Glasgow and Edinburgh Ongoing Banter Thread 26

[Hazel Sapling]

First topic message reminder :

A continuation on previous threads discussing the past, the present and the future of Scottish rugby. A dose a day, keeps optimism away

Halfway through a Covid season and not far from the Rainbow cups, both teams are on the precipice of missing out on the top tier in Europe next year. The Rainbow Cup is a well thought out idea of including sides from South Africa, the home to a new Covid variant that vaccines may not work on, with international travel involving several regions of Europe.

Glasgow Squad

LH: Kebble, Bhatti, Lambert
Hooker: F Brown, Turner, Stewart, Matthews,
TH: Z Fagerson, Berghan, Pieretto, McCallum, McQuillan
Locks: Cummings, R Gray, Harley, McDonald, Bain, Bean
Back Row: Wilson, Gordon, M Fagerson, Darge, Dempsey, Miller, G Brown

SH: Price, G Horne, Dobie, Kennedy
FH: Weir, Miotti, P Horne, Thompson
Centres: S Johnson, McDowall, Tuipulotu, Grigg, Fergusson
Back Three: McLean, Forbes, McKay, Cancelliere, Tagive, Steyn, O Smith


Edinburgh Squad

LH: Schoeman, Venter, Grahamslaw
Hooker: McInally, Cherry, McBurney, Harrison
TH: Nel, De Bruin, Atalifo, Williams
Locks: Gilchrist, Toolis, Young, Hodgson, Sykes, Phillips
Back Row: Mata, Ritchie, Watson, Bradbury, Crosbie, Haining, Boyle, Kunavula, Muncaster

SH: Pyrgos, Vellacott, Shiel
FH: VDW, Chamberlain, Savala
Centres: Lang, Taylor, Bennett, Dean, Johnstone, Venter, Currie, Hutchison
Back Three: Graham, Kinghorn, Hoyland, Blain, Bofelli, Moyano, Immelman, Owsley


Previous Thread
https://www.606v2.com/t69760-the-glasgow-and-edinburgh-general-chat-discussions-are-limited-to-6-people-before-10pm-to-prevent-the-spread-of-jimboish
https://www.606v2.com/t69555-glasgow-and-edinburgh-ongoing-banter-thread-24-covid-funtimes?highlight=banter
https://www.606v2.com/t69038-glasgow-and-edinburgh-banter-thread-no-23-new-season-new-thread?highlight=banter

[Mcsweens]

Captains challenge is a terrible idea. Is essentially just backchat by the backdoor, and makes things even more stop-start than they already are.

This excellent, truly excellent thread about VAR in football sums up my thoughts about technology in sport - do read it.
https://twitter.com/daisychristo/status/1223648167385796611

Watching Shiell chuck his toys at the end was funny, but ridiculous all the same. (What was that about by the way??)

[RDW]

That was quite a rant Llama!

In the Super Rugby Au final last night the Reds scored in added time to win the game, players, coaches and 40,000 people going wild. One of the commentators suggested the Brumbies captain should have made a captain's challenge on absolutely anything just to see if there was something. That for me would have absolutely ruined the occasion and spectacle and turned rugby into a farce. All of the excitement would have disappeared while everyone stood around looking at a few replays.

I actually think that's why the Brumbies captain didn't call for one, so full credit to him for that. Problem is I'm sure a lot of players would have made a challenge at that stage and completely ruined the spectacle.

[RDW]

Thing is, what's more important - the correct result or entertainment? Ulster v Connacht (I think) had a late win overturned (correctly) - it killed the excitement and spectacle but was the correct result.

Imagine if we had a captain's challenge at the end of the Wales game when Hogg was tackled off the ball? He was pleading to the ref to look at it who wasn't interested. I'm sure there's numerous other examples throughout the 6N.

It is all about balance of course - football has it completely wrong with VAR. Can rugby find the middle ground?

[TheMildlyFranticLlama]

That was quite a rant Llama!

Haha, you should've seen the original version before I decided to rein it in a bit!

[RDW]

That was quite a rant Llama!

Haha, you should've seen the original version before I decided to rein it in a bit!

What's your thoughts about my comment about correct decisions v entertainment?

