The Official Scottish Rugby Thread

[Big D]

Just seen that the club I'm a member of has a had a girl named in the u16 national training programme 3.5 years after starting girls rugby. That's really pleasing.

Was going to say the club that I'm an ex committee member of but that makes me sound significantly older than I am

[And 1 guest]

Does a losing bonus point still give us a chance of finishing third

[Blackmac]

Does a losing bonus point still give us a chance of finishing third

FFS man.

[Blackmac]

Just seen that the club I'm a member of has a had a girl named in the u16 national training programme 3.5 years after starting girls rugby. That's really pleasing.

Was going to say the club that I'm an ex committee member of but that makes me sound significantly older than I am

That's great. I have to say I'm quite impressed with what I have seen of the boys U16 programme.

[Big D]

If Kinghorn is to continue as a 10, he has to play there for Edinburgh and not shift for injuries.

Early call but as it stands, if everyone is fit then Watson and Gray aren't in my squad for the WC.

[Blackmac]

If Kinghorn is to continue as a 10, he has to play there for Edinburgh and not shift for injuries.

Early call but as it stands, if everyone is fit then Watson and Gray aren't in my squad for the WC.

Gray has been bang average for years but sad to see Watson so far off the pace. Darge is hopefully the coming man if he comes back as good as before but I wouldn't write Watson off, but as you say, at the moment he shouldn't be there.

[Big D]

If Kinghorn is to continue as a 10, he has to play there for Edinburgh and not shift for injuries.

Early call but as it stands, if everyone is fit then Watson and Gray aren't in my squad for the WC.

Gray has been bang average for years but sad to see Watson so far off the pace. Darge is hopefully the coming man if he comes back as good as before but I wouldn't write Watson off, but as you say, at the moment he shouldn't be there.

Yeah "as it stands" and "if everyone is fit" are doing heavy lifting there.

[And 1 guest]

Kinghorn is so much better at 15. Duhan was good today. Back row was a wee bit rubbish. Line-out was crap. Front row were ok

[Yr Alban]

Kinghorn is so much better at 15. Duhan was good today. Back row was a wee bit rubbish. Line-out was crap. Front row were ok

I’m at work so haven’t seen the game as yet. But I’m heaving a sigh of relief. Italy always turn up for a game v Scotland, they’ve been threatening a big performance all 6N, and we were short of three certain starters. Big banana skin that we nearly slipped on. I thought we were safe at 19-6 - couldn’t believe that we let them back in.

Anyway, bonus point win and we should finish 3rd. What problem?

[Big D]

Kinghorn is so much better at 15. Duhan was good today. Back row was a wee bit rubbish. Line-out was crap. Front row were ok

I’m at work so haven’t seen the game as yet. But I’m heaving a sigh of relief. Italy always turn up for a game v Scotland, they’ve been threatening a big performance all 6N, and we were short of three certain starters. Big banana skin that we nearly slipped on. I thought we were safe at 19-6 - couldn’t believe that we let them back in.

Anyway, bonus point win and we should finish 3rd. What problem?

5 starters surely? Both second rows too.

It is the manner of performance imo that's the issue. Poor line out, stupid penalties (one occasion pretty much 3 phases, 3 pens and from their 5 to ours) etc.

[Yr Alban]

Kinghorn is so much better at 15. Duhan was good today. Back row was a wee bit rubbish. Line-out was crap. Front row were ok

I’m at work so haven’t seen the game as yet. But I’m heaving a sigh of relief. Italy always turn up for a game v Scotland, they’ve been threatening a big performance all 6N, and we were short of three certain starters. Big banana skin that we nearly slipped on. I thought we were safe at 19-6 - couldn’t believe that we let them back in.

Anyway, bonus point win and we should finish 3rd. What problem?

5 starters surely? Both second rows too.

It is the manner of performance imo that's the issue. Poor line out, stupid penalties (one occasion pretty much 3 phases, 3 pens and from their 5 to ours) etc.

