NPR

Posted: **Wed Jan 31, 2024 12:48 pm**

Begbie wrote: ↑Tue Jan 30, 2024 3:34 pm Interesting piece on Huw Jones:

https://www.rugbypass.com/plus/huw-jones-profile/

"Humble Huw"

Hope he starts on Saturday. Still our best 13 by a distance.

Posted: **Wed Jan 31, 2024 2:54 pm**

Interesting to see Ollie Blyth Lafferty is starting at tight head for the 20s tomorrow night. He is the younger of the two Blyth Lafferty brothers, and his older brother is yet to turn 20.

I had heard he is talented but to be physically and tactically ready to start at TH for the u20s at (presumably) 18 is impressive. I hope it goes well for him because by god we need a prospect at 3.

Posted: **Wed Jan 31, 2024 3:28 pm**

KingBlairhorn wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 2:54 pm Interesting to see Ollie Blyth Lafferty is starting at tight head for the 20s tomorrow night. He is the younger of the two Blyth Lafferty brothers, and his older brother is yet to turn 20.

I had heard he is talented but to be physically and tactically ready to start at TH for the u20s at (presumably) 18 is impressive. I hope it goes well for him because by god we need a prospect at 3.

Hopefully it is because of his skills and performance rather than "there's nae one else".

Posted: **Wed Jan 31, 2024 3:28 pm**

KingBlairhorn wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 2:54 pm Interesting to see Ollie Blyth Lafferty is starting at tight head for the 20s tomorrow night. He is the younger of the two Blyth Lafferty brothers, and his older brother is yet to turn 20.

I had heard he is talented but to be physically and tactically ready to start at TH for the u20s at (presumably) 18 is impressive. I hope it goes well for him because by god we need a prospect at 3.

He's a unit, from TOL

Among the seven debutants in the side for Friday night’s match is tight-head prop Ollie Blyth-Lafferty, who is selected ahead of the more experienced Callum Norrie.

“He’s a younger player who is still qualified to play under-18,” explained Murray. “He stands out as an exceptional prospect for Scottish rugby. He’s already sitting at over 130kgs, so he’s a big man for his age and he’s got a real love for scrummaging as you would imagine at that size.

“In the [training] camps, he’s been good. He’s scrummaged well in training, he played against a Wales development squad in December and scrummaged well then, so he deserves his starting place and that keeps other players on their toes.”

Posted: **Wed Jan 31, 2024 4:14 pm**

130kg, bloody hell! Let’s hope he has skill and power to go with that size. A 20 stone Scottish prop? I never thought I’d see the day.

Posted: **Wed Jan 31, 2024 4:28 pm**

KingBlairhorn wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 4:14 pm 130kg, bloody hell! Let’s hope he has skill and power to go with that size. A 20 stone Scottish prop? I never thought I’d see the day.

Let's face it, at that size he's not going to be running the loop on the winger to score in the corner, but if he has the strength and the appetite for scrummaging, everything else can be taught.

I think you need to be hard, not violent, definitely not that, but you have to enjoy a fair deal of pain and enjoy dishing it out too - the front rows can delight in playing in a wonderful game that everyone else thinks was dire.

Posted: **Wed Jan 31, 2024 4:30 pm**

Tichtheid wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 4:28 pm
KingBlairhorn wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 4:14 pm 130kg, bloody hell! Let’s hope he has skill and power to go with that size. A 20 stone Scottish prop? I never thought I’d see the day.

Let's face it, at that size he's not going to be running the loop on the winger to score in the corner, but if he has the strength and the appetite for scrummaging, everything else can be taught.

I think you need to be hard, not violent, definitely not that, but you have to enjoy a fair deal of pain and enjoy dishing it out too - the front rows can delight in playing in a wonderful game that everyone else thinks was dire.

By skill I was more getting at the ability to scrummage and an understanding of the technical side rather than just being heavy. Soft hands would be a nice bonus!

Posted: **Wed Jan 31, 2024 4:48 pm**

KingBlairhorn wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 4:30 pm

By skill I was more getting at the ability to scrummage and an understanding of the technical side rather than just being heavy. Soft hands would be a nice bonus!

