Scotland XV for Autumn Internationals

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Right let's get down to business shall we?!

9/11/13
Scotland vs Japan
KO - 2.30pm

17/11/13
Scotland vs South Africa
KO - 3pm

23/11/13
Scotland vs Australia
KO - 6pm

First of all, the schedule for these three matches is super. Unlike last few years, Scotland will play a less formidable team first before two tough matches against SA and Aus. SA are on a roll at the moment and will be a good, stern test for Scotland before Australia. Injuries may be an issue however as we saw in the summer.

If Scotland beat Australia that will make it 3 wins in a row vs the Wallabies which would be a fantastic achievement. But obviously wins over any of these three teams will be great.

Players

Backs M Bennett (Glasgow), C Cusiter (Glasgow), De Luca (Edinburgh), A Dunbar (Glasgow), M Evans (Castres), T Heathcote (Bath), R Jackson (Glasgow), S Lamont (Glasgow), G Laidlaw (Edinburgh), S Maitland (Glasgow), H Pyrgos (Glasgow), M Scott (Edinburgh), T Seymour (Glasgow), D Taylor (Saracens), G Tonks (Edinburgh), T Visser (Edinburgh), D Weir (Glasgow).
Forwards J Barclay (Scarlets), J Beattie (Montpellier), K Brown (Saracens), B Cowan (London Irish), G Cross (Edinburgh), D Denton (Edinburgh), A Dickinson (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh), C Fusaro (Glasgow), G Gilchrist (Edinburgh) R Grant (Glasgow), J Gray (Glasgow), R Gray (Castres), J Hamilton (Montpellier), R Harley (Glasgow), A Kellock (Glasgow), S Lawson (Newcastle), K Low (London Irish), M Low (Glasgow), P MacArthur (Glasgow), E Murray (Worcester), A Strokosch (Perpignan), T Swinson (Glasgow), J Welsh (Glasgow)

*Sorry for not updating this sooner. My girlfriend and I broke up a few weeks ago after four and a half years, three living together. I've been in a pretty bad place. However, I'm getting better and looking forward to these games so I'll continue to contribute when I can

Maitland - good steady pro performance as usual
Seymour - 2 good tries but needs to work on defensive positioning
Lamont - a true Warrior - gave 100% as always and deserved his try
De Luca - had a reasonable game by his own low standards
Scott - had a fine game esp 2nd 40
Jackson - best game for Scotland - made 2 tries - vg offload for Dickinsons
Laidlaw - probably not his best game by his own high standards
Denton - god game and big carries esp 1st 40
Brown - he aint a 7 but gave his all as per
Stroker - quiet start but came into it and softened up the Jap defence
Swinson - fine game did a hell of a lot of work and deserved mom
Kellock - did ok until Ford's abysmal throwing fell apart
His Holiness the Very Rev Murray - thought he was awesome up front tbh
Ford - bye bye Ross - enough is enough
Grant- looked ok until replaced after 30 - Dickinson did well and vg try
Barclay- usual proper 7 stuff from Barcs
Weir - nice one Wee Man
Pyrgos - looked very sharp and nice we dink for Schlong's try
MacArthur - he belongs out there and he can hook and throw
Gray - got stuck in to a tiring defence. Will play v Boks

Gray in, MacArthur in and maybe  for De Luca

Take it BBC sent along a 4 year old to direct the coverage - it was utterly abysmal from start to finish. Patently obvious directed by someone who had never been to a rugby match before. Was the worst thing about yesterday - infuriated everyone watching at Hughenden - a good crowd too.

Glove - I was actually a little disappointed with Japan, given all the pre-match hype. Let's face it, any team that ships over 40 points against Scotland has had a bad day at the office!

We all knew that they were going to play with a lot of passion, tackle low, be a pain at the rucks and be exciting in attack, but all of the chat was that they were more than that now and were more of a complete rugby team - they've still got a long way to go, but I do hope they get there.

Just watched the highlights - if you just watched that without seeing the game you would think our performance was of the highest order! To be fair we were very good in the 2nd half but the first half really was poor. Let's just hope it was us easing into the AIs.

