Italy v Scotland 6 Nations Championship Saturday 12th March 2022

by **BigGee** Sun 06 Mar 2022, 8:48 pm

First topic message reminder :

Italy v Scotland
6 Nations Championship
Stadio Olympico
Rome

Saturday 12th March
KO 15.15 (local time)

So my biannual trip to Rome has come along again and I am wondering what i am going to be seeing this time around.

Having been the past two occasions, I am less full of the joys than some Scottish fans may be. We have made pretty hard work of it on both occasions and quite frankly aught to have lost 4 years ago. It was and remains, the classic banana skin game for a Scottish team and the one that the Italians will always feel that they have got a chance.

I might be feeling more confident had we really done ourselves any kind of justice in the past two games, but we certainly have not.

I might also be feeling a bit more confident were any of our star players living up to their billing and showing any kind of form, but they are not.

I also might be feeling a lot more confident were we able to put out our strongest side, wheras in reality we have gone from our best ever depth, to digging deep into the barrel in only a matter of weeks.

This is still a game we should win and comfortably, but i am not really sure that is what it will be at the end of the day and I will probably be happy with a one point win with an 80th minute drop goal if that is what it takes to steady the ship, as at the moment it seems all over the place.

Fortunately for us, Italy continue to struggle and with injuries and suspensions, will also be a way away from their best team. They have been well beaten in all three games so far, despite blooding their next generation of players and are clearly still struggling in this competition even if there are some decent signs of progress for the future. They won't lack passion and commitment, as their heroic defensive effort against Ireland showed but may still lack the game craft to win at this level yet.

The Scotland team now seems far from clear. Surely some players need to pay with their shirts for the poor performances in the last two games, but a wholesale clearout seems unlikely and a bench spot is maybe a more realistic option to remind a misfiring star player that they are not indispensable.

So maybe something like this:

1. Schoeman
2, McInally
3. Fagerson Z - was in the team of the week last week for his scrumaging, even if the stupid penalties persist
4. Gilchrist
5. Skinner
6. Darge
7. Watson
8. Bayliss - Fagerson still not fit and Bradbury still not convincing
9. White - deserves a start
10. Kinghorn - if not now then when?
11. Graham
12. Tuipolotu
13. Bennett
14. Steyn - assuming DVDM is out and with other injuries probably the safest option
15. Hogg

Subs:

Dell - hard to think who else is fit
Turner - though Ashman must be close
Nel/Berghan - can't make up my mind
Hodgson
Christie - deserves another crack and covers the whole of the back row
Price - hopefully warming the pine will have the desired effect
Russell - see above
Harris - but would have no issue with another flair player like Hutchinson coming in.

With that selection, I would expect to see Blairhorn moving out into the back three at some stage probably early in the second half and hopefully Price and Russell coming on to finish the game.

I live in hope!

by **RDW** Sat 12 Mar 2022, 4:07 pm

Job done for Scotland. I definitely don't have a warm and fuzzy feeling about the performance and a lot still wasn't good. But a pretty comfortable win in Rome can't be sniffed at.

by majesticimperialman Sat 12 Mar 2022, 4:08 pm

It as been a great game for Italy 4 try's still lost the game but a great great performance by them.

by westisbest Sat 12 Mar 2022, 4:09 pm

Enjoyable game. Well done Scotland.
Italy showing signs of good play. And some good players.
Young lad at the end with 2 good tries. Half back pairing look decent.

Scotland will have their tails up coming to Dublin next week.

by **NeilyBroon** Sat 12 Mar 2022, 4:11 pm

Also the substitutions. Great opportunity when we were 33-10 up to mix it up a bit but once again toonie doesn't make full use of his options. In attempting to be ultra conservative we have a Scotland side who look dispondent and uninterested, who can blame them if there's no competition for places?

by Unclear Sat 12 Mar 2022, 4:11 pm

Well done Scotland in a no win game. Looks like Price has played himself back into some form, but Russell, was he playing? Hogg still not back to his best. Also was it a lack of interest or fitness at the end?

Some good play from Italy, perhaps they need some more 12-year olds playing Smile

by **NeilyBroon** Sat 12 Mar 2022, 4:14 pm

westisbest wrote:Enjoyable game. Well done Scotland.
Italy showing signs of good play. And some good players.
Young lad at the end with 2 good tries. Half back pairing look decent.

Scotland will have their tails up coming to Dublin next week.