I know - I was being facetious!

Forgot about Gilchrist. So him, Richie, Finn and Hoggy. Plus Darcy, so yes, I guess it’s 5. I meant more players that we had lost since last week though.

[KingBlairhorn]

Currently watching the U20s against Italy (winning 10-5 at half time). I really hope to see Richie Simpson accelerated into the Glasgow setup, he has a lot of the raw tools I’d be looking for in a professional 10 and we do not produce enough players like this to miss the chance to progress him. He’s looked significantly better than Christian Townsend has when I have seen him despite being a couple of years younger.

[dkm57]

A few U2s caught my eye this 6N, Lafferty, Brown, Afshar, Simpson, King. Simpson is in a class of his own and seems to have the complete skill set.

[Slick]

Having calmed down a little from yesterday, although totally exhausted from this 6N, a few thoughts from yesterday…

Firstly, bit of an odd atmosphere. Crowd seemed quite up for it and FoS was belted out - the Italians near us were in raptures at the end which was nice. 1st half was quite intense but start of the 2nd it was like a picnic with everyone just sat around chatting to each other, very odd.

Anyway, guess we’d better talk about BK! He has proven all 6N what a special player he is but this has made it even more complicated imo! I tend to spend quite a bit of the game sat behind the posts watching the backs rather than following the ball and it was frankly a mess. None of the nice patterns or lines being run, defence was all over the place and alignment in both attack and defence really poor. I think there were 2 reasons for this, one was BK just wasn’t controlling it from 10 and we really missed Hogg controlling from full back. There was a noticeable difference when Healy came on.

So what the fuck do we do. I know after the headline grabbing hatrick it seems harsh saying it, but he is still very obviously not an international 10, and I really do think Hogg was missed that much. But how the hell can we leave the guy out after his 6N performances? I think if Finn is at 10 a lot of that disappears and, much as I love Hogg, he’s been that good that BK as first choice 15 is certainly not unimaginable. Maybe being a coach and selector is tougher than we think.

Not a lot else to say really. I was getting hugely frustrated with Duhan never even thinking of passing but the general consensus was he had a good game. J Gray is not in our top 4 2nd rows, Mish needs a real renaissance. Tuipolotu and Jones despite being a bit at sea at times yesterday still our best partnership by some way I’d say

[Blackmac]

Having calmed down a little from yesterday, although totally exhausted from this 6N, a few thoughts from yesterday…

Firstly, bit of an odd atmosphere. Crowd seemed quite up for it and FoS was belted out - the Italians near us were in raptures at the end which was nice. 1st half was quite intense but start of the 2nd it was like a picnic with everyone just sat around chatting to each other, very odd.

Anyway, guess we’d better talk about BK! He has proven all 6N what a special player he is but this has made it even more complicated imo! I tend to spend quite a bit of the game sat behind the posts watching the backs rather than following the ball and it was frankly a mess. None of the nice patterns or lines being run, defence was all over the place and alignment in both attack and defence really poor. I think there were 2 reasons for this, one was BK just wasn’t controlling it from 10 and we really missed Hogg controlling from full back. There was a noticeable difference when Healy came on.

So what the fuck do we do. I know after the headline grabbing hatrick it seems harsh saying it, but he is still very obviously not an international 10, and I really do think Hogg was missed that much. But how the hell can we leave the guy out after his 6N performances? I think if Finn is at 10 a lot of that disappears and, much as I love Hogg, he’s been that good that BK as first choice 15 is certainly not unimaginable. Maybe being a coach and selector is tougher than we think.

Not a lot else to say really. I was getting hugely frustrated with Duhan never even thinking of passing but the general consensus was he had a good game. J Gray is not in our top 4 2nd rows, Mish needs a real renaissance. Tuipolotu and Jones despite being a bit at sea at times yesterday still our best partnership by some way I’d say

I also think that about Duhan but then you look at the sheer havoc he causes when he gets the ball and how many opposition defenders he pulls in. Any other player you might find they are regularly isolated and turned over but that never happens with Duhan as he is so bloody strong and able to protect the ball in just about any situation.

