Scotland 6N lookahead

by **RDW** Sun 23 Nov 2014, 10:36 am

First topic message reminder :

Scotland 6N lookahead - Page 12 Vern_c10

Fixtures

07/02 France V Scotland - 17:00
15/02 Scotland V Wales - 15:00

28/02 Scotland V Italy - 14:30

14/03 England V Scotland - 17:00
21/03 Scotland V Ireland - 14:30

6N standings last 10 years

2014 - 5th, 1 win
2013 - 3rd, 2 wins
2012 - 6th, 0 wins
2011 - 5th, 1 win
2010 - 5th, 1 win
2009 - 5th, 1 win
2008 - 5th, 1 win
2007 - 6th, 1 win
2006 - 3rd, 3 wins
2005 - 5th, 1 win

Squad

FORWARDS: Hugh Blake Erm

(Edinburgh Rugby), Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Blair Cowan, Geoff Cross (both London Irish), David Denton, Alasdair Dickinson (Edinburgh Rugby), Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Richie Gray (Castres), Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby), Jim Hamilton (Saracens), Rob Harley, Euan Murray, Gordon Reid (all Glasgow Warriors), Alasdair Strokosch Shocked

(Perpignan), Ben Toolis, Hamish Watson (both Edinburgh Rugby), Jon Welsh (Glasgow Warriors).

BACKS: Mark Bennett (Glasgow Warriors), Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh Rugby), Alex Dunbar, (Glasgow Warriors) Dougie Fife (Edinburgh Rugby), Stuart Hogg, Peter Horne (both Glasgow Warriors) Greig Laidlaw CAPTAIN (Gloucester), Sean Lamont, Sean Maitland, Henry Pyrgos, Finn Russell (all Glasgow Warriors), Matt Scott (Edinburgh Rugby), Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors), Greig Tonks, Tim Visser (both Edinburgh Rugby).

Unavailable through injury: Adam Ashe (neck), Chris Fusaro (ankle), Grant Gilchrist (arm), Tyrone Holmes (face), Ruaridh Jackson (knee), Duncan Taylor (hamstring), Duncan Weir (arm).

by nickj Tue 20 Jan 2015, 1:22 pm

I'm a bit confused to be honest. I'm not sure why I thought Barclay and Brown would be back, but I did. I can't see either playing for Scotland again now.

It seems symptomatic of the recent knee jerk, slightly schizophrenic nature of Scotland squad selection to see Kieran Low out on his ear too.

I don't rate him, but why pick him for the last 3 squads if you didn't think he was worth a squad place in the build up to the RWC. Why pick him in the first place, even if he did supposedly cover 4 and 6?

I'm also surprised (albeit relieved) to see a complete and utter reversal on the Beattie, and to an extent, Denton, covering open side experiment. We've now got 3 natural blindsides, 2 open sides and 2 eights in a 33 man squad that has insufficient cover at hooker and prop. Its almost as if the selection committee couldn't make up their minds, so they just picked everyone.

I mean surely its a bit risky to only have 2 hookers and 5 props in this day and age? Are we only planning to have one prop on the bench for the Welsh game if Murray is out?

I've checked and it seems the squad is being referred to as the 'official 6 nations' squad, rather than one for the first game. Its just a bit weird in my opinion. What are the rules on replacing specialist positions, like hooker and loose head in a squad?

I'm also concerned about cover for Russell at 10. Will Cotter really 'risk' Tonks, or will he revert to Laidlaw at 10? I really hope not, but Weir can't get back quick enough in my opinion. If we really see Tonks or Horne as 10's why haven't they played more there for their clubs (fitness permitting).

Finally I thought Hogg was a fitness concern? Is Maitland now seen as his understudy at 15? He must be. Or will it be Tonks? Again it looks like the selectors couldn't make up their minds between Lamont and Fife. Both can play centre but we already have 4 centres in the squad but we only have 1 natural full back.

In short I think its a bit of a confusing and confused squad.

