Scotland RWC Warm-up Matches

First topic message reminder :

Previous RWC related nonsense:
https://www.606v2.com/t58234p1000-scotland-world-cup-look-ahead-and-squad

Game 1:

  
IRELAND v SCOTLAND
15 August 2015
KO: 17:00 local
Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Game 2:


ITALY v SCOTLAND
22 August 2015
KO: 15:00 local
Stadio Olimpico di Torino, Turin

Game 3:

  
SCOTLAND v ITALY
29 August 2015
KO: 15:15 local
Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh

Game 4:

 
FRANCE v SCOTLAND
05 September 2015
KO: 21:00 local
Stade de France, Saint-Denis

Imperialbigdave wrote:

IanBru wrote:
I would simply say that being a good player in a relatively average team is not an indicator of international class.

Neither is being a good player in a good club team... cough HORNE cough...

sorry, hay fever got me there.

This is getting out of hand!

Especially given

A - Horne is one of Glasgow's goal kickers

B - Tonks was out all season unti February

C - Tonks has actually scored 5 tries

http://m.couriermail.com.au/sport/rugby/waratahs-winger-taqele-naiyaravoro-will-spurn-edinburgh-if-he-gets-a-wallabies-call/story-fnii0lll-1227357971460


This is an old one which is fairly indicative of his mindset, but Glasgow tend to be fairly stern on these things. And simply put unless he has a clause in his contract he will be coming to Scotland. He really ought to have put one in if he wanted to stay and play for Australia and if he has one Glasgow surely ought to have someone else lined up, although surely even the SRU wouldn't be stupid enough to put out these statements if there was a way out of the contract. Essentially the rugby transfer system is such that he's a Glasgow player, his contract with the Waratahs is over. It'll probably end up with the Tahs paying Glasgow a fee, and Scotland will get some form of compensation in the form of a few tests.

IanBru wrote:IBD, I really don't think that's true.

I would simply say that being a job-share player in a not even middle of the table team is not an indicator of international class.

Starting in the league final and getting into bed that night clutching a big shiny trophy is a rather stronger claim, I think.

Fixed that for you Bru.

p.s. It has been said that "getting into bed that night clutching a big shiny trophy" is what makes Mrs Schlong smile while she does the housework.

RDW,

George Carlin wrote:

tigertattie wrote:there needs to be a hook, line and sinker emoticon

jimbopip wrote:RDW,      

George Carlin wrote:

tigertattie wrote:there needs to be a hook, line and sinker emoticon

Does that really count when you mean every word of what you said though?

I now mark my inter-season calendar by three events:

1) the summer test;
2) the purchase of my Glasgow season ticket; and
3) Jim talking about Mr Lamont's junk.

Jim, I think it's time for a 2015-style post-modern HR-friendly note of apology:

"I regret that those to whom my remarks may have been directed found reason to be offended by the reasonable things I was saying. I will endeavor in future to refrain from stating the bleeding obvious and leave those around me to their world of fairies and unicorns."

Incidentally, I'm tempted to say these very words to my yes-voting relatives whenever the subject of indyref comes up.

Ian, as our national poet said
"if you had seen what I hae seen you widnae be sae swankie oh
if you had seen what I hae seen on the braes o' Killiecrankie oh"

Now Sandys Park is notmentioned in a Burns poem nor is it a place where one would expect a revelation of biblical proportions but when Schlong and Meatball came over to; ASBO, Schiz, his carer and myself to thank us for going all that way to support them we were all astounded by the effect the Schlong had on an otherwise doughty, sedate and matronly middle aged woman.
She blushed a scarlet shade and leapt up and down on the spot squealing, "Calendar, calendar, I've got your calendar." Over and over. Oblivious of the effect this was having on her teenage children standing beside her I may add.
No-one who witnessed it could do anything but marvel at his powers.

Luckily my other half hasn't been close to shlong. And by close I mean 50ft as defined by her restraining order.

She makes up for it though by showing me pictures of Thom Evans in his pants and asking 'why don't you look like that?'

Turns out it wasn't a good idea for me to then show her a picture of Kelly Brook topless and ask 'why don't you look like that??'

My thoughts on Naiyaravoro are that he would be great to have at glasgow if he wants to be there and give his all.

However I think his interests lie in Australia as he has all his recent experience there and he seemed keen to play for the wallabies. He probably shouldn't have signed the contract and tried to fight his way into the wallabies squad if his heart was on Australia, but this is modern rugby I guess, a lot of BS.

