Edinburgh and Glasgow – Continuing patter version 22 (it used to be a squad size)

First topic message reminder :

With the woes and injuries in the international camp just depressing us, lets look back to the club game.

Possible areas of discussion:
Edinburgh continue to hold the 1872 trophy
Edinburgh are getting a new ground
Edinburgh have a home Euro Champs cup game to look forward to
Edinburgh have a league fixture against the perpetual point givers, Glasgow, to look forward to
BigGee’s proposed Scotland XV for England has 8 Edinburgh players, 4 exiles and 3 Glasgow players so even the International team is starting to look representative of where rugby in Scotland truly exists.
It’s not all bad for Glasgow though as they sit above Munster in the Pro 14 and have Stafford McDowell on their books
Edinburgh have Hamish Watson though

https://twitter.com/SDM_Robertson/status/1115922782901211136

Rob Robertson getting in on the Cruden rumours and giving it more legs!

Tattie, have you checked with Macron that they have a Glasgow top in your size available?

Bear in mind that Rennie effectively discovered and mentored Cruden at Manawatu, so it's not as mad as all that.

If you were to ask people on these boards which team Cruden played for, everyone apart from WhoCares would have had to Google it.

Cruden has also expressed frustration at how slow and structured backline play is in France and talked about how it's not his natural style. If you have Hastings who could swap to full back, perhaps it is attractive for a player to move to their old coach for a team which attacks in the way that you want to as a player.

That said, I will also buy Tattie a soapdodger shirt if Cruden comes.

tigertattie wrote:

jimbopip wrote:Tattie, Bru hasn't the venom , or upper body strength, to be predatory. He is one life's outside halves.

Hagia Sophia...on the other hand  


PPS, there is no Mrs Tattie which is why I've no wrinkles on my face and continue to have a happy outlook on life.
Is this from the Luvvies Initiation Ceremony?

Nah, it's jsut that all the hot burds seem to be west of Livingstone

All the hot burds live in Whitburn??? who knew?!

George Carlin wrote:Bear in mind that Rennie effectively discovered and mentored Cruden at Manawatu, so it's not as mad as all that.

If you were to ask people on these boards which team Cruden played for, everyone apart from WhoCares would have had to Google it.

Cruden has also expressed frustration at how slow and structured backline play is in France and talked about how it's not his natural style. If you have Hastings who could swap to full back, perhaps it is attractive for a player to move to their old coach for a team which attacks in the way that you want to as a player.

That said, I will also buy Tattie a soapdodger shirt if Cruden comes.

So Tattie, you could end up with a home and an away shirt, so the important question then becomes do you look better in black or light blue?

George Carlin wrote:Bear in mind that Rennie effectively discovered and mentored Cruden at Manawatu, so it's not as mad as all that.

If you were to ask people on these boards which team Cruden played for, everyone apart from WhoCares would have had to Google it.

Cruden has also expressed frustration at how slow and structured backline play is in France and talked about how it's not his natural style. If you have Hastings who could swap to full back, perhaps it is attractive for a player to move to their old coach for a team which attacks in the way that you want to as a player.

That said, I will also buy Tattie a soapdodger shirt if Cruden comes.

Yup, and I think was his coach through the NZ U20's as well - there was an article I read a while ago talking about how close they are.

I could see this happening actually - Hastings could dovetail at 15, where he looked very good for Scotland. I also don't think it would be necessarily a bad thing for him to play there on the odd occasion - didn't do Beauden Barrett any harm.

Cruden signed a two year contract with Pelly, with the option of a third year.

As GC has said, his time there has been less than stellar and he will likely be moving on somewhere this summer.

His market value will also have dropped, possibly to a level that Glasgow can afford.

He only is looking initially for a one year contract. Well that might work out well for both parties. If he has become a permacroc and can't regain his old form, then not so much of a risk. It also works well with our WC situation when we are going to be short of players for a large part of next season. Hastings playing FB in the big games would also solve us a problem of the post Hogg dilemma.

