Glasgow and Edinburgh banter thread no. 23 - New season, new thread

by **BigGee** Mon 9 Sep - 17:34

First topic message reminder :

Well a new season is probably time to start off a new thread.

2 weeks to the start of the season and both sides with one more pre season game to go. A lot of unknowns this season again, due to the number of players away with Scotland and other countries for the WC.

For Glasgow, can they continue their general excellence that took them on a fantastic end of season run to the Pro 14 Final, where they just fell short. It might be their last campaign under Dave Rennie, so can they go one better?

Edinburgh also have questions to ask, the main one being whether they can ever pass the ball past the FH and how soon before their wingers are likely to go blue from hypothermia? On a more positive note though, they may finally be playing in Mini Murrayfield by autumn 2020. So only one more year to bear playing in the library!

Good luck to both teams for the coming season, though Edinburgh are more likely to need it than Glasgow!

by **RDW** Wed 6 Nov - 7:38

https://scrummagazine.com/for-the-credibility-of-the-competition-it-has-to-be-better-cockerill-slams-pro14-referee/

There it is!

by Tramptastic Wed 6 Nov - 8:07

bsando wrote:
BigGee wrote:I watched the game and Hoggy was pretty solid other than the missed tackle for their first try. He carried a lot of ball and sucked in the Worcester defence and was peppered with high balls, which he dealt with.

Just as impressive though was Duncy, who kicked every conversion and penalty as well as having a very good general game. He is surely only an injury away from the Scotland squad still, I would have him at FH over Pete Horne any day of the week.

CDP was very solid as well and is clearly well over the horrific injury of last season. You can see the tracheostomy scar very clearly though, that must have been a very scary experience.

Yeah Weir had a nice 1 handed pick up as well from a grubber, definitely looks like a player with his tail up at the moment and loving his rugby.

Maybe Weir has always been one of these players who needs a coach to say "you are my guy, you are getting the next run of 10 games to prove yourself" and Solomons has clearly given him this vote of confidence.

by **RDW** Wed 6 Nov - 8:53

RDW wrote:https://scrummagazine.com/for-the-credibility-of-the-competition-it-has-to-be-better-cockerill-slams-pro14-referee/

There it is!

I'm amazed he seems to get away with these kind of comments - maybe because the referring chief agrees with him! The ref was just abysmal though, and I didn't even notice some of the things Cockers raised so it was worse than I thought.

Again though we still should have won regardless of the dodgy reffing, and I've said before our performances need to take the potential for dodgy reffing out of the equation.

by **RDW** Wed 6 Nov - 14:20

Ally Millar has been included in the core 7s squad for this year, so that probably answers the question of what will happen to him when all the other players come back to Edinburgh

Barclay and Ritchie are back for selection this week, and Mata and Bradbury are already back, so that's probably his time done for now.

by bsando Wed 6 Nov - 14:24

Yeah I doubt Leinster and Munster complain about refs as much due to actually being able to dig deep and win those close, messy games. Of course having a strong team of refs is important but I think cockers should talk about such things to the press away from post match interviews.

by **RDW** Wed 6 Nov - 14:31

He did to be fair bsando - this has come from a recent interview where he also talked about what has happened with Sarries.

Post match he didn't mention the ref.

by **BigGee** Wed 6 Nov - 15:56

The Scotland sevens core group slso includes Femi Sofolarin who was a star of the very good U18 tesm we had a couple of years ago. He is an absolute flyer on the wing and was with Harlewuins and has also been around the England sevens squad.

Not sure what his Scottish connection or how we have managed to poach him back from England sevens but hd comes very highly rated.

Could be a possible XVs option for the future, still only 19 i think.

by **BigGee** Wed 6 Nov - 15:58

Kyle Rowe, also a highly rated junior, also in the core squad.

by **NeilyBroon** Wed 6 Nov - 16:15

So the sevens still seems to be used as our third team, which I guess is no bad thing considering you look at Horne Jr and Kyle Steyn and how they've come on. In an ideal world you'd want these players to be spotted by scouts on the circuit and snapped up to pro XVs but if we can train a few players up in the backs (and the odd forward) that way can't do much harm.

by **BigGee** Wed 6 Nov - 20:38

A bit of an update on squad news for Glasgow.

Ali Seuili is in town and training with the club this week, will likely bench this weekend at Patrma to get him up to speed for the Euro games to come.