[bsando]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GftjuEBjhNs&ab_channel=TOP14-Officiel

Russell and the ridiculously star studded Racing 92 backline ripper Clermont a new one at the weekend. Can't believe they now have Fickou and Vakatawa in the midfield with Thomas, Beale and Imhoff at the back three. Plus Vincent, Zebo, etc

Looking at their run in to the end of the season they've got a good shot of winning the Top 14 title.

[mikey_dragon]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GftjuEBjhNs&ab_channel=TOP14-Officiel

Russell and the ridiculously star studded Racing 92 backline ripper Clermont a new one at the weekend. Can't believe they now have Fickou and Vakatawa in the midfield with Thomas, Beale and Imhoff at the back three. Plus Vincent, Zebo, etc

Looking at their run in to the end of the season they've got a good shot of winning the Top 14 title.

These French teams are ridiculous. I think the best way for everyone else to compete with them is to hold onto their international players, with the odd marquee here and there. It seemed to work for Sarries (I know), Exeter and Leinster. Perhaps Munster now too when you look at the team they'll put out next season.

[TheMildlyFranticLlama]

That was quite a rant Llama!

Haha, you should've seen the original version before I decided to rein it in a bit!

What's your thoughts about my comment about correct decisions v entertainment?

I'm firmly on the side of entertainment, and in your example I agree it would be a travesty if captains started conditioning themselves to challenge any decision at the end of matches and robbing the fans of a grandstand finish. Part of the magic of sport is those big moments at the death of a match that turn the result on its head, if we're going to start clinically picking over each and every one of them to make sure the 'right' result was arrived at then we're at risk of trashing the spectacle. I'll happily take the risk of knowing my side might be on the wrong decisions on occasion to protect those big moments, and as an Edinburgh and Scotland fan I'm fairly sure I'm on the wrong end of those more often than not! Plus I want to see fewer not more breaks in play during a rugby match, the TMO interventions have already got bad enough but the additional delays from the challenges in the game on Friday really didn't add to the experience, and I'll gladly accept a few wrong calls to avoid that

[Hazel Sapling]

I don't know. Would have been nice to have that last decision in the RWC2015 Quarter Final against Australia back which might have happened with a captains challenge. Same with Kieran Reid cynically slapping the ball out of J Gray's hands and the ref calling a knock on against Scotland rather than giving us the subsequent try and handing us our first victory against NZ.

VAR may be a bit ridiculous but it seems to have reduced the abuse of refs from players and certainly from the stands. It is difficult for rugby as we already have a TMO theoretically double checking decisions live and with a captains challenge as well it seems a bit overkill.

[BigGee]

Well if we believe the press photos gives us some clues as to the likely team theory, then a few players coming back for Glasgow.

Matt Fagerson featured in a prominent picture for the Warriors and Hastings without his face guard on. jamie Dobie also was in them.

So potentially Hastings and Fagerson could be back this week. Even though AH is off this summer, he will likely be playing for Scotland on the summer tour and the Scotland coaches will want to ensure that he is fit for it.

Price is almost certainly going to get rested so we will see Dobie either starting or benching. I do think it was odd that GH did not get on the pitch last week and he seemed to cop a fair amount of the blame for the Italian Job. This might give us a hint as to the current pecking order of SHs at Glasgow.

[BigGee]

Glasgow Warriors team to face Edinburgh in the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup, Saturday 15 May, kick-off 7.35pm, live on Premier Sports 1. You can follow the action in our Live Match Centre at glasgowwarriors.org.

1. Tom Lambert (2)
2. George Turner (59)
3. Enrique Pieretto (17)
4. Rob Harley (249)
5. Richie Gray (60)
6. Ryan Wilson (C) (189)
7. Rory Darge (1)
8. Matt Fagerson (68)

9. George Horne (63)
10. Ross Thompson (11)
11. Ratu Tagive (23)
12. Stafford McDowall (25)
13. Nick Grigg (88)
14. Kyle Steyn (28)
15. Adam Hastings (50)

16. Grant Stewart (45)
17. Dylan Evans (6)
18. D’arcy Rae (84)
19. Kiran McDonald (34)
20. Thomas Gordon (35)
21. Jamie Dobie (19)
22. Pete Horne (181)
23. Lee Jones (91)

Unavailable for selection: Alex Allan, Hamish Bain, Fraser Brown, Tom Brown, Scott Cummings, Cole Forbes, Chris Fusaro, Huw Jones, Ian Keatley, Oli Kebble, Fotu Lokotui, Rufus McLean, Ewan Mcquillan, Aki Seiuli, Tommy Seymour, Ollie Smith.

