What is Greenwood on?
the payroll of Skyspurts, say no more.
TJ to the forum please!!!!!
Hogg confirmed as off south to Exeter. Big signing for them and hoped he’ll fit in well with their backs.
Kruis is broken and out of the AI’s. Will Jone s start with Itoje and Lawes? Or will he look to add some grunt via the likes of Atwood I wonder?
The press are really dining out on Lawes’ offside. Let it go, the ref said no try, end of. ThTs not why we lost the match; we lost because we didn’t take the point of offer and build the score and pressure.
Eddie Jones in the paper today saying England do a public service to the other home nations by providing them with players....then he went off to coach Brad Shields.
Just listened to Matt Dawson & Shane Horgan on the 5Live podcast. I really like Horgan as a pundit - talks a lot of sense.
Eddie Jones in the paper today saying England do a public service to the other home nations by providing them with players….
(Not 'shopped!)
The news feed on my phone seems to be full of Trump antics, drunk people ranting on planes and Eddie Jones quotes... and I'm struggling to tell the difference between them to be honest
Eddie Jones is, and always has been, a tit.
us englanders are unpopular enough without that penarse adding to it!
Scotland team for SA
15. Stuart Hogg VICE CAPTAIN (Glasgow Warriors) – 63 caps
14. Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors) – 45 caps
13. Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors) – 17 caps
12. Pete Horne (Glasgow Warriors) – 37 caps
11. Sean Maitland (Saracens) – 35 caps
10. Finn Russell (Racing 92) – 38 caps
9. Greig Laidlaw CAPTAIN (Clermont Auvergne) – 64 caps
1. Gordon Reid (London Irish) – 32 caps
2. Stuart McInally VICE CAPTAIN (Edinburgh) – 20 caps
3. Willem Nel (Edinburgh) – 24 caps
4. Ben Toolis (Edinburgh) – 13 caps
5. Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) – 45 caps
6. Sam Skinner (Exeter Chiefs) – 1 cap
7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh) – 21 caps
8. Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors) – 39 caps
Substitutes:
16. Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors) – 36 caps
17. Allan Dell (Edinburgh) – 15 caps
18. Simon Berghan (Edinburgh) – 12 caps
19. Josh Strauss (Sales Sharks) – 15 caps
20. Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh) – 4 caps
21. Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors) – 18 caps
22. Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors) – 5 caps
23. Chris Harris (Newcastle Falcons) – 5 caps
Shrek ( Reid) gets a start - no one saw that coming! The toonbola turns again!
Will be an interesting game. SA are a big physical team which is often the Scottish undoing, but they are certainly beatable. Thedays of easy wins for SH teams in Nov seem gone. The gap has closed and the SH players look knackered.
Aye - and Toonie is clearly using these 4 games to try out combinations and to blood players so not playing his strongest team every game. Its all about building for the world cup. I think we will see Hastings at 12 at some point and Skinner will go to lock in place of toolis with Bluto ( strauss) coming on at 50 mins to run hard at the SA midfield
I do like the way you get in SA look knackered - just getting your excuses in first in case Scotland win? 😉 After all we know despite Scotlands decent record against SH sides they only beat knackered and weakened SH sides 😉 After all there must be some reason why Scotland can beat SA and Aus but Wales cannot
I suspect that scots midfield is too lightweight and so is the back row. speed V power again!
We have this fast and loose gameplan which suits the players and gets wins but against SA we decide to go toe to toe.
We should run them ragged for 60mins then apply the pressure.
I think that is the plan as its a light and pacy scots team. I suspect the game plan is pretty much that - Bluto to add the beef in the last 25 mins and a very powerful front row on the bench
But who knows given its townsend selecting. He seems to find it irresistible to throw in a few oddities here and there.
Jeepers - just realised its 8 years since we beat SA. Gawd I am getting old mutter mumble years fly by mutter mumble
I do like the way you get in SA look knackered – just getting your excuses in first in case Scotland win?
Not at all, same reason for Wales beating Aus.
We have this fast and loose gameplan which suits the players and gets wins but against SA we decide to go toe to toe.
We should run them ragged for 60mins then apply the pressure.
The current SA team might be big and physical, but they are also quick and pretty fit. The backs are very quick in broken play. This year they have tended to concede points at the beginning of games and win them at the end. Trying to run them ragged would probably play into the way they currently like playing.
What's the Scottish feeling on Horne at 12? Every time I watch him play (for Scotland mostly) it seems a miracle he was picked. Seems to have a knack for a brainless blunder at every crucial moment. Are there really none of the other wonder centres fit?
You've got to be happy to not see Faf on the team sheet too! A tough task for Scotland but they've got to feel in with a shout
Not sure if this has already been posted but Welsh side for Tonga:
Jonah Holmes; Liam Williams, Tyler Morgan, Owen Watkin, Steff Evans; Dan Biggar, Tomos Williams; Wyn Jones, Elliot Dee, Leon Brown, Jake Ball, Adam Beard, Aaron Wainwright, Ellis Jenkins (capt), Seb Davies.
Replacements: Ryan Elias, Rob Evans, Tomas Francis, Cory Hill, Ross Moriarty, Aled Davies, Rhys Patchell, Josh Adams.
It will probably be a scrappy mess of a game but I am genuinely excited to see what the individuals in this team can do at the weekend.
