Scotland WC Chat

FORWARDS (23)

John Barclay (Edinburgh) – 71 caps; Rugby World Cup 2007 and 2011
Simon Berghan (Edinburgh) – 19 caps
Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors) – 13 caps
Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh) – 7 caps
Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors) – 42 caps; Rugby World Cup 2015
Allan Dell (Edinburgh) – 22 caps
Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) – 3 caps
Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) – 19 caps
Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh) – 33 caps; Rugby World Cup 2015
Gary Graham (Newcastle Falcons) – 2 caps
Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) – 51 caps; Rugby World Cup 2015
Stuart McInally (Edinburgh) – 27 caps
Willem Nel (Edinburgh) – 29 caps; Rugby World Cup 2015
Gordon Reid (London Irish) – 34 caps; Rugby World Cup 2015
Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh) – 10 caps
Sam Skinner (Exeter Chiefs) – 5 caps
Grant Stewart (Glasgow Warriors) – uncapped
Josh Strauss (Sale Sharks) – 22 caps; Rugby World Cup 2015
Blade Thomson (Scarlets) – uncapped
Ben Toolis (Edinburgh) – 18 caps
George Turner (Glasgow Warriors) – 5 caps
Hamish Watson (Edinburgh) – 25 caps
Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors) – 43 caps; Rugby World Cup 2015

BACKS (19)

Darcy Graham (Edinburgh) – 4 caps
Nick Grigg (Glasgow Warriors) – 9 caps
Chris Harris (Newcastle Falcons) – 8 caps
Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors) – 11 caps
Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors) – 67 caps; Rugby World Cup 2015
George Horne (Glasgow Warriors) – 4 caps
Pete Horne (Glasgow Warriors) – 41 caps; Rugby World Cup 2015
Rory Hutchinson (Northampton Saints) – uncapped
Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors) – 21 caps
Sam Johnson (Glasgow Warriors) – 4 caps
Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh) – 11 caps
Greig Laidlaw (Clermont Auvergne) – 71 caps; Rugby World Cup 2015
Sean Maitland (Saracens) – 40 caps; Rugby World Cup 2015
Byron McGuigan (Sale Sharks) – 8 caps
Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors) – 24 caps
Henry Pyrgos (Edinburgh) – 27 caps; Rugby World Cup 2015
Finn Russell (Racing 92) – 44 caps; Rugby World Cup 2015
Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors) – 50 caps; Rugby World Cup 2015
Duncan Taylor (Saracens) – 21 caps



World Cup Warmups

France V Scotland
Scotland V France
Georgia V Scotland
Scotland V Georgia

World Cup Fixtures

Ireland v Scotland
International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama
Sunday 22nd September 2019
Kick Off: 8:45am

Scotland v Samoa
Kobe Misaki Stadium, Kobe
Monday 30th September 2019
Kick Off: 11:15am

Scotland v Russia
Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa, Shizuoka
Wednesday 9th October 2019
Kick Off: 8:15am

Japan v Scotland
International Stadium Yokohama, Yokohama
Sunday 13th October 2019
Kick Off: 11:45am

6 Nations wise, despite the ridiculousness of Saturday I think it's fair to say this has been a step back for Scotland. The middle games have been a real concern - creating plenty chances but not finishing them, combined with worryingly porous defence. The England game showed that we can still attack, but that is fairly redundant when we also can't defend.

There are some positives to take though - we have definitely expanded our playing resources and the new players will have learnt a hell of a lot from the last 5 games. Put Fagerson the larger, R Gray, Barclay, Scott, Jones, Bennett, Hogg etc. back in the mix and we have options to chose from.

Ritchie, Bradbury micro Graham and Johnson has certainly put down a marker to be key players in the world cup. Jonny Gray and Horne have work to do, and Tommy Seymour's best days may sadly be behind him (but don't write him off yet!)

For purely academic purposes, here is my team for the World Cup final against England (with a few unknowns)

1 Dell
2 McInally
3 Nel
4 R Gray
5 Gilchrist
6 Barclay (C)
7 Watson
8 Bradbury

9 feck knows
10 Russell
11 Maitland
12 Johnson
13 Jones
14 Graham
15 Hogg

Subs - feck knows, Brown, Fagerson, J Gray, Ritchie, feck knows, Hastings, Kinghorn

RDW wrote:6 Nations wise, despite the ridiculousness of Saturday I think it's fair to say this has been a step back for Scotland. The middle games have been a real concern - creating plenty chances but not finishing them, combined with worryingly porous defence. The England game showed that we can still attack, but that is fairly redundant when we also can't defend.

