Scotland squad for 2012 Six Nations (very provisional)

Now that the 1872 Cup is done and dusted, and most of the Heineken Cup group games have been played, who would make it in to your 34 man training squad for the Six Nations?

I've organised the players into two XVs, with a few extra players to make up the 34. Where possible, I've chosen players based on recent form, but also their most recent games at the World Cup. In some cases, I've picked on potential form, particularly for Beattie who has shown a bit of his 2010 skills in recent weeks. There are loads of young Scottish players who I'd like to have put in, but for whom this Six Nations comes just a bit too soon - they should have a shot at the tour in June (such as Scott, McInally, Welsh, Niven, Ryder, Wilson, and Fusaro).

1st XV
1. Chunk Jacobsen
2. Ross Ford
3. Euan Murray
4. Richie Gray
5. Jim Hamilton
6. Rob Harley
7. Ross Rennie
8. Kelly Brown

9. Chris Cusiter
10. Greig Laidlaw
11. Max Evans
12. Sean Lamont
13. Nick De Luca
14. Joe Ansbro
15. Rory Lamont

2nd XV
1. Ryan Grant
2. Dougie Hall
3. Moray Low
4. Grant Gilchrist
5. Al Kellock
6. David Denton
7. John Barclay
8. Johnnie Beattie

9. Mike Blair
10. Ruaridh Jackson
11. Lee Jones
12. Graeme Morrison
13. Stuart Hogg
14. Jack Cuthbert
15. Hugo Southwell

Also in squad:
Scott Lawson
Geoff Cross
Roddy Grant
Jim Thompson

Who would be in your Scotland squad?

Ian, tricky one, partly cos at last we have some genuine selection dilemmas! I've listed mine by position, with players that I would chose personally in bold, and where I think Robbo will go with a different suggestion, I've italicised what I think his selection will be. To complete the exercise, I've underlined my bench selection too (again italicised and underlined for my expectation of Robbo's where it differs)

1. Chunk Jacobsen, Ryan Grant, Ali Dickinson, Jon Welsh, Grant Shiells
2. Ross Ford, Pat MacArthur, Scott Lawson, Fergus Thomson (injured)
3. Euan Murray, Geoff Cross, Moray Low
4. Richie Gray, Fraser MacKenzie
5. Jim Hamilton, Al Kellock, Grant Gilchrist
6. Kelly Brown, Al Strokosch, Rob Harley
7. John Barclay, Ross Rennie, Roddy Grant
8. Dave Denton, John Beattie, Ryan Wilson, Stu McInally, Richie Vernon, Kelly Brown

9. Chris Cusiter, Greig Laidlaw, Mike Blair, Rory Lawson
10. Duncan Weir, Ruaridh Jackson, Harry Leonard, Greig Laidlaw
11. Sean Lamont, Nikki Walker (injured), Colin Shaw (holding the slot until MacVisser qualifies) - reckon Robbo will play Schlong at 12, so not at all sure who he will pick at 11, possibly Ansbro or Rory Lamont out of position
12. Sean Lamont, Matt Scott, Graeme Morrison, James King
13. Nick De Luca, Joe Ansbro
14. Max Evans, Joe Ansbro, Lee Jones (holding the slot until Maitland discovers the thistle in his soul!)
15. Stuart Hogg, Rory Lamont, Jim Thompson, Tom Brown
I'd probably go with Rory Lamont as my final back on the bench.

I've gone for more youth (Weir at 10, Scott at 12 and Hogg at 15) in the backline than is truly sensible and have no expectation of actually seeing them all in the same team during the 6Ns as it would be too much to blood them all, I suspect. My biggest call is insisting that Laidlaw stays at scrumhalf, covering Cusiter, as he has arguably been Scotland's form 10 - I'm happy to let GL provide bench cover, but I want him to get international experience at 9, cos we're going to need him there for years to come when Blair, Cus and Lawson retire

I'd cap James King and see if he and the ice cream man can take their form partnership onto the international stage.

Cuthbert would be no where near my squad, but as hes from Bath, and big useless lump, hell no doubt get made captain.

Keep Hogg at fullback, although I want to see JT get a run between now and the 6N to try and recapture his 2010 form.

Wings would be Ansbro/Jones/Shlong/Ramont. Not sure where the hype about Colin Shaw has suddenly come from, im assuming its because he scored a try against Edinburgh? Hes never looked international class until suddenly collecting a grubber two weeks ago...

