Glasgow and Edinburgh: Ongoing Banter Thread IV

[George Carlin]

First topic message reminder :

Historical Banter:

https://www.606v2.com/t48240-glasgow-and-edinburgh-ongoing-banter-thread
https://www.606v2.com/t51313-glasgow-and-edinburgh-ongoing-banter-thread-ii
https://www.606v2.com/t53119-glasgow-and-edinburgh-ongoing-banter-thread-iii

A new thread for the 2014/5 season.

A. Edinburgh Rugby


1. Coaching Team

Alan Solomons - head coach
Stevie Scott -  assistant coach
Omar Mouneimne - assistant coach

2. Players In

Neil Cochrane from London Wasps
John Andress from Worcester Warriors
Rory Sutherland from Gala RFC
Tom Heathcote from Bath Rugby
Michael Tait from Newcastle Falcons
Fraser McKenzie from Newcastle Falcons
Phil Burleigh from the Highlanders
Anton Bresler from the Sharks
Brett Thompson from USA 7s

3. Players Out

Steven Lawrie retired
Alun Walker released
Alex Allan to Glasgow Warriors
Geoff Cross to London Irish
Lewis Niven released
Sean Cox to London Irish
Robert McAlpine released
Perry Parker to Rotherham Titans
Izak van der Westhuizen released
Ross Rennie to Bristol Rugby
Dimitri Basilaia released
Alex Black released
Greig Laidlaw to Gloucester Rugby
Chris Leck released
Piers Francis released
Gregor Hunter released
Harry Leonard to Leeds Carnegie
Ben Atiga retired
Ben Cairns retired
Nick De Luca to Biarritz Olympique
Lee Jones released
Aleki Lutui to Gloucester Rugby

4. Pre-season Fixtures

Leicester Tigers v Edinburgh
Saturday 23 August, 14:00
Welford Road

Edinburgh v Newcastle Falcons
Friday 29 August, 19:45
Mansfield Park, Hawick

B. Glasgow Warriors


1. Coaching Team

Gregor Townsend – Head Coach
Shade Munro – Forwards Coach
Matt Taylor – Defence Coach

2. Players In

Alex Allan from Edinburgh
Murray McConnell from Ayr RFC
Euan Murray from Worcester Warriors
James Downey from Munster
Rossouw de Klerk from the Cheetahs

3. Players Out

Moray Low to Exeter Chiefs
Chris Cusiter to Sale Sharks
Ruaridh Jackson to London Wasps
Ed Kalman retired
Byron McGuigan released
Finlay Gillies released
Scott Wight to Melrose RFC
Gabriel Ascárate released
Folau Niua released
Carlin Isles to USA 7s

4. Pre-season Fixtures

Glasgow Warriors v Harlequins
Saturday 23 August, 14:30
Scotstoun Stadium

London Scottish v Glasgow Warriors
Saturday 30 August, 15:00
Richmond Athletic Ground

[21st Century Schizoid Man]

Duncan W has not really recovered from his leg break. Terrible shame really as a few seasons ago was a very good defensive !0 . I liked Rhubarb as an offensive 10 and along with Cusiter we will them miss this season. Cusiter is the best SH we have had in Scotland for the last 10 years although Mike Blair ran him close. Think it may have been worth spending big to keep CC.

[George Carlin]

Speaking of Mike Blair, he's scored against Edinburgh already this afternoon.

Current score is Geordies 10 - 18 Jessies (young Timothy scoring 2 for Pappy's Army). Anyone watching it?

[RDW]

Speaking of Mike Blair, he's scored against Edinburgh already this afternoon.

Current score is Geordies 10 - 18 Jessies (young Timothy scoring 2 for Pappy's Army). Anyone watching it?

Judging by the Twitter pictures, not many people are watching it!

[George Carlin]

Young Tommy Allan Heathcote cracks over a penalty which will probably win the game for the Fortnum & Mason account card holders 15-21.

