The Official Scottish Rugby Thread

[mos_eisely_]

Hodge is away.

[robmatic]

Hodge is away.

No great surprise there, whatever you think of his abilities he is surplus to requirements with Blair being in position.

Presumably we have another (forwards? setpiece specialist?) assistant coach coming in.

[Begbie]

Hodge is away.

No great surprise there, whatever you think of his abilities he is surplus to requirements with Blair being in position.

Presumably we have another (forwards? setpiece specialist?) assistant coach coming in.

Hope so. Wonder how much £££ it would take to get Roddy Grant back.

[KingBlairhorn]

It’s hard to say how much was and was not down to him, but at the end of the day, subjectively at least, the output wasn’t good enough under his coaching.

[robmatic]

Hodge is away.

No great surprise there, whatever you think of his abilities he is surplus to requirements with Blair being in position.

Presumably we have another (forwards? setpiece specialist?) assistant coach coming in.

Hope so. Wonder how much £££ it would take to get Roddy Grant back.

He signed a 2-year extension to his contract this season so I doubt that will happen.

[Begbie]

No great surprise there, whatever you think of his abilities he is surplus to requirements with Blair being in position.

Presumably we have another (forwards? setpiece specialist?) assistant coach coming in.

Hope so. Wonder how much £££ it would take to get Roddy Grant back.

He signed a 2-year extension to his contract this season so I doubt that will happen.

Damn.

Jordan Venter is making his Super 6 debut tonight. One to watch.

[Slick]

I used to know Duncan pretty well back in the day, wouldn’t recognise him walking down the street

[mos_eisely_]

No great surprise there, whatever you think of his abilities he is surplus to requirements with Blair being in position.

Presumably we have another (forwards? setpiece specialist?) assistant coach coming in.

Hope so. Wonder how much £££ it would take to get Roddy Grant back.

He signed a 2-year extension to his contract this season so I doubt that will happen.

Likely BS but someone was telling me he's still living in Embra and commuting to Belfast

[robmatic]

Hope so. Wonder how much £££ it would take to get Roddy Grant back.

He signed a 2-year extension to his contract this season so I doubt that will happen.

Damn.

Jordan Venter is making his Super 6 debut tonight. One to watch.

Will be interesting to see how he turns out, obviously he's still young (still only 18 I think) but he looks physically ready.

[Slick]

Is the game tonight on TV?

[robmatic]

Is the game tonight on TV?

Yes, on BBC iPlayer and Youtube etc like last week.

[Slick]

Is the game tonight on TV?

Yes, on BBC iPlayer and Youtube etc like last week.

Sorry. Thought they were just showing Friday and Sunday games.

Then realised it was Friday… it’s been a long week

[Slick]

Watsonians 9 is shocking

[Slick]

Watsonians 9 is shocking

He’s got a lot better to be fair

[robmatic]

Watsonians 9 is shocking

The one that got hooked at half time or Frostwick?

[Slick]

Watsonians 9 is shocking

The one that got hooked at half time or Frostwick?

The replacement. First 5 minutes I was watching he was so slow but has really picked it up

[robmatic]

Watsonians 9 is shocking

The one that got hooked at half time or Frostwick?

The replacement. First 5 minutes I was watching he was so slow but has really picked it up

He's turned out for Edinburgh so he's maybe learned it there.

That young SA fly half for Watsonians is a good distributor but has no kicking game, they're missing Lee Millar.

[Slick]

The one that got hooked at half time or Frostwick?

The replacement. First 5 minutes I was watching he was so slow but has really picked it up

He's turned out for Edinburgh so he's maybe learned it there.

That young SA fly half for Watsonians is a good distributor but has no kicking game, they're missing Lee Millar.

The blond guy with the hat? He looks a bit out of place really.

[robmatic]

The replacement. First 5 minutes I was watching he was so slow but has really picked it up

He's turned out for Edinburgh so he's maybe learned it there.

That young SA fly half for Watsonians is a good distributor but has no kicking game, they're missing Lee Millar.

The blond guy with the hat? He looks a bit out of place really.

That's him, the one that looks like a kid in a men's game.

[Slick]

He’s got the same build as my 4 year old.

Watsons 8 was good. Not much else to be honest

[robmatic]

He’s got the same build as my 4 year old.

Watsons 8 was good. Not much else to be honest

Wasn't a great game, too many errors and not a lot of rugby.

[Tichtheid]

How did Venter get on?

I think these games will take a few rounds until the players are up to speed, it has been a long lay off for them, but they have to start delivering soon, there is a fair bit riding on the Super Six, not least for the fact that a sizeable proportion of the rugby community in Scotland want it to fail - those who think that way are the old guard, Will Carling's old farts, if you like, even though they may be young and Scottish, they are still Will Carling's old farts.