I hope he still comes but if he doesn't I hope Glasgow are compensated correctly. Plenty of other good players out there so no need to panic just yet.

As for warm up games..

I think it's great we have 4 of them, it means we can see SHC play a full 80 (twice I hope) and give players a goal to work towards pre the actual World Cup. For example, players fighting it out for a place in the final warm up game vs France (which I assume would be pretty close team to the final starting XV for the WC).

I am quite sure that Tacky's contract will bind him legally but in the real world it would be terribly disruptive to a squad to have a player just going though the motions whom everyone else knows does not want to be there. Toonie would never have that in his squad and the odds are that we won't see Tacky at a Scottish club now.

Young men just misjudge themselves and their circumstances. They just make mistakes. It's that simple.

He will be bought out of the contract by the ARFU and/or the Tahs if he stays with them as a franchise. A deal will be done.

What makes this interesting is that the Top 14 transfer window is now closed so we aren't competing with them for any talent remaining. There are guys out there - Nick Cummins and James O'Connor to name just 2 who moved back to southern hemisphere franchises to participate in the world cup but as of last week will have been told by Cheika that they are unlikely to feature.

The honey badger in Glasgow would be quite a sight!

James O'Connor to Glasgow would be a mutually beneficial deal I imagine, with or without the Big Fijian. Glasgow suits his style and you can't help but feel that if he is to recapture his form somewhere with Glasgow's ethos and work ethic would be suitabl. As for Glasgow they get a high quality, international player and a big name just in case everything goes wrong with Naiyarovoro.

Not a bad shout given O'Connors versatility and ability to play 10. Can see him going to a 'bigger' team though.

He's maybe not the kind of personality that would fit in well at Glasgow - bit of a show pony! We all saw what happened with Hogg when he started acting like that.

Well the French Top14 is closed apparently, the AP doesn't start til after the World Cup so it's probably not a good choice so that leaves the Pro12 or the Japanese League. So it comes down to money or career really I suppose, if you look at it in terms of club size I'd say Munster and Leinster are the biggest and then Ulster, Glasgow and the Ospreys follow them. He's also played for London Irish in the past so he's hardly fussy, although he doesn't really follow the little know but talented player that Toony leans towards.

IanBru wrote:Without wishing to be to obvious in dragging us away from the subject of stuff we all know very little about...

...How about them summer tests, eh?

Anyone fancy a meet-up in Edinburgh for the match on 29 August? It'll be my last drink before the Great North Run on 13 September so, you know... celebrate.

I should be about. Will PM nearer the time.

Have just been on holiday visiting the colonies for the last week and have had a rummage through the posts I have missed. In no particular order:

1. Horne is a 12 and better than Tonks at 12. Tonks is a converted 15 and better than Horne at 15. Both play 10 but not (yet) to a standard that suggests anything beyond emergency cover for Scotland.

2. JOC would be an awesome signing for Glasgow but suspect he'll opt for more money elsewhere.

3. Mr Big T should be signed for Glasgow regardless of whether he opts for Aus or remains a project target for Scotland. He's a box office talent and Glasgow need some of that with DTH and Sean No Tries leaving.

That is all...for now...

If this is true and Laidlaw has been picked as captain again...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/33390199

I can't understand. Its the one position where we have far better competition! For someone who's so often captained the losing side, he seems to have a lot of unfounded arrogance.

I understand that we want consistency but we can do so much better than him at SH...

Neily, I read the same article and assumed he was not going to be made captain - VC telling him before the press release. Time will tell.

takethelongroad wrote:Neily, I read the same article and assumed he was not going to be made captain - VC telling him before the press release. Time will tell.

That was my reading of it, particularly the bit where he mentions his age and the fact he still has plenty to give. He sounded to me like he was picking himself up after a disappointment.

The ballsy choice is Stuart Hogg. Guaranteed starter and not short of a bit of attitude.

Controversial choice would be Strauss. No questioning his character and ability, but he's yet to play for Scotland (in fact he hasn't even qualified to play yet!).

Safe and dull choice would be Ford. Has a bundle of caps, guaranteed to start plus some previous captaincy experience.

Outside bet is Jonny Gray. Guaranteed to start and would lead by example, but no prior captaincy experience to speak of.

Funny that, I read it as he will be captain!

For me it will likely be J Gray, Gilchrist if fit enough or if VC fancies a risk, Barclay. Reckon we'll see the band swapping around in the warm ups. Laidlaw is not a winner it seems despite his interview bravado.

