Scotland World Cup look ahead and squad

First topic message reminder :

A. WORLD CUP WARM-UP MATCHES:

                                
15 August 2015:Ireland v Scotland, Dublin.

                              
22 August 2015:  Italy v Scotland, Turin.

                                 
29 August 2015:  Scotland v Italy, Edinburgh

                                      
05 September 2015: France v Scotland, Paris

B. WORLD CUP POOL MATCHES

                                         
23 September 2015:  Scotland V Japan, Kingsholm - Gloucester.

                                        
27 September 2015:  Scotland v USA, Elland Road - Leeds.

                                        
03 October 2015:  Scotland v South Africa, St James Park - Newcastle.

                                     
10 October 2015:  Scotland v Samoa, St James Park - Newcastle.

C. EXTENDED SCOTLAND SQUAD

- FORWARDS (25) -

Prop (7):
Mike Cusack (Glasgow Warriors) – Uncapped
Allan Dell (Edinburgh Rugby) – uncapped
Alasdair Dickinson (Edinburgh Rugby) – 44 caps; 4 RWC appearances (2007 and 2011)
Ryan Grant (Glasgow Warriors) – 22 caps
Willem Nel (Edinburgh Rugby) – Uncapped
Gordon Reid (Glasgow Warriors) – 8 caps
Jon Welsh (Newcastle Falcons) – 4 caps

Hooker (3):
Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors) – 8 caps
Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby) – 85 caps; 8 RWC appearances (2007 and 2011)
Stuart McInally (Edinburgh Rugby) – Uncapped

Second-row (6):
Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh Rugby) – 8 caps
Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) – 13 caps
Richie Gray (Castres) – 44 caps
Jim Hamilton (Saracens) – 61 caps; 6 RWC appearances (2007 and 2011)
Robert Harley (Glasgow Warriors) – 15 caps
Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors) – 12 caps

Back-row (9):
Adam Ashe (Glasgow Warriors) – 5 caps
John Barclay (Scarlets) – 43 caps; 4 RWC appearances (2007 and 2011)
Hugh Blake (Glasgow Warriors) – Uncapped
Blair Cowan (London Irish) – 11 caps
David Denton (Edinburgh Rugby) – 25 caps
Josh Strauss (Glasgow Warriors) – Uncapped
Alasdair Strokosch (Perpignan) – 44 caps; 3 RWC appearances (2011)
Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors) – 9 caps
Hamish Watson (Edinburgh Rugby) – 1 cap

- BACKS (21) -

Scrum-half (4):
Chris Cusiter (Sale Sharks) – 70 caps; 6 RWC appearances (2007 and 2011)
Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Edinburgh Rugby) – 5 caps
Greig Laidlaw (Gloucester) – 39 caps
Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors) – 13 caps

Stand-off (3):
Ruaridh Jackson (Wasps) – 25 caps; 3 RWC appearances (2011)
Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors) – 9 caps
Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors) – 18 caps

Centre (6):
Mark Bennett (Glasgow Warriors) – 7 caps
Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors) – 14 caps
Peter Horne (Glasgow Warriors) – 7 caps
Matt Scott (Edinburgh Rugby) – 25 caps
Duncan Taylor (Saracens) – 12 caps
Richie Vernon (Glasgow Warriors) – 20 caps; 3 RWC appearances (2011)

Back-three (8):
Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors) – 32 caps
Damien Hoyland (Edinburgh Rugby) – Uncapped
Rory Hughes (Glasgow Warriors) – Uncapped
Sean Lamont (Glasgow Warriors) – 93 caps; 8 RWC appearances (2007 and 2011)
Sean Maitland (London Irish) – 15 caps
Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors) – 17 caps
Greig Tonks (Edinburgh Rugby) – 4 caps
Tim Visser (Harlequins) – 18 caps

RDW_Scotland wrote:

cakeordeath wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:Laidlaw ticks a lot of boxes for me, but there are two major issues

No.1 he is a s h i t e captain.
No.2 See No.1

Again no one had issues with his captaincy when he was playing well in the AIs.