[Slick]

How did Venter get on?

I think these games will take a few rounds until the players are up to speed, it has been a long lay off for them, but they have to start delivering soon, there is a fair bit riding on the Super Six, not least for the fact that a sizeable proportion of the rugby community in Scotland want it to fail - those who think that way are the old guard, Will Carling's old farts, if you like, even though they may be young and Scottish, they are still Will Carling's old farts.

He could be found for most of the game screaming for the ball and not getting it.

You are right, it will take a few games to get warmed up so a bit of patience required. It’s purely anecdotal, but I do think attitudes to the Super6 have changed slightly and most are willing to give it a go and see the potential importance of it.

Have to say my constant thought last night was how the hell do we even compete at top level if this is our 2nd tier after only 2 fully pro clubs. Particularly when you think of England having a 13/14 team Premiership with a decent 2nd tier of similar numbers. It’s quite amazing.

Edit: also have the worry that with only 6 teams the pressure is huge on coaches not to be last, so conservative rugby will be the order of the day. Hope not

[Tichtheid]

How did Venter get on?

I think these games will take a few rounds until the players are up to speed, it has been a long lay off for them, but they have to start delivering soon, there is a fair bit riding on the Super Six, not least for the fact that a sizeable proportion of the rugby community in Scotland want it to fail - those who think that way are the old guard, Will Carling's old farts, if you like, even though they may be young and Scottish, they are still Will Carling's old farts.

He could be found for most of the game screaming for the ball and not getting it.

You are right, it will take a few games to get warmed up so a bit of patience required. It’s purely anecdotal, but I do think attitudes to the Super6 have changed slightly and most are willing to give it a go and see the potential importance of it.

Have to say my constant thought last night was how the hell do we even compete at top level if this is our 2nd tier after only 2 fully pro clubs. Particularly when you think of England having a 13/14 team Premiership with a decent 2nd tier of similar numbers. It’s quite amazing.

Edit: also have the worry that with only 6 teams the pressure is huge on coaches not to be last, so conservative rugby will be the order of the day. Hope not

I was led to believe that even after a few months before lockdown the difference in S&C in the Super6 was a huge step up from the old set up, if it can more closely rival the pro game in intensity, pace and physicality it will have served its purpose in preparing players for the step up.

I think the SRU will have a bigger picture view than care about who finishes last, the long term plan is to grow the number of teams at this level.

My feeling is that Mike Blair’s appointment will see Embra playing an expansive style, more like Glasgow and Scotland and this will filter down, the game is going that way anyway.

[I like neeps]

How did Venter get on?

I think these games will take a few rounds until the players are up to speed, it has been a long lay off for them, but they have to start delivering soon, there is a fair bit riding on the Super Six, not least for the fact that a sizeable proportion of the rugby community in Scotland want it to fail - those who think that way are the old guard, Will Carling's old farts, if you like, even though they may be young and Scottish, they are still Will Carling's old farts.

He could be found for most of the game screaming for the ball and not getting it.

You are right, it will take a few games to get warmed up so a bit of patience required. It’s purely anecdotal, but I do think attitudes to the Super6 have changed slightly and most are willing to give it a go and see the potential importance of it.

Have to say my constant thought last night was how the hell do we even compete at top level if this is our 2nd tier after only 2 fully pro clubs. Particularly when you think of England having a 13/14 team Premiership with a decent 2nd tier of similar numbers. It’s quite amazing.

Edit: also have the worry that with only 6 teams the pressure is huge on coaches not to be last, so conservative rugby will be the order of the day. Hope not

Agree slick it is quite incredible we can compete with such a weak domestic game. My concern is what happens when the Scottish grannies in NZ are a generation removed as immigration has slowed and we don't have that pathway. I guess rely more on the English SQs of which they'll always be a healthy supply.

On the Watsonians Stirling game I have to agree it was error prone and not high in quality. However, I like what Cairns is doing with Stirling. If you look at their squad it's probably the weakest but they fought tooth and nail and fronted up very well. Grant Hughes at 12 for Stirling is worth a look if he keeps playing like this. Agree about the Sonians 8 he was very good. I think there's a player in Venter he's big and fast - not sure why he's on the wing as their centres did nothing. It's good to see Venter, Boyle and Chamberlain get released to play super6 as pros on the fringes both increase the quality and the pathway. Ultimately, it makes no sense if pro players played more in the "amateur" premiership than semi pro super6.

It is notable for an Edinburgh fan that Chamberlain was released and Savala wasn't. And that Venter was released but Hutchison wasn't.

[I like neeps]

How did Venter get on?

I think these games will take a few rounds until the players are up to speed, it has been a long lay off for them, but they have to start delivering soon, there is a fair bit riding on the Super Six, not least for the fact that a sizeable proportion of the rugby community in Scotland want it to fail - those who think that way are the old guard, Will Carling's old farts, if you like, even though they may be young and Scottish, they are still Will Carling's old farts.