Ireland have about as much to fear from Scotland as they do from the bars in Dublin running out of Guinness. Add the motivation for a bp win if they win today and Scotland will be just a slight inconvenience.

If they lose today though they'll still absolutely batter Scotland, except they'll be angry instead.

by jimbopip Sat 12 Mar 2022, 4:21 pm

Just seeing Hogg's try again; Price was outside the 22 when he threw it, Hogg was well inside when he caught it.
Italy looked a lot better when they stopped kicking possession away and kept the ball in hand. However it is easy to be brave when the game is already lost. Similarly when the Scotland forward replacements came on there seemed to be a drop in intensity but that happens when the game is won.

I'm glad Italy took some positives from today. They're worth their place in the 6 Nations.

by tigertattie Sat 12 Mar 2022, 4:28 pm

Just because the ball travels forward, doesn’t make it a forward pass

by **NeilyBroon** Sat 12 Mar 2022, 5:31 pm

tigertattie wrote:Just because the ball travels forward, doesn’t make it a forward pass

Aye, it's a kick pass then

by **George Carlin** Sat 12 Mar 2022, 5:36 pm

Wow. As a neutral I would have loved this game. Italy running free in multi phase play with everyone looking for a carry and an offload. All the passes stuck today and it was great to see them play well.

Scotland on the other hard, were indeed honking.

Set piece was fine - loosies did well and Fagerson very visible in particular. The lack of control in loose play was very worrying indeed though. Steyn was not good at all today - missed at least 4 first phase tackles and hands like the proverbial freezing mammories. His Labrador Confused Face also annoyed me - we saw that a lot. What was pleasing was how visible our locks were and how much work they got through.

Hogg was a mixed bag - some good choices but did not break the line often enough and some of his kicking out of hand was not good. Russell has correctly been complained about - I have no idea what the problem is.

To be so unprofessional as to let the last try happen shows a lot of issues. The job was done and apparently it was acceptable to switch off. We wouldn't have done that at Murrayfield (I hope) so it shouldn't be acceptable to do it here.

Ireland are going to give us an emerald green wedgie for the ages on the strength of that performance. They're twice as coherent and accurate as we are and for all that I think Sexton is a colossal gobsh!te, he's twice the player that Russell is based on this tournament's form. I'm annoyed rather than pleased by that win. Perhaps this is obvious.

by tigertattie Sat 12 Mar 2022, 5:42 pm

Just a few starts to throw out there.

1. Chris Harris scored 2 tries
2. 19 tackles from mish. Not a single one missed (extending the record)
3. Matt F made 8 runs for 9 metres.
4. Bradbury made 5 runs for 58 metres.

So yeah. Harris isn’t as bad as folk make out.
Hamish is a feckin rugby god (Darge is great, but mish is still better)
Matt fagerson can’t carry Maggie’s shopping bags for him.

Ps, gilchrist was 2nd on the tackle count so again another grafting performance from him but folk will still launch pelters at him

by jimbopip Sat 12 Mar 2022, 5:56 pm

GC, I try to look at Italy as the Benetton of international rugby. Benetton are better than Dragons, Cardiff, probably three of the SA sides and if Glasgow beat them away with TBP I wouldn't worry overly about the lack of points for artistic merit.
Similarly, we were fortunate; a loose kick and tardy chase allowed Hogg to break the line and put Turner into space, then Price gambled on the interception when Italy looked like scoring. Small margins but they put Italy out of contention. The win will be a weight off their shoulders but there are issues to be addressed.
Still, let's enjoy the win then all chip in to pay Gee's fine. You know he'll be peeing in the Trevi fountain right now.

by tigertattie Sat 12 Mar 2022, 6:01 pm

And I’ll tell you something else. Going on Ireland’s inability to totally erse 13 man Italy and now struggling against 14 man England, while
“To be sure” they are better than us, we shouldn’t be fearing them as badly as some on here are predicting.

by jimbopip Sat 12 Mar 2022, 6:09 pm

Irrespective of the final result today the gremlins will be running around their heads this week. To be sure.

by **RDW** Sat 12 Mar 2022, 6:19 pm

tigertattie wrote:And I’ll tell you something else. Going on Ireland’s inability to totally erse 13 man Italy and now struggling against 14 man England, while
“To be sure” they are better than us, we shouldn’t be fearing them as badly as some on here are predicting.