Yeah, in some ways it's better to be a bit on the light side to begin with, you get by with technique and then if you build the muscle you become good.

On the other hand, and having realised that my experience is nearly 30 years old, the sport is very very different now, even the guys at my hometown club are now around the size of international players from back then, give or take.

I think there is possibly less technique involved now, the scrums are set up in a way that you are supposed to be in a very particular shape and position and if you try to bend your opponent out of that shape you will (should) get pinged, whereas in ye olden days the lighter props did just that - the looshead would try to get his right shoulder under the tight head and lift him out of the pushing position, meanwhile the tighthead would try to twist the loosehead so that his left shoulder was touching the deck, or maybe you'd bore right in on the hooker and get the back of your head under his throat or right in his face - the loosehead would be slipping down past your hip by this stage and unable to drive straight.
Or you'd call a wheel, where your tighthead would pull and your loosehead would push, this gives your number eight time and space to pick up and drive at the defence. We had a wheel where we'd stop half way and then drive straight - almost always the opposition front row would collapse and you'd trample them underfoot as you drove over them - this all sounds hideous now, I know. There is certainly no way you could do that with 16 guys coming in at over 1800kg in total.

Posted: **Wed Jan 31, 2024 7:56 pm**

Yeah, a deliberate wheel is illegal now. Considered as not driving straight and square.

Still plenty of technique involved in the front row though, otherwise it'd just be a whoever is bigger contest.

Posted: **Wed Jan 31, 2024 8:15 pm**

Biffer wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 7:56 pm Yeah, a deliberate wheel is illegal now. Considered as not driving straight and square.

Still plenty of technique involved in the front row though, otherwise it'd just be a whoever is bigger contest.

I think it is exactly that now, or more powerful would be more accurate with less allowance for technical guys to hold their own - Nche isn't huge but he's hugely powerful and comes at his opposite number from a low centre of gravity

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 10:24 am**

Tichtheid wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 4:48 pm
KingBlairhorn wrote: ↑Wed Jan 31, 2024 4:30 pm

By skill I was more getting at the ability to scrummage and an understanding of the technical side rather than just being heavy. Soft hands would be a nice bonus!

Yeah, in some ways it's better to be a bit on the light side to begin with, you get by with technique and then if you build the muscle you become good.

On the other hand, and having realised that my experience is nearly 30 years old, the sport is very very different now, even the guys at my hometown club are now around the size of international players from back then, give or take.

I think there is possibly less technique involved now, the scrums are set up in a way that you are supposed to be in a very particular shape and position and if you try to bend your opponent out of that shape you will (should) get pinged, whereas in ye olden days the lighter props did just that - the looshead would try to get his right shoulder under the tight head and lift him out of the pushing position, meanwhile the tighthead would try to twist the loosehead so that his left shoulder was touching the deck, or maybe you'd bore right in on the hooker and get the back of your head under his throat or right in his face - the loosehead would be slipping down past your hip by this stage and unable to drive straight.
Or you'd call a wheel, where your tighthead would pull and your loosehead would push, this gives your number eight time and space to pick up and drive at the defence. We had a wheel where we'd stop half way and then drive straight - almost always the opposition front row would collapse and you'd trample them underfoot as you drove over them - this all sounds hideous now, I know. There is certainly no way you could do that with 16 guys coming in at over 1800kg in total.

I remember sitting in Charles De Gaul airport waiting for connection back to Edinburgh about 20 odd years ago. Guy sitting next to me in the lounge managed to eat about three packs of sandwiches, three packets of crisps, can of coke and a couple of apples in about 5 minutes flat and I thought what a greedy bastard. When flight was called we stood up and faced each other and then I realised it was Tom Smith on his way home to Scotland. He was the same size as me - only about 5'10" and barely over 15 stone albeit distributed slightly differently from me. I was astonished how 'small' he was given that he was such a ferocious scrummager, he just looked so much bigger and more ferocious on the pitch. How he managed to drive the 20+ stone behemoth French and Saffie tight heads back in the scrum is beyond me, sheer innate stength and technique went a long way. He showed size isn't everything, sadly missed.

