The Official Scottish Rugby Thread

[Tichtheid]

The trouble with Kinghorn is that he has never really 'nailed down' a position - that's not always been his fault of course .

That also gives him a versatility though , which is attractive so that he can effectively cover multiple positions that other players don't ( you would never see Smith playing as a ten.)

I had really high hopes of Kinghorn , but for me ( and I am just speaking for myself) - he still has too many flaws , that give me a fear when playing top opposition. ( a bit like Gilchrist - not quite top drawer , and liable to brain farts )

I see Scotland with some great attacking options - but its the blend you need of both attack and defence

All that being said - if they both get picked to play against Ireland - then they have my 100% support

To be honest, I think a lot of that goes for pretty much all of our players, or at least most of them. The Fagersons are no strangers to silly penalties or cards, Finn likewise. WP has gone from a bulwark to refs not liking his scrummaging.
I won't go on to criticise all of them, but I do think we might over-rate our guys in terms of the world platform, our results just don't add up to the praise we heap on them.

That is not to say I advocate abuse, I really don't, I just think we need a reality check, I think we are justifiably fifth in the world just now but we I think there is step between us and the top four.

[I like neeps]

What a moment for Jonny Matthews to score a world cup try; never give up.

Also World Rugby need to cut down on the number of teams. Romania are super6 standard. There's no point.

[Tichtheid]

What a moment for Jonny Matthews to score a world cup try; never give up.

Also World Rugby need to cut down on the number of teams. Romania are super6 standard. There's no point.

Agree on Mathews, and weren't his darts good?

There is talk of increasing the number of teams rather than cutting down.

[Dogbert]

Disappointed with Matthews ---only the one try

[Slick]

Well that was a game of two halves.

On the bright side I got a ticket for Pulp in Princes St Gardens on Hogmanay today.

That will be awesome, love a bit of pulp.

Was meant to be getting some free tickets for the kids and I to go and watch the ladies this evening but they haven’t turned up

Tickets turned up last minute and a great evening at the Hive with the women winning 36-5. Took a while to get going but scored some great tries, a couple the length of the pitch with great pace.

Stupid scheduling and the claimed 4K crowd looked about half that, but a great atmosphere and the kids absolutely loved it - the first time they have really got into a match.

[TheNatalShark]

Also World Rugby need to cut down on the number of teams. Romania are super6 standard. There's no point.

Current iteration of Romania on a very bad point of a curve, not sure it's a good example. I think if we cut anymore we end up like cricket.

I think if US/Canada were in a stronger cycle and Africa/Europe 2* were repechage slots we'd be good.

Not that I think they were good, but the loss against the USA thankfully really low on being bought up by other countries Vs some comparators

[tc27]

I'll leave this here and quietly leave.

It's the right decision, the ref is correct, it's same as someone running out to a conversion kick and it hitting their hand on the way over.

The lad must be gutted, though.

Thats Changleng right?

[Yr Alban]

The trouble with Kinghorn is that he has never really 'nailed down' a position - that's not always been his fault of course .

That also gives him a versatility though , which is attractive so that he can effectively cover multiple positions that other players don't ( you would never see Smith playing as a ten.)

I had really high hopes of Kinghorn , but for me ( and I am just speaking for myself) - he still has too many flaws , that give me a fear when playing top opposition. ( a bit like Gilchrist - not quite top drawer , and liable to brain farts )

I see Scotland with some great attacking options - but its the blend you need of both attack and defence

All that being said - if they both get picked to play against Ireland - then they have my 100% support

To be honest, I think a lot of that goes for pretty much all of our players, or at least most of them. The Fagersons are no strangers to silly penalties or cards, Finn likewise. WP has gone from a bulwark to refs not liking his scrummaging.
I won't go on to criticise all of them, but I do think we might over-rate our guys in terms of the world platform, our results just don't add up to the praise we heap on them.

That is not to say I advocate abuse, I really don't, I just think we need a reality check, I think we are justifiably fifth in the world just now but we I think there is step between us and the top four.

I agree - there is a definite step between us and the top four. This shows in the rankings - there is a bigger gap between us and 4th place than there is between us and 9th. We would need a miracle to beat three of the teams above us (France the exception - I think there was nothing between us over two warm-up games).

