Glasgow and Edinburgh 21st Century Banter

by **BigGee** Tue 23 Oct 2018, 9:05 am

First topic message reminder :

Something is going on this year

Both Glasgow and Edinburgh are playing quite well!

Is it a dream, am I imagining it, am I going to wake up in a cold sweat and find out that we are really cr*p again?

Someone please reassure me!!

by **BigGee** Fri 11 Jan 2019, 10:52 am

That usually depended on whether he was winning or losing!

by Tattie Scones RRN Fri 11 Jan 2019, 10:53 am

tigertattie wrote:Isn't Chris Hoy our best sportsman?

Or one of Ayr's world beating rugby team?

Murray has always been a bit Marmite to some, his really really dull voice always made him sound like he just didnt care about anything when he was talking but he's actually quite a personable fellow.

A few folk said his first wimbledon win was more luck due to other players being injured or off form, but he backed it up with a 2nd win there. It's a shame he never managed to win the Ozzie open with all the finals he's gotten to, but hey, he's not exactly going to be living on the breadline as a pensioner now is he!

Chris Hoy was undoubtedly the leader in his field and achieved an outstanding amount of success.

But when you compare the level of competition he faced compared to Murray, I think Murray shades it. I'd also take into consideration their respective schedules. Hoy aimed for WCs and OGs where as Murray aimed for all tour events, Davis Cup, OG and GSs (singles and doubles).

Both were outstanding athletes that we can be immensely proud of.

by EWT Spoons Fri 11 Jan 2019, 11:23 am

tigertattie wrote:Isn't Chris Hoy our best sportsman?

Not according to Chris Hoy

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/av/scotland/37890857

by **BigGee** Fri 11 Jan 2019, 11:47 am

I used to play tennis at school, though never really all that great at it and then took to cycling as an adult, so I have always gravitated towards cycling as a sport and loved watching Chris Hoy compete and yet it would be hard to argue with his assessment that Murray is Scotland's greatest ever sportsman.

Both though are in many ways quite similar and have the characteristics of all great sports people. Both made the most of their talent, where utterly dedicated and ruthlessly competitive. The way Hoy, also fighting an aging body that was struggling to do what he wanted it to, refused to let the German guy get passed him when he won that final Olympic Gold in the Kiernan through sheer will is very reminiscent of the way Murray dragged himself back into matches he was losing and prevailed through sheer stubbornness and desire.

What makes the difference for Murray is the sheer amount of these titanic events he went through and the sheer endurance that was involved in it.. In his best year ever, in 2016, he played 91 competitive games. Some of them were 5 hour marathons in the sun and then on some occasions he had to get up and do the same again the next day. He conquered the world that year and unfortunately has never been the same player since.

A 5 hour match is like running two marathons back to back. It is unfortunately no wonder his body is falling to bits. I think he is our greatest sports person and we were lucky to have been here to witness it.

by **RDW** Fri 11 Jan 2019, 11:50 am

The other thing about Murray in that he was competing in the greatest generation of male tennis players - Federer, Djokovic and Nadal will probably end up as 3 of the greatest ever players, or at least 3 of the best 5/6 players ever.

by tigertattie Fri 11 Jan 2019, 1:22 pm

But Murray had a secret weapon, a special advantage if you will.............. Judy

by Eejit Fri 11 Jan 2019, 2:00 pm

When you say Murray is our greatest ever sportsmen, I assume you guys mean Euan.

Glasgow, Saints, Pau, Scotland, The Lions and most importantly Glasgow Southern.

by bsando Fri 11 Jan 2019, 4:02 pm

Don’t think he’s a big rugby fan.. his mum though Very Happy

Very good player but was wedged somewhere between Djokovic, Federer and Nadal and the rest of the top 10 during his time at the top. So many grand slams he’d coast his way to the final and then be faced with a huge step up in opposition. I wish he could have won the Australian Open, he was so close.

by jimbopip Sat 12 Jan 2019, 9:55 am

/www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-6583409/Nikola-Matawalu-insists-life-rugby-gift-gods.html

A good read, quite sensible and sedate for Niko, though.

by **RDW** Sun 13 Jan 2019, 9:41 am

Rugby pass reporting that London Irish have signed Alan Dell.