As to BK, it's such a typical Scottish situation that we can't find a proper place for such a talented individual. It's like in the football where our only two world class players are both bloody left backs.

[Big D]

In Duhans defence, it is clearly an area he needs to be better ar but yesterday I don't recall many times he should have passed that wouldn't have fallen into the "shovelling shit on" category. He made a nice pass in the move where Steyn ended up losing it forward just before HT.

[Slick]

In Duhans defence, it is clearly an area he needs to be better ar but yesterday I don't recall many times he should have passed that wouldn't have fallen into the "shovelling shit on" category. He made a nice pass in the move where Steyn ended up losing it forward just before HT.

I like Toonys comment that he forgot to congratulate him on his dive for the try as he was too busy praising him for his left handed pass for BK’s try

[Yr Alban]

In Duhans defence, it is clearly an area he needs to be better ar but yesterday I don't recall many times he should have passed that wouldn't have fallen into the "shovelling shit on" category. He made a nice pass in the move where Steyn ended up losing it forward just before HT.

I like Toonys comment that he forgot to congratulate him on his dive for the try as he was too busy praising him for his left handed pass for BK’s try

I was about to post this. We’ve slated Duhan for never passing or offloading, and then he executes a beautiful draw and pass to put BK in for try #4.

[Slick]

In Duhans defence, it is clearly an area he needs to be better ar but yesterday I don't recall many times he should have passed that wouldn't have fallen into the "shovelling shit on" category. He made a nice pass in the move where Steyn ended up losing it forward just before HT.

I like Toonys comment that he forgot to congratulate him on his dive for the try as he was too busy praising him for his left handed pass for BK’s try

I was about to post this. We’ve slated Duhan for never passing or offloading, and then he executes a beautiful draw and pass to put BK in for try #4.

I’d love to know how quickly BK covered that 100m

[Yr Alban]

Having calmed down a little from yesterday, although totally exhausted from this 6N, a few thoughts from yesterday…

Firstly, bit of an odd atmosphere. Crowd seemed quite up for it and FoS was belted out - the Italians near us were in raptures at the end which was nice. 1st half was quite intense but start of the 2nd it was like a picnic with everyone just sat around chatting to each other, very odd.

Anyway, guess we’d better talk about BK! He has proven all 6N what a special player he is but this has made it even more complicated imo! I tend to spend quite a bit of the game sat behind the posts watching the backs rather than following the ball and it was frankly a mess. None of the nice patterns or lines being run, defence was all over the place and alignment in both attack and defence really poor. I think there were 2 reasons for this, one was BK just wasn’t controlling it from 10 and we really missed Hogg controlling from full back. There was a noticeable difference when Healy came on.

So what the fuck do we do. I know after the headline grabbing hatrick it seems harsh saying it, but he is still very obviously not an international 10, and I really do think Hogg was missed that much. But how the hell can we leave the guy out after his 6N performances? I think if Finn is at 10 a lot of that disappears and, much as I love Hogg, he’s been that good that BK as first choice 15 is certainly not unimaginable. Maybe being a coach and selector is tougher than we think.

Not a lot else to say really. I was getting hugely frustrated with Duhan never even thinking of passing but the general consensus was he had a good game. J Gray is not in our top 4 2nd rows, Mish needs a real renaissance. Tuipolotu and Jones despite being a bit at sea at times yesterday still our best partnership by some way I’d say

I also think that about Duhan but then you look at the sheer havoc he causes when he gets the ball and how many opposition defenders he pulls in. Any other player you might find they are regularly isolated and turned over but that never happens with Duhan as he is so bloody strong and able to protect the ball in just about any situation.

