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I don’t expect Scotland / Ireland to be a classic. Ireland will try to hog the ball and suffocate Scotland.
Indeed, Ireland are capable of being more boring than Wales!!
The only thing that might work in Scotlands favour is if they do not kick well - give us too much counter attack ball and they will be in trouble. Russells gonna have to show some control tho - we cannot waste the little ball we get
Lamour is at 15, so well placed high balls and dinks through may work. Not saying Lamour is shit far from it but like 1/2p Kearney is great at being in the right place at the right time.
NZ did seem to have the rub of the green today. First half loose head had his elbow on the deck and was hinged on more than one occasion. And the first NZ try had a very flat pass in the move.
NZ also had a clear penalty try not even looked at. If the TMO had done his job, and with the resulting yellow card, I hate to think how many points they’d have racked up in those 10 minutes.
The intensity the Boks showed in defence exposed their weakness, completely disorganised after a few phases. Although it will work against a side that have forgotten how to attack on the fly. So that’s Wales and England buggered then.
So that’s Wales and England buggered then.
Steady, some of us are still clinging to more than a glimmer of hope.
Straight from the Owen Farrel school of tackling
I particularly enjoyed the smashing TV coverage today - thanks ITV!
I learned a lot of interesting things. Apparently, although they weren't playing today, England won the World Cup in 2003. They even had a chap recreating the winning drop goal in the studio.
Also, although England weren't playing today, we got to know which English clubs some of the foreigners play for. Presumably the other poor blighters don't have clubs.
And, although they weren't playing today, we learnt that England are playing tomorrow in what seems to be the only game that's on. Against Tonga.
Those Tongans look like a fearsome bunch. Wouldn't it be a wheez if we could just pinch some of their chaps to bolster our team a little? Maybe some Fijians or Samoans too? Mind you, I don't think World Rugby would allow such skulduggery would they?
Wouldn't quite be cricket would it?
Straight from the Owen Farrel school of tackling
Will he be cited, I wonder? Deserves it.
*********
“We haven't done anything special. We have enough problems with a dry ball."
- Italy forwards coach Gianpiero De Carli (ITA) has more to worry about than a wet ball in their match against Namibia on Sunday (22 September), when heavy rain is forecast. 😂
Also, although England weren’t playing today, we got to know which English clubs some of the foreigners play for. Presumably the other poor blighters don’t have clubs.
3 of the Fijians pay or have played for Scottish Clubs. did they get their proper names? NO
Its Bill McMata, Big McNaka, Mad McMatawalo
3 of the Fijians pay or have played for Scottish Clubs. did they get their proper names? NO
It would have been a start if the commentators could tell us who the players currently play for, but they don’t seem to have heard of any of those colonial clubs. I might have missed it but I don’t think I heard anything about the Chiefs, Blues, Hurricanes, Sharks etc. Although, tbf, they did manage to namecheck the Jaguares. 😁
I’m not sure that it’s English bias, just your basic incompetence.
Its English bias - they namecheck even ex england club players. Its unconscious but its still bias
The ITV commentary teams were awful. I don't listen to the pundits at half time / before and after the games but the commentators were pure mince - getting basics wrong
Namibia made a great start. They’re quite good in attack, but weak defensively. Strangely, I’m enjoying this game more than NZ v SA.
Was a good game to start the day.
Still holding out hope that Italy have other both game on them to shock SA.
Interesting to see the Scottish defence coach talking about their intent to "smash" sexton.
Classy.
Good luck both teams, let’s have a great game. And, c’mon Scotland.
Proof that triathletes are joyless psychopaths who can suck the fun out of anything. Email just received by Mrs S from her triathlon club. 🙄
OZZ RUGBY TURBO
The Mighty England v Tonga
The rules: -
England in possession = level 3 RPM 85
Tonga in possession = level 4 RPM 95
Kick from hand = sprint until caught or out of play
Scrum = full resistance seated climb RPM 75
Line out = full resistance standing climb
Kick for the posts = Eng left leg only
Kick for the posts = Tong right leg only
Time off = no effort spin
*reaches for 8am beer*
To my uneducated eye, that looked like an own try - not seen that before.
itv player not working for me despite VPN.... where can i watch the games? english speaking coverage preferred.
Wilson had control of that ball and put it down so should have been Scrum 5 to Ireland (unless they've changed that)
Just nipped into the club house to get coffee, scotland making it easy for them so far!
Scrum 5, not a try.
Scotland have been pish so far.
“Don’t forget about England v Tonger!” FFS!
Yup
Just nipped into the club house to get coffee, scotland making it easy for them so far!
I can see why Tj watches from behind his sofa! Ireland are getting more than their fair share of the luck; but I think that’s due to Scotland’s sloppiness. Too many wee errors from Scotland and now they’re trying to force things. Maybe.
Too much ambition with too many mistakes, we need to calm down and build some phases.
