Georgia Double Header - Scotlands last warm up games 31st August and 6th September

First topic message reminder :

So after a mixed bag in the first two games, we now face a difficult away trip to Tiblisi followed 6 days later by hosting the same team at home at Murrayfield.

With the travelling involved, a 6 hour flight apparently, as well as a Georgian team with a lot to prove playing in front of a crowd of 50,000, this ill no doubt be a serious test and an indication of what playing in a hostile environment in unpleasant conditions will be like. A dress rehersal for the Japan game in many ways.

So who does he play first up?

The squad is being finalised after the away game, but you would imagine that he is not going to want to waste any spaces on players that he has already made his mind up about.

He certainly is not going to risk any injured players, so that rules out Thompson, Skinner, Seymour for sure, along with the possibity of Taylor, Bradbury, Gray and we are not sure if Brown and Johnson will be fit either.

I am going to assume that none of them are ready to travel and have a stab at a team along these lines:

1. Reid
2. McInally
3. Fagerson Z
4. Gilchrist
5. Cummings
6. Wilson
7. Ritchie
8. Fagerson M
9. Horne G
10. Hastings
11. Graham
12. Hutchinson
13. Jones
14. Maitland
15. Kinghorn

Subs
Berghan
Turner
Nel
Toolis
Barclay
Price
Horne P
Harris

Centre is a strange one, I think Johnson, Taylor and Harris are on the plane and this game is a straight shoot out for the last position between Hutch and Jones. I think Horne has played himself out of contention.

I can't quite believe I wrote that re:: Harris, but Toonie seems to rate him and he did play well last week.

I still cant call it. Trying to second guess Toonie is bonkers as even he cant do it himself!

Horne may not be playing as he is not going to the WC or Horne could not be playing because he is going to the WC and Toonie has seen all he needs to see from him so now the centres playing are now auditioning for the limited spots still left.

Likewise Taylor could not be playing as he is already on the plane.

For me I think the guys playing now are the ones who will be going and this game will be to determine if they are starters or subs/squad players. The game next week should realistically be the starting XV as an actual warm up game for the team that will be deployed vs Ireland.

For me this means the centres going to the world cup are:
SJ (starting 12) - now gettng game time
Hutch/Jones
Harris

Harris is in the same boat as Horne and Taylor. Because Taylor hasnt played two games in a row now, and the fact hes the one that needs gametime, I think Taylor wont be going to the WC.

It's then Harris and Horne for the 4th centre spot and it will come down to if Toonie thinks Russell or Hastings could also cover 12 if needed!

Harris has always been difficult to judge up to this point, he had a catastrophe debut playing outside Huw Jones (who was at 12 out of position) in a team that got blown away by a rampant wales whilst Russell was a wee bit out of sorts firing mental passes to no-one.

For the rest of it he's had the odd 5 minutes off the bench so everyone's lasting memory has only really been "aw naw, not him from the wales game". Personally I think Jones is much better but Harris did do well against France and he looks determined at least!

I think at the moment I am for 

Johnson
Taylor
Jones
Harris

I think these 4 deserve to travel on recent form and historical form. We need to stick with Jones and let him develop in my opinion. He has such class and could be a legendary centre for Scotland. Hutchinson looks sharp and we’ll see how he goes tomorrow but I’m thinking he’s perhaps not quite there yet. Hutchinson vs Jones for the last spot I think. Horne pulled it back against France but still, Scotland can’t be giving away soft points like that.

They would be my picks too bsando. The only thing about Hutchinson is he could be emergency 10 which neither of that lot are. Saying that with Laidlaw in the squad we potentially already have that.

There's no rush on Hutchinson, and if we get an injury he would be my first call up.

So long as Taylor, Johnson and Jones go I won't be too bothered by the forth choice pick.

Suppose it depends on whether you intend on playing Taylor at 13 ahead of Jones, in which case you go for Horne or possibly Hutchinson as another 12.

My concern would be, Taylor as starting 13 would make it a shoot out between Harris and Jones, and based on recent form and selection I'd worry he'd go for Harris.

Worth remembering that Russell can cover 12 in emergencies and Hogg could do the same at 13.

Also there's going to be injuries, with 4 centres being picked at least one of them is bound to get injured. Having Horne or Hutchinson to fly in and cover for injuries isnt bad choices to have.

I think this might be a world cup too early for Hutchinson. Johnson was proven in the six nations, Taylor has loads of top-flight experience, Jones is proven over the past couple of seasons and Harris has finally got the pundits to admit he might have something to him. Hutchinson is more likely to pick up caps in the six nations and build for the next world cup - in fact, for his career, I'd much rather he got stuck in at northampton and cemented his place rather than missing the 1st six weeks of the season, coming back and not being picked due to his newly aquired international player status/missing out on the beginning of the season.