As to BK, it's such a typical Scottish situation that we can't find a proper place for such a talented individual. It's like in the football where our only two world class players are both bloody left backs.

In
TBH I think that BK should be at 15, or failing that, on the wing. We don’t have an abundance of good wingers - Steyn is decent, but no more than that. However, he (BK) is clearly going to be the utility back on the bench in the RWC.

[robmatic]

Having calmed down a little from yesterday, although totally exhausted from this 6N, a few thoughts from yesterday…

Firstly, bit of an odd atmosphere. Crowd seemed quite up for it and FoS was belted out - the Italians near us were in raptures at the end which was nice. 1st half was quite intense but start of the 2nd it was like a picnic with everyone just sat around chatting to each other, very odd.

Anyway, guess we’d better talk about BK! He has proven all 6N what a special player he is but this has made it even more complicated imo! I tend to spend quite a bit of the game sat behind the posts watching the backs rather than following the ball and it was frankly a mess. None of the nice patterns or lines being run, defence was all over the place and alignment in both attack and defence really poor. I think there were 2 reasons for this, one was BK just wasn’t controlling it from 10 and we really missed Hogg controlling from full back. There was a noticeable difference when Healy came on.

So what the fuck do we do. I know after the headline grabbing hatrick it seems harsh saying it, but he is still very obviously not an international 10, and I really do think Hogg was missed that much. But how the hell can we leave the guy out after his 6N performances? I think if Finn is at 10 a lot of that disappears and, much as I love Hogg, he’s been that good that BK as first choice 15 is certainly not unimaginable. Maybe being a coach and selector is tougher than we think.

Not a lot else to say really. I was getting hugely frustrated with Duhan never even thinking of passing but the general consensus was he had a good game. J Gray is not in our top 4 2nd rows, Mish needs a real renaissance. Tuipolotu and Jones despite being a bit at sea at times yesterday still our best partnership by some way I’d say

You might be right about BK not being an international 10 in terms of game management, but Scotland don't exactly have a surfeit of international standard players in that position and haven't had for quite a while. Realistically, without Russell or Hastings being available he's still the best option we have there.

I feel sorry for the guy after reading a fair amount of pish on social media this weekend about how rubbish he is.

[Biffer]

Having calmed down a little from yesterday, although totally exhausted from this 6N, a few thoughts from yesterday…

Firstly, bit of an odd atmosphere. Crowd seemed quite up for it and FoS was belted out - the Italians near us were in raptures at the end which was nice. 1st half was quite intense but start of the 2nd it was like a picnic with everyone just sat around chatting to each other, very odd.

Anyway, guess we’d better talk about BK! He has proven all 6N what a special player he is but this has made it even more complicated imo! I tend to spend quite a bit of the game sat behind the posts watching the backs rather than following the ball and it was frankly a mess. None of the nice patterns or lines being run, defence was all over the place and alignment in both attack and defence really poor. I think there were 2 reasons for this, one was BK just wasn’t controlling it from 10 and we really missed Hogg controlling from full back. There was a noticeable difference when Healy came on.

So what the fuck do we do. I know after the headline grabbing hatrick it seems harsh saying it, but he is still very obviously not an international 10, and I really do think Hogg was missed that much. But how the hell can we leave the guy out after his 6N performances? I think if Finn is at 10 a lot of that disappears and, much as I love Hogg, he’s been that good that BK as first choice 15 is certainly not unimaginable. Maybe being a coach and selector is tougher than we think.

Not a lot else to say really. I was getting hugely frustrated with Duhan never even thinking of passing but the general consensus was he had a good game. J Gray is not in our top 4 2nd rows, Mish needs a real renaissance. Tuipolotu and Jones despite being a bit at sea at times yesterday still our best partnership by some way I’d say

You might be right about BK not being an international 10 in terms of game management, but Scotland don't exactly have a surfeit of international standard players in that position and haven't had for quite a while. Realistically, without Russell or Hastings being available he's still the best option we have there.