The lesser spotted Tevita Tamileu, who has been missing in action for some time now, has been confirmed to have left the club. He showed a bit of promise, but never really set the heather on fire and it seems, like the last American back row we took a punt on, he never really settled over here. I think we need to look elsewhere for our rough diamonds from here on in!

Paddy Kelly is off to play sevens for now. A decent player, who for no fault of his own, just never seems to get any game time for the Warriors. Probably destines to never be more than a squad player, so may as well give sevens a go.

Moving in the other direction is Glen Bryce, who has been released from his sevens commitments and will stay the warriors for the foreseeable. One of the few players to come out of the early season with their reputation enhanced.

Our new Fijian hooker is not in the building yet, will be coming over from Fiji, post WC at some stage this month. A few of the Fijian end up with visa issues before they can get over and play, he may be in the same boat.

by **BigGee** Wed 6 Nov - 20:52

https://www.606v2.com/t69212-zebre-v-glasgow-warriors-saturday-9th-november-2019#3865340

by **RDW** Thu 7 Nov - 8:38

BigGee wrote:The Scotland sevens core group slso includes Femi Sofolarin who was a star of the very good U18 tesm we had a couple of years ago. He is an absolute flyer on the wing and was with Harlewuins and has also been around the England sevens squad.

Not sure what his Scottish connection or how we have managed to poach him back from England sevens but hd comes very highly rated.

Could be a possible XVs option for the future, still only 19 i think.

Read a bit about him this morning - he certainly looks a great prospect. He was Scotland under 18s but has played 3 tournaments with England 7s. He'll have to decide his allegiance by June 2020 apparently

by **BigGee** Thu 7 Nov - 8:48

He is at Newcastle University now, so that might have been a factor in his choice.

Either way it is good to have him on board and hopefully he will choose blue in the new year

by **RDW** Thu 7 Nov - 8:53

Nelly's point about the 7s team essentially being the 3rd pro team is a very good one. There are obvious downsides in relying on a 7s environment to develop 15s players, as the skillsets are very different now. We're also not likely going to find a big bruiser of a blindside in the 7s environment or the next top tighthead prop or second row.

For back rows and backs though it is a good learning environment to develop skills and athletic ability.

Saying that there's not been a high success rate in bringing players through to the Scotland setup - Steyn and Graham are the most recent examples but Graham was already there or there abouts with Edinburgh. Currently the squad is mainly a place to put fringe pro players and exciting youngsters.

by **BigGee** Thu 7 Nov - 9:00

Don't forget George Horne.

Sevens gave him the opportunity to showcase his wares

by **RDW** Thu 7 Nov - 12:02

https://www.606v2.com/t69213-edinburgh-v-dragons#3865476

by **BigGee** Fri 8 Nov - 10:57

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/he-is-not-present-at-racing-92-we-do-not-know-more-nakarawa

Big Naka still MIA

by **BigGee** Sat 9 Nov - 9:06

ttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-50316325

Well well, Glasgow named as the cultural and creative centre of the UK, leaving Edinburgh well in its wake!

You see there is a lot more to the dear green place than just a fantastic rugby team!

by jimbopip Sat 9 Nov - 9:31

Speaking of Culture (always spell it with a capital C; it makes you seem 16.7% smarter straight away), I was in the supermarket with MrsPip the other day and she proudly held out some fresh looking stuff and informed me she had a new curry recipe she wanted to try.

"Oh? Grand. " said I dutifully, in that trance that supermarkets invariably reduce me to.
"I haven't tried it before. It's a katsu curry." She persevered, trying to interest me.
"Katsu Chicken and chips!!!! Is Shrek coming round?" I cried.

She stared at me for the longest time. Then looked at the other shoppers, who were trying very hard not to stare at the strange man. I could see her trying to figure out if there was any point in explaining/apologising to the other shoppers...eventually she just muttered under her breath

"Nidiot."

She hasn't made it yet.

by tigertattie Sat 9 Nov - 15:18

jimbopip wrote:Speaking of Culture (always spell it with a capital C; it makes you seem 16.7% smarter straight away), I was in the supermarket with MrsPip the other day and she proudly held out some fresh looking stuff and informed me she had a new curry recipe she wanted to try.

"Oh? Grand. " said I dutifully, in that trance that supermarkets invariably reduce me to.
"I haven't tried it before. It's a katsu curry." She persevered, trying to interest me.
"Katsu Chicken and chips!!!! Is Shrek coming round?" I cried.