The two scrums against the head were very worrying - if Japan can do that against us what will SA do?? The fact that we generally destroyed them in every other scrum suggests it was a concentration issue.

Genuine question for my Scottish brethren: I saw more of an offloading game from Scotland than I'm used to seeing, and really enjoyed it. Was that a Scott Johnson influence (like Wales had under him) or more down to the opposition being a bit weaker and allowing it, or a bit of both? Either way, it looked good and paid dividends.

Griff wrote:Genuine question for my Scottish brethren: I saw more of an offloading game from Scotland than I'm used to seeing, and really enjoyed it. Was that a Scott Johnson influence (like Wales had under him) or more down to the opposition being a bit weaker and allowing it, or a bit of both? Either way, it looked good and paid dividends.

The warriors play that type of game, so it may be an influence from that.

Griff wrote:Genuine question for my Scottish brethren: I saw more of an offloading game from Scotland than I'm used to seeing, and really enjoyed it. Was that a Scott Johnson influence (like Wales had under him) or more down to the opposition being a bit weaker and allowing it, or a bit of both? Either way, it looked good and paid dividends.

Actually our offloading game has been something we've been trying to do more and more since Andy Robinson in 2010! Scott Johnson was part of the set up right before Andy Robinson left so I think it's from that. The difference is our backline now reads

Laidlaw
Jackson
Seymour (Visser)
Scott
De Luca (Bennett)
Lamont (Maitland)
Maitland (Hogg)

(brackets being what we would have if everyone fit/we stopped playing De Luca)

instead of

Blair
Parks
Lamont
Morrison
De Luca
Paterson
Southwell

So it's coming to fruition a *little* bit better now.

I'd also say that one tactic that has defined Glasgow in the last two seasons (since Townsend took over) is the high-paced offload/passing game, and I'm sure that this has been carried over to Scotland to a large extent.

Watch the Warriors against Dragons last year (Griff, I'm really sorry to bring that match up, but it's the best illustration that's available on Youtube!  ) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dghE2cjM2dI

Players are constantly looking for the offload and to recycle possession - this is where Maitland really comes into his own, as he almost never takes the ball to ground intentionally. When the ball is passed to the wings, if space is limited or if the covering defender comes across to close space, the winger will cut inside to avoid the touchline (rather than speeding along the touchline and kicking ahead to avoid touch). In this way, possession is maintained wherever possible.

I think Maitland is far better and gets around the field better at 15, I'm not in a rush to move him back to the wing anyways, Hogg needs to improve his form alot to get that shirt back so until that happens Maitland is a great fullback and we have other wing options

Think Hogg would be a good versatile sub that could make a good impact

21st Century Schizoid Man wrote:Maitland - good steady pro performance as usual
Seymour - 2 good tries but needs to work on defensive positioning
Lamont - a true Warrior - gave 100% as always and deserved his try
De Luca - had a reasonable game by his own low standards
Scott - had a fine game esp 2nd 40
Jackson - best game for Scotland - made 2 tries - vg offload for Dickinsons
Laidlaw - probably not his best game by his own high standards
Denton - god game and big carries esp 1st 40
Brown - he aint a 7 but gave his all as per
Stroker - quiet start but came into it and softened up the Jap defence
Swinson - fine game did a hell of a lot of work and deserved mom
Kellock - did ok until Ford's abysmal throwing fell apart
His Holiness the Very Rev Murray - thought he was awesome up front tbh
Ford - bye bye Ross - enough is enough
Grant- looked ok until replaced after 30 - Dickinson did well and vg try
Barclay- usual proper 7 stuff from Barcs
Weir - nice one Wee Man
Pyrgos - looked very sharp and nice we dink for Schlong's try
MacArthur - he belongs out there and he can hook and throw
Gray - got stuck in to a tiring defence. Will play v Boks

Gray in, MacArthur in and maybe  for De Luca

A very fair assessment there, C21st, I'd mark down Murray for losing the scrum that led to the second (I think) Japanese try. De Luca did ok with ball in hand, but missed at least 3 tackles that I counted. Star performers for me were Swinson, Denton, Jackson and Scott.

