The Official Scottish Rugby Thread

[Yr Alban]

Appalling line out, but once again, apart from the comedy try, Russell was missing in action. He is like the reincarnation of Townsend, moments of genius but generally poor to average.

I don’t want to live in a world where Torq is right.

[Biffer]

Appalling line out, but once again, apart from the comedy try, Russell was missing in action. He is like the reincarnation of Townsend, moments of genius but generally poor to average.

Can't agree with that. We had so little possession, most of it scrappy, that criticising the 10 for that loss is dumb. That is entirely, completely on the line out. Nothing else.

[Slick]

That's two error strewn poor structure no mentality defeats in games we maybe should've won. It's a coaching problem, it's that simple.

His drills for getting charged down then holding on at the ruck straight after drawing level are not good enough

And definitely need more practise on the kicking the ball dead from a penalty

[Yr Alban]

Appalling line out, but once again, apart from the comedy try, Russell was missing in action. He is like the reincarnation of Townsend, moments of genius but generally poor to average.

Can't agree with that. We had so little possession, most of it scrappy, that criticising the 10 for that loss is dumb. That is entirely, completely on the line out. Nothing else.

The best standoffs play behind a dominant pack. That’s why Russell looks so good for Racing. It takes a truly exceptional one to shine behind one as wildly inconsistent as ours. In fact, I can’t actually think of one who did.

[Tattie]

Price, Turner and Russell lost that.

[Jock42]

I'd genuinely start Dobbie next week and have Thompson involved.

[Slick]

Appalling line out, but once again, apart from the comedy try, Russell was missing in action. He is like the reincarnation of Townsend, moments of genius but generally poor to average.

Can't agree with that. We had so little possession, most of it scrappy, that criticising the 10 for that loss is dumb. That is entirely, completely on the line out. Nothing else.

A bit if both I think. He hasn’t been good

[Yr Alban]

I'd genuinely start Dobbie next week and have Thompson involved.

So would I. What is there to lose now? But there’s zero chance it will happen.

[I like neeps]

That's two error strewn poor structure no mentality defeats in games we maybe should've won. It's a coaching problem, it's that simple.

His drills for getting charged down then holding on at the ruck straight after drawing level are not good enough

And definitely need more practise on the kicking the ball dead from a penalty

Price got charged down by Itoje numerous times without guards. A good coach simply says "hey guys let's have a look at this clear problem"

Finn Russell misses touch a fair few times. Again a good coach says "let's take a metre or so off".

Ireland beat Scotland the same way every match for a number of year. A good coach says "let's see why this keeps happening".

[Yr Alban]

So where the hell do we go from here?

The line out is a disaster - if Cummings doesn’t make it for France then I hope Richie is fit. Turner has to be benched - we had a squad with five hookers in it, surely one of them can throw?

Price needs to cool his heels for a while as well. His total brainlessness when cool heads are most needed makes me pine for Laidlaw’s laboured service, and I really didn’t expect that to happen.

Russell literally the only option at 10 right now. Did he come back on after his HIA?

Edit: I could say ‘get another coach’ but it’s clear that isn’t happening until the next RWC at the earliest.

[Slick]

That's two error strewn poor structure no mentality defeats in games we maybe should've won. It's a coaching problem, it's that simple.

His drills for getting charged down then holding on at the ruck straight after drawing level are not good enough

And definitely need more practise on the kicking the ball dead from a penalty

Price got charged down by Itoje numerous times without guards. A good coach simply says "hey guys let's have a look at this clear problem"

Finn Russell misses touch a fair few times. Again a good coach says "let's take a metre or so off".

Ireland beat Scotland the same way every match for a number of year. A good coach says "let's see why this keeps happening".

I think it’s absurd to suggest he hasn’t, but there isn’t much he can do once they are out there. What he can do is drop them but we don’t have the luxury of 3 or 4 guys in each position.

I just don’t see any coach in the world making much more of a difference with our resources. And at least we are playing fun rugby!

[KingBlairhorn]

I think it’s time to accept that our players are just average. When it all comes together once in a blue moon (England, for instance) we get lulled into a false sense of their quality, but the reality is they are generally bang average pro14 level players being coached by a bang average coach. There is no way they would continue to lose to the same teams the same ways over and over if that weren’t true.

[Yr Alban]

His drills for getting charged down then holding on at the ruck straight after drawing level are not good enough

And definitely need more practise on the kicking the ball dead from a penalty

Price got charged down by Itoje numerous times without guards. A good coach simply says "hey guys let's have a look at this clear problem"

Finn Russell misses touch a fair few times. Again a good coach says "let's take a metre or so off".