She stared at me for the longest time. Then looked at the other shoppers, who were trying very hard not to stare at the strange man. I could see her trying to figure out if there was any point in explaining/apologising to the other shoppers...eventually she just muttered under her breath

"Nidiot."

She hasn't made it yet.

I notice the question wasn’t answered though.

Is shrek going round for tea?

by **BigGee** Sat 9 Nov - 15:52

Not this weekend at sny rate, he is pkaying for the Bulls in the Super 6 tomorrow!

by bsando Sat 9 Nov - 17:09

BigGee wrote:https://www.rugbypass.com/news/he-is-not-present-at-racing-92-we-do-not-know-more-nakarawa

Big Naka still MIA

What a funny story. I'm sure it's important if he is building a house for a family member or something. With a hundreds of thousands euro contract at a really prestigious rugby club though, surely he could hire some local labour to help out? will be interesting to hear what has happened.

by tigertattie Sat 9 Nov - 18:53

Maybe he’s just fed up of being flogged in the french league and wants sacked.

Maybe he wants to return to his spiritual homeland of Scotland.

by **BigGee** Sat 9 Nov - 19:10

You mean his spiritual home of Glasgow i take it!

by tigertattie Sat 9 Nov - 23:55

BigGee wrote:You mean his spiritual home of Glasgow i take it!

Nah. He played for Glasgow but didn’t live there as he was fed up with shrek coming round and emptying his fridge

by **BigGee** Sun 10 Nov - 12:39

Dave Rennie really talking up Scott Cummings in a pre match interview, saying his athleticism and intelligent running lines make him a point of difference amongst Scottish locks. I think he might be right and could easily see him moving into a stating position this 6N.

He also talked about Tagive and was saying that him not being SQ has held him back in the games that they have limited amounts of foreign players that they can play at any one time. Now that he is SQ, we should be seeing a lot more of him. He actually played well again yesterday with a try and a good assist for GH second.

It looks like Tommy Seymour is going to be our FB elect for the coming season as well. Probably a decent choice as he seems to have the skill set and looked very comfortable there yesterday.

by tigertattie Sun 10 Nov - 13:31

Full back is not the place for tommy and tommy isn’t the answer for Glasgow’s fullback issue. He was solid against a pish poor Zebre side that other teams have have taken 50 points off.

Seymour has lost over a yard of pace and simply moving him off the wing isn’t the answer.

If sarries need to unload players due to the salary cap carry on, Glasgow should welcome maitland back with open arms.

Ps, I hear bbc Scotland will be showing pro 14 highlights for the next two seasons. No idea what channel and when, but it’s a positive

by jimbopip Sun 10 Nov - 13:40

Monday 7:00pm. They say BBC Scotland, whether that's 1 or 2 is not too clear.

by **BigGee** Sun 10 Nov - 13:47

Tommy may not be the long term answer for us at FB, but he may likely be the best we will do this season. Hopefully one of the promising youngsters may step up jn the slighly longer term

by **NeilyBroon** Sun 10 Nov - 15:10

Makes it all the more shame that paddy Dewhirst turned out to be an utter moron off the field, as glasgow could have done with an up-and-coming fullback and he looked like he may have been able to deliver.

Ollie Smith at FB looked decent in the u20s. Has he managed to get a partnership deal with one of the pro sides?

by tigertattie Mon 11 Nov - 8:11

Mind the time when some Glasgow fans thought Cruden was going to join them laughing

by EWT Spoons Mon 11 Nov - 8:35

jimbopip wrote:Monday 7:00pm. They say BBC Scotland, whether that's 1 or 2 is not too clear.

BBC Scotland is its own separate channel, https://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/bbcscotland

by **RDW** Mon 11 Nov - 8:46

A few things to pick up on from the weekend:

- Hogg interview in the Sunday times. He said he's needing a run of games at Exeter because he's not had that for a long time, which he feels as negatively contributed to his enjoyment of games and his performances. The article listed all the injuries he's had and I forgot how disjointed a year he has had. Probably explains how's he's not been as sharp as we would like. He had a decent performance for Exeter yesterday and was in the running for MOTM had Bristol not sneaked over for the win right at the death.

- Callum Gibbins interview. He's pretty honest that he sees himself as a passionate Kiwi so hasn't really thought about playing for Scotland. He backtracks a little to say if he was selected he would of course consider it but wasn't overly convincing! Can't see him being picked though - he's 31 and well behind Watson and Ritchie in terms of quality. Even Luke Crosbie is starting to step up now and put good performances in.

