Scotland v Georgia Friday 24th October

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Scotland v Georgia
Friday 24th October 2020

BT Murrayfield

KO 19.30

Live on ITV 4


Well at long last we have an international game coming up for Scotland fans to enjoy, a warm up game for the final 6N fixture against Wales the following weekend.

It will be an interesting line up though, as a fair few players will be missing due to the English Premiership final that weekend and it also being outside of the international window.

So what kind of lineup will we see?

My guess is something along these lines:


1. Sutherland
2. Brown (Captain in Hogg's absence)
3. Fagerson Z
4. Cummings
5. Harley (Been the form lock in Scotland these past weeks)
6. Ritchie
7. Watson
8. Fagerson M
9. Price
10. Hastings
11. Graham
12. Lang (Johnson to get a run out with Glasgow)
13. Grigg
14. VDM
15. Jones H

Subs:

Keeble
McInally
Nel
Gray R
Cowan
Steele (I fancy he might have a look at him off the bench)
Weir
Hoyland (Kinghorn to have a run with Edinburgh as well)

king_carlos wrote:

NeilyBroon wrote:

TheMildlyFranticLlama wrote:Cracking shift from Hamish

He must be a step closer to being a lion, if not a starter for the lions!

My bets would be Watson will tour in the initial party and Ritchie will be one of the approx dozen players usually called up as injury replacements.

Well if garland ignores him that's definitive proof the blinkers are on imo.

Great try from vdm

What a run from Toolis

Wow, great run from toolis!

Absolute class from wee Horne!

Great pass from Hornito

Maul not as effective without Lang

Wee fellas stepping up There

Hastings has not kicked so well

BigGee wrote:Hastings has not kicked so well

Or as others would say, he’s been gash

BigGee wrote:Hastings has not kicked so well

I feel like we may see the Hastings Russell axis against Wales with Johnson on the bench, Russell then could take kicking duties.

I really rate George Horne. Cracking young scrum-half.

Toolis has had an excellent game. In fact he has impressed in general this season. I remember watching him at Heriots back when Murray Douglas had recently left. My honest view was that Douglas probably deserved an Edinburgh/Glasgow contract rather than moving to Oz to pursue his career given that Toolis had just joined Edinburgh. He has really kicked on under Cockers though.

Shocker from Georgia but wonderful bit of skill from Kinghorn!

Wow. Hastings has been bad this game.

Harris was running in treacle there

Blair scores to cover up a rather meh game overall

Totally agree on Toolis, he’s had a great game!

Well kinghorn has finally scored the solo try he's been dreaming of for the last season!

NeilyBroon wrote:

BigGee wrote:Hastings has not kicked so well

I feel like we may see the Hastings Russell axis against Wales with Johnson on the bench, Russell then could take kicking duties.

No, I don't think so

If Johnson comes through his game tomorrow, he starts against Wales, nothing tonight has shown that he is not our best 12 atm

I'd rather have Scott but I don't think Toonie will ever pick him.

Unless Johnson comes back all guns blazing it'd be very hard to justify him starting for Scotland. He's not played any rugby for 7 months. I think Toonie would not have seen much to drop Hastings but will have seen plenty to include Russell.

Johnson is the incumbent with a lot of credit in the bank, he has been training with the squad all week, one game should be enough to get him up to speed

Russell/Hastings remains a good option for later in the Wales game if we need to roll the dice

Hastings should take a bit more time with his kicks. He's not an awful kicker he just looks to be rushing them slightly.

Russell will clearly start at 10 this Autumn, he looks so sharp. Lang did alright for someone who hasn't played for Scotland in two years, but really we need Johnson back at 12 I think. Harris wasn't so flash tonight so a few problems for Toonie heading to Wales in the midfield I think. It'll probably still be Harris starting at 13 with Johnson or Lang at 12 I reckon.

the pack did well though and Kebble looks like he's going to add a lot of beef to the front row and in the loose. Cummings was fantastic as was Toolis, the 2nd row has the best depth in a long time.

Ritchie deserves a mention for an improved performance since returning for Edinburgh. Du Preez did very well too and Fagerson looked okay in the first half. The game probably suited Du Preez better to be fair and he put in a good error free shift and nearly took a try.

Kinghorn is what he is, his kicks were very good I thought and I like that he tried a few things. It's good to vary an attack and not just pass all the time as he showed at the end with his try.

Good result. Can they beat Wales though?