Slightly strange move for him given he's probably first choice for Scotland, although he's not first choice for Edinburgh. This may be Cockers balancing the squad - we've got loads of looseheads and as a Scotland player he would command a high salary.

Not exactly long term security for him either - Irish will probably come up this season but also be heavy favourites to go back down.

by **BigGee** Sun 13 Jan 2019, 10:03 am

RDW_Scotland wrote:Rugby pass reporting that London Irish have signed Alan Dell.

Slightly strange move for him given he's probably first choice for Scotland, although he's not first choice for Edinburgh. This may be Cockers balancing the squad - we've got loads of looseheads and as a Scotland player he would command a high salary.

Not exactly long term security for him either - Irish will probably come up this season but also be heavy favourites to go back down.

He probably realises that to carry on being an international, he is going to have to be playing regularly and Shoey is going to be starting for Edinburgh for the foreseeable. He has also been injured and maybe wants to cash in on his value whilst he still can.

LI are throwing a bit of money about to recruit players for next season to try and stop themselves yo-yoing again. There is talk as well of the English Premier becoming ring fenced as well as in reality it is the same clubs going up and down and they may well manage to improve their product considerably if there was no relegation dog fight to deal with every season.

by Hazel Sapling Sun 13 Jan 2019, 10:22 am

Strange move for Dell. You would have thought Newcastle or Sale would have competed for him. With his South African origins, I am surprised Gloucester were not interested. What is the story on Gordon Reid? Would he be moving on?

Big game at 1pm today for second place teams, Exeter vs Castres

If Exeter win, they finish at Munster and realistically only 1 team will go through barring some 5-2 thriller. If Castres win, both Munster and Castres are likely to get to 18 or above

Ulster and Toulouse really should finish second in their groups with 20+. Edinburgh vs Montpellier next week is going to be huge in deciding if we get two Scots clubs in the quarters or none

by Welly Sun 13 Jan 2019, 4:01 pm

Micheal Willemse is an interesting signing.
Cockers + South African signings have been a work of magic so far.

by Eejit Sun 13 Jan 2019, 5:26 pm

Posting here to avoid the goblins that prowl some of the other threads but WO has today published an article suggesting that Ealing are eyeing up a Pro14 switch if ringfencing happens.
https://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/english-rugby-clubs-shock-bid-15671247

Granted its just WO and therefore probably nonsense but it does through up some interesting scenarios and its always nice to be wanted I suppose.

by tigertattie Sun 13 Jan 2019, 6:41 pm

There was definate talk of a breakaway league structure in England if this ring fencing goes ahead.

I’d love to say it’s silly but the pro14 is ringfenced and it’s doing just fine.

Imagine though if you are Newcastle or Bristol and you go down the year the ringfencing comes into place, you’d be proper raging.

Would you welcome Ealing I to the pro14? Would they be able to compete? I’m all for welcoming teams to help them develop but getting spanked week in week out by fully pro teams wouldn’t really develop them.

Still. It’s certainly good for thought

by **RDW** Sun 13 Jan 2019, 6:48 pm

I don't think we should be welcoming Ealing with open arms. There's a vast chasm between Pro 14 and the semi pro championship. I know they've got a big invester but he would have to invest huge amounts to get them competitive, and it would take time.

They also have a tiny fan base - crowds in the hundreds. Obviously that would get bigger if they were in a big league but not to sustainable levels.

It's not like they'll bring big TV viewing numbers for broadcast revenue either.

by **BigGee** Sun 13 Jan 2019, 7:18 pm

Hmm, WOL told us recently that Niko was moving down to Wales on the basis of his wife being Welsh!

There really seems to be no facts attached to the rumours that they spread.

This is highly unlikely, surely the league would be more supportive of London Scottish or Welsh joining. In reality, there is more chance of more South African sides than any others and evn that seems unlikely based on the performance of the first two franchises.