Scotland heads went straight down after 10 mins. Very poor leadership again. I thought those days of going behind and then looking beaten were behind us! Buggeration.
Watson looks like a tourney ending injury as well. The toonbola strikes again - Brown the replacement hooker on at 7 ( he did start off life as a flanker)
Why does one team get all the luck? sometimes it works for you but right now scotland would lose a winning lottery ticket.
Time to build a pillow fort behind the sofa. I may be there some time
Wilson had control of that ball and put it down so should have been Scrum 5 to Ireland (unless they’ve changed that)
The irish player just got it to ground before wilson took the ball. Just.
Scotland look really poor this morning. Ireland look a different team to the one hosed at Twickenham. Hopefully Watson’s injury isn’t too bad.
Too much ambition with too many mistakes, we need to calm down and build some phases.
Agreed. It looks to me as if Ireland have had better warm up games and are starting well, whereas Scotland are feeling their way/ not up to speed. With Ireland being the stronger team, it’s not surprising they’re comfortably ahead. Scotland should get better over the next couple of games, to be ready for Japan. 1st or 2nd in the group doesn’t make much difference to Scotland imho.
A real shame about H Watson, he is an exciting player.
<blockquote
The irish player just got it to ground before wilson took the ball. Just.>
I just hate Wayne Barnes
(How the hell do you use the quote thing!!)
I feel like this is going to be a very long second half.
With the rain now it’s a complete foregone conclusion. Ireland will close this out, doubt We will even get a try.
Why does one team get all the luck?
It's funny how when one team is totally pish the other team seems to have more "luck".
Incorrectly awarded try, or not, Scotland are getting thrashed fairly and squarely. They lack the power to bully Ireland.
This is not a good start to the day.
Well that's Pools A and B decided with just a bunch of meaningless games against the minnows to come.
Really? Japan will be feeling pretty confident today I reckon! Scotland have only got a 4 day turnaround before that game too.
At least Scotland will get a couple of games before they have to face Japan who will have targeted that game as THE one to win.
Ireland strangled them just like before and we didn’t have the power to get any control and reverted to trying too bloody hard because we couldn’t build phases well.
Ah well such is the life of a Scotland supporter, hope is a bastard
Japan will be licking their lips at that performance for sure. Best I have seen from Ireland for a while but poor from Scotland. The forwards especially looked uninterested until about 60 mins. Nothing Russell could do 'cos he didn't get much ball to play with and too many gaping holes in defense. 3rd try especially - no one covered the winger as Maitland had had to come inside to make a tackle. 9 or !5 should have been out on the wing
The fans will be after Townsend and I think he must take some of the blame. Scotland looked like they didn't think they could win. OK that second try came from bad luck ( pen not given, ball off the post leading to a 5 m scrum but there is no excuse for the team to look beaten after 10 mins. None. Somethings not right in the mental preparation.
Thompson and Graham showed they should have started
Scotland have only got a 4 day turnaround before that game too.
Yes - but the game before is russia so we should be able to rest guys
Bradbury to come in for Watson? ( he looks like he will not play again)
Pish.
The one saving grace is that it wasn't exactly unexpected. Unfortunately I didn't manage to extinguish all my hopes before kick off.
At least Scotland will get a couple of games before they have to face Japan who will have targeted that game as THE one to win.
I wonder how many injuries Scotland will get against Samoa?
It’s funny how when one team is totally pish the other team seems to have more “luck”.
Agreed. Scotland didn’t do any of the basics correctly. They couldn’t even work out that when you’ve made 20m down the pitch you don’t kick the ball into touch. And if you do, you need to compete at the line out, not stand there waiting for Ireland to give you the ball.
The single thing they did well was to charge down kicks, but that was because Ireland weren’t guarding the fringes in their normal way.
After the first quarter Ireland needed to do nothing more than run through their basic systems to win that game.
The loss wasn't unexpected but the nature of it was. Large steaming pile of mince
Japan will be licking their lips at that performance for sure. Best I have seen from Ireland for a while but poor from Scotland. The forwards especially looked uninterested until about 60 mins. Nothing Russell could do ‘cos he didn’t get much ball
- Scotland will (have to) get better, and the Japan v Scotland game continues to look key
- Russell got enough ball to say he had a poor game. He seems to pass to players who are only half expecting it and have almost no time on the ball
- Hogg must be good, everyone including Gatland rates him highly, but whilst he is fast and has a great boot, he jinks and runs straight into the defender. He’s nothing like Kolbe, which is how people talk of him imho
- just too many errors, if Scotland had scored when they were pressuring Ireland in the ~45th min then they might have come back, but Barclay fluffed it. It was wet, but was one of many key mistakes.
- Ireland (whilst good) were no better than their games against Wales as far as I could see, just that they capitalised on Scotland’s poor play
Well that’s Pools A and B decided
Come on, it's not guaranteed that Japan will beat Scotland.