Scotland squad for SH tour

First topic message reminder :

Backs - Ansbro, Blair, Brown, Cusiter, De Luca, Evans,Grove, Hogg, Laidlaw, S Lamont, Scott, Visser and Weir.

Forwards - Barclay, Cross, Ford(c), Grant, Gray, Hall, Harley,Kellock, S Lawson, Murray, Rennie, Ryder, Strokosch, Vernon and Welsh

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:Thanks for that. At work, but I'll certainly watch that when I get home.

ASBO will be dribbling with excitement

Nothing to get too excited about, fES, no more than you'd expect from a player of Bennett's quality - exactly where you'd want him to be, right on the shoulder of the player that makes the break in midfield, and a wriggle and a shimmie and he know just where the try-line is. Perhaps you could play the tape to NDL at your weekly I-must-not-lose-my-brain counselling session?

I think the fact that he’s skipped the u19s team at Clermont entirely and gone straight into their u23s (I think) side is something to get excited about, given that a team of Clermont’s stature will have a lot of quality youth on their books. Looks from the vid like he was playing 12, rather than 13, and has also played at 10 for them I think.

Another promising sign is that he was getting game time for the first team in pre-season before his cruciate got knacked. He might have been able to step up for the 1st team this season when Rougerie and Fofana were on international duty if it weren’t for the injury. Definitely a kid to be hopeful about.

nickj wrote:Absolutely ASBO, I meant that looks like it will be the intention with the Scots. Afterall an international side needs a kicking game, we can't fudge it and run everything back at the opposition, can we?

I hope not, nick, but you never know what Robinson is planning!

Shaun Edwards just gave special mention to one Alex Grove in his GP team of the season. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2012/may/24/rugby-team-of-season-shaun-edwards

alexgmacdonald wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:That's a good point about the Irish and the Welsh I suppose, but I was more meaning that HK games have pretty much the same intensity and pressures as International games - if they have the temperament to cope with that they should also have the same temperament to cope with International rugby.

I think you're wrong. I think theres a big step up from Heineken Cup to International, I remember one of the Irish players saying that. International rugby you are playing international stadiums with sold out crowd who are very passionate about their country and you are playing against essentially the 15 best players in that country.

Whether you agree with that are not - do you share the same concerns about the Edinburgh players at International level as Crypto, because they only play well in the big do-or-die games as opposed to league games that don't matter?

RDW_Scotland wrote:

alexgmacdonald wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:That's a good point about the Irish and the Welsh I suppose, but I was more meaning that HK games have pretty much the same intensity and pressures as International games - if they have the temperament to cope with that they should also have the same temperament to cope with International rugby.

I think you're wrong. I think theres a big step up from Heineken Cup to International, I remember one of the Irish players saying that. International rugby you are playing international stadiums with sold out crowd who are very passionate about their country and you are playing against essentially the 15 best players in that country.

Whether you agree with that are not - do you share the same concerns about the Edinburgh players at International level as Crypto, because they only play well in the big do-or-die games as opposed to league games that don't matter?

My concern is that there shouldnt be much of a difference of intensity. You watch teams like the AB's and domestically Leinster, their intensity is there all the time, whether its the first team or the B side. The reason they do this is to avoid 'insignificant' games.

My point of view is that if a player comes off the field without giving 100% they shouldnt be near the team.

Right anyone else think we should move on from De Luca?? We've got about 3 pages just on him!

How do people think AR will use the squad over the 3 games? Keep the same core team and just bring people in and out to give people experience?

From the sound of things Laidlaw, Rennie and Scott are definite starters (he said so in an interview) so will be interesting to see if they start every game.

Here's your answer, RDW, in the Herald this morning:

Robinson refuses to make cap promises to his touring 28

by Alasdair Reid

Andy Robinson has made it clear caps cannot be guaranteed for all 28 players in the Scotland squad that set off last night on their three-Test tour of Australia and the South Pacific. Robinson originally had intended to take 32 players, but decided to drop four when the match against New South Wales Waratahs was cut from the schedule. In light of the change, it had been assumed all 28 members of a party that includes five uncapped players would be given game time, but Robinson clearly prefers to keep his cards close to his chest on selection matters.