Or we need to get a red card early on!

by **NeilyBroon** Sat 12 Mar 2022, 6:31 pm

RDW wrote:
tigertattie wrote:And I’ll tell you something else. Going on Ireland’s inability to totally erse 13 man Italy and now struggling against 14 man England, while
“To be sure” they are better than us, we shouldn’t be fearing them as badly as some on here are predicting.

Or we need to get a red card early on!

Get Fraser brown in, it's the role he was born to play.

by **NeilyBroon** Sat 12 Mar 2022, 6:38 pm

Mind you nothing can beat the Geoff cross carding against Wales when he was lying unconscious on the 10 metre line and the ref was standing over him holding up a red card. A truly heroic foul.

by tigertattie Sat 12 Mar 2022, 6:39 pm

RDW wrote:
tigertattie wrote:And I’ll tell you something else. Going on Ireland’s inability to totally erse 13 man Italy and now struggling against 14 man England, while
“To be sure” they are better than us, we shouldn’t be fearing them as badly as some on here are predicting.

Or we need to get a red card early on!

If we keep 15 men on the field next week then it won’t be an easy win for Ireland in the slightest.

by **NeilyBroon** Sat 12 Mar 2022, 6:41 pm

tigertattie wrote:
RDW wrote:
tigertattie wrote:And I’ll tell you something else. Going on Ireland’s inability to totally erse 13 man Italy and now struggling against 14 man England, while
“To be sure” they are better than us, we shouldn’t be fearing them as badly as some on here are predicting.

Or we need to get a red card early on!

If we keep 15 men on the field next week then it won’t be an easy win for Ireland in the slightest.

Nah not having it. Full Fraser mode. Will be an absolute drubbing!

by tigertattie Sat 12 Mar 2022, 6:47 pm

NeilyBroon wrote:
tigertattie wrote:
RDW wrote:
tigertattie wrote:And I’ll tell you something else. Going on Ireland’s inability to totally erse 13 man Italy and now struggling against 14 man England, while
“To be sure” they are better than us, we shouldn’t be fearing them as badly as some on here are predicting.

Or we need to get a red card early on!

If we keep 15 men on the field next week then it won’t be an easy win for Ireland in the slightest.

Nah not having it. Full Fraser mode. Will be an absolute drubbing!

All we need to do is wake up Finn or bin him and we’ll be ok

by **NeilyBroon** Sat 12 Mar 2022, 6:52 pm

tigertattie wrote:
NeilyBroon wrote:
tigertattie wrote:
RDW wrote:
tigertattie wrote:And I’ll tell you something else. Going on Ireland’s inability to totally erse 13 man Italy and now struggling against 14 man England, while
“To be sure” they are better than us, we shouldn’t be fearing them as badly as some on here are predicting.

Or we need to get a red card early on!

If we keep 15 men on the field next week then it won’t be an easy win for Ireland in the slightest.

Nah not having it. Full Fraser mode. Will be an absolute drubbing!

All we need to do is wake up Finn or bin him and we’ll be ok

We're doomed!

by bsando Sun 13 Mar 2022, 12:47 am

Ange Capuozzo Looks a real talent for Italy. Slippery with a lot of pace.

Scotland looked pretty poor at the end but considering the subs it made sense for it to be as disrupted as it was. Hastings looked like Simone who’s not played international rugby much lately. Vellacott had a nice little cameo though, lively player and officially capped! That long running saga reached its conclusion.

Bring on Ireland!

by Highland Shaun Sun 13 Mar 2022, 2:16 am

A bonus point win is a bonus point win so mission accomplished in that regard but jeez that was tough to watch at times, we looked pretty toothless in attack bar the tries plus we worryingly conceded 3 to the worst team in the tournament, I think the word that best describes our performance today was: disjointed or sluggish.

We will need our best performance yet and Ireland to be as sluggish as they were today if we are to win next week but as always, I remain optimistic Very Happy

.

As for changes, if Jonny Gray is fit then I'd probably start him, though I'm not sure who for?

I'd also go with Hastings at 10 and Kinghorn at 14 too, it's time Finn got dropped as he's been pretty poor this year plus Adam has been playing well for Glos so deserves rewarded with a start.

On the bench, Bennett for Sione, Bayliss for Bradbury and Steyn dropping to the bench.

Hopefully GT was watching the England game and noted that England absolutely destroyed that Irish scrum and that being with a winger in the scrum too!

