Scotland 6 Nations Thread

by Highland Shaun Sun 1 Dec - 23:26

First topic message reminder :

With the 6N fast approaching, I thought I'd be the first to start a thread for it, my team being Scotland because its my nationality lol.

First of all, we know that Danny Wilson won't be coaching as he's off to coach Glasgow plus there are rumours of Matt Taylor the assistant going with Rennie to Australia so that leaves a couple of vacancies available, hopefully after the 6N, the main head coach one will be available too, which I would suspect Richard Cockerill would be the outright fav for, but that's a topic for after the 6N.

So, who would you like to see be in our 6N squad, are there any new caps that are likely, are there any players possibly getting recalls or would we likely see any younger players get a shot.

This is the place to discuss so go ahead

.

by king_carlos Sun 2 Feb - 17:56

RDW wrote:Shame that England learned exactly what not to do at this level in this game. Can't imagine he'll make the same selection mistakes next weekend.

The pack has immediate fixes. Genge and Earl offer more carrying, start Kruis, Cowan-Dickie was excellent when he came on. Ted Hill is a freak carrying as well.

The backs less so if Manu and Watson aren't available on top of Cokanasiga and Nowell.

by **RDW** Sun 2 Feb - 18:22

Will he be able to admit his mistakes though and make such widespread changes! Hopefully not.

by bsando Sun 2 Feb - 19:02

There was some talk of a RWC hangover for England but most pundits seemed to think England would avoid it. Seemed pretty evident to me that something was wrong today and I think selections probably had a big part to do with it. The players will want to respond next weekend as will Scotland. Perfect storm for a fiery encounter, not that it wasn't going to be anyway!

by 123456789. Sun 2 Feb - 19:09

RDW wrote:Will he be able to admit his mistakes though and make such widespread changes! Hopefully not.

I think Eddie Jones will be more likely to admit he's wrong than Townsend.

by tigertattie Mon 3 Feb - 0:02

Few points from me (like anyone cares)

Firstly. Hogg’s drop. Everyone has said enough. Silly

SJ - I’m still not sold on him. His interception was great but he was caught up to far too easily. If we’re still doing the fastest rugby on earth stuff, Hutchinson needs to come in. His lazy run into Conway ruined a penalty that would have been given for us.

Ali price is not the player Horne is. Swap em over.

Haining. Take a bow. Great game and silenced doubters. Hopefully he keeps that form going.

Cummings continues his impressive career. He’s rapidly catching and will overtake Jonny as the main lock.

Kinghorn has been getting some stick. His pass put Hogg in for what should have been a game defining try.

We did lack that cutting edge. A josh Adams or a George north. Graham is our form winger. Would love him back. Duhan will be the perfect foil for him next year. Maitland is a great player but age is catching him. Don’t think he’ll last much beyond 2022. Duhan and Graham the future. Kinghorn the bench option covering back three.

by **RDW** Mon 3 Feb - 8:08

Not sure I've seen Kinghorn getting stick, just mentioning that our back 3 didn't get overly involved in the game and we were lacking cutting edge generally.

It does point to a change in tactics as in the WC it was basically get it into the wide channels as quickly as possible without committing any men.

We need something in the middle!

by **RDW** Mon 3 Feb - 8:35

https://www.606v2.com/t69423-scotland-v-england-the-calcutta-cup#3885365

by EWT Spoons Mon 3 Feb - 8:37

I'm a big fan of Kinghorn's, I think he's a very good player, but Saturday wasn't his best. Not all of that was his fault as the ball seemed to rarely come anywhere near him. The main times it did was when Ireland kicked it at him and I don't think he managed to take a single high ball.

He's 6'5 so should in theory have an advantage over most, but he really seems to struggle with that and hopefully it's something he's working on as it could be a real weapon for us. Which I think was the plan when the ball was kicked over to him in the first half (from memory I believe he also failed to catch)

I'm not going to go into the good and the bad of that game, as I think most have covered it already, the only ones I really want to call out are Sutherland and CDP. Sutherland had a brilliant game and after all he's been through with injury it's great to see him showing what he's capable of.
CDP wasn't as good, had less time on the pitch, but to get back to playing international rugby after the various injuries he's had over the last wee while, is brilliant to see.