"I can't make promises like that," insisted the coach. "We will deal with it case by case, and every player has to go out there expecting either to play or be on the bench. You want players to be thinking that way but I can't say what we are going to do because, if we do something else, players might come back to me and say, 'oy, you said . . . ' "

Robinson has form in such matters. When he led Scotland to the first southern hemisphere Test series victory in their history in Argentina two years ago, six members of the squad did not figure in either of the two Tests.

Among those left frustrated by the experience was Alex Grove, the Worcester centre who had played three matches for Scotland the previous autumn but has not been able to add to his cap tally since.

Grove was a surprise inclusion when Robinson named this year's touring squad last week, but his experiences in Argentina have taught him to take nothing for granted. He also made an abortive attempt to revive his Test career on a loan spell at Edinburgh two years ago, so he is well aware of how fierce the competition for midfield places has become. However, after dropping off the Scotland radar for almost two years, he has revived his cap prospects with a series of potent performances for Worcester this season.

"There are a lot of people who may say 'out of sight out of mind'," said the 24-year-old, who included a victory over Australia in his run of three Tests in November 2009. "But I am aware that they [the Scotland management team] have logged most of my games. I kept within reach by way of Scotland A call-ups over the past two years, and a few guys have earned promotion as a result of success at that level."

Had he worried that he would never play for Scotland again? "No, I never thought that," Grove replied. "It is not totally within the player's control but the player can influence how many more appearances he makes by knuckling down and doing the hard work. I may have been out of the thoughts of many people, but I've been playing well and training hard and fighting to get back into the team."

With Scotland now on a run of seven straight defeats, there ought to be opportunities for Grove against Australia, Samoa and Fiji over the next few weeks. Again, though, he is not counting any chickens, convinced that the side is not as bad as its recent results may indicate.

"Obviously, I watched all of the [Six Nations] games and I really felt for the boys," said Grove. "I almost said I felt sorry for them because I know how much effort they put in. It is frustrating seeing them put all that in, and knowing the quality that is there, and having nothing to show for it.

"It is just such a cruel game sometimes. You look at most of the games and they played all the rugby for 65 or 70 minutes, but then there have been 10 minutes when the opposition has had most of the possession or territory. Scotland have shot themselves in the foot by things like having two yellow cards; you can't afford to do that in Test match rugby because teams will punish you, as happened in the Welsh game, for example."

Grove is under no pressure on this tour, but the same could hardly be said for Robinson. The coach was given a vote of confidence by his SRU employers after the RBS 6 Nations, but they might not be so indulgent if he returns from the forthcoming venture having failed to halt the long run of defeats. Typically, though, the Englishman was in upbeat mood as he prepared for last night's departure.

Robinson said: "I am looking forward to the tour. What has happened has happened. I was hugely disappointed by that and I have to learn the lessons and make sure that, with a new coaching team bedded in, we deliver performances in these three games. These are three very tough internationals.

"We are playing away from home, playing Australia, who are going to put out a very good side mainly based around Queensland. It is going to be a very strong Australian side. Fiji and Samoa will have all their players back to play against us because they haven't had games in their own countries for many years.

"It is going to be a big, big test for us. We are going to have to be at our best. This is not about going out there and playing at half pace because, if we do, then we will lose these games."

Yea the NDL issue will hopefully take care of itself: play well and he has a Scotland future, have another mind melt and it should be adios.
I am really interested to see how many of the uncapped guys get game time. Article in the Sunday Times with Ryan Grant was quite instructive. In two years at Edinburgh Robinson only picked him 6 times, all for the bench.
He moves to Glasgow and pretty much instantly becomes a part of the match day squad and vied with John Welsh for the starting slot at 1.
Doesnt say a great deal about AR's ability to spot talent.
Will Rob Harley get any game time or is he just there for cover?
How much playing time will he give Tom Ryder after being Glasgow's most impressive lock all season?
Will McVisser make as big an impact to our back line as he hinted during last year's BaBa's game against England?
I would love to see Laidlaw back at 9 as his ability to bring Visser late onto the ball around the ruck is marvel to behold.
Visser has scored a hatful of tries from this simple move for Embro, can he do it for Scotland?

Doesn't really answer too much- he's saying that there will be no new caps given just for the hell of it, but that doesn't mean that the people with no caps won't get any game time!

As I said there was an interview last week when he said Laidlaw, Rennie and Matt Scott are the ones in possession of the starting spots so I'd be surprised if we didn't at least see them starting.

Although it does tend to suggest that the same core team will be used.