The league is actually doing pretty well at the moment with a lot of competitive games, much better than last year. They should only be looking to add teams if they are going to add something.

by EWT Spoons Mon 14 Jan 2019, 8:48 am

Can't see Dell going to LI. A number of Edinburgh players are in the midst of contract negotiations currently and it wouldn't surprise me if this story came from an agent looking to win a better deal for their client.

by **RDW** Mon 14 Jan 2019, 8:50 am

So how much would it suck if both teams failed to qualify?

Both teams will be underdogs for their respective matches so it is odds on that it might happen. Montpellier need to win or they're out so will surely travel fully loaded.

Saracens might put out a B team but at home that's still stronger than most.

Friday night is going to be huge!

by **LondonTiger** Mon 14 Jan 2019, 9:08 am

RDW_Scotland wrote:So how much would it suck if both teams failed to qualify?

Both teams will be underdogs for their respective matches so it is odds on that it might happen. Montpellier need to win or they're out so will surely travel fully loaded.

Saracens might put out a B team but at home that's still stronger than most.

Friday night is going to be huge!

I think it is impossible for both sides not to qualify due to Pool 2 being unable to supply a best runner up.

Leicester will probably put out their strongest available side for Ulster's visit so may be able to help matters along (doubtful though). Cannot see Bath upsetting Toulouse so yeah an Embra win on Friday would ease things up your way.

by **BigGee** Mon 14 Jan 2019, 9:11 am

Agree with LT, one of us at least will go through with 19 points and there are plenty of other options where we both will.

I suspect the best chance for Glasgow is if Edinburgh beat Pelly on Friday night, which would mean Glasgow would be qualified before our match. That would take the pressure off them as well and allow them to play with a bit more freedom.

by **RDW** Mon 14 Jan 2019, 9:19 am

So if Edinburgh lose it sounds like we'll be supporting Saracens which is a strange position to be in!

by **LondonTiger** Mon 14 Jan 2019, 9:38 am

RDW_Scotland wrote:So if Edinburgh lose it sounds like we'll be supporting Saracens which is a strange position to be in!

If Edinburgh lose then there are 3 chances to still qualify:

Sat 13:00 - Sarries v Glasgow where a home win would see Edinburgh through (unless Glasgow overturn the current points difference of 15 to Edinburgh)
Sat 15:15 - Leicester v Ulster where a home win would put Edinburgh and Glasgow through unless Ulster secured two bonus points
Sun 15:15 - Toulouse v Bath where a very unlikely away win would put both Scottish sides through barring some really weird score lines.

So best thing all round is an Edinburgh win which puts both sides through at the first opportunity.

by **RDW** Mon 14 Jan 2019, 9:39 am

Will Leicester really put out a full strength team? They have nothing to play for and Ulster will be going all out to qualify.

by **LondonTiger** Mon 14 Jan 2019, 10:16 am

RDW_Scotland wrote:Will Leicester really put out a full strength team? They have nothing to play for and Ulster will be going all out to qualify.

More likely to than Bath will. They gave rests to a number of players this weekend but I fully expect them to be back for this weekend because:

1) This is a home fixture and with the recent form getting well beaten will not help the team
2) The following week is a Premiership Cup game where we will pick a fully second string team
3) this is the last chance to play England squad members until the end of March

So unless they are carrying a knock I expect that the likes of Genge, TPN, Cole, Spencer, Kalamafoni, Youngs, Ford, Manu & May will return. I still expect Ulster to win, but no guarantee. If we select the same side that went to Wales then we will be looking at a 40pt defeat.

by Eejit Mon 14 Jan 2019, 10:59 am

Ulster are playing really well in Europe this year and will want to avoid what happened to them last year where they lost out on the quarters at the last week. Logic dictates they should be winning, but as Tiger said, Leicester won't want to lose that game.

If Edinburgh and Glasgow both end up losing it might be a nervous wait for us for the rest of the weekend though!

by IanBru Mon 14 Jan 2019, 11:37 am

RDW_Scotland wrote:Friday night is going to be huge!

If it had been on the Saturday I'd have strongly considered swallowing my pride and heading up for the day.