[GLove39]

So final score 15-21 to edinburgh. Doesn't sound that convincing, but a wins a win & good to see that Visser was scoring tries again.

[justified sinner]

Once had a girlfriend from Hawick, never going there again. But encouraging from a young side.

[RDW]

A wins a win! Looking forward to seeing the highlights

[funnyExiledScot]

Good to win and good to see Visser scoring freely. Will need to see highlights when they come online.

[IanBru]

I think the highlights are on immediately after the Glasgow game.

Can I also thank Schiz, GC and Jim for their donations. You guys absolutely rock! I'm genuinely emotional.

I'm up to 9 miles in training, and doing it again tomorrow and Monday. If anyone else wants to donate, that would be outstanding!
https://www.justgiving.com/TheFamilyMac

[RDW]

Bru - you not got any pals outside of V2 who are gonna donate??

[IanBru]

RDW, I'm playing the long game with them.

...it involves a really long golf club.

[George Carlin]

I think the highlights are on immediately after the Glasgow game.

Can I also thank Schiz, GC and Jim for their donations. You guys absolutely rock! I'm genuinely emotional.

I'm up to 9 miles in training, and doing it again tomorrow and Monday. If anyone else wants to donate, that would be outstanding!
https://www.justgiving.com/TheFamilyMac

Green quite suits you. Not as much as it suits RDW, of course.

[RDW]

Well on the topic of charity, I've been picked for the 1s today in the first round of the BT Sport Cup. We are playing a team 2 leagues above us, who just missed out on promotion to Prem 1 last year.

It also turns out 4 of their squad played for Scotland under 19 recently, including my opposite number.

I suspect we're going to be very charitable!

[funnyExiledScot]

I think the highlights are on immediately after the Glasgow game.

Can I also thank Schiz, GC and Jim for their donations. You guys absolutely rock! I'm genuinely emotional.

I'm up to 9 miles in training, and doing it again tomorrow and Monday. If anyone else wants to donate, that would be outstanding!
https://www.justgiving.com/TheFamilyMac

What's wrong with Sunday as well?? You going all Euan Murray on us? I expect considerable pain and sacrifice for my 10 quid!

[funnyExiledScot]

Well on the topic of charity, I've been picked for the 1s today in the first round of the BT Sport Cup. We are playing a team 2 leagues above us, who just missed out on promotion to Prem 1 last year.

It also turns out 4 of their squad played for Scotland under 19 recently, including my opposite number.

I suspect we're going to be very charitable!

Nice knowing you.....

[TheMildlyFranticLlama]

From the Scotsman "Tonks will be frustrated he pulled that shot to the left of the posts, but his all-round performance was once again assured, and the only question-mark hanging over this ­decision to concentrate on playing stand-off rather than full-back is: Why not earlier?"

Got to be good news, lets hope he can make a strong start to the league season

http://www.scotsman.com/sport/rugby/latest/newcastle-15-21-edinburgh-mistakes-marr-win-1-3525688

[jimbopip]

Once had a girlfriend from Hawick, never going there again. But encouraging from a young side.

Is the restraining order still in place then?

[IanBru]

9 miles, bitches.

I think... I think I'm going to hurl.

[IanBru]

Highlights are up for Edinburgh v Falcons:
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/rugby/newcastle-15-edinburgh-21-watch-4132494

I have to say, Inigo Montoya-Clyne looks pretty useful for a young'un.

The Ritchie Gray question rears its ugly head again. I watched the highlights and found myself thinking "Josh Furno [Falcons no. 19] is really impressive!". So:
1. Is Josh Furno actually a good ball-carrying lock, or do I simply think he is because he's more noticeable?
2. Have I prejudiced the result of your judgement by asking question 1?

[cakeordeath]

Is the London Scottish stream Poopie, or is it just me

[IanBru]

Complete and utter poopie.

[IanBru]

Gorgeous try from Mark of Nazareth.

[jimbopip]

No Cake it's pretty poor.

