wuss-stats-tastics:

No team has conceded fewer tries than Wuss (6 – equal with Chiefs)
3rd fewest pts conceeded behind Chiefs and Glaws
Best pts difference outside the top 6.

While I am delighted Irish and not Wuss went down I am afraid that even as a Glasgow supporter I can point and laugh at them. Love the stats by the way…Are you sure you aren’t related to TJ?  :O)

ouch

But then my English team is Bristol, so not feeling THAT confident tbh. Bit crap that there is a relegation decider at the start of October.

💚🐻

FatMattBastardo only got five weeks.

Vraiment des biscuits magnifique!

What is it wiuth Scotland and centres.;  ~We have a really good crop- of them but they seem perpetually broken.   Bennett just back from injury halfway thru last season and finding some form.  Out for 6 months with a  ruptured hamstring.  Taylor – out for a year with cruciate ligaments.  I fear he may never play again at the top level.  Is it just cos they have 13 on their back?

Its ruddy cruel.  For the first time in decades we should have choice at centre.  Instead they keep getting crocked and its casting around for someone to actually play

Anyone ( English fans?) want to swop- one of our excellent crop of 9s for a 13?  Come on we have half a dozen 9s all better than yours.  Gies a centre -please?

New Scarlets 6/8 Thompson on Scotlands poach list apparently. Looks a decent player tbh shame he doesnt have a welsh nan!!

Yep, how the hell fat bastardano got 5 weeks compared to Spencers 4 I’ll never know. Somethings wrong when a slightly high tackle into a ducking opponent is considered virtually the same as a  deliberate smash to the back of the head I’ll never know. On top of which, George Smith got no ban for at least as bad a tackle as Spencer the week before. OK, I’m a Tigers fan so clearly I think it’s too harsh / shouldn’t have been a red however it’s the inconsistencies that seem ridiculous. Is the IRB looking after player welfare or not?.

Cipriani dropped.

Cipriani dropped.

Indeed. Jones said it was purely based on form. I think Cips was MoM on 2 of his 3 Glaws performances so far – so kinda hard to fathom.

If he (or the RFU) want to leave him out based on his off-field misbehaviour then so be it. The form argument makes little sense. He said they had 2 fly halfs in the squad and wanted to work with them and Cipriani was behind them in the pecking order. I assume that’s Ford and Farrell (as Smith isn’t in) although he’s played Farrell almost exclusively at 12.

If he’s picking on form(?) then hard to account for Ashton as he’s banned and hasn’t played although I’m glad he’s in.

I think Jones is being a little disingenuous here. I can’t see England bringing anything different in attack to what Ford/Farrell have brought before. With a year to the RWC it’s a dismal scenario for England.

I agree with the above ^^.  Cips should be in, arguably Englands current best form 10 is in the wilderness, while players like Slade and Robshaw who have proved ineffective and uncapped players are in the squad.

Makes no sense, neither does the decision to employ a defence coach who lives overseas.

Its As You Were for England when i feel we need to change/step up our momentum.

Looks to me like England are still going to be playing 2015 style – no breakdown specialists and a stodgy midfield.  Still – its good for the rest of us watching England tie one hand behind their back

I predict a dismal autumn internationals for England followed by the RFU declaring their support for Eddie Jones before firing him 2 days later and then expecting a PE teacher to take the reins through the world cup and to be disappointed when we go out at the group stage…

I predict a dismal autumn internationals for England followed by the RFU declaring their support for Eddie Jones before firing him 2 days later and then expecting a PE teacher to take the reins through the world cup and to be disappointed when we go out at the group stage…

Hmmmmnnnn………I’ve sure I’ve seen that scenario somewhere before.

Are we also gonna bring in some great lunk of a Rugby League player and expect him to be a world class centre despite playing back row for his club?

So in his Squad announcement when asked about Cips, Eddie has mentioned that he’s behind Farrell and George, and has some things to work on “in the next three games”.   What, domestic games?  And what happens if he shines in those games, does he get a place?

Tsk. Sitting on the fence there.

Seems that Eddie has fallen into the trap of previous English coaches; he has his ‘boys’ and other than an injury they’re in the squad.

Saying that Ford is in better form isn’t really true; he was pants when Tigers got dicked by Exeter. Maybe he’s doing it to be pigheaded / prove a point after Danny has been in tue eye of the Journo’s (for the right reason for once). Yes he’s a dick, but he’s pretty damn good at what he does and has slotted in well at Gloucester.

Not seen much of Sarries so can’t comment too much on Farrell however we know what he can do. Time to see if Cips can get the back line firing.

Underhill has been pretty good this season; certainly more effective than Robshaw from what I’ve seen so is another surprising omission. In the games I’ve seen Robshaw has looked pretty poor. Seems to be a few too many old timers still knocking around. Still don’t see what he sees in Nathan Earle; he’s a donkey of a winger.

I hadn’t even noticed Underhill’s omission. No Simmonds either.

It looks like EJ is gonna go for the boshing route with Te’eo and Tuilagi, outside Farrell,  trucking it up along with Big Billy.