Oh and get Johnson to carry the bl**dy Lucozade rather than Stroks, I mean he probably earns enough...

by JonnyEdinburgh Tue 20 Jan 2015, 1:26 pm

Wow, mixed feelings here from everyone I suspect.
The obvious key talking points:
Hugh Blake. Under normal circumstances I don't have a problem with him coming "straight in" without playing for Edinburgh. Ultimately if we have SQ players who commit to Scotland and they are on form I don't really care if they play in Timbuktu. However, the fact we have Barclay and (in my view) Brown being omitted though does require an official and in depth explanation here though. Not just some wishy-washy ("building for future" or "picking a unit" or "playing above the ground" pish). Surely Blake and certainly Strokosch haven't out-performed the aforementioned duo (and Roddy Grant for that matter).

Surprised with Cusiter ommission but SHC has been one of Edinburgh's best players recently so can understand Vern rewarding good form (makes the back row picks even more baffling though).

Are Hogg/Harley not out for the 1st match anyway, why not select someone else and bring them in once fit?? Not sure on the 6 nations rules on submitting squads etc though.

Generally 90% what I would have picked. The 10% though aren't marginal calls, just seems rank rotten and stinks of the influence of Flubberchops' personal differences. The fresh start of picking form players, in position, that we all hoped for when Cotter came in is starting to look a little bit like the same product but with a new face on the adverts.
Hope to be proven wrong but the more I think about this this the more pessimistic I'm getting! That England game last year *shudder*.

by **RDW** Tue 20 Jan 2015, 1:28 pm

I've created a thread and petition - please sign it, and share the tweet shown at the bottom

https://www.606v2.com/t57323-brown-and-barclay-time-to-find-out-the-truth#2896737

by RuggerRadge2611 Tue 20 Jan 2015, 1:31 pm

I think we all just need to calm down and let this play out. Cotter knows what he is doing.

Leaving out Brown and Barclay is surprising but there must be a good reason for it.

by MacKnocked-on Tue 20 Jan 2015, 1:33 pm

nickj wrote:I'm a bit confused to be honest. I'm not sure why I thought Barclay and Brown would be back, but I did. I can't see either playing for Scotland again now.

It seems symptomatic of the recent knee jerk, slightly schizophrenic nature of Scotland squad selection to see Kieran Low out on his ear too.

I don't rate him, but why pick him for the last 3 squads if you didn't think he was worth a squad place in the build up to the RWC. Why pick him in the first place, even if he did supposedly cover 4 and 6?

I'm also surprised (albeit relieved) to see a complete and utter reversal on the Beattie, and to an extent, Denton, covering open side experiment. We've now got 3 natural blindsides, 2 open sides and 2 eights in a 33 man squad that has insufficient cover at hooker and prop. Its almost as if the selection committee couldn't make up their minds, so they just picked everyone.

I mean surely its a bit risky to only have 2 hookers and 5 props in this day and age? Are we only planning to have one prop on the bench for the Welsh game if Murray is out?

I've checked and it seems the squad is being referred to as the 'official 6 nations' squad, rather than one for the first game. Its just a bit weird in my opinion. What are the rules on replacing specialist positions, like hooker and loose head in a squad?

Only one 8, Beattie isn't listed in the squad.

I'm also concerned about cover for Russell at 10. Will Cotter really 'risk' Tonks, or will he revert to Laidlaw at 10? I really hope not, but Weir can't get back quick enough in my opinion. If we really see Tonks or Horne as 10's why haven't they played more there for their clubs (fitness permitting).

Finally I thought Hogg was a fitness concern? Is Maitland now seen as his understudy at 15? He must be. Or will it be Tonks? Again it looks like the selectors couldn't make up their minds between Lamont and Fife. Both can play centre but we already have 4 centres in the squad but we only have 1 natural full back.

In short I think its a bit of a confusing and confused squad.