I feel sorry for the guy after reading a fair amount of pish on social media this weekend about how rubbish he is.

Yeah. I mean, he won us the game, playing at 10.

[Slick]

Having calmed down a little from yesterday, although totally exhausted from this 6N, a few thoughts from yesterday…

Firstly, bit of an odd atmosphere. Crowd seemed quite up for it and FoS was belted out - the Italians near us were in raptures at the end which was nice. 1st half was quite intense but start of the 2nd it was like a picnic with everyone just sat around chatting to each other, very odd.

Anyway, guess we’d better talk about BK! He has proven all 6N what a special player he is but this has made it even more complicated imo! I tend to spend quite a bit of the game sat behind the posts watching the backs rather than following the ball and it was frankly a mess. None of the nice patterns or lines being run, defence was all over the place and alignment in both attack and defence really poor. I think there were 2 reasons for this, one was BK just wasn’t controlling it from 10 and we really missed Hogg controlling from full back. There was a noticeable difference when Healy came on.

So what the fuck do we do. I know after the headline grabbing hatrick it seems harsh saying it, but he is still very obviously not an international 10, and I really do think Hogg was missed that much. But how the hell can we leave the guy out after his 6N performances? I think if Finn is at 10 a lot of that disappears and, much as I love Hogg, he’s been that good that BK as first choice 15 is certainly not unimaginable. Maybe being a coach and selector is tougher than we think.

Not a lot else to say really. I was getting hugely frustrated with Duhan never even thinking of passing but the general consensus was he had a good game. J Gray is not in our top 4 2nd rows, Mish needs a real renaissance. Tuipolotu and Jones despite being a bit at sea at times yesterday still our best partnership by some way I’d say

You might be right about BK not being an international 10 in terms of game management, but Scotland don't exactly have a surfeit of international standard players in that position and haven't had for quite a while. Realistically, without Russell or Hastings being available he's still the best option we have there.

I feel sorry for the guy after reading a fair amount of pish on social media this weekend about how rubbish he is.

The thing is, in the opposition 22 I think he is probably only 2nd to Finn in the 6N in terms of what he can do from first receiver - the running threat or those fast flat passes. So, imo, if Finn isn’t playing we should be looking for him to step in there in the 22 with whoever is playing 10 dropping. Have him in the back 3 for those marauding open play runs and huge kick, with a 10 who can control better and do the more prosaic stuff, and then stepping up to unleash the magic. It gets the best out of him across the park.

[Jock42]

Was his game management good? No, not really. Has he been fucked about this season? Absolutely. When was the last game he started at 10? He's been on the wing for Edinburgh since Christmas at least, when he's come on for Scotland it's been at FB.

[Big D]

I like Toonys comment that he forgot to congratulate him on his dive for the try as he was too busy praising him for his left handed pass for BK’s try

I was about to post this. We’ve slated Duhan for never passing or offloading, and then he executes a beautiful draw and pass to put BK in for try #4.

I’d love to know how quickly BK covered that 100m

Very. He cruised up beside Duhan.

[Slick]

Was his game management good? No, not really. Has he been fucked about this season? Absolutely. When was the last game he started at 10? He's been on the wing for Edinburgh since Christmas at least, when he's come on for Scotland it's been at FB.

He has been treated appallingly

[weegie01]

In Duhans defence, it is clearly an area he needs to be better ar but yesterday I don't recall many times he should have passed that wouldn't have fallen into the "shovelling shit on" category. He made a nice pass in the move where Steyn ended up losing it forward just before HT.

I like Toonys comment that he forgot to congratulate him on his dive for the try as he was too busy praising him for his left handed pass for BK’s try

I was about to post this. We’ve slated Duhan for never passing or offloading, and then he executes a beautiful draw and pass to put BK in for try #4.