However, the fact that we aren’t in the absolute elite bracket doesn’t mean we aren’t good. Our results have put us where we currently are. We’ve swept aside the lower ranked teams in the group in exactly the way SA and Ireland have. No, I don’t give us any chance of winning next week, but we shouldn’t do ourselves down for that.

[Blackmac]

Has anyone seen the stuff emerging on social media about Dave Cherry's injury. I'm not going to repeat it on here, but I've heard it from my usually very well connected source and if true appears unlikely he will ever play for Scotland and Edinburgh again.

[Big D]

Has anyone seen the stuff emerging on social media about Dave Cherry's injury. I'm not going to repeat it on here, but I've heard it from my usually very well connected source and if true appears unlikely he will ever play for Scotland and Edinburgh again.

I honestly can't find anything on SM about it.

[Blackmac]

Has anyone seen the stuff emerging on social media about Dave Cherry's injury. I'm not going to repeat it on here, but I've heard it from my usually very well connected source and if true appears unlikely he will ever play for Scotland and Edinburgh again.

I honestly can't find anything on SM about it.

That was probably badly put. It was an extract from a chat involving a group of ex players and officials that appears to be doing the rounds.

[TheNatalShark]

Visiting Aberdeen I wonder if when, or if, we'll see games out of Murrayfield again.

[Begbie]

Has anyone seen the stuff emerging on social media about Dave Cherry's injury. I'm not going to repeat it on here, but I've heard it from my usually very well connected source and if true appears unlikely he will ever play for Scotland and Edinburgh again.

Does it involve a dinner tray?

[Blackmac]

Has anyone seen the stuff emerging on social media about Dave Cherry's injury. I'm not going to repeat it on here, but I've heard it from my usually very well connected source and if true appears unlikely he will ever play for Scotland and Edinburgh again.

Does it involve a dinner tray?

It would appear not.

[Begbie]

Has anyone seen the stuff emerging on social media about Dave Cherry's injury. I'm not going to repeat it on here, but I've heard it from my usually very well connected source and if true appears unlikely he will ever play for Scotland and Edinburgh again.

Does it involve a dinner tray?

It would appear not.

The two rumours I've heard are fairly tame to be honest. So I would have been surprised if they ended his career. Hope he's ok, always seemed like a top bloke.

[Big D]

We'll find out soon enough as there is no reason for him not to be back involved with Edinburgh quicker than anyone else involved are the WC.

[Blackmac]

Does it involve a dinner tray?

It would appear not.

The two rumours I've heard are fairly tame to be honest. So I would have been surprised if they ended his career. Hope he's ok, always seemed like a top bloke.

Sadly this one is far from tame and more than enough to see you sacked from any working environment. Hopefully not, I have high regard from him as a player.

[SaintK]

It would appear not.

The two rumours I've heard are fairly tame to be honest. So I would have been surprised if they ended his career. Hope he's ok, always seemed like a top bloke.

Sadly this one is far from tame and more than enough to see you sacked from any working environment. Hopefully not, I have high regard from him as a player.

Well at least give us all a bit of a clue!!

[Blackmac]

The two rumours I've heard are fairly tame to be honest. So I would have been surprised if they ended his career. Hope he's ok, always seemed like a top bloke.

Sadly this one is far from tame and more than enough to see you sacked from any working environment. Hopefully not, I have high regard from him as a player.

Well at least give us all a bit of a clue!!

To be honest I wouldn't like too. The Scottish rugby environment is pretty small and most of the Scottish lads on here have their fingers on the pulse far better than I could ever wish for so I was just surprised I seemed to get this before any off them.

[SaintK]

Sadly this one is far from tame and more than enough to see you sacked from any working environment. Hopefully not, I have high regard from him as a player.

Well at least give us all a bit of a clue!!

To be honest I wouldn't like too. The Scottish rugby environment is pretty small and most of the Scottish lads on here have their fingers on the pulse far better than I could ever wish for so I was just surprised I seemed to get this before any off them.

Fair enough!

[Yr Alban]

Has anyone seen the stuff emerging on social media about Dave Cherry's injury. I'm not going to repeat it on here, but I've heard it from my usually very well connected source and if true appears unlikely he will ever play for Scotland and Edinburgh again.

Absolutely nothing out there about this, as far as I can see?

[Slick]

Sadly this one is far from tame and more than enough to see you sacked from any working environment. Hopefully not, I have high regard from him as a player.