I'm not trying to overly defend him here, just reminding everyone that we were very pleased with him then!

I can't help thinking back to the Six Nations Captains picture. Frodo looked like a baby with Benjamin Button disease beside the others.

The problem we have is that many of our certain starters are very young, or have no experience of captaincy, or both. We can safely put J Gray, Russell, Hogg, Seymour and Dickinson into this group. We also have a couple of sure-starters whose fitness is a big worry (Dunbar and Bennett).

Next, we have a current captain in Laidlaw whose form is very up-and-down, and who most of the time doesn't play the fast-paced game required for Scotland. We have a former captain, Ford, who was a hopeless captain.

We also have Strauss, who is an excellent player and captain but whose selection as skipper would probably cause a whole world of distractions and wouldn't feel right to many Scottish supporters.

So, what to do? My choice would be Barclay. Very experienced, loads of caps and has captained his club side. His form is red-hot, and he doesn't need to prove his playing bona-fides to anyone. He'd get a lot of questions about his time away from the international set up, but with a bit of forethought those could be handled easily.

We could have J Gray, Strauss and Pyrgos as potential VCs, with Horne, Russell, Dunbar or Hogg as potential backs leaders.

Seems the best choice to me.

Captain, yr idea of Barclay as captain has many merits. Not the least of which is that it might just be the last straw for Rab C Johnson.

Majestic83 wrote:I do see why some people are saying Stuart Hogg to be captain, he has matured a lot of the last year or so, is vocal and leads from the front. The negatives though for me are that Full Backs can be a long way from play sometimes and also how Hogg would deal with speaking to refs especially if he is getting frustrated.

For me the choice should be Jonny Gray. Yes he is young but he is also pretty mature. Is an experienced leader. Communicates well with the rest of the team and the refs. Forwards do tend to make better captains for whatever reason. I remember McGeechan picked Johnson as captain for the Lions tour in 97 and one of the main reasons was to have somebody who was big and imposing in size so that when they were doing the coin toss there could be a bit of intimidation if the opposition captain was smaller.

I was thinking that being at 15 would give him enough time to cool off before he reaches the ref, although he is very fast!!

I could live with Jonny Gray - he'd be a close second choice for me.

jimbopip wrote:Captain, yr idea of Barclay as captain has many merits. Not the least of which is that it might just be the last straw for Rab C Johnson.

I hadn't thought of it that way. Barclay for captain. Brown for VC.

jimbopip wrote:Captain, yr idea of Barclay as captain has many merits. Not the least of which is that it might just be the last straw for Rab C Johnson.

Thanks, hadn't thought of it like that! It would certainly dispel any notion of Cotter not being his own man.

Barclay as captain is certainly a good idea. Our of the 3 opensides in the training squad for me he is the best one and in the best form.
Plus if it was the final nail in the coffin for the galah that is Scott Johnson then even better.

Majestic83 wrote:Barclay as captain is certainly a good idea. Our of the 3 opensides in the training squad for me he is the best one and in the best form.
Plus if it was the final nail in the coffin for the galah that is Scott Johnson then even better.

He hasn't been playing at 7 enough to make that kind of statement. Watson is the form 7. Barclay may still have what it takes but he'll have to prove it in the warm up games.

Is Barclay one of the first names on the team sheet?  Recent history would suggest not and I would wait until the squad is trimmed before going down that path.

And again the subject of 'not enough experience' is banded about. JG can only get experience if he is given the role. There are plenty of senior heads around him to give him the support.

JG: Captain
Hogg/Laidlaw(if VC really must persist with the current 3rd best scrum half): Vice Captain

Scott Johnson: Hopefully in Falkirk by then.

Tattie Scones RRN wrote:Scott Johnson: Hopefully in Falkirk Ushuaia by then.

No charge sir

All right, that settles it.

I will be captain. But I'm only doing it for you guys.

