Visser Qualifies for Scotland

What day is it? It's V-Day.

A young man called Tim Visser becomes eligible to play for Scotland today.

Some facts:

1. Debut at 19 for Newcastle Falcons against Worcester Warriors in September 2006, coming on as a replacement and scoring the winning try in the last play of the game.

2. In his first season, he was top scorer in the Magners with 10 tries, 2 more than Tommy Bowe.

3. In his second season he was top scorer and broke the record for the most tries scored in a Celtic/Magners/Rabo league season (14).

4. In his third season, he he was top scorer with 13 tries in the RaboDirect PRO12 and four in the Heineken Cup, giving a total tally of 17 - his highest contribution for this club yet.

5. Awards/Honours:

* England Schools Under 18 (2005)

* named in the Celtic/Magners/Rabo Dream Team every season so far (no other player has done so for three consecutive seasons).

* Rabo's Young Player of the Season award in his first season.

* Player of the Season and Player's Player of the Season awards in his third season.

* Record Edinburgh try scorer with 43 tries in 74 appearances (in all competitions RaboDirect Pro12 and Heineken Cup).

6. Only 'international' appearance was for the Barbarians against England on 30 May 2011. He scored two tries, including the winner as the Ba-Ba's won 32 to 38

I'll leave the boards below open to people's comments about this.

Invariably this will result in a gush of effluvia from the usual posters who still don't really believe that Tim is any good or that only those whose great grandparents provide a handwritten letter to Andy Robinson vouching as to how much they love rain, midges and Irn-Bru should play for Scotland. But what the hey. It's a free country.

Good luck Tim. Lovely to see you in the thistle.

Just wondering. Will Scotland be doing a multi lingual version of flower of Scotland. Thought it might be nice. Here's a verse to get us all going:

O Bloem van Schotland,
Wanneer zien we
Uw opnieuw wilt,
Die vochten en stierven voor,
Uw kleine beetje heuvels en Glen,
En bij hem stonden:
Trotse Edward's leger,
En stuurde hem naar huis,
Tae denk opnieuw.

Arise Sir Tim MacVisser, latest addition to the Scottish cause!

PS See how easy it is Sean Maitland, and you don't even have to wait for 3 years?!

He must be getting pretty frustrated. My guess you could see him soon, if he doesn't go and join his cousin and former class mate in the Wallbies.

blackcanelion wrote:He must be getting pretty frustrated. My guess you could see him soon, if he doesn't go and join his cousin and former class mate in the Wallbies.

blackcanelion, would he qualify automatically for Oz or would that have be thru residency?

No idea. It was a troll really. He doesn't seem to get any chances at national level. At some point he's going to think can I try rugby overseas. There's plenty of opportunity to earn money in Aus at the moment as they are a bit short in depth. Japan is probably the big money. Europe has the attraction of travel and potential international caps.

Good luck to him. He's got the potential to be a good international player.

Just realised. I should have pointed out that Australia is off the coast of New Plymouth and full of kiwis, so I'm assuming he qualifies automatically.

blackcanelion wrote:Just realised. I should have pointed out that Australia is off the coast of New Plymouth and full of kiwis, so I'm assuming he qualifies automatically.

Altho that does seem to be increasingly the case at the moment!

Visser is Scotlands George North - Powerful player who would feature in most international teams IMO - Great news for Scotland who have lacked a cutting edge in recent years - This is exactly what they need - Good luck Scotland

I feel sorry for him. There is this huge expectation that with his arrival a side that scores a try every second match will suddenly be an attacking behemoth.

Tiger - I think you are the only one assuming that

RubyGuby wrote:Visser is Scotlands George North - Powerful player who would feature in most international teams IMO - Great news for Scotland who have lacked a cutting edge in recent years - This is exactly what they need - Good luck Scotland

Damn I was going to say that!

Every time we thought we hyped North up too much he went and got even better.

Finally we might see some Scotland tries!