Oh and get Johnson to carry the bl**dy Lucozade rather than Stroks, I mean he probably earns enough...

by teh_Dingmeister Tue 20 Jan 2015, 1:33 pm

Furthermore, we only have one player (Denton) that plays 8 regularly. I thought that after the AI's the days of shoehorning backrow players in willy nilly had gone but from a technical perspective this is worrying if Cotter believes he can win games without players playing in their normal positions.

by nickj Tue 20 Jan 2015, 1:39 pm

MacKnocked-on wrote:
nickj wrote:I'm a bit confused to be honest. I'm not sure why I thought Barclay and Brown would be back, but I did. I can't see either playing for Scotland again now.

It seems symptomatic of the recent knee jerk, slightly schizophrenic nature of Scotland squad selection to see Kieran Low out on his ear too.

I don't rate him, but why pick him for the last 3 squads if you didn't think he was worth a squad place in the build up to the RWC. Why pick him in the first place, even if he did supposedly cover 4 and 6?

I'm also surprised (albeit relieved) to see a complete and utter reversal on the Beattie, and to an extent, Denton, covering open side experiment. We've now got 3 natural blindsides, 2 open sides and 2 eights in a 33 man squad that has insufficient cover at hooker and prop. Its almost as if the selection committee couldn't make up their minds, so they just picked everyone.

I mean surely its a bit risky to only have 2 hookers and 5 props in this day and age? Are we only planning to have one prop on the bench for the Welsh game if Murray is out?

I've checked and it seems the squad is being referred to as the 'official 6 nations' squad, rather than one for the first game. Its just a bit weird in my opinion. What are the rules on replacing specialist positions, like hooker and loose head in a squad?

Only one 8, Beattie isn't listed in the squad.

I'm also concerned about cover for Russell at 10. Will Cotter really 'risk' Tonks, or will he revert to Laidlaw at 10? I really hope not, but Weir can't get back quick enough in my opinion. If we really see Tonks or Horne as 10's why haven't they played more there for their clubs (fitness permitting).

Finally I thought Hogg was a fitness concern? Is Maitland now seen as his understudy at 15? He must be. Or will it be Tonks? Again it looks like the selectors couldn't make up their minds between Lamont and Fife. Both can play centre but we already have 4 centres in the squad but we only have 1 natural full back.

In short I think its a bit of a confusing and confused squad.

Oh and get Johnson to carry the bl**dy Lucozade rather than Stroks, I mean he probably earns enough...

Cheers, I've just spotted that. Bizarre. Presume Blake is seen as an eight or perhaps Cowan? Even if he's just made the 7 short his own...

by Welly Tue 20 Jan 2015, 1:40 pm

What's the likely 23 from that lot?

by The Saint Tue 20 Jan 2015, 1:44 pm

I'm also baffled by the exclusion of Barclay and Brown. Every Scot on other networks seems to agree. Even if they aren't first choice they would have added squad depth and expertise. Cotter got this one wrong but then again not everyone is perfect, even Gatland (surprisingly).

by Nematode Tue 20 Jan 2015, 1:45 pm

I'm sorry but Hugh Blake has never played for Edinburgh in a Pro 12 game. Look at Josh Strauss, he needed a good string of matches to adjust to NH rugby. And he could play at the Stade Francais before playing for Edinburgh! Stroker is not playing in the French top league and isn't our best option.

Roddy Grant has 121 Edinburgh caps and been bagging quite a few MOM's with impressive displays. Kelly Brown has over 100 Saracens caps and has captained Scotland. John Barclay is similarly impressive. Sorry, but my respect for VC has dipped.

by Welly Tue 20 Jan 2015, 1:46 pm

Agreed the likes of Barclay and brown would be great for younger flankers like Watson etc.

by bsando Tue 20 Jan 2015, 2:14 pm

Very interesting.. Brown Barclay exclusion is pretty controversial.

Sport is harsh at times and I think we have to remember that players like brown and Roddy grant who work very hard and do everything they can to be selected might simply be non selected because the coach wants younger talent in the squad or simply feels they don't fit his plans.. It's tough though, captain of Scotland to non selection in space of a year, harsh! Especially when someone has come straight off the plane and walked into the squad.