There are some positives to take though - we have definitely expanded our playing resources and the new players will have learnt a hell of a lot from the last 5 weeks. Put Fagerson the larger, R Gray, Barclay, Scott, Jones, Bennett, Hogg etc. back in the mix and we have options to chose from.

Ritchie, Bradbury micro Graham and Johnson has certainly put down a marker to be key players in the world cup. Jonny Gray and Horne have work to do, and Tommy Seymour's best days may sadly be behind him (but don't write him off yet!)

For purely academic purposes, here is my team for the World Cup final against England (with a few unknowns)

1 Dell
2 McInally
3 Nel
4 R Gray
5 Gilchrist
6 Barclay (C)
7 Watson
8 Bradbury

9 feck knows
10 Russell
11 Maitland
12 Johnson
13 Jones
14 Graham
15 Hogg

Subs - feck knows, Brown, Fagerson, J Gray, Ritchie, feck knows, Hastings, Kinghorn

Scotland would probably win the rugby championship the way they were playing.

George Horne should push his way into the squad I'd imagine. He's too good not to take. As for other scrum halves... well... you've got me there.

I think it'd be worth looking at Lang again this summer if, worst case, our centre options are still thin. He's been playing well for quins and has the same versatility as Horne without the size issues. He also has been in the Scotland set up.

Would love to see bennett get some form back, it'd be a timely return, the last world cup really was his major breakthrough. I think we've forgotten how good he was. Hopefully that's still there.

LH is a tricky one, no-one has really stood out for me bar dell. We're miles away from the days of dickinson and Jacobson. Soon we'll have a full compliment of south African born props so that's something and will give us a bit of grit.

I doubt we'll win the WC but I'm sure we can win our group. It really depends on Toonie pulling his s**t together. I still think a defence consultant is the way to go.

Ireland will have a say about who wins the group I'm afriad. I don't think they'll be as bad come the WC as they have been in the 6Ns

Geroge Horne has to be our 9 for the WC, he has all the ability of Price but far less prone to the massive brain fart.

Our defense out wide is shockingly bad and needs addressed ASAP. The currnet mentality of the coach and team is to score more than we concede but as Wales have shown, championships are built on defence.

It's been a very strange tournament, a decent start followed by increasing degrees of calamity, until that totally mad second half in Twickenham. I'm still not sure what happened, but all of the indecision and lack of cutting edge we exhibited throughout the championship was cast away - it was almost unbelievable to watch happening. Despite the ridiculous result, I hope the coaches and players don't shy away from the fact we have regressed this championship, with certain areas needing a huge amount of work.

1. Defence - especially off first phase has become a bit of a joke, teams seemed to be able to run through us almost at will - Matt Taylor and Toonie go back a long way, but surely his position has to be questioned?

2. Scrum-half - it looks to me like Laidlaws time as a starter has come to an end, he showed a real lack of leadsership in the Ireland game and just doesn't fit naturally with how we are looking to play. Ali Price has moments of quality mixed in with some terrible play - I think we need to look to G. Horne with Laidlaw on the bench.

3. Loose head prop - the decision to have two NSQ players as starters at Glasgow at Edinburgh looks increasingly short-sighted, Dell is steady but below him we have a worrying lack of quality.

4. Leadership - Looking at the way AWJ conducted himself on the pitch -leading from the front, calming his players down where necessary, interacting with the ref - it struck me that Scotland simply don't have such a totemic figure. Hopefully when Barclay comes back he can pick up the slack in this regard, somebody who can keep the head when everything is going wrong.

All that said, there have been some positive elements:

Finn Russell - His second half performance was up with the very best I have ever seen at Int level, he was mesmeric. His move to Racing seems to have added a layer of consistency to his performances, and the mistakes are decreasing. He also seems to be developing as a leader, as exemplified by his post match interview regarding his argument with Toonie.

Depth - Specifically Richie, Graham and Bradbury. Of those three, i'm most pleased with how Bradbury has performed. He looked very comfortable at 8, and built on some very solid form in the preceding two games - I think we may just have found our starting 8.