Delighted for the pair of them.

by bsando Mon 3 Feb - 9:20

Kinghorn needs to get better under high balls. Haining was a great example of how to make a grab under pressure on Saturday, text book stuff. Maitland and Hogg did well under the high ball too. Securing those high balls and recycling it to clear the line relieves so much pressure for the team. Personally i'd like to see Steyn having a go on that wing with Graham out. He'll add some physicality as well.

Only changes I'd make are Steyn in Kinghorn out, Horne and Price swap, Bradbury bench over Du Preez.

by tigertattie Mon 3 Feb - 11:24

How do you solve a problem like Maria?

And by Maria, I mean Finn!

If he returns to camp, apology letter from his mum for missing PE last week in hand, what do you do?

Forgive him? Chuck him out into the cold?

Hastings had a perfectly good display on Saturday. Do you reward that good display by dropping him for the returning Finn? Huge smack in the face to Hastings if that happens. Total lack of confidence from the coaches.

Likewise if you turn round to Finn and say he was a very naughty boy and he's not back in the team yet. Does he go all huffy again and walk out? Maybe for good this time?

Common sense would say that Hastings gets the shirt. It's then up to Finn to prove himself to get a bench spot and then it; s also depending on Hastings slipping up that Finn gets another shot at 10.

Common sense though is not Toonie's forte. He's probably likely to put Finn on the bench then at 50 mins bring him on and put Hastings to 12 or 15 depending on injuries or who needs hoyed off.

by **RDW** Mon 3 Feb - 11:26

Given that the squad's back at training today should we take lack of news about Finn as meaning he's not being called back?

by **RDW** Mon 3 Feb - 12:21

Looking at the stats is amazing how they differ from our impression of player performance.

I know Haining was subbed off around 50 minutes, but he only actually had 6 carries for 7m. McInally in half the time had more carries! His tackle count of 10 is relatively unimpressive too.

Huw Jones had 4 missed tackles which may count against him this weekend. Hutchinson didn't have chance to make much of an impact in his 7 minutes, with one touch and no tackles to his name!

by tigertattie Mon 3 Feb - 13:03

The problem with stats is that they are highlights. Haining did a lot of good work at the breakdown.

Its a team game as they say and there were loads of areas where players just didnt step up.

Sutherland and Zander did well in the loose and at scrum time. Were pretty awful at lifting and were hardly seen at the breakdown.

Cummings tackled well, even putting guys on thier backside, but again th line outs were rotten and he wasnt particularly hard working at the breakdown.

We need players to give 100% in every aspect of the game. Even Mish cant say he had a great game if he focuses only on carrying and turnovers. He needs to tackle, he needs to clear out, he needs to work at the line out.

Tough old game is rugby

by tigertattie Mon 3 Feb - 13:34

There. Russell not included in the weekend squad.

Doesn’t look like things will blow over any time soon

by **BigGee** Mon 3 Feb - 14:04

Tom English suggesting that both parties are entrenched.

Toonie wants an apology, Russell does not feel he owes one.

I have to say though, from what we know so far, it is hard to feel that Russell drinking to much and then flouncing out of the camp is not worthy of an apology, to the rest of the squad for the disruption it has cost them as much as anything.

Someone else on Twiiter suggesting that he might make himself unavailable for international rugby for the foreseeable and could announce that today.

I hope whoever is advising him has a very stern word in his ear if that is the case. He is just cutting off his nose to spite his face if so.

by **RDW** Mon 3 Feb - 14:06

BoD had it spot on at the weekend - these are the greatest moments of a rugby player's career and Finn will look back with a lot of regret if this is the last he'll see of it.

by EWT Spoons Mon 3 Feb - 14:08

BigGee wrote:

I hope whoever is advising him has a very stern word in his ear if that is the case. He is just cutting off his nose to spite his face if so.

