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.

I'll be extremely annoyed (more so than usual) if I get the impression that SRU orders dictate who can and cannot play in the game, or more particularly where people should play.

This is the HC, and Edinburgh should be putting out the XV with the best possible chance of winning this game. We can worry about Scotland later.

The side should be:

1.Chunk 2.Titterall 3.Nel 4.Gilchrist 5.Cox 6.Basilia 7.Grant 8.Denton 9.Rees 10.Laidlaw 11.T Visser 12.Scott 13.Cairns 14.Fife 15.Tonks

16.Hislop 17.Walker 18.Niven 19.Parker 20.McInally 21.Francis 22.Atiga 23.S Visser

Any dramatic variations from that and I'll suspect SRU involvement.

Could there possibly be a better game for the Scots players to have right now than Sarries in the HC? Perfect preparation for Twickenham. Laidlaw and Scott against Farrell and Barritt, Visser against Ashton.

If Edinburgh muck about it'll be a disgrace.

Chunk is beans, and he has been for a long time. I would put on eof the pups out and if Ford is fit Start him. Otherwise MacArthur has to start for Scotland since ford will have not played a competative game for over a month.

Just read the Denton interview, a very honest self assesment from such a young guy, good to see hes seeking out help with his frustration.

If Ford is fit I'd start him - just assumed he was still injured.

Chunk is still a better bet than Hislop, and we'll need Chunk to stand up to Matt Stevens and dispel this myth than Stevens can scrummage.

Will have a read of the Denton interview later. All I hear from Edinburgh players is that they are frustrating. I have a suggestion:

STOP MAKING STUPID DECISIONS ON THE FIELD AND LEARN HOW TO CATCH A RUGBY BALL.

Hope that helps.

14 pages - well done all

It's not really 14 pages, since a lot of posts have only been to antagonize people... like suggestions of playing Vernon in the backs and Guscott throwing his hat into the ring with suggestions of Visser at Outside Centre.

Game's a bogey

spoilsport!

Technically there's been quite a lot of talk about Edinburgh too...and Alex Salmond (sorry!)

I have no issue with SRU involvement with Edinburgh for this match. Bradley can't pick a team or tactics to save himself, so if there is anyone else within the SRU corridors willing to have a pop then fire on. Can't do any worse.

I agree with EWT, Bradleys selections have baffled us all season long. Can anyone really see that changing this weekend in a dead rubber match?

If he picks Denton at 7 from a prompt from SJ, I will literally eat my hat.

I don't want you lot be be right with your Denton at 7 craziness!

RDW_Scotland wrote:If he picks Denton at 7 from a prompt from SJ, I will literally eat my hat.

I don't want you lot be be right with your Denton at 7 craziness!

It's not crazy! Who would you rather have at 7 for the England match?

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:If he picks Denton at 7 from a prompt from SJ, I will literally eat my hat.

I don't want you lot be be right with your Denton at 7 craziness!

It's not crazy! Who would you rather have at 7 for the England match?

Here we go again!!

RDW_Scotland wrote:

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:If he picks Denton at 7 from a prompt from SJ, I will literally eat my hat.

I don't want you lot be be right with your Denton at 7 craziness!

It's not crazy! Who would you rather have at 7 for the England match?

Here we go again!!

15 pages here we come!!

All I can say to that comment is see pages 1-13 for various informed and not so informed debates on the 7 shirt!

RDW_Scotland wrote:Right, time to get some sense back into this thread!

This is what I think he will pick, not what I would necessarily want, but what I think he would pick.

1 Grant
2 Ford
3 Traynor (Can’t even joke about this – got to be the reverend!)
4 Gray
5 Hamilton
6 Brown (C)
7 Harley/Rennie if fit (please please please please please)
8 Denton
9 Laidlaw
10 Jackson
11 Visser
12 Scott
13 Lamont
14 Maitland
15 Hogg

Well your suggestion is Rennie or Harley. Rennie ain't gonna make it now. If he does you can publicly change my name to something undesirable for the rest of the 6N.

Harley at 7? I Don't see the differance between playing Denton at 7 and Harley at 7 except Harley is a better tackler and Denton is a better carrier.

To get momentum I can understand the argument of playing Denton at 7 and Beattie at 8, however if we anticipate being under the cosh for the bulk of the match I can understand playing Harley at 7 and Denton at 8.

However Beattie has been outstanding for Montpellier whilst Denton has not disgraced himself.... I just don't think he has been playing as well as Beattie.

However Denton IMO brings more to the table going forward than Harley and for that reason, I would put him at openside.

Jeeze were going there again are we...

I just think Denton at 7 is a very big square peg in a round hole, and that we're only considering it because we want to see Denton and Beattie both playing at the same time. Maybe we should accept that they can't, or that we have to move Brown to 7 to do so, which is far from ideal.

I think it is crazy because he has played all of his rugby at 6 or 8, and that the pack will have a real imbalance if he puts him at 7. Yes Harley at 7 wouldn't be great, but he has at least had gametime there this season and acquitted himself fine.

I'd be prepared to put a virtual bet on SJ not picking Denton at 7 - I'd see Parks coming out of retirement as being more likely!

I want to see Denton on the pitch, and currently I don't think he is playing as well as Beattie.

By default in my Squad he goes to 7. I wouldn't be surprised to see SJ do something like that.

