Scotland squad for the 6 Nations

First topic message reminder :

Scotland squad for training camp in Glasgow (January 20-23) ahead of RBS 6 Nations Championship:

Backs: Peter Murchie*, Stuart Hogg, Sean Maitland*, Tommy Seymour*, Sean Lamont (all Glasgow Warriors), Tim Visser (Edinburgh Rugby), Max Evans (Castres), Matt Scott (Edinburgh Rugby), Alex Dunbar* Peter Horne*, Duncan Weir, Ruaridh Jackson (all Glasgow Warriors), Tom Heathcote (Bath Rugby), Henry Pyrgos, Sean Kennedy* (both Glasgow Warriors) and Greig Laidlaw (Edinburgh Rugby).

Forwards: Alasdair Dickinson (Sale Sharks), Ryan Grant, Dougie Hall, Pat MacArthur* (all Glasgow Warriors), Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby), Euan Murray (Worcester Warriors), Geoff Cross (Edinburgh Rugby), Moray Low, Alastair Kellock (both Glasgow Warriors), Richie Gray (Sale Sharks), Jim Hamilton (Gloucester), Grant Gilchrist* (Edinburgh Rugby), Kelly Brown (Saracens), Robert Harley, Ryan Wilson* (both Glasgow Warriors), Johnnie Beattie (Montpellier), David Denton (Edinburgh Rugby), Richie Vernon (Sale Sharks), Chris Fusaro* (Glasgow Warriors).

* = Uncapped.

Invited to be with the squad as they recover from injury: Chris Cusiter, John Barclay and Jon Welsh (all Glasgow Warriors) Nick De Luca and Ross Rennie (both Edinburgh Rugby) and Scott Lawson (London Irish).

Note to editors: Alasdair Strokosch (Perpignan) will miss the camp for family reasons as his wife is expecting their second child.

RDW_Scotland wrote:

NeilyBroon wrote:what do people reckon to Wilson at 7?

See Denton earlier for my opinion on that! For me we need to play a genuine 7 but failing that we need someone who at least has experience there, i.e. Brown. Long term there's maybe sense in looking at someone getting gametime there to see how they do but not for this 6N.

Easy there big feller.

Now. How about 9. Leck 10. Godman 11. Dewey 12. Morrison 13. Messiah 14. Jones and 15. Laney?

See how bad it could be??

perhaps we need to call Dan Parks out of retirement for the openside

1. Strauss (he is a project player)
2. Fusaro
3. Grant (the Edinburgh one)
4. Harley
5. Denton
6. Brown
7. Barclay
8. Beattie
9. Rennie
10. Wilson
11. Vernon
12. MacInally
13. Strockosch
14. Ally Hogg
15. Taylor

123456789 wrote:1. Strauss (he is a project player)
2. Fusaro
3. Grant (the Edinburgh one)
4. Harley
5. Denton
6. Brown
7. Barclay
8. Beattie
9. Rennie
10. Wilson
11. Vernon
12. MacInally
13. Strockosch
14. Ally Hogg
15. Taylor

Like it - I was trying to work that out but gave up. what a team that would be

Maybe that's where we've been going wrong all these years...!

123456789 wrote:1. Strauss (he is a project player)
2. Fusaro
3. Grant (the Edinburgh one)
4. Harley
5. Denton
6. Brown
7. Barclay
8. Beattie
9. Rennie
10. Wilson
11. Vernon
12. MacInally
13. Strockosch
14. Ally Hogg
15. Taylor

I reckon Hogg and Vernon would do ok on the wings tbh!

Big Al at outside centre would be awesome.

He could headbutt colleagues to his heart's content.

Fresh from the Scotland team twitter account "There are 10 uncapped players in a 35 strong Scotland squad for training in Glasgow next week ahead of the RBS 6 Nations. More details soon. "

Let's have a competition, if you can guess all ten then you win!

I guess:
Maitland
Tonks
Fusaro
Gilchrist
Wilson
MacInally
Seymour
MacArthur
Swinson
Murchie

Think we should start a new thread when it is announced - I'll leave it to whoever gets to the article first!

RDW_Scotland wrote:Think we should start a new thread when it is announced - I'll leave it to whoever gets to the article first!

Or we stay on this one and make it look like we are having a massive debate similar to the Welsh and English...

I like new threads - they are less intimidating for people who haven't been on here for a few days and have missed pages worth of new posts!

123456789 wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:Think we should start a new thread when it is announced - I'll leave it to whoever gets to the article first!

Or we stay on this one and make it look like we are having a massive debate similar to the Welsh and English...

+1

I would like RDW to confirm why he had such a total wobbler at the idea of Denton at 7. I think with our current injuries to the openside berth it makes perfect sense.