All in all, there is no doubt that the tournament has been a disappointment - the coaching team need to have a long look at themselves - especially regarding how we start games and our defence...and yet, the second half showed that when we get things right, we can be a match for anybody, our challenge in the WC will be doing that consistently.

Overall a very disappointing tournament but the last 40 against England showed what our players are capable of when they get the intensity right in defence.

For me the most encouraging things were:

Sam Johnson can do a very effective job at 12 and should be first choice heading into WC.
Jamie Ritchie is a class act, he'd be in my starting back-row
Magnus Bradbury is the answer at 8 (been saying this for ages)
Darcy Graham can't stop scoring, shoe-in for the squad and possibly starting
Finn Russell has gone up a level, simply sublime with front-foot ball
Adam Hastings should be trusted as Russell's understudy
Allan Dell had a storming tournament, best he's played for Scotland

Looking forward to the RWC, I'd say the interesting selections will be:

What does he do at prop, we've got better THs than LHs but it's a huge risk to take 2 of either, so does he go for 6?  Could Nel, Berghan or Fagerson cover LH in an emergency?  And who is the back-up LH behind Dell, Bhatti is behind Allan currently at Glasgow and Sutherland doesn't get any game-time.

Who are the four locks going to be, a fully fit Richie Gray definitely comes back into the conversation but the Edinburgh duo were great (particularly Toolis) on Saturday, Jonny Gray has struggled but hopefully with a pre-RWC camp he'd look fresher and then Skinner offers added versatility and performs for one of the best clubs in England.  One of those five is going to miss out.

Back-row selection is always tricky because it's probably going to be 5 players and there's plenty to choose from.  Watson is nailed-on and Bradbury has probably booked his seat too but the remaining three players is tough.  Ritchie was our best player for four games and imo he's ahead of both Barclay and Wilson at 6. Then there's the potential bolters who offer more cover at 8 but way less experience with Fagerson, Ashe or possibly Thomson.  But does Skinner's ability to play 6 mean you go for someone who is primarily an 8?

Halfbacks, does Townsend have the bottle to go to the WC with Hastings as his back-up and no Horne?  Don't imagine the scrum-halves will change but the pecking order sure could, I'd like to see G Horne get a chance.  Unless Edinburgh finish the season on fire, it's hard to see Pyrgos forcing his way in.

Johnson has solved some of the problems at 12 and Jones is probably still nailed on when fit.  I think Bennett could force his way back in as back-up 13 and then it's between Taylor (if fit), Scott and possibly McDowall for covering 12.

Back-three is pretty settled with Hogg, Graham, Kinghorn, Maitland and Seymour all likely to go with McGuigan as likely stand-by.


We're not in terrible shape heading into the RWC and at full-strength we're a match for anyone on our day.

Stab at a 31 man world cup squad:

Props - Dell, Reid, Nel, Berghan, Fagerson
Hooker - McInally, Brown, Turner
Lock - R Gray, J Gray, Gilchrist, Toolis, Skinner (back row cover too)
Back row - Barclay (C), Ritchie, Bradbury, Watson, Wilson

SH - Price, Laidlaw, Horne
FH - Russell, Hasting
C - Johnson, Jones, Scott, Benentt (big assumption on the last two though, and I can see him picking Horne)
Back 3 - Hogg, Maitland, Graham, Kinhgorn

Doing that made me realise how ridiculous it is to have 31 man squads - should at the very least be 32 to allow 6 props! If we wanted 6 props we'd probably have to lose a back rower with Skinner providing cover. Could do with another back 3 player too.

Unlike some teams we've got a mega short turnaround in the last two games, and given that the last game is Japan we're going to have to rest players against Russia.

RDW wrote:Stab at a 31 man world cup squad:

Props - Dell, Reid, Nel, Berghan, Fagerson
Hooker - McInally, Brown, Turner
Lock - R Gray, J Gray, Gilchrist, Toolis, Skinner (back row cover too)
Back row - Barclay (C), Ritchie, Bradbury, Watson, Wilson

SH - Price, Laidlaw, Horne
FH - Russell, Hasting
C - Johnson, Jones, Scott, Benentt (big assumption on the last two though, and I can see him picking Horne)
Back 3 - Hogg, Maitland, Graham, Kinhgorn

Doing that made me realise how ridiculous it is to have 31 man squads - should at the very least be 32 to allow 6 props! If we wanted 6 props we'd probably have to lose a back rower with Skinner providing cover. Could do with another back 3 player too.