He actualy passed a smidgen early. Another two strides and Allan is forced to continue moving towards the touchline into DvdM's path and away from Kinghorn, and also forces him to hold a split second longer. As it was he very nearly got to kinghorn, if the pass had been held a wee bit longer there would have been no chance. [/hypercritical]

[Wylie Coyote]

BK is a conundrum. In many ways he is an ideal bench option, but if Finn gets injured in the first 10 mins vs Ireland I would much rather Hastings coming on rather than Kinghorn. You could have them both on the bench with Steyn covering the centres but I'm expecting Darcy to come back in so having Hastings & Kinghorn on the bench leaves the centres without any cover.

BK is not a natural 10, but no other Scottish 10 would've scored his second try on Saturday (nevermind his third!). He goalkicking is another issue too, I think you'd need to play him with George Horne who would take on the goal kicking responsibilities.

We need to see more or Ben Healy, its between him and Hastings for the second 10 in the squad IMHO.

P.S. I thought Redpath looked pretty good on his brief cameo on Saturday. He seems a perfect backup to Tuipulotu.

[Yr Alban]

I like Toonys comment that he forgot to congratulate him on his dive for the try as he was too busy praising him for his left handed pass for BK’s try

I was about to post this. We’ve slated Duhan for never passing or offloading, and then he executes a beautiful draw and pass to put BK in for try #4.

He actualy passed a smidgen early. Another two strides and Allan is forced to continue moving towards the touchline into DvdM's path and away from Kinghorn, and also forces him to hold a split second longer. As it was he very nearly got to kinghorn, if the pass had been held a wee bit longer there would have been no chance. [/hypercritical]

Fair comment, but according to many he can’t do it at all. So I’ll take ‘almost perfect’!

You could argue that, given he isn’t a natural passer of the ball, he’s better to give the pass fractionally early rather than risk not getting it away?

[dpedin]

BK is a conundrum. In many ways he is an ideal bench option, but if Finn gets injured in the first 10 mins vs Ireland I would much rather Hastings coming on rather than Kinghorn. You could have them both on the bench with Steyn covering the centres but I'm expecting Darcy to come back in so having Hastings & Kinghorn on the bench leaves the centres without any cover.

BK is not a natural 10, but no other Scottish 10 would've scored his second try on Saturday (nevermind his third!). He goalkicking is another issue too, I think you'd need to play him with George Horne who would take on the goal kicking responsibilities.

We need to see more or Ben Healy, its between him and Hastings for the second 10 in the squad IMHO.

P.S. I thought Redpath looked pretty good on his brief cameo on Saturday. He seems a perfect backup to Tuipulotu.

I honestly don't get all the criticism towards BK. Would you have any of the Welsh 10s instead of him? Would any of the English 10's have scored any of his tries on Saturday - Smith might have got one of them at most? Ntmack probably had far shakier moments in the 6Ns? Tommy Allen instead of BK? Garbisi and Sexton are better 10s but both rarely play anywhere else and have the experience under his belt. I get a feeling we expect anyone coming in for Russell to fill his shoes and if they dont they aren't any good. BK hasn't played much at 10 since December for a variety of reasons but slots in at 10 for Scotland v an improving Italy in 6Ns, scores 3 tries and gets criticised! He really does scare the shit out of most other defences - he is big, strong, fast, has a good boot on him and his hands aren't bad either. He has suffered for being moved around but he aint a bad 10 by any means and he will only get better. I think we need to get behind him.

[charltom]

BK is a conundrum. In many ways he is an ideal bench option, but if Finn gets injured in the first 10 mins vs Ireland I would much rather Hastings coming on rather than Kinghorn. You could have them both on the bench with Steyn covering the centres but I'm expecting Darcy to come back in so having Hastings & Kinghorn on the bench leaves the centres without any cover.

BK is not a natural 10, but no other Scottish 10 would've scored his second try on Saturday (nevermind his third!). He goalkicking is another issue too, I think you'd need to play him with George Horne who would take on the goal kicking responsibilities.

