The Glasgow and Edinburgh General Chat. Discussions are limited to 6 people before 10pm to prevent the spread of Jimboish.

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Another chat thread dedicated to speculation, rumination, and general perambulation through the trials and tribulations of the club from the west with no forwards and the club from the east without a backs coach.

One day we'll have more rugby to talk about!

It was particularly painful to see Edinburgh lose after gaining 3 points after conceding a VDW yellow card and then get another penalty to make the gap 5 points. Only for the discipline to slip again and letting Muster in for a pick and go converted try.

Luvvies

Will snatching defeat from the jaws of victory be the theme of their season?

5 minutes gone, three penalties conceded and 6-0 down.

Almost 15 minutes gone before Mark Bennett gets his first pass; skins his opposite number with a lovely outside break and scores. Well done Mark, we'll give you another pass in about an hour.

The Luvvies were bullied mercilessly at the breakdown. Considering Mbawza- Haining-Hamish went into the game with realistic ambitions to be the Scotland back row

The number of stupid penalties given away crucified you.

Even so...you should have won that. I am beginning to wonder if Cockers has spent so much time and energy making them an awkward I am a twonk of the highest order of a side to beat that he has forgotten to coach them in how to actually win matches.

2 points down, three minutes to play and in possession of the ball. What would the Ladyboys or Execeterr do? i'm fairly confident they wouldn't panic, try to play at 90 miles an hour, get over elaborate and knock on.

You should have won that game. And despite Nigel having one of those games where he missed a lot (the line out when their American forward came on; knocked on by their jumper caught by the American in front of the player who knocked on!) you have nobody to blame except yourselves.

Anyone able to spot the swear filter kicking in on Jimbo's post?

Well to paraphrase Mark Twain

Rumours of Glasgow's demise as Scotland's premier rugby team seem somewhat exaggerated!

BigGee wrote:Well to paraphrase Mark Twain

Rumours of Glasgow's demise as Scotland's premier rugby team seem somewhat exaggerated!

Does this show that actually Cowboy Dave was a bit rubbish? Mostly the same players and Glasgow are looking a bit better already?

tigertattie wrote:

BigGee wrote:Well to paraphrase Mark Twain

Rumours of Glasgow's demise as Scotland's premier rugby team seem somewhat exaggerated!

Does this show that actually Cowboy Dave was a bit rubbish? Mostly the same players and Glasgow are looking a bit better already?

I wouldn't go quite that far, Cowboy Dave did take Glasgow to a baw hair away from winning the league after all.

No it shows that the Laddie With The Lump has heard of Mark Twain. Probably from Mrs Gee; she had a sharp eyed intellectual look about her, scared Bru out of a month's growth.
I thought the first half last night was like two heavyweights throwing the occasional exploratory jab in the early rounds, then one puts together a string of combinations and is so far ahead on points that he decides to keep out of trouble in the closing rounds. At which point his opponent starts throwing haymakers in the hope that one will connect.
No offence to Scaaahlets but they would have been very lucky to have won.
Glasgow's tries were straight out of the Execeterr playbook, which must have delighted Toonie.
Glasgow's backs haven't quite clicked yet but it'll be interesting to see who plays between now and Christmas.

My issue (other than discipline) with the Edinburgh performance once again comes down to the backs coaching. Glasgow lost to Connacht ( i haven't seen the Scarlets game), but what I liked about them in that game was that the backs moves were tailored to expose weaknesses in the Connacht system, and they adapted during the game to find space. You NEVER see Edinburgh doing this and thinking on their feet (unless we have a penalty advantage to play with). As Jimbo says, the Bennett score identified a weakness in the Munster midfield that we appeared uninterested in exploring again. It was all pre-planned stuff (Taylor crash ball or chuck it to Duhan) and we made it too easy for Munster to prepare for us. Without momentum the turnovers followed.