For me, the big decisions that Robinson has to make are mainly in the pack:
1. Welsh vs Grant - almost doesn't matter as both will see plenty of gametime
2. Cross vs Murray - I'm still sore that Moray Low wasn't included ahead of the Rev, but if he's on that plane, then I'd prefer to see him scrummage ahead of Cross who just can't anchor a scrum for me
3. Ryder vs Kellock - similar to above, altho I'd like to see Ryder's extra dynamism used more
4. Strokosch vs Harley - I've a sneaky feeling that Robinson will go with the tried and tested option, but personally I'd give Harley his debut; neither offer much in the way of carrying, but Harley's defence for Glasgow this year has just been outstanding
5. Barclay vs Vernon - probably our weakest area, two players vying for a no.8 shirt that I'd rather not see; Barclay out of position or Bambi Vernon - hmm, probably Barclay cos I think the Islanders will smash Vernon to pieces

ASBo tight head worries me a bit. Cross has been found out a bit as a scrummager this season but gets through a hell of a lot of work during a game. Murray was very poor against Ireland in the scrum and does next to nothing in the loose.
I havent seen any of Newcastle's matches recently so no idea what form he is in. Clearly Robinson doesnt rate Low having only used him as injury cover during the World Cup.

if they are both crap and we lose our first two games would AR take a gamble and play Welsh at 3 given his great club form during the 6N on the right side of the scrum? I think we all know the answer to that one.
I agree that if our scrum isnt dominant then Vernon will really struggle.

By the by, have a listen to John Beattie's interview on the BBC about his move to Montpellier. Doesnt sound like he is taking it very seriously. Moans about getting no game time at glasgow and then says he has left all the organising for the French move to his girlfriend during her lunch breaks!
If he thinks he is simply going to stroll into the Montpellier team he should think again. Alex Tulu the current bench 8 is a seriously good player and will start ahead of Beattie in the pecking order at the club unless he gets his finger out right from the start.
He hasnt even bothered brushing up on his French.
Not very good omens for a return to form.

sensisball wrote:Yea the NDL issue will hopefully take care of itself: play well and he has a Scotland future, have another mind melt and it should be adios.
I am really interested to see how many of the uncapped guys get game time. Article in the Sunday Times with Ryan Grant was quite instructive. In two years at Edinburgh Robinson only picked him 6 times, all for the bench.
He moves to Glasgow and pretty much instantly becomes a part of the match day squad and vied with John Welsh for the starting slot at 1.
Doesnt say a great deal about AR's ability to spot talent.
Will Rob Harley get any game time or is he just there for cover?
How much playing time will he give Tom Ryder after being Glasgow's most impressive lock all season?
Will McVisser make as big an impact to our back line as he hinted during last year's BaBa's game against England?
I would love to see Laidlaw back at 9 as his ability to bring Visser late onto the ball around the ruck is marvel to behold.
Visser has scored a hatful of tries from this simple move for Embro, can he do it for Scotland?

Be fair sensiball – Robinson was responsible for bringing Visser up from Newcastle!

Also, some players (especially props, actually) just mature into their talent later in their career, or work damn hard to develop a more limited talent base into something worthwhile a few years down the line. Grant was probably justifiably down the pecking order at Embra, as coaches don’t tend to ignore a player for seasons and seasons if they’re any kind of good. My guess is that Grant is one of these late developers/grafters, and all I can say is well done to him for getting into the position he’s in now.

As for the team, I think we really need Harley at 6. Our fringe defense was really poor during the 6N, even when Stroker was playing in the first few games. Harley’s defence has been utterly outstanding all season, and he actually has a fair bit of pace about him for such a big man. His size also means another option at the lineout, which adds to his edge over Stroker.

Glad that AR has said that Scott will be first choice. As others have already noted, there are some tough selection choices throughout the team, especially at lock (who partners Gray?), blindside, No 8 and outside centre. With that in mind, Team 1 below is the 22 I’d like to see vs Australia, and Team 2 is the 22 I think AR will actually pick vs Australia.