Lordy, it's difficult - I think that there will be some serious disagreements on this thread Ian. I didn't see anything in the 1872 clashes that made me change my tune from my preferred selection before the two games:

First XV:
1. Jacobson
2. Ford
3. Murray
4. Gray
5. Hamilton
6. Brown
7. Rennie
8. Denton

9. Cusiter
10. Weir
11. Jones
12. King
13. De Luca
14. Rory Lamont
15. Hogg

Bench:
Grant
MacArthur
Cross
Kellock
Laidlaw
Ansbro
Sean Lamont

Perhaps it's easiest from the outset to list the players that I don't want anywhere near a Scotland shirt:
- Parks
- Good
- Morrison
- Blair
- Dickinson
- Cuthbert
- Danielli
- Walker

I'm also not a fan of playing Kelly out of position - I am much less sure defensively when he's playing at 8 so I would put Denton there as he deserves a slot and seems to want to make this shirt his own.

Laidlaw to be the 'go to' guy if lack of creativity at 10 is killing us, and hopefully a familiar centre pairing outside him will carry through a potential lack of cohesion with Cuss.

Beattie not ready, Strokosch not playing well, Max Evans definitely not playing all that well, Jackson not my preference as we already know what he can do, despite a recent rally Rambo not consistent enough yet.

Will Robinson pick anything even remotely close to this 22? Nope.

It's hard, the derby fixtures didn't do anyone any favours - prior to that I was more confident.

Here's my crack at the 34, with the match-day 23 up first:

1.Chunk 2.Ford 3.Murray 4.Hamilton 5.Gray 6.Brown (c) 7.Barclay 8.Denton 9.Cusiter 10.Weir 11.Evans 12.S Lamont 13.NDL 14.Ansbro 15.Hogg

16.Low 17.Lawson 18.Dickinson 19.Kellock 20.Strokosch 21.Laidlaw 22.Scott 23.R Lamont

Extra squad forwards (7): Grant, Cross, MacArthur, Gilchrist, MacKenzie, Rennie and Vernon (if not fit, Beattie or McInally).

Extra squad backs (4): Blair, Jackson, King and Jones.


It's a pretty mongrel selection, mixture of youth and old hats plus a smattering of exiles. Slightly forward heavy but that's where the depth is. Quite hard to pick a side when there aren't really 15 form players.

I've don't have room for Parks or Morrison and nor have I bothered with Walker (injured), Danielli (off form) or Southwell (mixed bag of a season). Don't think Rory Lawson is playing well enough either.

FES - what's the rationale for maintaining: (i) Schlong at 12, (ii) Evans on the wing, (iii) Ansbro out of position?

(i) because he has played pretty well at 12 for us in the past. He was better than Morrison at the WC, Scott hasn't been able to win his club jersey yet and I remain convinced that James King is a perfectly decent club player but no more than that.

(ii) he's been a strong performer on the wing for Scotland at recent times and although he's struggled to make an impact at Castres this season, it's difficult to make a better case for anyone else. Rory Lamont is as always injured and has played one game, Lee Jones looks too shaky and doesn't get involved nearly enough, Danielli is on ranker form, Walker is injured, Shaw (see King).....am I missing someone?

(iii) He's playing well for Irish this season and has run in some scores. He's played plenty rugby on the wing so it's hardly "out of position" moving a pacy and athletic centre to the wing (see Max Evans). When I consider the other options, as above, it's hard to make a better case for anyone else. One of the only form players in Scotland is NDL, so I'd want him in his position at 13, thus moving Ansbro to the wing.


I see you've picked Lee Jones and Rory Lamont instead. Pretty sure RL has played about two games this entire season and is now injured. Lee Jones needs to do much more in games than simply hug the touch line and wait for the ball to reach him. His defensive positioning also looks shaky to me as well. He's a talent but I wouldn't say he's anywhere near a form pick.

I admit it's not an easy choice. There isn't a single form pick for the wings. I can see arguments for James King at 12 though, and did include him in my squad. I do think that ultimately Matt Scott will be the better player so I put him on the bench, but that's taking more of a punt than anything else. On merit King probably deserves to be involved ahead of Scott.

The Lamont brothers are more the Lament brothers so often are they injured. A real shame when time and time a player gets injured. Your halfbacks have suffered a similar fate.

Weir seems a unanimous choice so hopefully he can deliver. Poor old Parks is a rollercoaster of emotions but now the ride seems well and truly over and with no warm feelings of nostalgia.

You have to find an elusive centre pairing who can create a bit of creativity and link well with the back three. Maybe the demise of Parks will help that but I feel Scotland are still missing the missing link man who will evolve the Scottish backline into something more effective.

Some good club form and despite a disappointing RWC campaign, it was also strangely a case of what if as they all seemed to be heartbreakingly narrow defeats.