Well at least give us all a bit of a clue!!

To be honest I wouldn't like too. The Scottish rugby environment is pretty small and most of the Scottish lads on here have their fingers on the pulse far better than I could ever wish for so I was just surprised I seemed to get this before any off them.

Yeah, bit there are also those bullshit rumours that flew around about Hogg

[Yr Alban]

Has anyone seen the stuff emerging on social media about Dave Cherry's injury. I'm not going to repeat it on here, but I've heard it from my usually very well connected source and if true appears unlikely he will ever play for Scotland and Edinburgh again.

A head injury bad enough to be career-ending would probably have required a full medical retrieval and a big press story. So I doubt it’s that. Presumably it must relate to the circumstances that led to the injury.

[KingBlairhorn]

I’ve heard nothing. I have no contacts super close to the squad but a fair few friends of friends type that I hear the odd thing through that is typically accurate. I haven’t ever heard anything about Dave tbh, except that he’s a really good lad. I’d be very surprised if he has done something nefarious.

[Simian]

The Hogg rumours I’ve always just put down to the fact that, for reasons I’ve never understood, there has always been a section of the fans who genuinely dislike him (including a chunk of the Glasgow support).

With cherry, I just kinda assumed ‘freak accident that saw him fall down the stairs and get concussed’ was code for got-drunk-was-being-dick-and-someone-lamped-him’

[Yr Alban]

The Hogg rumours I’ve always just put down to the fact that, for reasons I’ve never understood, there has always been a section of the fans who genuinely dislike him (including a chunk of the Glasgow support).

With cherry, I just kinda assumed ‘freak accident that saw him fall down the stairs and get concussed’ was code for got-drunk-was-being-dick-and-someone-lamped-him’

Given that Ryan Wilson came back from Kebabgate, and all the stuff Tuilagi got away with when playing for England, you really do wonder what this might be about. It would need to be of the Rufus McLean variety. Or it’s nothing at all.

[TheNatalShark]

Told Gregor he has a better shine than him.

[Slick]

I e just seen the message doing the rounds. Have to say my first reaction was that it is written by the same person that wrote the Hogg one. Very similar style

[Simian]

The Hogg rumours I’ve always just put down to the fact that, for reasons I’ve never understood, there has always been a section of the fans who genuinely dislike him (including a chunk of the Glasgow support).

With cherry, I just kinda assumed ‘freak accident that saw him fall down the stairs and get concussed’ was code for got-drunk-was-being-dick-and-someone-lamped-him’

Given that Ryan Wilson came back from Kebabgate, and all the stuff Tuilagi got away with when playing for England, you really do wonder what this might be about. It would need to be of the Rufus McLean variety. Or it’s nothing at all.

On the kebab kings thing…

Och, I wasn’t there and don’t know any of the folk involved.

But, I played with the big brothers or so of the guys who ‘came out of it worse off’ and they (and I say this as someone who wouldn’t throw a punch) are very punchable with a drink in them

And my current partner (who doesn’t follow rugby at all) was (randomly) there and describes it as ‘wee fucks needling until they got a reaction’

No way that would have escalated like it did unless the family and school he worked for was as plugged into club rugby (imo).

Edit: from what I’ve heard from first hand people, it was much more like the DTH thing than it’s credited for. But I don’t mean to excuse it.

[Slick]

Anyway, it’s obviously such bollocks to me that I’m happy to post:

He apparently drinks 3 bottles of red on a team day off, starts a fight with Dempsey, then abuses Tuipolotu, gets dragged off to bed by a couple of players and bumps his head on the way. Dodson wants him thrown to the wolves, Toony persuades him not to.

As I said, very similar in style to the Hogg one.

[Blackmac]

Anyway, it’s obviously such bollocks to me that I’m happy to post:

He apparently drinks 3 bottles of red on a team day off, starts a fight with Dempsey, then abuses Tuipolotu, gets dragged off to bed by a couple of players and bumps his head on the way. Dodson wants him thrown to the wolves, Toony persuades him not to.

As I said, very similar in style to the Hogg one.

I took the other tact. Felt I couldn't post without a bit more corroboration. Especially with the Tuipolotu aspect which is a lot more damaging than drunk rugby player gets into fight.