For Crudden, a one year deal lets him test the water and not get stuck somewhere he clearly has not been happy in like Montpellier. It also ties him to the future fortunes of DR and what he decides to do at the end of next year.

It still sounds crazy, but yet it might just work!

http://glasgowwarriors.org/news/19/04/10/tight-head-duo-sign-until-2021

Two more THs signed up.

Adam Nicol, who has been touted as a future star and Charlie Capps who was farmed out to Stad Nicois for this season. Both get two year deals, so must be well thought about by the coaching staff.

The Stade Nicois link up is proving fruitful, they do seem to see it as a useful place to toughen up a few young players.

BigGee wrote:http://glasgowwarriors.org/news/19/04/10/tight-head-duo-sign-until-2021

Two more THs signed up.

Adam Nicol, who has been touted as a future star and Charlie Capps who was farmed out to Stad Nicois for this season. Both get two year deals, so must be well thought about by the coaching staff.

The Stade Nicois link up is proving fruitful, they do seem to see it as a useful place to toughen up a few young players.

I really rate Nicol and have been slightly surprised he hasn't had more game time this season - he was brilliant at U20 level and I (believe) forced Fagerson to play at loosehead? Never head of the other guy, but not doubt its good news that there is another SQ TH kicking about.

George Carlin wrote:Bear in mind that Rennie effectively discovered and mentored Cruden at Manawatu, so it's not as mad as all that.

If you were to ask people on these boards which team Cruden played for, everyone apart from WhoCares would have had to Google it.

Cruden has also expressed frustration at how slow and structured backline play is in France and talked about how it's not his natural style. If you have Hastings who could swap to full back, perhaps it is attractive for a player to move to their old coach for a team which attacks in the way that you want to as a player.

That said, I will also buy JIMBOa soapdodger shirt if Cruden comes.

Thanks George, I don't have one of the Cardiff Camouflage Blue ones and my black one seems to have inexplicably shrunk across my waistline. Also according to Messrs Shyster, Flywheel and Shyster the above is a binding contract and you are the party of the first part. And there ain't no Sanity Clause.

On the serious side...

Both Adam Nicol and Andy Capp are TH's and DR said two TH's: does this mean no Shrek?


Nicol Looks like a proper tight head, whereas Andy Capp looks like he could play inside centre.

Here's a thought;

9. Small Horne

10. DR's adopted son

11. DTH

12. That Try

13. Seaman

14. Tenessee Tam

15. Haircut.

Now if we can get a pack which gives us a lot of front foot ball.

Jeez, Nicol looks an absolute unit.

Re: Cruden
Just to add to the circumstantial evidence I seem to remember he was linked with Bath around the time they announced that Priestland was surplus to requirements.

Priestland now back in the fold after Bath admitted that they hadn’t managed to land other targets...

Co-incidence?

jimbopip wrote:On the serious side...

Both Adam Nicol and Andy Capp are TH's and DR said two TH's: does this mean no Shrek?

Shrek is a LH so DR’s comments on THs probably don’t apply to him. But then I’ve not seen DRs comments so couldn’t say for sure.

EST wrote:

BigGee wrote:http://glasgowwarriors.org/news/19/04/10/tight-head-duo-sign-until-2021

Two more THs signed up.

Adam Nicol, who has been touted as a future star and Charlie Capps who was farmed out to Stad Nicois for this season. Both get two year deals, so must be well thought about by the coaching staff.

The Stade Nicois link up is proving fruitful, they do seem to see it as a useful place to toughen up a few young players.

I really rate Nicol and have been slightly surprised he hasn't had more game time this season - he was brilliant at U20 level and I (believe) forced Fagerson to play at loosehead? Never head of the other guy, but not doubt its good news that there is another SQ TH kicking about.