FES, is Laidlaw covering 9 and 10? Bit of a risky move considering Robbos liking for subbing the half back pairing. I’d agree with the team, except I’d have Jackson starting ahead of Weir, and Weir on the bench ahead of Scott. I highly doubt Robbo would start Weir against England. He’d more likely get the last 20 mins if anything. I fully expect to see Jackson starting all the games for Glasgow this month.

Here’s my squad

Backs: S Hogg, R Lamont, H Southwell , M Evans, J Ansbro, N De Luca, M Scott, S Lamont, G Morrison , D Weir, R Jackson, G Laidlaw, C Cusiter, M Blair, R Lawson,

Forwards: K Brown, J Barclay, R Rennie, R Vernon, R Harley, D Denton, A Strokosch, R Gray, J Hamilton, A Kellock, G Gilchrist, R Ford, S Lawson, P MacArthur, A Jacobsen, R Grant, M Low, E Murray, G Cross

The faces represent players that I don’t want in the squad but Robbo will likely include.

I had Laidlaw as first choice cover at 9 and 10 with Scott emergency cover as a 10 if needed. Jackson is probably a more sensible choice of sub than Scott.

I think Southwell is injured, or at least I didn't see his name in the Wasps team that got nilled by Worcester at the weekend.

funnyExiledScot wrote:I had Laidlaw as first choice cover at 9 and 10 with Scott emergency cover as a 10 if needed. Jackson is probably a more sensible choice of sub than Scott.

I think Southwell is injured, or at least I didn't see his name in the Wasps team that got nilled by Worcester at the weekend.

I hope that's true!

I think the 1872 fixtures have done more harm than good. Especialy for Weir who I felt was exposed as a Dan Parks clone who can tackle, but doesnt have as accurate kicking from hand. He has hardly got the Glasgow backs setting the heather alight. Although in his defence Morrison is usually his inside man. Weir is however far from the finished article but I would not have faith in him running an international test match.

My Match day 23 :

1. Chunk
2. Ford
3. Murray
4. Gray
5. Kellock
6. Brown
7. Grant
8. Denton

9. Cusiter
10. Laidlaw
11. S Lamont
12. King
13. NDL
14. Evans
15. Hogg

16.Low 17.Lawson 18.Dickinson 19.Hamilton 20.Barclay 21.Jackson 22.Scott 23. R Lamont

In the Squad : MacArthur, Thompson, Rennie, Beattie, McInally, Gilchrist, Stroks, Leonard, Traynor, Kelly, Cross, R Lawson, Weir.

Players who should be nowhere near include : Blair, Godman and Morrison.

However I think Robinson will be far mor conservative. Expect to see Morrison in the starting 12, despite King playing very well at the moment.

For me the hardest spot to call is no 7. Barclay was under immense pressure from Rennie during the RWC but Rennie can't seem to displace Roddy Grant who has been fantastic all season long and has worked extremely hard. To be honest either Rennie, Barclay or Grant could play 7 and I'll be happy with the decision but Grant at the moment I think is the player showing the best form. The way he contained Warburton against the Blues in both legs of the HC should have sent him to the top of the pecking order.

Scrum half too is an area where we could play either Laidlaw or Cusiter without too much trauma. However I feel Laidlaw is our best option at 10 since Weir I don't feel is as good as some are making out and Jackson's form has dipped.

If we all agree that NDL is the best choice at 13 and there is no stand out at 12 (depending on where you put Sean) then isn't there the case for putting NDL's club partner along side him?

Absolutely, simply cannot decide about Laidlaw. Nobody can deny that he's the most creative 10 that we have at the moment. Am I being biased in not including him on the basis that Edinburgh are placed low in the Robocop? Maybe I am. Playing Laidlaw at 9 is an absolute waste and I would think that most posters agree so I'm only considering him as a 10.

FES old socks - I have no problem with Joe on the wing as he will come in looking for work but I think that you need one out-and-out finisher and we need Jones' gas. Agree about Rory but I hope that he can make it through to the 6N in good form without continuing his audition for Samuel L Jackson's part in the remake of 'Unbreakable'.

I actually don't think Barclay is playing too badly at 7. I think his issue is that Harley, whilst a tackling machine, doesn't carry enough ball or generate much in the way of front foot momentum, and without Beattie at 8, Barclay is finding himself having to carry ball more than his natural game would want. Wilson just isn't as destructive as Beattie.

This theme carries throughout the Glasgow set-up. Cusack doesn't carry as much ball as Low. MacArthur, similarly to Harley, works his socks off but won't take the ball into contact as much as Hall or Thompson. Barclay is having to pick up the slack here and it's destracting from his day job of winning ball.

Barclay is a natural openside and needs to be used as such. If Harley is to be his 6, then Beattie needs to be restored at 8 and Lineen needs to get players like Kellock and Low carrying more ball. I actually think Harley needs to work on this aspect of his game. Brown had to when he was at Glasgow. I don't think Harley can make the big step up to international rugby without becoming more destructive with ball in hand.