Incidentally, I bought my dad an Edinburgh wooly hat for his Christmas, and he's been wearing it religiously ever since. As you'd expect, he has been completely insufferable over the last three Christmas periods, and he's convinced that the hat is solely responsible for Edinburgh's current run of wins, so... you're welcome cousins. picard

by tigertattie Mon 14 Jan 2019, 11:53 am

RDW_Scotland wrote:Will Leicester really put out a full strength team? They have nothing to play for and Ulster will be going all out to qualify.

"Top of the morning to you, Geordan Murphy here, what can I be doing for you?"

"Oh hiya, how are you doing down there?"

"ehhh, yeah good thanks, but sorry, who is this?"

"Oh sorry. Yes, it's me! The Leicester ledged that is Richard of Cockerill"

"Ahhhhh, ricky my old son, what can I do for you?"

"well, you see there's this game coming up where if you boys could win............."

Nuff said

by **George Carlin** Mon 14 Jan 2019, 12:49 pm

IanBru wrote:
RDW_Scotland wrote:Friday night is going to be huge!
If it had been on the Saturday I'd have strongly considered swallowing my pride and heading up for the day.

Incidentally, I bought my dad an Edinburgh wooly hat for his Christmas, and he's been wearing it religiously ever since. As you'd expect, he has been completely insufferable over the last three Christmas periods, and he's convinced that the hat is solely responsible for Edinburgh's current run of wins, so... you're welcome cousins.

I can confirm from experience that you should beware of aging men who believe that hats bring them special abilities:

Glasgow and Edinburgh 21st Century Banter - Page 10 Uncle_11

by tigertattie Mon 14 Jan 2019, 1:11 pm

George Carlin wrote:
IanBru wrote:
RDW_Scotland wrote:Friday night is going to be huge!
If it had been on the Saturday I'd have strongly considered swallowing my pride and heading up for the day.

Incidentally, I bought my dad an Edinburgh wooly hat for his Christmas, and he's been wearing it religiously ever since. As you'd expect, he has been completely insufferable over the last three Christmas periods, and he's convinced that the hat is solely responsible for Edinburgh's current run of wins, so... you're welcome cousins.
I can confirm from experience that you should beware of aging men who believe that hats bring them special abilities:

to be fair, Uncle Dougie's hat would give him the ability to play anywhere in the backrow for Glasgow.

He plays above the ground you know!

by **RDW** Mon 14 Jan 2019, 7:11 pm

More chat about the Kings hooker moving to Edinburgh - they certainly rate him

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/southern-kings-issue-statement-over-ex-south-african-u20-hooker-willemses-future

I suspect Cockers is keen to recruit quality NSQ players to even out the losses during international breaks. It probably means Ross Ford is on the way out too.

by **BigGee** Mon 14 Jan 2019, 7:25 pm

I think the fact that he has not played him all season tells you that!

by Eejit Mon 14 Jan 2019, 8:02 pm

George Carlin wrote:
IanBru wrote:
RDW_Scotland wrote:Friday night is going to be huge!
If it had been on the Saturday I'd have strongly considered swallowing my pride and heading up for the day.

Incidentally, I bought my dad an Edinburgh wooly hat for his Christmas, and he's been wearing it religiously ever since. As you'd expect, he has been completely insufferable over the last three Christmas periods, and he's convinced that the hat is solely responsible for Edinburgh's current run of wins, so... you're welcome cousins.
I can confirm from experience that you should beware of aging men who believe that hats bring them special abilities:

That reminds me, where’s Jimbo gone?

by formerly known as Sam Mon 14 Jan 2019, 8:51 pm

LondonTiger wrote:
RDW_Scotland wrote:Will Leicester really put out a full strength team? They have nothing to play for and Ulster will be going all out to qualify.

More likely to than Bath will. They gave rests to a number of players this weekend but I fully expect them to be back for this weekend because:

1) This is a home fixture and with the recent form getting well beaten will not help the team
2) The following week is a Premiership Cup game where we will pick a fully second string team
3) this is the last chance to play England squad members until the end of March

So unless they are carrying a knock I expect that the likes of Genge, TPN, Cole, Spencer, Kalamafoni, Youngs, Ford, Manu & May will return. I still expect Ulster to win, but no guarantee. If we select the same side that went to Wales then we will be looking at a 40pt defeat.