People seem very keen to rule out Hutch, despite us not seeing much of him in the role other than a couple of good runouts where he generally had a pretty positive influence. He had half a season playing great rugby for Northampton, a team that have done very well this season, conversely DT - great as he is - had his first game in a year a couple of weeks ago, Harris had his first decent showing in the second half at Murrayfield after many mediocrities before, Pete had another one of his howlers and whilst Jones hasn't been setting the heather alight for a good 18 months, we still seem to be kidding ourselves after the same pattern of disinterest he'll suddenly come good (again I'm not denying his past form but you can hardly say he's first choice when Harris looks better at the basics and more keen than him.)

Let's see how hutchinson goes today. If he has a bad game against Georgia fine, put him on the shelf for now. But I reckon he has a lot to offer and a lot of rugby smarts, we're hardly blessed with both fit and form centres right now.

Morning peeps,

We seem to be back in a John LeCarre novel everytime we try to predict Toonie's next step. Like Smiley's people scrutinising footage of the May Day parade I found myself inspecting the latest SRU footage from training in Tblisi.
As someone posted earlier, Ickle Jonny is training and wearing lifting pads so he should be putting in an appearance next week.
Equally as interesting was the sight of Duncan Taylor in training kit. In the earlier footage his left leg was heavily strapped and he was definitely favouring his right leg. This week he has no strapping whatsoever.

I would suggest that with the squad being announced on Tuesday (?) that it would make sense to leave behind people who will not be included rather than take them to Georgia to hold tackle bags: keep the squad close and build that sense of being a tight-knit group. With one or two last-chancers being given the opportunity to put their hands up.

I predict a 17-14 split, mainly because the rules about calling in replacements make it too easy to call up a hooker or scrum half. Props; Nel and Shrek seem pretty safe so Dell and Bhatti are playing for the second loose head spo. Ragnar and Berghan will travel. We only have four fit second rows so they will all travel. If Jonny was a doubt then Timbo would have been in the 23, methinks. Grant Stewart just might go as third hooker. The lesser spotted Brown and the only slightly Fitter Turner may be too much of a risk to take both. Batman, Hamish, Barcs all go. Matt f is playing for his place; Bradbury is MIA with Fraser Brown and Thompson has a huge question mark over his fitness. Bluto is there today just in case those last two are not fit enough to travel so it'll be Bluto or Fagerson for the 8 spot and Mbawsa travelling if either Thompson or Bradbury are cream crackered. I'll gibber about the backs tomorrow.

Watching the Wales-Ireland game. Wales admittedly look woeful but Ireland have been pretty clinical from Wales' mistakes. Certainly don't think we'll see a Twickenham repeat at the WC, our players will have to be on top of it from the get-go, if we play with as many mistakes as we did across the French games I can see us losing by quite a bit, especially with try poachers like Stockdale in the Irish lineup.

Agreed Neilly, the Irish defence is strangling Wales. They look very comfortable without the ball and quite happy to wait for Wales to make mistakes. That's a blueprint that has undone Scotland a few times recently.

This isn’t on TV?

Just Premier Sports 2 Mikey

Ah, can’t get that here but maybe there’s a stream.

Anthem a total shambles

Please don’t injure Hamish or Finn, please don’t injure Hamish or Finn, please don’t injure Hamish or Finn!

2 minutes and we haven't conceded!!

Finn always has to have a howler before he settles down!

Offside penalty

3-0 Scotland

Georgian discipline is pretty poor so far, a bit too hyped up I expect!

Georgian discipline is awful

Georgia giving away pens left right and centre

6-0 Scotland

They will be getting a card soon, ref has warned them

Premier sports sound is awful. Terrible mix. The crowd are super loud and commentators barely audible

That’s why I don’t watch prem sports. God awful Channel

Lot of empty seats, can’t be anything like the 50,000 crowd that was being talked about surely

That's more like it, great try

Really good start from Scotland

13-0 Scotland from the try by Toolis

Scotland playing really well.

Got to say Georgia are very much looking like a Tier 2 team - disappointed so far given all the pre game chat.

Try for Hutch. Graham should’ve passed in the first break though

Rory Hutchinson scores his first try for Scotland (probably of many!)

Could be a long afternoon for Georgia at this rate, we are blowing them to bits

20-0 Scotland

awesome backline play so far, really really encouraging

Great feet from Hutchinson. Graham back to his explosive self.

Great maul defence Scotland

Keep getting this on my premier player stream, anyone else? pretty annoying.

Nope, is working fine for me

This is exactly what we want to see from Scotland away to a tier 2 nation. Really good performance so far.

Score?

0-20 after 26 minutes

LondonTiger wrote:Score?

20-0 Scotland

We made a complete lash of that lineout

What the hell was that lineout

Well the Georgian scrum seems to be functioning. It is just a shame about the rest of their game

Ref is letting the scrums go on far too long - he should be calling use it. To be fair Barclay stopped pushing too early too.

Georgia off the mark with a penalty

I'd rather Finn Russell was not making try saving tackles, but it was a good one all the same

I actually think we've got the upper hand on the scrum but the ref has let them keep it at the back too long

Darcy Graham squaring up to the ex Glasgow hooker!

Great stuff