I read that piece to mean that Laidlaw won't be captain and he is preparing the way for this not to be a big deal when its announced. If he won't be captain, then here's hoping Samwise gets some game time. Surely to god he will.

George Carlin wrote:I am quite sure that Tacky's contract will bind him legally but in the real world it would be terribly disruptive to a squad to have a player just going though the motions whom everyone else knows does not want to be there. Toonie would never have that in his squad and the odds are that we won't see Tacky at a Scottish club now.

Young men just misjudge themselves and their circumstances. They just make mistakes. It's that simple.

He will be bought out of the contract by the ARFU and/or the Tahs if he stays with them as a franchise. A deal will be done.

What makes this interesting is that the Top 14 transfer window is now closed so we aren't competing with them for any talent remaining. There are guys out there - Nick Cummins and James O'Connor to name just 2 who moved back to southern hemisphere franchises to participate in the world cup but as of last week will have been told by Cheika that they are unlikely to feature.

Won't be either of JOC or the Honey Badger. JOC is going back to Toulon although the reds are trying to keep hold of him and the Honey Badger is off back to Japan, think he has another 2 years out there.

Ladies ladies

Lets not play the , my dad is bigger than your dad - we are all in this together

Tonks does need a run of games to prove if he has got it - I hope he does, as we need as mnay good players as we can

NeilyBroon wrote:If this is true and Laidlaw has been picked as captain again...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/33390199

I can't understand. Its the one position where we have far better competition! For someone who's so often captained the losing side, he seems to have a lot of unfounded arrogance.

I understand that we want consistency but we can do so much better than him at SH...

I've read it a couple of times and it is a little bit ambiguous: rather like Fes's response to the Grexit- cheaper ouzo(good) but lots of soapdodgers cluttering up the beaches(not quite so good).

I feel the comments about "I'm only 29 and have a lot still to give" and "Vern and the players respect me and they still will, captain or not" I am paraphrasing outrageously here are pretty much damage limitation and putting on a brave face. You've got to feel for him as he's probably gone of to the training camp believing he'll skipper the side to World Cup glory and then been taken aside to be told that actually he was the fourth of four in the sprints, had the slowest delivery time from the base of a ruck, made fewest line breaks in the training games and failed to put Hagrid on his arse once. I'm not being snide here, I reckon Jamesie Cotter would present him with a fact sheet and say, "That's reality now let's deal with it."

However, Jamesie Cotter has now laid out a whole TieRack of selection nooses to put his neck in.

We know he likes the idea of Gilchrist as captain; so who's the other second row? Hagrid would seem to complement him best. So; Gray, Gray and Harley are non-starters. Not to mention Toolis. Not so long ago the gospel according to HQ was that Richie G was our one genuinely World Class player and that Jonny and Rob Harley were to be the rocks upon which our team would be built .

Bluto seems to be in the running for the armband, but this has it's problems too. He is much more effective when he is not the only big carrier in the back row. Certainly for Glasgow he looked much better with Ashe and Batman beside him. This means that the traditional 7- fetcher, 6- chopper, 8- carrier back row would be ditched. So no room for Harley at 6?

On the other hand if he goes with John Barclay then I feel we need a 6 who will tackle all day. Barclay will defend resolutely but you also want him linking with the backs so you need a disciplined 6. For this reason Dozer-Bluto- Barcs probably wouldn't work.

In short, if he goes with Gilchrist then one of the Grays is not starting and Harley is lucky to be in the 23. If he goes with Bluto then Ashe and Batman would seem the best fit for the type of back row he plays best in. Again Harley, Barclay and Denton seem to be square pegs.

The most positive thing is that it seems that Henners and Samwise will be sharing the 9 jersey. What's the betting that Cooseater gets the third spot as "experienced old head"

Majestic83 wrote:

George Carlin wrote:I am quite sure that Tacky's contract will bind him legally but in the real world it would be terribly disruptive to a squad to have a player just going though the motions whom everyone else knows does not want to be there. Toonie would never have that in his squad and the odds are that we won't see Tacky at a Scottish club now.

Young men just misjudge themselves and their circumstances. They just make mistakes. It's that simple.

He will be bought out of the contract by the ARFU and/or the Tahs if he stays with them as a franchise. A deal will be done.

What makes this interesting is that the Top 14 transfer window is now closed so we aren't competing with them for any talent remaining. There are guys out there - Nick Cummins and James O'Connor to name just 2 who moved back to southern hemisphere franchises to participate in the world cup but as of last week will have been told by Cheika that they are unlikely to feature.