Hes a great player and will undoubtedly start for Scotland.

However, something annoys me about this, he initially wanted to play for England I believe, and when he was told that it might not happen he went up North, cant help but think he just wants to play on the international stage for a tier 1 nation.

Just as well it wasn't the Welsh Under 18's he played for or you lot would be facing a court case.

Always thought highly of him when he was at Kingston Park, and he has seemed to come on in leaps and bounds since he moved up into Scotland, so there can be few doubts that you Scots have had a hand in developing the end product and can justifiably paint him blue and stick a kilt on him. If there are any doubts as to what tartan he qualifies for just use the Northumbrian one, he was here long enough to claim it and its not clan specific.

Sorry - blue and white - Smerfs and Mel Gibson are all blue.

IronMike wrote:Hes a great player and will undoubtedly start for Scotland.

However, something annoys me about this, he initially wanted to play for England I believe, and when he was told that it might not happen he went up North, cant help but think he just wants to play on the international stage for a tier 1 nation.

IronMike, that is exactly right - his ambition was to play international rugby at the highest level he could - he guessed that he might not make it for England (he was playing for Newcastle at the time, and not playing particularly well either), so he thought he might fare better with Scotland. He's quite open about that, but he's served his 3 years in Scotland so qualifies for us now, and is married to a Scots lass

TrailApe wrote:Just as well it wasn't the Welsh Under 18's he played for or you lot would be facing a court case.

He can play for the Wales U18s all he wants...if he were under 18 that is.

If he played for the Wales U20s against another U20s team who are recognised as their countries second international side, such as France, things would be different.

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:

IronMike wrote:Hes a great player and will undoubtedly start for Scotland.

However, something annoys me about this, he initially wanted to play for England I believe, and when he was told that it might not happen he went up North, cant help but think he just wants to play on the international stage for a tier 1 nation.

IronMike, that is exactly right - his ambition was to play international rugby at the highest level he could - he guessed that he might not make it for England (he was playing for Newcastle at the time, and not playing particularly well either), so he thought he might fare better with Scotland. He's quite open about that, but he's served his 3 years in Scotland so qualifies for us now, and is married to a Scots lass

Actually, he's engaged to an English girl. He met her at school in Co Durham.

It matters not. Go Tim!

This is great news for Scotland. We were in dire need of a finisher following the enforced retirement of Thom Evans and Visser more than fits the bill. He's a powerful athlete and a proven try scorer of the highest order. He will do very well for Scotland I feel.

Good opening match to have as well, a game against Fiji. Should be an open game and a good chance for our backs to play with ball in hand.

I dont think we'll see Visser topping the scoring charts in the rabo now hes not going to be there for half the season like the rest of the internationals.

Visser's a very, very good club player, lets see if that translates to international form, potentially hes a star, but a word of warning, numerous players of equal(ish) calibre at club level have failed at test level, it doesnt mean automatic success.

Personally I think he'll do well for scotland, but i dont think we'll suddenly see scotland becoming a free-scoring side like some suggest...

Comfort part of what you say is true, we won't see Scotland become a free-scoring side with Visser's inclusion.

Scotland will become a free-scoring side with the proper midfield axis being unearthed in this summer tour. Already the backline of Blair-Laidlaw-Scott-NDL have shown they can tackle. It's now up to these players to show in Fiji what they can do with the ball in hand in better rugby playing conditions.

If they can bring the abilities they bring at Edinburgh into the navy blue of Scotland, that will enable Scotland to become a free-scoring side, not the inclusion of MacVisser

Comfort wrote:I dont think we'll see Visser topping the scoring charts in the rabo now hes not going to be there for half the season like the rest of the internationals.

Visser's a very, very good club player, lets see if that translates to international form, potentially hes a star, but a word of warning, numerous players of equal(ish) calibre at club level have failed at test level, it doesnt mean automatic success.

