out of line here, but AR seems to contradict himself alot, dare I say it he is Hadden v2.0?

TheDukeofCool wrote:Totally agree AsLong.

When I read yesterday the CP was at Full back, I was really hopeful that Jackson would have a firing back line with Ansbro and NDL to take on Argentina. But as you rightly point out, what is the point of having Jackson there if the ball will be stopping at Morrison.

I hope I am not out of line here, but AR seems to contradict himself alot, dare I say it he is Hadden v2.0?

No, Duke, I hope to goodness not!! i think he's got Morrison in because of his ogranisational skills in sorting out our defence, and I can kind of see that, but I just think it's the wrong call

The omission of Ansbro is the biggest surprise for me. He's good in defence and I think a more threatening runner than NDL, if perhaps less subtle.

I like the pack, pretty much what I went for. The worry is the lack of tighthead cover on the bench, but Low has obviously not impressed in training so it's down to Cross to play the full 80 minutes. Pray he doesn't get injured. We all pretty much called Kellock being left out, and I'm pleased. He doesn't have the bulk we need for this one, and I think Gray is pretty decent at the lineout.

Other than Ansbro, the surprise pick is Lawson over Blair, but I guess that winning record with Lawson captaining the side has had some influence. I'm not surprised that Morrison is at 12. I wouldn't have gone for that myself but I understand the call. The back three makes sense. Danielli on the bench is a bit strange, thought R Lamont or Ansbro would have had that place, but I guess if we need a late score then he's probably our best poacher.

I don't think this is necessarily a team picked to just play in the forwards. Jackson is at 10 and I suspect we'll see CP coming in as a second distributor as we did in the 6 Nations. That takes the emphasis on Morrison's distribution skills out of the equation. Morrison/NDL is probably our optimal defensive unit, with S Lamont on the wing, and I suspect Argentina's romp against Romania has made Robinson focus on shutting them out.

Heart says Scotland by 5. Head says Argentina will beat us.

So we are liking Ansbro and De Luca? I assume that this is what we mean when we talk about a potentially creative centre partnership because much as I like the boy Schlong, he isn't traditionally the most inventive of off-loaders at 12 himself.

Christ on a bike.

Has Jackson only kicked 10 (that's TEN) international points for Scotland?

I would love to see Ansbro and De Luca together in the middle. They did ok against France when we played them in the 6N and were instrumental in scoring the try that beat Ireland in the warm up.

The problem is who you play in 12? Ansbro is quicker but less creative than NDL. However NDL has a far better step and is perhaps not as powerful a ball carrier.

I guess the question is do you want the more creative guy with a better step to open the space for the quick guy to run through or have the quicker more direct runner to draw defenders for the creative guy to exploit the gap?