Japan were a useful test, quite rugby league in style I thought, so not what we are used to playing. From the Wales game, it is clear that South Africa will be a completely different prospect tho. But nice to start the AIs with a win

From the injury reports coming out, I would say it looks unlikely that we will have Scott available next week or for the rest of the series. Its a shame as he had a really good game and is undoubtedly one of our talisman now.

Still things are not as they might have once been and I would be very happy with either Dunbar or Taylor coming in. I would reckon that it will more likely be Duncan Taylor as not sure Dunbar is fit and he has not played for a few weeks anyway.

One thing that the commentators picked up on in the Wales vs South Africa game was how Jean De Villiers likes to rush out of the defence line to cut off the wide attack.

Clearly we shouldn't base our whole attack around this observation, but it's something Jackson (assuming he's picked) and Scott should be aware of. JD2 ran some wonderful lines before going off injured and although the South African scramble defence was unbelievable, the line was breached a number of times. I think ambition will be rewarded next Sunday, we certainly won't be able to just batten down the hatches against that Bok pack (worrying how easily they shoved that big Welsh pack around off the maul - perhaps Jim Hamilton may be a sensible choice).

With respect to the Scotland selection for Sunday, some interesting choices to be made in my opinion. Here's my 23 and why:

1.Grant - easy choice, just hope he's fit. If not Dickinson, who actually did really well coming off the bench, especially in the loose.

2.Ford - harsh on MacArthur, but this is the Boks and we need Ford's power in that front row, particularly without Euan Murray. Ford's ball carrying was solid against Japan.

3.Cross - a selection purely based on continuity, and Welsh is unlucky not to get a chance, although I'd have him on the bench.

4.Swinson. No brainer. Tough, huge workrate and excellent handling skills in the loose. Now one of the first names on the teamsheet.

5.Hamilton. Tough on big Richie, but South Africa will aim to bully us right from the start and we'll need Hamilton's menace and power to stop the maul. Richie on the bench.

6.Strokosch. Warmed up nicely against Japan, now for some of that summer form.

7.Brown (c). Whilst Barclay made a big difference at the breakdown coming on, we need Brown's leadership and consistency. Barclay on the bench for impact.

8.Denton. Some useful carries against Japan, and he never stopped trying. Still not as effective as he can be though, and I felt at times he was holding something back. Vermeulen and Alberts are world class, so we need a massive game from Denton.

9.Laidlaw. The general. Easy. Pyrgos deserves a bench slot after his useful cameo against Japan.

10.Jackson. As noted above, the South African line was porous against Wales, and Jackson's distribution and handling skills can put players into space. Weir to come on to (very optimistically) close out the game....

11.S Lamont - basically now a forward on the wing. No accelaration whatsoever, and I only hope someone ties JP Pietersen's laces together, but he loves a scrap and scraps don't come any larger than South Africa. Comes into his own really when the move breaks down and someone needs to pick up the loose ball and tidy things up, but the South African scramble defence won't be worried about his pace.

12.M Scott - the 12 we've been waiting for. Clever, industrious, powerful and can take the ball effectively at first receiver as well. Please don't ever get injured.

13.Bennett - nothing particularly wrong with NDL's performance, got caught a couple of times in defence by the pace of the Japanese backs and dropped a (poor) pass from Scott early doors, but with Fourie still trying to get up to speed and De Villiers taking a very high risk approach to defence, Bennett's pace and slipperyness is what the doctor ordered here. It would be a bold move, but Bennett's time has come. He's fed the masses with one fish, the rooster has crowed three times, he's been betrayed and his time has come to save us all! Taylor on the bench, and if Bennett is not to start, then I'd like Tayor at 13.

14.Seymour. Yes, the Japanese winger reminded us all of what pace looks like on the left wing (take note Sean Lamont), and yes, Seymour was skinned several times, but he's a direct and clever runner in attack and whilst his positioning may not be robust, he's no shirker in the tackle when he does get there. Deserves to play.

