France v Scotland 6N Championship Sunday 26th February 2023

First topic message reminder :

France v Scotland
6 Nations Championship
The Auld Alliance Trophy

Stade de France
Paris

Sunday 26th February 2023
KO 15.00


Well onto the third round of matches and Scotland v France gets the sunday afternoon slot this time around.

Not many would have given Scotland a chance for this game at the start of the competition, but now it may be a bit closer than first imagined.

Scotland did win on their last visit to the Stade, albeit in an empty stadium and over the years have not actually had a bad record against the French, even when we were poor. Scotland are on a run, have a settled side, few injury worries and a mixture of confidence and control that we have not seen for quite some time.

Steady on though, this is France we are playing and they are at home. They are one of the two best sides in the world on current form, even if they have flattered to deceive a bit in their last two games. They will not want to lose this match and go one from three and have all the old accusations about being a flakey team come right back to haunt them after having largely put that moniker to bed over the past few years. You would fancy that they will try and steam roller Scotland in the way that England did, only they are better than England and will maybe be more successful. If they get a decent lead in the game they will be all but impossible to haul back.

So any chance for Scotland will involve them simply managing to stay in the game and to weather the French onslaught, which will surely come. If it is close at the end, a big if, then Scotland may be the fitter team and they have certainly finished their last two games very strongly.

All the smart money is still going to be on a French win, but it might be close and for Scotland, there is certainly some hope. My gues at our team is something along these lines:

1. Schoeman
2. Turner
3. Fagerson Z
4. Gray R
5. Gilchrist
6. Fagerson M
7. Ritchie - capt
8. Dempsey - MoM performance on friday might swing it
9. White
10. Russell
11. DVDM
12. Tuipolotu
13. Jones
14. Steyn
15. Kinghorn

Subs

Bhatti
Brown
Nel
Gray
Skinner
Price - had his best game of the season on friday
Redpath
Hogg

I'd say my predictions are good but it's literally someone involved in the set up that tells me everything the day before the team is announced to the public

Tramptastic wrote:I'd say my predictions are good but it's literally someone involved in the set up that tells me everything the day before the team is announced to the public

Then RDW comes along 8 hours later, recycles your info and claims all the credit when it turns out to be right!

It's a tough old life eh Trampy, but keep up the vital insider line job, we appreciate you!

Indeed, when Tom English plagiarises us it's flattering in a pathetically needy way. When we plagiarise ourselves it's just mad so it is.
Traumatic, DM  GC and ask how much he'd charge to sue the scales off Flounder. Best ask how much he'll charge for a quote first.

jimbopip wrote:Indeed, when Tom English plagiarises us it's flattering in a pathetically needy way. When we plagiarise ourselves it's just mad so it is.
Traumatic, DM  GC and ask how much he'd charge to sue the scales off Flounder. Best at how much he'll charge for a quote first.

It's happened. Jimbo gave me a nickname. 606v2 challenge complete!

I haven't the heart to tell him it was the autocorrect spellchecker. Tamptastic has suffered some premature Jock elation.
Which, come to think of it is quite traumatic.

So. Traumatic it is.

Please say that's how you've come up with all the nicknames

Weeks of fasting and long nights of self denial.
Traumatic so it is.

jimbopip wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:Hmmm, slightly worried about that team selection to be honest. Disagree with Watson coming in, and see little value in having both J Gray and Skinner on the bench.

Doomed ah tell ye, doomed!!!

I've heard that before. With this in mind, I think I will put another 20 down on Scotland. Just trying to help yer out, matey.

Under 20s, ref shouts tackle, Scotland move away, french carrier moves forward scores a try. Surely that can’t be given?

TheMildlyFranticLlama wrote:

Tramptastic wrote:I'd say my predictions are good but it's literally someone involved in the set up that tells me everything the day before the team is announced to the public

Then RDW comes along 8 hours later, recycles your info and claims all the credit when it turns out to be right!  

It's a tough old life eh Trampy, but keep up the vital insider line job, we appreciate you!

Lol sorry Tramp. When there's hunners of posts to read through when I get up in the morning I do miss things.

And my 'source' is some bloke off Twitter!

I would love to find out who your mole is though...

RDW wrote:

TheMildlyFranticLlama wrote:

Tramptastic wrote:I'd say my predictions are good but it's literally someone involved in the set up that tells me everything the day before the team is announced to the public

Then RDW comes along 8 hours later, recycles your info and claims all the credit when it turns out to be right!  

It's a tough old life eh Trampy, but keep up the vital insider line job, we appreciate you!

Lol sorry Tramp. When there's hunners of posts to read through when I get up in the morning I do miss things.

And my 'source' is some bloke off Twitter!

I would love to find out who your mole is though...

That was MrsPip's first words to me...except she she wanted to find out where my mole was.

jimbopip wrote:

RDW wrote:

TheMildlyFranticLlama wrote:

Tramptastic wrote:I'd say my predictions are good but it's literally someone involved in the set up that tells me everything the day before the team is announced to the public

Then RDW comes along 8 hours later, recycles your info and claims all the credit when it turns out to be right!  

It's a tough old life eh Trampy, but keep up the vital insider line job, we appreciate you!

Lol sorry Tramp. When there's hunners of posts to read through when I get up in the morning I do miss things.

And my 'source' is some bloke off Twitter!

I would love to find out who your mole is though...

That was MrsPip's first words to me...except she she wanted to find out where my mole was.