We need to see more or Ben Healy, its between him and Hastings for the second 10 in the squad IMHO.

P.S. I thought Redpath looked pretty good on his brief cameo on Saturday. He seems a perfect backup to Tuipulotu.

I thought Redpath looked sharp as anything. It was good to see. I've long thought Scotland can be even better with him at 12 but the Huipolotu partnership is working so well that I doubt it'll be broken up voluntarily this year.

[charltom]

Was his game management good? No, not really. Has he been fucked about this season? Absolutely. When was the last game he started at 10? He's been on the wing for Edinburgh since Christmas at least, when he's come on for Scotland it's been at FB.

He has been treated appallingly

I don't think he has. He's agreed to everything that he's been asked to do, and he believes he can do it. So do I. And he knows that will give him an important role in the team.

If he ends up starting at 15 then that just gives the team even more flexibility in case a cover 10 is needed.

[Big D]

Was his game management good? No, not really. Has he been fucked about this season? Absolutely. When was the last game he started at 10? He's been on the wing for Edinburgh since Christmas at least, when he's come on for Scotland it's been at FB.

He has been treated appallingly

I don't think he has. He's agreed to everything that he's been asked to do, and he believes he can do it. So do I. And he knows that will give him an important role in the team.

If he ends up starting at 15 then that just gives the team even more flexibility in case a cover 10 is needed.

He's been asked to put the team before himself but he isn't being set up to be the best player he can be. He is being set up to be a good jack of a few trades.

You mention 15, the last time he started a game there was May 2021.Which other nation has a back up 10 that allows their club to punt them to the wing in the types of game he needs to be tested in (Euro Cup) because the 10 happens to be a decent winger?

It is one thing Scotland treating him as a utility player but Edinburgh doing so isn't letting Kinghorn reach his potential.

[robmatic]

Was his game management good? No, not really. Has he been fucked about this season? Absolutely. When was the last game he started at 10? He's been on the wing for Edinburgh since Christmas at least, when he's come on for Scotland it's been at FB.

He has been treated appallingly

I don't think he has. He's agreed to everything that he's been asked to do, and he believes he can do it. So do I. And he knows that will give him an important role in the team.

If he ends up starting at 15 then that just gives the team even more flexibility in case a cover 10 is needed.

I think it would probably have been better for both him and Scotland if Edinburgh hadn't punted him onto the wing for that run of games though given that he does have that role as cover for the 10 position.

[KingBlairhorn]

All this talk of 10s and how the standard of our play drops significantly without Finn does make me wonder what happens to Ireland if Sexton goes down before the world cup. Obviously they are packed full of top players, but to lose him would seriously hamper them you'd think - he is the one that steers the ship. Their replacements aren't too shabby but Sexton is generational. They are pretty lucky he is the bionic man to be honest given the way he plays.

[Big D]

All this talk of 10s and how the standard of our play drops significantly without Finn does make me wonder what happens to Ireland if Sexton goes down before the world cup. Obviously they are packed full of top players, but to lose him would seriously hamper them you'd think - he is the one that steers the ship. Their replacements aren't too shabby but Sexton is generational. They are pretty lucky he is the bionic man to be honest given the way he plays.

It does drop, but I do think an experienced 10, as in years spent running in the position, would bring a bit more structure than we are getting just now with Kinghorn. That isn't a slight on Kinghorn as he hasn't got the miles in playing/training 10 at pro level. 35 games in the position when he will be splitting time between there and back 3 in training is very little.

[Slick]

He has been treated appallingly

I don't think he has. He's agreed to everything that he's been asked to do, and he believes he can do it. So do I. And he knows that will give him an important role in the team.

If he ends up starting at 15 then that just gives the team even more flexibility in case a cover 10 is needed.

He's been asked to put the team before himself but he isn't being set up to be the best player he can be. He is being set up to be a good jack of a few trades.