- Rory Hutchinson. Another top performance at the weekend, with Will Greenwood saying he can't fathom why he wasn't out in Japan. And he knows a thing or two about centres!

- Super 6. A decent start with good crowds (relatively speaking) and competitive games. Over 1500 people were at the Boroughmuir game on Friday at the same time that 5800 were at the Edinburgh game (classic SRU organising btw). Geordie Reid annihilated his opposite number in Ayr v Heriot but you'd expect nothing else from someone who was playing in a WC a few weeks ago. interestingly both Melrose and Ayr lost at home - back in the good old amateur days they were always the strongest teams.

by **NeilyBroon** Mon 11 Nov - 9:25

Well if he regains form and kinghorn continues improving this season we will at least have decent cover at 15, with maitland more than capable of doing a good job there too.

As for Hutchinson, I find it painful how good he's been and yet Toonie probably still doesn't have 20-20 hindsight on this. I reckon he won't get picked in the 6Ns purely so Toonie can show he's right in his 'leftfield' selections.

As for Super 6 - I reckon it will be good for the game once it's bedded in. Especially with TV coverage. Could be a masterstroke, not only for closing the gap with semi-pro players but with coaches too and may reduce the elevation of the anointed ones such as Blair, Toonie etc, who were decent enough players but may not have a scooby about coaching and encourage the SRU bring through coaches who have proven themselves in the semi-pro league such as Cairns et co.

by tigertattie Mon 11 Nov - 9:27

RDW wrote:A few things to pick up on from the weekend:

- Hogg interview in the Sunday times. He said he's needing a run of games at Exeter because he's not had that for a long time, which he feels as negatively contributed to his enjoyment of games and his performances. The article listed all the injuries he's had and I forgot how disjointed a year he has had. Probably explains how's he's not been as sharp as we would like. He had a decent performance for Exeter yesterday and was in the running for MOTM had Bristol not sneaked over for the win right at the death.

- Callum Gibbins interview. He's pretty honest that he sees himself as a passionate Kiwi so hasn't really thought about playing for Scotland. He backtracks a little to say if he was selected he would of course consider it but wasn't overly convincing! Can't see him being picked though - he's 31 and well behind Watson and Ritchie in terms of quality. Even Luke Crosbie is starting to step up now and put good performances in.

- Rory Hutchinson. Another top performance at the weekend, with Will Greenwood saying he can't fathom why he wasn't out in Japan. And he knows a thing or two about centres!

- Super 6. A decent start with good crowds (relatively speaking) and competitive games. Over 1500 people were at the Boroughmuir game on Friday at the same time that 5800 were at the Edinburgh game (classic SRU organising btw). Geordie Reid annihilated his opposite number in Ayr v Heriot but you'd expect nothing else from someone who was playing in a WC a few weeks ago. interestingly both Melrose and Ayr lost at home - back in the good old amateur days they were always the strongest teams.

That my friend is the power of the Katsu Chicken Curry!

by **RDW** Mon 11 Nov - 9:32

NeilyBroon wrote:Well if he regains form and kinghorn continues improving this season we will at least have decent cover at 15, with maitland more than capable of doing a good job there too.

As for Hutchinson, I find it painful how good he's been and yet Toonie probably still doesn't have 20-20 hindsight on this. I reckon he won't get picked in the 6Ns purely so Toonie can show he's right in his 'leftfield' selections.

As for Super 6 - I reckon it will be good for the game once it's bedded in. Especially with TV coverage. Could be a masterstroke, not only for closing the gap with semi-pro players but with coaches too and may reduce the elevation of the anointed ones such as Blair, Toonie etc, who were decent enough players but may not have a scooby about coaching and encourage the SRU bring through coaches who have proven themselves in the semi-pro league such as Cairns et co.

A higher level of top level amateur/semi pro rugby is certainly a good thing. The issue has always been whether these teams will be sustainbable financially (I have no idea how they're coming up with the money to match the SRU investment) plus the impact on the rest of the amateur game.

As I said last week it was good to see fringe pros playing for them - it was originally announced that they would not be allowed to play, which made no sense.