We'll need to have good set piece to have any chance so the one thing needing work this coming week is the line out as that was scrappy today too, why all the long passes

?

by majesticimperialman Sun 13 Mar 2022, 7:07 am

What i did not understand about Hastings being called up to the squad was that Townsend was singing his praises and then only gives him 5/6 minutes at the end of the game.

I would of thought he would of got atleast 20/30 minutes to so what he can do.

by **RDW** Sun 13 Mar 2022, 7:12 am

Yeah Maj that was a real frustration and one that Peter Wright and Tom English tore into in the post match chat. Particularly looking to Ireland next week, you've got to give your replacements gametime to get up to speed and have a chance to make a difference, not least when Vellacot was making his first cap and Hastings his first appearance of the tournament.

Our replacements generally have been disappointing. Sutherland, Bhatti/Kebble, Gray, Cummings, Ritchie, evening Haining etc add a real layer of quality which is sorely missed.

by bsando Sun 13 Mar 2022, 8:04 am

Just sums up how strange this six nations has been from Scottish coaching point of view.

Starting Hastings may have been an option had he played from day one and had contributed 80-90 minutes of international rugby game time. Dropping him into the ten seat against the second best team in the tournament away from home would be a big gamble.

To reiterate what RDW says, losing Sutherland and Kebble in particular has been tough. When they’re both firing it should mean we’ve got three excellent loosehead props to choose from.

Fagerson and Nel have played every match and on paper should be keeping Scotland stable up front on the tight head side. But it hasn’t been a great tournament from Fagerson in particular and Nel is getting on a bit old for international rugby. Thank god we have him though. Who is shoring up the depth? Berghan? McCallum? Mcquillin? Walker? Come the RWC it’s still looking pretty sparse at tight head.

by **NeilyBroon** Sun 13 Mar 2022, 9:30 am

It's been a lethal combination of poor player form interspersed with baffling selection decisions, not so much from a starting perspective but as the tournament went on.

Vellacott looked very sharp when he came on. Imagine if he had 20 minutes to play rather than 4. From a squad perspective it can hardly be motivating to know that even if you're picked on the bench, unless you're a forward you won't get gametime. It'd be more understandable if the wind was in our sails and we were fighting over 3 points but we were 23 points up, a lot of the players were looking pretty shagged out there from all the defending against what looks to be a very decent Italian attack. Why not utilise the whole bench?

Without trying to state the obvious, next week has to be different. Wooden spoon avoided, let's throw caution to the wind. The likelihood of us winning against a motivated Ireland in Dublin is very low, so we may as well roll the dice and shake it up a bit.

Russell to drop to bench and Hastings to start. Price to do a half and vellacott to do a half. Price must be absolutely shattered, he's played the most rugby of all of our players bar Hogg. He's not looked good for most of the tournament but we'd still need his experience Vs Ireland, plus the Italy game was probably enough justification for him holding his starting spot as he arguably won us that match being involved in every key score.

Steyn looked so-so against Italy but I think he's worth another run out against Ireland, that or put Kinghorn on the wing. Swapping in Rowe would be counterproductive as it would disrupt the back 3 again. Agree with Shaun that Bennett should be in the 23, hard to see toonie ever dropping Harris but I think Bennett is due a start. I can dream.

Forwards much of a muchness. I think Gilchrist and Skinner are a relatively good balance, and Skinner has had a quietly good tournament. We need Cummings back really though. Gray I think needs more time back at club, he seems to be a shell of himself.

Bradbury once again has done enough from the bench but for me he's still not a starter and is yet to prove that he is consistently. Fagerson did well coming back from injury and did a lot of work at the breakdown.

Either way we're in for a battering so may as well try "sans Finn" against Ireland. It's clear we need an alternative.

by jimbopip Sun 13 Mar 2022, 11:30 am

Well, yesterday was a mixed bag and will doubtless give us experts on here lots to mull over. Headscratch

There were a lot of positives and a fair few negatives. Let's start with the biggest positive; Italy have beaten Engerlund and Scotland at under 20 and are consistently producing some very good young players . Each time I see them they are in the game for a large part of it but just fail to get on top and stay on top: Harris's try is a great/sickening example of that. If Italy score there it is a totally different game. However, they are improving and deserve credit for that.