George Carlin wrote:All right, that settles it.

I will be captain. But I'm only doing it for you guys.

I see you as an Al Kellock sort of captain. Do as I say, not as I do.....

funnyExiledScot wrote:

George Carlin wrote:All right, that settles it.

I will be captain. But I'm only doing it for you guys.

I see you as an Al Kellock sort of captain. Do as I say, not as I do.....

funnyExiledScot wrote:

George Carlin wrote:All right, that settles it.

I will be captain. But I'm only doing it for you guys.

I see you as an Al Kellock sort of captain. Do as I say, not as I do.....

That's not the sort of captain that yo' momma thinks I am. Innit. Etc.

I would say Stuart Hogg is nowhere near captain material. Wonderful player but he isnt a captain. Also, as one of the best, if not the best players we have, he doesn't need any extra pressure.

Josh Strauss captained Glasgow in the Pro12 final...although again I don't think he will be captain.

There's no obvious choice as I don't see how Gilchrist can come in ahead of either of the Gray boys.

Finn Russell...Hmm...

I think Barclay should be captain, untainted by the wooden spoon this year, a quality player and experienced. The squad I'd go for would be:

Props: Dickinson, Reid, Welsh, Cusack, Nel
Hooker: Brown, Ford, MacInally
Second-Row: Gray, Gray, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Harley
Back-Row: Barclay (C), Strauss, Denton, Wilson, Watson

Scrum-Halves: Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Chris Cusiter, Henry Pyrgos
Fly-Half: Finn Russell, Duncan Weir
Centres: Dunbar, Bennett, Scott, Horne
Back-three: Hogg, Maitland, Seymour, Visser

I'd be equally happy if Vernon or a Ashe were to be selected as well. Additionally Sean Lamont is someone who's given everything he's got, unfortunately I'm not sure that's very much anymore. But part of me still believes that when it comes to the South Africa and Samoa I'd have Lamont any day over the Shying Dutchman.

Why do people keep putting Harley down at second row??

I should add that I very much like that squad. My only reservations really are Wilson over Ashe and Weir over Jackson.

funnyExiledScot wrote:Why do people keep putting Harley down at second row??

He was listed in the official announcement ws 2nd row, which I find a bit daft.

He can cover there if desperate certainly, but he ain't no international 2nd row! He is an international class 6 though.

Agreed. If Harley is at 2nd row against Etzebeth then we may as well not bother.

I had hoped it was just lazy journalism!

I put Harley there as that's where he was listed but I consider him a second row, Ashe and Wilson I pondered for quite a while but plumped for Wilson given his performance at 7 and therefore a viable substitute option. I know Ashe plays 6 but we have no shortage of players who play 6 and 8, in fact all of our back rows have experience at blindside internationally or club level except Watson, whereas only Barclay and Wilson play across the board.

I worry Jackson has become a better player over the course of his injury, I was at Twickenham for the first game of the season in England and if I remember rightly Goode started ahead of him which isn't a good sign to me. Weir also is a better kicker than Jackson and has experience holding his nerve for big moments such as the Italy drop goal, conversely he seems to have less of a natural "feel for the game" and seems to try to force things. We can't afford for slip-ups like the Huget interception in the World Cup. I suppose it's a pretty damning indictment that Russell, whilst immensely talented, is rough round the edges yet relatively unchallenged for the Scotland shirt. I think in many ways both Weir and Jackson have built their careers on not being Dan Parks at a time when the Scottish rugby population, me included, decided to blame all of Scotland's troubles on the sideburned one.

123456789 wrote:I put Harley there as that's where he was listed but I consider him a second row, Ashe and Wilson I pondered for quite a while but plumped for Wilson given his  performance at 7 and therefore a viable substitute option. I know Ashe plays 6 but we have no shortage of players who play 6 and 8, in fact all of our back rows have experience at blindside internationally or club level except Watson, whereas only Barclay and Wilson play across the board.