Personally I think he'll do well for scotland, but i dont think we'll suddenly see scotland becoming a free-scoring side like some suggest...

Comfort, I'm sure there's possibly some truth in what you say, but who did you have in mind?

Simon Danielli? Nikki Walker? Aled Brew? Richard Fussell? Fiona Carr?

in my defence, i put the 'ish' bit!

No doubt vissers been incredible for his club, but then, even closer to home, so was NDL and how long has it taken him to adjust to test level?

Delve is one I had in mind, at test level hes been anonymous for wales, theres probably more too it (like limited chances, makeshift sides. coming on as a sub etc) but it was just a warning really.

Is it purely down to Robinsons selection that Scott hasnt appeared before now? Its nice to see a scotland midfiled without Morrison and S.Lamont!

Like i said, it was more a casual warning as some (ruby im looking at u sir ) seem to have him down as an instant success, which to be fair he may be and theres just as much chance he takes to test rugby like a duck to water.

Scotland are definitely heading in the right direction, it just feels like we've said that a few times before...

But this time we really are!!

Captain_Sensible wrote:

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:and is married to a Scots lass

Actually, he's engaged to an English girl. He met her at school in Co Durham.

It matters not. Go Tim!

As it was a boarding school, she may still be scottish. Unless he met her in the town - then god help him. those lasses are evil.

Classic, LT!

Come on Big Tam. I've been looking forward to this...

LondonTiger wrote:

Captain_Sensible wrote:

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:and is married to a Scots lass

Actually, he's engaged to an English girl. He met her at school in Co Durham.

It matters not. Go Tim!

As it was a boarding school, she may still be scottish. Unless he met her in the town - then god help him. those lasses are evil.

My girlfriend went to Barnard Castle School with Tim, and shared an Ancient History A level class with him. I can reliably report that Visser's other half is English, as is mine!

Captain_Sensible wrote:

LondonTiger wrote:

Captain_Sensible wrote:

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:and is married to a Scots lass

Actually, he's engaged to an English girl. He met her at school in Co Durham.

It matters not. Go Tim!

As it was a boarding school, she may still be scottish. Unless he met her in the town - then god help him. those lasses are evil.

My girlfriend went to Barnard Castle School with Tim, and shared an Ancient History A level class with him. I can reliably report that Visser's other half is English, as is mine!

Not to worry, Captain.

Nobody's perfect.

George Carlin wrote:

Captain_Sensible wrote:

LondonTiger wrote:

Captain_Sensible wrote:

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:and is married to a Scots lass

Actually, he's engaged to an English girl. He met her at school in Co Durham.

It matters not. Go Tim!

As it was a boarding school, she may still be scottish. Unless he met her in the town - then god help him. those lasses are evil.

My girlfriend went to Barnard Castle School with Tim, and shared an Ancient History A level class with him. I can reliably report that Visser's other half is English, as is mine!

Not to worry, Captain.

Nobody's perfect.

Funnily enough, I have to tell my other half that everyday, though it is very much me that ain't perfect!

My parents are English too, but have lived in Scotland for far longer than they ever lived Down South. They both support Scotland over England (and everyone else) when rugby comes around. Good thing too, or else the 6N would be a very stressful few months for the family!

I think we need to take a little chill pill here

he is unproven at International level. He is not the messieh but he may not be a naughty boy

This sort of overhyping a player from other nations really gets my goat, and I think it will make us a laughing stock if he does fail to deliver. We are assuming that he will be the next coming, the best player in the world (I have even seen people putting him as a starter in the Lions) - for goodness sake, he has not even player an international yet

I hope that he becomes the player you all think he already is, but until he delivers consistently at International, he is just another player - an unproven one at that

Sorry to be the gloomy doomy, but I can not laugh at other nations for doing this, and then do it myself. I am too honourable - honest n'lord

Risky - I have assumed until this very moment that 99% of the Scots posters here are just having a bit of fun and do not expect Tim to turn water into wine or part the Red Sea. But maybe I'm wrong...