It's been widely reported that Fagerson forced McCallum to play LH during their U20 days, not sure about Nicol

I don't think Fagerson and Nicol actually crossed over that much at U20 level.

Fagerson got pulled into the full Glasgow squad in his last year as an U20 and was also capped. He did not actually play all that much for the juniors that year and Nicol took up the mantle.

I've bought my ticket, packed my lunch and have already optimistically boarded the Cruden to Glasgow hype train (choo choo).

Here I was, about to crack open a celebration tinny ready for the journey when I noticed a sobbing fellow in the corner. Why it's an Edinburgh fan. Cheer up little fellow, at least you'll get a nice away day to Siberia in November in the Challenge Cup.

EWT Spoons wrote:

EST wrote:

BigGee wrote:http://glasgowwarriors.org/news/19/04/10/tight-head-duo-sign-until-2021

Two more THs signed up.

Adam Nicol, who has been touted as a future star and Charlie Capps who was farmed out to Stad Nicois for this season. Both get two year deals, so must be well thought about by the coaching staff.

The Stade Nicois link up is proving fruitful, they do seem to see it as a useful place to toughen up a few young players.

I really rate Nicol and have been slightly surprised he hasn't had more game time this season - he was brilliant at U20 level and I (believe) forced Fagerson to play at loosehead? Never head of the other guy, but not doubt its good news that there is another SQ TH kicking about.

It's been widely reported that Fagerson forced McCallum to play LH during their U20 days, not sure about Nicol

Ahh, perhaps that's where i'm picking that up from - I certainly remember him (Nicol) being a bit of a beast at Jnr level, as Eejit mentioned - he is a brick of a man.

So apparently Edinburgh have signed a Senior Scrum Half. My first thoughts were Ruaan Pienaar but he’s contracted until 2020 at Montpellier. Second thoughts the return of Laidlaw? Otherwise I’m not sure. The fact they can’t reveal who it is must mean it’s soneone fairly high profile right?


https://theoffsideline.com/edinburgh-have-recruited-a-senior-scrum-half-says-richard-cockerill/

bsando wrote:So apparently Edinburgh have signed a Senior Scrum Half. My first thoughts were Ruaan Pienaar but he’s contracted until 2020 at Montpellier. Second thoughts the return of Laidlaw? Otherwise I’m not sure. The fact they can’t reveal who it is must mean it’s soneone fairly high profile right?

Probably Frodo, to speed up the game when Henners gets tired.

bsando wrote:So apparently Edinburgh have signed a Senior Scrum Half. My first thoughts were Ruaan Pienaar but he’s contracted until 2020 at Montpellier. Second thoughts the return of Laidlaw? Otherwise I’m not sure. The fact they can’t reveal who it is must mean it’s soneone fairly high profile right?


https://theoffsideline.com/edinburgh-have-recruited-a-senior-scrum-half-says-richard-cockerill/

All the chat says Nic Groom from South Africa, Stormers I think. Apparently all the Edinburgh Saffers families have been chatting about it on the book of face!

BigGee wrote:

bsando wrote:So apparently Edinburgh have signed a Senior Scrum Half. My first thoughts were Ruaan Pienaar but he’s contracted until 2020 at Montpellier. Second thoughts the return of Laidlaw? Otherwise I’m not sure. The fact they can’t reveal who it is must mean it’s soneone fairly high profile right?


https://theoffsideline.com/edinburgh-have-recruited-a-senior-scrum-half-says-richard-cockerill/

All the chat says Nic Groom from South Africa, Stormers I think. Apparently all the Edinburgh Saffers families have been chatting about it on the book of face!

Aye it's the worst kept secret going. Of course this could be some cunning plan to throw everyone off the scent, but seems likely it's Groom.

BigGee wrote:

George Carlin wrote:Bear in mind that Rennie effectively discovered and mentored Cruden at Manawatu, so it's not as mad as all that.