His hand is being forced somewhat.

Presumably the teams get announced tomorrow. Looking forward to the conspiracy theories!

My bet is Laidlaw starts at 9 with Francis at 10.

When does the mighty Piers qualify for Scotland anyway??

Yeah pretty sure Laidlaw will be at 9, unless he is being rested of course...

You never know - we might see Denton at 7 and Visser at 13!

Can you imagine Visser at 13? They could send Charlie Hodgson down that channel and he'd go clean through unscathed!

6.Basilia 7.Denton 8.Talei

You heard it here first.

If Fusaro makes it through the Saints game unscathed then I reckon he's in pole position to start vs England... If you're going to play someone at 7, play a bloody seven!!! If he doesn't make it then play someone who has had recent gametime there (Harley/Brown in the AIs) and then if all else fails play someone there who could do a job (Wilson/Denton) but will lack the skills to be a good linkman...

To be honest, I suspect whoever starts at 7 for Glasgow against Saints is in pole position, whether it be Fusaro or Harley.

Ah Charlie 'charge down king' Hodgson.

Almost as brutal as Ronan 'runs through Ross Ford with ease' O'Gara

Malzieu using Lee Jones as a carpet was a low point for me, not to mention Jamie Noon's hat trick against us.

Lucky rugby fans haven't adopted the football chant "can we play you every week". It's all we'd hear at Murrayfield!

I like the football chant, "Are you Scotland in disguise?" when playing a dreadful team. Makes me laugh, a lot!

Murrayfield is not great for atmosphere, need to come up some chants other than progressively loude "Scooootland, Scooootland" ad infinitum!

Hey guys, I put a pole up. Thought it would be interesting to see which players we fancy best to start against england.

I always thought "we're going to deep fry your pizzas" was a great one for the Italy matches.

Two people have put down Heathcote to start!! Own up!

funnyExiledScot wrote:Two people have put down Heathcote to start!! Own up!

Surely Tom's mum and dad.

Five for MacArthur and zero for Ford so far. Interesting.

Are you sure it wasn't SJ who put the poll up? He's a man of the people and all that, maybe he's putting squad selection out to a popular vote!

Ford is so out of form its not funny. I suspect fairly serious mental health issues.

For me the calcutta cup should be Slamonts last game - but I would have him in there to tackle Tuilagi

Frankly I'm surprised that no one has suggest Ford at 7...

Sometimes there's method in my madness, and sometimes there's just madness.

Palm-licking, poopie-throwing madness.

Whoever put Dickinson down to start ahead of Grant could you please leave this forum.

In fact, RDW, please use your magic powers as an administrator and tell us who this person is. I want an address.

In fact it was probably Dan Cole!

funnyExiledScot wrote:Whoever put Dickinson down to start ahead of Grant could you please leave this forum.

In fact, RDW, please use your magic powers as an administrator and tell us who this person is. I want an address.

Is Al Dickinson still playing?

Can't see who cast votes unfortunately! I willing to guess it was a joke though....

If you mean "playing at being a competent professional rugby player", yes.

RDW_Scotland wrote:Can't see who cast votes unfortunately! I willing to guess it was a joke though....

Well it wasn't funny.

Well according to you lot I'm mental and it feckin wasn't me

This has got to be the most meaningless poll ever!

4 mentalists want to play Ross Ford and worse, 2 want Geoff Cross FFS !

Glas a du wrote:This has got to be the most meaningless poll ever!

And this is obviously a meaningful post

All right. I'll tell you what. Go and vote on my poll:
https://www.606v2.com/t39533-greatest-round-2-choose-your-4-and-5

Then have a beer or a nice lie-down and then come back to the abstract clown car that this thread has become.

12etc. It was a criticism of the mechanics of it not the subject matter...

George Carlin wrote:

Then have a beer or a nice lie-down and then come back to the abstract clown car that this thread has become.

The question is, if you put the England and Scotland rugby teams in a box with a rugby ball will Scotland win or lose or both?

Okay so The most popular starting XV so far would be...

1. Grant (18)
2. MacArthur (14)
3. Murray (19)
4. Gray (19)
5. Hamilton (13)
6. Brown (19)
7. Fusaro (11)
8. Beattie (19)
9. Laidlaw (14)
10. Jackson (12)
11. Visser (16)
12. Scott (17)
13. Dunbar/S Lamont (10 each)
14. Maitland (17)
15. Hogg (19)

Very interesting. I see most agree with Johnson that Laidlaw should be at 9 along with Jackson at 10. However, Pyrgos has 8 votes so is also popular.

Beattie and Brown were very popular choices. Fusaro starting at 7 suggests many prefer a true 7 rather than Denton or Brown playing out of position.

Hogg was way ahead of Murchie, which begs the question. Would Hogg have 19 votes if Tonks had been selected? Somehow I think not.

Obviously this means bugger all and a very small sample but its still interesting in my opinion.

I voted for Heathcote FES by the way

When you have Hogg who could slot in anywhere outside 10 and the back row conundrum, it lacks subtlety, but then how do you do it in one article?

Glas a du wrote:When you have Hogg who could slot in anywhere outside 10 and the back row conundrum, it lacks subtlety, but then how do you do it in one article?

Just to be clear, I voted for Maitland at 3, Laidlaw and Jackson at 4 and 5, and Dickinson at 26.