Who knows.. I can't think of a squad announcement where I was 100% happy with selection and this one is no different. The backs are brilliant in my opinion.

Off top of my head my match day 23 would be..

Dickinson
Ford
Murray
Gray
Gray
Strockosh
Cowan
Denton
Laidlaw
Russell
Visser
Scott
Dunbar
Seymour
Hogg

Brown
Reid
Welsh
Toolis
Harley (if fit otherwise Blake)
Prygos
Tonks
Maitland

by **George Carlin** Tue 20 Jan 2015, 2:16 pm

Welly wrote: What's the likely 23 from that lot?

It's bloody hard to tell, Welly.

Assuming that everyone is fit for the first week (Harley and Bennett in particular may not be), my preference would be:

01 Alasdair Dickinson
02 Ross Ford
03 Jon Welsh
04 J Gray
05 R Gray
06 Rob Harley
07 Blair Cowan
08 Dave Denton

09 Greig Laidlaw
10 Finn Russell
11 Tim Visser
12 Alex Dunbar
13 Mark Bennett
14 Tommy Seymour
15 Stuart Hogg

16 Gordon Reid
17 Fraser Brown
18 Euan Murray
19 Ben Toolis
20 Hamish Watson
21 Henry Pyrgos
22 Greig Tonks
23 Sean Maitland/Matt Scott

by **George Carlin** Tue 20 Jan 2015, 2:19 pm

Liked cheeky young Andrew Cotter's tweet:

Andrew Cotter@MrAndrewCotter · 51m 51 minutes ago
I would question a few of Vern Cotter's squad selections / omissions but a) he knows more than I do and b) he scares me.

by jimbopip Tue 20 Jan 2015, 2:20 pm

So who in the squad is playing better than Kellybrows? Harley? I think that Rob Harley is a fantastic no6, but when he's out injured (as he is now) he's nearly as bad as me. Strokosh? I'm sure that the frenetic pace and high skill levels of D2 will mean he's match fit for international rugby.
Are Cowan and Blake both better than Barclay? I can just hear Jamesie on the phone,
" Well John, we're really short of fit and healthy open sides. You're in great form so we're picking a kid who can't tell Princes Street from Pukekohe and cant get into the MFL first team. Bet you didn't see that coming!"
We could put out a back row of
6. Strokes
7. On holiday
8. Cowan
Fecc fecc feccity fecc. picard

Take the killer B's and add Ally Hogg. perm any three from four ( I think that gives you 12 options Fingers Crossed

) and they would all be better than the above.

Hidalgo- Montaya for Cusiter makes sense: we know what Cus can do let's see what the youngster is capable of. This is what the 6N this year can be about.
But that back row....of the six named how many are good enough to play at the highest level? Harley? Probably. Cowan? Looks promising. Denton? I'm not convinced he's our best 8. The rest? picard

by **George Carlin** Tue 20 Jan 2015, 2:25 pm

How bizarre to be a Scotland fan confident in what the backs can do but be bare arse to the wind about the forwards. Me no likey. Scotland 6N lookahead - Page 12 Swear110

Scotland 6N lookahead - Page 12 Swear110

by cp10 Tue 20 Jan 2015, 2:28 pm

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:I think we all just need to calm down and let this play out. Cotter knows what he is doing.

Leaving out Brown and Barclay is surprising but there must be a good reason for it.

+1

by nickj Tue 20 Jan 2015, 2:28 pm

jimbopip wrote: This is what the 6N this year can be about.

I disagree. This squad isn't about experimenting and giving guys a chance to put their hand up. This should be as settled a squad as possible in preparation for the culmination of the last 4 years of world rugby - the World Cup. Sod 2019, I don't want to be embarrassed this summer.

by GLove39 Tue 20 Jan 2015, 2:32 pm

nickj wrote:
jimbopip wrote: This is what the 6N this year can be about.

I disagree. This squad isn't about experimenting and giving guys a chance to put their hand up. This should be as settled a squad as possible in preparation for the culmination of the last 4 years of world rugby - the World Cup. Sod 2019, I don't want to be embarrassed this summer.