15.Maitland. Easy. Whilst I prefer him on the wing, and I expect him to return there when Hoggy returns, his counter-attacking and running lines are pure class. Needs a haircut mind.

The main issue I'd have with Jackson starting against the Boks is how indecisive he looks when he takes it into contact. It doesn't look like he protects the ball enough and Louw and Vermeulen for the boks will hold him up or rip it off him all day.

Scott would be a big big loss...

Next week I'd go for:

1. Grant
2. Ford
3. Welsh
4. Gray
5. Swinson
6. Brown
7. Barclay
8. Beattie
9. Laidlaw
10. Weir
11. Lamont
12. Scott
13. Bennett
14. Seymour
15. Maitland

16. Dickinson
17. MacArthur
18. Cross
19. Gray
20. Strockosch
21. Cusiter
22. Jackson
23. Taylor

Whilst Denton's done nothing wrong I don't think we can afford to go out against South Africa without a proper openside and therefore we need to choose between Strockosch and Brown and I think Brown is the more complete player and is also the leader. Strockosch could be extremely destructive coming off the bench whereas Denton hasn't got the same element to his game and both him and Beattie on the pitch would be disastrous if one was to get injured.
Weir should be picked as he was infinitely better than Jackson when he came on his boot combined with Barclay's breakdown work could allow us to boot them down the pitch and keep them there, the idea of Seymour against Habana is rather frightening but we have little or no option.

I had a really odd experience at Murrayfield this time.

I bought my ticket back in July - West stand, row H, next to the tunnel. I arrived thirty minutes before kickoff yesterday, hoping to see the pipers, pre-match entertainment, etc. , and found a 'Reserved - SRU' sign on my seat. I pointed this out to the S4C security guys, but the ticketing office couldn't be reached on their phones. I was provided with another seat, closer to the pitch in the same section (but frankly, the view wasn't as good), right behind the Japanese subs and coaching staff.

However, this whole process took half an hour, and I only got to my seat in time for the last line of our anthem. It's safe to say I was properly fuming. The orange soft drink in by veins was bubbling intensely!

During the match, I looked back and saw a load of tweed-wearing flat-cap festooned C-Units larging it up in my seat. This did not improve my mood!

After the match, I complained at the SRU ticket office. To their credit, they tried to give me a free seat at either of the next two internationals, but since I'm going to both already, they simply refunded my seat. Excellent customer service, rectifying a situation that shouldn't have occurred in the first place!

I have to say, I've been critical of S4C people before, particularly at Glasgow games, but they were surprisingly helpful throughout - the exact opposite of the feckless idiots they use at Scotstoun, who would have trouble buttering toast in a competent manner. The S4C chaps at Murrayfield were excellent.

Jeez Ian - I would have been beside myself with rage. Especially some free loading, SRU hanger on, bell end on your seat. Think I would have toughed it out and sat on it, if with the mem sahib - Mrs Schiz can get very scary when cornered !!!!!!
I have always found th North Satnd S4C peeps pretty good at Scotstoun - friendly most of them. I have never really had a problem tbh.

fES- looks like Scott is oot next week as he was taken to hospital last night - bummer.

Numbers - beattie has barely played all season, no way he should be picked over Denton who is playing well just now.

Hooker, one who hooks
Ford, one who looks
at the ball below his knees
and wonders if he lifts one foot from the ground
will the scrum spin round and round
Hooker one who hooks
Ford one who looks

Horrible news if true that Scott is out. Step forward Duncan Tayor. Not a bad replacement at all, and probably a better defender, but he is more direct and lacks guile in comparison.

Ian - there were some real 'characters' in the East Stand as well. Think it was a hooray henry stag festival or something - lots of tweed and guffawing.

Any injury news from the south african camp?

