The Official Scottish Rugby Thread

[Jock42]

Although with Academy/SoO games and the super 6 final on the same day it would possibly have an impact on some players with who they turned out for.

[KingBlairhorn]

If you’re looking in SRU, that idea is yours for the low low price of 10% commission from gross ticket sales*


* from the next sell-out 6N game at Murray field.

[Jock42]

Blair to step up as head coach with murchie taking the defensive coach role for the summer

https://www.scottishrugby.org/news/scot ... /21-season

[KingBlairhorn]

Blair to step up as head coach with murchie taking the defensive coach role for the summer

https://www.scottishrugby.org/news/scot ... /21-season

Interesting, he has always come across as being a thinker/analytical personality and I'm sure working with Townsend will have only encouraged that. If he has a good tour I'd like to see him in and around a pro team over the next few years. I'd personally prefer him at Edinburgh, but Glasgow might need a new coach soon and inevitably it will have to be someone cheap.

[Jock42]

Blair to step up as head coach with murchie taking the defensive coach role for the summer

https://www.scottishrugby.org/news/scot ... /21-season

Interesting, he has always come across as being a thinker/analytical personality and I'm sure working with Townsend will have only encouraged that. If he has a good tour I'd like to see him in and around a pro team over the next few years. I'd personally prefer him at Edinburgh, but Glasgow might need a new coach soon and inevitably it will have to be someone cheap.

It'd be great to see him take Hodges role.

Is Dalziel not more experienced than Blair?

[Biffer]

Sometimes in business you have to hold your nose and work with someone you don't like. There should be enough smart and experienced people around these clubs to know that.

What I would really love to see is some innovation from the SRU on the 'Judgement Day' type of event. We only have two teams so can't do what Wales do, but what about for instance holding a State of Origin tournament (like the Thistle were suggesting recently) but with the whole thing completed over a weekend or even a day. Four teams, each plays one other team over two 20 minute halves. The winners play off and the losers play off. Altogether you have two full games of rugby played. Add in some rules to keep the tempo up and to make sure everyone plays (rolling subs for instance) and it could be a really fun day. It's the equivalent of the old Tennants sixes in football which were a great laugh all round. A bit of sunshine, fancy dress contests, beers and BBQs. Lovely if you ask me.

Most of the clubs do not primarily consider themselves as businesses.

[KingBlairhorn]

Sometimes in business you have to hold your nose and work with someone you don't like. There should be enough smart and experienced people around these clubs to know that.

What I would really love to see is some innovation from the SRU on the 'Judgement Day' type of event. We only have two teams so can't do what Wales do, but what about for instance holding a State of Origin tournament (like the Thistle were suggesting recently) but with the whole thing completed over a weekend or even a day. Four teams, each plays one other team over two 20 minute halves. The winners play off and the losers play off. Altogether you have two full games of rugby played. Add in some rules to keep the tempo up and to make sure everyone plays (rolling subs for instance) and it could be a really fun day. It's the equivalent of the old Tennants sixes in football which were a great laugh all round. A bit of sunshine, fancy dress contests, beers and BBQs. Lovely if you ask me.

Most of the clubs do not primarily consider themselves as businesses.

Fair point, I should have said ‘life’ not ‘business’

[Yr Alban]

See Geech and Telfer picked their Lions XV and went for Curry over Mish. What more could Mish have done to put his hand up for selection?

[I like neeps]

Blair to step up as head coach with murchie taking the defensive coach role for the summer

https://www.scottishrugby.org/news/scot ... /21-season

Interesting, he has always come across as being a thinker/analytical personality and I'm sure working with Townsend will have only encouraged that. If he has a good tour I'd like to see him in and around a pro team over the next few years. I'd personally prefer him at Edinburgh, but Glasgow might need a new coach soon and inevitably it will have to be someone cheap.

It'd be great to see him take Hodges role.

Is Dalziel not more experienced than Blair?

Depends what you count as experience. Blair has been with Townsend since 2014 I think? Glasgow and Scotland focused with skills etc but clearly being groomed as a HC. Dalziel has wider experience as Melrose HC (semi pro/amateur not sure if coaching is full time), under 20s HC (our best year), 7s, Glasgow for one year I think then Scotland 2 years now with less obvious this guy is the pro teams next HC.

[Jock42]

Interesting, he has always come across as being a thinker/analytical personality and I'm sure working with Townsend will have only encouraged that. If he has a good tour I'd like to see him in and around a pro team over the next few years. I'd personally prefer him at Edinburgh, but Glasgow might need a new coach soon and inevitably it will have to be someone cheap.

It'd be great to see him take Hodges role.

