Visser & Laidlaw for Scotland?

Both seem like points machines at the moment.

Visser is not qualified for Scotland until the summer - I am sure he will play then.

Halfbacks are an interesting conundrum. laidlaw can play 9 or 10and we have Weir as well as the established scrum halves. / standoffs Weir is looking good. A tricky selection choice but I am sure laidlaw will play for scotland at some point

Visser is very special indeed - you can't do any better then be Magners/Robocop top try scorer in your first two seasons. After his three against the Italians at the weekend, he's already up to 10 this season. An absolute predator - let's not be coy, Scotland need him desperately. He is qualified in June 2012.

Laidlaw is an interesting one. Most Scotland fans are actually quite divided about the scrum half position (some preferring Blair (still, unbelievably), Cuss or Lawson) and are not sure where to play Laidlaw.

The key is trying to establish a tried and tested hinge as well as to make sure you have an established goal kicker in the squad. That made Laidlaw and Jackson and good bet, as Jackson's goal kicking is historically not consistent enough for international level and Laidlaw would have been the points man.

Recently, though, things have changed and most Glasgow fans will tell you that Duncan Weir has finally started to come into his own and is the man who should own the Scotland shirt. That favours Cusiter as his 9, as they play week in, week out.

Difficult, but welcome choices. The key thing is to have a kicker reliable enough to mean not having wheel out Patterson and his iron lung to slot the points, therefore blocking the 15 shirt from a genuine strike runner like Stuart Hogg, Jim Thompson or Rory Lamont.

I cannot believe people still arent sold on Laidlaw. Cuss cant even last eighty minutes atm, while down the good end of the M8, Laidlaw is directing traffic with an iron fist and ticking over the board metronomically.

I tend to agree with George Carlin that its going to be a tricky choice of 9 and 10 for Scotland and how they all play in the next few weeks will count for a lot

Cussiter / Weir?

Laidlaw / Jackson?

Cussiter / Laidlaw?

Or Laidlaw / Weir?

Cussitor /Jackson?

I fear Robinson being to conservative again but this is a real conundrum. Laidlaw / Weir looks good and their playing styles would complement but thee is not much experience there. that would be my choice with Sean Lamont outside them

Or could Weir play 12? Also Lawson to consider as well

I think what is clear is that Laidlaw playing better than Rory Lawson at the moment so should certainly be in the squad. I also think it's clear that Laidlaw is a better 9 rather than a 10, so I'd only really consider him at 9 for Scotland.

My money is on Cusiter and Weir starting together as they do for Glasgow, with Laidlaw and Jackson (it'll be interesting to hear how he goes today in his first start for Glasgow this season) on the bench. That makes Blair and Leonard effectively the 3rd choice hinge.

On what I've seen so far this season (or in Jackson's case what we saw at the WC), that would be my current thinking.

I like Tim Visser. Always thought he was underrated.

Would Andy Robinson select him if he does become available? I don’t see why not. I think he could make the step up to International rugby

Robinson has already said he'll be in contention. It's a no brainer really. Visser and Evans would make an excellent wing combination.

Hes the best winger in the Rabo Direct by some way and possibly the whole of Europe he would be a massive asset to Scotland

Funny when he was with us...he so badly wanted to play for England .....but now... he wants to play for scotland.....make your mind up.....

GeordieFalcon wrote:Funny when he was with us...he so badly wanted to play for England .....but now... he wants to play for scotland.....make your mind up.....

Well as soon as he got signed by Edinburgh and he moved to Scotland he couldn't play for England anymore...

and if Newcastle had actually played him im pretty sure he would be playing for England.

He didn't play for Falcons because he was gash at the time and we had a back line of Dickson , Wilkinson , May , Flood , Noon , Phillips and Burke with Matt Tait coming through.

So the winger wouldn't have got a pass then :-)

Driver - RIP 606 wrote:He didn't play for Falcons because he was gash at the time and we had a back line of Dickson , Wilkinson , May , Flood , Noon , Phillips and Burke with Matt Tait coming through.

What happened to you guys? Noon aside thats a nice looking backline. Where did the money go?

Dave Thompson - that's what happened. As long as Matt was in the team he thought we were doing fine.

Think Scotland should give Visser a go.No Scottish fella seems up for it,so do an England!!

The form combo would be Laidlaw/Weir with Laidlaw kicking. However that is a very inexperienced link combo at International level, and I don't see Robinson being that Conservative.

Therefore I think he'll go with Cusiter/Weir in the 6N with Laidlaw on the bench.

Not what I'd go for - I'd love to see:

9 - Laidlaw
10 - Weir
11 - Max
12 - Sean
13 - De luca
14 - Asbo
15 R Lamont

A good combo of form an experience. De Luca is on the form of his life just now - hopefully he can keep it going.

As for Jackson - I know he's been out injured but he was his usual self in the Glasgow game today, not overly convincing at that level never mind International!

Imperialbigdave wrote:

Driver - RIP 606 wrote:He didn't play for Falcons because he was gash at the time and we had a back line of Dickson , Wilkinson , May , Flood , Noon , Phillips and Burke with Matt Tait coming through.

What happened to you guys? Noon aside thats a nice looking backline. Where did the money go?