If you were to ask people on these boards which team Cruden played for, everyone apart from WhoCares would have had to Google it.

Cruden has also expressed frustration at how slow and structured backline play is in France and talked about how it's not his natural style. If you have Hastings who could swap to full back, perhaps it is attractive for a player to move to their old coach for a team which attacks in the way that you want to as a player.

That said, I will also buy Tattie a soapdodger shirt if Cruden comes.

So Tattie, you could end up with a home and an away shirt, so the important question then becomes do you look better in black or light blue?

Oh deffo the black as it will darken the areas with wobbly bits.

PS, Macron do not actually make any strips in my size. Why they stop at 50 inch chests is beyond me, they are a feckin rugby clothing manufacturer for goodness sake! Surely to goodness they make large sizes for folk like Keeble or Shrek???

tigertattie wrote:

BigGee wrote:

George Carlin wrote:Bear in mind that Rennie effectively discovered and mentored Cruden at Manawatu, so it's not as mad as all that.

If you were to ask people on these boards which team Cruden played for, everyone apart from WhoCares would have had to Google it.

Cruden has also expressed frustration at how slow and structured backline play is in France and talked about how it's not his natural style. If you have Hastings who could swap to full back, perhaps it is attractive for a player to move to their old coach for a team which attacks in the way that you want to as a player.

That said, I will also buy Tattie a soapdodger shirt if Cruden comes.

So Tattie, you could end up with a home and an away shirt, so the important question then becomes do you look better in black or light blue?

Oh deffo the black as it will darken the areas with wobbly bits.

PS, Macron do not actually make any strips in my size. Why they stop at 50 inch chests is beyond me, they are a feckin rugby clothing manufacturer for goodness sake! Surely to goodness they make large sizes for folk like Keeble or Shrek???

That's ok, you can just frame them and put them up on your wall then. If we ask Cruden nicely, he might even sign one for you!

As predicted, Munster have gone full B team for their trip to Italy on Friday night.

Good for Glasgow, not so much for Edinburgh unfortunately.

BigGee wrote:

tigertattie wrote:

BigGee wrote:

George Carlin wrote:Bear in mind that Rennie effectively discovered and mentored Cruden at Manawatu, so it's not as mad as all that.

If you were to ask people on these boards which team Cruden played for, everyone apart from WhoCares would have had to Google it.

Cruden has also expressed frustration at how slow and structured backline play is in France and talked about how it's not his natural style. If you have Hastings who could swap to full back, perhaps it is attractive for a player to move to their old coach for a team which attacks in the way that you want to as a player.

That said, I will also buy Tattie a soapdodger shirt if Cruden comes.

So Tattie, you could end up with a home and an away shirt, so the important question then becomes do you look better in black or light blue?

Oh deffo the black as it will darken the areas with wobbly bits.

PS, Macron do not actually make any strips in my size. Why they stop at 50 inch chests is beyond me, they are a feckin rugby clothing manufacturer for goodness sake! Surely to goodness they make large sizes for folk like Keeble or Shrek???

That's ok, you can just frame them and put them up on your wall then. If we ask Cruden nicely, he might even sign one for you!

I'll take it lol

Also, Munster are clearly being muppets by rubbing salt in the Edinburgh wounds by sticking out a diddy team at the weekend.

I'm hoping it turns into one of these games where as it's a "B" team, not only do the Munster boys play a great game to stake a claim for the jersey, but also the Itallains take them lightly and end up playing below par!

It really is going to go right to the wire this season eh

tigertattie wrote:

BigGee wrote:

tigertattie wrote:

BigGee wrote:

George Carlin wrote:Bear in mind that Rennie effectively discovered and mentored Cruden at Manawatu, so it's not as mad as all that.

If you were to ask people on these boards which team Cruden played for, everyone apart from WhoCares would have had to Google it.