[jimbopip]

made one try scored one try.

[IanBru]

Another for Bennett. He's pretty good, this lad. I'm surprised we haven't heard more about him on here.

[cakeordeath]

Seymour, Jones and Bennett are playing well. I am a bit concerned about our forwards though, they aren't as dominant as they should be

[jimbopip]

scored two

[jimbopip]

24-0 half time.
highlight for me was the Selkirk Pixie picking a fight with the LS second row.

[GLove39]

24-0 half time.
highlight for me was the Selkirk Pixie Pixel picking a fight with the LS second row.

The stream is awful!

[funnyExiledScot]

I gave up on the stream. Couldn't see what was going on!

[IanBru]

Try for Jerry!! Lovely line from the big man.

[IanBru]

Scorching run from Rory Short Fuse, feeding at the end for a try from Murchie.

Outstanding, and quite a relief.

[jimbopip]

Great try to finish off!
Apart from the off-load that started the break I was slightly disappointed by Downey's contribution today. I had hoped that he would punch holes up the middle and create space for Dunbar to exploit but it didn't really happen. Strangely we looked a better side in the first 40 with Henry at 9. I thought we became very shapeless in the second half. But Meatball didn't really convince while he was on the pitch.
Definite starters on Friday?
Naka
Gray
Bluto
DTH
Dunbar

Tenessee Tam ( but Selkirk Pixie will probably bench)
Murchie
Possible starters
Roussow
Bryce
Allan with the sidestep
Shrek
Swinson
Jedi (at 6 Bluto at 8)
Holmes ( Fozzie has not really been at his best)
Mata (will most likely bench)

We should have put 50 on them but the second half just seemed to drift. Both last week and this I feel we gave away soft points.
10 really seems to be the area of greatest concern. Does go with Meatball again and Hornee on the bench, or start with Hornee?
There's never a dull moment with Toonie is there?

[AsLongAsBut100ofUs]

Another for Bennett. He's pretty good, this lad. I'm surprised we haven't heard more about him on here.

I think its better that some things are kept quiet and just left to speak for themselves

[BigGee]

Just back from the game and it really was a game of two halves, to be expected I suppose in a pre season game. LS were really not in it the first 40 and in a normal game would have picked up yellow cards numerous for the amount of penalties they gave away. That made it even more ironic when Seymour got carded for a fairly innocuous tackle in the air towards the end!

I expected them to really cut loose in the second half as LS had been truly battered in the first and I assumed they would tire. That did not prove to be the case though and to their credit LS gave it a good go in the second half.

Weir did not really get the back line moving, nor did anyone else after he went off. The Canadian guy did not entirely convince at FH, maybe he is better further out. For me though it was the set plays that were the most worrying, particularly the scrums, where we were not solid at all. I know the English Championship is a scrummaging league but we really should be able to match it. We missed Murray and/or Cussack quite badly I feel. Allen played TH for part of the second half, he is clearly a versatile prop but still inexperienced.

Anyway it turned out better than it might have, as at half time I was thinking this had been a bit of a wasted journey. I was expected 50-0 at that stage which would have been no use to anyone. In the end they got a decent work out, which is what they needed. Plenty to work on still though, they were nothing like as fluent as last week.

[jimbopip]

Glad you enjoyed the outing G. If you look at my definites for next Friday you'll see no-one from 1-3 or 9-10. Roussow and Allan the sidestep both look good but are way too inexperienced to start against Leinster ( in my mind but in Toonie's?). Shrek hasn't looked convincing and Jerry Y still looks like a good squad player.
The half backs are no better. Meatball hasn't looked anything these last two games and I am coming to the conclusion that Niko is a magician but not a 9: more Tommy Cooper than Merlin.
First game on Friday and already Toonie has me in a spin.

[George Carlin]

Quite a weird game. I couldn't work out if we were actually trying or not. I couldn't work out how our front row, for example, didn't eat theirs and poop out the entrails.