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 12:50 pm**

Had a dad come up to me at school drop off this morning to tell me he was going to the France game on a corporate thing. Said he doesn’t reallly like rugby and will have to leave just after half time as he needs to get back.

All very pleased with himself while I died inside

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 1:13 pm**

I was looking for the series about the refs and stumbled across this about Scotland's best ref.

https://www.world.rugby/tournaments/vid ... e-davidson

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 1:19 pm**

weegie01 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 1:13 pm I was looking for the series about the refs and stumbled across this about Scotland's best ref.

https://www.world.rugby/tournaments/vid ... e-davidson

I’ve also been looking for it! Did you find it

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 1:22 pm**

Slick wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 1:19 pm
weegie01 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 1:13 pm I was looking for the series about the refs and stumbled across this about Scotland's best ref.

https://www.world.rugby/tournaments/vid ... e-davidson
I’ve also been looking for it! Did you find it

https://rugbypass.tv/video/578207

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 1:23 pm**

weegie01 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 1:13 pm I was looking for the series about the refs and stumbled across this about Scotland's best ref.

https://www.world.rugby/tournaments/vid ... e-davidson

That was nice

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 1:53 pm**

Slick wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 12:50 pm Had a dad come up to me at school drop off this morning to tell me he was going to the France game on a corporate thing. Said he doesn’t reallly like rugby and will have to leave just after half time as he needs to get back.

All very pleased with himself while I died inside

Don't believe the soft cunts that say violence is never acceptable.

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:04 pm**

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:07 pm**

: 20240201_140358.jpg (277.69 KiB) Viewed 1290 times

Bit surprised to see Rowe at FB (didn't realise Kinghorn was injured) and Dempsey on the bench, although there's several combinations for that back row I thought he'd start at 8.

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:16 pm**

clydecloggie wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:04 pm

Whit?

Was going to mention earlier that there had been surprisingly few leaks about the team this week.

BK is a bit of a blow

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:33 pm**

Jock42 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:07 pm 20240201_140358.jpg

Bit surprised to see Rowe at FB (didn't realise Kinghorn was injured) and Dempsey on the bench, although there's several combinations for that back row I thought he'd start at 8.

I haven't been baffled by a selection in a while, but if Hutchinson isn't injured then he really really has pissed on GTs chips somewhere. Rowe has one professional start at 15 that I know of and it was in the Rainbow Cup that no one really cared about.

Also not sure what Christie needs to do to be involved in the matchday squad but back row is competitive.

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:39 pm**

Big D wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:33 pm
Jock42 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:07 pm 20240201_140358.jpg

Bit surprised to see Rowe at FB (didn't realise Kinghorn was injured) and Dempsey on the bench, although there's several combinations for that back row I thought he'd start at 8.
I haven't been baffled by a selection in a while, but if Hutchinson isn't injured then he really really has pissed on GTs chips somewhere. Rowe has one professional start at 15 that I know of and it was in the Rainbow Cup that no one really cared about.

Also not sure what Christie needs to do to be involved in the matchday squad but back row is competitive.

Aye Hutchinson is who I'd have started, I'd probably have had him in the 23 shirt if Kinghorn was playing. Not that there's any room for sentiment in selection but he must feel aggrieved he's constantly overlooked.

Haven't seen anything of Sarries lately so can't comment but from what I've read I'd not complain about him anywhere in the 23

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:45 pm**

No Borders representation in the team for the first time since 1980, apparently.

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:46 pm**

While we're on oddities, Darge not involved at all despite being co-captain and former captain Ritchie starting ranks up there.

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:52 pm**

That’s the team that beat Wales last year with the exceptions of Cummings (in for the banned Gilchrist) and Rowe (who replaces the retired Hogg). It looks like a tombola but it’s actually the opposite.

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:54 pm**

Also, a belter of a twitter stat I saw:

Combined caps won by the replacements props for Wales v Scotland in Cardiff:

Wales caps: 3
Scotland caps: 0
England caps: 6

https://x.com/pauleddison/status/175306 ... UZjzgAiO2Q

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:56 pm**

I'd have had Matthews over Ashman on bench and Horne starting.