[Slick]

Anyway, it’s obviously such bollocks to me that I’m happy to post:

He apparently drinks 3 bottles of red on a team day off, starts a fight with Dempsey, then abuses Tuipolotu, gets dragged off to bed by a couple of players and bumps his head on the way. Dodson wants him thrown to the wolves, Toony persuades him not to.

As I said, very similar in style to the Hogg one.

I took the other tact. Felt I couldn't post without a bit more corroboration. Especially with the Tuipolotu aspect which is a lot more damaging than drunk rugby player gets into fight.

Fair enough mate. You probably noticed I missed out a word…

Have you seen the Hogg one? C’mon copper, is it the same guy

[C T]

Funny how these always seem to have a "But something something so you won't see any actual fall out" at the end.

[Blackmac]

Anyway, it’s obviously such bollocks to me that I’m happy to post:

He apparently drinks 3 bottles of red on a team day off, starts a fight with Dempsey, then abuses Tuipolotu, gets dragged off to bed by a couple of players and bumps his head on the way. Dodson wants him thrown to the wolves, Toony persuades him not to.

As I said, very similar in style to the Hogg one.

I took the other tact. Felt I couldn't post without a bit more corroboration. Especially with the Tuipolotu aspect which is a lot more damaging than drunk rugby player gets into fight.

Fair enough mate. You probably noticed I missed out a word…

Have you seen the Hogg one? C’mon copper, is it the same guy

I haven't seen it to be honest and we had experts for that, I was more a bash a head and extract a confession type.

[Simian]

Anyway, it’s obviously such bollocks to me that I’m happy to post:

He apparently drinks 3 bottles of red on a team day off, starts a fight with Dempsey, then abuses Tuipolotu, gets dragged off to bed by a couple of players and bumps his head on the way. Dodson wants him thrown to the wolves, Toony persuades him not to.

As I said, very similar in style to the Hogg one.

I took the other tact. Felt I couldn't post without a bit more corroboration. Especially with the Tuipolotu aspect which is a lot more damaging than drunk rugby player gets into fight.

Yeah.. Ngl ‘abuses T’ was the bit that raised an eyebrow with me ,

[Slick]

Anyway, it’s obviously such bollocks to me that I’m happy to post:

He apparently drinks 3 bottles of red on a team day off, starts a fight with Dempsey, then abuses Tuipolotu, gets dragged off to bed by a couple of players and bumps his head on the way. Dodson wants him thrown to the wolves, Toony persuades him not to.

As I said, very similar in style to the Hogg one.

I took the other tact. Felt I couldn't post without a bit more corroboration. Especially with the Tuipolotu aspect which is a lot more damaging than drunk rugby player gets into fight.

Yeah.. Ngl ‘abuses T’ was the bit that raised an eyebrow with me ,

Yeah, that’s why I missed that out because even if, as I suspect, it’s 100% bollocks, it’s still an awful thing to be associated with

[Yr Alban]

It’s going to happen, isn’t it? We’ll produce our best performance in years, record our first victory over Ireland in forever, and still go home because they get a LBP. Probably from a drop goal from bloody Sexton with the clock red.

What could be more Scottish than that?

[Slick]

It’s going to happen, isn’t it? We’ll produce our best performance in years, record our first victory over Ireland in forever, and still go home because they get a LBP. Probably from a drop goal from bloody Sexton with the clock red.

What could be more Scottish than that?

I genuinely woke up to that dream this morning - a penalty rather than a drop goal to be fair

[Yr Alban]

It’s going to happen, isn’t it? We’ll produce our best performance in years, record our first victory over Ireland in forever, and still go home because they get a LBP. Probably from a drop goal from bloody Sexton with the clock red.

What could be more Scottish than that?

I genuinely woke up to that dream this morning - a penalty rather than a drop goal to be fair

I think it’s very unlikely we will win, but win whilst denying them a LBP? That really does sound impossible.

I suppose that the nightmare scenario would still benefit us, given that we’d get a rankings boost from beating the #1 side at a RWC. But it would be incredibly hard to take. I’d almost prefer to lose the game.

[S/Lt_Phillips]

It’s going to happen, isn’t it? We’ll produce our best performance in years, record our first victory over Ireland in forever, and still go home because they get a LBP. Probably from a drop goal from bloody Sexton with the clock red.

What could be more Scottish than that?

And Sexton is only on the field because his stonewall red card (forearm smash to Finn's face) is downgraded to yellow by the bunker because of some nonsense mitigation...