Ireland beat Scotland the same way every match for a number of year. A good coach says "let's see why this keeps happening".

I think it’s absurd to suggest he hasn’t, but there isn’t much he can do once they are out there. What he can do is drop them but we don’t have the luxury of 3 or 4 guys in each position.

I just don’t see any coach in the world making much more of a difference with our resources. And at least we are playing fun rugby!

I can’t agree. We make the same errors over and over again. Either the players are too thick to take direction, or the coaching team aren’t addressing them. Everyone knew how Ireland would play, but we didn’t change our game to counter it. We never do, which is why we always lose.

Despite our resources, we can put out a decent team, and despite the recurrent errors we have competed in every game. A different coach might fix some of the errors, at least, but we aren’t getting one, so it isn’t worth crying about it.

[Slick]

I loved Steele at 6, he really gave it a go!

[I like neeps]

His drills for getting charged down then holding on at the ruck straight after drawing level are not good enough

And definitely need more practise on the kicking the ball dead from a penalty

Price got charged down by Itoje numerous times without guards. A good coach simply says "hey guys let's have a look at this clear problem"

Finn Russell misses touch a fair few times. Again a good coach says "let's take a metre or so off".

Ireland beat Scotland the same way every match for a number of year. A good coach says "let's see why this keeps happening".

I think it’s absurd to suggest he hasn’t, but there isn’t much he can do once they are out there. What he can do is drop them but we don’t have the luxury of 3 or 4 guys in each position.

I just don’t see any coach in the world making much more of a difference with our resources. And at least we are playing fun rugby!

Yes the last comment was facile.

But I don't believe for a second Warren Gatland puts up with the mistakes, illdiscipline and Weetabix mentality of the last two matches. Gregor Townsend cannot change Scotland haemorrhaging penalties and mentally falling apart. We can do it for 80 minutes. We saw it at Twickenham (well 78 the drop goal attempt was ridiculous) and then the next two games we fold like a deck chair. It's a clear and obvious coaching problem.

[Yr Alban]

I think it’s time to accept that our players are just average. When it all comes together once in a blue moon (England, for instance) we get lulled into a false sense of their quality, but the reality is they are generally bang average pro14 level players being coached by a bang average coach. There is no way they would continue to lose to the same teams the same ways over and over if that weren’t true.

I disagree. I don’t think that our players are that much worse than the ones we are playing against. They were a few years ago, and that was when I dreamed of being competitive in every game. Hey, we have that now. Woo hoo.

The problem we have now is that the players are inconsistent and mentally fragile. One feeds into the other in an unholy positive feedback loop. I don’t know whether the SRU employs a sports psychologist, but if they do, they need replaced.

[Biffer]

It's bollocks to say that Hogg, Russell, Gray, Watson, van der Merwe, Ritchie are average.

It's not bollocks to say that Townsend is a bang average coach.

[Slick]

Same Toony conversation with mates on WhatsApp and it’s pretty much split down the middle.

[Yr Alban]

It's bollocks to say that Hogg, Russell, Gray, Watson, van der Merwe, Ritchie are average.

It's not bollocks to say that Townsend is a bang average coach.

Sadly, I think you are 100% on the money here. The question here really should be ‘Scotland have a squad of players better than at any other time in the 6N era (which is true) so why are we still losing games we ought to be winning?’

If there is one crumb of comfort from today, it’s that I fully expected us to collapse when Ireland opened up a two-score lead. The team of a few years ago would have folded like an origami crane. So we are a bit more hard-headed than we used to be, but still not enough.

[KingBlairhorn]

I think it’s time to accept that our players are just average. When it all comes together once in a blue moon (England, for instance) we get lulled into a false sense of their quality, but the reality is they are generally bang average pro14 level players being coached by a bang average coach. There is no way they would continue to lose to the same teams the same ways over and over if that weren’t true.

I disagree. I don’t think that our players are that much worse than the ones we are playing against. They were a few years ago, and that was when I dreamed of being competitive in every game. Hey, we have that now. Woo hoo.

The problem we have now is that the players are inconsistent and mentally fragile. One feeds into the other in an unholy positive feedback loop. I don’t know whether the SRU employs a sports psychologist, but if they do, they need replaced.

What evidence do we have to support that though? Pro14, other than one championship win 6 years ago not good enough. Champions cup? Not good enough. Internationals? Not good enough.