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 3:03 pm**

Toony must have been winding Ritchie up for weeks, will hopefully come out firing!

Posted: **Thu Feb 01, 2024 3:13 pm**

Slick wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 3:03 pm Toony must have been winding Ritchie up for weeks, will hopefully come out firing!

Aye, one of the lads on the BBC podcast picked Ritchie based on him having a point to prove. Hope it works that way.
Definitely a bit deflated by the Kinghorn injury.

Posted: **Fri Feb 02, 2024 6:59 am**

Never really cared about who the captain in any team is as it generally makes bugger all difference. But demarcating two or even one "VC"s is very school prefecty, not a fan.

Posted: **Fri Feb 02, 2024 7:11 am**

LenCohen wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2024 6:59 am Never really cared about who the captain in any team is as it generally makes bugger all difference. But demarcating two or even one "VC"s is very school prefecty, not a fan.

Co captains/vice are daft. Suppose with vice captains there's an element of the old "pack leader" about it.

Posted: **Fri Feb 02, 2024 9:03 am**

Big D wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2024 7:11 am
LenCohen wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2024 6:59 am Never really cared about who the captain in any team is as it generally makes bugger all difference. But demarcating two or even one "VC"s is very school prefecty, not a fan.
Co captains/vice are daft. Suppose with vice captains there's an element of the old "pack leader" about it.

That’s exactly how I see it.
Teams usually have a defence captain in the backs too

Posted: **Fri Feb 02, 2024 9:18 am**

Jock42 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:56 pm I'd have had Matthews over Ashman on bench and Horne starting.

Matthews is a bit of an odd one.

The argument that some have, including myself to an extent is, yeah he scores all those tries but he’s anywhere as good as the others elsewhere. To which the counter is obviously, why don’t the rest score all those tries.

I’m undecided

Posted: **Fri Feb 02, 2024 9:25 am**

Slick wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2024 9:18 am
Jock42 wrote: ↑Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:56 pm I'd have had Matthews over Ashman on bench and Horne starting.
Matthews is a bit of an odd one.

The argument that some have, including myself to an extent is, yeah he scores all those tries but he’s anywhere as good as the others elsewhere. To which the counter is obviously, why don’t the rest score all those tries.

I’m undecided

Ashman has been very poor at the lineout and has arguably cost Edinburgh a couple of games.

Posted: **Fri Feb 02, 2024 1:14 pm**

My Six Nations match previews will be appearing on Scottish Rugby News this year.

Part 1:
https://www.scotlandrugbynews.com/scotl ... al-tweaks/

Part 2:
https://www.scotlandrugbynews.com/analy ... ns-opener/

It's a new subscription site covering all levels of Scottish rugby. Current introductory offers are £1 per month for the first 6 months or £12 for the first year.

Posted: **Fri Feb 02, 2024 7:09 pm**

Sensational rolling maul try by the 20s. Technically very very good.

Posted: **Fri Feb 02, 2024 7:23 pm**

Big D wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2024 7:09 pm Sensational rolling maul try by the 20s. Technically very very good.

How do we watch this and how are they doing?

Posted: **Fri Feb 02, 2024 7:24 pm**

Slick wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2024 7:23 pm
Big D wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2024 7:09 pm Sensational rolling maul try by the 20s. Technically very very good.
How do we watch this and how are they doing?

IPlayer.

Liam McConnell is an absolute beast

Posted: **Fri Feb 02, 2024 7:25 pm**

Just watched the Netflix with Hogg and BK.

Blair comes across as a lovely lad with a fair few insecurities. Interesting that he seems to have bought into the BK10 thing.

Must admit his amusing comment about “fat old guys” are the ones that criticise him made me stare at my feet for a moment

Edit: for the avoidance of doubt the only place I discuss rugby online is in here, not bloody Twitter!

Posted: **Fri Feb 02, 2024 7:27 pm**

KingBlairhorn wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2024 7:24 pm
Slick wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2024 7:23 pm
Big D wrote: ↑Fri Feb 02, 2024 7:09 pm Sensational rolling maul try by the 20s. Technically very very good.
How do we watch this and how are they doing?
IPlayer.

Liam McConnell is an absolute beast

Cheers

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