Cruden has also expressed frustration at how slow and structured backline play is in France and talked about how it's not his natural style. If you have Hastings who could swap to full back, perhaps it is attractive for a player to move to their old coach for a team which attacks in the way that you want to as a player.

That said, I will also buy Tattie a soapdodger shirt if Cruden comes.

So Tattie, you could end up with a home and an away shirt, so the important question then becomes do you look better in black or light blue?

Oh deffo the black as it will darken the areas with wobbly bits.

PS, Macron do not actually make any strips in my size. Why they stop at 50 inch chests is beyond me, they are a feckin rugby clothing manufacturer for goodness sake! Surely to goodness they make large sizes for folk like Keeble or Shrek???

That's ok, you can just frame them and put them up on your wall then. If we ask Cruden nicely, he might even sign one for you!

I'll take it lol

Also, Munster are clearly being muppets by rubbing salt in the Edinburgh wounds by sticking out a diddy team at the weekend.

I'm hoping it turns into one of  these games where as it's a "B" team, not only do the Munster boys play a great game to stake a claim for the jersey, but also the Itallains take them lightly and end up playing below par!

It really is going to go right to the wire this season eh

Being an Edinburgh fan as long as you have it’s a wonder there are any straws left unclutched.

Thats not straw clutching, thats just hoping for a good outcome following some skulduggery from Munster

Proper clutching at straws is continuing to harp on about how Glasgow once fluked a championship (it was in a lions year anyway so doesnt count) and also claiming that they will be champions again one days (of the Pro 14 or the 1872 cup)

Munster up by 4 away to Treviso at the moment. It feels instinctively wrong for me to be cheering a team in green.

Whoever the commentator is in this game makes Jiffy looks neutral.

Well Edinburgh got stuffed and Munster got an unexpected bonus point win!

Well hard to see Edinburgh qualifying now, they have got to look at the playoff for the 7th spot. Even that is not a given if Scarlets clean up their points

Glasgow's fate is now in their own hands. You can't really argue with that, if we are going to win the league then we need to beat the best teams

Scarlets have Zebre and Dragons. By any metric you’d expect them to win both with max points to finish on 55.

Treviso have Zebre away and again, you’d expect a five point win against a very poor Zebre team to finish on 57 points.

The playoffs are in all likelihood gone for Embra now and We’ll know exactly what they need to finish 4th but they’ll have to beat us at Scotstoun.

All bets are off for the derby, but I think Cockers has proper flogged his first team these past few weeks. The two wins vs Glasgow came at a time we were bang out of form but we have a few on the bounce now, and we should really be putting a bit of a hammering on them next week all things considered.

Plenty to play for yet!

https://theoffsideline.com/dave-rennie-aaron-cruden/

Dave Rennie keeping his cards close to the chest regarding the Cruden situation

My inner Kremlinologist says if DR wasn't trying to sign Crudden he'd come right out and say so. All this, "We can't comment....." suggests there is an offer, Crudden is open to moving to the Dear Green Place, his agent id doing his job and either tying up all the loose ends or waiting to see if any one else make shim an offer he can't refuse.
GC, better put down the deposit on Tigertatties' Warriors jersey. Blacks of Greenock have his measurements and are cannabilising a couple of old Boy Scout Bell tents even as we speak.

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/slimmed-down-scottish-giant-gray-reveling-in-new-physique-after-losing-four-or-five-kilos

A new slimline Richie Gray lets us know where he is at!

Losing 4 or 5 kilos? I can do that by skipping lunch

Not that I’d ever skip lunch

Mark Palmer interview with Alex Dunbar in the Sunday Times.

It looks as if it was a mutual decesion for him to move on from Scotstoun and that he would not have been retained in any case. Hope he can find his form again.


Ask Alex Dunbar to describe the past five months and he says it’s like he’s “fallen off a cliff.” He’s still confident he can find a way back up, but the experience has forced him to reassess the past, the present and the future. Forced him to make changes while making peace with the things he cannot change.