Glasgow team for the final round of derbies this season. Most notable for it being Rob Harley 250th cap, quite some effort and still some years to play, he could be looking at 300 for his career!

Hastings and Fagerson M are both back, but Thompson quite rightly keep his spot at FH and Hastings starts at 15.

Lambert and Darge get their first starts.

A decent looking team all things considered.

[RDW]

I bet Lambert can't wait to go up against Nel again!

[RDW]

Edinburgh Rugby team to play Glasgow Warriors at BT Murrayfield Stadium
Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup, Saturday 15 May (kick-off 7.35pm) – live on Premier Sports



15. Blair Kinghorn (99)

14. Damien Hoyland (84)
13. James Johnstone (63)
12. Chris Dean (107)
11. Eroni Sau (24)

10. Charlie Savala (1)
9. Henry Pyrgos (50)

1. Pierre Schoeman (62)
2. Stuart McInally CO-CAPTAIN (152)
3. WP Nel (154)
4. Marshall Sykes (5)
5. Jamie Hodgson (21)
6. Mesu Kunavula (10)
7. Luke Crosbie CO-CAPTAIN (56)
8. Viliame Mata (88)

Substitutes:

16. Mike Willemse (37)
17. Boan Venter (5)
18. Lee-Roy Atalifo (9)
19. Ally Miller (23)
20. Connor Boyle (5)
21. Charlie Shiel (34)
22. Jack Blain (13)
23. George Taylor (35)



Unavailable through injury (19): Magnus Bradbury, Lewis Carmichael, Matt Currie, Andrew Davidson, Andries Ferreira, Dan Gamble, Grant Gilchrist, Darcy Graham, Sam Grahamslaw, Nick Haining, Dan Nutton, Freddie Owsley, Jamie Ritchie, Rory Sutherland, Nathan Sweeney, Ben Toolis, Duhan van der Merwe, Jaco van der Walt, Hamish Watson.

[Hazel Sapling]

On paper, Edinburgh should be able to put the Glasgow scrum to the sword. Lambert is about to go through a trial by fire and there is no Zander to at least try to contain Schoeman on the other side.

Be some good contests around the park. Second row is probably the pick of the bunch for me with Glasgow's veterans against Edinburgh's youth.

Chamberlain not on the unavailable list and not in the 23. Would have been good to see him vs Thompson

[BigGee]

Lets see if this new kid at 10 for Edinburgh can get their backline moving!

Going to be a tall ask for him and he will have a decent back row bearing down on him all evening.

[jimbopip]

Rob Harley leads the team out: 250 appearances.
Followed by Ryan Wilson: 250 offences taken into consideration.

[jimbopip]

As I typed that Batman made it 251.

[jimbopip]

Luvvies 24-Warriors 31

For most of the match when Edinburgh had the ball their backs were One Direction; Glasgow were John Coltraine riding the Blue Train.

If anything the result flattered the Luvvies.

Nighty nights sleep tight.

[BigGee]

Well I watched that on delay as I was at work and just logged in expecting to see some chat.

Not much comment from the Edinburgh fans on here it has to be said!

Another really promising performance from Glasgow. I thought Turner Mom was well justified but in the pack, the youngsters Lambert and Darge also had great games.

Ironically for Edinburgh, one of their most prominent players was Aly Miller, who will also be moving west next season!

In fairness Boyle also looked good when he came on.

In summary though, Glasgow with their players back and blooding their youngsters, look to be finishing the season with a bit of promise, whereas Edinburgh just seem to have gone backwards.

[RDW]

A common theme for Edinburgh under Cockers - fall away badly at the end of seasons.

[RDW]

Just watched the game - Glasgow again bringing defensive intensity and aggression that Edinburgh just couldn't match. Deserved winners. Talk of Glasgow's demise again shown to be greatly premature by the Weegies fan brigade prone to hysterics. Great to see Horne showing a bit of his old spark, and Hastings running in open space too.

There were some baffling calls from the ref though, particularly in the scrum - you know it's bad when Nel gets flustered and starts talking to the ref! The George Horne slap down was a shambles of a call too - that was a yellow all day long. You can't slap the ball out of the 9's hands  If that had led to a yellow then try it would have made an interesting finale. No wonder Sheil had some back chat to the ref which I'm guessing went along the lines of "WTF was that"

Edinburgh were just so flat though and gave away stupid penalties. There was very little intensity or attacking intent (again).