Negatives
Penalties; we conceded far too many. However, I was constantly bemused by how the breakdown was being reffed. Similarly, the scrum. I get the sense that referees see us as a team who will concede 9-12 penalties a game and then find those penalties.
Centres Despite scoring three tries and defending stoutly there are still questions to be answered. After about 20 minutes I realised neither of our wingers had touched the ball: either the game plan is limited to crash the ball -recycle-crash-recycle- kick for position and wait for the return kick OR our centres aren't moving the ball well enough. As I said earlier on this thread, twice Scotland created space for Harris to get outside his opposite number and each time he was hauled down before making any ground. I think we need to accept that he is not an attacking threat at international level. This after he scored two tries!
Playmakers Dancer just isn't dancing in this tournament. Is he only 85% fit? Is he battle weary and in need of a rest? Is the gameplan killing him? Can you imagine being the most gifted 10 Scotland have had since tigertattie had a 32 inch waist and being asked to play a very limited gameplan AND constantly being told that Blarehorn is the future!!! . Whatever, we haven't seen him sparkle and light up a game so something needs to change.
front row depth Seriously, is there anyone out there who thinks that Dell and Nel should be in the World Cup squad?

Positives
Penalties Can be sorted out, must be addressed.
Centres We have plenty of good centres it's just that Toonie seems to be using them as a schiltron rather than as a rapier. That seems to be the trend in modern rugby; look at the size of Danty or Am. Look at how desperate England always are to have Tuilagi in the team. Johnson, Harris, Tuipulotu, Steyn, Bennett, Redpath, I'm sure Toonie will see three solid defenders there for the World Cup.
Back Row Possibly the most positive part of yesterday. If we agree Toonie wants us to defend stoutly, play without the ball for the majority of the game and kick for position rather than play off 10 then a good back row is crucial. Win the breakdown; penalties to march you up field or turnovers to attack a disorganised defence. We now have some of the best flankers since the days of the Great White Shark and his Fin. Tigertattie made the point that Fagerson (M) made very few yards per carry yesterday; he made two crucial defensive turnovers in the first half and made most of his carries very close to the tackle area thus tying in the Italian fringe defence to create space for Damish to do the real carrying. Yes I intend to call them Damish. We also have Mbawza, Bradbury,Haining, Christie, Bayliss and Tom Gordon. If yesterday's back row get blown away in Dublin it'll be sackcloth and ashes: if they win the battle on the floor then the drinks are on meFES.
Hookers Turner, Rambo, Ashman and Brown as fourth choice. When were we last this well stocked?

Whisper it but I can see us winning in Dublin. Shooey and Ragnar are going to have to play at least 60 minutes and play out of their skins. But England showed their scrum is not invincible...Jack Nowell FFS.
If our back row can avoid being whistled off the field and Finn can keep Ireland pinned into their own half we're in the game.
Bundee Aki and Sam J will spend all afternoon smashing into each other and if Harris can stop Gary Ringrose doing the kind of thing outside centres should be doing (you know outside breaks, scoring tries) then we're in the game.
England showed how to take Ireland on. If we put in 80 minutes of "in yer face ya bam" I'll be happy.

by **NeilyBroon** Sun 13 Mar 2022, 12:57 pm

Like the optimism Jimbo but there's very little evidence to say that Scotland will play any differently against Ireland! Each week it's been the same indiscipline and aimless attack. I'll revise my previous prediction to 40-15 and give us two tries maybe and Ireland less credit. I just want to get to the end of the world cup cycle so we can change management!

by tigertattie Sun 13 Mar 2022, 1:21 pm

I still maintain we lack balance across the park your jimboness

Damish (copyright jimbo nicknames ltd) I’ll let Toonie away with as they are on form and with the absence of the itchy nut sack, there is no one else. However, fagerson is too much of a 6/8 to slot into that backrow also. If you are going to have two tackling/fetching flanks, sorry but you need a bone crunching, hard running, gain line breaking, metre making 8. Fagerson simply is not that. Someone suggested bringing bayliss in for Maggie. It’s fagerson that for the need of balance of nothing else, needs dropping.

We also don’t have the tight five to pick up the gain line breaking. GG tackled himself silly again yesterday but he’s not a ball carrier. As for skinner, no idea what he does these days. Little carries, little tackles. Seems to just be running from ruck to ruck not doing much. I will point out that the stats never show effective ruck clear outs which is an important part of the game.

We all know about our centre pairing. SJ had a good 30 mins at the start of the game but then quickly fell off the pace. Harris scored some tries but can he do that again next week? Keep one or the other and put in Bennett or shug and you’ll have just a better balance and Darcy (probably our form player right night) might get a bit more of the ball.

I was both delighted and frustrated with pride yesterday. A MOTM performance which shows he can perform well, so why the hell has he been sooooo crap in the other games?