As someone who advocated Lang to start i feel he didn't really do himself much justice. I'd actually say Taylor deserves a bench spot over him if Johnson isnt in the squad next week. It was like watching Richie Vernon at 12 for Scotland. I actually expect Toonie to go for the Hastings Russell axis starting next week with Johnson on the bench, although as I said I'd have had Scott in the squad and available for Wales.

Hard to say whether we can beat them. We may be able to catch them cold but we have as good a chance as ever imo. Need to tighten up on a few things but that was what today was for.

Just watching the game now - that's a good result.

WTF is the social distancing at the anthems all about!

Good game for Scotland, and plenty to be pleased about.

I thought both Cummings and Toolis were terrific, in fact the pack in general did really well. Brown and McInally really are top class, and I think Toonie has them the right way around at the moment (Brown starting with McInally off the bench). Great cameo from Kebble as well. Number 8 is still a question mark for me though.

The backs were decent, although Finn Russell made a marked change in quality. Lang and Harris are stuffed shirts, so for me I think Russell/Hastings is a no brainer. I'll be interested in seeing how Sam Johnson gets on this weekend, but the difference Russell makes to Scotland in attack is just colossal. Duhan and Graham didn't do much wrong, and Kinghorn was classic Kinghorn. A few silly errors but plenty on show in attack. Nothing for Hogg to worry about.

Who would you peeps have as the starting 15 next Saturday ;-)?

I'd say DVDM deserves another go that's for sure but I'm biased haha.

Well a completely dominant win, and a good warm up for much tougher tests to come. The forwards were excellent, but we need to see a lot more fluidity from the backs. Russell's return will very much help that!

My player ratings:

Sutherland - 6.5

Solid scrum and nice hands to put Watson away for his try

Brown - 7.5

Starting spot assured. Excellent lineout, a couple of tries and all action display as always.

Fagerson - 7

Good scrum and robust and physical as always.

Toolis - 7

Good performance - key lineout man and a big part of the pack display. Lovely break too! Will probably be benched when Gray returns though.

Cummings - 7.5

Growing into a top class international second row. I love his carrying ability - his timing and acceleration of his runs is excellent.

Ritchie - 6.5

Didn't really stand out but also part of a good pack performance.

Watson - 8

Another top performance!

Fagerson - 6

Started solidly but again came off injured early. Still to prove himself at this level! CDP was solid enough but we're really crying out for a top class 8.

Price - 7.5

I thought he had a really good game. Brought great tempo and organisation to the team. Terrible box kick in the second half!

Hastings - 6

Needed a blinder to hold off Russell and it didn't happen. The difference when Russell came on was significant. Terrible kicking too!

VDM - 6.5

A typical VDM performance - not overly involved but when he is it's a try! I'm intrigued to see how we incorporate him into attack. It certainly needs to be more than 'give it to Duhan'

Lang - 6

Didn't really notice he was playing. I really don't think he's going to offer us more than a solid backup option. Hopefully Johnson comes through well for Glasgow as he'll be straight back in the team

Harris - 6.5

Slightly better than Lang but still not the most exciting display. He has credit in the bank though so will be picked again for Wales.

Graham - 7

First game for Scotland in a year and it's great to have him back!

Kinghorn - 6.5

I thought he did ok - missed his first touch kick but decent game after that. Lovely skill for his try at the end!

Good win. A physical challenge but in the end Scotland won that and won quite convincingly. They upped the tempo in the physical exchanges and the backs were clever and lively. VDM is a weapon. I had Scotland as favourites to beat Wales back in the 6N, this re-affirms that but I’ll wait until after tomorrow before making a final call .

Good luck basing any guesses on what happens vs France. France are the only team to complete with Scotland on the blowing hot and cold stakes.

As the old saying goes, it depends on which french team turns up !

Likewise Scotland can’t take too much away from another large win over Georgia as all that game proved was that the Georgians haven’t played rugby for months. We’ll see how they go against the other nations and then look at the whole relegation from the 6ns debate again. I still think as bad as Italy are right now, they are still better overall than Georgia

I think it's hard to judge Georgia's performance when they don't have the same cohesiveness of units playing together regularly, unlike Italy. Italy should be streets ahead of them really. If Georgia get more tests then I think they could surpass Italy, their nation doesn't really have the distraction of football either.

A couple of changes and a step up in intensity and we should see at least parity with Wales away from home. This is probably our best chance at an away win (I feel like I end up saying this a lot and it never comes to be!), and maybe will finally break the duck against Wales.