[Hazel Sapling]

Missed the first half. Hard with these games to determine whether Scots teams are playing well or are both equally rubbish.

Edinburgh did try a bit more to work there way into wide channels and there was a bit more ambition from the backs. Clearly there is something going wrong and whether Cockerill is the man at fault is the question.

Lambert had a solid game, regardless of the ref's questionable decisions. He looked a real handful in the loose and if Sue Ellen is on the way out, he should be given an opportunity to be the replacement (Kebble, Bhatti, Lambert, Allan).

I think the players coming through and the additions to come in (Bhatti, Berghan, Dempsey, Weir/Miotti, (effectively) Steyn) is starting to give me a bit of confidence for next season. Ineffective play at 10, a weak pack, an aged back-three and a lack of top tier talent in the centres all look to be somewhat addressed.

[jimbopip]

Hazell, at 10 we will have Meatball, Miotti, Yon Oirish fella (maybes) and Thomson. Thomson has really looked like he can play at this level so we should be fine at 10.
I agree with your assessment of Lambert. On the LH side we have Ragnar The Lion, Pieretto The Pirate , The Fugitive and Berghan (who really needs to get himself a nom de guerre). While the back row looks as if it's coming together. e could have Miller-Darge- Dempsey as our second choice next season.
Seaman is looking back to his best, I'd have him at 13 everyday of the week. A lot will depend on how Shona settles in when he arrives from Japan. Still it's not looking too bad.
Could be worse we could be watching the Luvvies run into a brick wall every week and calling that entertainment.

[CaptainHaddock]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GftjuEBjhNs&ab_channel=TOP14-Officiel

Russell and the ridiculously star studded Racing 92 backline ripper Clermont a new one at the weekend. Can't believe they now have Fickou and Vakatawa in the midfield with Thomas, Beale and Imhoff at the back three. Plus Vincent, Zebo, etc

Looking at their run in to the end of the season they've got a good shot of winning the Top 14 title.

It's interesting to see how effective and simple a game Finn executes when he's got great players around him. It's one of the reasons I think he has a decent chance of starting at 10 for the Lions.

[formerly known as Sam]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GftjuEBjhNs&ab_channel=TOP14-Officiel

Russell and the ridiculously star studded Racing 92 backline ripper Clermont a new one at the weekend. Can't believe they now have Fickou and Vakatawa in the midfield with Thomas, Beale and Imhoff at the back three. Plus Vincent, Zebo, etc

Looking at their run in to the end of the season they've got a good shot of winning the Top 14 title.

It's interesting to see how effective and simple a game Finn executes when he's got great players around him. It's one of the reasons I think he has a decent chance of starting at 10 for the Lions.

Yeah it'll be like for like when he has Farrell and Harris in the midfield, just like Fickou and Vakatawa.

I can't see Gatland wanting to play the way Racing do but I'm hoping very much Townsend manages to make his mark on the attack. I certainly think Gatland's tactics cost us the series in NZ.

[bsando]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GftjuEBjhNs&ab_channel=TOP14-Officiel

Russell and the ridiculously star studded Racing 92 backline ripper Clermont a new one at the weekend. Can't believe they now have Fickou and Vakatawa in the midfield with Thomas, Beale and Imhoff at the back three. Plus Vincent, Zebo, etc

Looking at their run in to the end of the season they've got a good shot of winning the Top 14 title.

It's interesting to see how effective and simple a game Finn executes when he's got great players around him. It's one of the reasons I think he has a decent chance of starting at 10 for the Lions.

Yeah it'll be like for like when he has Farrell and Harris in the midfield, just like Fickou and Vakatawa.

I can't see Gatland wanting to play the way Racing do but I'm hoping very much Townsend manages to make his mark on the attack. I certainly think Gatland's tactics cost us the series in NZ.

I rewatched the 2017 Lions Tour uncovered the other day and you can see how blunt the gameplan was. Every match build up it is all about "smothering" the other side and the results in the midweek series showed the result of that. Some slim wins and a few losses with one or two walkovers against the weaker NZ sides.