Genuinely, on what basis do we think our players are capable of beating Welsh, Irish, English or French equivalent who all regularly win the things we can’t?

[Yr Alban]

Same Toony conversation with mates on WhatsApp and it’s pretty much split down the middle.

Between ‘the players are crap’ and ‘Toony is useless’?

Toony is almost exactly the same age as I am, and it may not entirely be an accident that my son is his namesake. He was a great player, and he is a good coach - he won a title with Glasgow, which nobody else has managed. But he was rushed into the Scotland job with unseemly haste when he would have been better off going away and cutting his teeth at Soup level or in England. Especially as we had a very good coach at the time under whom things were steadily improving.

There have been moments under Toony, oh yes. But we need more than that. We need to become as disciplined and streetwise as Ireland and Wales, and that is where we are failing.

[Yr Alban]

I think it’s time to accept that our players are just average. When it all comes together once in a blue moon (England, for instance) we get lulled into a false sense of their quality, but the reality is they are generally bang average pro14 level players being coached by a bang average coach. There is no way they would continue to lose to the same teams the same ways over and over if that weren’t true.

I disagree. I don’t think that our players are that much worse than the ones we are playing against. They were a few years ago, and that was when I dreamed of being competitive in every game. Hey, we have that now. Woo hoo.

The problem we have now is that the players are inconsistent and mentally fragile. One feeds into the other in an unholy positive feedback loop. I don’t know whether the SRU employs a sports psychologist, but if they do, they need replaced.

What evidence do we have to support that though? Pro14, other than one championship win 6 years ago not good enough. Champions cup? Not good enough. Internationals? Not good enough.

Genuinely, on what basis do we think our players are capable of beating Welsh, Irish, English or French equivalent who all regularly win the things we can’t?

Because they aren’t consistently poor like Italy. They are perfectly capable of beating the equivalents cited in a one-off game. They just can’t sustain a performance week-in week-out, and that’s what wins you things.

You see a squad of players who just aren’t as good as their opponents, like Gatland. I see a squad of players, many of whom have potential greatness in them that we only see in flashes, and we need to find a way to see it in every game. This is unlike just a few years ago, when our squad really was poor compared to the others.

[Uncle fester]

Hard luck Scots. Good contest that.

[KingBlairhorn]

I disagree. I don’t think that our players are that much worse than the ones we are playing against. They were a few years ago, and that was when I dreamed of being competitive in every game. Hey, we have that now. Woo hoo.

The problem we have now is that the players are inconsistent and mentally fragile. One feeds into the other in an unholy positive feedback loop. I don’t know whether the SRU employs a sports psychologist, but if they do, they need replaced.

What evidence do we have to support that though? Pro14, other than one championship win 6 years ago not good enough. Champions cup? Not good enough. Internationals? Not good enough.

Genuinely, on what basis do we think our players are capable of beating Welsh, Irish, English or French equivalent who all regularly win the things we can’t?

Because they aren’t consistently poor like Italy. They are perfectly capable of beating the equivalents cited in a one-off game. They just can’t sustain a performance week-in week-out, and that’s what wins you things.

You see a squad of players who just aren’t as good as their opponents, like Gatland. I see a squad of players, many of whom have potential greatness in them that we only see in flashes, and we need to find a way to see it in every game. This is unlike just a few years ago, when our squad really was poor compared to the others.

But I’m not saying they are poor, I am saying they are average and that they just aren’t as good as their peers from the other nations. Objectively it’s impossible to argue against it because there is literal years of evidence to support the case and zero to refute it. You’ve pretty much agreed with me in the final line of your first paragraph, “ They just can’t sustain a performance week-in week-out, and that’s what wins you things.”

[Slick]

To be honest, we are all old enough to know this is how it always has been and always will be, the fact we compete at all is a sporting miracle.

Enjoy the good days, try and get over the bad days as soon as possible.

I take comfort from the fact the highs are still as high and that we are playing a brand of rugby I enjoy watching and am quite proud of (most of the time)

[Yr Alban]

What evidence do we have to support that though? Pro14, other than one championship win 6 years ago not good enough. Champions cup? Not good enough. Internationals? Not good enough.

Genuinely, on what basis do we think our players are capable of beating Welsh, Irish, English or French equivalent who all regularly win the things we can’t?

Because they aren’t consistently poor like Italy. They are perfectly capable of beating the equivalents cited in a one-off game. They just can’t sustain a performance week-in week-out, and that’s what wins you things.