Indeed, at £75 a ticket for the crunch game V Samoa the team had better bloody qualify!!!!

by jimbopip Tue 20 Jan 2015, 2:44 pm

Nick, as I posted a while ago this 6N could be about either "as settled a squad as possible in preparation ...for the World Cup" or a chance to see which fringe players might step up. I thought it would tell us a lot about Jamesie Cotter when we saw which way he decided to go.
I'm not too sure which way he has gone. Blake isn't even on the outskirts of the fringe. The Mighty Coo surely was more worth a punt.
Also, if Kellybrows and Barclay have fallen out with Rab C then would this not have been the perfect time to bring them back? " Be good little boys and behave or you're not playing in the World Cup." It would show the rest of the squad he's not afraid to bring them back on his terms and would arguably strengthen the team.

by funnyExiledScot Tue 20 Jan 2015, 2:50 pm

The squad is a dogs breakfast, and has not been selected on form. It is now highly likely that Scotland will not have its best players involved in the World Cup, which is a huge shame.

I think we can now add Cotter to the long list of Scotland coaches incapable of picking the best players available.

On the plus side I applaud the decision to select Ben Toolis, he's been consistently outstanding this season.

by LordDowlais Tue 20 Jan 2015, 3:21 pm

How confident are you all feeling now that the squad has been announced ? This thread was full of optimism after the AI, what has changed to make you all sound so pessimistic ?

by funnyExiledScot Tue 20 Jan 2015, 3:47 pm

If the entire squad is fully fit then the best XV is probably in there, but there is no injury cover in certain positions and we know that several are limping into the tournament with back-up players considerably inferior to alternatives who have been ignored.

We've had to put up with duff team selection for so long, it's just hugely frustrating to see it rearing its ugly head once more.

by Majestic83 Tue 20 Jan 2015, 4:16 pm

LordDowlais wrote:How confident are you all feeling now that the squad has been announced ? This thread was full of optimism after the AI, what has changed to make you all sound so pessimistic ?

Crap squad selection and not picking in form players and choosing players who haven't played top level rugby or currently aren't playing top level rugby.

by **RDW** Tue 20 Jan 2015, 4:54 pm

I think for our own moral we need to leave the Brown/Barclay debate to the petition thread I created

https://www.606v2.com/t57323-brown-and-barclay-time-to-find-out-the-truth

There are some positives in this squad:

Sam H-C, Watson and Toolis are young, talented players playing well - great to see them invovlved

Harley and Bennett's selections suggest that we should see them this 6N. Maybe not against France, but at some point.

The team for France pretty much picks itself, apart from 6 and 15 IMO. Harley and Hogg are surely going to be injured, so who plays there?

The options for 6 seem to be Strokosh or moving Cowan to 6, with Watson brought in at 7. Neither are overly ideal.

I think we'll see Strokosh at 6, which isn't overly inspiring.

As for 15, I would go with Maitland. Leave Tonks on the bench focusing on covering 10.

My squad for France:

1 Dickinson
2 Ford
3 Murray
4 Gray
5 Gray
6 Strokosh (no other options really)
7 Cowan
8 Denton

9 Laidlaw
10 Russell
11 Visser
12 Scott
13 Dunbar
14 Seymour
15 Maitland

Subs - Reid, Brown, Cross, Hamilton, Watson (?), Pyrgos, Tonks, Bennett, Lamont

by EST Tue 20 Jan 2015, 5:15 pm

Sigh.

Why do we persist in making things difficult for ourselves? I am especially disillusioned as BVC really looked like he was going to buck the gaff selection trend.

I know it has been said before, but in what world can the Blake selection be justified? If we were short of quality options, then I could just about make sense of it.

There are a few positives, namely Toolis and Watson who have been fantastic all season.

by **BigGee** Tue 20 Jan 2015, 5:32 pm

Perhaps we need to reserve judgement until we see what Blake is like as a player, currently I don't have a scobby about that. Maybe he will get a runout on friday, it would be good to see. Someone clearly thinks very highly of him.

