Super Saturday, Game 2: Scotland v Ireland

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SCOTLAND v IRELAND
Saturday 21 March 2015
KO: 14:30
BT Murrayfield, Edinburgh

Referee: Jérôme Garcès (FFR)
AR1: Pascal Gauzere (FFR)
AR2: Federico Anselmi (UAR)
TMO: Graham Hughes (RFU)

***********************

A. Teams

SCOTLAND

15 Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors)
14 Dougie Fife (Edinburgh Rugby)
13 Mark Bennett (Glasgow Warriors)
12 Matt Scott (Edinburgh Rugby)
11 Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors)
10 Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors)
09 Greig Laidlaw (Gloucester)

01 Ryan Grant (Glasgow Warriors)
02 Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby)
03 Euan Murray (Glasgow Warriors)
04 Jim Hamilton (Saracens)
05 Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors)
06 Adam Ashe (Glasgow Warriors)
07 Blair Cowan (London Irish)
08 David Denton (Edinburgh Rugby)

16 Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors)
17 Alasdair Dickinson (Edinburgh Rugby)
18 Geoff Cross (London Irish)
19 Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors)
20 Rob Harley (Glasgow Warriors)
21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh Rugby)
22 Greig Tonks (Edinburgh Rugby)
23 Tim Visser (Edinburgh Rugby)

IRELAND

15 Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster)
14 Tommy Bowe (Belfast Harlequins/Ulster)
13 Jared Payne (Ulster)
12 Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Connacht)
11 Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock/Leinster)
10 Johnny Sexton (Racing Metro)
09 Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster)

01 Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster)
02 Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster)
03 Mike Ross (Clontarf/Leinster)
04 Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster)
05 Paul O'Connell (Young Munster/Munster) captain
06 Peter O'Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster)
07 Sean O'Brien (UCD/Leinster)
08 Jamie Heaslip (Dublin University/Leinster)

16 Sean Cronin (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
17 Jack McGrath (St. Mary's College/Leinster)
18 Martin Moore (Lansdowne/Leinster)
19 Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster)
20 Jordi Murphy (Lansdowne/Leinster)
21 Eoin Reddan (Lansdowne/Leinster)
22 Ian Madigan (Blackrock/Leinster)
23 Felix Jones (Shannon/Munster)

B. Head to Head

119 Played 119

58 Wins 56

56 Losses 58

5 Draws 5

187 Tries 200

96 Conversions 102

128 Penalties 104

32 Drop Goals 15

1,234 Points 1,301

Nachos Jones_1 wrote:

Exiled Gael wrote:

Go to around 55 seconds on this video.  Heaslip was never getting to Russell in a millions years and his angle of defence means he couldn't possibly close down the space behind the try line.  He was somewhere around 6-8 metres away when Russell receives the ball and was never going to get near him to force him into the corner.  Never.  Even Earls would not have been able to bridge that gap.  More relevant would be to highlight POC at around 22-23 seconds committing himself to a ruck which he wouldn't win, pulling Healy into the right hand pillar and creating a Scottish man advantage down the narrow side.  Healy even tells Henshaw and POC to watch down the narrow side and only Henshaw moves into position to defend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQn_kdyb7GE

As the ball goes out to Russell, Heaslip is in a great position to cut the angle, he gives up and walks. Even Russell expected to be cut off which is why he first tries to touch down but see's Heaslip's lack of commitment and goes on. Toner made a valiant effort but it was too late, he still got very close to Russell and he was standing inside of Heaslip...

I agree that Heaslip could have gotten there. But the whole reason we're having this conversation is because Schmidt brought it up in an interview when Reid closed down Kearney at the Aviva. Not only has Schmidt had an effect on players demanding more from themselves, but the fans themselves are aware and noticing the little points being given away here and there!