As for the 10 debate, I'd have no big issues with Laidlaw playing 10 for Scotland. He's a smart player and certainly deserves to start at 10 for Edinburgh. Godman wasn't good on NYD.

According to the Scotlandteam twitter account, the 6N squad is being announced tomorrow. Seems a bit early

That does seem early. Going to be some tough choices, particularly with the current injury situation surrounding some players. Quite a few picked won't have much game time.

If Parks, Morrison and Southwell don't make the cut I would consider it a good selection. It might be early to include some players with a lot of rugby to be played in January but it's surely not to early to list those who should be gashed.

True. Players like Jackson and Ramont haven’t had much game time this season, but you’d expect them to be included. I’m concerned that it may mean some players start slacking. What would Robbo do if suddenly some players started playing out of their skin in the next few games? Would he drop a player to include them? The England squad is announced on the 11th, even that’s too early in my mind.

England are having real problems now with the ferry jumper out for the first match.

What a chance we have to win our first match.

Our pack is a match if not better than theirs and Lamont/De Luca could have a field day against a relatively inexperienced centre partnership for England.

Very much looking forward to this year.

Hmmm, I'm slightly worried about facing England first up. The shackles might come off with a caretaker coach and if they put Barritt and Trinder together with Wood and Robshaw on the flanks then I think they'll be immediately more dynamic than us.

Key for us will be the front five. England are now without Thompson, Sheridan and Lawes (possibly) and whilst they have plenty of options, if we put Murray, Ford, Chunk, Hamilton and Gray together, we'll be more than a match for them physically. Better still, the rumours are that England will discard Nick Easter, which is good news for us. Hopefully Robinson will include Denton in the side and give us more beef, with Brown and Barclay left to work on the breakdown.

I'm not worried about the forwards, but I do worry about the backs. England have some exciting backs and we may be stuck with a very young and inexperienced backline. It's a big ask for players like Weir, King and Hogg to go head to head with the likes of Youngs, Flood and Foden on debut.

funnyExiledScot wrote:Hmmm, I'm slightly worried about facing England first up. The shackles might come off with a caretaker coach and if they put Barritt and Trinder together with Wood and Robshaw on the flanks then I think they'll be immediately more dynamic than us.

Key for us will be the front five. England are now without Thompson, Sheridan and Lawes (possibly) and whilst they have plenty of options, if we put Murray, Ford, Chunk, Hamilton and Gray together, we'll be more than a match for them physically. Better still, the rumours are that England will discard Nick Easter, which is good news for us. Hopefully Robinson will include Denton in the side and give us more beef, with Brown and Barclay left to work on the breakdown.

I'm not worried about the forwards, but I do worry about the backs. England have some exciting backs and we may be stuck with a very young and inexperienced backline. It's a big ask for players like Weir, King and Hogg to go head to head with the likes of Youngs, Flood and Foden on debut.

fES, in fairness, Weir, King and Hogg (and it may well be Jackson, S Lamont & R Lamont) would possibly/probably line up against Flood, Barritt (no international experience) and Foden?

In the opening game Scotland will have a lot of Advantages.

Familiarity (especially in the pack) will be key to winning. Last year at Twickers and again in the RWC England were clueless at the breakdown. If AR gives some of the real attacking potential a chance in the 6N I would expect us to beat England, and beat them comfortably too.

However if some of the same old names crop up and the likes of Hogg, King, Laidlaw and to an extent Weir and Jones get ignored I expect England will be too strong.

We need some guile, pace and flair to beat England. We had the beating of them up front in our last 3 encounters, the only differance is clinical finishing, something that the Scottish clubs have had no problems with this season.

It's all down to how AR wants the team to play.

On another note, staggered Toonie is still in Employment with the cocahing setup.

I say it all the time (and I'm right half the time) that Scotland can beat England in the 6N's

It is going to come down to who wants it more imo.

if we stick to a defensive set up (morrison et al) then England will most likly edge it in a close encounter.

I'm not saying we need wholesale changes, but if AR selects on form over rep and we get some running rugby out the backs, then we could really give England a fright with thier current sqaurd woes and new set up.

Our fwds are easily a match for england!

Chunk
Ford (his coat is on a shakey nail imo though)
Murray
Hamilton
Grey
Brown
Rennie
Beattie

Cusiter (needs to get rid of the cobwebs though)
Laidlaw
shlong
King
De Luca
Max
Hogg (who else?)

