France U20 30 Scotland U20 29

Match stats here: http://www.irb.com/jwc/matches/match=12530/index.html

Desperately unlucky - conceded a try in the last 3 minutes of the match and it was enough to see the French home.

Looks like it was the Leonard and Farndale show again but good also to see that our front row forced a penalty try.

Shows what a tough group it is.

Do you know where we can get highlights George?

Tattie, there are brief highlights on the IRB site itself, but it doesn't appear that it was televised (hence no caught by the crew over at acrossthetasman.com, who usually have everything)

Shame that - sounds like it was a good match.

Seems we have some exciting prospects in Farndale, Leonard and of course Bennett!

Funny that on the team officials list, Mathieu Brauge's position is 'unknown'.

Bit like half the SRU Board!

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:Tattie, there are brief highlights on the IRB site itself, but it doesn't appear that it was televised (hence no caught by the crew over at acrossthetasman.com, who usually have everything)

Actually, apparently that's not true - it was bradcast by a local South African broadcast, but I can't find anywhere that will show it now

Not convinced that this one was televised Tattie - will ask my wife to Google the French new channels for highlights.

You might be right about the Bokke channel Asbo but I can't find anything at the moment.

The Super Sport Broadcast is available world wide via the IRB website. Except for UK, Ireland and France. In UK Sky have the rights and the IRB only show the highlights. I assume the usual French broadcaster will have it in France and I believe one of the domestic Irish channels had, at least, the Irish games.

Hammer - more importantly than that, what is your crest? Does it relate to Hull?

No, it's the crest of the City of Stoke-on-Trent

Going by results against England and Australia I wouldn't say this is a tough group... Leonard definitely has a future in Scottish rugby though. And I agree, that was pretty unlucky. The French U20 seem to be twice as inconsistent as their daddies going by the 6 Nations and their start to the JWC.

I am not sure how strong the French squad is at the JWC - nor whether they rested players against Scotland.

Going by the 6Ns where Scotland were poor, shipping 40pts per match on average and beating only Italy (by 3 pts), and the opening match with Australia I was shocked they almost won - France needing a last play try to sneak past them.

From what I heard the penalty try wasnt from a scrum, but rather a closeline tackle as one of our guys was about to score.

This sounds like a much better game from the youngsters. Real shame they couldn't finish it off.

Would love to see some highlights. Pleased to hear that young Leonard played well. He had a horror against Australia and I was worried his confidence may have taken a knock. Good to see he's bounced back well. He's got a big season ahead of him at Edinburgh, and will be playing lots of first team rugby.

Anyone know where Farndale is going next season? I'm hoping Edinburgh have snaffled him as cover for Jones and Visser.

Scotland under-20 team to face Argentina under-20 on Tuesday 12 June 2012 in the IRB Junior World Championship in South Africa:

15 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh Rugby, Heriot’s)

14 Jamie Farndale (Edinburgh Rugby / Edinburgh Accies)
13 Keith Buchan (Boroughmuir)
12 Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors / Falkirk)
11 Tom Steven (Glasgow Hawks)

10 Tommy Allan (Western Province)
9 Matt Torrance (Ospreys)

1 Jamie Bhatti (Stirling County)
2 Fergus Scott (Glasgow Warriors / Currie)
3 Gavin Robertson (Dundee HSFP)
4 Stuart Smith (Aberdeen Grammar)
5 Andrew Redmayne (Dundee HSFP)
6 Gary Graham (Gala)
7 Alex Henderson (Boroughmuir)
8 Mitch Eadie (Bristol Rugby)

16 George Turner (Edinburgh Rugby / Stewart’s Melville)
17 Alex Allan (Edinburgh Rugby / Loughborough Students)
18 Robin Hislop (Edinburgh Rugby / Boroughmuir)
19 Jamie Swanson (Boroughmuir)
20 Callum Reid (Edinburgh Accies)
21 Murray McConnell (Glasgow Warriors / Ayr)
22 Harry Leonard (Edinburgh Rugby)
23 Robbie Fergusson (Ayr)

PS A number of players being rested, Mark Bennett with a slight shoulder knock, and Will Bordill general aches and pains after a coupl eof big-hitting displays

PPS fES, Farndale will be at Edinburgh

funnyExiledScot wrote:Anyone know where Farndale is going next season? I'm hoping Edinburgh have snaffled him as cover for Jones and Visser.