Guess it depends on what's important to him. I'd love it to be Scotland, but if him and his advisor(s) want him to earn as much as humanly possible, then not being available for Scotland can only help. Sure he'll miss out on SRU payments, but come contract renewal time, if he can say he'll be there year round without being away for WC/6 nations/autumn tests he may be in a far stronger negotiating position.

Not saying that's what is important to him, just saying it might be.

by lostinwales Mon 3 Feb - 14:19

Joe Marler 'retired' for a while, reversed that decision and is better than ever. If FR is getting jaded and if Townshend's time is limited it might not be the worst thing.

by R!skysports Mon 3 Feb - 14:30

In all honesty, if I read the stories correctly and if he drank too much and if he missed training and if he stormed off and if he refuses to apologie, then I would drop him from the whole 6 nations

That kind of attitude is just poisonous in a team and he is not bigger than the team

And lets face it, with him in the team, we have not done that well over the last few years - so lets give someone else a go who actually believe

by **NeilyBroon** Mon 3 Feb - 14:47

I can understand those seeking to point the finger solely at Finn. I have no doubt he's been a bit of a knob but he obviously still cares enough to give Hastings a ring to wish him luck and give him advice on the game on Saturday.

This is rapidly becoming another Teflon Toonie scenario. It really bothers me that nothing sticks with him! No hes not responsible for the individual incident with the drinks and is right to discipline Russell but he is responsible for the last two years which inevitably built up to breaking point. Yes we've been crap with Finn as well but for many reasons. A large portion of the time those reasons have not been exclusively Finn, lets be realistic we need him playing for us, and for me this is a black mark against Toonie, as i doubt this situation would have come about under Vern, or if it had it would have been resolved.

by Gooseberry Mon 3 Feb - 16:02

In regard to whos fault it is it gets a bit irrelevant now, its very much up to Russell to choose to swallow his pride or not. He can wait it out and come back when Townsend gets sacked, or he can come back now and keep his gob shut. I think both of them have realised that any further stoking isnt going to do either any good, and they need to keep some details to themselves for future book deals. Townsends probably better off in that regard as hes likely to get fired before Russell fully retires so gets to publish first. Great to think we can relive this all gain in the near future.
When Townsend loses his job should be down to results on the pitch, although it probably helps his position a bit that the overpaid head also has personal gripes with the Russell clan. Maybe he can do a deal with HBO for a Scottish version of GoT based on all this drama just to top his pension up a bit.

by **NeilyBroon** Mon 3 Feb - 16:20

If we're going by results Toonie definitely needs firing!

by **BigGee** Mon 3 Feb - 17:47

NeilyBroon wrote:If we're going by results Toonie definitely needs firing!

If Scotland perform like last Saturday the results will come.

That was a motivated team who went out and played to a good plan, the players did not give the impression that they did not buy into the coaches vision.

You can't hold Toonie responsible for Hoggy dropping it over the line, or any of the other butchered chances, the players need to take responsibility for that. After the match, Toonie did what all good coaches do and deflected criticism away from his players.

You would have to say, it looked like he had learnt some of the lessons of the past season from what we saw on Saturday.

I will stick to my pre tournament position of judging him at the end of it, but I do believe if we can keep playing with that level of passion and add some more accuracy, we will get some results and we don't need a lot to make this an acceptable season.

by tigertattie Mon 3 Feb - 20:42

Nah I’m backing Toonie on this one.

If Finn has said (before heading back to France) that he was unselecting himself as he didn’t believe in the direction Scotland were going in, then I’d be with him all the way.

He didn’t. He got pissed and didn’t rock up for training.

Either be a man of your convictions or shut up.

by Taylorman Mon 3 Feb - 21:08

Watched the replay, yes, believe it or not, but one play stuck when the kick to the left wing went unrewarded. Another example of the fine line between a play being labelled brilliant or frantic.