Noon may not have set the international world alight...but he was actually a good club player....it was a good backline.

Its depressing where we are now....

As for Visser...yes he looks very impressive now...but he wasnt quite playing like that when he was with us...he was young though.

RDW_Scotland wrote:The form combo would be Laidlaw/Weir with Laidlaw kicking. However that is a very inexperienced link combo at International level, and I don't see Robinson being that Conservative.

Therefore I think he'll go with Cusiter/Weir in the 6N with Laidlaw on the bench.

Not what I'd go for - I'd love to see:

9 - Laidlaw
10 - Weir
11 - Max
12 - Sean
13 - De luca
14 - Asbo
15 R Lamont

A good combo of form an experience. De Luca is on the form of his life just now - hopefully he can keep it going.

As for Jackson - I know he's been out injured but he was his usual self in the Glasgow game today, not overly convincing at that level never mind International!

to be fair, Pyrgos was downright dreadful in his passing, and Jackson was having to reach all over the place to take them.

Fair enough, but I think his problems lie more than just the scrum half passing - although agreed it wouldn't have helped!

I've never really rated him as an international - OK at club level but that's it.

He did have a good game against the Argies in the world cup though (I was there!) so will give him that.

Main thing for Robinson is to get rid of Parks, Blair and R Lawson. Cusiter is playing very well for the Warriors but keeps getting injured and hobbles off - often through his brave commitment to the cause.

Johhny Beattie looked almost back to his destructive best yesterday - esp first half - he may get a bench place on Sunday v Montpellier. Jackson poor but Pyrgos was double poor - come back Colin Gregor. Can we not get Mark McMillan back from Bath if he is not playing regularly ?

RDW_Scotland wrote:The form combo would be Laidlaw/Weir with Laidlaw kicking. However that is a very inexperienced link combo at International level, and I don't see Robinson being that Conservative.

Therefore I think he'll go with Cusiter/Weir in the 6N with Laidlaw on the bench.

Not what I'd go for - I'd love to see:

9 - Laidlaw
10 - Weir
11 - Max
12 - Sean
13 - De luca
14 - Asbo
15 R Lamont

A good combo of form an experience. De Luca is on the form of his life just now - hopefully he can keep it going.

As for Jackson - I know he's been out injured but he was his usual self in the Glasgow game today, not overly convincing at that level never mind International!

RDW, that's very flattering but it really has been some time since I hung up my boots, altho I'm always tempted by another run out for the veterans

Aye very good - you know all too well aslongas that that's what I call Ansbro!

Shame to hear such negativity about Pyrgos - remember reading an article about him last year when he first came onto the scene fairly talking him up.

Scrum half has gone from a position of strength to almost an empty cupboard once Blair, Cuss and Lawson retire by the sound of things!

Laidlaw plus....

Laidlaw is still only 26 and Cusiter is 28 those 2 still have a lot of game time in them.

Away from the doom and gloom of our Scrum Half woes, Edinburgh rugby have just tweeted about Visser's 2nd hat-trick of the season. Apparently only 3 other players have had 2 Hat-tricks in a single season and noone has ever Scored 3 hat-tricks in a season in the Celtic/Magners/Rabo league.

This is a league that includes the likes of Shane Williams, Tommy Bowe, Doug Howlett and George North.

Cusiter is 29 and will be 33 at the next WC and, knowing what his injury record is like, I'd be surprised if he made it that long!

And that's what I was meaning - other than Laidlaw there's hee haw else up and coming just now!

Well look on the bright side, he'll get plenty of caps. Lets face it we have had noone at loosehead except Chunk and it's not been disasterous.

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:Laidlaw is still only 26 and Cusiter is 28 those 2 still have a lot of game time in them.

Away from the doom and gloom of our Scrum Half woes, Edinburgh rugby have just tweeted about Visser's 2nd hat-trick of the season. Apparently only 3 other players have had 2 Hat-tricks in a single season and noone has ever Scored 3 hat-tricks in a season in the Celtic/Magners/Rabo league.

This is a league that includes the likes of Shane Williams, Tommy Bowe, Doug Howlett and George North.

its 2 hatricks full stop, 2 hatricks in one season would be pretty dang good, but unlikely.

As for scrumhalfs of the future, Laidlaw obviously has ~6 years i reckon, Samsons probably next in line if he can get more gametime at Irish, Pyrgos is not the finished article but could well come good, Mconnel gets talked up a lot although ive never seen him play, and Sean Kennedy looked really good during the Junior world championship. Theres always Mckibbin at the waratahs, but he seems determined to get capped by the wallabies (although Deans is capping everyone but him).

edit: dont worry though, look at what happened at stand off the past couple of seasons. Leonard and Scott pretty much came out of nowhere, had strong club performances and got snapped up by the burgh. Hidalgo Clynes suddenly appeared on the radar aswell, and all three of these guys are getting talked about as future internationals. Even look at Wight with the warriors, granted hes not had enough time to prove himself at pro level yet, but two or three seasons ago, if someone had suggested that stand off from melrose, you wouldve just said "decent prem player, not got the potential", then he goes and become arguably the most important player in am scottish rugby.