Won't be either of JOC or the Honey Badger. JOC is going back to Toulon although the reds are trying to keep hold of him and the Honey Badger is off back to Japan, think he has another 2 years out there.

Sure - I am just using them as an example. I am quite sure that the likes of Patrick Osborne have been tied to their sides by now, but this is the category and quality of player I am hoping may still be available to Glasgow if they need a replacement.

jimbopip wrote:

NeilyBroon wrote:If this is true and Laidlaw has been picked as captain again...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/33390199

I can't understand. Its the one position where we have far better competition! For someone who's so often captained the losing side, he seems to have a lot of unfounded arrogance.

I understand that we want consistency but we can do so much better than him at SH...

I've read it a couple of times and it is a little bit ambiguous: rather like Fes's response to the Grexit- cheaper ouzo(good) but lots of soapdodgers cluttering up the beaches(not quite so good).

I feel the comments about "I'm only 29 and have a lot still to give" and "Vern and the players respect me and they still will, captain or not" I am paraphrasing outrageously here are pretty much damage limitation and putting on a brave face. You've got to feel for him as he's probably gone of to the training camp believing he'll skipper the side to World Cup glory and then been taken aside to be told that actually he was the fourth of four in the sprints, had the slowest delivery time from the base of a ruck, made fewest line breaks in the training games and failed to put Hagrid on his arse once. I'm not being snide here, I reckon Jamesie Cotter would present him with a fact sheet and say, "That's reality now let's deal with it."

However, Jamesie Cotter has now laid out a whole TieRack of selection nooses to put his neck in.

We know he likes the idea of Gilchrist as captain; so who's the other second row? Hagrid would seem to complement him best. So; Gray, Gray and Harley are non-starters. Not to mention Toolis. Not so long ago the gospel according to HQ was that Richie G was our one genuinely World Class player and that Jonny and Rob Harley were to be the rocks upon which our team would be built .

Bluto seems to be in the running for the armband, but this has it's problems too. He is much more effective when he is not the only big carrier in the back row. Certainly for Glasgow he looked much better with Ashe and Batman beside him. This means that the traditional 7- fetcher, 6- chopper, 8- carrier back row would be ditched. So no room for Harley at 6?

On the other hand if he goes with John Barclay then I feel we need a 6 who will tackle all day. Barclay will defend resolutely but you also want him linking with the backs so you need a disciplined 6. For this reason Dozer-Bluto- Barcs probably wouldn't work.

In short, if he goes with Gilchrist then one of the Grays is not starting and Harley is lucky to be in the 23. If he goes with Bluto then Ashe and Batman would seem the best fit for the type of back row he plays best in. Again Harley, Barclay and Denton seem to be square pegs.

The most positive thing is that it seems that Henners and Samwise will be sharing the 9 jersey. What's the betting that Cooseater gets the third spot as "experienced old head"

I hope that Gilchrist is clearly match fit by now - otherwise the lack of game time in previous months makes him an absolutely unjustifiable selection given that we know Gray, Gray, Hamilton and Toolis are available and either in form or have recently had domestic success. I will be massively urined off if Gilchrist is captain - no reason for that either.

I would rather have Mister AP than Whispering Ross as captain, but to be honest, when searching for someone credible I would rather it was a calm head with gravitas - what about Dickinson? The obvious captaincy choice in the absence of KellyBrows is one that I will not reiterate here, but he may or may not have a beard and he certainly is not Geoff Cross.

Looking at the captains dilemma - the two we need to focus on is - will they be picked as first choice and will they be a professional and influential captain - if neither of these are for-filled, then they should not be captain - FULL STOP


Ford - First choice pick - NOT a professional and influential captain *whinny windbag
Laidlaw - NOT First choice pick - NOT a professional and influential captain - losing losing loser and no impact on refs


So that is those two off the list


I would plumb for someone like J Gray - as he does seem to do a little bit more talking - runs the line (So has influence), does not give away too many silly penalties and has a face Like a 12 year old - so might get some cute calls in his favour

He's certainly no sillier a choice than Gilchrist, who apparently is a leader of men but in a way that is only visible to his coaches and not fans.