He could be found for most of the game screaming for the ball and not getting it.

You are right, it will take a few games to get warmed up so a bit of patience required. It’s purely anecdotal, but I do think attitudes to the Super6 have changed slightly and most are willing to give it a go and see the potential importance of it.

Have to say my constant thought last night was how the hell do we even compete at top level if this is our 2nd tier after only 2 fully pro clubs. Particularly when you think of England having a 13/14 team Premiership with a decent 2nd tier of similar numbers. It’s quite amazing.

Edit: also have the worry that with only 6 teams the pressure is huge on coaches not to be last, so conservative rugby will be the order of the day. Hope not

I was led to believe that even after a few months before lockdown the difference in S&C in the Super6 was a huge step up from the old set up, if it can more closely rival the pro game in intensity, pace and physicality it will have served its purpose in preparing players for the step up.

I think the SRU will have a bigger picture view than care about who finishes last, the long term plan is to grow the number of teams at this level.

My feeling is that Mike Blair’s appointment will see Embra playing an expansive style, more like Glasgow and Scotland and this will filter down, the game is going that way anyway.

Also not sure the coaches will really even be judged on results. They're all in the Scotland coaching pathway so you'd think Mallinder will be more interested in how they stick to the playing blueprints than who comes highest in the table.

[Biffer]

How did Venter get on?

I think these games will take a few rounds until the players are up to speed, it has been a long lay off for them, but they have to start delivering soon, there is a fair bit riding on the Super Six, not least for the fact that a sizeable proportion of the rugby community in Scotland want it to fail - those who think that way are the old guard, Will Carling's old farts, if you like, even though they may be young and Scottish, they are still Will Carling's old farts.

He could be found for most of the game screaming for the ball and not getting it.

You are right, it will take a few games to get warmed up so a bit of patience required. It’s purely anecdotal, but I do think attitudes to the Super6 have changed slightly and most are willing to give it a go and see the potential importance of it.

Have to say my constant thought last night was how the hell do we even compete at top level if this is our 2nd tier after only 2 fully pro clubs. Particularly when you think of England having a 13/14 team Premiership with a decent 2nd tier of similar numbers. It’s quite amazing.

Edit: also have the worry that with only 6 teams the pressure is huge on coaches not to be last, so conservative rugby will be the order of the day. Hope not

I was led to believe that even after a few months before lockdown the difference in S&C in the Super6 was a huge step up from the old set up, if it can more closely rival the pro game in intensity, pace and physicality it will have served its purpose in preparing players for the step up.

I think the SRU will have a bigger picture view than care about who finishes last, the long term plan is to grow the number of teams at this level.

My feeling is that Mike Blair’s appointment will see Embra playing an expansive style, more like Glasgow and Scotland and this will filter down, the game is going that way anyway.

I went to a couple of games in the first season and thought there was a significant step up in physicality from the premiership.

[Slick]

He could be found for most of the game screaming for the ball and not getting it.

You are right, it will take a few games to get warmed up so a bit of patience required. It’s purely anecdotal, but I do think attitudes to the Super6 have changed slightly and most are willing to give it a go and see the potential importance of it.

Have to say my constant thought last night was how the hell do we even compete at top level if this is our 2nd tier after only 2 fully pro clubs. Particularly when you think of England having a 13/14 team Premiership with a decent 2nd tier of similar numbers. It’s quite amazing.

Edit: also have the worry that with only 6 teams the pressure is huge on coaches not to be last, so conservative rugby will be the order of the day. Hope not

I was led to believe that even after a few months before lockdown the difference in S&C in the Super6 was a huge step up from the old set up, if it can more closely rival the pro game in intensity, pace and physicality it will have served its purpose in preparing players for the step up.

I think the SRU will have a bigger picture view than care about who finishes last, the long term plan is to grow the number of teams at this level.

My feeling is that Mike Blair’s appointment will see Embra playing an expansive style, more like Glasgow and Scotland and this will filter down, the game is going that way anyway.

Also not sure the coaches will really even be judged on results. They're all in the Scotland coaching pathway so you'd think Mallinder will be more interested in how they stick to the playing blueprints than who comes highest in the table.

I certainly hope that’s how it will work, but their will inevitably be pressure if one team is coming last all the time

[robmatic]

How did Venter get on?

I think these games will take a few rounds until the players are up to speed, it has been a long lay off for them, but they have to start delivering soon, there is a fair bit riding on the Super Six, not least for the fact that a sizeable proportion of the rugby community in Scotland want it to fail - those who think that way are the old guard, Will Carling's old farts, if you like, even though they may be young and Scottish, they are still Will Carling's old farts.