On serious note, it was very interesting that Rab C decided to use forwards at first receiver 50% of the time thereby setting up a ruck to allow Jackson to get his hands on the ball without flankers bearing down on him. Will we do this against the bok?
Also De Luca Meh! Nothing awful but not really convincing.
Kellock good.
Ford FFS

In other news; Scotland are in the Quarter Finals of the League World Cup and now play the Champions New Zealand (Sonny Bill Williams etc). Great achievement.

jimbopip wrote:On serious note, it was very interesting that Rab C decided to use forwards at first receiver 50% of the time thereby setting up a ruck to allow Jackson to get his hands on the ball without flankers bearing down on him. Will we do this against the bok?
Also De Luca Meh! Nothing awful but not really convincing.
Kellock good.
Ford FFS

 

What did Kellock do wrong exactly ?

Nothing, but did he add anything that our other 2nd does can't do much better?

I know Kellock is God to you Glasgow lot but his ball carrying, physicality and strength really isn't good enough fir a modern day 2nd row.

It's no longer good enough to just be a 'lineout expert' at international level.

jimbopip wrote:Hooker, one who hooks
Ford, one who looks
at the ball below his knees
and wonders if he lifts one foot from the ground
will the scrum spin round and round
Hooker one who hooks
Ford one who looks  

Jimbo if it wasn't so sad and true that would be a true work of art. Ford is bloody rubbish - you put it way more subtly but lets face he is utter crap as a hooker. The MFLs should stick him at 8 and see how he gets on there. Pat MacArthur and Dougie Hall are streets ahead of him - in basic hooker duties.

21st Century Schizoid Man wrote:What did Kellock do wrong exactly ?

He failed to jump three yards towards his own line in order to catch some of Ford's lineouts. 
If there is no Scott 12 then it probably will be either Dunbar-  or Taylor- De Luca. ( That last one sounds like she has appeared in some dodgy dvd's).
Can't see even Rab C pairing two very inexperienced centres together like Taylor- 

Also, even the most die hard weegie would admit kellock is Scotland's 4th choice lock at best, soon to be 5th choice.

Real pity we will not see Scott and Dunbar at 12-13. However the  is strapping on his wings ready for the call from Rab C !

RDW_Scotland wrote:Also, even the most die hard weegie would admit kellock is Scotland's 4th choice lock at best, soon to be 5th choice.

No 5 to who - Gilchrist -don't make me laugh !

Your very own gray jnr.

Weegies slag off any Edinburgh player going but are completely blind to Kellocks weaknesses, there's a surprise....

Actually Schiz, the pecking order could well be Swinson, Gray, Big Jim, Gray and then Big Al. For those of you who get confused over such theological/fashionista matters Kellock is not God but agenuine hard man playing rugby and not a Metrosexual Luvvie. I know some in the east find it difficult to tell the last two apart.

Not denying he's a tough nut who will give his all, he's just not got the physical attributes of a modern day lock.

RDW, you may well be right but if we are looking at 5 locks for the pre world cup squad then surely he's in contention? If Fern Cotton takes four then it should be the first four above.

tigertattie wrote:Only changes I'd make next week is Gray for Kellock and MacArthur for Ford.

Can McArthur hook tho?

Yes, MacArthur can hook.

jimbopip wrote:RDW, you may well be right but if we are looking at 5 locks for the pre world cup squad then surely he's in contention? If Fern Cotton takes four then it should be the first four above.

+1 Gold star to this man.

RDW, you're surprised that we defend Kellock? He's been our captain for eight seasons, during which we've transformed from also-rans to genuine title contenders. He embodies Glasgow as a team and as a city, so you'll forgive us if we defend the guy that played 80 minutes both of the last two times we beat Australia.

So exactly what has Hamilton brought to the Scotland cause - nothing apart from grief. So called 'hard man' enforcer - yeah right. This whole thing pisses me off - the luvvies big up some useless nonentity -Gilchrist springs to mind although McInally and fnaaar- fnaaar, Lee Jones, are the best examples - and some fud like Robinson picks em. It is the tweed bearing, hinger-on wearing, royal sycophants of SRU land that assist in all this. My laboured point is what has Hamilton brought that Al Kellock hasn't- feck all !
Remember Lee Jones and Grant Gilchrist have Scotland caps ffs !