I've heard that Tim (and the rest of the Scotland squad) are very good at turning wine into water, however.

Comfort wrote:I dont think we'll see Visser topping the scoring charts in the rabo now hes not going to be there for half the season like the rest of the internationals.

Visser's a very, very good club player, lets see if that translates to international form, potentially hes a star, but a word of warning, numerous players of equal(ish) calibre at club level have failed at test level, it doesnt mean automatic success.

Personally I think he'll do well for scotland, but i dont think we'll suddenly see scotland becoming a free-scoring side like some suggest...

Who - really who has had such a tremendous record but has failed in the international arena. this is not a good club player like NDL - this is the star of the league who has outplayed and outscored such players as North, Shane williams etc. ~And don't claim this is because he gets to play against all the weaker teams - this has been playing for a team that routinely gets beaten where tries are hard to come by

Of course he might fail - but given just how good his record is I don't think anyone who has actually seen him play has any doubts at all about how good he really is

TJ wrote:

Comfort wrote:I dont think we'll see Visser topping the scoring charts in the rabo now hes not going to be there for half the season like the rest of the internationals.

Visser's a very, very good club player, lets see if that translates to international form, potentially hes a star, but a word of warning, numerous players of equal(ish) calibre at club level have failed at test level, it doesnt mean automatic success.

Personally I think he'll do well for scotland, but i dont think we'll suddenly see scotland becoming a free-scoring side like some suggest...

Who - really who has had such a tremendous record but has failed in the international arena. this is not a good club player like NDL - this is the star of the league who has outplayed and outscored such players as North, Shane williams etc. ~And don't claim this is because he gets to play against all the weaker teams - this has been playing for a team that routinely gets beaten where tries are hard to come by

Of course he might fail - but given just how good his record is I don't think anyone who has actually seen him play has any doubts at all about how good he really is

Aled Brew

TJ - I have my doubts.

All of his acheivements have been set in the RABO league, where the international players are lucky to get half a season's worth of games. Players regularly 'outplay' eachother at club level, because he was perhaps better than shane williams in 1 game at club level, in the RABO league, doesnt necessarily mean he'll succeed at test level - thats the most flawed logic ive seen yet.

NDL was regularly touted as the golden boy to take the scottish 13 shirt and release the backline from its stodgy performances. Its only after his error-riddled performances at test level he was deemed a "good club player", hindsight is a lovely little thing.

I look forward to seeing him turn out for us, I don't thnk he's going to be the answer to all our prayers but he could grab a couple of tries for us.

Whilst I think he will improve the side I have never thought that we have had a problem producing decent wing/three quarters. For the last few years we’ve had decent players in the Lamont brothers, Southwell, the Evans brothers, Walker, Danielli etc… all capable of good finishing.

What we don’t have and haven’t had since Townsend's form dipped/retired is a world class playmaker & second five-eigth.
The relationship between 10-12 is so crucial to good attacking play… yet its where we have lacked quality the most. Until we get decent players in these 2 positions I fear we will continue to suffer.

We have a half decent set piece, a good backrow, scrumhalves and wings…. But flyhalves run the show… have a poor one and it doesn’t matter how good a platform the pack give the backs or how good our wings are… if they don’t the ball in space & have lines cut for them unless you’re Lomu/Jason Robinson you won’t make tries from nothing.

fa0019 wrote:Whilst I think he will improve the side I have never thought that we have had a problem producing decent wing/three quarters. For the last few years we’ve had decent players in the Lamont brothers, Southwell, the Evans brothers, Walker, Danielli etc… all capable of good finishing.

What we don’t have and haven’t had since Townsend's form dipped/retired is a world class playmaker & second five-eigth.
The relationship between 10-12 is so crucial to good attacking play… yet its where we have lacked quality the most. Until we get decent players in these 2 positions I fear we will continue to suffer.