Unlike some teams we've got a mega short turnaround in the last two games, and given that the last game is Japan we're going to have to rest players against Russia.

It is ridiculous, pretty sure the RWC squad size didn't increase when they changed the number of props on the bench.

I think the reasoning is to not disadvantage the smaller nations who don't have as good playing resources. That also makes no sense as they tend to get shafted on scheduling anyway and have to back up games in 4 or 5 days.

Even with Toonie as coach, who almost always brings in a left field choice, I can't really see any new additions to the squad now, except maybe Blade Thompson, if he ever gets fit again, but he would surely otherwise have been in anyway. Surely now he has got to stick with what he has got currently and add in any injured players who can prove their fitness again.

Lets look at the current bunch and see what kind of 6N they had.

1. Dell - generally a very good tournament, especially in the loose, but was hooked very early on Saturday, which suggests they were not completely happy with something. His scrimmaging is a potential weakness. He will surely be in the squad though, we have very few capable LHs.

2. McInally - Took his try well, but not his best tournament, either as a player or captain. Still in no doubt about his place though, though maybe not as a captain.

3. Nel - I thought he had a good game, held the scrum up well and got parity. Just needs a run of games to get back to his absolute best.

4. Gilchrist - almost undropable now

5. Toolis - a big push for the starting lock role

6. Skinner - a few were talking down his contribution, but I think he got through a ton of work, all the more impressive considering he is just back froma lay off. He does the basics very well, you won't see him drop a re-start! He will go to the WC as a utility lock/back row.

7. Watson - its all been said, we missed him badly when he was not there.

8. Bradbury - Finally showing us he is an international No.8

9. Price - played probably his best game and it was a good call to give him another start, a confidence player and this will have done wonders for him.

10. Finn - its all been said

11. Graham - he has played his way in to the starting team

12. Johnson - another who has taken the shirt and probably only Duncan Taylor might take it back for this WC

13. Grigg - what a gutsy player, but hard to see him going to Japan if others are fit

14. McGuigan - another decent game and showed he can step up, will push TS hard for the place unless he re-discovers his form and soon

15. Maitland - he was sublime and did not really put a foot wrong. He is very comfortable at FB and I have to say would be my second choice over Kinghorn on that showing. He looked like he was playing for the whole of Christchurch yesterday in what could not have been an easy day for either him or Berghan.

Subs

Reid - played well and put himself in with an outside shout of going to Japan.

Brown - a good game off the bench other than that penalty. Why take the chance? I hope he learns a lesson from that. His place not in doubt though.

Berghan - another good cameo off the bench and the battle between him and Zander for the bench spot is going to be fierce.

JG - very solid off the bench, won't be happy with not starting though, hope it will spur him on.

Strauss - he has had a good tournament, but he is not an 80 min player. Whether he goes or not might depend on the form of some of the other injured players.

Laidlaw - I think the bench option might be where he is at now. he is the ultimate team player and he won't sulk about that.

Hastings - another good cameo at FB, he is showing versatility and gaining very good experience. He will go as the back up FH

Harris - had a solid game off the bench without being spectacular, but that is his game. Unlikely to go to Japan, but not without a shout. He is gaining experience every time he plays and that will count.

Injured players

Barclay - a big unknown, needs to get back on the pitch and show he still has it. The form of other backrowers like Ritchie and Bradbury mean that he is no longer a certain selection even if fit. Still that is how it should be and we will see if the old warrior can fight off the young guns. He certainly has experience and the ability to captain the side but needs to be playing well enough.

Wilson, same as Barclay really, but it may be even harder for him in that he will likely be out for the rest of the season. He will want to go though, but may struggle for the final cut, even with his credit in the bank.

Denton - I think he has it all to do now, he has been out a long time

Thompson - he is the enigma in that we don't really know what he is like at this level. If he gets back before the end of the season, hw may be playing against Strauss and Wilson for a place.

Horne G - he will surely go as the third SH if fit. He would have got some game time in the 6N and will be pushing for the starting spot with Price.

Horne P - the rise of Hastings and Johnson may well have pushed him down the pecking order and he may now struggle to make the final cut. Do we need another all rounder?

Hoggy - will walk back in to the side

Blairhorn - not had the best of tournaments before his injury. His inability to get the pass away and the missing of important tackles will have been noted. Hastings and Maitland got their men down in similar positions.