Although it took a bit of time to get the kick away it was as precise a kick pass as you could want in the situation, but where it fell down terribly was the continuing of the momentum from the catch.

Someone 'or three' needed to power off the player taking the catch if he wasn't able to. Instead I think we had an inside pass to a marked player standing just as flat as the catcher. Move...dead.

If theyre going to attempt these 'restarts' and thats what they are, starting play in a better field position time and space wise than initially, then they need to resource it to the max. It was clearly a planned, practised move, yet its support base was AWOL, so it ended up a wishful fling of the ball and hoping.

Saw similar things in Super rugby on the weekend and there was far more energy and urgency out there waiting.

by **NeilyBroon** Mon 3 Feb - 22:40

A hurting England will be a good litmus test of our competitiveness. The problem of defence has been resolved but our attack looks atrocious. Yes games are won on defence, but usually by teams who can actually score in the red zone. Its easier to consider a performance a success when the other side were bloody awful for most of it (which, ironically, still begs the question, "why didnt we win?").

Andy Robinson regularly got Scotland to produce these kind of brave defeat performances, with a less talented side, I don't see anyone wanting him back in a hurry. We need defence but it is possible to have that and maintain a clinical edge with good decision making, something we know these players are capable of.

The Hogg one was definitely individual error. But our constant trucking it up the middle looked to be a tactic. Under VC we found less players isolated in attack, but this has now gone back to the Robinson stodge of 2011, that can't be coincidence, its a new coaching group, and a mixture of old with some new faces over the two years but the core has largely stayed the same. I've not seen such laboured effort in attack from Scotland in about 10 years, and we know for a fact that Toonie is officially head and backs/attack coach now and was attack coach then.

Nope sorry, the smoke and mirrors surrounding Toonie will clear this season. Good manager but severely lacking as a coach and definitely not what Scotland needs.

by TJ Mon 3 Feb - 23:36

I think the silence from Russell is telling. If he felt hard done by he would have said something. I suspect return contrite for the second half of the 6N myself. I don't think there is any doubt representing his country is important to Finn.

As for Hastings . did better than he feared he might. Protected by others doing the clearance kicks and a more conservative gameplan but did his stuff and no huge blunders. He will be a better player for the experience

by tigertattie Mon 3 Feb - 23:45

Well “word on the street”, and this is could be a case of “my mum’s pal down the hairdresser knows a guy who walked passed a dog that once belonged to the fella that washed the windows of Finn’s auntie”

But

It’s now alleged that Finn has alcohol and gambling issues and the silence is him not putting his foot in it and the SRU are bing kind enough to keep his issues out the public window. Apparently it’s been known about for a while and the SRU are actively trying to help Finn.

If true, best wishes to the fella in getting on top of things and kudos to the SRU for helping in a professional way.

But again. If true.

by bsando Tue 4 Feb - 7:15

Taylorman wrote:Watched the replay, yes, believe it or not, but one play stuck when the kick to the left wing went unrewarded. Another example of the fine line between a play being labelled brilliant or frantic.

Although it took a bit of time to get the kick away it was as precise a kick pass as you could want in the situation, but where it fell down terribly was the continuing of the momentum from the catch.

Someone 'or three' needed to power off the player taking the catch if he wasn't able to. Instead I think we had an inside pass to a marked player standing just as flat as the catcher. Move...dead.

If theyre going to attempt these 'restarts' and thats what they are, starting play in a better field position time and space wise than initially, then they need to resource it to the max. It was clearly a planned, practised move, yet its support base was AWOL, so it ended up a wishful fling of the ball and hoping.

Saw similar things in Super rugby on the weekend and there was far more energy and urgency out there waiting.