We have a half decent set piece, a good backrow, scrumhalves and wings…. But flyhalves run the show… have a poor one and it doesn’t matter how good a platform the pack give the backs or how good our wings are… if they don’t the ball in space & have lines cut for them unless you’re Lomu/Jason Robinson you won’t make tries from nothing.

For me, that’s where players like Laidlaw, Weir and Scott come in. I think that would be an excellent 9,10 and 12 axis to build on. Defensively solid and creative as well. We haven’t had a player like Scott, especially, in years. Hope he really plays well vs Fiji with ball in hand.

CS, i think that exact axis at 9/10/12 is the future for scotland if Robinson gets his head out of his harris!

fa0019 wrote:Whilst I think he will improve the side I have never thought that we have had a problem producing decent wing/three quarters. For the last few years we’ve had decent players in the Lamont brothers, Southwell, the Evans brothers, Walker, Danielli etc… all capable of good finishing.

It's quite frustrating actually that when Redpath/Armstrong, Townsend and Leslie put together such a formidable 9-12 axis, the outside backs were quite ordinary. Since they disbanded we've had a number of pretty decent outside backs but some real dross at 10 and 12.

For the first time I can remember we actually seem to have good backs coming through across the backline. 12 is still our weakest position, Matt Scott still has much to prove, but even if he founders, hopefully Leonard, Dunbar or perhaps even Jackson will be able to step up as good international quality alternatives at 12.

Comfort wrote:CS, i think that exact axis at 9/10/12 is the future for scotland if Robinson gets his head out of his harris!

To be fair to Robinson, he seems to have done exactly that since the 6 Nations. Very few gripes on here with his selections since the middle of the 6 Nations, and in fact those decisions that some of us have quibbled, Strokosch and Barclay starting against Australia and Grant starting ahead of Welsh, have actually come good.

He's not off the hook by a long shot. Defeat against Fiji and he loses all credit for the Aussie win as far as I'm concerned.

funnyExiledScot wrote:

Comfort wrote:CS, i think that exact axis at 9/10/12 is the future for scotland if Robinson gets his head out of his harris!

To be fair to Robinson, he seems to have done exactly that since the 6 Nations. Very few gripes on here with his selections since the middle of the 6 Nations, and in fact those decisions that some of us have quibbled, Strokosch and Barclay starting against Australia and Grant starting ahead of Welsh, have actually come good.

He's not off the hook by a long shot. Defeat against Fiji and he loses all credit for the Aussie win as far as I'm concerned.

I really hope that as a coach he does better, if we're winning I don't really care who is the coach.

I really hope Dunbar gets some game time so he can develop into a quality 12. Him and Matt Scott fighting it out for the 12 jersey with plenty of options at 13.

I'm still a bit concerned about the halfbacks, obviously Laidlaw is a brilliant kicker but I'm still not convinced by his all round play.

alexgmacdonald wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:

Comfort wrote:CS, i think that exact axis at 9/10/12 is the future for scotland if Robinson gets his head out of his harris!

To be fair to Robinson, he seems to have done exactly that since the 6 Nations. Very few gripes on here with his selections since the middle of the 6 Nations, and in fact those decisions that some of us have quibbled, Strokosch and Barclay starting against Australia and Grant starting ahead of Welsh, have actually come good.

He's not off the hook by a long shot. Defeat against Fiji and he loses all credit for the Aussie win as far as I'm concerned.

I really hope that as a coach he does better, if we're winning I don't really care who is the coach.

I really hope Dunbar gets some game time so he can develop into a quality 12. Him and Matt Scott fighting it out for the 12 jersey with plenty of options at 13.

I'm still a bit concerned about the halfbacks, obviously Laidlaw is a brilliant kicker but I'm still not convinced by his all round play.

I would say he has a better all round game than Weir. Weir is a fantastic kicker but hasn't done much since christmas to warrant election above Laidlaw, the primary exception being how well he played for Scotland A against the Saxons.