You see a squad of players who just aren’t as good as their opponents, like Gatland. I see a squad of players, many of whom have potential greatness in them that we only see in flashes, and we need to find a way to see it in every game. This is unlike just a few years ago, when our squad really was poor compared to the others.

But I’m not saying they are poor, I am saying they are average and that they just aren’t as good as their peers from the other nations. Objectively it’s impossible to argue against it because there is literal years of evidence to support the case and zero to refute it. You’ve pretty much agreed with me in the final line of your first paragraph, “ They just can’t sustain a performance week-in week-out, and that’s what wins you things.”

No, I haven’t agreed with it at all. It’s about ability. IMHO, all of our first choice players (and many beyond that) have the ability. I don’t think Ireland’s squad is significantly better than ours in terms of ability. But they can turn it on in every game and we can’t, and they have the mental toughness to grind a result out of a tough game and we don’t. Is a player who has the same ability but is tougher mentally a better player? Yes, or at least they are better to have in your team. But that doesn’t mean the first guy is average.

[I like neeps]

It's bollocks to say that Hogg, Russell, Gray, Watson, van der Merwe, Ritchie are average.

It's not bollocks to say that Townsend is a bang average coach.

Ireland from 1-15 are better than Scotland though.

1- Healy Vs Sutherland: one 100 cap multiple lion whose won it all, one good player.
2 Turner Vs Herring: Herring. Next!
3 Furlong Vs Nel Furlong is a monster, Nel is great but he's not Furlong
4 Ryan Vs Jonny Gray: Tougher but Ryan.
5 Henderson Vs Cummings: Cummings will get there but he's not Henderson's level right now.
6 Beirne Vs Ritchie: Beirne has been player of the tournament for me. A monster.
7 Connors Vs Watson: I'll go Watson here but that Connors tackle on VdM was world world class.
8 Stander Vs Fagerson: the young bull will get to Standers level one day.
9 GP Vs Price: Price maybe both poor.
10 Sexton Vs Russell: at some point Russell needs to consistently win internationals like sexton has been for the last decade.
11 Earls Vs VdM: I'll take VdM but Earls made game winning interventions
12 Henshaw Vs Johnson: Henshaw
13 Harris Vs Ringrose: Ringrose
14 Maitland Vs Lowe: Lowe was awful today so Maitland
15: Keenan Vs Hogg: no discussion. Hogg.

See?

[Biffer]

I think it’s time to accept that our players are just average. When it all comes together once in a blue moon (England, for instance) we get lulled into a false sense of their quality, but the reality is they are generally bang average pro14 level players being coached by a bang average coach. There is no way they would continue to lose to the same teams the same ways over and over if that weren’t true.

I disagree. I don’t think that our players are that much worse than the ones we are playing against. They were a few years ago, and that was when I dreamed of being competitive in every game. Hey, we have that now. Woo hoo.

The problem we have now is that the players are inconsistent and mentally fragile. One feeds into the other in an unholy positive feedback loop. I don’t know whether the SRU employs a sports psychologist, but if they do, they need replaced.

What evidence do we have to support that though? Pro14, other than one championship win 6 years ago not good enough. Champions cup? Not good enough. Internationals? Not good enough.

Genuinely, on what basis do we think our players are capable of beating Welsh, Irish, English or French equivalent who all regularly win the things we can’t?

French and English clubs paying our top players a shitload of money. That didn’t happen five or team years ago.

[Biffer]

It's bollocks to say that Hogg, Russell, Gray, Watson, van der Merwe, Ritchie are average.

It's not bollocks to say that Townsend is a bang average coach.

Ireland from 1-15 are better than Scotland though.

1- Healy Vs Sutherland: one 100 cap multiple lion whose won it all, one good player.
2 Turner Vs Herring: Herring. Next!
3 Furlong Vs Nel Furlong is a monster, Nel is great but he's not Furlong
4 Ryan Vs Jonny Gray: Tougher but Ryan.
5 Henderson Vs Cummings: Cummings will get there but he's not Henderson's level right now.
6 Beirne Vs Ritchie: Beirne has been player of the tournament for me. A monster.
7 Connors Vs Watson: I'll go Watson here but that Connors tackle on VdM was world world class.
8 Stander Vs Fagerson: the young bull will get to Standers level one day.
9 GP Vs Price: Price maybe both poor.
10 Sexton Vs Russell: at some point Russell needs to consistently win internationals like sexton has been for the last decade.
11 Earls Vs VdM: I'll take VdM but Earls made game winning interventions
12 Henshaw Vs Johnson: Henshaw
13 Harris Vs Ringrose: Ringrose
14 Maitland Vs Lowe: Lowe was awful today so Maitland
15: Keenan Vs Hogg: no discussion. Hogg.