As recently as last November, 31-cap Dunbar was a starting centre for two of Scotland’s autumn Tests and came off the bench in a third. He wasn’t quite up at peak rumbling levels with ball in hand or as effective as we know he can be on the floor, but he still looked like he was beginning to emerge from more than 12 months of injury troubles.


In the 2017-18 season, Dave Rennie’s first at Glasgow, he had knee surgery, two head injuries, and issues with his thigh and ankle. He didn’t feature in the Six Nations, wasn’t selected for the Pro14 semi-final then missed the summer tour after pulling a hamstring in training.



Season of frustration: Alex Dunbar is desperate for game time to try to force his way back into contention for a World Cup place

Season of frustration: Alex Dunbar is desperate for game time to try to force his way back into contention for a World Cup place
CHARLIE CROWHURST

If that first year under Rennie was all stop-start, this one never got going. Benched for much of the pre-November action, Dunbar was an even more peripheral figure when he came back. Two weeks after playing in front of a Murrayfield full house, he turned out for Ayr against Heriot’s on the same day that Glasgow were at Lyon in the Champions Cup.

With Stafford McDowall on the rise, Peter Horne, Sam Johnson and Nick Grigg having credit in the bank and Huw Jones a Test-won reputation, there was always going to be at least one odd man out among the Glasgow centres. The problem for Dunbar was that it was invariably him.




“You can understand if you play badly, make a couple of mistakes then don’t get back in. But to go from Test rugby to being told you’re not even in contention for club games, you’re thinking, ‘What’s going on?’,” says the 28-year-old, who only started once for Glasgow between the November Tests and a January 29 move to Newcastle Falcons. “Most of the time this year I was fully fit. It was just, ‘You’re not involved this week, you’re not involved this week, you’re not involved this week.’

“When you’re struggling for gametime, even if you do get a chance, you’re that split second off, that half-step away from doing something well. I made a few mistakes through being a bit rusty, and in my last few months there it felt like unless you were man of the match, you were going to get dropped anyway.”



–– ADVERTISEMENT ––








Dunbar has been back through it many times in his own head. Wondering if he could have done anything differently, wondering if he should have left in 2017 when there was big money on offer in France. He maintained dialogue with Rennie, whose message was consistent.

“Most of the conversations weren’t negative. It was just, ‘You’re in the most competitive position and you’re going to have to wait for gametime.’ That was hard to take, because I’m not someone who can be comfortable just being there not playing, and when I’m feeling good like I was after the November Tests, I feel I can contribute a lot. I’m still confident that, around the club, how I approached training and games, I kept focus and did my job. It was always all about the club and the team for that weekend.

“Looking back, there were probably a few more signs, but what happened after November was the biggest one that I needed to do something. I couldn’t keep trying to do the same thing when nothing was going to change. They obviously had their mind made up on who they wanted, who they saw as being the starters. But just to fall off a cliff: that was the hardest bit.”

Although Dunbar was out of contract in May, another five months of the same wasn’t going to help anyone. Falcons came in with a short-term deal that takes him to the end of the season.

“Rugby’s something you love to do, but the enjoyment went a bit, I felt a bit drained,” says Dunbar of the last part of a nine-year Scotstoun stint that saw him make 119 appearances. “Newcastle was something fresh, a good club with good people where I could try to get the enjoyment back. I don’t know if I’d say I got into a comfort zone after all that time at Glasgow, but a change was needed.”

Frustration upon frustration, Dunbar suffered a groin tear in his second outing for the Falcons, missing seven weeks. He captained the A team last week then came off the bench for the firsts at Saracens, but when Leicester called on Friday, there was no place for him to join flatmate John Hardie in the matchday 23. With three games left in this campaign, Dunbar doesn’t know where he will spend the next one.

“I’m fully fit, my body feels good and I’ve still got hopefully another three or four good years in there. Hopefully I’ll get games over the next few weeks, and we’ll see where we are after that.”