As master yoda says, we need to find balance. Buy my god the players need to get thier heads in the game on a consistent basis.

by Hazel Sapling Sun 13 Mar 2022, 4:04 pm

I am not happy with the performance yesterday but Italy is a game where nobody is ever happy. Why not give Vellacott - Hastings 20/30 minutes to get into a groove? Same with Hodgson? What are we gaining playing McInally over Ashman?

I think we are ignoring that the two fetchers system was found to be lacking when it mattered, particularly if both are small. The only times it really worked among the top teams were when one of the fetchers was quite big (e.g., Warburton/Tipuric, Hooper/Pocock). Even then, it only really worked because Faletau and Fardy were tall, effective in the line-out and carried in the tight. Bradbury is not on that level. England tried it with B Vunipola next to Underhill-Curry and they have looked to move on as it just was not working in the big games. I quite like what M Fagerson is becoming and his workrate is excellent. Whilst the stats are not showing it, I think his carrying has improved judging by the eye test.

A Ritchie - M Fagerson - Watson/Darge backrow fits together well. Bayliss, Christie or (if he could stay fit) Crosbie look like natural back-ups for Ritchie, Darge and maybe Gordon for Watson and we really need to decide if Bradbury, Haining or AN Other (Dempsey? Muncaster?) are a proper back-up for M Fagerson.

by Anglobraveheart Sun 13 Mar 2022, 7:01 pm

I concur with Hazel regarding the bit part substitutions. They are wrong for many reasons.
I am a big Toonie fan. But, I think he is making a right @rse of things TBH.
We're stuck with the props that we have, due to injury. And similar with the second row, due to injury and loss of form.
Back row we are challenged through injury. Finn needs to bench next game, but Hastings SHOULD have been given 30 mins yesterday.
We need a flair player at 13, and Steyn was poor yesterday. Some of the problem there, was that he played on the left? When he played against Tonga, he was on the right wing. He also looked slow yesterday.
Bennett at 13, Kinghorn on the left wing.
We've got to defend wider, and improve our line speed. If we play against Ireland the way we've played the rest of the tournament, we will be seriously beaten.
I think the new attack coach is out of his depth, as whatever systems have been introduced, have taken us backwards.

by EST Mon 14 Mar 2022, 11:26 am

I thought the whole game was played at about 50% of the intensity of the England v Wales game, and that for most of it we were very average...if we are anywhere close to that level this weekend, we will get absolutely battered.

There are obviously a number of things going wrong, primary amongst them is that our 10/12/13 combination just isn't working - it looks clunky and laboured. I don't think Finn is playing well, but in his defence Harris is an absolute roadblock going forward, I know he scored two tries at the weekend (I would argue the first was just a support line that paid off and the second was a strike mover where he ran a straight line), but in open play he offers virtually nothing - no outside break, poor hands and he's not a physical threat either. Given how badly our defence has fallen away, i'm struggling to see the rationale for his continued inclusion. I would keep Johnson at 12 and replace Harris with somebody that offers a dynamic threat going forward (Bennet, Steyn or Tuipulotu could all do a job), somebody Finn could hit close to the line - I think his game would start to improve as a result.

by tigertattie Mon 14 Mar 2022, 1:15 pm

Bennett yes, but Shona is too SJ like (hard running but no distribution) and Steyn was woeful on Saturday so shouldn’t be rewarded with a spot in the centre where he can drop even more balls.

Either Bennett or huw to 13 or Hutchinson goes into 12. Hell, even Lang could go into 12.

by **RDW** Mon 14 Mar 2022, 1:31 pm

Scotland squad update ????????????????????????

Fraser Brown, Murphy Walker, Scott Cummings and Jordan Edmunds have been added to the squad ahead of the Ireland match this weekend.

Kiran McDonald, Glen Young and Duhan van der Merwe have returned to their clubs.

Who are those players....?

by Unclear Mon 14 Mar 2022, 1:45 pm

Are Scotland going for a Formula1 high paced game with the new guy Murphy Walker?

I'll get my coat.

by EST Mon 14 Mar 2022, 2:11 pm

tigertattie wrote:Bennett yes, but Shona is too SJ like (hard running but no distribution) and Steyn was woeful on Saturday so shouldn’t be rewarded with a spot in the centre where he can drop even more balls.

Either Bennett or huw to 13 or Hutchinson goes into 12. Hell, even Lang could go into 12.