See?

Of the six players I mentioned, you picked three of them over their opposite number and said one of the others was a close call. How does that say they’re average?

See?

[Blackmac]

Appalling line out, but once again, apart from the comedy try, Russell was missing in action. He is like the reincarnation of Townsend, moments of genius but generally poor to average.

Can't agree with that. We had so little possession, most of it scrappy, that criticising the 10 for that loss is dumb. That is entirely, completely on the line out. Nothing else.

Where did I say he was responsible for the loss. What I'm saying is that we have a supposed world class 10 who is lucky to produce one outstanding game in 10 whilst the rest of the time he is no more than military medium. He's capable of doing it but doesn't, so how long does he get a free pass before Hastings is given the chance to properly prove himself.

[I like neeps]

It's bollocks to say that Hogg, Russell, Gray, Watson, van der Merwe, Ritchie are average.

It's not bollocks to say that Townsend is a bang average coach.

Ireland from 1-15 are better than Scotland though.

1- Healy Vs Sutherland: one 100 cap multiple lion whose won it all, one good player.
2 Turner Vs Herring: Herring. Next!
3 Furlong Vs Nel Furlong is a monster, Nel is great but he's not Furlong
4 Ryan Vs Jonny Gray: Tougher but Ryan.
5 Henderson Vs Cummings: Cummings will get there but he's not Henderson's level right now.
6 Beirne Vs Ritchie: Beirne has been player of the tournament for me. A monster.
7 Connors Vs Watson: I'll go Watson here but that Connors tackle on VdM was world world class.
8 Stander Vs Fagerson: the young bull will get to Standers level one day.
9 GP Vs Price: Price maybe both poor.
10 Sexton Vs Russell: at some point Russell needs to consistently win internationals like sexton has been for the last decade.
11 Earls Vs VdM: I'll take VdM but Earls made game winning interventions
12 Henshaw Vs Johnson: Henshaw
13 Harris Vs Ringrose: Ringrose
14 Maitland Vs Lowe: Lowe was awful today so Maitland
15: Keenan Vs Hogg: no discussion. Hogg.

See?

Of the six players I mentioned, you picked three of them over their opposite number and said one of the others was a close call. How does that say they’re average?

See?

Because we have some players better or equal to their opposite number and most who are not.

I actually agree Townsend is a problem and we need a coach who can elevate us to consistently above the sum of our parts as Gatland did with Wales. But we as Scotland fans overrate our own.

[Blackmac]

Price got charged down by Itoje numerous times without guards. A good coach simply says "hey guys let's have a look at this clear problem"

Finn Russell misses touch a fair few times. Again a good coach says "let's take a metre or so off".

Ireland beat Scotland the same way every match for a number of year. A good coach says "let's see why this keeps happening".

I think it’s absurd to suggest he hasn’t, but there isn’t much he can do once they are out there. What he can do is drop them but we don’t have the luxury of 3 or 4 guys in each position.

I just don’t see any coach in the world making much more of a difference with our resources. And at least we are playing fun rugby!

Yes the last comment was facile.

But I don't believe for a second Warren Gatland puts up with the mistakes, illdiscipline and Weetabix mentality of the last two matches. Gregor Townsend cannot change Scotland haemorrhaging penalties and mentally falling apart. We can do it for 80 minutes. We saw it at Twickenham (well 78 the drop goal attempt was ridiculous) and then the next two games we fold like a deck chair. It's a clear and obvious coaching problem.

I think mentality is the issue. When I look at Ireland and Wales I generally see players who are not that much more capable than us. But I do see lads that are hard as nails who you would want with you in the trenches.
By contrast, Scotland, with the exception of Watson and Hogg look like rear echelon gym bunnies who look the part but don't have the grit for the front line nastiness.

[Big D]

The questions I have with Townsend are why wasn't Turner hooked at half time?

Why can't we play the last 3 min of a game when 3 points down? It is utterly bizarre that we are kicking the ball away with 3 min to go in both games we have lost.

Mind numbing.

[Big D]

And Ali Price can get so far to fuck.

[Yr Alban]

I think it’s absurd to suggest he hasn’t, but there isn’t much he can do once they are out there. What he can do is drop them but we don’t have the luxury of 3 or 4 guys in each position.