The thing that’s concerning for me is how Georgia took on Wales up front in the World Cup, but Scotland dominated them up front. Maybe Georgia were very rusty too like you say. The Scotland performance had a Glasgow feel to it. I think VDM will be a good player, he just seems to always physically dominate the opposition.

Morning Peeps

Are we glass half empty or half full?

As mikeydragon says, the Georgians have a formidable pack: Scotland scored three tries from driving mauls! The Georgian scrum was , statistically, the second best in the World Cup: we had them on toast for most of the game.
We totally dominated possession and never looked in danger of shooting ourselves in the foot. Always a big positive where Scotland are concerned. At any sport.

We scored four tries through the backs.

I liked Flounder's scoring, but I may add to it.

Sutherland - 6.5 7

Solid scrum and nice hands to put Watson away for his try Dominated a very good front row

Brown - 7.5 One of his best performances

Starting spot assured. Excellent lineout, a couple of tries and all action display as always.

Fagerson - 7 7.5

Good scrum and robust and physical as always. Their loosehead is very highly rated and Ragnar bullied him throughout. Bigson messaged me after the game to say the Georgians were "probably the punchiest pack in world rugby", Ragnar didn't give an inch.

Toolis - 7

Good performance - key lineout man and a big part of the pack display. Lovely break too! Will probably be benched when Gray returns though. Like Chuckles, one of his best performances. He should be tutoring Blarehorn on how to keep calm and avoid running up a blind alley when you make the big linebreak.

Cummings - 7.5

Growing into a top class international second row. I love his carrying ability - his timing and acceleration of his runs is excellent.I'm glad Cummings is now beginning to live up to his (Scotstoun)billing.

Ritchie - 6.5

Didn't really stand out but also part of a good pack performance.I was concerned that the back row would be too diminutive and underpowered to compete, but they all played their part in a very good pack.

Watson - 8

Another top performance!

Fagerson - 6

Started solidly but again came off injured early. Still to prove himself at this level! CDP was solid enough but we're really crying out for a top class 8. i noticed a couple of players remained on the ground after rucks, clutching ankles: coincidence or were the Georgians "less than meticulous" about where they planted their studs?

Price - 7.5

I thought he had a really good game. Brought great tempo and organisation to the team. Terrible box kick in the second half! Aldi Price looked very confident and relaxed throughout. A definite starter against Wales.

Hastings - 6

Needed a blinder to hold off Russell and it didn't happen. The difference when Russell came on was significant. Terrible kicking too!The most incisive pass of the evening was the one that put DVDM in for his try. That was from Dancer!

VDM - 6.5

A typical VDM performance - not overly involved but when he is it's a try! I'm intrigued to see how we incorporate him into attack. It certainly needs to be more than 'give it to Duhan' His defensive positioning at times was "questionable", certainly for their try. But he did enough to warrant more caps.

Lang - 6

Didn't really notice he was playing. I really don't think he's going to offer us more than a solid backup option. Hopefully Johnson comes through well for Glasgow as he'll be straight back in the team Given how much possession we had, the centres did very little with ball in hand. The welsh 12-13 will be a more difficult challenge. Not sure he offers more than Smiling Sam. Or the good Lord Stafford come to that.

Harris - 6.5

Slightly better than Lang but still not the most exciting display. He has credit in the bank though so will be picked again for Wales. Lived up to his James Brown billing but in a Wales-Scotland composite side would you pick him over Foxy?

Graham - 7

First game for Scotland in a year and it's great to have him back! His first try was the most ADHD try you will ever see. Love watching him.

Kinghorn - 6.5

I thought he did ok - missed his first touch kick but decent game after that. Lovely skill for his try at the end!Made a few line breaks and racked up "metres gained" but mostly just ran up blind alleys. If he hadn't scored at the end I don't think we'd be so sanguine about his performance.

I think the glass is about three quarters full. 12-13 is a concern. The balance in the back row needs some fine tuning.

A workmanlike performance, the most pleasing aspect was our physicality and defense - it looked very much like a continuation from our improvements in these areas earlier this year.

Russell simply has to start next weekend and I think he will. It was against a tiring Georgian outfit, but his passing and vision is on another level to Hastings completely.

In the centers I thought Lang and Harris showed what they are, solid and dependable pros but lacking in cutting edge - Sammy J will hopefully slot back in to 12 and i'm sure Harris will continue at 13.