I really do feel that we need to be far more creative and flexible in attack. We have some genuine high quality attacking players in that backline but half the time you'd never know it. Why isn't Graham coming off his wing more often and tracking the ball carrier? His acceleration is lethal and yet his only function seems to be chasing kicks or dropping back to receive them. Must Duhan always take the ball standing still? Yes, he's powerful enough to brush off tacklers but imagine if he was able to run onto it at pace??

Cockerill needs a change of staff in this department.

You make a lot of sense, FES. Did one of your scullery maids post this while you were out on the moors shooting peasants?
If I was preparing a team to defend against the Luvvies backs I would have a back rower standing between 10&12 to block Dean or whoever's crashing it up, then I'd have the thirteen and 14 drift off Bennett's outside shoulder. The big miss pass to VDM only pays off if it's a surprise and he has isolated the defending winger.
I think VDM relieves the ball standing still because your 10 is slow to see the pass and VDM has stepped up into the line.
If I can see this can you imagine what a professional defence coach can see?

It's grouse at this time of year and pheasants in the winter. I turn to peasant shooting in the spring.

I get my scullery maids to do all my posting on here. Conversing with Weegies is beneath me. Actually the rule of six is killing me at the moment. I've interpreted it to mean only 6 staff, but it's no way to live.

I digress. The fact is we are in rare agreement about something. Enjoy the moment.....

After decades, gawd what looong decades, of struggling to encourage SEBD kids not to stab each other UNTIL WE'VE FINISHED READING THE Frak SONNET WAYNE! then yes, getting you to recognise that the Luvvies are, in a limited way, less than wonderful is one of my life's major achievements.

"Edinburgh - Less than wonderful, but still better that Glasgow" - FES's footman, 2020

Just been having a gander at the excellent depth charts on twitter, produced by Glasgow super stats man On top of the Moon. Both Glasgow and Edinburgh will have to go deep into their squads over the next period, and it struck me how little I know about most of the academy prospects in both squads. Anybody got any insight on some of the more obscure names?

tigertattie wrote:"Edinburgh - Less than wonderful, but still better that Glasgow" - FES's footman, 2020

FES would have fired him for making a spelling mistake like that.

We will see the Scotland matchday squad announced later on this morning and so might get a better idea of who might get released back to the clubs for the weekend fixtures.

We might end up being disappointed though, as he will no doubt want to keep more players around the squad than usual to deal with any last minute covid related withdrawals.

At least the match is on friday, so anyone kept back may at least get a bench spot, that is assuming they are willing to mix the two distinct bubbles of international a and club players.

I cant see the mixing of player bubbles being an issue as you mix with the other team when you play them.

The only caveat to that would be if the SRU are concerned about isolating the international players to reduce the possibility of them catching something and international games being pulled again.

If an Edinburgh player gets infected after playing Cardiff blues then it's put down as a UK to UK transmission and not much else is done. If a Scotland player catches something after playing Georgia, folk may jump on bandwagons and start saying cross border (as in borders where you need a passport) rugby should be stopped!

Edinburgh sign saffer lock Andries Ferreira with it confirmed that Gilchrist is going to be injured long-term.

Looks to be pretty experienced at high levels so will hopefully work out as s 1 year deal.

Glasgow Warriors team to play Ospreys in the Guinness PRO14, Saturday 24 October, kick-off 5.30pm, live on Premier Sports 1. You can follow the action in the Live Match Centre on glasgowwarriors.org.

1.Aki Seiuli (13)
2. George Turner (51)
3. D’arcy Rae (72)
4 Hamish Bain (0)
5. Richie Gray (50)
6. Ryan Wilson (C) (171)
7. Tom Gordon (20)
8. TJ Ioane (0)

9. Jamie Dobie (8)
10. Pete Horne (172)
11. Ratu Tagive (15)
12. Sam Johnson (62)
13. Nick Grigg (73)
14. Tommy Seymour (146)
15. Huw Jones (39)

Replacements

16. Grant Stewart (32)
17. Alex Allan (103)
18. Enrique Pieretto (1)
19. Fotu Lokotui (1)
20. Chris Fusaro (181)
21. Sean Kennedy (7)
22. Brandon Thomson (24)
23. Niko Matawalu (129)

Actually not a bad looking team out for Glasgow this weekend.