I worry Jackson has become a better player over the course of his injury, I was at Twickenham for the first game of the season in England and if I remember rightly Goode started ahead of him which isn't a good sign to me. Weir also is a better kicker than Jackson and has experience holding his nerve for big moments such as the Italy drop goal, conversely he seems to have less of a natural "feel for the game" and seems to try to force things. We can't afford for slip-ups like the Huget interception in the World Cup. I suppose it's a pretty damning indictment that Russell, whilst immensely talented, is rough round the edges yet relatively unchallenged for the Scotland shirt. I think in many ways both Weir and Jackson have built their careers on not being Dan Parks at a time when the Scottish rugby population, me included, decided to blame all of Scotland's troubles on the sideburned one.

Have to disagree with your there numbers unfortunately.

On top form, Weir is solid at International level at most (Scotland A against the Saxons aside) whereas Jackson has more of a running game. Russell is relatively unchallenged because currently, he has a mix of Weir and Jackson's games X 100 in addition to natural instinct which neither of the other two seem to demonstrate.

It's a tough one alright as to who should join Russell and I'm glad I don't have to make the decision. Common sense would suggest Weir to go due to the length of Jackson's injury and whether he'd be fit and ready in time.

Basically, if anything happens to Russell, we're screwed. 1/4 finals would be the best we can hope for.

We've got 10 weeks until anything of note happens (other than injuries) - I wonder how much we can keep spinning this out!

RDW_Scotland wrote:We've got 10 weeks until anything of note happens (other than injuries) - I wonder how much we can keep spinning this out!

Ah, here now. When have we ever run out of things to say?

Who is the most famous (non-rugby) person anyone here has ever met? I served Jane Fonda and media mogul Ted Turner drinks once. I was 21 and working a summer at a Vanderbilt mansion hotel in Newport, RI. I'll tell you something - she was gorgeous even then (15 years ago now).

I met Colin Montgomerie in the boozer in the Edinburgh Departure lounge.

RuggerRadge2611 wrote:

Majestic83 wrote:Barclay as captain is certainly a good idea. Our of the 3 opensides in the training squad for me he is the best one and in the best form.
Plus if it was the final nail in the coffin for the galah that is Scott Johnson then even better.

He hasn't been playing at 7 enough to make that kind of statement. Watson is the form 7. Barclay may still have what it takes but he'll have to prove it in the warm up games.

He may have been wearing 8 for some of this season with the Scarletts but he has been pretty much playing the role of a 7 still. Finished the season with one of the highest turnover rates still and also one of the highest tackle counts.
He has added the ball carrying role to his game which is what the Scottish coaches wanted from him.
One of the form back rowers in Europe at the moment and I would say his form is better than Watson's. Watson has had a good season but there has been a few games where he has been ineffective.

Genuine question - does the recent season's form really count for much when they have a few weeks holiday then 8 weeks of pre-season training before playing a game again??

For some of players the first pre-season game will be over 3 months since they last played.

I think it counts a little bit coming into the world cup but mainly they will be looking at players who have established themselves at international level over the last 2 or 3 years. Also they will look at players who they feel have the potential to come in and perform in a world cup.

Look at Ma'a Nonu, he is normally very average in super rugby but as soon as he pulls on the All Blacks jersey he is one of the best players in the world. If the All Blacks selected on current form after a super rugby season he would have rarely made the cut.

Well John Barclay hasn't played for Scotland since 2013 so he's not really established himself at International level over the last 2 years either! I just think both players have had good seasons for their clubs so I don't think current form will come into it - how they perform in pre-season and the warm up games will go a long way I reckon.

I just can't help but think VC is going to stick with Cowan - Barclay might just make the squad due to his versatility.

George Carlin wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:We've got 10 weeks until anything of note happens (other than injuries) - I wonder how much we can keep spinning this out!

Ah, here now. When have we ever run out of things to say?

Who is the most famous (non-rugby) person anyone here has ever met? I served Jane Fonda and media mogul Ted Turner drinks once. I was 21 and working a summer at a Vanderbilt mansion hotel in Newport, RI. I'll tell you something - she was gorgeous even then (15 years ago now).