The 6n squads are not fixed, they can be added to at any time and i would be amazed if they are not. Maybe Cotter just prefers small tight squads. Others have picked larger ones. The likeliehood of everyone getting through this weekends games unscathed is remote, let alone a few rounds of the 6N. There will be plenty more changes and additions before the competition is out.

The only real surprises to me are Stroks and Blake. If Barclays tweet last night about 'not seeing it coming' was indeed the sarcastic response we think that it is. It might also explain why he is not in the squad. It was not wise to put his feelings out there, whether they are right or wrong. I feel more sorry for Kelly Brown, who it would also seem has had the humility to keep his thoughts to himself.

by **RDW** Tue 20 Jan 2015, 5:34 pm

Kelly Brown wrote:Clearly disappointed to miss out on selection, I'll keep plugging away. Greig and the boys have the potential to do something special.

by jimbopip Tue 20 Jan 2015, 5:40 pm

So we open in Paris against a side which could easily put out a back row of Nyalanga- Harinordoquy (Picamoles if needed)-Dussatoir and we might be putting out Strokes-Cowan-Denton. I think the game could be won and lost right there.
Oh wait we could put out Harley-Watson-On Holiday. Except Harley is not match fit, Watson would be making his debut and On Holiday is well, en vacance is the French have it. Doh

by **RDW** Tue 20 Jan 2015, 5:43 pm

Cotter is saying Harley should be fit for the French game...

by **BigGee** Tue 20 Jan 2015, 5:59 pm

RDW_Scotland wrote:
Kelly Brown wrote:Clearly disappointed to miss out on selection, I'll keep plugging away. Greig and the boys have the potential to do something special.

thats the sort of thing I like to hear and i am sure the coaches and selectors do as well. it says to me 'I am here if you need me' with no hint of sarcasm of petulance. John Barclay take note!

by IanBru Tue 20 Jan 2015, 6:07 pm

RDW_Scotland wrote:Cotter is saying Harley should be fit for the French game...

That's music to my ears - he is so pivotal to everything good about Glasgow (and now Scotland) that we're a completely different team without him. Glasgow dearly missed his impact at the breakdown against 'Pelly, and his efforts for Scotland in November were a thing to behold.

by TheMildlyFranticLlama Tue 20 Jan 2015, 6:22 pm

BigGee wrote:thats the sort of thing I like to hear and i am sure the coaches and selectors do as well. it says to me 'I am here if you need me' with no hint of sarcasm of petulance. John Barclay take note!

You appear to have just invented an attitude problem for John Barclay. Bit of a supposition, no?

by bsando Tue 20 Jan 2015, 6:23 pm

I'm sure I saw a Scrum V interview a year or so ago with a welsh player stating they hate playing against Harley.. I really rate that about him, the fact he is irritating and unsettles things at the breakdown. Organised chaos I think Cotter called it? Hope to see more of that this 6N

by Prothero Tue 20 Jan 2015, 6:33 pm

BigGee wrote:Perhaps we need to reserve judgement until we see what Blake is like as a player, currently I don't have a scobby about that. Maybe he will get a runout on friday, it would be good to see. Someone clearly thinks very highly of him.

The 6n squads are not fixed, they can be added to at any time and i would be amazed if they are not. Maybe Cotter just prefers small tight squads. Others have picked larger ones. The likeliehood of everyone getting through this weekends games unscathed is remote, let alone a few rounds of the 6N. There will be plenty more changes and additions before the competition is out.

The only real surprises to me are Stroks and Blake. If Barclays tweet last night about 'not seeing it coming' was indeed the sarcastic response we think that it is. It might also explain why he is not in the squad. It was not wise to put his feelings out there, whether they are right or wrong. I feel more sorry for Kelly Brown, who it would also seem has had the humility to keep his thoughts to himself.

Scenario?? Blake gets a run out Friday and is terrible, off the pace, and is subbed off?

by **George Carlin** Tue 20 Jan 2015, 6:33 pm

Hogg said he is hoping to be fit for France, but doesn't have any real sense as to how likely that is.