Oh I totally agree, I was never saying Weir deserved it more. I think especially during the Six Nations, he sat too far back and played too far behind the gainline meaning we would lose ground. He may be a great club fly half but he is no way Scotland's future.

funnyExiledScot wrote:

Comfort wrote:CS, i think that exact axis at 9/10/12 is the future for scotland if Robinson gets his head out of his harris!

To be fair to Robinson, he seems to have done exactly that since the 6 Nations. Very few gripes on here with his selections since the middle of the 6 Nations, and in fact those decisions that some of us have quibbled, Strokosch and Barclay starting against Australia and Grant starting ahead of Welsh, have actually come good.
He's not off the hook by a long shot. Defeat against Fiji and he loses all credit for the Aussie win as far as I'm concerned.

FES - you're kidding right? There have been loads of gripes on Robbo's selections. 98% were calling for his head post Italy until a month or so ago.

Robbo's been labelled as everything from the worst selector in rugby ever (inc Williams), to the sole reason Scotland were ranked 12th in the world until last weekend.

That looks to have changed since Robinson's turned the page with his backline selection. Which is mixture of the 'enforced' discoveries of the 6N's allied with proven and on form club performers + Mr Visser, our first 'project'.

As a result I'm delighted with the team he's picked for the Fiji and I can't wait to see how we go. Its as close as we get to first choice IMO, barring injury and its liberally seasoned with youth and potential. Just need to figure out how to get ESPN now...

funnyExiledScot wrote:

Comfort wrote:CS, i think that exact axis at 9/10/12 is the future for scotland if Robinson gets his head out of his harris!

To be fair to Robinson, he seems to have done exactly that since the 6 Nations. Very few gripes on here with his selections since the middle of the 6 Nations, and in fact those decisions that some of us have quibbled, Strokosch and Barclay starting against Australia and Grant starting ahead of Welsh, have actually come good.

He's not off the hook by a long shot. Defeat against Fiji and he loses all credit for the Aussie win as far as I'm concerned.

Half the people I know were calling for Laidlaw, Scott and Hogg to start the Six Nations. I'm not for a second suggesting that Scotland would have gone on to win the Six Nations if Robinson had picked a different team but it would have definitely stood us in better stead going forward. I would really question how forward-thinking Robinson is when he is now getting round to picking the team that most Scotland fans would have picked six months ago.

alexgmacdonald wrote:Oh I totally agree, I was never saying Weir deserved it more. I think especially during the Six Nations, he sat too far back and played too far behind the gainline meaning we would lose ground. He may be a great club fly half but he is no way Scotland's future.

What? The guy played 20 minutes vs France when our scrum was being utterly destroyed and when we were under massive pressure at the breakdown, so he had to stand a little further back to actually give himself time to do something with the ball. Every flyhalf in the world would have done the same, especially one on their debut! Also, France were camped in our half, so Weir needed to kick for territory, which he did, not toss the ball around and risk losing the ball on our 22.

Also, he’s barely turned 20! How on earth can you make a judgement about him ‘no way’ being the future for Scotland when he is so young? He’s taken to pro rugby like a duck to water, and played a key role in a game plan which got Glasgow to the Rabo semi-finals. His place kicking is generally immaculate, he’s got a massive boot from hand and can mix it up well with his passing. He played a stormer for Scotland A vs England, and has produced the goods for Glasgow again and again.

Seriously, what an insane statement to make. If we made judgements like this for every player at 20 yrs old then hardly anyone would get a cap for Scotland.

Few points.

1. On the sourness about Visser originally wanting to play for England, I'd like to think that in his interviews when he talks about Scotland 'feeling like home' etc. that he is not lying. It's perfectly consistent too - when he came to Scotland he became a much better player, was developed and nurtured and probably had a good laugh up in Edinburgh all the time (I mean come on, it's a beautiful city) - although Newcastle is also a great place to be for the people.