Saving the worst to last, I was really disappointed in Kinghorn, yes he scored a good try but his overall display was poor - several unforced errors and little dynamism when running the ball back.

Agreed on all scores really, I feel that Fagerson deserves more credit though before he was forced off. He looked every part dynamic and hungry from the get go and I think actually gave us some go forward as well as providing excellent linking play and defensive cover, like a good 8 should. I wasn't convinced before that he could cut it with the big boys but given Bradburys tendency to drift out of games I think he is our best option right now. He's finally beginning to look like an international 8 rather than just a club 8.

Kinghorn... Well... He's what we've come to expect really. I think he needs dropping to give him a boot up the Erse. We've seen it with a few players when they try to do everything, it comes at the expense of scoring opportunities, which Scotland need to execute far more frequently. There are times it's on to run it yourself but he needs a few lessons from Hogg. Should have been Jones playing given his form but we all know Toonie would rather wait until every other option is injured until he picks Jones.

mikey_dragon wrote:Good win. A physical challenge but in the end Scotland won that and won quite convincingly. They upped the tempo in the physical exchanges and the backs were clever and lively. VDM is a weapon. I had Scotland as favourites to beat Wales back in the 6N, this re-affirms that but I’ll wait until after tomorrow before making a final call .

Too hard to call! Even if Wales have a howler tonight I'd still have them as favourites to be honest. Their turf and they have the better win record. Could be a great game I reckon

I started writing last night, but red wine fatigue got the better of me.
I think turgid best describes last nights 12/13 axis. We really need Johnson/Jones in there.
The only time I saw Harris or Lang was when they ran onto the back of the rolling mails to help push it over. Apart from a decent link from Harris for one of the tries, Darcy's last on I think.
A Scott/Bennett combo would also be more inspiring, but neither are in the squad, and Bennett's even not picked for Edinburgh tomorrow.
I also concur regarding Kinghorn, he needs to work on his game at club level for a bit, as he plays for himself, and isn't a team player at the moment imo.
The difference between Russell and Hastings at 10 is day and night. The urgency and speed of distribution went up 50% in the backline when Russell came on.
All being well from this weekends games, I would like to see for the Wales game, Russell, Johnson, Jones as the 10/12/13 axis, with the back 3 as DVDM, Hogg, Darcy.
Price and Horne share the 9 shirt. (Not at the same time). In fact, I would like Horne to start.  
Up front, we need to start Brown with Sutherland and Fagerson.
Second row I would retain as Cummings and Toolis. Back row I would retain the starters, fingers crossed Matt Fagerson is fit.
Bench, I'd go for MacInally (needs to work on his throwing all week) Kebble, Berghan or Nel(not fussed) Gray jnr, Haining, Price, Hastings, Maitland (unless he's on a naughty step).

Don’t think Toonie will do it but I think you can drop Blair from the squad entirely.

Hastings seemed to cover 15 fine and I’d have him as the utility back cover for 10 and 15 on the bench as unless they are injured, you ain’t subbing Finn or Hogg (unless Finn goes on one of his meltdowns)

I’d start Horne because he’s just that good.

The 6-2 split seems to work for us so I’d have price or Horne on the bench along with Hastings. If you really really wanted, you could go back to a 5-3 split and put a pacey centre on the bench that could in emergency cover wing as well. Ya know. Maybe Jones? He’d also be 15 cover if Hogg and Finn went down and Hastings had to go to 10.

The big question is wtf has happened to Bennett? Has he just lost the drive? Has he picked up a long term niggling injury that’s stopping him blasting at 100%???

tigertattie wrote:Don’t think Toonie will do it but I think you can drop Blair from the squad entirely.

Hastings seemed to cover 15 fine and I’d have him as the utility back cover for 10 and 15 on the bench as unless they are injured, you ain’t subbing Finn or Hogg (unless Finn goes on one of his meltdowns)

I’d start Horne because he’s just that good.

The 6-2 split seems to work for us so I’d have price or Horne on the bench along with Hastings. If you really really wanted, you could go back to a 5-3 split and put a pacey centre on the bench that could in emergency cover wing as well. Ya know. Maybe Jones? He’d also be 15 cover if Hogg and Finn went down and Hastings had to go to 10.

The big question is wtf has happened to Bennett? Has he just lost the drive? Has he picked up a long term niggling injury that’s stopping him blasting at 100%???

He's playing in a squad that skip the centres entirely.