Harley is the most important injured player by far and if he returns it makes not selecting Kelly Brown about 50 times more palatable.

Stuart Hogg's Attitude Problem is largely invented for comedic purposes, so I see no reason why we should treat John Barclay any differently... Very Happy

by Prothero Tue 20 Jan 2015, 6:52 pm

Hopefully Blake will turn out to be a 100 cap Scotland legend the mainstay of our back row for years to come,,,,,,, but this decision by Cotter to bring him in without a game for Edinburgh stinks! it devalues the Scotland team and makes a mockery of the guys that have been wearing the Scotland top for the last couple of years. mad

by MacKnocked-on Tue 20 Jan 2015, 7:10 pm

Just saw Cotter interviewed on STV news and he really rates Blake, basically said he was just the kind of New Zealand style 7 that he wants and has experience of playing against McCaw and lots of other top players over there. He also said that it wasn't over for Brown, Barclay etc, he just didn't think they were the best choices at present for the style he wants to play....
I think we need to support all the squad and wish them the best in the 6Ns, a couple of months or so ago nobody would have been expecting Toolis to get in so quickly but he fully deserves it.

by Prothero Tue 20 Jan 2015, 7:23 pm

If he see's him as a seven that immediately calls into question who is covering 8?

My one hope is that he is looking at Cowan, Watson and Blake for 7 and one will drop out When Adam Ashe returns to fitness in a couple of weeks??

by MacKnocked-on Tue 20 Jan 2015, 7:35 pm

Prothero wrote:If he see's him as a seven that immediately calls into question who is covering 8?

My one hope is that he is looking at Cowan, Watson and Blake for 7 and one will drop out When Adam Ashe returns to fitness in a couple of weeks??

You might well be right, although Cowan won't be the one getting dropped I'm sure. As somebody said earlier Wilson may not have been picked with his court proceedings in mind and Beattie has obviously dropped out of the reckoning at present so that really leaves only Ashe as another 8 option (Hogg not figuring either).

by **BigGee** Tue 20 Jan 2015, 7:53 pm

TheMildlyFranticLlama wrote:
BigGee wrote:thats the sort of thing I like to hear and i am sure the coaches and selectors do as well. it says to me 'I am here if you need me' with no hint of sarcasm of petulance. John Barclay take note!

You appear to have just invented an attitude problem for John Barclay. Bit of a supposition, no?

Purely a personal opinion, but I don't like tweets like the one he put out last night. I think the difference between his and KB's today speak volume's. There is a lot to be said for the old maxim of never sending an email or a tweet in anger, it can almost always be misconstrued. I presume he realised that himself this morning when he deleted it.

John Barclay is the only Scottish rugby player I have ever unfollowed on Twitter. That may or may not be a complete co-incidence. I never even though about it at the time. I really don't know anything about his attitude, no more than anyone else on this forum does. I just wonder if he is the wronged personality that lots here seem to assume he is. There is a lot about this saga that we all don't know.

by **George Carlin** Tue 20 Jan 2015, 7:59 pm

MacKnocked-on wrote:Just saw Cotter interviewed on STV news and he really rates Blake, basically said he was just the kind of New Zealand style 7 that he wants and has experience of playing against McCaw and lots of other top players over there. He also said that it wasn't over for Brown, Barclay etc, he just didn't think they were the best choices at present for the style he wants to play....
I think we need to support all the squad and wish them the best in the 6Ns, a couple of months or so ago nobody would have been expecting Toolis to get in so quickly but he fully deserves it.

http://sport.stv.tv/rugby/307225-vern-cotter-answers-5-big-talking-points-from-six-nations-scotland-squad/

by Nematode Tue 20 Jan 2015, 8:02 pm

Although there are many questionable selections (Cusack could have got some game time, killer B's, Stroker...), let's look at the positives:

- There's a strong 23 in that squad: Dickinson, Ford, Cross, Gray, Gray, Harley, Cowan, Denton, Laidlaw, Russell, Visser, Dunbar, Bennett, Seymour, Hogg; Reid, Brown, Murray, Toolis, Watson, Pyrgos, Tonks, Scott. If Hogg's not ready, you can slot Maitland in there. I'd personally like to see Hogg at centre vs Italy...

