[Closed] Rugby Thread 2017/18.

The green machine trounced the mighty Fiji 23-20. 😆

Just watching Eng - Aus highlights. And they call us whingeing poms.

Nige wouldn't have stood for those mocking looks.

That was a sore one to take, NZ were better,but we go from shite to world beating to shite without seeming to have any consistency in what we do improve.

Scotland wasted their 1st half superiority in not building a lead. They were by far the better side, certainly in the first half - and probably the second - but put nothing on the scoreboard to show that.

Hogg needs to not be trying to beat the opposition all on his own. He was class today though.

I only saw bits and piece of the game - at work but from what I saw Scotland pushed NZ close and even had a chance of winning. It shows how far we have come to be disappointed in losing to the all blacks by 5 pts. We need fear no one in the world now and we finished with our 4th choice front row on the park

Roll on the 6 nations/ We need fear no one. There isn't any set of backs in the NH to better us - thats the one positive from today and if / when we have our top front row back?

Roll on the 6 nations/ We need fear no one.

😀

wrecker - Member

It's a crying shame really. They were good enough to win that but couldn't score due to all of the cheating going on. Shite scrum though.

4th choice front row by the end if not fifth

Scotland, like all of the NH teams lack composure in the 22 / when the try line is beckoning. They should have built a score when penalties were on offer. I know it's not cool or sexy to kick for goal, but it builds pressure on the opposition. Fair play for not getting dicked though, they certainly fronted up.

England really haven't clicked this autumn and don't look like a smooth, cohesive team certainly not compared to last season. They do keep winning though, so I'll take that.

6N will be interesting; the press can't get enough of Ireland, England will have a big target in them, Scotland are playing an exciting, carefree game and Wales are trying to play more expensively too. France will no doubt be France and Italy will be poo no doubt.

Not too keen on that new green kit England were playing in today.

And to top today off, Worcester actually won a game, beating Saints with a bonus point.

As we’re celebrating all things Rugby, I’m just chuffed we (just) beat the French..

Worcester winning certainly makes it interesting. WTF is going on at saints though?

Wuss are a bland team that plays awful rugby...However I would see the not-nots gone;so that is probably the single result this season I am most happy about. 😀

As we’re celebrating all things Rugby

I'm not!

There at Murray field yesterday great effort and composure around the five metre line really needed.

Mr Seymour a rare shocker, price and Russell excellent, Jones and Hogg sublime. Hogg was going nowhere at the end on that run the angle and defence always meant the try was unlikely.

For TJ Mr H Watson was immense whilst on the pitch, as was Barclay.

All Blacks played better than getting credit for their goal is Japan 2019 and theyh have some talent.

Great game , good day out and bring on 6 nations England will be a cracking game but England are still the favourites better players all round at the moment but Gregor Townsend looks to have benefited from Cotters work and introduced a good style of rugby suited to the Scots.

Wales looked dire and England rolled it out

Was at murrayfield great atmosphere. I don't understand standing watching the haka. Why allow the opposition the chance to try to psych you out. Do a campese and wander off. The crowd where I was were singing flower of Scotland against the haka.

TomB TJ Perenara is a dick but when warming up had a chuck about with a ball boy, gave him a first bump and a man hug. That kid will definitely remember that game.

Wales looked dire

Indeed and the worrying thing is without a fit 13 in the squad it looks like S Williams playing again and he was utter dog shit. He has lost all his pace and has no confidence. Only other option I can see would be Roberts at 13 outside O Williams but he would be exposed with his slug like pace.

Wales game discipline looked poor especially Mr Francis for his binning....too much endomorphines after the scrum?
Is lack of depth of the game in the wales?

[i]TJ Perenara is a dick[/i]

Brilliant player. Impressed people on STW actually know a NZ rugby player personally.

Forgot my quotation marks around "TJ Perenara is a dick" My post was about exactly the opposite of dickishness shown by him.

Presuming DezB was having a pop at me not you.....I'll be crying myself to sleep later as a result. Edit, maybe it was you! 😆

Anyone else notice that large fijian back with that kicking technique?
He took a few difficult passes which I though he was going to knock on, and he kind of did except he knocked straight down onto his boot. And he did it loads of times! Lovely to watch.

Cracking game at Murrayfield and a hark back to the atmosphere of yesteryear.

This can't be the high point though - Scotland need to play the same way again. Starting with Australia next week then carrying it into the 6N. Last year, Ireland thought they'd cracked it after beating the ABs but defeats to Wales and Scotland soon scuppered that notion. It's all very well being up for it against the best side in the world with a fervent crowd behind you but Scotland need to play without fear away from home too.

Best backs in NH? Err...not quite there yet. Seymour was awful - he made Johnny May's performance for England seem almost competent bt comparison. Price looks good because Laidlaw was so ****. Russell had a great game but he's flakey. Huw Jones looks the real deal but Dunbar is a journeyman. Lee Jones has been around a while but never stood out so far. It seems like Hogg is doing it all on his own, not enough of the others are on the same wavelength.

Scotland always seem to have good club centres who can't quite keep it together in an international side. Huw Jones looks good though.