Is Dalziel not more experienced than Blair?

Depends what you count as experience. Blair has been with Townsend since 2014 I think? Glasgow and Scotland focused with skills etc. Dalziel has wider experience as Melrose HC (semi pro/amateur), under 20s HC (our best year), 7s, Glasgow for one year I think then Scotland 2 years now.

Didn't realise he'd been with Toonie that long. I suppose there's a good argument that he's in a better position to take the lead as an interim coach.

[Slick]

See Geech and Telfer picked their Lions XV and went for Curry over Mish. What more could Mish have done to put his hand up for selection?

Been a couple of stone heavier and a few inches taller. If I’m being completely honest I’d probably pick the same bit would love to see if they could play Curry at 6 and Mish at 7

[Biffer]

See Geech and Telfer picked their Lions XV and went for Curry over Mish. What more could Mish have done to put his hand up for selection?

Been a couple of stone heavier and a few inches taller. If I’m being completely honest I’d probably pick the same bit would love to see if they could play Curry at 6 and Mish at 7

I'd still pick Watson. Got to think about what you're trying to do, and what you want to avoid. You most definitely want to avoid having that Bok pack mauling close to your line, so pick the guy that doesn't get penalised. You want every tackle made so that big pack doesn't get forward momentum, so pick the guy that doesn't miss tackles.

[Yr Alban]

See Geech and Telfer picked their Lions XV and went for Curry over Mish. What more could Mish have done to put his hand up for selection?

Been a couple of stone heavier and a few inches taller. If I’m being completely honest I’d probably pick the same bit would love to see if they could play Curry at 6 and Mish at 7

Curry and Watson are the same height!

Curry is a few kg heavier, but anyone can see that Watson literally tackles above his weight, and consistently.

[SomersetJock]

Chris Harris now 4/7 with William Hill to make the Lions squad. My 7/1 is looking better each day

[westport]

Tommy Seymour packed it in and retired. He has been excellent whilst at Glasgow and Scotland.

Good luck to him in whatever he decides to do next.

[KingBlairhorn]

Tommy Seymour packed it in and retired. He has been excellent whilst at Glasgow and Scotland.

Good luck to him in whatever he decides to do next.

A Glasgow and Scotland legend in my view who was at the heart of the cohort that returned Scotland to respectability on the world stage. A little sad that his career has sort of fizzled out, but age conquers all in the end.

He can certainly look back at a smashing career with pride, and by all accounts he appears to be one of the good guys too. I think we’ll all look back on that 2015 Glasgow team as one of the best we’ve seen at Pro14 level, it’s just a shame they were dismantled so soon after reaching the heights they did.

[Yr Alban]

Tommy Seymour packed it in and retired. He has been excellent whilst at Glasgow and Scotland.

Good luck to him in whatever he decides to do next.

A Glasgow and Scotland legend in my view who was at the heart of the cohort that returned Scotland to respectability on the world stage. A little sad that his career has sort of fizzled out, but age conquers all in the end.

He can certainly look back at a smashing career with pride, and by all accounts he appears to be one of the good guys too. I think we’ll all look back on that 2015 Glasgow team as one of the best we’ve seen at Pro14 level, it’s just a shame they were dismantled so soon after reaching the heights they did.

TBH, not many players get to go out right at the top. He was playing international rugby only a year or two ago, I don’t think he has anything to prove to anyone. Signs out with 20 international tries, which for a Scotland player is impressive as hell - the record is 24, though Hogg should smash that before he retires (he’s currently on 22).

[Big D]

Chris Harris now 4/7 with William Hill to make the Lions squad. My 7/1 is looking better each day

And my 12s :-)

[Caley_Red]

Chris Harris now 4/7 with William Hill to make the Lions squad. My 7/1 is looking better each day

And my 12s :-)

Great call that.

Would love to know what the odds would have been pre-tournie!

[Yr Alban]

Saw a thing on Wales Online saying Alfie is tipping Hogg for Lions captain. Was very surprised as Wales Online is usually about as one-eyed as a cyclops.

I think there’s a decent chance of this though. AWJ isn’t a cert for the Test team.

[SomersetJock]

Chris Harris now 4/7 with William Hill to make the Lions squad. My 7/1 is looking better each day

And my 12s :-)

Nice, you must have been much further ahead of the game than I was

[Tichtheid]

Saw a thing on Wales Online saying Alfie is tipping Hogg for Lions captain. Was very surprised as Wales Online is usually about as one-eyed as a cyclops.

I think there’s a decent chance of this though. AWJ isn’t a cert for the Test team.

Peak AWJ is one of the best lock in the game. At thirty five and three quarters, can he be expected to be Peak AWJ at altitude in South Africa?