Beattie & Denton in the same side with Gray and possibly Ford could make our pack one of the most destructive carrying units in the 6N...

It doesn't really matter anyway, the same things will be spoken about

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:

123456789 wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:Think we should start a new thread when it is announced - I'll leave it to whoever gets to the article first!

Or we stay on this one and make it look like we are having a massive debate similar to the Welsh and English...

+1

I would like RDW to confirm why he had such a total wobbler at the idea of Denton at 7. I think with our current injuries to the openside berth it makes perfect sense.

Beattie & Denton in the same side with Gray and possibly Ford could make our pack one of the most destructive carrying units in the 6N...

You’re a tighthead radge – all you know is scrum scrum scrum!

I don’t understand – in the AIs and in the past few weeks there’s been a general consensus on here that we need a 7 playing at 7 and that Kelly Brown should be no where but blindside. So based on this conclusion why should we put Denton at 7, considering he has even less of the required skill set for 7 that Brown has??

Let's get this thread on to page 8 at least, for god's sake.

Those Irish lads can do 23 pages just talking about Darren Cave's haircut.

OK - do you want me to re-name it at least??

Squad announced

Scotland squad for training camp in Glasgow (January 20-23) ahead of RBS 6 Nations Championship:

Backs: Peter Murchie*, Stuart Hogg, Sean Maitland*, Tommy Seymour*, Sean Lamont (all Glasgow Warriors), Tim Visser (Edinburgh Rugby), Max Evans (Castres), Matt Scott (Edinburgh Rugby), Alex Dunbar* Peter Horne*, Duncan Weir, Ruaridh Jackson (all Glasgow Warriors), Tom Heathcote (Bath Rugby), Henry Pyrgos, Sean Kennedy* (both Glasgow Warriors) and Greig Laidlaw (Edinburgh Rugby).

Forwards: Alasdair Dickinson (Sale Sharks), Ryan Grant, Dougie Hall, Pat MacArthur* (all Glasgow Warriors), Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby), Euan Murray (Worcester Warriors), Geoff Cross (Edinburgh Rugby), Moray Low, Alastair Kellock (both Glasgow Warriors), Richie Gray (Sale Sharks), Jim Hamilton (Gloucester), Grant Gilchrist* (Edinburgh Rugby), Kelly Brown (Saracens), Robert Harley, Ryan Wilson* (both Glasgow Warriors), Johnnie Beattie (Montpellier), David Denton (Edinburgh Rugby), Richie Vernon (Sale Sharks), Chris Fusaro* (Glasgow Warriors).

* = Uncapped.

Invited to be with the squad as they recover from injury: Chris Cusiter, John Barclay and Jon Welsh (all Glasgow Warriors) Nick De Luca and Ross Rennie (both Edinburgh Rugby) and Scott Lawson (London Irish).

Note to editors: Alasdair Strokosch (Perpignan) will miss the camp for family reasons as his wife is expecting their second child.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vRnt5bewjg

David Denton is playing 7

However I'm of the opinion that the Scottish player playing the best in that position should generally play, the only exception should be one or two very good players off form such as Ross Ford or if Richie Gray was off form.
I think Fusaro has been the stand out seven in Scotland this year and so should start, Beattie has been the best eight and I haven't seen much of Brown but either he or Harley should start. We could try to shoehorn Denton in but what would it achieve, we're not short of strong runners and it could wreck his confidence on the other hand we could have him coming off the bench with a point to prove like against New Zealand, we should be encouraging competition rather than making it clear we'll find a place for him.

That was under 20s numbers! A long time ago.

Anyway - to the squad.

First thoughts - great to see Beattie in there.

Final thought - are we that desperate at scrum half that we need an EDP player who has only played a handful of pro games in Sean Kennedy??

On the squad there is no real outside centre, Dunbar and Scott are inside centres, Max Evans and Sean Lamont are wingers and Hogg is a full back. Murchie over Tonks is a strange decision but I doubt he'll play and the thought of Al Dickinson against Dan Cole is terrifying aside from that I like it.

RDW_Scotland wrote:That was under 20s numbers! A long time ago.

Anyway - to the squad.

First thoughts - great to see Beattie in there.

Final thought - are we that desperate at scrum half that we need an EDP player who has only played a handful of pro games in Sean Kennedy??

It appears so but he did look quite good and if none of the current bunch are up to it I'd rather a young guy got the experience.

Good point numbers, just realised there's no Tonks.

That's a poor decision IMO - what has Tonks got to do to get picked??

I agree with you 'numbers'. Tonks is quite an omission. I also thought Rory Lawson would get the nod for his experience.

Tonks will be really pished off, and rightly so. He has been really good for Edinburgh.

Nice to see Beattie back. As for Kenedy...