Kellock is a great club captain but his best is only just enough for internationals. Just a bit slow and lumbering - he is not called the ruck inspector for nothing!. Swinson offers more as does both Grays. ( I wouldn't rate Hamilton much better)

If you could combine Kellock's attitude and mentality with Gilchrist's physique you'd have a very fine player indeed.

In terms of pecking order I put Swinson, Gray snr and Hamilton out front, with a posse of Kellock, Ryder, Gray jnr and Gilchrist following up. He's a Glasgow legend, and rightly so, and he's always put in a shift for Scotland. I just don't want him up against Etzebeth, the comparison will not be flattering in the slightest.

I know we can be blind when it comes to our own players, but when I mentioned before that some Glasgow fans don't support Edinburgh at all, many were quick to put me right. Well, just read the thread above and tell me we're all on the same side....

Hey FES, I know I get a bit Glasgow-centric at times, but don't doubt my support for Edinburgh and the players - for serious mate!

It seems that Scotland have qualified for the League quarter finals - a whole load of the players are having to get extra time off work for this match, with one guy having to cancel two fireplaces he was due to be installing tomorrow. That, I think, underlines the achievement.

Having seen a good bit of Matty Russell during this tournament (and hopefully much more!), if the Scotland selectors or the Edinburgh contract men aren't knocking his door down once this tournament is over, there's something seriously wrong with the SRU.

IanBru wrote:Hey FES, I know I get a bit Glasgow-centric at times, but don't doubt my support for Edinburgh and the players - for serious mate!

It seems that Scotland have qualified for the League quarter finals - a whole load of the players are having to get extra time off work for this match, with one guy having to cancel two fireplaces he was due to be installing tomorrow. That, I think, underlines the achievement.

Having seen a good bit of Matty Russell during this tournament (and hopefully much more!), if the Scotland selectors or the Edinburgh contract men aren't knocking his door down once this tournament is over, there's something seriously wrong with the SRU.

Agreed, the main target the SRU need to go for is Matty Russell, outstanding player and only going to get better and better. The other player the SRU need to target is Newcastle Falcons Tight head Scott Wilson, Scottish Born but played for England U20 due to his mother being from England. Not many top quality Scottish tight heads on the scene or coming through the ranks but Wilson could be very very good.

So wait, just because kellock is a Glasgow legend it means you're not allowed to point out his failings at international level? Chunk was an Edinburgh legend too but it quickly became obvious he just wasn't cut out for it anymore.

And 21st - you're not gonna find many Edinburgh fans saying that gilchrist and lee Jones should be playing for Scotland just now. Still think gilchrist is a good prospect for the future though.

RDW_Scotland wrote:So wait, just because kellock is a Glasgow legend it means you're not allowed to point out his failings at international level? Chunk was an Edinburgh legend too but it quickly became obvious he just wasn't cut out for it anymore.

And 21st - you're not gonna find many Edinburgh fans saying that gilchrist and lee Jones should be playing for Scotland just now. Still think gilchrist is a good prospect for the future though.

RDW, I would agree with you on Al Kellock - thought he did ok against Japan, but not much more than that. He remains for me at this stage of his career an excellent club player, who is just a shade short of international class. That would apply to a number of our players, whether from Glasgow or Edinburgh, but I'm pleased that Big Al got a run out and he didn't let anybody down.

So looks like Scott will miss at least the South Africa game, poss also Grant and Kellock thru concussion protocols, Meatball thru a groin strain, Murray thru religious conviction and Tim Swinson with a shoulder knock - well Rab C was keen to test our strength in depth and now it looks like he has his wish!

If none of those players recover, I'm going with:

Dickinson-MacArthur-Welsh
Gray snr-Hamilton
Brown-Denton-Barclay
Laidlaw-Jackson
Taylor-
Lamont-Maitland-Seymour

MacArthur deserves his chance over Ford, the rest of the front row picks itself imo, Cross and Low on the bench alongside Ford; the boiler room pairing is also obvious with Gray jnr on the bench, and Stroks drops to the bench in a swap with John Barclay; I'm sticking with my half-back pairing, but Cus and Heathcote move up to the bench; we're going to give Taylor and a baptism of fire, and the back three remains as is, with RDW promoted to bench ahead of Max Evans

Brilliant Asbo - I'll bring my boots!