I hae ma doots.

[Tichtheid]

SA utility back Henry Immelman signs for Embra from Montpellier, 50 appearances over five years for them.

I can't say I know much about him, but he's played centre, wing and full back for them.

[Big D]

Chris Harris now 4/7 with William Hill to make the Lions squad. My 7/1 is looking better each day

And my 12s :-)

Nice, you must have been much further ahead of the game than I was

2min after the full time whistle in Paris :)

[Big D]

Saw a thing on Wales Online saying Alfie is tipping Hogg for Lions captain. Was very surprised as Wales Online is usually about as one-eyed as a cyclops.

I think there’s a decent chance of this though. AWJ isn’t a cert for the Test team.

I think I was among the first on here to call for it. I will allow Alfie on our bandwagon.

[Begbie]

Saw a thing on Wales Online saying Alfie is tipping Hogg for Lions captain. Was very surprised as Wales Online is usually about as one-eyed as a cyclops.

I think there’s a decent chance of this though. AWJ isn’t a cert for the Test team.

I almost fell off my seat when I glanced at the article, then realised it was an ex-pro writing it an not one of the cyclopes that usually write for them. I thought the standard might improve slightly when that little creep Andy Howells left, but it's as much of a rag as ever. To be fair, most Welsh rugby fans think it's shite too.

[Yr Alban]

Saw a thing on Wales Online saying Alfie is tipping Hogg for Lions captain. Was very surprised as Wales Online is usually about as one-eyed as a cyclops.

I think there’s a decent chance of this though. AWJ isn’t a cert for the Test team.

I almost fell off my seat when I glanced at the article, then realised it was an ex-pro writing it an not one of the cyclopes that usually write for them. I thought the standard might improve slightly when that little creep Andy Howells left, but it's as much of a rag as ever. To be fair, most Welsh rugby fans think it's shite too.

Yeah, let’s just say they ran a feature on possible Lions ‘bolters’ and there wasn’t a single Scot among them. Not even sure there were any non-Welsh players.

[robmatic]

SA utility back Henry Immelman signs for Embra from Montpellier, 50 appearances over five years for them.

I can't say I know much about him, but he's played centre, wing and full back for them.

The Offside Line commentariat are predictably aghast as he's not Scottish enough. Embra have 2 non-SQ senior backs in their squad and this is apparently the death of Scottish rugby.

[Tichtheid]

SA utility back Henry Immelman signs for Embra from Montpellier, 50 appearances over five years for them.

I can't say I know much about him, but he's played centre, wing and full back for them.

The Offside Line commentariat are predictably aghast as he's not Scottish enough. Embra have 2 non-SQ senior backs in their squad and this is apparently the death of Scottish rugby.

I had a look, yeah, it’s all very predictable, 26 out of 29 backs including academy players are Scottish or SQ and as you say, the sky is falling in.
From a quick look through the furrits, there are four who can’t play for Scotland, Mata and Kunavula, who are both outstanding players in a hugely talented backrow pool dominated in numbers by Scottish players, plus Venter and Atalifo, and aye, I’d like us to be developing props through the academy system. That was what the Super 6 was set up for.

When it started I read TOL most days, now it feels like the kind of place where you wipe your feet on the way out.

[KingBlairhorn]

SA utility back Henry Immelman signs for Embra from Montpellier, 50 appearances over five years for them.

I can't say I know much about him, but he's played centre, wing and full back for them.

The Offside Line commentariat are predictably aghast as he's not Scottish enough. Embra have 2 non-SQ senior backs in their squad and this is apparently the death of Scottish rugby.

I had a look, yeah, it’s all very predictable, 26 out of 29 backs including academy players are Scottish or SQ and as you say, the sky is falling in.
From a quick look through the furrits, there are four who can’t play for Scotland, Mata and Kunavula, who are both outstanding players in a hugely talented backrow pool dominated in numbers by Scottish players, plus Venter and Atalifo, and aye, I’d like us to be developing props through the academy system. That was what the Super 6 was set up for.

When it started I read TOL most days, now it feels like the kind of place where you wipe your feet on the way out.

I really don't know what they think they are achieving, they seem to be utterly detached from reality. My guess would be these are the same people who pushed so hard against the district model way back when which resulted in 20+ years of problems and very nearly the death of Scottish rugby. They now stand there and without a hint of irony accuse the SRU of mismanagement and a failure to understand the game.

So much of the failure we have experienced over the years since professionalism is down to infighting and pettiness. I think almost everyone would happily agree that there is and has been things the SRU could and should do better, and that there have been some outrageous abuses of their power over the years, however the way to solve that is to work constructively together, not to seek to undermine them at every turn. Its childish to be honest, and my impression is the OL writers live in an echo chamber where they cannot or will not listen to any voice of reason.