I've met the Queen - twice. True fact.

RDW_Scotland wrote:Genuine question - does the recent season's form really count for much when they have a few weeks holiday then 8 weeks of pre-season training before playing a game again??

For some of players the first pre-season game will be over 3 months since they last played.

I think this is particularly true of players like Jonny Gray and Rob Harley, who were clearly knackered during the season. They'll come back firing after the training camp.

Tattie Scones RRN wrote:

123456789 wrote:I put Harley there as that's where he was listed but I consider him a second row, Ashe and Wilson I pondered for quite a while but plumped for Wilson given his  performance at 7 and therefore a viable substitute option. I know Ashe plays 6 but we have no shortage of players who play 6 and 8, in fact all of our back rows have experience at blindside internationally or club level except Watson, whereas only Barclay and Wilson play across the board.

I worry Jackson has become a better player over the course of his injury, I was at Twickenham for the first game of the season in England and if I remember rightly Goode started ahead of him which isn't a good sign to me. Weir also is a better kicker than Jackson and has experience holding his nerve for big moments such as the Italy drop goal, conversely he seems to have less of a natural "feel for the game" and seems to try to force things. We can't afford for slip-ups like the Huget interception in the World Cup. I suppose it's a pretty damning indictment that Russell, whilst immensely talented, is rough round the edges yet relatively unchallenged for the Scotland shirt. I think in many ways both Weir and Jackson have built their careers on not being Dan Parks at a time when the Scottish rugby population, me included, decided to blame all of Scotland's troubles on the sideburned one.

Have to disagree with your there numbers unfortunately.

On top form, Weir is solid at International level at most (Scotland A against the Saxons aside) whereas Jackson has more of a running game. Russell is relatively unchallenged because currently, he has a mix of Weir and Jackson's games X 100 in addition to natural instinct which neither of the other two seem to demonstrate.

It's a tough one alright as to who should join Russell and I'm glad I don't have to make the decision. Common sense would suggest Weir to go due to the length of Jackson's injury and whether he'd be fit and ready in time.

Basically, if anything happens to Russell, we're screwed. 1/4 finals would be the best we can hope for.

I really don't know how much longer we can go on referencing that game as an example of his ability to play ball in hand...

It was several years ago now. Agree on him being fairly solid (having the cojones for that DG v Italy, for example) but he does seem rather prone to the brainfart unfortunately.

I would worry about Jackson given he hasn't actually played for nearly a year. I think his running game would fit our style well, and playing with any of our scrum halves he wouldn't need to worry about kicking goals, but it's a big risk if he's nowhere near match fit.

funnyExiledScot wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:We've got 10 weeks until anything of note happens (other than injuries) - I wonder how much we can keep spinning this out!

Ah, here now. When have we ever run out of things to say?

Who is the most famous (non-rugby) person anyone here has ever met? I served Jane Fonda and media mogul Ted Turner drinks once. I was 21 and working a summer at a Vanderbilt mansion hotel in Newport, RI. I'll tell you something - she was gorgeous even then (15 years ago now).

I've met the Queen - twice. True fact.

The second time for the knighthood?

highland_scot wrote:I really don't know how much longer we can go on referencing that game as an example of his ability to play ball in hand...

It was several years ago now. Agree on him being fairly solid (having the cojones for that DG v Italy, for example) but he does seem rather prone to the brainfart unfortunately.

I would worry about Jackson given he hasn't actually played for nearly a year. I think his running game would fit our style well, and playing with any of our scrum halves he wouldn't need to worry about kicking goals, but it's a big risk if he's nowhere near match fit.

Completely agree. It just goes to show how desperate we are getting if that's all there is to cling onto. I hate to be blunt (as you all know), but quite frankly I don't think Weir is good enough for the Glasgow bench, not if we are serious about Glasgow being a serious challenger in Europe.