Good to see Sam Johnson back up and running and Shuggy continues his education at FB.

RG and Hamish Bain make their debuts (second debut start in RGs case) in the second row.

Turner gets released back as well, probably in need of some game time as well, but that leaves Ewan Ashman as the standby hooker for Scotland tonight.

RDW wrote:Edinburgh sign saffer lock Andries Ferreira with it confirmed that Gilchrist is going to be injured long-term.

Looks to be pretty experienced at high levels so will hopefully work out as s 1 year deal.

Looks like a decent signing. Sure he'll slot in well and be happy to have a few of his fellow countrymen around the club.

BigGee wrote:Glasgow Warriors team to play Ospreys in the Guinness PRO14, Saturday 24 October, kick-off 5.30pm, live on Premier Sports 1. You can follow the action in the Live Match Centre on glasgowwarriors.org.

1.Aki Seiuli (13)
2. George Turner (51)
3. D’arcy Rae (72)
4 Hamish Bain (0)
5. Richie Gray (50)
6. Ryan Wilson (C) (171)
7. Tom Gordon (20)
8. TJ Ioane (0)

9. Jamie Dobie (8)
10. Pete Horne (172)
11. Ratu Tagive (15)
12. Sam Johnson (62)
13. Nick Grigg (73)
14. Tommy Seymour (146)
15. Huw Jones (39)

Replacements

16. Grant Stewart (32)
17. Alex Allan (103)
18. Enrique Pieretto (1)
19. Fotu Lokotui (1)
20. Chris Fusaro (181)
21. Sean Kennedy (7)
22. Brandon Thomson (24)
23. Niko Matawalu (129)

A very decent team considering the circumstances, although we've got to hope nothing happens to Gray or Bain early doors.

That is a strong side, with a bit of impact off the bench as well. I fancy Glasgow to win this.

That is a really good side considering the absences. The back row continues to be a sore point though and really looking at Hamish Bain and Ioane to make a good start otherwise we could be in for a long nations cup!

Yeah, with Harley looking to be in Scotland contention Bain will probably end up getting lots of minutes over the next few months - a big ask considering he doesn't have any experience at this level. Will be interesting to see how he gets on.

Bain is a dynamic ball carrier and comes in at 6'7, 115kg according to the website. Probably on the lighter side but it will be a tall second row with R Gray. Hopefully can put the line-out under pressure and will be in for a good battle with Beard and B Davies. If Bain is a big ball carrier, he will find himself getting game time!

The starting and bench front rows don't look like they should be under much pressure, all have some pedigree and Ospreys don't look to have any world beaters. Should be a good contest, hopefully we have enough to put them away.

Jack Blain makes his first home start for the club as Edinburgh Rugby face Connacht at BT Murrayfield in Round 3 of the Guinness PRO14 this Sunday (25 October) – live on Premier Sports.

The former Scotland U20 star is named at fullback as Edinburgh Rugby make 12 changes for the Conference B clash.

With 17 players unavailable due to injury or international selection, the capital side give an opportunity to several up-and-coming players, with Blain, lock Andrew Davidson and back-row duo Ally Miller and Mesulame Kunavula all named in the starting XV.

The squad selection also sees Scotland internationalists Lewis Carmichael and Henry Pyrgos return from injury with both players set to feature for the first time since rugby resumed in August.


Ahead of the fixture, Head Coach Richard Cockerill, said: “We’ve obviously got quite a few players unavailable due to injury or international selection, but we’re excited for the challenge of taking on a very good Connacht outfit.

“We’ve had a bit of time to take stock after the opening two rounds and we’ve had a good, solid week of preparation in the build-up to tomorrow night’s fixture.

“We’re proud of our home record, we like playing at BT Murrayfield and the squad we’ve selected will be desperate to impress and make sure we come away with a positive result.”

A new-look back-three sees Blain – who makes his first appearance since his debut in March 2019 – line-up alongside wingers Jamie Farndale and Eroni Sau.