Peter Horne very much divides opinion amongst scots fans. Myself I like him. A very wholehearted player, good defensively, very elusive runner, handy back up 10. However he has made some high profile blunders in attack taking the wrong options and meaning scores are missed. Also has created a lot of scoring opportunities.
the whole team seems better when he is on the pitch somehow. A second playmaker at 12 does work it seems. also a versitile player who can play pretty much anything from 10-15
Other scots fans will tell you he should never be near the international side again and are angry about his inclusion
I don't think he will get many more chances however
We do have a lot of broken centres most of who most of us would prefer to be playing. townsend is trying out combinations in this series.
With that team, if Wales start to lose against Tonga there is no-one they can bring off the bench to impose themselves. (I'm struggling to think of a different way of saying what I'm thinking here..)
Edit : and they've got Holmes and Moriarty! 🙂
With that team, if Wales start to lose against Tonga there is no-one they can bring off the bench to impose themselves.
Evans, Elias and Francis off the bench should ensure scrum dominance. Patchel would increase the running threat at 10 or add an extra play maker at 15. Moriarty too could up it but I hope and expect he wont be called on unless its an emergency as he is our only 8 and he's really a 6.
They should beat Tonga fairly comfortably.
Good player, very good player... almost 40% as good as AWJ 😀
Really great video as always
Good Vid 🙂
Have you seen the oddity that is this weeks England team. I hope we win, bloody hell. Although, I think some lesson have been learned - 2 days rest for all players and benched senior players. He's making sure he's in the best place to make statement against Australia if you ask me.
Love a bit of Squidge!
Although, I think some lesson have been learned – 2 days rest for all players and benched senior players. He’s making sure he’s in the best place to make statement against Australia if you ask me.
Trying to recreate the world cup and rest player whilst making sure of a good win.
That’s a good point.
Saw these on another site and thought it deserved a repost!
I'd forgotten about that! Brutal
It does also remind me of one obvious omission from the team sheet for these kind of games... normally Gatland selects Hook out of the blue to get smashed for 80 minutes 😀
It will probably be a scrappy mess of a game
I can guarantee that as I'll be there.
Jones’s team this week makes sense; teams will need to be rotated in the WC and against a lower ranked teams would be the time to do it. Pleased for Ted Hill to earn a place on the bench following a good season so far with Wuss. At 19 he’s got a bright future and strengthens our back row options.
Watched Gloucester vs Tigers tonight; thought Gloucester’s attack was very impressive martialed by Cipriani who had a cracking game. His role in the disallowed try was brilliant. Tigers were shit and their backs generally looked slow and dimwitted compared to Gloucester’s. Watching Cipriani tonight it does seem nuts that his not getting picked by Jones given his vision in attack plus he can kick his goals unlike Ford.
Gloucester did look good but to be fair to Tigers (yes I am a fan) they had their entire first choice back line out on international duty or injured. Youngs, Ford, Tuilagi and May away with England, Toomua with Aus, Holmes with Wales and veainu injured. Add to that polota-nau with Aus, Ellis Genge injured and losing guy Thomson in the first half its not a great time to be playing any team in the top half of the table!!
We are shit but its not a level playing field sometimes at this time of year.
Cipriani missed 2 of his conversions as well.
So predictions for today? all fairly predictable 😉
Scotland / SA - very hard to see anything other than an SA win. SA have a decent run of results, High scoring match, SA by 10
England should see off Japan without too much trouble but will trundle and creak to victory rather than romp England by 10
Ireland will struggle. Low scoring game but NZ by 5
Wales / tonga - again hard to see past wales winning but tonga might give them a scare or two. Wales by 10
When you back line has the pace and verve of Gareth Owen at 13 you know your in trouble!!
Tonga to unleash worlds heaviest international rugby player on Wales
Ben Tameifuna, who played in the same Junior All Blacks team as Beauden Barrett and Welsh No.10 Gareth Anscombe, was a mere 23st 4lbs before joining Top 14 heavyweights Racing 92 in 2015.
But since then the 6ft Auckland-born tighthead prop has seen his weight spiral to 24st 1lb (153kg), making him the heaviest player in Test rugby.
Expect to see Wales looseheads knees tremble at scrum time.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WRy72Yy4mXE
I reckon SA will have too much for Scotland....maybe SA by 7
NZ Ireland, heart says Ireland, head says NZ by no more than 5
England v Japan, whom cares? England by 25
Wales v Tonga, again whom cares? Wales by 20
When you back line has the pace and verve of Gareth Owen at 13 you know your in trouble
And being marshalled by the not so good Ford brother!
I am finding these games more difficult to call than the past couple of weeks.
Scotland v SA could go either way. Not a high scoring game, less than 10 difference.
England by 20+
Wales by 15+
I have a gut feeling NZ will make a statement prior to the World Cup - NZ by 15+
Although my heart is with Ireland, I too fear an AB’s backlash. They will want to ensure they’ve made a mark in the NH before they leave.
England game feels a little like the warm up match to that for me.
I'm leaning the same way as gauss on the predictions... but sport isnt played on paper and it would be great to see something unexpected
Interesting stat: I knew England missed a lot of tackles last weekend but what I didn't realise was Farrell missed 11!
When you back line has the pace and verve of Gareth Owen at 13 you know your in trouble!!
He did look a bit a bit of a donkey against some of the swift Gloucester backs. Thorley made a chunk of ground through his channel and he’s doesn’t often make the 23 when all are fit. Thompstone looked pretty sluggish too.