I'd agree that out of the three that Bennett is the front runner by a distance and deserves a shot. I think Steyn is a very good player and more suited to 13 than wing, I actually though he was pretty good until the final quarter and then the wheels did come off a bit, Tuipulotu can be slightly exposed at 13, but our defence has been terrible thus far anyway and he offers much more than Harris going forward. All this is moot anyway, i'd say there is just as much chance as me getting picked at 13 than Toonie dropping Harris.

by Hazel Sapling Mon 14 Mar 2022, 3:06 pm

RDW wrote:
Scotland squad update ????????????????????????

Fraser Brown, Murphy Walker, Scott Cummings and Jordan Edmunds have been added to the squad ahead of the Ireland match this weekend.

Kiran McDonald, Glen Young and Duhan van der Merwe have returned to their clubs.

Who are those players....?

Murphy Walker is the Glasgow academy TH who has covered LH with the recent injury crisis. I assume he is there in the way Samuels, Williamson and Currie have been in the past as an apprenticeship.

No idea who Jordan Edmunds is. Apparently a core member of the 7s side as a wing.

by jimbopip Mon 14 Mar 2022, 4:18 pm

EST wrote:
tigertattie wrote:Bennett yes, but Shona is too SJ like (hard running but no distribution) and Steyn was woeful on Saturday so shouldn’t be rewarded with a spot in the centre where he can drop even more balls.

Either Bennett or huw to 13 or Hutchinson goes into 12. Hell, even Lang could go into 12.

I'd agree that out of the three that Bennett is the front runner by a distance and deserves a shot. I think Steyn is a very good player and more suited to 13 than wing, I actually though he was pretty good until the final quarter and then the wheels did come off a bit, Tuipulotu can be slightly exposed at 13, but our defence has been terrible thus far anyway and he offers much more than Harris going forward. All this is moot anyway, i'd say there is just as much chance as me Jordan Edmunds getting picked at 13 than Toonie dropping Harris.

by tigertattie Mon 14 Mar 2022, 5:49 pm

jimbopip wrote:
EST wrote:
tigertattie wrote:Bennett yes, but Shona is too SJ like (hard running but no distribution) and Steyn was woeful on Saturday so shouldn’t be rewarded with a spot in the centre where he can drop even more balls.

Either Bennett or huw to 13 or Hutchinson goes into 12. Hell, even Lang could go into 12.

I'd agree that out of the three that Bennett is the front runner by a distance and deserves a shot. I think Steyn is a very good player and more suited to 13 than wing, I actually though he was pretty good until the final quarter and then the wheels did come off a bit, Tuipulotu can be slightly exposed at 13, but our defence has been terrible thus far anyway and he offers much more than Harris going forward. All this is moot anyway, i'd say there is just as much chance as me Jordan Edmunds getting picked at 13 than Toonie dropping Harris.

Ahhhh jimbo. I’ve missed your quote function fails.

by jimbopip Mon 14 Mar 2022, 6:12 pm

tigertattie wrote:
jimbopip wrote:
EST wrote:
tigertattie wrote:Bennett yes, but Shona is too SJ like (hard running but no distribution) and Steyn was woeful on Saturday so shouldn’t be rewarded with a spot in the centre where he can drop even more balls.

Either Bennett or huw to 13 or Hutchinson goes into 12. Hell, even Lang could go into 12.

I'd agree that out of the three that Bennett is the front runner by a distance and deserves a shot. I think Steyn is a very good player and more suited to 13 than wing, I actually though he was pretty good until the final quarter and then the wheels did come off a bit, Tuipulotu can be slightly exposed at 13, but our defence has been terrible thus far anyway and he offers much more than Harris going forward. All this is moot anyway, i'd say there is just as much chance as me Jordan Edmunds getting picked at 13 than Toonie dropping Harris.

Ahhhh jimbo. I’ve missed your quote function fails.

Ahhh tiger. You've missed my correction in the penultimate line. No quote function fail this time.
I'm soooo over that.

by **BigGee** Tue 15 Mar 2022, 11:49 am

Well just back from a great weekend in Rome.

For any of you who have not been to the Eternal City, please put it on your bucket list and if you can combine it with an iternational rugby weekend, so much the better.

It is already a very popular destination for Scottish fans there were an awful lot of them there, kilts and bagpipes in tow. We were trated to an impromptu pipe band marching across the Piazza del Popolo heading out towards the stadium and someone actually managed to serenade us with Flower of Scotland on the tram on the way out to the ground on the tram, quite how, I don't know as the tram was rammed!