He could be found for most of the game screaming for the ball and not getting it.

You are right, it will take a few games to get warmed up so a bit of patience required. It’s purely anecdotal, but I do think attitudes to the Super6 have changed slightly and most are willing to give it a go and see the potential importance of it.

Have to say my constant thought last night was how the hell do we even compete at top level if this is our 2nd tier after only 2 fully pro clubs. Particularly when you think of England having a 13/14 team Premiership with a decent 2nd tier of similar numbers. It’s quite amazing.

Edit: also have the worry that with only 6 teams the pressure is huge on coaches not to be last, so conservative rugby will be the order of the day. Hope not

I was led to believe that even after a few months before lockdown the difference in S&C in the Super6 was a huge step up from the old set up, if it can more closely rival the pro game in intensity, pace and physicality it will have served its purpose in preparing players for the step up.

I think the SRU will have a bigger picture view than care about who finishes last, the long term plan is to grow the number of teams at this level.

My feeling is that Mike Blair’s appointment will see Embra playing an expansive style, more like Glasgow and Scotland and this will filter down, the game is going that way anyway.

The coaching is probably higher quality overall as well. I dunno what happened in the old setup but with all the games in Super6 being televised/recorded, there must be more scope for video analysis and approaching things like a pro team.

[I like neeps]

I was led to believe that even after a few months before lockdown the difference in S&C in the Super6 was a huge step up from the old set up, if it can more closely rival the pro game in intensity, pace and physicality it will have served its purpose in preparing players for the step up.

I think the SRU will have a bigger picture view than care about who finishes last, the long term plan is to grow the number of teams at this level.

My feeling is that Mike Blair’s appointment will see Embra playing an expansive style, more like Glasgow and Scotland and this will filter down, the game is going that way anyway.

Also not sure the coaches will really even be judged on results. They're all in the Scotland coaching pathway so you'd think Mallinder will be more interested in how they stick to the playing blueprints than who comes highest in the table.

I certainly hope that’s how it will work, but their will inevitably be pressure if one team is coming last all the time

I think we'll be okay as it's not professional so there's a limited pool of coaches available - only the guys at the very top of the SRU coaching pathway. So there's less pressure from outside.

Also you need really good players to pull of a functional kicking game. Watsonians probably can with Cullen (not really his game)/Frostwick, Millar and Forbes but I don't think any other side has a 9,10 and 15 good enough. When you don't kick well it's a very bad strategy.

[Biffer]

Good to see Finn make some of the southern columnists eat their words. Looked utter class out there.

[dpedin]

Good to see Finn make some of the southern columnists eat their words. Looked utter class out there.

He lives in a different time zone - no rush, no panic but is effective and does what only he can do. Some of his wee off-loads and flat, fast passes were sublime. Unfortunately the finishing pack was made up of 7 Englishmen and couldn't secure enough clean ball for him to do his stuff in the last 20mins. Made more passes in first 5 mins when he came on than the 3 passes Biggar made in whole of last test. Price helped too in finding Finn with fast ball from breakdown to give him time and space.

[Slick]

Watching a few highlights, Finn was immense.

His best game since Twickenham? Yeah. Best player on the pitch by a distance, particularly given he hadn’t played for weeks.

I’m sticking a tenner on the 6N

[Slick]

Double

[Slick]

Good to see Finn make some of the southern columnists eat their words. Looked utter class out there.

Walrus manages to start his piece with Finn dropping a catch. Was pretty complimentary after that to be fair

[Begbie]

Good to see Finn make some of the southern columnists eat their words. Looked utter class out there.

Walrus manages to start his piece with Finn dropping a catch. Was pretty complimentary after that to be fair

How did he rate Curry and Williams? 9.5 each?

[I like neeps]

Personally I didn't enjoy The Lions. Empty stadiums were crap. Erasmus is a total weapon. Gatlandball is just horrendous. The arguements on national lines. The SA tactics are effective but so boring. Didn't really have much emotional buy in at all.

[Slick]

Personally I didn't enjoy The Lions. Empty stadiums were crap. Erasmus is a total weapon. Gatlandball is just horrendous. The arguements on national lines. The SA tactics are effective but so boring. Didn't really have much emotional buy in at all.

It was rubbish

[HKCJ]

My gaff for watching was fcuking awesome. Not my fault the missus wears the pants.

[tc27]

Russell is playing the game at another level - a more imaginative Lions coach would have built the team around him.

Understand the loyalty to Watson but think this has pushed peoples assesment of Curry way beyond any hope of objectivity.

Price the best 9 on tour by far...the real disappointment for me out of the Scottish players was Hogg.

This was a shit tour for various reasons mentioned but for me the Lions really needs a strong test representation from all four unions to be true to the concept and it was closer to this this time than for a while.