Thats what I'd be going with currently

but who knows what jan will bring!

tigertattie wrote:I say it all the time (and I'm right half the time) that Scotland can beat England in the 6N's

It is going to come down to who wants it more imo.

if we stick to a defensive set up (morrison et al) then England will most likly edge it in a close encounter.

I'm not saying we need wholesale changes, but if AR selects on form over rep and we get some running rugby out the backs, then we could really give England a fright with thier current sqaurd woes and new set up.

Our fwds are easily a match for england!

Chunk
Ford (his coat is on a shakey nail imo though)
Murray
Hamilton
Grey
Brown
Rennie
Beattie

Cusiter (needs to get rid of the cobwebs though)
Laidlaw
shlong
King
De Luca
Max
Hogg (who else?)

Thats what I'd be going with currently

but who knows what jan will bring!

Tattie - good to hear from you again.
In what positions are those backs playing in your team?

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:fES, in fairness, Weir, King and Hogg (and it may well be Jackson, S Lamont & R Lamont) would possibly/probably line up against Flood, Barritt (no international experience) and Foden?

True, but Barritt against King? I personally wouldn't want to see that. I'd far rather S Lamont versus Barritt.

I agree with the familiarity point you make Radge. That'll be an important factor in the forwards. I expect Robbo to have a pretty settled pack with probably Cusiter at 9, whilst the England side will know eachother less well I think. That's certainly an advantage.

No real issues with your team Tigertattie. My preference is for Sean Lamont to play 12 ahead of King and for Ansbro to play wing, but a pretty decent case can be made for King at 12. He plays well with De Luca in attack.

I think Toonie will step down when Scott Johnson joins at the end of the season.

I'm with you fES with Lamont at 12 - especially now.

It's a real shame we have to wait until June for Visser. He could seriously have done some damage in this year's 6N.

But I think with De Luca's wide distribution and Ansboro/Evans' gas, we could see some 5 point acccumulations this tournament.

It's actually quite exciting to see that NDL has remembered how to run at pace and pass at the same time. Let's hope he can take his form into the Scotland jersey.

Agreed on Visser, he'd make a massive difference I think. He converts half chances, we haven't had a winger doing that for a very long time.

Squad announced at 11am tomorrow!!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/international/scotland/8992442/Scotland-coach-Andy-Robinson-set-to-give-youth-its-head-at-Six-Nations-but-not-for-England-opener.html

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5icvr69ppR25qDc6o5wosHUvoJuVQ?docId=N0791121325689607670A

Interesting, if not promising, news. Looks like another fight off for fifth spot with Dickinson, Vernon, Parks and Morrison; but does say about ten new people are "set to be selected" whether or not that's true we'll find tomorrow.

NDLs improvement has been in defence. He has put in some thumping tackles and to be honest has been superb at 13 for the Burgh. He has always been played out of position for Scotland.

The discussion in the past has been that Sean Lamont is a fantastic servant for Scotland and his heart is never in question. What is in question is his ability to be an effective distributor at 12. DeLuca, Evans, Hogg, Jones or even Visser in a few months can't do anything if they don't get good ball. I remain to be convinced if Lamont can do this and it seems strange to play him at 12 when we have genuine 12s in good form.

'McBrat pack' - love it!

Radge, gotta agree on the 12 slot - think Robbo will go for 12, but I'd give Scott or King the nod personally

More from the Hootsman this morning: McBrat pack squad

And in the Herald too: more McBrat pack

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:More from the Hootsman this morning: McBrat pack squad

And in the Herald too: more McBrat pack

Every article says pretty much the same thing - copy and past job from lazy journos!

Worryingly, they all think that Parks, Morrison and Danielli will still be included in the wider squad! inevitable, I suppose

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:Worryingly, they all think that Parks, Morrison and Danielli will still be included in the wider squad! inevitable, I suppose

I seriously hope not. We really are past using the dinosaurs (Parks & Danielli) and the neanderthal (Morrison) surely?

In the past I feel these guys were in the Scotland jersey by default. Now however we have proper alternatives to all of them. I know Robbo is reluctant to blood a lot of youngsters at the same time, but by the same measure I'm sick of seeing us throw out these numpties time and time again.

I would rather lose by trying something new than lose by doing the same thing over and over again that we know from experience does not work.

Am just thinking that they will likely be included in a wider, say 40-strong squad, with no realistic hope of making teh test XXII (or is it XXIII now?)

Dunno mate, I suppose they would have their uses in the A squad, being some of the old guard to pass on some experience to the emerging talent.

I would like Robbo to lay down a marker and realise that some of the things said in the RWC were an embarrasment to us as a Rugby playing nation.

We have a terrible stigma at the moment of being unable to score tries. Our clubs (Edinburgh in particular) have no such trouble. Give some of these strike runners a chance. England will be expecting the same old Scotland, lets rip out of the blocks and show them a Scotland they have not seen for 20 years, because for the first time in a while it seems we can play that brand of rugby.