Weird, that Tonks has missed out, when I heard about the 10 uncapped players he was the first on my list

No Alex Grove either,big surprise. Thought Reid or Sheils would have been ahead of Dickinson as well.

Good shout. I had Groves starting.

renaming this thread has just confused me

Christ Grove as well - I really should have paid more attention!

It is a little alarming that Robinson's favourites - Evans, Dickinson and to an extent Murchie - have been picked over form players.

Has Max even being playing for Castres?

At least there's no Graeme Morrison or Nikki Walker

TJ wrote:renaming this thread has just confused me

I'm sure you will get up to speed soon! It was just to avoid the inevitable 3 different threads started up on the same thing. I was also requested to keep this one so to look like the Scots can have a long debate too!

RDW_Scotland wrote:Christ Grove as well - I really should have paid more attention!

It is a little alarming that Robinson's favourites - Evans, Dickinson and to an extent Murchie - have been picked over form players.

Has Max even being playing for Castres?

I'm guessing because the SRU paid so much in his trial they feel obliged to play him. He has been rubbish for Scotland since twickenham 2 years ago.

I beleive we are a little tight on posts, so getting up to 8 pages will be a good achievement

So is this the team then?

1. Strauss (he is a project player)
2. Fusaro
3. Grant (the Edinburgh one)
4. Harley
5. Denton
6. Brown
7. Barclay
8. Beattie
9. Rennie
10. Wilson
11. Vernon
12. MacInally
13. Strockosch
14. Ally Hogg
15. Taylor

Yay :

Sean Maitland - oh thank Oprah for that.

Johnnie Beattie - Return of the King.

Tommy Seymour - deserves his place and to get to know the squad better.

Moray Low - but does this mean that the big feller is actually fit?

Chris Fusaro - see 'Moray Low'.

Ryan Wilson - probably won't make the XXIII but deserves recognition for his big season to date.

Nay :

Peter Murchie - in ahead of Tonks and incorrectly so.

Max Evans - surely we can find another poncy dwarf who specialises in blind alley running and getting turned over?

Sean Kennedy - oof. That's the sound of a bare cupboard being scraped.

Richie Vernon - hold that tacklebag straight Richie, there's a good lad.

No Tim Swinson.

No Alex Grove. MEvans does not deserve his spot.

Does this mean its either Schlong or Hogg at 13?

nickj wrote:Does this mean its either Schlong or Hogg at 13?

I'm afraid it does. If Murchie starts at 15, I'm going to yog.

TJ wrote:So is this the team then?

1. Strauss (he is a project player)
2. Fusaro
3. Grant (the Edinburgh one)
4. Harley
5. Denton
6. Brown
7. Barclay
8. Beattie
9. Rennie
10. Wilson
11. Vernon
12. MacInally
13. Strockosch
14. Ally Hogg
15. Taylor

That was someone making a joke on the topic of playing folk out of position!

7 players from Edinburgh - that has got to be a record low!

Who cares about edinburgh representation? I want the best players to be picked, whoever they represent at club level.

Thats why Tonks emmision is an enraging call at best.

And why o why is Max Evans being picked. He is dross.

No doubt there will be lots who disagree, but this squad looks like it will really miss De Luca

Scott Johnson said: “We’ve chosen this squad with two parameters uppermost in our minds: current form and looking to the future.

Yet no Tonks how could he ignore Tonks!?!? Was Johnson not at the 1872 cup games? Does Tonks not want to play for Scotland? How could murchie get the nod over Tonks?

Otherwise I am happy enough, great to see Beattie back. Not so pleased to see Evans but oh well, it was gonna happen I guess.

Nothing to add, just trying to help get you chaps to 8 pages.

Effervescing Elephant wrote:Nothing to add, just trying to help get you chaps to 8 pages.

Top man!

I'm annoyed to see Evans in the squad over Grove but relatively happy over the rest. Disappointed for Tonks, if Laidlaw has got in, Tonks should too.

My guess for starting:

1. Grant
2. Hall
3. Murray
4. Gray
5. Hamilton
6. Brown
7. Grant
8. Beattie

9. Laidlaw
10. Jackson

11. Visser
12. Scott
13. Evans?
14. Maitland

15. Hogg

I'm disappointed by Grove's absence. Looks like we'll be seeing Dunbar or Slamont at 13.

Roddy grant ain't in the squad nelly?

RDW_Scotland wrote:

TJ wrote:So is this the team then?

1. Strauss (he is a project player)
2. Fusaro
3. Grant (the Edinburgh one)
4. Harley
5. Denton
6. Brown
7. Barclay
8. Beattie
9. Rennie
10. Wilson
11. Vernon
12. MacInally
13. Strockosch
14. Ally Hogg
15. Taylor

That was someone making a joke on the topic of playing folk out of position!

Looks like a good team to me