So how are we all feeling about our WC chances?
Scotland:
Front row – plenty of guys able to do a job. Z Fagerson could really shine IMO
We need second rows with “bite” – bring back Nathan Hines! Some very good second rows available – so much that big Ritchie is not going to Japan but none of them are proper hard men.
Back row – missing a big power runner apart from maybe Bradbury but he is very inexperienced. Pick our 3 best / most experienced and we look underpowered. Watson is a great guy but probably the smallest forward in a top tier team. Barcley playing well but lost a bit of speed. Wilson seems to be Toonies no 8 but again not the biggest and could have a fight in an empty room. some difficult choices to be made in the back row to get a balanced side
Half backs – again some big decisions to be made. Laidlaw – we seem to play better when he is on the pitch but he is no way the best 9 we have. G Horne is a fantastic player but again inexperienced. Price is back playng well but falls between the two.
Russell – what else can you say? 80% the best attacking 10 on the planet 20% a numpty who costs you points. A key player. His backup is Adam Hastings who suffered a big dip in form but showing some good skills towards the end of the season!
Centres- a mix of broken and getting back to fitness, mercurial who drift in and out of games and Peter Horne – the enigma who barely looks good enough to play pro 12 but seems like laidlaw to make others play better and also capable of some great stuff.
Back 3 – players to match anyone in the world – Hogg, Kinghorn, Graham, Maitland, Seymour. Experience or talent – who do you pick? Seymour never lets you down but Graham – what a player he is.
q/f for us I think – but even getting there will be tricky with the game against Japan being critical – Japan get 12 days to prepare for it – Scotland get 4! and there is no doubt Japan will be targetting that game like they did against SA in the last WC
If everything runs to form the Scotland get NZ in the QF. I don’t see us getting any further.
finnally – whats going on with the names? Too many folk with Surnames for first names or just daft names.
Blair Kinghorn? WTF. Darcy Graham? Stafford McDowell. Zander Fagerson? Finn Russell? Who named these guys!