I'm pretty sure Edinburgh signed him as an Elite Development Player last week.

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:Scotland under-20 team to face Argentina under-20 on Tuesday 12 June 2012 in the IRB Junior World Championship in South Africa:

15 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh Rugby, Heriot’s)

14 Jamie Farndale (Edinburgh Rugby / Edinburgh Accies)
13 Keith Buchan (Boroughmuir)
12 Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors / Falkirk)
11 Tom Steven (Glasgow Hawks)

10 Tommy Allan (Western Province)
9 Matt Torrance (Ospreys)

1 Jamie Bhatti (Stirling County)
2 Fergus Scott (Glasgow Warriors / Currie)
3 Gavin Robertson (Dundee HSFP)
4 Stuart Smith (Aberdeen Grammar)
5 Andrew Redmayne (Dundee HSFP)
6 Gary Graham (Gala)
7 Alex Henderson (Boroughmuir)
8 Mitch Eadie (Bristol Rugby)

16 George Turner (Edinburgh Rugby / Stewart’s Melville)
17 Alex Allan (Edinburgh Rugby / Loughborough Students)
18 Robin Hislop (Edinburgh Rugby / Boroughmuir)
19 Jamie Swanson (Boroughmuir)
20 Callum Reid (Edinburgh Accies)
21 Murray McConnell (Glasgow Warriors / Ayr)
22 Harry Leonard (Edinburgh Rugby)
23 Robbie Fergusson (Ayr)

PS A number of players being rested, Mark Bennett with a slight shoulder knock, and Will Bordill general aches and pains after a coupl eof big-hitting displays

PPS fES, Farndale will be at Edinburgh

So Bennett has been dropped then

Good to see Tommy Allan getting a start, heard hes meant to be quite promising, and must be if hes in the wp academy.

funnyExiledScot wrote:So Bennett has been dropped then

Yes, fES, he was last in the sandcastle building competition so much take his punishment like a good little boy

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:So Bennett has been dropped then

Yes, fES, he was last in the sandcastle building competition so much take his punishment like a good little boy

Apparently he threw rusks everywhere and wouldn't give Sam Clyne his Barney The Dinosaur back.

Argentina lead 12-0 at half-time, two well-taken tries. We've had the strong breeze at our backs, but basic skills letting us down and getting demolished in the tight (same old story). Scott binned for persistent infringements, but no points conceded - big effort

Oh dear, youngsters completely unable to get to grips with this ref's breakdown interpretation - hotter than a very very hot thing on sealing off

Try young Scotland, driving maul off a lineout - great stuff: 17-5

Argentine prop dispatched to the bin for a tip tackle with 5 mins to go. Still 17-5, and still virtually every promising break fails with poor hands

A bullocking run from Mitch Eadie secures Scotland's 2nd try, but it's all too late and the game finishes 17-12. Handling, handling, handling - too poor for words

So bottom of the pool at yet another JWC, fighting it out for 9th-12th to avoid relegation again. Clearly the structures are not working at youth level

Youth level rugby has always been strange.

Speaking as a player who bore witness to good players being overlooked for "Tam's Laddie" its not surprising.

I played rugby for 15 years from the age of 9 to 23. In that time I captained my U21 side in my final year before making the jump to the snr squad but I saw classy players overlooked in favour of players who were better connected at the club.

Scottish age grade rugby and district level rugby is controled by who you know not by what you can do. I played for Fife at U21 level and I knew guys who played very well for Kirkcaldy and Fife who were ignored in favour of players who weren't as good as them because they had connectsions with the likes of Accies (Edinburgh) or Stirling County hence they were fast tracked to the bigger stage, despite others who were better players.

I played for 4 seasons with Sean Crombie at Kirkcaldy before he got taken through to Accies and onto a pro contract with Edinburgh. I was his tight head prop the entire time. The man was a fantastic hooker. I however played with a brace of backrow players at the same time who IMO worked harder than Sean and were better rugby players in just about every facet of the game.

Their faces didn't fit and they still play for Kirkcaldy but all desire of top flight rugby has evaporated from their aspirations. It's wrong that good players are neglected just because they don't have the connections Sean had who was always tipped for good things.

In a way he was groomed for top flight rugby, all the while better players were overlooked.

Interesting point Radge. My concern is more around poor handling. Its a recurring theme with Scots teams at all levels. We try to play fast and loose but we dont seem to have many players who are capable of doing it