Centre Chris Dean is once again fit and paired with James Johnstone in midfield as half-back duo Nic Groom – who skippers the side – and Jaco van der Walt both keep their place in the team following the defeat to Munster two weeks ago.

A refreshed front-row sees hooker Mike Willemse pack down alongside props Pierre Schoeman and WP Nel - with the latter released from Scotland camp for the encounter.

Lock Carmichael – who makes his first start since facing Cardiff Blues in February – is paired with Davidson in the second-row, while former Fiji 7s star Kunavula anchors a revamped back-row that sees flankers Magnus Bradbury and Miller complete the pack.

Elsewhere, back-row Connor Boyle is named among the replacements and if called upon the FOSROC Scottish Rugby Academy graduate will make his debut for the club.



Edinburgh Rugby team to face Connacht at BT Murrayfield in the Guinness PRO14
Sunday 25 October (kick-off 7.35pm) – live on Premier Sports.



15. Jack Blain (1)



14. Eroni Sau (11)

13. James Johnstone (51)

12. Chris Dean (93)

11. Jamie Farndale (8)



10. Jaco van der Walt (60)

9. Nic Groom (14) CAPTAIN



1. Pierre Schoeman (46)

2. Mike Willemse (23)

3. WP Nel (144)

4. Lewis Carmichael (45)

5. Andrew Davidson (5)

6. Magnus Bradbury (79)

7. Ally Miller (14)

8. Mesu Kunavula (3)



Replacements: 16. David Cherry (23) 17. Jamie Bhatti (13) 18. Murray McCallum (56) 19. Jamie Hodgson (8) 20. Connor Boyle * 21. Henry Pyrgos (35) 22. Nathan Chamberlain (3) 23. George Taylor (25)



Unavailable due to injury: Lee Roy Atalifo, Matt Gordon, Luke Crosbie, Viliame Mata, Grant Gilchrist, Damien Hoyland, Fraser McKenzie

Unavailable due to international selection: Simon Berghan, Nick Haining, Stuart McInally, Jamie Ritchie, Rory Sutherland, Ben Toolis, Hamish Watson, Darcy Graham, Blair Kinghorn, Duhan van der Merwe

Not a bad Edinburgh team out either.

Jack Blain at FB. it will be interesting to see how that goes.

Carmichael and HP back fit and Boyle on the bench.

No Mark Bennett, not injured nor on Scotland duty, maybe he has just given up the will to live from playing in the Edinburgh backline!

BigGee wrote:Not a bad Edinburgh team out either.

Jack Blain at FB. it will be interesting to see how that goes.

Carmichael and HP back fit and Boyle on the bench.

No Mark Bennett, not injured nor on Scotland duty, maybe he has just given up the will to live from playing in the Edinburgh backline!

He could have been given a rest I guess? It's so frustrating with Bennett, you wonder if he'd be better off elsewhere. He could of course be on standby for Scotland... Or maybe Maitland invited him out for dinner

Not a great night for Glasgow but Johnson, Grigg, Jones, Turner and Stewart all looked good.

Glasgow slip to a 23-15 defeat to Ospreys after a promising start they ran out of gas, hamstrung by not taking their ponits when they were in the ascendency during the first half.

Good performances from Shuggy again, re-enforcing my thoughts that he should have been playing for Scotland yesterday.

Sam Johnson looked fit and ready to go. he will surely be back in the 12 shirt for Scotland next weekend.

hats off to Hamish blain though, who I thought had a very decent debut and played the full 80 mins, he looks very promising.

Yeah he did well! They left a few tries out there to be fair but disappointing result considering they had a good lead.

Dobbie looks really good with ball but he is a bit slow with the service sometimes. Still a class above kennedy and really bright prospect.

Glasgow ere pretty shakey around the rucks and indecision seemed to hurt them a few times. The scrum was going backwards a lot too.