You mention 15, the last time he started a game there was May 2021.Which other nation has a back up 10 that allows their club to punt them to the wing in the types of game he needs to be tested in (Euro Cup) because the 10 happens to be a decent winger?

It is one thing Scotland treating him as a utility player but Edinburgh doing so isn't letting Kinghorn reach his potential.

Looks like Townsend has made up his mind anyway:

So Blair is probably pushing more for the back three positions than 10. But I loved the fact he got to play 10 on Saturday. He did well, scored three tries and his goal-kicking was good. He can take a lot of confidence back to playing for Edinburgh over these next few weeks, whether that’s at 10 or in the back three.

[Big D]

I don't think he has. He's agreed to everything that he's been asked to do, and he believes he can do it. So do I. And he knows that will give him an important role in the team.

If he ends up starting at 15 then that just gives the team even more flexibility in case a cover 10 is needed.

He's been asked to put the team before himself but he isn't being set up to be the best player he can be. He is being set up to be a good jack of a few trades.

You mention 15, the last time he started a game there was May 2021.Which other nation has a back up 10 that allows their club to punt them to the wing in the types of game he needs to be tested in (Euro Cup) because the 10 happens to be a decent winger?

It is one thing Scotland treating him as a utility player but Edinburgh doing so isn't letting Kinghorn reach his potential.

Looks like Townsend has made up his mind anyway:

So Blair is probably pushing more for the back three positions than 10. But I loved the fact he got to play 10 on Saturday. He did well, scored three tries and his goal-kicking was good. He can take a lot of confidence back to playing for Edinburgh over these next few weeks, whether that’s at 10 or in the back three.

That is a change in thinking. Edinburgh have a wee issue trying to fit everyone into the back 3 and 10 for next season in the big games. I am not sure Kinghorn is ahead of any one of Duhan, Graham or Bofelli.

[robmatic]

He's been asked to put the team before himself but he isn't being set up to be the best player he can be. He is being set up to be a good jack of a few trades.

You mention 15, the last time he started a game there was May 2021.Which other nation has a back up 10 that allows their club to punt them to the wing in the types of game he needs to be tested in (Euro Cup) because the 10 happens to be a decent winger?

It is one thing Scotland treating him as a utility player but Edinburgh doing so isn't letting Kinghorn reach his potential.

Looks like Townsend has made up his mind anyway:

So Blair is probably pushing more for the back three positions than 10. But I loved the fact he got to play 10 on Saturday. He did well, scored three tries and his goal-kicking was good. He can take a lot of confidence back to playing for Edinburgh over these next few weeks, whether that’s at 10 or in the back three.

That is a change in thinking. Edinburgh have a wee issue trying to fit everyone into the back 3 and 10 for next season in the big games. I am not sure Kinghorn is ahead of any one of Duhan, Graham or Bofelli.

On the other hand, it only takes one of 4 players to be injured and he's definitely starting.

[Jock42]

He's been asked to put the team before himself but he isn't being set up to be the best player he can be. He is being set up to be a good jack of a few trades.

You mention 15, the last time he started a game there was May 2021.Which other nation has a back up 10 that allows their club to punt them to the wing in the types of game he needs to be tested in (Euro Cup) because the 10 happens to be a decent winger?

It is one thing Scotland treating him as a utility player but Edinburgh doing so isn't letting Kinghorn reach his potential.

Looks like Townsend has made up his mind anyway:

So Blair is probably pushing more for the back three positions than 10. But I loved the fact he got to play 10 on Saturday. He did well, scored three tries and his goal-kicking was good. He can take a lot of confidence back to playing for Edinburgh over these next few weeks, whether that’s at 10 or in the back three.

That is a change in thinking. Edinburgh have a wee issue trying to fit everyone into the back 3 and 10 for next season in the big games. I am not sure Kinghorn is ahead of any one of Duhan, Graham or Bofelli.

But probably still ahead of Savala (for me he is anyway).