On that topic, what has happened to Adam Ashe?? This team last year he was talked about earning an international call up, and now he's playing for Stirling County because he can't get a game for Glasgow.

by **BigGee** Mon 11 Nov - 9:49

Adam Ashe unfortunately can't seem to get through more than half a pro game without getting injured anx you get the feeling that DR is losing oatience with him.

For such a talented junior, he has unfortunately never really seemed to have fulfilled his potential and is getting rapidly left behind by others.

I don't know where he is contract wise with Glasgow but he is going to struggle unless he shows up at some stage this season.

by **RDW** Mon 11 Nov - 10:00

Just to delve into Luke Crosbie a bit more - he's starting to really fulfil his promise. He's a very similar player to Ritchie - tall and rangey but a great athlete, good link player and has an eye for a turnover. He's really benefited from a run of games. He's got lots of competition at Edinburgh but Watson being injured should help his amount of gametime.

Cockers has said he'll rotate the squad for the game to Agen and bring in squad players and some internationals who are being eased back, which would be good to see. I'd like to see something like

1 Sutherland
2 Fenton
3 Berghan
4 Toolis
5 Charmichael
6 Ritchie
7 Crosbie
8 Mata

9 Shiel (give him a start!)
10 Baggott
11 Graham
12 Taylor
13 JJ
14 Sledgehammer
15 Hoyland

Subs - Marfo (yes he still exists!), Willemse, McCallum, Gilchrist, Bradbury, Groom, VDW, Bennett

by bsando Mon 11 Nov - 10:04

No.8 is a such a fickle position in Scottish rugby. Over the years so many players have looked the part then faded away, been out of favour or lost form. Denton was an exception who just had a rotten time with injury and probably could have played another 20+ tests without injuries ruining his career. Ashe had a few chances and I don't think his international record holds up very well, starting with that horrific loss in SA then the 2015 wooden spoon 6N campaign. I highly doubt he'll add to his 6 caps now which is a shame.

by bsando Mon 11 Nov - 10:05

RDW wrote:Just to delve into Luke Crosbie a bit more - he's starting to really fulfil his promise. He's a very similar player to Ritchie - tall and rangey but a great athlete, good link player and has an eye for a turnover. He's really benefited from a run of games. He's got lots of competition at Edinburgh but Watson being injured should help his amount of gametime.

Cockers has said he'll rotate the squad for the game to Agen and bring in squad players and some internationals who are being eased back, which would be good to see. I'd like to see something like

1 Sutherland
2 Fenton
3 Berghan
4 Toolis
5 Charmichael
6 Ritchie
7 Crosbie
8 Mata

9 Shiel (give him a start!)
10 Baggott
11 Graham
12 Taylor
13 JJ
14 Sledgehammer
15 Hoyland

Subs - Marfo (yes he still exists!), Willemse, McCallum, Gilchrist, Bradbury, Groom, VDW, Bennett

Looks good to me! and yes, Marfo needs a game already.

by EWT Spoons Mon 11 Nov - 10:29

Not a bad team, but I can’t see Baggott or Marfo getting a shot.

Baggott doesn’t seem to be in Cockers immediate plans and whilst there is a chance he might bench, he's very unlikely to start, especially alongside Shiel (if Sheil does start).

Marfo I believe is currently listed as injured, but as I’ve mentioned on a few occasions, he’s not been regarded as good enough to start or bench for Boroughmuir (pre & post S6) so can’t see him being anywhere near the Edinburgh side unless there is quite literally no one else.

It also depends on how seriously RC is taking this comp, whilst it’s easy to dismiss it and suggest we focus on the Pro14, it’s probably our best shout of a trophy, (excluding the standard 1872 guarantee), so whilst I think there may be some rotation, I can’t see wholesale changes.

by **BigGee** Mon 11 Nov - 10:33

The best thing to do with the challenge cup is not to take it to seriously for the first two games, try a bit of experimentation and see where it gets you. You can then put more resources into it later on if results go your way. If not then nothing lost and you keep putting in the squad players, which might benefit your team in the longer term by blooding them and getting them more up to speed for when you need them in any case.

by EWT Spoons Mon 11 Nov - 11:15

BigGee wrote:The best thing to do with the challenge cup is not to take it to seriously for the first two games, try a bit of experimentation and see where it gets you. You can then put more resources into it later on if results go your way. If not then nothing lost and you keep putting in the squad players, which might benefit your team in the longer term by blooding them and getting them more up to speed for when you need them in any case.