Gilchrist always looks like he on his last legs after about 10 minutes of play, with his hands on his hips and sucking in air like he has been down a gas filled slate mine with a dying canary. I dont ever see words leave his mouth as he is too busy trying to stay alive, the idea of him as Scotland captain, to me, is frankly ludicrous.
If the choice of middle line jumper is between a man barely alive and the machine that never stops, namely Gray the younger, again in my opinion, there is no choice.
Would you pick Gilchrist ahead of R Gray at 4? Again the answer is no.
So where does he fit in? I just dont understand the hard on successive coaches have for the man. He couldnt survive a club match against a french side without being broken, what chance would he have when going toe to toe with mighty Joe Takori or the equally monstrous Eben Etzebeth? Answers on a very small post card please.

sensisball wrote:Gilchrist always looks like he on his last legs after about 10 minutes of play, with his hands on his hips and sucking in air like he has been down a gas filled slate mine with a dying canary. I dont ever see words leave his mouth as he is too busy trying to stay alive, the idea of him as Scotland captain, to me, is frankly ludicrous.
If the choice of middle line jumper is between a man barely alive and the machine that never stops, namely Gray the younger, again in my opinion, there is no choice.
Would you pick Gilchrist ahead of R Gray at 4? Again the answer is no.
So where does he fit in? I just dont understand the hard on successive coaches have for the man. He couldnt survive a club match against a french side without being broken, what chance would he have when going toe to toe with mighty Joe Takori or the equally monstrous Eben Etzebeth? Answers on a very small post card please.

Being a bit harsh on Gilchrist there I think – I’ve watched him since he came onto the scene at Edinburgh basically and I’d say one of his main strengths is his work rate, with his handling skills being pretty good too. He might look knackered but he still puts a shift in! He stood toe to toe with the Toulouse pack in the HK QF and they were a big bunch.

The main criticism was his lack of hardness and physicality – before his injury he looked to be improving in this regard, but it is so long since he played we don’t know what kind of form he’ll be in.

I’d have the Grays as starting pair and Gilchrist on the bench personally – he’s the right combination of bulk yet athleticism. Toolis offers that too but is a lot more inexperienced.

Hamilton is just too slow and cumbersome for the kind of game we are playing.

RDW you say his club form is good, however some players look great at club level but find it hard to make the jump to the international team (Pete Horne is another example) I havent seen much in a Scotland shirt to say he is the real deal but guess he will  get a few more chances to show what he's got.
I agree that his lack of playing time this season counts against him but if he is fully fit and can somehow  become more dynamic in contact he may  have a chance of making the cut, but certainly not as captain or a starter.

sensisball wrote:RDW you say his club form is good, however some players look great at club level but find it hard to make the jump to the international team (Pete Horne is another example) I havent seen much in a Scotland shirt to say he is the real deal but guess he will  get a few more chances to show what he's got.
I agree that his lack of playing time this season counts against him but if he is fully fit and can somehow  become more dynamic in contact he may  have a chance of making the cut, but certainly not as captain or a starter.

He captained the Scotland team for a whole summer tour and I think he acquitted himself well - certainly didn't look out of place. It is difficult to see how a lock is really doing, other than the lineout, as generally they just do a lot of dirty work.

I agree he's not a starter, but given our main alternative is Hamilton I think he should be in the mix (assuming he has recovered fully)

Wasn't Hamilton supposed to be the top points scorer on the recent bleep test???

Anyhoo

I'd agree with RDW. Gray x 2 starting with Gilchrist on the bench.  This WC was too late in coming for Hamilton and too soon in coming for Toolis.

PS.

Peter Horne is Shoite! He's not even fit to lace Tonks' boots!

tigertattie wrote:Wasn't Hamilton supposed to be the top points scorer on the recent bleep test???

Anyhoo

I'd agree with RDW. Gray x 2 starting with Gilchrist on the bench.  This WC was too late in coming for Hamilton and too soon in coming for Toolis.

Is that how many swear words they can fit into a set length of time?

lostinwales wrote:

tigertattie wrote:Wasn't Hamilton supposed to be the top points scorer on the recent bleep test???

Anyhoo

I'd agree with RDW. Gray x 2 starting with Gilchrist on the bench.  This WC was too late in coming for Hamilton and too soon in coming for Toolis.

Is that how many swear words they can fit into a set length of time?

Beat me to it.

jimbopip wrote:

NeilyBroon wrote:If this is true and Laidlaw has been picked as captain again...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/33390199

I can't understand. Its the one position where we have far better competition! For someone who's so often captained the losing side, he seems to have a lot of unfounded arrogance.

I understand that we want consistency but we can do so much better than him at SH...

I've read it a couple of times and it is a little bit ambiguous: rather like Fes's response to the Grexit- cheaper ouzo(good) but lots of soapdodgers cluttering up the beaches(not quite so good).