Scotland is a different kettle of fish and doesn't have the same ability as a club side to bring in alternative players, but if we are serious about getting this Scotland team to play attacking rugby, I cannot think of a worse combination than Laidlaw and Weir at 9 and 10. Jackson is not a consistent player, but he has abilities with ball in hand that are far closer to Finn Russell, and therefore more consistent with the style of game we are trying to achieve.

I should also add re: Weir that his supposed strengh, his kicking game, has been utterly dreadful this season. Hoofing the ball out on the full, and missing penalties from right in front of the sticks, is becoming the norm with Weir. His passing game was always "something to work on", and other than locating Huget and costing us the game, I've seen little range on his distribution skills. He is a worse player than Dan Parks.

George Carlin wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:We've got 10 weeks until anything of note happens (other than injuries) - I wonder how much we can keep spinning this out!

Ah, here now. When have we ever run out of things to say?

Who is the most famous (non-rugby) person anyone here has ever met? I served Jane Fonda and media mogul Ted Turner drinks once. I was 21 and working a summer at a Vanderbilt mansion hotel in Newport, RI. I'll tell you something - she was gorgeous even then (15 years ago now).

I've met the Queen - twice. True fact.

The second time for the knighthood?

Only yo' momma calls me Lord fES....

highland_scot wrote:

Tattie Scones RRN wrote:

123456789 wrote:I put Harley there as that's where he was listed but I consider him a second row, Ashe and Wilson I pondered for quite a while but plumped for Wilson given his  performance at 7 and therefore a viable substitute option. I know Ashe plays 6 but we have no shortage of players who play 6 and 8, in fact all of our back rows have experience at blindside internationally or club level except Watson, whereas only Barclay and Wilson play across the board.

I worry Jackson has become a better player over the course of his injury, I was at Twickenham for the first game of the season in England and if I remember rightly Goode started ahead of him which isn't a good sign to me. Weir also is a better kicker than Jackson and has experience holding his nerve for big moments such as the Italy drop goal, conversely he seems to have less of a natural "feel for the game" and seems to try to force things. We can't afford for slip-ups like the Huget interception in the World Cup. I suppose it's a pretty damning indictment that Russell, whilst immensely talented, is rough round the edges yet relatively unchallenged for the Scotland shirt. I think in many ways both Weir and Jackson have built their careers on not being Dan Parks at a time when the Scottish rugby population, me included, decided to blame all of Scotland's troubles on the sideburned one.

Have to disagree with your there numbers unfortunately.

On top form, Weir is solid at International level at most (Scotland A against the Saxons aside) whereas Jackson has more of a running game. Russell is relatively unchallenged because currently, he has a mix of Weir and Jackson's games X 100 in addition to natural instinct which neither of the other two seem to demonstrate.

It's a tough one alright as to who should join Russell and I'm glad I don't have to make the decision. Common sense would suggest Weir to go due to the length of Jackson's injury and whether he'd be fit and ready in time.

Basically, if anything happens to Russell, we're screwed. 1/4 finals would be the best we can hope for.

I really don't know how much longer we can go on referencing that game as an example of his ability to play ball in hand...

It was several years ago now. Agree on him being fairly solid (having the cojones for that DG v Italy, for example) but he does seem rather prone to the brainfart unfortunately.

I would worry about Jackson given he hasn't actually played for nearly a year. I think his running game would fit our style well, and playing with any of our scrum halves he wouldn't need to worry about kicking goals, but it's a big risk if he's nowhere near match fit.

Both Jackson and Weir are worrying in their own way. I would almost rather have Horne or Frodo of Bag End as our second 10.

Jackson was actually playing very well for Wasps before he got crocked and impressed a lot of English commentators (a tough crowd). However, he has played no competitive rugby whatsoever since 15 September 2014 and will have no opportunity to do so now in the NH until the warm up games. There are options. He could do what Chris Cusiter did and play club rugby in Australia or NZ for free at whatever level they let him just to get back into the way of things (you'll remember that Cus played for a couple of months for Sydney University). But even if he is able to move, how can anyone assess his ability take contact without a spell overseas? And Jackson may not even have the chance to do that if he is expected to be near a Scotland training camp. It really has to be a big concern.