At this point, it feels almost cruel to mention the World Cup. The rise of Johnson, McDowall, Kyle Steyn and Rory Hutchinson means Gregor Townsend has new options to play with, yet Dunbar’s ability to break the gainline, marshal the defence and add to the breakdown has always been a compelling package. What the Scotland coach needs to see is proof of its continued existence.

“He said to get back playing and enjoying my rugby, then we’ll see how things go,” says Dunbar, whose Six Nations involvement was a belated and very temporary call-up to the training squad before the Italy opener. “The conversations I’ve had have all been pretty positive and the World Cup is that carrot. Obviously you’re desperate to play in it. I know my ability, I know that if I can string a few games together, I can get myself right back up there, so the focus is staying fit and playing well. There are so many different ways it could play out.”

Dunbar has yet to sample a World Cup, having been injured in 2015. He showed resilience then, just as he had three years previously, when a late-season burst of form convinced Glasgow to revisit their decision to free him.

“That was the closest I’ve been to thinking rugby wasn’t going to work out. I looked into going back into farming, and with my parents having moved to Tasmania, it was an option to go out there as well. In the space of six weeks, I had a new contract and was being called into the Scotland squad.

“I feel like, ability-wise, there’s still a lot more rugby in there, a lot more good times. I’ve had a few frustrating days, but I’ve never thought, I really don’t want to go back in tomorrow. I’m desperate to prove myself again. When you fall off the radar, you get more determined to get back to where you think you should be.”

Things change quickly in this game, for both good and bad. As Dunbar looks ahead, that fact may offer solace.

So it's 1872 week and Glasgow are flying high, on great form full of confidence having put some big wins in lately. Conversely Edinburgh are limping home with burnt out players, low on confidence and playing a poor brand of rugby. So based on previous years you know what that's going to mean for the series:

3-0 Edinburgh

RDW wrote:So it's 1872 week and Glasgow are flying high, on great form full of confidence having put some big wins in lately. Conversely Edinburgh are limping home with burnt out players, low on confidence and playing a poor brand of rugby. So based on previous years you know what that's going to mean for the series:

3-0 Edinburgh

nonsense. We'll be beating the unwashed by far more than that. Their defense is utterly pourous and their backrow has as much teeth as a chocoholic from the gorbals.

Before the bigotry thread goes up I'll try and be as unbiased as possible...

Glasgow's defence has been so much better recently against far better teams than Edinburgh. It really is the wrong time for a misfiring Edinburgh to be playing Glasgow, who are back in form after a really miserable winter against a team with no cover that has been played into the ground. This could be an absolute rollicking.

All signs point to a comfortable Glasgow win here. The only caveat to that is that we've been here many times before (8 out of the last 10 to be exact!) and Glasgow will have that in the back of their minds.

This is basically Edinburgh's end of season cup final - lose it and the season is most likely over. It's not a forgone conclusion by any means. We've gone into these games on worse form and Glasgow on better and still won. We beat you under Solomons FFS, in the season that you won the league!

I may be talking baws here but:

By the time this game is played, Treviso will have likely beaten Zebre, probably with a bonus point to get third (and well done to them, what an achievement for Italian rugby).

Scarlets will likely have minced the Dragons at the Dave to be sitting in fourth on 55 points with an enormous points difference.

Edinburgh will go into this game needing to win with a bonus point to finish fourth. If Munster lose earlier in the day Glasgow will already have finished top. Regardless of outcome, any sort of Glasgow win clinches a home semi.

RDW wrote:So it's 1872 week and Glasgow are flying high, on great form full of confidence having put some big wins in lately. Conversely Edinburgh are limping home with burnt out players, low on confidence and playing a poor brand of rugby. So based on previous years you know what that's going to mean for the series:

3-0 Edinburgh

Does it matter the game is next week not this?

Woops - I guess both teams get a weekend off this week!