You must be a romantic couple.  I imagine something immature like this:
Jimbo:  Hi, I'm Jimbo
Mrs.:  Really?  What a creative name.
Jimbo:  You look nice
Mrs.: Yes, indeed.
Jimbo:  I really mean it.
Mrs.:  So did the others.  By the by, do you have a mole?  
Jimbo:  Yeah, I think so.
Mrs:  Let me have it.  THEY never had one.  THEY lied about it which is why their bodies are missing! I MUST must have it.  SHOW ME! Jimbo:  You're my kind of girl...

Since then, have you told her that you really don't have a mole.

Doc was that you rustling in the laundry basket that night?

How big is your laundry basket???

Well it's got to accommodate Mrs Pip's "smalls".

kiss kiss

Doncha love displacement activity when it's game day/weekend?

doctor_grey wrote:

jimbopip wrote:

RDW wrote:

TheMildlyFranticLlama wrote:

Tramptastic wrote:I'd say my predictions are good but it's literally someone involved in the set up that tells me everything the day before the team is announced to the public

Then RDW comes along 8 hours later, recycles your info and claims all the credit when it turns out to be right!  

It's a tough old life eh Trampy, but keep up the vital insider line job, we appreciate you!

Lol sorry Tramp. When there's hunners of posts to read through when I get up in the morning I do miss things.

And my 'source' is some bloke off Twitter!

I would love to find out who your mole is though...

That was MrsPip's first words to me...except she she wanted to find out where my mole was.

You must be a romantic couple.  I imagine something immature like this:
Jimbo:  Hi, I'm Jimbo
Mrs.:  Really?  What a creative name.
Jimbo:  You look nice
Mrs.: Yes, indeed.
Jimbo:  I really mean it.
Mrs.:  So did the others.  By the by, do you have a mole?  
Jimbo:  Yeah, I think so.
Mrs:  Let me have it.  THEY never had one.  THEY lied about it which is why their bodies are missing! I MUST must have it.  SHOW ME! Jimbo:  You're my kind of girl...

Since then, have you told her that you really don't have a mole.

Aye she's a keepr, is Mrs Pip. Keeps all the moles in a big box under the sink.

See when you say moles, do you mean:

Small underground creatures
A blemish on the skin
the SI base unit for the amount of substance
A spicy Mexican sauce
A spy from the other side that’s infiltrated your organisation

I see we've all been drinking quite heavily already.

George Carlin wrote:I see we've all been drinking quite heavily already.

????

From the SRU website;

Scotland have won four of their last seven matches against France in the Guinness Six Nations.
Scotland won on their most recent visit to Paris in the Six Nations (27-23 in 2021), their first ever win away to France in the Championship since 2000.
Scotland have won six of their last eight away games in the Guinness Six Nations.
Scotland duo Duhan van der Merwe and Kyle Steyn have each made five line breaks in the Guinness Six Nations this year, no other player has made more than three, while they’ve crossed for a Championship-high two tries apiece.
No player has made more line break assists (3) or try assists (3) than Finn Russell this year.

We're doomed!!! The only way is down.

Townsend's model game would be something like this:

jimbopip wrote:From the SRU website;

Scotland have won four of their last seven matches against France in the Guinness Six Nations.
Scotland won on their most recent visit to Paris in the Six Nations (27-23 in 2021), their first ever win away to France in the Championship since 2000.
Scotland have won six of their last eight away games in the Guinness Six Nations.
Scotland duo Duhan van der Merwe and Kyle Steyn have each made five line breaks in the Guinness Six Nations this year, no other player has made more than three, while they’ve crossed for a Championship-high two tries apiece.
No player has made more line break assists (3) or try assists (3) than Finn Russell this year.

We're doomed!!! The only way is down.

Bet it'll be like Cardiff 2010 all over again!

Winning the last 6 out of 8 away from home is actually a stat which is worth something.

Of the previous 11 matches against France in Paris France have won ....10 TEN yes TEN of them.

Doomed!!!!

Apparently todays ref averages 25 penalties per match. He hands out more cards than an Injuries Mean Compensation shyster.
So discipline will be key. If we can get on his good side and ruffle Le Coq Sportif's plumage we could be in with a shout.

To me it’s all very simple

1) keep the discipline
2) front up at the breakdown
3) don’t kick badly to Ntamack

See. Simples

Here we go

Unfortunately I think we are going to get pumped.
Toonie has picked a small mobile back row to slow the French ball down.
They in turn will give it to their huge ball carriers who will smash us into submission before spinning it out for some easy run ins.
It is the hope that kills you.
Finn to have a mare. Just sayin.
Hope I’m terribly wrong but I’ve got a bad feeling

Crikey that was a start from France!

See what typed above

Well that's at least a yellow.

No arms. Can there be mitigation...don't think so.

Red.

So the moral of that story is leave yer medics on the field for as long as possible

Ah well. There goes the game, the championship, the hope, the hype train

God, that's not good, but hard to argue with the decision

Red. Rightly so. Game over.

Game over

Red by the letter of the law, such a shame though.

Argh! Nightmares recurring!

Easy red. Shame as I was hoping for a good game, but France should cruise it now.

I think it's about keeping the score respectable now

This could be a painful afternoon for Scotland

Shame, Scotland will need a miracle now

Red for sure - problem is now if Scotland get stuffed we won't know if they would have got stuffed anyway.  First try suggests they might have but who can say ...

Compounded by another Kyle steyn cockup

We could get done by 40 points here. France look really sharp.

This should be a good afternoon for France's points difference.