Which is fine, unless you actually want to win it from the outset. I’m not saying RC/Edinburgh do, but there are only so many competitions. Winning the Pro14 is not going to be achievable any time soon, winning the Champions cup even less so, so why not try and win this?

As I say, I’m not sure that’s the plan, but if we actually want to get some silverware at Edinburgh, this is our best shot and being out of the comp before it even starts wouldn't be ideal

by **BigGee** Mon 11 Nov - 11:33

EWT Spoons wrote:
BigGee wrote:The best thing to do with the challenge cup is not to take it to seriously for the first two games, try a bit of experimentation and see where it gets you. You can then put more resources into it later on if results go your way. If not then nothing lost and you keep putting in the squad players, which might benefit your team in the longer term by blooding them and getting them more up to speed for when you need them in any case.

Which is fine, unless you actually want to win it from the outset. I’m not saying RC/Edinburgh do, but there are only so many competitions. Winning the Pro14 is not going to be achievable any time soon, winning the Champions cup even less so, so why not try and win this?

As I say, I’m not sure that’s the plan, but if we actually want to get some silverware at Edinburgh, this is our best shot and being out of the comp before it even starts wouldn't be ideal

I don't think any side sets out to win the challenge cup from the onset. The mere fact that you are in it would suggest that you need to be concentrating on your league position and not on that. Edinburgh know to their cost form last season, what trying to play full on in two competitions can cost you at the end of the season and I think Cockers has learnt that lesson.

That is not to say he is going to throw games. It will be a good test for the up and coming players and Edinburgh have enough depth now to rotate and still put out a decent team. The French teams will only be bothered about the home games and if you can nick one of those, then you will have a decent chance of going through and can then start to load the deck a bit more as the competition goes on.

Edinburgh historically seem to be able to get up for a cup game, so will always have a chance, it is the daily grind of the league that they often seem to lack the appetite for!

by **RDW** Mon 11 Nov - 11:36

yeah I think we're going to see rotated squads for the first two games and see how it goes. Cockers said it would be a decent team (i.e. we're not going to put a bunch of kids out) but he will be rotating.

It's a shame we're away in France first up - as Biggee says they normally give up on the competition a few games in.

by tigertattie Mon 11 Nov - 21:10

Well those highlights were a bit pants.

Are they produced by the beeb or do they just buy the show from premier sports?

I’d rather see 15mins of highlights for the two Scottish sides the. Half an hour on the other games combined.

While watching though I have a question. If a team take a penalty kick at goal and miss and a “defender” goes to catch the ball in goal but spills it forward, is it a scrum to the team that took the kick?

by **NeilyBroon** Tue 12 Nov - 10:10

tigertattie wrote:Well those highlights were a bit pants.

Are they produced by the beeb or do they just buy the show from premier sports?

I’d rather see 15mins of highlights for the two Scottish sides the. Half an hour on the other games combined.

While watching though I have a question. If a team take a penalty kick at goal and miss and a “defender” goes to catch the ball in goal but spills it forward, is it a scrum to the team that took the kick?

Yes scrum to the team who kick because that ball will still be 'live' unless it is kicked dead by the kicker, much like if you miss a penalty for the line the other team can play it but could also knock it on.

by tigertattie Tue 12 Nov - 16:21

Yeah thats what I've always thought.

I've never understood why a player attempts to catch the ball when it goes wide only to dot it down for the 22 drop out. You risk spilling it and you face defending a 5m scrum. Just let the ball go out over the dead ball line for the 22.

The only reason I would think is you are worried that the ball will bounc back into play for the kicking team to possibly run onto, pick up and score a try!!!

by jimbopip Tue 12 Nov - 22:04

You know, for a prop you think a lot TT.

by tigertattie Tue 12 Nov - 23:33

jimbopip wrote:You know, for a prop you think a lot TT.

I’m not a prop, I’m a very naughty boy.

Nah. I’m a stand off that can’t run fast. Or can’t run at all really.

I’m very much a “utility forward”. Apparently I had all the physical attributes and rugby brain to be a great number 8 but my lack of motivation and “bantz” stopped me being the next Ryan Wilson.

Used to get pelters from the coaches for not taking my rugby seriously. I had no intention of taking it seriously. I just enjoyed playing. Some people like hitting folk hard in the tackle. I always felt the ball should be passed before anyone got hit. I should have played touch really. But I do like a good line out. Scrums can do what Fowles did though and buggeroff

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