Taylor - still class but a long time out now. Unknown quantity.

Jones - surely will walk back in, but does seem to be getting injured a lot

Gray R - needs to build form and the competition in the second row is fierce now. By no means a gimme nowadays, which is almost unthinkable!

Scott - lets see how he comes back

Bennett - got a lot of work to do

Fagerson M - will make the larger squad, but has a lot to do to make the plane, back row competition is frightening.

Fagerson Z - he will surely go as the third TH and will want to play, needs to get his early season form back but plenty of time to do it.

Ritchie - comes out of this tournament with enormous credit and has put himself in a great position to go. It may come down to youth versus experience. It will be very hard to leave him out though.

Graham G - a very good option who was unlucky not to get more chances this 6N. Definitely in the wider squad, but may struggle to travel to Japan.


I am sure I have missed a few as well, but for me the big decisions are in the centre, second and back rows.

Some very good players are going to miss out on this trip.

How do you solve a problem like Hastings?

He's an odd one eh. Utter gash for the Weege but has played well when coming on for Scotland.

I think Finn Russell is a once in a generation talent and I can't see Hastings dislodging him any time soon. Hastings though makes for a damn good replacement 10/15 as unless injured you ain't going to be subbing Finn or Hogg unless we're 30 points clear at the 60 min mark.

I know its purely based on romance, but Hastings really does look quite handy in his Da's old position. He jsut seems to glide passed defenders when he get an oppertunity and is remarkably strong in contact. I really see him playing 10/15 and then taking up the mantle from whichever of Finn or Hoggy needs the break first!

RDW wrote:Doing that made me realise how ridiculous it is to have 31 man squads - should at the very least be 32 to allow 6 props! If we wanted 6 props we'd probably have to lose a back rower with Skinner providing cover. Could do with another back 3 player too.

1987/91/95 - 26
1999/2003 - 30
2007/2011/2015 - 31

So 26 in the amateur days with 21 man match day squads and for the first two replacements only for injury.
30 in the first two pro tournaments
31 in the remainder, yet I think only the 2015 tournament saw 23 man match day squads.


Not sure why it increased to 31 in 2007

It would be the requirement to field front row replacements I think.

I hadn't realised that Wilson will be out for the season.

I think when it comes down to the WC, experience is likely to count for an awful lot - if both Barclay and Wilson can get themselves fit, I imagine they will both be on the plane.

BR of:

Wilson
Barclay
Watson
Ritchie
Bradbury

Skinner covering 4/5/6

That gives us a lot of balance and cover in every position.

I think it will be too late for Thomson, which is a shame as he looks like a player who has a point of difference with his pace.

No 7&1/2 wrote:It would be the requirement to field front row replacements I think.

There was still just one prop on the bench in 2007 and 2011

Townsend's take on the Russell incident - sounds like his take was that he won the argument and our change was round to his tactical genius (I paraphrase)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/47611111

RDW wrote:Townsend's take on the Russell incident - sounds like his take was that he won the argument and our change was round to his tactical genius (I paraphrase)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/47611111

I tend to agree with Toonie

Finn kicked really well in the second half, he hit grass or got it into touch. That last deep kick that went over Nowles head and pinned them down in their 22, I thought it had won us the game and it would have had not Brown given away a silly penalty.

In the first half every kick went to an English player and we also made the mistake (which we often do, of trying to chase the game way to early. Running it out of our own half rarely works, we should know that by now. We still need to learn the art of tactical rugby, which wins you test matches more often than it does not.

I too am inclined to believe the Head Coach as opposed to calm head tactical mastermind Finn Russell.

https://www.scotsman.com/news/edinburgh-man-says-he-s-still-scotland-s-lucky-charm-after-remarkable-38-38-draw-at-twickenham-1-4890798

Never mind about team selection, we just need to make sure this guys gets a ticket every time we play at Twickenham!

And I thought I was doing well having been at Twickers in 1983 and Murrayfield in 1990!

Saw that, need to get that bloke a seat on the team bus.

BigGee wrote:https://www.scotsman.com/news/edinburgh-man-says-he-s-still-scotland-s-lucky-charm-after-remarkable-38-38-draw-at-twickenham-1-4890798

Never mind about team selection, we just need to make sure this guys gets a ticket every time we play at Twickenham!