[Tichtheid]

I really don't know what they think they are achieving, they seem to be utterly detached from reality. My guess would be these are the same people who pushed so hard against the district model way back when which resulted in 20+ years of problems and very nearly the death of Scottish rugby. They now stand there and without a hint of irony accuse the SRU of mismanagement and a failure to understand the game.

So much of the failure we have experienced over the years since professionalism is down to infighting and pettiness. I think almost everyone would happily agree that there is and has been things the SRU could and should do better, and that there have been some outrageous abuses of their power over the years, however the way to solve that is to work constructively together, not to seek to undermine them at every turn. Its childish to be honest, and my impression is the OL writers live in an echo chamber where they cannot or will not listen to any voice of reason.

I recognise a couple of names in the comments from clubs who pushed back against regional leagues in order to reinstate their own clubs' "status" as national league teams.

This seems to be at the heart of the criticism from the comments, they want more for their own clubs, without realising that the hand that feeds them relies on professional rugby for income, without that the whole game in Scotland would be really stuffed.

The writers for TOL have their own agenda, and it reads like it's personal.

[robmatic]

SA utility back Henry Immelman signs for Embra from Montpellier, 50 appearances over five years for them.

I can't say I know much about him, but he's played centre, wing and full back for them.

The Offside Line commentariat are predictably aghast as he's not Scottish enough. Embra have 2 non-SQ senior backs in their squad and this is apparently the death of Scottish rugby.

I had a look, yeah, it’s all very predictable, 26 out of 29 backs including academy players are Scottish or SQ and as you say, the sky is falling in.
From a quick look through the furrits, there are four who can’t play for Scotland, Mata and Kunavula, who are both outstanding players in a hugely talented backrow pool dominated in numbers by Scottish players, plus Venter and Atalifo, and aye, I’d like us to be developing props through the academy system. That was what the Super 6 was set up for.

When it started I read TOL most days, now it feels like the kind of place where you wipe your feet on the way out.

Prop seems to a be specific problem position that the Super 6 should be ideal for. I'm not an expert in front row matters but from what I can tell, young props - unless they are exceptional like Fagerson - look like they struggle in the scrum when they come up against mediocre-but-experienced pros in the league. Hence the coaches being so keen to get in journeyman non-SQ props for when the internationals are away.

[KingBlairhorn]

Decent article by Mark Palmer in the times this morning. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how far and how fast Glasgow became a side we have expectations for.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/thin ... -8qnwnvwlb

[Yr Alban]

Decent article by Mark Palmer in the times this morning. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how far and how fast Glasgow became a side we have expectations for.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/thin ... -8qnwnvwlb

Behind a paywall, and there’s no way on this Earth I’m paying extra money to Murdoch to read it (I was about to say any money, but I have Sky)

[KingBlairhorn]

Decent article by Mark Palmer in the times this morning. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how far and how fast Glasgow became a side we have expectations for.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/thin ... -8qnwnvwlb

Behind a paywall, and there’s no way on this Earth I’m paying extra money to Murdoch to read it (I was about to say any money, but I have Sky)

Odd, I certainly don't pay for the times and I got it for free. It's behind a paywall for me now too though.

[westport]

I wonder how many of the 50 that got emails the other day asking if they were prepared to travel are in the Scotland team

[Biffer]

I wonder how many of the 50 that got emails the other day asking if they were prepared to travel are in the Scotland team

Got to think Hogg, Ritchie, Watson, Russell, Sutherland, probably Harris, Gray, VdM. Plenty of maybes as well, but then we’d get to a third of the fifty!

[Slick]

I wonder how many of the 50 that got emails the other day asking if they were prepared to travel are in the Scotland team

Got to think Hogg, Ritchie, Watson, Russell, Sutherland, probably Harris, Gray, VdM. Plenty of maybes as well, but then we’d get to a third of the fifty!

I don't think Ritchie is getting a look in, sadly, probably not Gray either, and possibly not Sutherland.

[robmatic]

Scrum 365 and the Thistle Podcast are suggesting Sutherland to Worcester? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me, thought he was under contract and if he goes Embra start looking short at prop.

[Tichtheid]

Scrum 365 and the Thistle Podcast are suggesting Sutherland to Worcester? Doesn't make a lot of sense to me, thought he was under contract and if he goes Embra start looking short at prop.

Wasn't the Thistle podcast the source of the "full mutiny" rumours?

It was supposed to be heads rolling and Cockerill leaving etc etc