I must be getting old (the highly pixellated feed didn't help) because I was also having difficulty in telling who was actually on the field at the later stages. I think that Naka, Bennett, Dunbar, Seymour and Matawalu looked good. The Selkirk Pixie was as prancy as ever but I still worry about his defence.

Ashe looked like a big lump of beef and put himself about well (albeit his judgement clearly still needs to improve). Bryce has also been on the steroid milkshakes and looked more pumped than I remember him, so I am less nervous about him packing down against Healy and Cronin.

I am concerned about our front row and halfbacks, mostly. Grant is still in rehab so I am happy with Reid, but MacArthur wasn't even on the bench, so I suppose we are looking at Bryce starting. De Klerk is presumably also likely to start which makes a pretty untested front row combo against one of the most settled trios in the league next week.

I don't understand the current brickbats for Matawalu at 9. Why have him anywhere else? We have quality wingers (and Lee Jones) protruding from our collective arse at the moment. Mata is best at 9 and will be one of the most potent weapons we have. No sign of Russell yet though, which is a bit worrying, given that there isn't a font size in the world big enough to write the word 'Meh' that enters my head every time I see Weir touch the ball.

Anyhoo, we are fast bantering to the end of this pre-season thread, so let'e decamp shortly to this one for the Glasgow game:
https://www.606v2.com/t55351-glasgow-warriors-v-leinster-rugby-6-september

and to the thread that RDW will shortly set up for the Edinburgh-Munster game.

As this is a new season, I am looking forward to our other regular Scottish posters taking turns to set up the match threads...

[RDW]

https://www.606v2.com/t55355-munster-v-edinburgh-gp-round-1#2762077

[RDW]

Well on the topic of charity, I've been picked for the 1s today in the first round of the BT Sport Cup. We are playing a team 2 leagues above us, who just missed out on promotion to Prem 1 last year.

It also turns out 4 of their squad played for Scotland under 19 recently, including my opposite number.

I suspect we're going to be very charitable!

Nice knowing you.....

Well we lost 44-7 but put in a decent account of ourselves. They were much better at moving the ball and their 10 was a real standout (a Kiwi that used to play top level amateur rugby in NZ, who didn't come cheap!)

I was pretty underwhelmed in the Scotland under 19 guys, especially my opposite winger. He was a big lad who obviously spent a lot of time in the gym, but didn't stand out as being much faster or more skillful than other wingers I've come up against. Maybe a bit harsh because he didn't see a lot of ball, but if I could manage to tackle him then you've got to ask serious questions!

[BigGee]

I am concerned about our front row and halfbacks, mostly. Grant is still in rehab so I am happy with Reid, but MacArthur wasn't even on the bench, so I suppose we are looking at Bryce starting. De Klerk is presumably also likely to start which makes a pretty untested front row combo against one of the most settled trios in the league next week.

From what I have seen over the two games, Murray will start as TH and is likely to be our no.1 choice this season, which will be good for him and probably for Scotland. We have very few sunday games, so his enforced absences are really not likely to be a factor. De Klerk will back him up and then it would be Allen, who looked better at LH than TH. It would be really good to hear an update on where Cussack is at. We are only one injury away from a problem here, which is a bit of a concern.

Thinking about it, these warm up games were the wrong way around, though I accept that may not have been of Glasgow's choosing. At times against LS, especially in the first half it was way to easy. In a proper game they would have been 30 odd up by penalties by half time and several of their players would have been in the bin. The subs all seemed to be in high spirits, laughing and joking as they warmed up. You did get the sense that they were not totally on it. Certainly the levels of concentration seemed higher last week against the Quins. You do wonder if 2 warm up games is enough, the English sides all seem to play three.

All will be revealed next weekend. On the positive side we have more players still to come back and Leinster are also slowish starters and will no doubt be easing some of their players back as well. I hope we will be ready for them.

[jimbopip]

Well done RDW. Any chance of a posting on Your Match to kick the season off in international style?
You know you can do it.