And I thought I was doing well having been at Twickers in 1983 and Murrayfield in 1990!

Apparently Glove (too famous big headed to be on here anymore) is due the boy a pint!

That is quite an impressive record and the SRU should consider flying him down first class in two years time.

In related news, I know a boy who went this year and left the stadium after 30 mins

Another good performance from Rory Hutchinson for Saints at the weekend it seems. Some good carries and serious pace. Also saw him doing some ruck work when needed.

Might be too soon for him to get involved in this world Cup cycle but he’s definitely one for the future. Had he been picked to play in the AIs and then this 6Ns he’d have been in good shape.

https://twitter.com/GLove39/status/1107619006469599232?s=19

This is the best yet

@tigertattie, I just Googled him and, interestingly he was born in Cambridge so is he eligible through grandparents or eligibility rule?

tigertattie wrote:Another good performance from Rory Hutchinson for Saints at the weekend it seems. Some good carries and serious pace. Also saw him doing some ruck work when needed.

Might be too soon for him to get involved in this world Cup cycle but he’s definitely one for the future. Had he been picked to play in the AIs and then this 6Ns he’d have been in good shape.

Just watched the highlights - he was superb

Hutchinson also looks like he has a great passing game and can distribute very close to the gain line, I think he could be a great additional playmaker to Russell in the back line. The two of them could really bamboozle the opposition. He's surely worth giving a chance to in the warm up matches.

I think on the scrum half debate Price now needs to start. Fine to have Laidlaw in the bench to "manage" the last 10 minutes, but we looked so much better with Price offering a threat from the base.

All academic really, as George Horne is definitely the future.

Am I the only one who thought Price had a shocker of a first half? I know everyone did but that seems to have been forgotten...

RDW wrote:Am I the only one who thought Price had a shocker of a first half? I know everyone did but that seems to have been forgotten...

I didn’t think he was especially bad, considering everyone was complete pish and not just him. Even if he was we cannot continue to play the way we’re playing and think to start Laidlaw because the man just doesn’t have the physical attributes we need to execute the plan we want from minute 1 to minute 60. Great idea keeping him on the bench but we need to give Price or Horne the Younger a run of games in the 9 shirt.

If toonie is wise then he'll cap hutchinson this summer. He could be our answer at 13 long term. Hopefully he still feels a strong affiliation from time in the U20s

Highland Shaun wrote:@tigertattie, I just Googled him and, interestingly he was born in Cambridge so is he eligible through grandparents or eligibility rule?

Not entirely sure but he's capped at U18 and U20 for us. He's played for "the exiles" also which leads me to think his parents are Scottish but I don't know much about the lad.

I do know he was the Gallagher Prem player of the month for Feb and is the Scotland U20 most capped player in history. He qualifies for England also through residency and Saints will; get the bouns from the RU that this brings. He's recently signed a new deal with Saints so hopefully as his future there is secure for the next season or two anyway, he can then look at committing to scotland long term. He's been making some great waves in Englandshire so really hope Toonie can get him in before England come sniffing.

Oh my

9. Wee George
10. Dancer
11. Micro
12. Smiling Sam the Aussie Man
13. Rory Hutchinson (To be adorned with a confusing nickname when he gets a Scotland cap)
14. Seaman Steyns
15. Hoggy

That backline gives me feelings usually reserved for me-time.

I'm sure Jimbo is on it already.

No maitland? Surely he needs to be in at 14.

That really does have a lot of potential though, i just hope management doesn't balls it up. 2020 6Ns title?

NeilyBroon wrote:I'm sure Jimbo is on it already.

No maitland? Surely he needs to be in at 14.

That really does have a lot of potential though, i just hope management doesn't balls it up. 2020 6Ns title?

That's the thing. You could equally have

9. Aldi
10. Haircut
11. No Maits
12. Sir Stafford
13. Shuggy
14. Selkirk Pixie/Tennessee Tam/The Falcon/Hoyland
15. King Blarehorn

Its weird having the possibility of depth.

Eejit wrote:Oh my

9. Wee George
10. Dancer
11. Micro
12. Smiling Sam the Aussie Man
13. Rory Hutchinson (To be adorned with a confusing nickname when he gets a Scotland cap)
14. Seaman Steyns
15. Hoggy

That backline gives me feelings usually reserved for me-time.