I'd be concerned if that was our starting front row - it would get eaten alive by the staffers!

RDW, who would you have ahead of Dickinson?
ASBO, I like the look of your team but I don't think Rab C will go with the baptism of fire partnership.
I think Taylor-De Luca ( if she can get time off from making "educational" videos for the discerning gentleman) or Dunbar-  but since Dunbar hasn't played since the relief of Mafeking look to see De Luca make a name for himself. One way or the other:goodluck: 

It's a good question pip - Dickinson has been playing well all season for Edinburgh but we know at international level he isn't the strongest scrummager. I'm just concerned if he was also paired with MacArthur because both are fairly lightweight. I'm a fan of John Welsh but he seems to blow hot and cold in the scrummaging front.

If we have to pick Dickinson I'd pick Ford too for his extra bulk - give McArthur the starting shirt against Aus.

With regards to centres, we really can't be throwing a Tayloe-Messiah combination in against SA, and indeed I don't see him doing that. I suspect De Luca will keep his place with one of the two paired with him.

The Scotsman are suggesting Shlong at 13....

RDW_Scotland wrote:Brilliant Asbo - I'll bring my boots!

I'd be concerned if that was our starting front row - it would get eaten alive by the staffers!

Good man, RDW, knew you'd step up to the task!

Don't think we have much choice in the front row tho, if Grant joins Murray on the unable to play list? No point in having a hooker that won't hook, Dickinson has been holding his own at loosehead, and Welsh was only monstered by Toulon this year, he's been decent against all others (Cross would be much of a muchness). Undoubtedly our gameplan should be to concede as few scrums as possible tho

RDW_Scotland wrote:It's a good question pip - Dickinson has been playing well all season for Edinburgh but we know at international level he isn't the strongest scrummager.  I'm just concerned if he was also paired with MacArthur because both are fairly lightweight.  I'm a fan of John Welsh but he seems to blow hot and cold in the scrummaging front.

If we have to pick Dickinson I'd pick Ford too for his extra bulk - give McArthur the starting shirt against Aus.

With regards to centres, we really can't be throwing a Tayloe-Messiah combination in against SA, and indeed I don't see him doing that.  I suspect De Luca will keep his place with one of the two paired with him.

The Scotsman are suggesting Shlong at 13....

I agree, but he may feel that his hand has been forced? I suspect he had Scott-Messiah pencilled in for this game, with Taylor-de Useless for the Aussie game

The Scotsman are also suggesting there will be changes for the backrow, although injuries aside I can’t really see why.

Can’t see him dropping Strokosh after what happened against SA in the summer, Brown won’t be dropped so does that mean Denton is out? I think we need Denton’s physicality and Beattie has barely played all season. Perhaps he wants to move Brown to 8 and bring in Barclay?

RDW, I have a feeling we will see lots of fat boys taking up first phase to tie in the Bok back row and in that case a real 7 is essential, so Barclay should start.
So...
Strokes-Brown-Barclay
or
Brown-Dozer-Barclay
You pays your money and so on. Personally, I think Kellybrows should be at 6 and nowhere else, Strokes getting angry on the bench!

RDW_Scotland wrote:The Scotsman are also suggesting there will be changes for the backrow, although injuries aside I can’t really see why.  

Can’t see him dropping Strokosh after what happened against SA in the summer, Brown won’t be dropped so does that mean Denton is out? I think we need Denton’s physicality and Beattie has barely played all season.  Perhaps he wants to move Brown to 8 and bring in Barclay?

That would be harsh on Denton - I thought he was one of our better players, certainly in terms of ball carrying, altho I noticed that he came in for some criticism from Gav Hastings in the Rugby Paper for his technique in the carry and getting isolated, and generally not doing enough hard 'unseen' work (yawn)