[Majestic83]

Came across this scheme by Sean Maloney who is one of the commentators/pundits on fox sports rugby coverage in australia. It's callled the call of the wallaby and is a series of programmes following a group of fans trying to get people interested in the wallabies and making the home support more vocal.
Found it interesting and something that is definitely needed to be looked into for Scotland games as there is too much of the prawn sandwhich brigade who are vocal.
Here is the link to the first episode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j23R6nX1dmI
Been 5 episodes so far and found it a good watch.

[George Carlin]

Coman People club captain, Gilchrist vice captain:
http://www.edinburghrugby.org/news/14/09/02/coman-captain-capital-club 

Not a big surprise, although the tiny Alex Salmond-shaped goblin inside me wishes that the captain was Scottish.

[VinceWLB]

This is like the Glasgow's situation when the club "captain" is like 3rd choice in his position

Admittedly i don't rate him much but if he is picked on his leadership abilities alone, what signal does it send to other better rugby players?

[funnyExiledScot]

Agreed Vince - Coman wouldn't be in my first XV, and depending on Grant or Leonardi's form, probably not in the first choice 23 either.

Gilchrist would have been my choice, with Coman and Strauss sharing the duties during the international window.

[jimbopip]

Vince you have not totally absorbed the magic that is the Toonie Tombola. Every player is first choice in his position. Except in the case of Furra Linee who is also first choice in in three others, and of course Richie Vee who will let us know which position(s) he will be first choice in any day now.
Basically Toonie looks at the weather, ground conditions, opposition's strength and weaknesses, the colour of Schiz's vest that morning and then picks the best players for that game. They are the first choices in their position. As I type this I realise I'm not actually joking. Toonie knows there are days when you need an unbalanced maverick creating havoc at 9, Toonie knows there are days when you want a steady, if slow, stream of passes which go pretty much into the 10's hands. Only idiots such us myself and GC argue over who should be first choice: Toonie knows.
Big Al is the first choice when Toonie wants rucks inspected. Big Naka is first choice when Toonie wants the ball waved around a lot. Swinson is first choice when Toonie hasn't had his jollies for a while.
Big Al as captain sends a very clear message about what belonging to Glasgow Warriors is all about. Which is probably why our third choice XV could retain the 1872 at this year's Slaughter of the Effeminates.
Believe in the Tombola.

[IanBru]

I'm not sure about this, but just to play devil's advocate, couldn't a case be made for giving the captaincy to a player that you knew wouldn't be dragged away during the international window?

That would pretty much disqualifies Gilchrist, fine though he would be, as he has firmly established himself as one of the four presumptive locks in the Scotland squad.

Grant less so, but he's always a couple of injuries away from a call-up, particularly with Rennie in limbo and Barclay in the wilderness.

[funnyExiledScot]

I'm not sure about this, but just to play devil's advocate, couldn't a case be made for giving the captaincy to a player that you knew wouldn't be dragged away during the international window?

Ah, so that's why Glasgow have always gone for Kellock, they just didn't factor in Hadden and Robinson actually picking the Ruck Inspector to play international rugby!!

[funnyExiledScot]

Toonie knows there are days when you need an unbalanced maverick creating havoc at 9, Toonie knows there are days when you want a steady, if slow, stream of passes which go pretty much into the 10's hands. Only idiots such us myself and GC argue over who should be first choice: Toonie knows.

I thought we were talking about Henry Pyrgos here. His fly half needs "go gatchet arms" to collect the ball half the time.

The thing with Pyrgos is that he seems to play better for Scotland than for Glasgow. He's made decent cameos in a Scotland jersey, and seems to have the bottle for international rugby. He's a distant second for me in a Glasgow jersey though in my book. Matawalu is box office.

[cakeordeath]

Just watch the "High quality" replay of the London Scottish game, two things stand out. Connor Braid really was Poopie. Alex Allen was pretty good.

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