I think the scrounging work shy tax dodging lay abouts should get off their backsides, put in some honest graft and cut out the constant whinging about how hard done by they are. But enough about the weegies......the Greeks I feel sorry for. Lovely people, beautiful place and fantastic history. Real shame to see them in this predicament. I shall send for some feta and Greek yogurt from the Stockbridge deli tomorrow in their honour.....

Anyone got any old drachma laying about?

tigertattie wrote:Anyone got any old drachma laying about?

I might

Its such a depressing situation. I'd bet most people who looked at the situation could see 'Grexit' happening a long long time ago, its just political expediency trying to hold everything together at a time when the longer they waited for the divorce the nastier and more expensive it was going to be.

lostinwales wrote:

tigertattie wrote:Anyone got any old drachma laying about?

I might

Its such a depressing situation. I'd bet most people who looked at the situation could see 'Grexit' happening a long long time ago, its just political expediency trying to hold everything together at a time when the longer they waited for the divorce the nastier and more expensive it was going to be.

Echoes of Andy Robinson with Scotland.

Aye I can see the euro zone coming up to a make it or break it point!

I think the countries involved are just too different to be able to stay together!

Fecc me, you know it's the off season when people start intellectualising about the Euro.

gentlemen: repeat after me

Luvvies wear cheesecloth blouses and cordouroy pantaloons (burgundy).
Soapdodgers will sell your hubcaps for smack.
Frodo the Ponderous should only be allowed into Murrayfield on matchdays to sell programmes.
A quiet night out with Bane and Batman IS possible.
Hornee Furra Linee actually made more appearances, made more tackles and scored more points than any other back for the Pro 12 Champions. (true)
Dan Parks was ten times the stand off Phil GoodGodman ever was.

Anytime you feel like discussing the geopolitical landscape read the above, get mighty cross and post some vitriol.

You know it makes sense.

jimbopip wrote:.

Hornee Furra Linee actually made more appearances, made more tackles and scored more points than any other back for the Pro 12 Champions. (true)
Dan Parks was ten times the stand off Phil GoodGodman ever was.

Anytime you feel like discussing the geopolitical landscape read the above, get mighty cross and post some vitriol.

You know it makes sense.

It seems like those stats are linked in some way, probably helped that most of the Glasgow backline were crocked for large portions of the season (which does make their success even more impressive).  Incidentally I'd take Horne to the WC.  His versatility is likely to come in handy, yes he was gash before, but I’m hopeful he’ll have improved since then.  That is unless Dunbar, Scott and Bennett are all somehow fit, then maybe not.

Dan Parks game management was 10x better than World Class Phil.  However, Dan Parks tackling/defending was 100x worse than….well really pick anyone other than visser.

Or you know, boo the soap dodgers, boo.

That's the spirit Mr Spoons.
BTW, in the latter part of the season Hornee Furra was often topping the tackle count. regardless of who was mising or not , you can't ask for more effort than that. Could someone please translate effort into Visserspeak please.

Ah yes, "effort", there be the foundations of a world class rugby player!

funnyExiledScot wrote:Ah yes, "effort", there be the foundations of a world class rugby player!

It worked for Nick De Luca.* He tried so hard, bless 'im.











*Except when it didn't

funnyExiledScot wrote:Ah yes, "effort", there be the foundations of a world class rugby player!

Hoist by your own petard, Fester.

As Gary Player said when a journalist suggested that he was lucky the way some of his bunker shots landed fortuitously close to the hole, " Yes it's funny that: the harder I work the luckier I get."

I can see now why Cap'n Kellock was surplus to requirements at the MFL, all that banging on about "effort" and "work" must have upset all the others who knew they already were world class.

p.s. it's my birthday and not one feccin card so to paraphrase the song, It's my party and I'll troll if I want to.

You have been warned.

Happy birthday Jimbo! Has the letter from the queen arrived yet?

In other news, if Scotland ever needed a wake up call about how hard the Samoa game is going to be, sounds like they gave the all blacks a tough game last night.

Yes it was in Samoa with a lot of passion attached to it, but sounds like they were incredibly physical. NZ can cope with that with their superior skill set, which is something we can't do unfortunately!

RDW, I'm sitting here waiting for 8 o'clock when I can watch the Blackness v Samoa on a dodgy website someone who shall remain nameless told me about and doing my best to avoid the result

Queen ? Telegram? Why you young scamp.

When is the Casting Off Of The Frilly Blouses? As in when do the MFL also rans get told officially that they can stop holding tackle bags in the Scotland training sessions and go on holiday. (Kefalonia is quite affordable this year apparently)