Georgia Double Header - Scotlands last warm up games 31st August and 6th September

First topic message reminder :

So after a mixed bag in the first two games, we now face a difficult away trip to Tiblisi followed 6 days later by hosting the same team at home at Murrayfield.

With the travelling involved, a 6 hour flight apparently, as well as a Georgian team with a lot to prove playing in front of a crowd of 50,000, this ill no doubt be a serious test and an indication of what playing in a hostile environment in unpleasant conditions will be like. A dress rehersal for the Japan game in many ways.

So who does he play first up?

The squad is being finalised after the away game, but you would imagine that he is not going to want to waste any spaces on players that he has already made his mind up about.

He certainly is not going to risk any injured players, so that rules out Thompson, Skinner, Seymour for sure, along with the possibity of Taylor, Bradbury, Gray and we are not sure if Brown and Johnson will be fit either.

I am going to assume that none of them are ready to travel and have a stab at a team along these lines:

1. Reid
2. McInally
3. Fagerson Z
4. Gilchrist
5. Cummings
6. Wilson
7. Ritchie
8. Fagerson M
9. Horne G
10. Hastings
11. Graham
12. Hutchinson
13. Jones
14. Maitland
15. Kinghorn

Subs
Berghan
Turner
Nel
Toolis
Barclay
Price
Horne P
Harris

Worrying if nel gets injured. Fagerson just can't cut it right now.

It's the little things with Hastings - they obviously pre planned the kick through but it was crap ball so he should have changed it instead of forcing the kick that wasn't on.

Coast to coast!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a try!

Lovely try! Great composure from Graham and nice set up from Kinghorn.

That’s why Kinghorn is off to Japan, superb counter attack. Great try

Price is looking better this game

and then we make a mess of the exit!

Penalty Georgia

5-3 Scotland

Classic prop offside penalty, hopefully that's them out of the way this year

Kinghorn's kicking has been superb. He's having a good game.

Its the Graham-kinghorn show tonight!

What a fantastic try!

Whole team involved

Great carries from Cummings - he's probably our biggest ball carrying lock now.

Nice try!

Penalty Georgia

10-6 Scotland

Kinghorn off for HIA

Great read and interception from Ali Price

So many silly penalties. What a hit by Graham earlier!

Silly penalty from Turner, he gives away a few of those

10-9 Scotland

We are keeping Georgia in this

Georgia within 1. Shows the importance of discipline. Fairplay though, gorgadze has been a beast

This doesn't feel like a 1 point game - we've got to stop the stupid pens.

Tell you what, counter attacking aside we're not playing well.

Wilson has done nothing but spill a lineout.

Probably because Georgia are playing a whole lot better than last week. They are looking more like the side that are knocking on the door of the 6N tonight

Berghan must be 2nd choice tighthead. Fagerson has been woeful

We're making a hell of a lot of stupid mistakes too.

If berghan can hold up the scrums now he'll probably secure the bench spot.

Ref really isn't liking Reid!

That's poor from the ref. He was literally making up which team to give the penalty at the last second

Shame Kinghorn isn't coming back on - he was playing well

Well harris has got the opportunity to show us why he's been picked!

Darcy Graham is a complete maniac, no fear at all

This is a classic Glasgow performance which comes as no surprise given the personnel - great in open play but very little in the way of control!

He has to start against ireland. Him and maitland as the sensible option.

What a scrappy half, we should be away and clear by now. Got to play with a bit more control

Let’s just not talk about that one Adam

We could be in real trouble here if we carry on in the same way in the 2nd half.

I'd stick with Seymour, Maitland and Hogg for the time being. All experienced Lions who have been there before. Ireland is not the game to introduce the crazy. They are rugby killjoys and seek to draw the fun out of any game, the more the opponent is trying to play - the more they seek to shut it off. Our standard back three has the experience to work around that.

This is starting to feel like one of the old Scotland - Italy games in the days of Lo Cicero, Ghiraldini, Castrogiovanni, Bortolami etc. where we'd run them round in the first half but failed to exert consistent pressure because of their set piece superiority. We need to start exerting control. Perhaps adopt the traditional Australian tactic in the scrums of being as quick as possible, and sharpen up the lineout and the kicking game. If we do that we'll run them off the park. I can't see them scoring many tries but I can see them drawing us into an arm wrestle unless we get our house in order.

Hastings just feels like he's forcing it at the moment. He needs to settle down and just focus on his game.

Great first 10. Don't know what really happened after that. The Georgians look more up for it tbf.

JG off at HT. hope that is not serious

Worrying that gray is off already...

I'd have kept fagerson off

I'm getting worried

This is beginning to look like the tonga horror story that ended robinson

It's alright lads - we've got 'makes everyone better' Horne to come on.

Wonder if his influence extends to the scrums too?

Great kick from georgia. Oh. Dear.

Was that Kelly Brown there?

123456789. wrote:Was that Kelly Brown there?

He's been doing some coaching

Aye i saw him when i went to the france game. Must be involved in coaching.

Feck me we needed that try! Georgia yellow too.

That's more like it

Try and yellow card

17-9 Scotland

Horne is getting more than 5 minutes! Theres a novelty