The only downside for me was that I managed to get my pocket picked on the tram on the way back to down, gthe first time it has happened to me in many trips there and probably due to the fact that I was a bit 'relaxed' by that stage of the afternoon!

The game itself was far from a classic, but it never looked like anything other than a comfortable Scotland win after the Price interception and Harris first try.

Of the three times I have been to this fixture, it is the first time we have won comfortably and with a BP, so it is not all gloom and doom. We will of course have to be an awful lot better even to get close to Ireland but no-one is giving us a chance in that game, so that will suite us.

A word on Italy, who I don't believe are really that far away. They played for 80 mins and never went away, as they have done in pretty much all their games. They have some talent but just lack a bit of tactical nous at this level. I think it is genuinely a reflection of how much better the other teams have got that they still struggle.

Hopefully will be back again in two years time!

by **George Carlin** Tue 15 Mar 2022, 4:07 pm

Lots of individually talented players coming out of Italy now.

Player numbers don't lie. There's a reason that Italy U20s beat Scotland and England for the first time.

That generation is coming through now.

by **BigGee** Tue 15 Mar 2022, 5:51 pm

Just watched replay of the the game on TV and and it was not so bad.

I would say that Hoggy had his best game of the series so far and really looked pretty sharp, hopefully coming back into some kind of form as well.

Ali Price certainly had a great game though, but Vellacott also looked very sharp when he came on and was surely worth more than the 5 mins he got.

Turner was also very good and is surely our top hooker now.

Still enough sloppy play to cause Toonie to lose what little hair he has got left. matt Fagerson and Kyle Steyn both dropped simple passes which could have resulted in scores and the tackling, especially in the last 15 mins when the game was won was just not good enough.

If we can build on that against Ireland, then who knows?

by jimbopip Tue 15 Mar 2022, 6:46 pm

George Carlin wrote:Lots of individually talented players coming out of Italy now.

Player numbers don't lie. There's a reason that Italy U20s beat Scotland and England for the first time.

That generation is coming through now.

It is indeed GC...but will you be around to see it?

chin

Too soon?

Speaking of generations coming through...apparently Jordan Edmunds' Super 6 profile has, under Hobbies, the comment "Teaching Finn to count and read". Shocked

I do hope he has a son called Finn otherwise it's worse than we imagined.

by EST Wed 16 Mar 2022, 8:49 am

jimbopip wrote:
EST wrote:
tigertattie wrote:Bennett yes, but Shona is too SJ like (hard running but no distribution) and Steyn was woeful on Saturday so shouldn’t be rewarded with a spot in the centre where he can drop even more balls.

Either Bennett or huw to 13 or Hutchinson goes into 12. Hell, even Lang could go into 12.

I'd agree that out of the three that Bennett is the front runner by a distance and deserves a shot. I think Steyn is a very good player and more suited to 13 than wing, I actually though he was pretty good until the final quarter and then the wheels did come off a bit, Tuipulotu can be slightly exposed at 13, but our defence has been terrible thus far anyway and he offers much more than Harris going forward. All this is moot anyway, i'd say there is just as much chance as me Jordan Edmunds getting picked at 13 than Toonie dropping Harris.

Exemplary quote function work, Jim.

by **BigGee** Wed 16 Mar 2022, 9:09 am

Something else i brought back from Rome, other than a rucksack of parmasan cheese and lots of good memories

I caught covid!

by **RDW** Wed 16 Mar 2022, 9:12 am

BigGee wrote:Something else i brought back from Rome, other than a rucksack of parmasan cheese and lots of good memories

I caught covid!

Again?! Nightmare!

My brother tested positive on Saturday with us having spent all day with him on Friday, which was day 2 of our trip. We're still testing negative. Would have been far from ideal to have to isolate for 10 days over here which is basically the full length of our trip!

by Hazel Sapling Wed 16 Mar 2022, 9:30 am

I had a bit of a sneeze a couple of weeks ago that turned out to be Covid. Fingers crossed with the booster and general good health, it will be a minor one for you BG.

by **BigGee** Wed 16 Mar 2022, 9:41 am

I am actually feeling quite a bit rougher than last time i had it. Got some good going flu like symptoms this time.

Hopefully will just be a few days out of action.

Covid has certainly not gone away though, we are under some considerable presdure at my hospital. Higher numbers even if less seriously ill.

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