I just don’t see any coach in the world making much more of a difference with our resources. And at least we are playing fun rugby!

Yes the last comment was facile.

But I don't believe for a second Warren Gatland puts up with the mistakes, illdiscipline and Weetabix mentality of the last two matches. Gregor Townsend cannot change Scotland haemorrhaging penalties and mentally falling apart. We can do it for 80 minutes. We saw it at Twickenham (well 78 the drop goal attempt was ridiculous) and then the next two games we fold like a deck chair. It's a clear and obvious coaching problem.

I think mentality is the issue. When I look at Ireland and Wales I generally see players who are not that much more capable than us. But I do see lads that are hard as nails who you would want with you in the trenches.
By contrast, Scotland, with the exception of Watson and Hogg look like rear echelon gym bunnies who look the part but don't have the grit for the front line nastiness.

This is what I think. What I can’t understand is this: Wales have pro teams who are generally as mediocre as ours, and underperform at European level too. Yet they are a game away from a GS and we are nowhere. If this isn’t down to coaching, what is it?

[Slick]

The questions I have with Townsend are why wasn't Turner hooked at half time?

Why can't we play the last 3 min of a game when 3 points down? It is utterly bizarre that we are kicking the ball away with 3 min to go in both games we have lost.

Mind numbing.

That’s the thing though, we all think it’s obvious but we ended up with 2 serious injuries in the pack and a young scrum half in the back row. If it was just a case of hooking off someone early doors for not playing great we would all be coaches

[Tattie]

Yes the last comment was facile.

But I don't believe for a second Warren Gatland puts up with the mistakes, illdiscipline and Weetabix mentality of the last two matches. Gregor Townsend cannot change Scotland haemorrhaging penalties and mentally falling apart. We can do it for 80 minutes. We saw it at Twickenham (well 78 the drop goal attempt was ridiculous) and then the next two games we fold like a deck chair. It's a clear and obvious coaching problem.

I think mentality is the issue. When I look at Ireland and Wales I generally see players who are not that much more capable than us. But I do see lads that are hard as nails who you would want with you in the trenches.
By contrast, Scotland, with the exception of Watson and Hogg look like rear echelon gym bunnies who look the part but don't have the grit for the front line nastiness.

This is what I think. What I can’t understand is this: Wales have pro teams who are generally as mediocre as ours, and underperform at European level too. Yet they are a game away from a GS and we are nowhere. If this isn’t down to coaching, what is it?

100% agree. Even in recent years when Glasgow we’re flying and regularly spanking the Welsh sides, as soon as those same players put on their respective international jerseys, for some unknown reason the Welsh upper their game and the Scots... well. Has to be coaching - physical and mental.

[Big D]

The questions I have with Townsend are why wasn't Turner hooked at half time?

Why can't we play the last 3 min of a game when 3 points down? It is utterly bizarre that we are kicking the ball away with 3 min to go in both games we have lost.

Mind numbing.

That’s the thing though, we all think it’s obvious but we ended up with 2 serious injuries in the pack and a young scrum half in the back row. If it was just a case of hooking off someone early doors for not playing great we would all be coaches

When a facet of play is debilitating to the extent it was then you need to take action before it costs you. We won 2 of 8 line outs and one of those was a really shabby effort.

There is a difference from hooking a player "only" because he's having a shocker to hooking him when his poor play is having a devastating impact to the whole team game plan.

[I like neeps]

The questions I have with Townsend are why wasn't Turner hooked at half time?

Why can't we play the last 3 min of a game when 3 points down? It is utterly bizarre that we are kicking the ball away with 3 min to go in both games we have lost.

Mind numbing.

That’s the thing though, we all think it’s obvious but we ended up with 2 serious injuries in the pack and a young scrum half in the back row. If it was just a case of hooking off someone early doors for not playing great we would all be coaches

When a facet of play is debilitating to the extent it was then you need to take action before it costs you. We won 2 of 8 line outs and one of those was a really shabby effort.

There is a difference from hooking a player "only" because he's having a shocker to hooking him when his poor play is having a devastating impact to the whole team game plan.

If Mcinally had a meltdown to the extent Turner did and Brown was on the bench or vice versa a substitution is made 15 minutes earlier. I don't think Townsend trusts Cherry and their marriage is one of there is only a 21 year old left.

Turner, Cummings and Gray pretty much lost us that game as with ball we were alright.

[Biffer]

Well, looks like we will be without Russell next week, so some people will have their wish.