That was after the Sam Johnson break wasn't it? I had a look at that whole sequence of play and Johnson went central instead of looking for Maitland on his right who would have been in for the try. He'd have been in a race with Stockdale though so it may have been a close one.

by **RDW** Tue 4 Feb - 8:06

You could see that Hastings was desperate to make the kick as he was shaping for it one or two times before he actually got it away. By that point though it wasn't really on.

by R!skysports Tue 4 Feb - 10:48

tigertattie wrote:Well “word on the street”, and this is could be a case of “my mum’s pal down the hairdresser knows a guy who walked passed a dog that once belonged to the fella that washed the windows of Finn’s auntie”

But

It’s now alleged that Finn has alcohol and gambling issues and the silence is him not putting his foot in it and the SRU are bing kind enough to keep his issues out the public window. Apparently it’s been known about for a while and the SRU are actively trying to help Finn.

If true, best wishes to the fella in getting on top of things and kudos to the SRU for helping in a professional way.

But again. If true.

If true, then he should be given the time, space and support needed and only come back when HE is ready.

by **RDW** Tue 4 Feb - 11:03

R!skysports wrote:
tigertattie wrote:Well “word on the street”, and this is could be a case of “my mum’s pal down the hairdresser knows a guy who walked passed a dog that once belonged to the fella that washed the windows of Finn’s auntie”

But

It’s now alleged that Finn has alcohol and gambling issues and the silence is him not putting his foot in it and the SRU are bing kind enough to keep his issues out the public window. Apparently it’s been known about for a while and the SRU are actively trying to help Finn.

If true, best wishes to the fella in getting on top of things and kudos to the SRU for helping in a professional way.

But again. If true.

If true, then he should be given the time, space and support needed and only come back when HE is ready.

Haven't seen this being reported by any of the reputable source so does sound it could be made up by someone and by the time it's gone through tattie's mum's friend's hairdresser and dog walker appears to be fact.

by Tramptastic Tue 4 Feb - 11:06

RDW wrote:
R!skysports wrote:
tigertattie wrote:Well “word on the street”, and this is could be a case of “my mum’s pal down the hairdresser knows a guy who walked passed a dog that once belonged to the fella that washed the windows of Finn’s auntie”

But

It’s now alleged that Finn has alcohol and gambling issues and the silence is him not putting his foot in it and the SRU are bing kind enough to keep his issues out the public window. Apparently it’s been known about for a while and the SRU are actively trying to help Finn.

If true, best wishes to the fella in getting on top of things and kudos to the SRU for helping in a professional way.

But again. If true.

If true, then he should be given the time, space and support needed and only come back when HE is ready.

Haven't seen this being reported by any of the reputable source so does sound it could be made up by someone and by the time it's gone through tattie's mum's friend's hairdresser and dog walker appears to be fact.

I believe Tattie. If it's on an internet forum it must be true.

by tigertattie Tue 4 Feb - 14:13

Tramptastic wrote:
RDW wrote:
R!skysports wrote:
tigertattie wrote:Well “word on the street”, and this is could be a case of “my mum’s pal down the hairdresser knows a guy who walked passed a dog that once belonged to the fella that washed the windows of Finn’s auntie”

But

It’s now alleged that Finn has alcohol and gambling issues and the silence is him not putting his foot in it and the SRU are bing kind enough to keep his issues out the public window. Apparently it’s been known about for a while and the SRU are actively trying to help Finn.

If true, best wishes to the fella in getting on top of things and kudos to the SRU for helping in a professional way.

But again. If true.

If true, then he should be given the time, space and support needed and only come back when HE is ready.

Haven't seen this being reported by any of the reputable source so does sound it could be made up by someone and by the time it's gone through tattie's mum's friend's hairdresser and dog walker appears to be fact.

I believe Tattie. If it's on an internet forum it must be true.

Donald Trump said it was fake news so it’s anyone’s guess

by Taylorman Tue 4 Feb - 20:38

RDW wrote:You could see that Hastings was desperate to make the kick as he was shaping for it one or two times before he actually got it away. By that point though it wasn't really on.