There's also a lot of pressure on the club at the minute and a weakened side getting humped by Ulster will not go down well with the already restless Welford Road faithful.

I'd say you're spot on and we'll see all of the bigger names back. I'm not sure it'll be enough but they'll want to come out swinging.

by **RDW** Mon 14 Jan 2019, 8:52 pm

Any word on Denton's return?

by formerly known as Sam Mon 14 Jan 2019, 8:56 pm

RDW_Scotland wrote:Any word on Denton's return?

Possibly this weekend if not then he'll be playing in the Prem Cup to get his fitness up. Can't have been easy for him with concussion symptoms and a new baby.

by EWT Spoons Mon 14 Jan 2019, 10:22 pm

EWT Spoons wrote:Can't see Dell going to LI. A number of Edinburgh players are in the midst of contract negotiations currently and it wouldn't surprise me if this story came from an agent looking to win a better deal for their client.

Well that post aged badly

Scrum magazine wrote:by Gavin Harper January 14, 2019
Scotland prop Allan Dell is to leave Edinburgh at the end of the season and join London Irish.

South Africa-born Dell, who toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2017, has found himself largely behind Pierre Schoeman in the pecking order this season.

Edinburgh Head Coach Richard Cockerill confirmed the move at a press conference today (Monday).

He said: “Allan Dell won’t be with us next season. As far as I’m aware he’s going to sign a contract with London Irish. It’s a good opportunity for him – he’s got family who have just moved to London so I think the whole thing has turned into a perfect storm for him.”

Dell’s departure at the season’s end still leaves Edinburgh with Schoeman plus Scotland internationalists Rory Sutherland and Darryl Marfo in their squad.

On the potential of recruiting another loosehead prop, Cockerill added: “We’ve got Schoeman, Sutherland has done very, very well and Marfo is a very good player when he’s on form.

“We’ll have a look at that position and decide what’s the right thing to do.”

Cockerill continued that Dell, capped 17 times by Scotland, will have a part to play for the capital club before he departs for London Irish.

Cockerill said: “We’ve got six months left of our season and he’ll be an important part of that for the next six months.”

Meanwhile the former Leicester Tigers coach was coy over speculation that Edinburgh are in talks with Southern Kings hooker Michael Willemse about a move.

“We’re speaking to lots of players and he’s one of them. We live in a world of social media where rumours get spun round the whole time. I don’t have anything to tell.

“I might speak to the agent of [All Blacks captain] Kieran Read but probably he’s not coming,” joked the Englishman.

by tigertattie Tue 15 Jan 2019, 8:00 am

Very good player “when he’s on form” that’s half compliment and half insult!

by **RDW** Tue 15 Jan 2019, 8:13 am

https://www.scotsman.com/sport/rugby-union/champions-cup/richard-cockerill-vows-edinburgh-will-keep-hold-of-viliame-mata-1-4856514

Cockers is up for the fight to keep Mata. Not sure his wife will appreciate selling their kids' kidneys to pay for it though!

by **BigGee** Tue 15 Jan 2019, 8:27 am

He definitely won't sell him on and will get the last year of his contract out of him but after that it gets more difficult.

He is settled in Edinburgh and probably likes the Fijian community that is around there and probably feels a lot of loyalty to the club.

But then again we said the same about Nakarawa in Glasgow!

He is game changing player and his market value will be huge.

by EWT Spoons Tue 15 Jan 2019, 9:33 am

Dell going to LI is pretty unfortunate. He's Scotland's first choice LH and he's away to play in the championship. Now there is a chance LI will get promoted, but whilst they are top of the championship, it's not by much, and if the prem bring's in ring-fencing they could be stuck in the championship.

He also only 26 so would still have a long Scotland career ahead of him, but that would be tough in the championship.

by **LondonTiger** Tue 15 Jan 2019, 9:38 am

EWT Spoons wrote:Dell going to LI is pretty unfortunate. He's Scotland's first choice LH and he's away to play in the championship. Now there is a chance LI will get promoted, but whilst they are top of the championship, it's not by much, and if the prem bring's in ring-fencing they could be stuck in the championship.