Toonie and Tandy will hopefully combine well to create a solid defence and attacking platform for the Lions this tour. Fighting fire with fire would be futile against the Boks (although I'm sure we'd see some big hits). That isn't to say Gatland and co will completely ditch the power game, it'll just need to be cleverly implemented. Scrum has to be good, set piece etc. Gain parity there and the Lions backs can hopefully get a chance to shine. Russell Farrell has great potential. Farrell isn't shy and will be up in Finn's face if he gets too loose and Russell is mature enough now to accept criticism and adapt accordingly.

[bsando]

Not to de-rail the thread, I was catching up on the derby wins for Glasgow and what a good side they're shaping up to be. Look much sharper in the back three and have the right players to perform well on that 4G pitch of theirs. Forbes, McKay and Steyn could well become a deadly back three combo in the Pro 14. Glad to see Steyn is back to his best form after a long lay off.

[Hazel Sapling]

One of Steyn or O Smith should go to OC. Miotti may have the ability to cover FB leaving us with quite a few options considering none are likely to be in the international side next season (McLean?).

OC: Tuipulotu, Grigg, maybe Kelly
Wings: Steyn, McLean, Tagive, Forbes, Canceliiere, maybe L Jones
FB: McKay, O Smith, Melville

[RDW]

Alex Dunbar announced his retirement. A great player for Scotland in that 2015-2017 golden period but never fully realised his potential due to injury.

[Tramptastic]

Alex Dunbar announced his retirement. A great player for Scotland in that 2015-2017 golden period but never fully realised his potential due to injury.

Sad news, he was highly under-rated and seemed to get short changed by the Rennie era. He gave any backline he was in some heft, was surprisingly fast, soft hands but, most importantly, was probably the best midfield defender Scotland has had in the pro era (until harris appeared).

31 caps isn't enough and im gutted he's retired!

[Hazel Sapling]

Dunbar was my favourite player for a while and unfortunately, couldn't stay healthy.

One of his old midfield partners, Scott, had a great game for Leicester on the weekend. Dunbar, Scott, Taylor are a snake-bitten generation of centres that all had the potential to do much more.

[BigGee]

AD was very unfortunate with injuries but they just kept on happening for him. If he had stayed fit, he would have had a lot more caps.

He can still look back on his career with grest pride and sense of achievement. He seems happy to be back on the farm now and will hopefully enjoy life after rugby.

[EST]

Dunbar was my favourite player for a while and unfortunately, couldn't stay healthy.

One of his old midfield partners, Scott, had a great game for Leicester on the weekend. Dunbar, Scott, Taylor are a snake-bitten generation of centres that all had the potential to do much more.

Agreed Hazel, Dunbar and Taylor particularly had huge potential as a pairing that never quite materialised.

Big Eck has been one of my favourite players over the last decade - a brilliantly balanced runner for such a big guy, he ran great lines and was like another 7 over the ball. It's a real shame his career fizzled out like it has.

[jimbopip]

Agree with everything above and would also say that above all else he was always a warrior.

[BigGee]

The coaching merry go round continues at Scotstoun as Johnny Bell leaves to become Worcester Warriors (he clearly likes being a warrior!) defence coach.

I would have been surprised if he had been on a one year contract, which probably means that Glasgow have let him go. Murchie likely to move up a slot and become the attack coach?

[EST]

The coaching merry go round continues at Scotstoun as Johnny Bell leaves to become Worcester Warriors (he clearly likes being a warrior!) defence coach.

I would have been surprised if he had been on a one year contract, which probably means that Glasgow have let him go. Murchie likely to move up a slot and become the attack coach?

I think that's a good move for all concerned, it always seemed strange to appoint a him as an attack coach when all his experience is in coaching defences. Our attack has hardly set the heather alight either, even accounting for all the upheaval.

[BigGee]

The coaching merry go round continues at Scotstoun as Johnny Bell leaves to become Worcester Warriors (he clearly likes being a warrior!) defence coach.

I would have been surprised if he had been on a one year contract, which probably means that Glasgow have let him go. Murchie likely to move up a slot and become the attack coach?

I think that's a good move for all concerned, it always seemed strange to appoint a him as an attack coach when all his experience is in coaching defences.  Our attack has hardly set the heather alight either, even accounting for all the upheaval.

It seems to have been firing a bit better the last few games and you do wonder if that is Murchie's influence, though it may also have helped having players like Steyn back.