I would personally love to see a backline of :

9. Cusiter
10. Laidlaw
11. S Lamont
12. King
13. De Luca
14. Ansbro/Jones/Evans
15. Hogg/ R Lamont / Thompson

Will AR have the balls to do that? Unlikely. I Expect to see :

9. Cusiter
10. Jackson or Desperate
11. Evans
12. Morrison
13. NDL
14. S Lamont
15. R Lamont or heaven forbid Hugo Southwell

I reckon, injuries permitting, we'll see:

9. Cusiter
10. Jackson/Weir (can't make up my mind which way he'll go)
11. Ansbro
12. S Lamont
13. De Luca
14. Evans
15. Hogg

I could live with that, however I feel Laidlaw has earned a start somewhere. He has done everything that has been asked of him at edinburgh playing both 10 and 9 and deserves a starting cap. Moreso than Cusiter, Jackson and Weir IMO.

This brings me onto another question.... the captaincy?

Ford? Brown? Barclay? Lamont? Or something unexpected? I would be happy with either Kelly Brown or Ross Ford taking over the mantle. Both are good talkers and 9 times out of 10 lead from the front.

Ford, Gray and Brown are the only three nailed-on starters for me, and on the basis of domesticity and experience, it has to be Fordy for me

I know what you mean about Laidlaw, I love that he has such versatile talents - I am just fearful of the Mossy-experience and am keen to recognise that he is going to be our only quality 9 in 2-3 years possibly for a long time, so feel the need to keep him in that role at the national level

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:I reckon, injuries permitting, we'll see:

9. Cusiter
10. Jackson/Weir (can't make up my mind which way he'll go)
11. Ansbro
12. S Lamont
13. De Luca
14. Evans
15. Hogg

I hope that's what he does go for, that would be my choice of side, with Laidlaw, Scott (or Jackson) and R Lamont on the bench.

I don't think the squad today will be particularly insightful. He'll be naming quite a big chunk of players.

Greetings george

9- Cusiter
10- Laidlaw
11- shlong
12- King
13- De Luca
14- Max
15- Hogg

Thats the numebrs!

Although I could see Slong at 12 with ansbro coming onto the wing. But as much as Slong give 100% will he beable to provide the outside backs with good ball?

We'll see how this squad pans out!

Guys - started a thread for the actual announcement to avoid duplicate threads being created when it is announced.

https://www.606v2.com/t21270-scotland-6n-squad-announced-at-11am#822301

Captain has got to be Ford or Brown - only certain starters with relevant experience.

Or Cusiter and make him starter for whole 6N (harsh on Laidlaw).

Looks like it is going to be a 36 man squad so can't see many surprise omissions. Won't learn much until the squad is reduced nearer the time.

From scottishrugbyblog.co.uk:

"Captain, My Captain
Posted by Alan Dymock at 12.00pm

Tomorrow is a big day. In fact for some it is the first step towards their childhood dream. An extended 6 Nations training squad will be named and it is entirely likely that within the vanguard there will be a few fresh faces.
The 1872 Cup is over and Glasgow are victorious. Truthfully, few players stood out in the series to be the stand out candidate for their place, but with a training squad likely to be pushing 40 it is possible for a great many to have the chance to renew their press for a position in the Calcutta Cup match on the 4th of February. Robinson will be able to see more at closer range and there will be opportunity for interaction. Some players completely change when they experience new conditions and pressures. Some even change for the better.

The debate will rage on once the squad is announced. Every fan will have their favourites –this may sometimes depend on where their allegiances lie –but there will be some healthy competition for places. Some backs like James King, Duncan Weir and Stuart Hogg are begging to be included. Some, like Nick De Luca, have stumbled upon some fine form. Forwards like McInally, Denton, Harley and Fraser McKenzie look set to barge their way into Murrayfield on training day. Robinson has some options.

Robinson must also start considering long term options and he must consider some bolters. It is painstakingly obvious, but after Scotland’s worst ever World Cup showing and their continued woes near any international tryline Robinson has to take different options and make bold decisions.

This, therefore, leads to the more pressing question: whichever names come out in the wash, who on earth is going to be their captain?

You cannot declare that change is drastically needed and then list the same skipper. Scottish rugby is experiencing a slight upturn in fortune so it would be remiss to hang on to anything archaic. By this I mean the outmoded and frankly disastrous plan of naming Kellock as captain and then splitting his duties with Rory Lawson. Naming Blair and Cusiter as co-captains. Scotland needs a leader and Kellock was that, but Scotland also needs a leader the group can rally behind for every game and it must be said that Kellock is not guaranteed his place in every game.