They will only bring in ring-fencing if it includes LI

by SirBurger Tue 15 Jan 2019, 9:39 am

EWT Spoons wrote:Dell going to LI is pretty unfortunate. He's Scotland's first choice LH and he's away to play in the championship. Now there is a chance LI will get promoted, but whilst they are top of the championship, it's not by much, and if the prem bring's in ring-fencing they could be stuck in the championship.

He also only 26 so would still have a long Scotland career ahead of him, but that would be tough in the championship.

We are 9 points clear, so a decent margin. I imagine it won't go ahead if we don't get promoted anyway. As LT says, we are one of the 13 clubs that owns Premiership shares and received our share of the money from CVC, so ring-fencing without us seems pretty unlikely.

by EWT Spoons Tue 15 Jan 2019, 9:52 am

SirBurger wrote:
EWT Spoons wrote:Dell going to LI is pretty unfortunate. He's Scotland's first choice LH and he's away to play in the championship. Now there is a chance LI will get promoted, but whilst they are top of the championship, it's not by much, and if the prem bring's in ring-fencing they could be stuck in the championship.

He also only 26 so would still have a long Scotland career ahead of him, but that would be tough in the championship.

We are 9 points clear, so a decent margin. I imagine it won't go ahead if we don't get promoted anyway. As LT says, we are one of the 13 clubs that owns Premiership shares and received our share of the money from CVC, so ring-fencing without us seems pretty unlikely.

Aye don't get me wrong 9pts is a decent amount, but it's not insurmountable, and I believe Ealing are minted so they could spend their way to a few more points. Either way I'm hopeful LI get promoted.

What are your thoughts on signing Dell? I'm going to take a guess and assume you haven't seen that much of him, outside the 6n.

by SirBurger Tue 15 Jan 2019, 9:55 am

EWT Spoons wrote:
SirBurger wrote:
EWT Spoons wrote:Dell going to LI is pretty unfortunate. He's Scotland's first choice LH and he's away to play in the championship. Now there is a chance LI will get promoted, but whilst they are top of the championship, it's not by much, and if the prem bring's in ring-fencing they could be stuck in the championship.

He also only 26 so would still have a long Scotland career ahead of him, but that would be tough in the championship.

We are 9 points clear, so a decent margin. I imagine it won't go ahead if we don't get promoted anyway. As LT says, we are one of the 13 clubs that owns Premiership shares and received our share of the money from CVC, so ring-fencing without us seems pretty unlikely.

Aye don't get me wrong 9pts is a decent amount, but it's not insurmountable, and I believe Ealing are minted so they could spend their way to a few more points. Either way I'm hopeful LI get promoted.

What are your thoughts on signing Dell? I'm going to take a guess and assume you haven't seen that much of him, outside the 6n.

Ealing's money, I think, has been a bit overstated by the English media. I am pretty sure we are spending more than them.

And yes, that is spot on! I haven't seen much of him. To be completely honest, it is a bit of a 'meh' one for me as loosehead is one of the few positions we are pretty well-stocked in with Reid and two excellent youngsters in Hobbs-Awoyemi and Elrington. I would guess that Reid is off. Interestingly, the Times has us linked with a 'big name South African loosehead'. It could be a case of mistaken identity, but if it is a Springbok, him plus Dell would seem like overkill to me. Any more information on Dell would be appreciated.

by **RDW** Tue 15 Jan 2019, 10:06 am

Dell isn't big but is an incredibly good technical scrummager. He's also a real athlete who gets about the park well.

He's a very good signing for LI. Apparently he's got family that have just moved to London so that may be a big part of it.

LI are moving to a new stadium not far from where I live - they may become my local team!

by tigertattie Tue 15 Jan 2019, 10:08 am

Well Dell is South African by birth. I'd honestly not be surprised if this what the Times was reffering to as they are a bit bizzare when it comes to journalisim.