Maybe a bit of both!

[Hazel Sapling]

Almost like common sense is prevailing having an attacking coach coach the attack.

At least with Glasgow we have made moves to fix what is not working. Hodge seems to be a permanent member of the Edinburgh staff

[BigGee]

Seems like Bell, just as Kelly Brown, left for personal reason, with his family not really settling in Glasgow during the lockdown.

They would have known about this for a while, which makes the appointment of Murchie a lot clearer now. A bit of succession planning is never a bad thing.

[bsando]

Tom English ripped into Bradbury on the bbc Scottish rugby podcast. He thinks he needs to leave and get out of his comfort zone.

I’m not sure if that’s true because you could say the same of many other Edinburgh players this season. It seems more likely that Edinburgh are just going through the motions and focussing on the road ahead. Depth has been tested and a few new signings including some heavy duty safas, Vellacott and Lang will hopefully bolster the team heading into next season.

New stadium, new season and I think we’ll see a very different Edinburgh side turning up to play.

[EST]

Chris Fusaro announced his retirement today - another great servant to the Scottish rugby cause. He never gave anything less than 100% on the pitch, and at his best was a really good club 7. I always got the sense that he was the type of guy who you would want in and around a squad, seems like a good bloke.

Seymour, Dunbar and now Fusaro retire all within a month or so of each other - a real changing of the guard season, this one.

[EST]

Tom English ripped into Bradbury on the bbc Scottish rugby podcast. He thinks he needs to leave and get out of his comfort zone.

I’m not sure if that’s true because you could say the same of many other Edinburgh players this season. It seems more likely that Edinburgh are just going through the motions and focussing on the road ahead. Depth has been tested and a few new signings including some heavy duty safas, Vellacott and Lang will hopefully bolster the team heading into next season.

New stadium, new season and I think we’ll see a very different Edinburgh side turning up to play.

It's been a pretty awful season for Edinburgh, I can't help feeling that Cockers is getting of more lightly than Wilson has in both the press and from the fans - he came into this season in arguably a stronger position than Glasgow and Wilson, with a more settled squad etc. Dunno about anybody else, but in his interviews after the games on the beeb, he gives off the air of somebody who doesn't care all that much - certainly less than he did at the start of his tenure, anyway.

[Tramptastic]

Tom English ripped into Bradbury on the bbc Scottish rugby podcast. He thinks he needs to leave and get out of his comfort zone.

I’m not sure if that’s true because you could say the same of many other Edinburgh players this season. It seems more likely that Edinburgh are just going through the motions and focussing on the road ahead. Depth has been tested and a few new signings including some heavy duty safas, Vellacott and Lang will hopefully bolster the team heading into next season.

New stadium, new season and I think we’ll see a very different Edinburgh side turning up to play.

It's been a pretty awful season for Edinburgh, I can't help feeling that Cockers is getting of more lightly than Wilson has in both the press and from the fans - he came into this season in arguably a stronger position than Glasgow and Wilson, with a more settled squad etc.  Dunno about anybody else, but in his interviews after the games on the beeb, he gives off the air of somebody who doesn't care all that much - certainly less than he did at the start of his tenure, anyway.

Yeh i was thinking the same thing about how he sounds but is he maybe trying to protect the players? Like he knows that the season is a write off, next season should be better etc so why rant and rave at pointlessness?

[EST]

Tom English ripped into Bradbury on the bbc Scottish rugby podcast. He thinks he needs to leave and get out of his comfort zone.

I’m not sure if that’s true because you could say the same of many other Edinburgh players this season. It seems more likely that Edinburgh are just going through the motions and focussing on the road ahead. Depth has been tested and a few new signings including some heavy duty safas, Vellacott and Lang will hopefully bolster the team heading into next season.

New stadium, new season and I think we’ll see a very different Edinburgh side turning up to play.

It's been a pretty awful season for Edinburgh, I can't help feeling that Cockers is getting of more lightly than Wilson has in both the press and from the fans - he came into this season in arguably a stronger position than Glasgow and Wilson, with a more settled squad etc.  Dunno about anybody else, but in his interviews after the games on the beeb, he gives off the air of somebody who doesn't care all that much - certainly less than he did at the start of his tenure, anyway.