Team 1 – Captain_Sensible’s selection

1. Welsh
2. Ford
3. Cross
4. Ryder
5. Gray
6. Harley
7. Rennie
8. Vernon
9. Blair
10. Laidlaw
11. Ansbro
12. Scott
13. NDL
14. S Lamont (to be replaced by Visser vs Fiji and Samoa
15. Hogg

Subs – Grant, Hall, Kellock, Barclay, Weir, Grove, Brown

Team 2 – AR’s selection

1. Welsh
2. Ford
3. Cross
4. Kellock
5. Gray
6. Strokosch
7. Rennie
8. Barclay
9. Blair
10. Laidlaw
11. M Evans
12. Scott
13. NDL
14. S Lamont (to be replaced by Visser vs Fiji and Samoa
15. Hogg

Subs – Grant, Lawson, Ryder, Vernon, Cusiter, Weir, Ansbro

I reckon we'll see the same core team play most of the games. I think Robbo is under real pressure to deliver some results, not only to help our ranking, but also to boost morale.

I am also convinced England's Tour of Hell still rancours with Robinson and he's petrified of picking young players without experience around them.

The loss of the Tahs game has also changed the dynamics of the tour for me. Its now all about results and not development.

That said, if we integrate Welsh, Scott and Visser into the starting 15 and the likes of Weir, Harley and Ryder into the 22 I will be chuffed.

I think we'll see the likes of Ford, Welsh, Gray, Rennie, Blair, Laidlaw, Scott, Hogg play most, if not all, the games.

Murray will be vying with Cross, Ryder with Kellock, Stroks with Harley and De Luca with Ansbro and Grove for starting berths.

Rightly or wrongly I can't see Scott Lawson, Hall, Grant or Tom Brown starting any of the games.

This is my 15, 22 and wider 28:

15
Welsh
Ford
Cross / Murray
Gray
Kellock
Strokosh
Rennie
Barclay
Blair
Laidlaw
M Evans
Scott
De Luca
S Lamont / Visser
Hogg

22
S Lawson
Murray
Ryder
Harley / Vernon
Cusiter
Weir
Ansbro

28
Hall
Grant
Harley
Grove
Brown
S Lamont / Visser

nickj wrote:I reckon we'll see the same core team play most of the games. I think Robbo is under real pressure to deliver some results, not only to help our ranking, but also to boost morale.

I am also convinced England's Tour of Hell still rancours with Robinson and he's petrified of picking young players without experience around them.

The loss of the Tahs game has also changed the dynamics of the tour for me. Its now all about results and not development.

That said, if we integrate Welsh, Scott and Visser into the starting 15 and the likes of Weir, Harley and Ryder into the 22 I will be chuffed.

I think we'll see the likes of Ford, Welsh, Gray, Rennie, Blair, Laidlaw, Scott, Hogg play most, if not all, the games.

Murray will be vying with Cross, Ryder with Kellock, Stroks with Harley and De Luca with Ansbro and Grove for starting berths.

Rightly or wrongly I can't see Scott Lawson, Hall, Grant or Tom Brown starting any of the games.

This is my 15, 22 and wider 28:

15
Welsh
Ford
Cross / Murray
Gray
Kellock
Strokosh
Rennie
Barclay
Blair
Laidlaw
M Evans
Scott
De Luca
S Lamont / Visser
Hogg

22
S Lawson
Murray
Ryder
Harley / Vernon
Cusiter
Weir
Ansbro

28
Hall
Grant
Harley
Grove
Brown
S Lamont / Visser

I suspect that you are probably right, nick, but my main problem with that backrow is it doesn't give a dominant lineout option - I reckon we must play Harley (or possibly Vernon) for that reason

Agree with ASBO. I'd certainly start with Rob Harley ahead of Strokosch, and I'd also play Vernon ahead of Barclay at 8.

I'd also pick Ryder ahead of Kellock, but I'm not massively fussed about that.

Otherwise in agreement.

Its a shame Visser misses out on selection by only a couple of days. I would have liked to see Denton galloping at the Aussie ten channel as well. I think Scotland are going to really impose themselves up front on the Aussies where they should have an advantage.

The Aussie schedule is crazy and that could work well for both home teams going down. Although if you grab a win against them Wales will be in for a backlash

Tbh I think we stand the best chance against the Aussies! I'd much rather be playing a 2nd string Aussie team (most of which had just played a few days earlier) than a full strength Fiji and Samoa playing in their home nations for the first time in ages!

I think we have a genuine chance of winning all three games, we have better players than Fiji and Samoa and we should be able to fight off a second string Australia side.

Is Australia going to put out a second string team though?

biltongbek wrote:Is Australia going to put out a second string team though?

A lot of the super 15 teams are playing that weekend so he's only got a couple of teams to pick from. Plus they're playing wales 4 days after in a 'proper' test!