Anyway, Dell is at least twice as good as Reid and as Scotland's regular starting loosehead, he really will be an excellent signing for you.

by EWT Spoons Tue 15 Jan 2019, 10:48 am

SirBurger wrote:
EWT Spoons wrote:
SirBurger wrote:
EWT Spoons wrote:Dell going to LI is pretty unfortunate. He's Scotland's first choice LH and he's away to play in the championship. Now there is a chance LI will get promoted, but whilst they are top of the championship, it's not by much, and if the prem bring's in ring-fencing they could be stuck in the championship.

He also only 26 so would still have a long Scotland career ahead of him, but that would be tough in the championship.

We are 9 points clear, so a decent margin. I imagine it won't go ahead if we don't get promoted anyway. As LT says, we are one of the 13 clubs that owns Premiership shares and received our share of the money from CVC, so ring-fencing without us seems pretty unlikely.

Aye don't get me wrong 9pts is a decent amount, but it's not insurmountable, and I believe Ealing are minted so they could spend their way to a few more points. Either way I'm hopeful LI get promoted.

What are your thoughts on signing Dell? I'm going to take a guess and assume you haven't seen that much of him, outside the 6n.

Ealing's money, I think, has been a bit overstated by the English media. I am pretty sure we are spending more than them.

And yes, that is spot on! I haven't seen much of him. To be completely honest, it is a bit of a 'meh' one for me as loosehead is one of the few positions we are pretty well-stocked in with Reid and two excellent youngsters in Hobbs-Awoyemi and Elrington. I would guess that Reid is off. Interestingly, the Times has us linked with a 'big name South African loosehead'. It could be a case of mistaken identity, but if it is a Springbok, him plus Dell would seem like overkill to me. Any more information on Dell would be appreciated.

Fair on Ealing, I've not done the research on that one outside of the mad rumours that they might buy their way into the pro14, so a lot of my thinking there was based on assumptions from media stories.

In terms of Dell, I think he'll be a good player for you. He looks like he should get destroyed in the scrum as he really doesn't look like a prop. However, he's technically very capable and will more than hold his own. His real strength though is around the park, he's exceptionally fit and will tackle, carry and generally get involved.

by SirBurger Tue 15 Jan 2019, 11:12 am

Thanks all - good to hear such positive reports on Dell. I will certainly be keeping an eye on him during the Six Nations.

by **BigGee** Tue 15 Jan 2019, 12:45 pm

SirBurger wrote:
EWT Spoons wrote:
SirBurger wrote:
EWT Spoons wrote:Dell going to LI is pretty unfortunate. He's Scotland's first choice LH and he's away to play in the championship. Now there is a chance LI will get promoted, but whilst they are top of the championship, it's not by much, and if the prem bring's in ring-fencing they could be stuck in the championship.

He also only 26 so would still have a long Scotland career ahead of him, but that would be tough in the championship.

We are 9 points clear, so a decent margin. I imagine it won't go ahead if we don't get promoted anyway. As LT says, we are one of the 13 clubs that owns Premiership shares and received our share of the money from CVC, so ring-fencing without us seems pretty unlikely.

Aye don't get me wrong 9pts is a decent amount, but it's not insurmountable, and I believe Ealing are minted so they could spend their way to a few more points. Either way I'm hopeful LI get promoted.

What are your thoughts on signing Dell? I'm going to take a guess and assume you haven't seen that much of him, outside the 6n.

Ealing's money, I think, has been a bit overstated by the English media. I am pretty sure we are spending more than them.

And yes, that is spot on! I haven't seen much of him. To be completely honest, it is a bit of a 'meh' one for me as loosehead is one of the few positions we are pretty well-stocked in with Reid and two excellent youngsters in Hobbs-Awoyemi and Elrington. I would guess that Reid is off. Interestingly, the Times has us linked with a 'big name South African loosehead'. It could be a case of mistaken identity, but if it is a Springbok, him plus Dell would seem like overkill to me. Any more information on Dell would be appreciated.

I am not sure Gordon Reid ever really settled there. I don't think his family ever moved down, so probably no surprise if he is moving on.

It may have been a good financial move for him, but it has not really worked out on the field. I don't know where he might go next, maybe back to Glasgow but he is on much the same level as Allen and Bhatti, so would not really add a great deal to what we already have at LH.

Dell is a better player than Reid and younger, so probably a good move for LI as well.

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