Can’t be a coincidence that the Glasgow scrum goes to pot as soon as Du Plessis moves on.
There was no leadership tonight despite some very experienced players being on the pitch.
No control and some really poor execution of simple skills.
Huw Jones must have really upset Toonie because he was dynamite again tonight. Levels above Kinghorns performance from last night, albeit against poorer opponents

There was something nagging me as I watched Scotland yesterday and then I realized that Nel the Elephant wasn't in the Scotland squad. Was his form okay towards the end of last season (i.e. 8 weeks ago)?

Nel holds his own still but is no longer the destructive force and all round presence round the park he used to be. His Scotland days should really be numbered but we've not really got anyone to fill the void!

Well, Glasgow could/should have walked off with the TBP win last night and came away with heehaw.
They had numerous chances to score in the 25-35th minutes and that would have put them at least two scores up at half time. Full credit to the O's they dug in and defended like their wages depended on it.
I wouldn't like to be DW this morning: there were too many "nearly" performances. Squiggsy nearly had a great game, but didn't. Sam Johnson nearly was back to his best...but not quite. George Turner nearly scored a crucial try in the 25th minute, but was an inch short of the line.
If we had been awful and deserved to get tanked then DW knows who to put on the naughty step, but that wasn't quite bad enough in terms of performance. Though it certainly wasn't a good enough result.

Well it's am 11 hour time difference now, and sue to me having to get up at 6am for a training course at some industrial estate in West Sydney I'm awake for the Edinburgh game!

We desperately need a win to stop the rot.

I'd have a read through your training course notes if I was you, it doesn't seem to be going that well at Murrayfield.

We've pulled one back. 14 - 23 at half time. I think the Cockers hairdryer at half time will be worth a couple of scores.

Couple of scores for which team?

RDW wrote:Well it's am 11 hour time difference now, and sue to me having to get up at 6am for a training course at some industrial estate in West Sydney I'm awake for the Edinburgh game!

We desperately need a win to stop the rot.

I think the rot is set to continue...

Bright notes is that blain has looked quite assured for such a young player....

Not much else though....

Cracking game. Connacht playing out of their skins. Lovely handling and movement for the last few scores.

19-37 on 65 mins. 8 tries so far

BigGee wrote:Couple of scores for which team?

Unfortunately, not Edinburgh.

The time difference definitely not proving a good thing this game!

Pot Hale wrote:Cracking game. Connacht playing out of their skins. Lovely handling and movement for the last few scores.

19-37 on 65 mins. 8 tries so far

I have been very impressed with the Connacht attack. Tearing Edinburgh to shreds!

I'd like to think Edinburgh may take some lessons about how a backline should operate, but then I remember it's Hodge, who's coaching is the very definition of madness... doing the same thing... Expecting something different..

TBP for both teams. A two score game now.

26-37 on 73 mins.

Excellent win by Connacht. First win on the road in a long while. Great coaching. Blade deserved motm and putting his hand up again for Andy Farrell.

What a crazy game!

Why have Edinburgh suddenly decided to play chuckabout rugby, especially when they don't really have the players to do so? This was a match made for Mark Bennett, or any other centre who has a spark in them.

I have to say I was thoroughly impressed with Jack Blain making his debut for Edinburgh and looked to the manor born. he may be knocking on the door internationally in a year or two if he continues to develop. Most of Edinburgh's attacking play revolved around him.

Andrew Davidson was the pick of the Edinburgh forwards but there was also a lot of sloppy play and the penalty count won't make good reading.

Is it just me, or is the venerable WP Nel looking a bit shot now?

Pot Hale wrote:Excellent win by Connacht.   First win on the road in a long while.   Great coaching.   Blade deserved motm and putting his hand up again for Andy Farrell.

Indeed, Connacht were well worth their win and particularly impressive in that they pulled away again when Edinburgh threatened to come back into the match.

Might be a big dramatic to say but that's probably our league campaign over already! These are the games that make the difference between a playoff spot and settling for challenge cup.

The wheels have fallen off spectacularly for Edinburgh. We had one good half against Glasgow then gave been utter guff since.