Weir is an interesting one and I think divides opinions. I think people are in one camp or the other. Weir is either (a) a very good player who has been prevented via coaching experimentation and being unfortunate with injuries from adding to his Scotland cap tally or (b) a very limited player whose skills are now being shown by a younger generation of competitors to be insufficiently rounded for the international game.

I'm afraid that having watched him for his entire professional career, for me it's (b). The fact he looked good in comparison to Phil Godman does not mean that he a very good player. If we just hold our horses and compare him to some of the other fly halves playing rugby in the UK and Ireland at the moment, he does not compare well in terms of skillset and influence. Would we really have him in a side over George Ford, Owen Farell, Freddie Burns, Nick Evans, Danny Cipriani, Gareth Steenson, Paddy Jackson or Dan Biggar? I wouldn't and let's make no mistake, at 24 that is Weir's peer group if he wants to play internationally.

He is broadly comparable to the likes of Tom Catterick, Chris Noakes, Andy Goode, Jimmy Gopperth or Sam Davies, but that's about the best that I can say. He has consistently made mistakes at international level. I am not comfortable watching a 10 whom I feel will throw an intercept pass at any time. Don't get me wrong. I like Weir a lot. However, currently there is Finn Russell and then the rest. Russell, Jackson, Horne, Laidlaw, Uncle Dougie (even after his double heart bypass) and Weir is the current pecking order for me.

funnyExiledScot wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:We've got 10 weeks until anything of note happens (other than injuries) - I wonder how much we can keep spinning this out!

Ah, here now. When have we ever run out of things to say?

Who is the most famous (non-rugby) person anyone here has ever met? I served Jane Fonda and media mogul Ted Turner drinks once. I was 21 and working a summer at a Vanderbilt mansion hotel in Newport, RI. I'll tell you something - she was gorgeous even then (15 years ago now).

I've met the Queen - twice. True fact.

The second time for the knighthood?

Only yo' momma calls me Lord fES....

 She did mention that you left this morning without saying goodbye though which was a bit rude and (to quote her) "certainly not what I pay him for".

It really does worry me that a player like Weir is still in contention for a game in the world cup.

He is limited at best, flawed at worst!

Sure, he is a better rugby player than me, but he is in no way an international class 10!

funnyExiledScot wrote:

I've met the Queen - twice. True fact.

At Her Majesty's Pleasure, was it?

George Carlin wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:We've got 10 weeks until anything of note happens (other than injuries) - I wonder how much we can keep spinning this out!

Ah, here now. When have we ever run out of things to say?

Who is the most famous (non-rugby) person anyone here has ever met? I served Jane Fonda and media mogul Ted Turner drinks once. I was 21 and working a summer at a Vanderbilt mansion hotel in Newport, RI. I'll tell you something - she was gorgeous even then (15 years ago now).

I've met the Queen - twice. True fact.

The second time for the knighthood?

Only yo' momma calls me Lord fES....

 She did mention that you left this morning without saying goodbye though which was a bit rude and (to quote her) "certainly not what I pay him for".

Manners cost extra!

Majestic83 wrote:Look at Ma'a Nonu, he is normally very average in super rugby but as soon as he pulls on the All Blacks jersey he is one of the best players in the world. If the All Blacks selected on current form after a super rugby
season he would have rarely made the cut.

Not this season. He's one of the reasons the Hurricanes are topping the league this season. Previous coaches never got the best out of him at SR level.

Manky-Flanker wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:

I've met the Queen - twice. True fact.

At Her Majesty's Pleasure, was it?

It was whilst at Boarding School, so not dissimilar....

Interestingly all three hookers are converted back rowers, in fact we could potentially end up with Vernon at centre as well so that's 5 back-rows in one team.