Is the Scotland game not seen as a test, or is it a Barbarian type game?

It is a fully capped game, but was just a comment on how far we've come as a rugby nation to be playing a second string aus team, on a Tuesday night, in a rugby league city!

Geez, I think you are being a bit harsh on Scotland there RDW.

I would subscribe it to this bloody calendar that is so full. There just isn't space anymore.

I think it's a shame how far Scotland have fallen. They should be playing full strength, top teams in order to improve. Playing a second string Australia doesn't gain very much in my opinion.

We're not doing a 3 test tour of a Southern hemisphere team for the next 5 years or something like that - we're not seen as important enough. We're scheduled to be the warm up acts for the other nations up to 2017 or something like that.

Not being harsh at all!

I think we just need to be realistic over where exactly we sit in the picture of the top 12 IRB nations. Ireland, Wales and England have multi-test series against the top 3 Southern hemisphere sides, and we are lower in the pecking order.
We know that we can raise our game at this level sometimes, but not consistently. It is harsh, but that's the reality. We either mope about it or get on with it.
We have a number of long established and key players missing, which for me (and what I can think of off the top of my head and sorry for the idleness in relation to research) are in the forwards, Jacobsen, Hamilton, Denton, Beattie, Brown. And in the backs, Lamont, Walker, Danielli, Morrison, Jackson, Jones. There are also other recently injured players such as R Lawson and Dickenson.
Given the breadth of squad available (if all were fit) and the list above, we've gone away with a good, but fairly lean squad. This is roughly 2/3 of the squad of 40-ish that can do a job for us at international level.
We know we aren't where we need to be with the volume of ability and experience of our squad, so all in all, maybe it's not such a bad thing that we are lower down the pecking order for now. We use this tour as a means to develop and integrate the new and up and coming players with our sights on RWC 2015, and not 6N 2013.
We need to make the most of what we've got, make sure we are walking ploperly before we try and run, and build some consistency and confidence. Steady progress in lieu of a process of defeats interspersed by the odd meritable win. The last thing we want is a copy of the England tour a few years ago when they got absolutely tatered in Australia (though I did enjoy that! )
Three wins must be the target, then give the players a good 3 week rest followed by a well managed pre-season. It's a marathon, not a sprint.

Deans has come out and said he cant afford to play a second string against the scots. Honestly if he does then the Scots may do well. The scottish pack worried me more than any of the other packs wales faced in the 6N.

It all depends on the Australian strength in depth. I suspect that their first choice players will be facing Wales on the Saturday, and the majority of these won't figure in the Tuesday game, with any that are likely to face Wales being on the bench.
There may be some players coming back from injury, or fringe first team squad players, but I think it will predominantly be non first choice players.
We just need to treat it as a test match against their best team and raise our game to its highest level.

These are the planned Scotland tours:

Scotland's overseas tours
2012 - Australia/Pacific Islands TBC
2013 - South Africa - (in country competition)
2014 - South Africa and Argentina/North America TBC
2015 RWC
2016 - New Zealand and Japan (2)
2017 - Australia (in country competition)
2018 - Argentina and North America (2)

Scotland schedule: Visiting Murrayfield for Autumn Tests
2012 - New Zealand, South Africa, Tier 2 Union
2013 - South Africa, Australia, Tier 2 Option
2014 - Argentina, New Zealand, Tier 2 Union
2015 - RWC year
2016 - Australia, Argentina, Tier 2 Union
2017 -New Zealand, Australia, Tier 2 Option
2018 - South Africa, Argentina, Tier 2 Union

Tycroes, (and this isn't a micky take) just for clarity, did the Scottish pack worry you because they were a threat, or you thought they were vulnerable?
Please divulge reasons why?

123456789 wrote:These are the planned Scotland tours:

Scotland's overseas tours
2012 - Australia/Pacific Islands TBC
2013 - South Africa - (in country competition)
2014 - South Africa and Argentina/North America TBC
2015 RWC
2016 - New Zealand and Japan (2)
2017 - Australia (in country competition)
2018 - Argentina and North America (2)

Scotland schedule: Visiting Murrayfield for Autumn Tests
2012 - New Zealand, South Africa, Tier 2 Union
2013 - South Africa, Australia, Tier 2 Option
2014 - Argentina, New Zealand, Tier 2 Union
2015 - RWC year
2016 - Australia, Argentina, Tier 2 Union
2017 -New Zealand, Australia, Tier 2 Option
2018 - South Africa, Argentina, Tier 2 Union

See , we still rate you guys.