Yes I mentioned the delay which makes the quality of the kick that much more special. I see that making it being 'on' more likely as it would have given them more time to prepare the second wave- ie stick with the plan until its not on. Get your point though.

by EWT Spoons Wed 5 Feb - 20:52

So my inside source strikes again around Finn

They didn't go into details, but (and I'm quoting here) "he's been a total dick who won't admit he's got a drinking problem"

Sounds like Finn has bigger issues he needs to deal with, but the players seem to have an issue with his behavior. However, the expectation is he'll come back in after the England game apologise and move on

by **NeilyBroon** Thu 6 Feb - 6:32

Its a hard thing to admit!

Hope if this is the case he gets himself sorted soon, for his own sake, forget Scotland.

by tigertattie Thu 6 Feb - 9:19

Sounds like theres quite a few people (mostly on other forums) that are due the SRU an apology.

The whole conspiracy theory around Toonie imposing his will on Finn, Finn kicking off and then the players toeing the party line, can maybe now be put to bed? Especially those crying out for a full public review of what’s gone on.

Sounds to me like the SRU have acted professionally and also with a good amount of human decency where they aren’t airing Finn's dirty laundry in public.

Also shows that Adam Ashe and Simon Zebo are either naively ill informed, or a bit of a rocket!

by EWT Spoons Thu 6 Feb - 9:49

I don't know what Zebo & Ashe's thoughts are on it, they might not think he's got a problem, and they might be right that he doesn't in general, he may only go off the rails when involved with Scotland, but the view from (some) players in camp is that he's got a problem both in terms of drink and attitude and he needs to sort it.

There may still be further issues with Finn and Toonie that could be the cause of the problem.

by **RDW** Thu 6 Feb - 13:47

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/51393335

This has got me well up for it!

A bit of incite into the Russell/Townsend argument, but with Reid you can never tell if it's hyperbole...

by king_carlos Thu 6 Feb - 15:30

RDW wrote:https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/51393335

This has got me well up for it!

A bit of incite into the Russell/Townsend argument, but with Reid you can never tell if it's hyperbole...

It was quite some match. I watched all of Super Saturday last year in an Edinburgh sports bar. The atmosphere for that game was brilliant. The place, now shut sadly, was packed.

The reaction in the first half was pretty convivial actually. Wales had already won the slam. Most Scotland fans gave a reaction of 'this is very frustrating but England are playing well' especially with Slade's out the back hand offload etc. Then as the second half went on the noise just grew and grew. A brilliant day.

I dragged one of my best friends out with us who self confessedly 'doesn't get' sport. He's one of those guys who just thinks there are better things to direct that passion at! As a proud Scot at around 30 minutes he broke into an exasperated rant of, "this is why I ******* hate sport. Every time I try to like it for my friends sake Scotland just do **** and reinforce my views". Then as the second half unfolded he was as engrossed as any of us.

A brilliant match and brilliant day. I'm just very glad that Ford marshaled that final try!

by **RDW** Thu 6 Feb - 15:36

I think everyone will remember where they were when watching the game for the rest of their lives. I was in Inverness and had spent the whole day in the pub watching all 3 games. We were absolutely distraught by HT and during the second half I've never felt euphoria like it - it was an absolute roller coaster. We all spilt our pints when we scored the try to go ahead - the whole pub went mental.

I know a few people who were at the game - I obviously I hate them for it!

by tigertattie Thu 6 Feb - 16:13

RDW wrote:https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/51393335

This has got me well up for it!

A bit of incite into the Russell/Townsend argument, but with Reid you can never tell if it's hyperbole...

"It was like one of those fat kids trying to run away from a dog or something, or seeing the ice cream van and running for it" - Thats proper Shrek right there!

by king_carlos Thu 6 Feb - 16:17

RDW wrote:I think everyone will remember where they were when watching the game for the rest of their lives. I was in Inverness and had spent the whole day in the pub watching all 3 games. We were absolutely distraught by HT and during the second half I've never felt euphoria like it - it was an absolute roller coaster. We all spilt our pints when we scored the try to go ahead - the whole pub went mental.

I know a few people who were at the game - I obviously I hate them for it!