Favourite comment from a non Scot/kiwi after the final whistle "of course, it shouldn't be a full cap match as that's not a real all blacks team"

too much endomorphines after the scrum?

Too much morphine in general I think!!

Is lack of depth of the game in the wales?

No depth is the issue and we have no relacements for the likes of AWJ, Charteris, Roberts etc.
We can put out a decent 23 if all are fit but beyond that its dire. We also have far fewer stand out top notch internationals than in the recent past.. tough times.
No depth at 1, 3, 4,5,8, 13 or 14.

Warburton is our best 7 and 6 and would be our 3rd best 8 too but our second best 8 is our best 6 if Warburton plays 7. Our best 15 is also a first choice 14 and our first chpice 11 is our se ond choice 15 and they are all ****ing injured anyway...well Loopy Liam isnt I dont think he always looks like that!! Chuck in lots of injuries and the need to rest lots of players due to a suicidal nov fixture list and we end up with a team and a game like yesterdays...happens every year, the only suprising thing is that every year people on here seem suprised by it!

Finn Russell leaving Glasgow at the end of the season. Possibly for Racing92 according to a comment on Warriors FB page.

Finn Russell leaving Glasgow

Good news for Glasgow then!!!

gordimhor - Member

Finn Russell leaving Glasgow at the end of the season. Possibly for Racing92 according to a comment on Warriors FB page.

It s been rumoured for a while but nowt confirmed yet. I think he would be daft to go now but he has played his entire pro career there. I think Glasgow have unfinished business and he should stay to help them finish it. NO player is irreplaceable but he is as close as they come

TJ my post was a bit unclear. Russell is definitely leaving, the club have made a statement to that effect on FB.
The suggestion that he is going to Racing 92 is in a comment on that statement.

it been being talked about for a year. I think its a mistake for him. another couple of years would have been the right balance for him IMO

Its the same problem all bar a few French and English clubs face. Those few clubs with huge deficits push up the prices of players. How much is a top ranked pro getting from them? The rumour is Carter is on a million a year. Now Glasgow have somewhere in the 6 million bracket for its players - maybe a bit less. £300 000 seems to be the minimum a top pro will settle for - thats what the rumour is Hogg is on. 20 of them and thats your budget gone but you need 40+ players. Pay too much for a few top guys the rest of your squad will be weak

for me the answer is to outlaw deficit funding. NO team can spend more on players than it makes.

Its distorting rugby hugely and its a very few clubs that do it.

I think it's a mistake for him

Well it won't be a mistake for his bank balance. That's for sure.

In the same vein. Brad Shields is joining Wasps from the Hurricanes. Think Chris Robshaw with more pace, a bigger rugby brain and a better beard.

Why is this news? Because he's English qualified. Apparently Steve Hansen had drafted him into the ABs squad for the game with France and he turned them down and told them about the Wasps deal. Hansen was supposedly furious.

He has been a great servant for Glasgow. Why I say its a mistake for him is that the will not get the same treatment anywhere else. But equally at some point he has to move onto better himself as a player. Townsend himself was a better player for his years in France. I just think it a year or two too soon

Rumour has it that ickle Jonny is heading to Bristol too....

I thought he had signed a new contract recently. Bristol? could they afford him?

TBH, it might actually be good for Glasgow. When your team makes up more than 50% of the Scotland squad it's always going to wreak havoc during the 6N. Throw even a handful of injuries into the mix and you can forget winning the league or even making the play-offs.

This is, of course, a massive case of wishful thinking.

Bristol are massively cashed up!

. I thought he had signed a new contract recently. Bristol? could they afford him?

Glasgow have more youngsters coming thru. Interesting the rugby forum I am on has no angst about this. Its just an inevitable fact of life that Players like Finn will move on from teams Like Glasgow. The tru market value of the Glasgow team will be many times what its budget is. Some will stay or acept less money because of the other things Glasgow can offer, some will go for the money and to broaden their experience /improve as a player. Some like Matowalo will return

I didn't know Bristol were loaded. Its the major club nearest to where I was born.

I didn't know Bristol were loaded. Its the major club nearest to where I was born.

Yep, Bristol have mega money backing. They could easily pay the highest wages in the AP.
Mind you, not every one will want to go there. Happily winning stuff is still important to some - we haven't gone full football yet!

Very valid points tinybits. It feels (finally) that the club are starting to get the on field stuff right. We have some tremendous players here and on their way and with pat lam in the hot seat, we have high hopes. We won't be challenging for an AP title for a few years but we should make a better fist of it than we did last time, and we weren't a million miles from wuss even then.

tinybits - not just winning stuff. One of the ways glasgow have been able to recruit and retain players for less money than they could get elsewhere is that they do a lot of other stuff in regards looking after players.

There is also talk of Damian Mckenzie moving to Leicester Tigers after 2018. I think he is a great player and like Faf de Klerk great to watch, but only if the team he plays on can keep up and utilise him by off loading well.

Cheika getting a slap for abusing people and implying the ref - or England - were cheating.

Tit.