- I don't think Blake deserves to be in the squad just yet but his highlight reel is encouraging: http://www.esportif.net/hugh-blake/ >action video

by **BigGee** Tue 20 Jan 2015, 8:11 pm

Prothero wrote:
BigGee wrote:Perhaps we need to reserve judgement until we see what Blake is like as a player, currently I don't have a scobby about that. Maybe he will get a runout on friday, it would be good to see. Someone clearly thinks very highly of him.

The 6n squads are not fixed, they can be added to at any time and i would be amazed if they are not. Maybe Cotter just prefers small tight squads. Others have picked larger ones. The likeliehood of everyone getting through this weekends games unscathed is remote, let alone a few rounds of the 6N. There will be plenty more changes and additions before the competition is out.

The only real surprises to me are Stroks and Blake. If Barclays tweet last night about 'not seeing it coming' was indeed the sarcastic response we think that it is. It might also explain why he is not in the squad. It was not wise to put his feelings out there, whether they are right or wrong. I feel more sorry for Kelly Brown, who it would also seem has had the humility to keep his thoughts to himself.

Scenario?? Blake gets a run out Friday and is terrible, off the pace, and is subbed off?

Then at least we will have a clue!

If he plays well and gets MoM, will everyone get behind him?

I am sure he is a decent player. Is he ready for international rugby, probably not. Has he got the potential, well maybe. Are we down by the head with good opensides, not really. The JB situation is not clear, has something gone on in the past, no one is really saying. Roddy Grant certainly has a case and is another one to feel has genuinely missed out, but maybe if he was going to be an international player it would have happened by now. Hamish Watson has shown lots of potential and probably deserves his place in the squad, he has youth and potential on hid side and is probably way ahead of Blake in the chances of getting a cap. I expect that Blake will get capped in the A team and will get some game time with Edinburgh over the next couple of months. He may get the chance to show us what he can do in the run in to the world cup.

by justified sinner Tue 20 Jan 2015, 9:01 pm

OK, despite the obvious reactions to some of the selections and can't say I agree with all of them myself, I think BVC has done something clever here. He's got rid of some of the older players who are good rugby players, but who are used to playing for Scotland and losing. In their place he's brought in some young hungry guys who might just change things. Ballsy and maybe more the start of a process for 2019, but I think the right way to go.

That's how you build a team imo.

by IanBru Tue 20 Jan 2015, 9:02 pm

I'm curious - have the SRU announced any A team fixtures this year? I don't remember having heard anything on the TwitterFaceBloggoNet.

by **RDW** Tue 20 Jan 2015, 9:14 pm

Nematode wrote:

- I don't think Blake deserves to be in the squad just yet but his highlight reel is encouraging: http://www.esportif.net/hugh-blake/ >action video

solid if not spectacular highlights reel, and worth noting none of it was at Super Rugby level!

by **RDW** Tue 20 Jan 2015, 9:16 pm

Actually, he doesn't appear to have any Super Rugby caps...

by justified sinner Tue 20 Jan 2015, 9:23 pm

Think you're all being a bit down on Blake, let's remember Ashe played for Scotland before Glasgow, OK bizarre set of circumstances, but has proved his worth since. I have no idea about Blake and have visions of a Chainsaw type car crash, but willing to cut Cotter slack on this one.

by funnyExiledScot Tue 20 Jan 2015, 9:26 pm

RDW_Scotland wrote:
Nematode wrote:

- I don't think Blake deserves to be in the squad just yet but his highlight reel is encouraging: http://www.esportif.net/hugh-blake/ >action video

solid if not spectacular highlights reel, and worth noting none of it was at Super Rugby level!

He's no Mike Penn Wink

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