Nachos Jones_1 wrote:

Exiled Gael wrote:

Go to around 55 seconds on this video.  Heaslip was never getting to Russell in a millions years and his angle of defence means he couldn't possibly close down the space behind the try line.  He was somewhere around 6-8 metres away when Russell receives the ball and was never going to get near him to force him into the corner.  Never.  Even Earls would not have been able to bridge that gap.  More relevant would be to highlight POC at around 22-23 seconds committing himself to a ruck which he wouldn't win, pulling Healy into the right hand pillar and creating a Scottish man advantage down the narrow side.  Healy even tells Henshaw and POC to watch down the narrow side and only Henshaw moves into position to defend.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQn_kdyb7GE

As the ball goes out to Russell, Heaslip is in a great position to cut the angle, he gives up and walks. Even Russell expected to be cut off which is why he first tries to touch down but see's Heaslip's lack of commitment and goes on. Toner made a valiant effort but it was too late, he still got very close to Russell and he was standing inside of Heaslip...

Heaslip and Toner inside him are in a terrible position to cut the angle. This is really basic physics at work. Given their relative positions at 57 seconds, Heaslip would needed to have been at least 3 metres closer to the try line to even have the chance of cutting down the angle. Given Heaslip's direction of travel (drifting almost straight across rather than a sharper angle towards his own try line), and the fact that when Russell receives the ball (at around 57 secs) he is at least level (if not slightly in front) of Heaslip, it is almost impossible for someone even much quicker than Heaslip in this starting position to close down that angle. Simple school level physics means your statement is not credible. Toner was better placed (not well placed by any stretch) to close the angle down slightly. Even if someone like Earls had have been in Toner's position the difference would have been marginal. Even if we swap Heaslip for Earls given the Munster player's lightning pace, the angle is far to narrow to close down.

Real blame for the try could go back to POC's choice to enter the ruck, or back to Kearney's defensive error which was a howler.

There is a complete world of difference between this incident and Kieran Reid on Kearney.

Jesus. Is this thread still going?

I was going to turn the lights off and start sweeping up.

George Carlin wrote:Jesus. Is this thread still going?

I was going to turn the lights off and start sweeping up.

I was thinking the same! Never heard the 6N champions complain about their team so much!

RDW_Scotland wrote:

George Carlin wrote:Jesus. Is this thread still going?

I was going to turn the lights off and start sweeping up.

I was thinking the same! Never heard the 6N champions complain about their team so much!

The collective noun for a group of Irish rugby fans is an argument. An argument of Irish rugby fans.

Notch wrote:The collective noun for a group of Irish rugby fans is an argument. An argument of Irish rugby fans.

offload wrote:

Notch wrote:The collective noun for a group of Irish rugby fans is an argument. An argument of Irish rugby fans.

I thought it was a cluster*uck

George Carlin wrote:Jesus. Is this thread still going?

I was going to turn the lights off and start sweeping up.

You sweep up in the dark?

Pete330v2 wrote:

offload wrote:

Notch wrote:The collective noun for a group of Irish rugby fans is an argument. An argument of Irish rugby fans.

I thought it was a cluster*uck

No, that is the collective noun for French international rugby players.

Heaf wrote:

George Carlin wrote:Jesus. Is this thread still going?

I was going to turn the lights off and start sweeping up.

You sweep up in the dark?

Just so that my wife can't tell me I missed a spot.

Heaf wrote:

George Carlin wrote:Jesus. Is this thread still going?

I was going to turn the lights off and start sweeping up.

You sweep up in the dark?

Smartas-ses, the lot of you.

Notch wrote:

Pete330v2 wrote:

offload wrote:

Notch wrote:The collective noun for a group of Irish rugby fans is an argument. An argument of Irish rugby fans.

I thought it was a cluster*uck

No, that is the collective noun for French international rugby players.

Ha Haaaaaa sorry Notch I only just saw that reply

SecretFly wrote:

Heaf wrote:

George Carlin wrote:Jesus. Is this thread still going?

I was going to turn the lights off and start sweeping up.

You sweep up in the dark?

Smartas-ses, the lot of you.

Try to be