We have no 3 test tours against 3n teams - they are all individual warm up games before they play someone else.

RDW, scotland hasn't been to SA in nigh on 10 years, I doubt it is because we don't want you, I always understood it as the Scottish rugby union not wanting to spend the money.

I may be wrong, but that is how I understood it.

Come to think of it, neither has Ireland.

Biltong, we were in SA in 2006. Not sure how the financial side of it, but it's worth bearing in mind that Yorkshireman is only a Scotsman with his generosity removed.

Anglobraveheart wrote:Biltong, we were in SA in 2006. Not sure how the financial side of it, but it's worth bearing in mind that Yorkshireman is only a Scotsman with his generosity and sense of humour removed.

Anglo - have amended.

Spare a thought, at least the rugby team isn't as bad as the football team.

Just lost 5-1 to the USA. Ouch!

Slightly off topic, but interesting to see that the Scotland team went surfing at Manly beach
http://www.scottishrugby.org/content/view/2862/2/
Few things spring to mind.
How do you you find a board large enough & strong enough to support a player like Richie Gray?
And thank the lord Chunk's been left at home, the size of wave he'd have generated had he fallen off doesn't bare thinking about ..!

Surfing is bloody difficult if you're tall.

That was my excuse anyway.

funnyExiledScot wrote:Spare a thought, at least the rugby team isn't as bad as the football team.

Scotland generally are just a total joke at team sports. When it comes to sports that are more an activity or leisurely pursuit than an actual sport, e.g. curling, cycling, golf, snooker and tennis, we aren't so bad.

Cryptoyourisan wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:Spare a thought, at least the rugby team isn't as bad as the football team.

Scotland generally are just a total joke at team sports. When it comes to sports that are more an activity or leisurely pursuit than an actual sport, e.g. curling, cycling, golf, snooker and tennis, we aren't so bad.

In the grand scheme of things in Rugby we're very good we are 12th out of 96 and we have better players than Samoa, Tonga and Italy and aren't far off England, Ireland and Argentina as well as that on our day we can beat anyone on the planet except possibly the All Blacks. It is only because we play the top teams so often that there's a perception of us being bad. We are streets ahead of Tonga and Georgia yet because of the Rugby attitude of respect and the fact we are close to the bottom of our tier and they're near the top of theirs it appears they're close to us.

On another front how did others think Beattie did for the Barbarians?
I thought he showed flashes of his past self but still not up to his best level hopefully it's on its way back though.. It'll be interesting to see how he does in the next couple of games.

Australia squad to face Scotland (and then Wales):

Ben Alexander, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Berrick Barnes, Kurtley Beale, Quade Cooper, Dave Dennis, Kane Douglas, Anthony Faingaa, Saia Faingaa, Bernard Foley, Will Genia, Michael Harris, Scott Higginbotham, Michael Hooper, Rob Horne, Digby Ioane, Sekope Kepu, Salesi Ma'afu, Pat McCabe, Ben McCalman, Jesse Mogg, Stephen Moore, Luke Morahan, Cadeyrn Neville, Dan Palmer, Wycliff Palu, Nick Phipps, David Pocock, Tatafu Polota Nau, Hugh Pyle, Benn Robinson, Nathan Sharpe, Dominic Shipperley, Rob Simmons, James Slipper, Sitaleki Timani, Joseph Tomane, Cooper Vuna, Nic White

Looks like Horwell and Beale may well be ruled out, but Cooper is defo back

Can see Cooper starting against us - not had many games since his injury and might not be seen as a starting player against Wales.

Will be interesting to see him against Laidlaw!

Saw on Twitter that Kurtley Beale is about to go into hospital for shoulder surgery so can't see him being fit for a while.

RDW, with O'Connor and Beale out and Cooper needing game time, I don't think Deans has a choice but to play Cooper in both tests.

Berrick Barnes? I think he's an amazing player and would do a good job at 10, probably better than a just fit Cooper.

Either way I can see Cooper starting against us to try and give him game time.

Yes Barnes would be the alternative.

biltongbek wrote:Yes Barnes would be the alternative.

Particularly if you've just kneed your competition in the back.

Accidentally, of course.

Who has he (allegedly) kneed in the back??