On the surface this can be claimed because Kellock was in the stands in a Scotland issue suit when they played their vital World Cup match against Argentina. He is perhaps less likely to retain an international place now. He runs an efficient lineout and is a great talker, these attributes are well known, but he is not as skilled or as dynamic or even as threatening as other locks. Gray is as hard to throw near as him, McKenzie has a bit more grit, Hamilton is a much better scrummager and all of them are better ball carriers.

This is not a slight on Kellock. He is a good servant to Scotland and he should retain a squad place and his senior player status. A nation striving to improve and recover from a terrible campaign can ill afford to name a captain who is not guaranteed his place, though.

So who is guaranteed a spot? Well, the half-back roles are up for grabs and Lawson, Blair and Cusiter, whom have all had the responsibility of leadership, cannot be declared standouts. Robinson likes a 9 as captain but there lies no stability in that channel. He needs a lone figure.

Of course there are a few who will not be challenged for their place. Ford, despite what form he may be in come the fixtures, is guaranteed a starting spot. You’d need dynamite to dislodge him. Halfway through last season they said he was one game away from a level of exhaustion that would permanently damage him, but he has somehow bounced back this season. He is resilient, even if his throwing falters. His drawbacks? He is not enough of a talker or a tactician to lead Scotland.

His front-row cohort Allan Jacobsen is also a starter unrivalled. With Jacobsen, though, he works better when his goals are set out. He is a foot-soldier rather than commander and he thrives under the pressure applied by others. Lofty mantle would only stifle him. On the other side of this John Barclay works better when he puts pressure on himself and he has been touted as a future captain of Scotland. This is an option, but he is not in great form of late and is not assured of a start with Ross Rennie becoming many fans first choice 7.

It is no secret that I am a great admirer of Kelly Brown. He is a workhorse, he can think and I do not remember the last time he played badly wearing a thistle. Of course he is hampered by his stammer, but we are entering an age when the national team need to go out and perform rather than give grandstanding speeches and harry and talk themselves into holding opposition close. He always leads from the front and never shirks a responsibility. He is also a respected senior player already. He is a player Scotland can rally behind for every game.

Whomever Robinson chooses I hope that the training squad get their figurehead early and a new age of Scottish rugby can begin. If there is a willingness to change the coaching set-up and a willingness to give new players a chance then take the opportunity to send a statement and add new direction to that squad."

Brown touted as captain

Also from www.scottishrugbyblog.co.uk regarding the shape of the squad in general:

"Filling Out The Corners
Posted by Rory Baldwin at 1.30pm

Tomorrow Andy Robinson will announce his extended training squad for this year’s Six Nations (starting a month from now with a match against England), and as Alan pointed out in his earlier piece there are very few players guaranteed a spot in the starting team, so picking a captain will be hard.

What about the fringe players making a claim for a spot – who might get the call up?
This will likely be an expanded squad of around 35 (last year’s was 34) and initial meetings will be more about confirming an ethos and team-bonding to make sure everyone is pointing the same way – even if a bunch of them then get shunted back to their clubs.

A few faces will be absent from the 30 he took to New Zealand – Nathan Hines and Chris Paterson have retired. Without them, the last squad would look like this:

Backs: (12/16)
Full-backs/wings: Simon Danielli , Max Evans, Rory Lamont, Sean Lamont.
Centres: Joe Ansbro, Nick De Luca, Graeme Morrison.
Fly-halves: Ruaridh Jackson, Dan Parks.
Scrum-halves: Mike Blair, Chris Cusiter, Rory Lawson.

Forwards: (16/18)
Props: Geoff Cross, Alasdair Dickinson, Allan Jacobsen, Moray Low, Euan Murray.
Hookers: Ross Ford, Dougie Hall, Scott Lawson.
Locks: Richie Gray, Jim Hamilton, Alastair Kellock.
Back-rows: John Barclay, Kelly Brown, Ross Rennie, Alasdair Strokosch, Richie Vernon.

So who might get added to the mix – or even removed? (assuming another 6 places up for grabs to get up to 2011 squad size, the second figure in brackets above)

Backs

It would be tempting to add both Weir and Laidlaw in, and they are almost certain to get a training call-up given their form – Laidlaw got the call in 2011 for an injured Cusiter. But if you also ditch Parks as I am sure some of you are thinking, that makes Laidlaw the best kicker in the squad, but unlikely to start at either 9 or 10. Whether Robinson is willing to risk Laidlaw at 10 is also questionable, although I would like nothing more than to see him thrown in there. It is as far out from a World Cup as you can get, and if there is ever a time to blood some young talent with half an eye on the future then this is it. Although I am sure Stephen Jones would disagree, given his love of test match “animals”.