Surely Tuilagi needs to play for Leicester for more than three games before being considered fit for England?

England have no chance at the RWC if they carry on on the current trajectory.

England have no chance at the RWC if they carry on on the current trajectory.

They have a bit of a chance as any team with a strong front 5 does. Unless England suddenly uncover 2 or 3 world class players around 7, 9, 12 or 15 they will struggle against the very best. Cips is not the answer.

Still could be worse you could be a Wales supporter!!

Still could be worse you could be a Wales supporter!!

I’d rather be a Wales supporter. At least Gatland maximises the talent at his disposal.

I know Cips (alone) isn’t the answer but his case is symptomatic of England traditionally overlooking Cavaliers in favour of Roundheads. Whereas a mixture of the two would surely have been more effective.

The bosh approach will get them to the semi’s it depends who they face there. England have always underplayed their hand when it comes to the backs. Just now they’re going to use the centres as forwards.

Manu has done nothing special so far and has been made to look silly a couple of times.

I know Cips (alone) isn’t the answer but his case is symptomatic of England traditionally overlooking Cavaliers in favour of Roundheads. Whereas a mixture of the two would surely have been more effective.

This is best anecdote I’ve heard which describes the situation.  Totally right.  Cips brings more creativity and unprectiability than Ford and I can’t help thinking Ford’s going to crumble against NZ – I’d suspect Farrell will be at 10 in that match.  No 7 again as mentioned despite some good players showing form.

Its going to take losses to Argentina, NZ and Aus for people to start baying for changes.  Lose two and we might see those changes and a different 6N, but really this current squad needs to be the RWC squad at this stage.   As usual, there is nothing frightening in attack, unless Tuilagi shines.

Ciprianini is flash and looks good, but always has been, and still is, weak in defence & a sub par goal kicker. If Farrell wasn’t in at 12,would you have Cips as your goal Kicker?

Compare him to Beauden Barrett – same weaknesses but not as good in attack. Jones has to pick a whole team to play a certain way. It seems Cipriani doesn’t quite do everything he wants.

Tuilagi is a bombscare in defence, he jumps out of the line at least a couple of times a game. He has been picked because he once had a good game against NZ, what; 4 years ago? Likewise everybody you are going to play knows you don’t have a ball winning 7, I mean you do; they just don’t get picked for the international side. I cannot get my head round your coach, he seems to be the Jose Mourinho of rugby.

If Russell was England qualified do you think Jones would have him in the squad?  Racing obviously think enough of him that he is Dan Carters replacement on £700000 plus bonuses.

Is it the maverick nature of Cipriani that Jones does not like ( shared with Russell) or the off field behaviour ( not shred with Russell)?

Ciprianini is flash and looks good, but always has been, and still is, weak in defence & a sub par goal kicker

Whereas Ford is a titan in defence…

That argument doesn’t really hold any water given that Ford is a speed bump (he doesn’t avoid tackling like Cips used to, but he doesn’t do much in reality to stop people) and he’s prone to getting the yips when it comes to place kicking which is why Farrell gets wedged in at 12.

Cips is obviously not going to fix a lot of our problems but he may help to fire the backline – he certainly made an impact in SA this summer. I can’t help thinking that the breakdown will be an issue again this autumn and cause us problems.

Hogg is bust the AI’s which is blow for Scotland.

Time for Kinghorn to shine ;-).  I think the loss of Bennett and Taylor is a far greater issue.  At least we have kinghorn and Jackson and Maitland all of whom make decent 15s.  We are out of 12s I think.  None left unbroken!

Good win for the Diff tonight. Williams and Haloholo are special but Navidi…

If he played for another country, or was from a different era, he’d have been weighing caps, not counting them. An embarrassment of riches in the Welsh back row means that a player that excellent gets relatively overlooked.

a few years now I have been saying Navidi should get more caps.

Haloholo

Is welsh next summer…when does the World Cup start?

Navidi is good but Warburton was better. We are going to miss Captain Sam.

no one look at the Glasgow score and laugh please.  Pleeeeeeez

🐻

Edinburgh get to play Leinster away this evening.  .  I shall be behind the sofa if anyone wants me.

Lady ref for Dregs v Zebs…she seemed pretty good, yellow card seemed a bit harsh but other than that I didnt notice her, as a ref should be. I’m sure Hibbard was disappointed he didnt have the nicest hair though!!

I’d quite like to watch Glous v Saracens this afternoon, is there a way without getting ripped a new one by Sky?  I note its not on Now TV.

Plenty of pirate streams to watch.  Its what I do

kryton – you must know someone with a BT broadband account that you can “borrow” their log in for? Then use either the android app and cast it or watch on computer screen/tablet.

Id lend you mine, but Im using it this afternoon too 🙂

Lady ref for Dregs v Zebs…she seemed pretty good, yellow card seemed a bit harsh

I thought she was very good, but helped by two rather unambitious teams who aren’t the most cynical in the competition. The card was correct I thought. The players seemed to give her more respect than most male refs – that’ll change. 😁

aren’t the most cynical in the competition

Not Irish you mean…..runs for cover!