Would you not want Lord Stafford of Walking on Water, Bringer of the Light, Giver of the Try Scoring Pass, Tackler of the Rampaging Opponent, Kicker of the Game Winning Goal McDowell in your team?

For me, the big change in the second half was that we started playing off 9 far more and kept their defence honest, looking to punch holes closer to the breakdown then unleashing Russell on a fractured defence.

I hope that's the blue-print going forward, rather than the wide-wide fastest game in world nonsense that we've been trying to play.

Eejit wrote:

RDW wrote:Am I the only one who thought Price had a shocker of a first half? I know everyone did but that seems to have been forgotten...

I didn’t think he was especially bad, considering everyone was complete pish and not just him. Even if he was we cannot continue to play the way we’re playing and think to start Laidlaw because the man just doesn’t have the physical attributes we need to execute the plan we want from minute 1 to minute 60. Great idea keeping him on the bench but we need to give Price or Horne the Younger a run of games in the 9 shirt.

From memory he was having a shocker - I definitely posted a few 'FFS Price' comments on the match thread in the first half.

One of the most pleasing passages for me was an exit early in the second half around 53 minutes just after Bradbury's try. 

We had a scrum just past our 5 metre line about 15 metres in.  There was a solid scrum with a quick hook, Bradbury then picked up and carried hard into midfield, gaining 5/10 metres in the process.  A very quick ruck, Price to Russell and he cannons it off the pitch close to their 10 metre line.

It was beautiful.

Bradbury was really excellent on the weekend - he took a lot of responsibility to get us on the front-foot off the back of scrums or when receiving re-starts - crucially, he has the physique and athleticism to gain yards in those situations. It makes a huge difference when you are clearing your lines when you have a bit of momentum.

I've been saying it all comp, the forwards have been absolutely fine throughout. They were providing the platform but the backs were then butchering things by going side to side until a forward pass, knock on or turnover was provided. Defensively we were completely porous but this was also out wide.

Work needs to be done defending from 12 to 15, either personnel change with injured players coming back or a system change.

System change i reckon. Players should be able to slot in, there's no way Glasgow or Edinburgh have had that awful defence this season. Players should be able to swap in with minimal impact.

At the moment too many players fly out of the line or don't make the tackle because of uncertainty. Our defence seems most effective with a pods system where we get most turnover, which works well with our attacking style.

I'd say its a system thing as well - neither Glasgow or Edinbugh defend this badly.

I do wonder if Matt Taylor's position should be called into question?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/47626679

RDW wrote:https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/47626679

That headline is a tad disingenuous. What the article says is that he actually fractured his check playing for Racing and was never concussed.

I think the fractured was well healed by the time of the England game.

https://twitter.com/JLyall93/status/1107424377598021632?s=19

Incredible Ben Toolis stats

RDW wrote:https://twitter.com/JLyall93/status/1107424377598021632?s=19

Incredible Ben Toolis stats

Very impressive from BBB, he is making a big play to be a starting lock and if he keeps up that sort of form, he will be in the mix.

So, donning my Corporal Fraser cap...."We're doomed. Nae centres for the world cup. Doomed I say. Doomed."

Here's my thinking;

12-13 Smiling Sam and Not A Show Pony.
Back ups Furra Linee, Battleship Griggtempkin and Chris Harris.

Now, Huw Jones is out with no firm return to play date Match fitness could be a real problem. For all his tenacity, Nick Grigg did not really step up during the 6N's not if we use Richie, Micro and Smiling Sam as the definition of "stepping up" Is Harris the next cab off the rank? His performances were more "competent" than "inspiring". Similarly, at 12 Furra Linee is the only alternative who is actually fit and playing regularly; his 6Nations was not exactly stunningly successful.
Dunbar-Taylor- -MattScott12, all need to start playing regularly and show evidence of  regaining international form. Sadly, at least two of them probably never will again.
Grigg-Harris haven't really convinced; can you imagine starting them against Samoa?

This doesn't even factor in the possibilities of injuries to our first choice pairing.

I think there is a strong case for a 12/14/15 utility player in the squad. In the absence of centres who would arguably have a good claim on a starting spot (Dunbar-Taylor- -MattScott12) I would suggest that Lord Stafford Of McDowell and/or The Boy Who Will Grow Into A Monicker could well be that utility player.

Can we call him Monica? Just till he gets one.

That’s niche even by your standards Jimbo mate!