A group of friends from my rugby club in Edinburgh got tickets and traveled down in force. Extremely jealous of them. As an England fan it was one of those days that I look back in with a lot of happiness despite the result. I genuinely think that to get the most out of following sport you need to be able to sometimes look past the result and your teams shortcomings on the day to fully enjoy the match.

We see so much cynicism and negativity in sport these days with social media allowing instant and anonymous response to every moment. Sometimes I read comments on twitter/facebook, BBC HYS comments, even these boards and think "no one hates sport more than sports fans".

Last years Calcutta Cup reminded me of the 2005 Old Trafford Ashes test that Australia drew following Ricky Pontings brilliant century. Also the 2007 Heineken Cup final when Wasps convincingly beat a fancied Tigers side with a brilliant performance featuring great performances from old hands like Dallaglio, Ilbanez and Alex King interspersed with youngsters Cipriani and Haskell. I hated the result but loved being there on the day.

Sometimes it pays to just sit back and enjoy the day out!!

by **BigGee** Thu 6 Feb - 23:20

https://www.theoffsideline.com/scotland-england-finn-russell-gregor-townsend/

The Finn Russell saga is going to keep on following Toonie around until it is resolved unfortunately.

It has been a massive distraction.

by tigertattie Fri 7 Feb - 10:23

Annoying distraction

Folk are getting frustrated at the SRU for not saying what they are doing about bringing Finn back but it looks like they are actually doing the boy a favour by not telling the public what has been going on.

Only one person can fix this issue, and that is Finn himself.

by **BigGee** Fri 7 Feb - 21:45

Watched the U20s game tonight, which in truth we probably should have won.

Unusually for this level, our pack out scrummed and out mauled the English team and matched them in the physicality stakes. They had slightly more composure in the backs and took their chances. They probably only won the game through Vinapolo (the one who plays FH for Sarries) kicked three conversions from the touchline.

There are a few decent propects, especially in the pack, Darge and Boyle we know about and were both good, as well as Ashman the hooker, who has been at Edinburgh on loan. The other standout was the the LH prop Lambert, who normally resides at Sydney University, our scouting network still seems to be paying dividends.

Chamberlain, the FH looked pretty solid and Smith at FH, who has also been talked up as a prospect, also had a good game.

That's 2 games that we have lost but been very competitive in, which in all honesty is all we can ever ask for at this level. Hopefully the Super 6 is preparing the kids a little better for this kind of match than the old club system. On tonights viewing, you would say it may well be.

by Highland Shaun Sat 8 Feb - 19:27

Looking highly likely that this will be donkey Townsend's last competition in charge so here comes the most favourite question on here, who will be the next coach?

by **BigGee** Sat 8 Feb - 20:00

Oh that it was so simple that simply changing the coach was a guaranteed means of success!

We have gone through a few coaches in recent times and it has not solved our problems, which is mainly the lack of good international players.

Our starting pack was pretty competitive today, but it was very noticeable that England brought on a like for like replacement, except they were fresh, wheras ours were pretty much all a step down. That unfortunately is what we are up against when we play the big boys.

We have got three more games and I expect it is likely that Toonie will go if we don't get something from them.

I remain unconvinced that there is a miracle coach out there who is going to turn us around and make us into world betters. If there was was, would they want the Scotland job in any case?

by **NeilyBroon** Sat 8 Feb - 21:17

I think what annoys most of us is that we did have a great coach. Possibly the best we've had in the professional era. Then he got snubbed because Toonie decided he fancied the job himself. There was no reason to drop VC yet he's the quickest we have booted out of the door.

There are better than toonie, and what is clear is this aimless attack and lack of tactical nous has become a recurring theme during his reign, the exact problems VC had begun to iron out during his tenure funnily enough after toonie was in charge of attack. I think he's Scotland's Clive Woodward in that he surrounds himself with good staff and manages to pass it off as his own coaching. As soon as he no longer has that he is fully exposed. He also made the mistake of taking responsibility for Scotlands attack as head coach, which has gone from a strength right back to a weakness. No coincidences here. A poor mans' smoke and mirrors.

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