With no Mossy and no Nikki Walker, we could also use another wing. Visser will be the obvious choice come June but for now Lee Jones might just sneak in, ahead of say Jack Cuthbert or Colin Shaw.

I’m not convinced Hogg is quite ready for the step up although he has been great in patches, but I think his versatility will help him here – a centre cum fullback could be useful in the squad environment but might hurt him come selection time. After the World Cup you could easily argue De Luca should be dropped but his form since that ill-fated tournament has been nothing short of brilliant and I’d like to see him and Ansbro (who has been scoring tries for London Irish) starting, however crazy that sounds. I also think we might see the return of an old favourite (sorry Dave) in the form of Wasps’ fullback Hugo Southwell.

Add-ins: (4)
Greig Laidlaw (for Mike Blair), Duncan Weir, Stuart Hogg, Hugo Southwell, Lee Jones

Forwards

The key spot here is most likely the fourth second row berth. Based on form, it looks like Fraser McKenzie should get the nod ahead of Grant Gilchrist. With the top front row performers now pretty much clear cut (Chunk, Ford and either Murray or Cross), it’s the backup slots up for grabs. Last year Jon Welsh got in as Dickinson was injured, and again it’s probably the diminutive prop now playing at Sale who could be under threat.

It is also possible some of our favourites such as Vernon or the Big Stroker might get shunted in favour of a young tyro such as David Denton or Rob Harley, both of whom have done enough this season to merit a place. Johnnie Beattie is also back in the mix now too, having shown a bit of form of late.

Add-ins: (2)
Fraser McKenzie, David Denton, Johnnie Beattie (for Vernon)

If I could have an extra slot to make it 35 I’d keep Vernon. So, you know, we get more tour diaries.

Pretty simple eh? Who would you take as your 4 extra backs and 2 extra forwards? If you want to shift the balance a bit, up to you! Let us know in the comments.

We’ll see what Andy Robinson has to say tomorrow."

Southwell? Seriously No No No! A good club player but nothing more. Just as the blogger said he can't remember the last time Kelly Brown played badly for Scotland I can't remember the last time Hugo Southwell played well.

From scottishrugbyblog.co.uk:

"Club Select Warm Up Against U20s

The finest Scottish Club rugby talent (and Alan Dymock) have been selected for a warm up tonight at Murrayfield against Peter Wright’s Under 20s squad, ahead of a series of matches shadowing the Six Nations, including matches against similar sides from France and Ireland.

Whilst often seen as a rare opportunity for amateurs to represent their country at rugby, the Club International team can also act as a springboard to higher (or at least better paid) honours; several of the faces from last year’s squad such as Scott Wight, Matt Scott, Finlay Gillies and Tom Brown have since made it into the Scottish pro-teams.

The Club International pack sees the return from last year of one of the pillars upon which this website is founded (he told me to write this) Alan Dymock at loosehead, and a number of previous regulars (Rory Mckay, Ross Weston) and familiar faces such as former Edinburgh man Sean Crombie. There is no representation in the squad from Dundee however, despite them having the most dominant pack in the league this season.

The backline offers a mix of experience and youthful excitement with sometime Edinburgh man Gregor Hunter and Melrose fullback Fraser Thomson alongside new faces like Aberdeen man Callum Anderson called in to the team by head coach Ally Donaldson. The centre pairing of Dean Kelbrick and Ross Curle is the same that faced Ireland in the narrow defeat last year.

Also, if you are wondering why the aforementioned AD has been pretty quiet this week, he is on self-imposed Rory Lamont-style media lockdown, having been called on as cover for Glasgow’s Heineken Cup squad for the (non-televised) pool game at Bath. No word yet on if he’ll be required during this Prop Emergency but congratulations to him if he is given the call. And you thought he spent all his time tweeting…

Scotland Club International XV: F Thomson (Melrose), C Anderson (Aberdeen), R Curle (Ayr), D Kelbrick (Glasgow Hawks), J Johnstone (Currie), G Hunter (Gala), R Sneddon (Currie); A Dymock (Heriot’s), S Crombie (Boroughmuir, capt), G Mountford (Stirling Co), S Sutherland (Ayr), R McKay (Glasgow Hawks), G Dodds (Melrose), A Rose (Boroughmuir), R Weston (Currie).
Replacements: F Brown (Heriot’s), J Cox (Currie), G Holborn (Melrose), C White (Ayr), R McAlpine (Stirling Co), R Colhouln (Ayr), G Graham (Gala), A Skeen (Melrose), G Anderson (Ayr), L Miller (Gala), D Gilmour (Stirling Co)"

I've heard that R Sneddon has some pedigree.......