123456789 wrote:Interestingly all three hookers are converted back rowers, in fact we could potentially end up with Vernon at centre as well so that's 5 back-rows in one team.

Add in Harley at Lock and you would have 6...

Just imagine SJ's self-love over that!

highland_scot wrote:

123456789 wrote:Interestingly all three hookers are converted back rowers, in fact we could potentially end up with Vernon at centre as well so that's 5 back-rows in one team.

Add in Harley at Lock and you would have 6...

Just imagine SJ's self-love over that!

With that amount of ball above the deck ability we'd be unstoppable!

George Carlin wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:We've got 10 weeks until anything of note happens (other than injuries) - I wonder how much we can keep spinning this out!

Ah, here now. When have we ever run out of things to say?

Who is the most famous (non-rugby) person anyone here has ever met? I served Jane Fonda and media mogul Ted Turner drinks once. I was 21 and working a summer at a Vanderbilt mansion hotel in Newport, RI. I'll tell you something - she was gorgeous even then (15 years ago now).

Got invited down to the BBC 3 years ago & met, crisp flogger extraordinaire, Gary Lineker!



Really nice guy & surprisingly accommodating given my total lack of knowledge about football!

GLove39 wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:We've got 10 weeks until anything of note happens (other than injuries) - I wonder how much we can keep spinning this out!

Ah, here now. When have we ever run out of things to say?

Who is the most famous (non-rugby) person anyone here has ever met? I served Jane Fonda and media mogul Ted Turner drinks once. I was 21 and working a summer at a Vanderbilt mansion hotel in Newport, RI. I'll tell you something - she was gorgeous even then (15 years ago now).

Got invited down to the BBC 3 years ago & met, crisp flogger extraordinaire, Gary Lineker!



Really nice guy & surprisingly accommodating given my total lack of knowledge about football!

surprised he lowered himself to speaking to a ginger!

RDW_Scotland wrote:Genuine question - does the recent season's form really count for much when they have a few weeks holiday then 8 weeks of pre-season training before playing a game again??

For some of the MFL players the first pre-season game will be over 6 months since they last played a competitive match.

Fixed that for you. No charge

A few years ago I was on the Monday Night Ran-Dan with Tony the Best Man and we fell into The Aragon in Byres Road. (I think that was the name). As we were perusing the gantry we noticed a framed black and white picture behind the bottles. Palm trees silhouetted against a tropical sky, two men holding fruity cocktails and wearing Hawaiian shirts, smiling at the camera. I mentioned that the white fella with the ruddy cheeks and brylcreamed hair had Glasgow publican written all over him, but the other one looked very familiar. Best Man said he reminded him of Tony Osiba, the actor who appeared in Porridge, as he drank in the west end. Got it, I cried it's Pele. We got into a heated discussion over whether the greatest footballer of all time would be drinking in Byres Road which lasted until we called the barman over.
"What photie?" says he.
"Fecc me. How long's that been there?" At which point he takes it out and uses the dish towel to scrape years of dust from the glass.
After pondering long and hard he says...
"I don't know who the other fella is but that's definitely John the Landlord on his holidays."

Meeting famous people isn't always the adventure you think it will be.

tigertattie wrote:

GLove39 wrote:

George Carlin wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:We've got 10 weeks until anything of note happens (other than injuries) - I wonder how much we can keep spinning this out!

Ah, here now. When have we ever run out of things to say?

Who is the most famous (non-rugby) person anyone here has ever met? I served Jane Fonda and media mogul Ted Turner drinks once. I was 21 and working a summer at a Vanderbilt mansion hotel in Newport, RI. I'll tell you something - she was gorgeous even then (15 years ago now).

Got invited down to the BBC 3 years ago & met, crisp flogger extraordinaire, Gary Lineker!



Really nice guy & surprisingly accommodating given my total lack of knowledge about football!

surprised he lowered himself to speaking to a ginger!

What's the procedure for reporting bullying on this forum?