Eejit wrote:I may be talking baws here but:

By the time this game is played, Treviso will have likely beaten Zebre, probably with a bonus point to get third (and well done to them, what an achievement for Italian rugby).

Scarlets will likely have minced the Dragons at the Dave to be sitting in fourth on 55 points with an enormous points difference.

Edinburgh will go into this game needing to win with a bonus point to finish fourth. If Munster lose earlier in the day Glasgow will already have finished top. Regardless of outcome, any sort of Glasgow win clinches a home semi.

Sorry I know this is just pedantic, but the Munster game kicks off at the same time. Unless Munster or Connacht take a massive early lead then Glasgow won’t know what they need.

I wish we were playing Edinburgh this weekend. They looked absolutely cooked last game, nothing left in the tank and they would be there for the taking.

A week off might give them the chance to recover, physically at any rate, though psychologically they know their season is done and is going to take a miracle to even get a 4th place now.

EWT Spoons wrote:

Eejit wrote:I may be talking baws here but:

By the time this game is played, Treviso will have likely beaten Zebre, probably with a bonus point to get third (and well done to them, what an achievement for Italian rugby).

Scarlets will likely have minced the Dragons at the Dave to be sitting in fourth on 55 points with an enormous points difference.

Edinburgh will go into this game needing to win with a bonus point to finish fourth. If Munster lose earlier in the day Glasgow will already have finished top. Regardless of outcome, any sort of Glasgow win clinches a home semi.

Sorry I know this is just pedantic, but the Munster game kicks off at the same time.  Unless Munster or Connacht take a massive early lead then Glasgow won’t know what they need.

Right you are, I thought the Cardiff game was at the same time as us for some reason.

Being completely honest we don't deserve to be in the Champions Cup next season based on our league form, although our performances in Europe showed that we can compete at that level.

Cockers has to learn to rotate - all the Scottish journos have a fairly cosy relationship with him so i can't see anyone putting him on the spot about it, but I really wish someone would call him up on it to see what he thinks. Of course he will say that the performances of our B team showed why he couldn't rotate, but that misses the point that the B team had so little gametime that numerous players were thrust into action having barely played.

And it's not just B-team players - I know Schoeman and Nel are first choice, but Dell and Berghan are top class player would be first choice in a lot of other Pro 14 teams so should have had more starts. Hickey's form nosedived this season, and part of that would be due to him sitting on the bench and not playing week in week out.

I thought not having Kinghorn was an enormous blow for Edinburgh. Graham did not have a good game at all and looks so vulnerable at full back. Hoyland is seriously lacking defensively and I didn't even realise VDM2 was playing!

Despite Glasgow's issues back row that is really unbalanced there is still a gulf in class between these two sides and Glasgow really need to front up and show it in two weeks.

Our weakest point defensively is out wide - partly due to individuals abilities but also due to our system which is incredibly passive. We basically stand off and let teams run at us which means they make huge ground at ease out wide.

Unfortunately Glagow's biggest strength is their wide attack!

As the Christmas games showed though if we can strangle up front and get in their faces in the midfield Glasgow's attack will be limited. I would bring Dean and JJ back for this one - Scott and Bennett are off the pace just now.

RDW wrote:Our weakest point defensively is out wide - partly due to individuals abilities but also due to our system which is incredibly passive. We basically stand off and let teams run at us which means they make huge ground at ease out wide.

Unfortunately Glagow's biggest strength is their wide attack!

As the Christmas games showed though if we can strangle up front and get in their faces in the midfield Glasgow's attack will be limited. I would bring Dean and JJ back for this one - Scott and Bennett are off the pace just now.

Absolutely agree, both Dean and Johnstone have played a major part in Edinburgh's season and deserve to start. Scott & Bennett look way off the pace, and I can only imagine what Sam Johnson would do them.

Is it just me or have Glasgow's tight five finally come good, minus Oli Kebble the penalty machine?