I turned up in a country once and, even though I am a Scotsman living in England for most his life, it felt like home. Not enough to stay - but I caught a glimpse of what Visser might be feeling. I've no gripe about him turning up in the navy blue. If he doesn't feel Scottish it won't translate to performances: trust me.

2. This match against Fiji is HUGE. Not because of the fixture itself, not because of our world ranking, not because of the possibility of a southern hemisphere grandslam (Xtra-Lite Version.) But because, as has already been mentioned, our backline is in place. Pretty much everybody on this forum wanted to see:

9 Blair
10 Laidlaw
11 Visser
12 Scott
13 De Luca
14 Evans
15 Hogg
20 Cusiter
21 Weir
22 S Lamont

I mean come on - LOOK at that backline. It's actually good ... in theory. Blair is a fantastic open field runner. Laidlaw has a rugby brain and helps in the breakdown often due to his flexibility. Scott is still untested but it an out and out 12 with creativity. De Luca finally has a good 10 and 12 to play off. Visser is Visser. Evans is Evans. Hogg is excellent at broken field and at full back. Blair, Laidlaw, Hogg AND Visser are all known to support line breaks quickly and effectively (and add to that Rennie, Gray, Barclay.)

Having already demonstrated last week that our pack is not just fine, it is currently on immense form, this is now officially our backline testing ground. Fiji. In dry conditions, albeit heat. Fiji who are playing a running game. Scotland who have played a running game now for years. It's time to convert this potential into form.

If we fail to do this against a side relatively unprepared , off the back of an historic win (which is when we're traditionally at our softest, like putty) then I will officially not believe in this international side again. The reason I say that is because for the first time in my life, I think we've got a number on our opponents and will beat them by 20-30.

WHO'S WITH ME?

KickAndChase wrote:Few points.

1. On the sourness about Visser originally wanting to play for England, I'd like to think that in his interviews when he talks about Scotland 'feeling like home' etc. that he is not lying. It's perfectly consistent too - when he came to Scotland he became a much better player, was developed and nurtured and probably had a good laugh up in Edinburgh all the time (I mean come on, it's a beautiful city) - although Newcastle is also a great place to be for the people.

I turned up in a country once and, even though I am a Scotsman living in England for most his life, it felt like home. Not enough to stay - but I caught a glimpse of what Visser might be feeling. I've no gripe about him turning up in the navy blue. If he doesn't feel Scottish it won't translate to performances: trust me.

2. This match against Fiji is HUGE. Not because of the fixture itself, not because of our world ranking, not because of the possibility of a southern hemisphere grandslam (Xtra-Lite Version.) But because, as has already been mentioned, our backline is in place. Pretty much everybody on this forum wanted to see:

9 Blair
10 Laidlaw
11 Visser
12 Scott
13 De Luca
14 Evans
15 Hogg
20 Cusiter
21 Weir
22 S Lamont

I mean come on - LOOK at that backline. It's actually good ... in theory. Blair is a fantastic open field runner. Laidlaw has a rugby brain and helps in the breakdown often due to his flexibility. Scott is still untested but it an out and out 12 with creativity. De Luca finally has a good 10 and 12 to play off. Visser is Visser. Evans is Evans. Hogg is excellent at broken field and at full back. Blair, Laidlaw, Hogg AND Visser are all known to support line breaks quickly and effectively (and add to that Rennie, Gray, Barclay.)

Having already demonstrated last week that our pack is not just fine, it is currently on immense form, this is now officially our backline testing ground. Fiji. In dry conditions, albeit heat. Fiji who are playing a running game. Scotland who have played a running game now for years. It's time to convert this potential into form.

If we fail to do this against a side relatively unprepared , off the back of an historic win (which is when we're traditionally at our softest, like putty) then I will officially not believe in this international side again. The reason I say that is because for the first time in my life, I think we've got a number on our opponents and will beat them by 20-30.

WHO'S WITH ME?

I am