Yeh i was thinking the same thing about how he sounds but is he maybe trying to protect the players? Like he knows that the season is a write off, next season should be better etc so why rant and rave at pointlessness?

Yeah, could well be a bit of that going on Tramp. He just doesn't sound anything like the Cockers I have come to expect...maybe living in Morningside or Stockbridge has taken the edge off him

[George Carlin]

Tom English ripped into Bradbury on the bbc Scottish rugby podcast. He thinks he needs to leave and get out of his comfort zone.

I’m not sure if that’s true because you could say the same of many other Edinburgh players this season. It seems more likely that Edinburgh are just going through the motions and focussing on the road ahead. Depth has been tested and a few new signings including some heavy duty safas, Vellacott and Lang will hopefully bolster the team heading into next season.

New stadium, new season and I think we’ll see a very different Edinburgh side turning up to play.

It's been a pretty awful season for Edinburgh, I can't help feeling that Cockers is getting of more lightly than Wilson has in both the press and from the fans - he came into this season in arguably a stronger position than Glasgow and Wilson, with a more settled squad etc.  Dunno about anybody else, but in his interviews after the games on the beeb, he gives off the air of somebody who doesn't care all that much - certainly less than he did at the start of his tenure, anyway.

Yeh i was thinking the same thing about how he sounds but is he maybe trying to protect the players? Like he knows that the season is a write off, next season should be better etc so why rant and rave at pointlessness?

Yeah, could well be a bit of that going on Tramp. He just doesn't sound anything like the Cockers I have come to expect...maybe living in Morningside or Stockbridge has taken the edge off him

A bit unfair. Stockbridge has got tougher. The price of soy lattes and cashmere underwear has spiked recently and it's hell to get the local council to sanction hunting tramps on horseback these days.

[Hazel Sapling]

Not sure if this is relevant as it is more for the national team.

Leicester have picked Henderson to bench for the Challenge Cup final whilst dropping Lavanini and Martin. On the other hand Scott is dropped after a good game against Quins last weekend.

Big call to back Henderson against a big Montpellier pack, be interesting to see how he gets on.

[jimbopip]

Tom English ripped into Bradbury on the bbc Scottish rugby podcast. He thinks he needs to leave and get out of his comfort zone.

I’m not sure if that’s true because you could say the same of many other Edinburgh players this season. It seems more likely that Edinburgh are just going through the motions and focussing on the road ahead. Depth has been tested and a few new signings including some heavy duty safas, Vellacott and Lang will hopefully bolster the team heading into next season.

New stadium, new season and I think we’ll see a very different Edinburgh side turning up to play.

It's been a pretty awful season for Edinburgh, I can't help feeling that Cockers is getting of more lightly than Wilson has in both the press and from the fans - he came into this season in arguably a stronger position than Glasgow and Wilson, with a more settled squad etc.  Dunno about anybody else, but in his interviews after the games on the beeb, he gives off the air of somebody who doesn't care all that much - certainly less than he did at the start of his tenure, anyway.

Yeh i was thinking the same thing about how he sounds but is he maybe trying to protect the players? Like he knows that the season is a write off, next season should be better etc so why rant and rave at pointlessness?

Yeah, could well be a bit of that going on Tramp. He just doesn't sound anything like the Cockers I have come to expect...maybe living in Morningside or Stockbridge has taken the edge off him

A bit unfair. Stockbridge has got tougher. The price of soy lattes and cashmere underwear has spiked recently and it's hell to get the local council to sanction hunting tramps on horseback these days.

So really? The tramps in Stockbridge can afford to stable cuddies and keep hounds That'll be why the Luvvies are so shockingly bad; they're scared if they let slip that they can play rugby in any kind of competent manner they'll be snapped up by a big club and have to live somewhere terribly "urban" like Paris or London.

[funnyExiledScot]

The tramps in Stockbridge actually hunt Weegies, just to give you a sense of the due and proper pecking order.

Just to briefly go back to rugby, I was really impressed with Kyle Steyn in the derbies. His basics were excellent and with Maitland getting slower and slower, and Graham being somewhat fragile, there's a slot on the right wing that's fairly open at the moment. We could do worse.

[Hazel Sapling]

Tom Lambert signs first professional deal with Glasgow.

https://www.glasgowwarriors.org/news/lambert-signs-first-professional-deal

[funnyExiledScot]

Well played Tom Lambert. The lad has a future.

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