Glasgow and Edinburgh 28 and Counting - The banter goes on!

First topic message reminder :

28 and counting, where do we get the energy!

Another Glasgow re-signing coming up this afternoon, following on from the White Rhino, the animal theme is hinted at again. Who could that be?

Ancient history:

https://www.606v2.com/t70348p1000-glasgow-and-edinburgh-unceasing-banter-thread-27#4033843

Nick Auterac has been released by Northampton. If he really is a few injuries from being close to a Scotland cappup I wonder if Edinburgh or Glasgow will sign him.

Edinburgh sign wing/centre Wes Goosen from the Hurricanes.

That's a hell of a signing!

Been a regular for the Canes, often keeping Julien Savea out the team. He's only 26 too so right in his prime.

Big signing!

RDW wrote:He is a main man in terms of the culture as a club so another season involved will probably be likely, but he is far from being a starter now.

He may be kept as club captain but they need a new permanent captain. Same with Fraser Brown.

Ali Price the obvious choice as he's been vice captain a lot, and is a guaranteed starter.

Wilson is quite clearly on the other side of the hill now and it's easy to poke fun, given he is almost a parody of his wind up merchant personality - but not that long ago, during the worst days Glasgows covid season, he was pretty much the only player keeping the team together. It is strange how quickly age catches up with some players.

You might imagine this coming season could be his last. Probably for RG as well and maybe FB.

Despite all the howli g and gnadhing of teeth about Harley not being retained, it had become increasingly obvious as the season has gone on that our team don't have the guts up frknt that they used to and they need if they are going to be successful.

DW I sm sure is not unaware of that and looks like he is trying to fo something about it.

If we are still syruggli g like we have neen in a years time, then we have even bigger probkems than we realise!

RDW wrote:Edinburgh sign wing/centre Wes Goosen from the Hurricanes.

That's a hell of a signing!

Been a regular for the Canes, often keeping Julien Savea out the team. He's only 26 too so right in his prime.

Big signing!

Ha ha Glasgow fans! Finally a box office backline signing of our own!

Bsando, it doesn't matter who you sign in the backs....with Blarehorn at 10 they'll struggle to make any real impact.

Time will tell jimbo. Tbh I think longhorn is a good club ten to have but I’m not convinced he’ll work out as an international ten.

I’m over the moon with that signing. It was sad to lose Moyano but gaining Goosen is a huge boost in quality. Roll on next season!

That's a cracker of a player for Edinburgh to be signing, and right at the peak of his career. Awesome.

https://youtu.be/3S-tjhRNJTc

bsando wrote:https://youtu.be/3S-tjhRNJTc

A very brief look at that, and at his physical stats, says he's a Darcy Graham clone.

From recollection it's quite unusual to play two wings of identical styles - so is there something more to this?

demosthenes wrote:

bsando wrote:https://youtu.be/3S-tjhRNJTc

A very brief look at that, and at his physical stats, says he's a Darcy Graham clone.  

From recollection it's quite unusual to play two wings of identical styles - so is there something more to this?

Darcy has not proven to be the most robust of players and even when fit will be away with Scotland a lot, especially with a WC on the horizon. Plenty of room for both of them I would say. The key to doing well in the league is squad depth and both Glasgow and Edinburgh still a little light on that front.

So, is anyone starting a thread for the playoffs?

There's been a lot of kiwis comment that they're gutted to see him go, which is as good a recommendation as you can get.

Not even one mention of him signing with Edinburgh on bbc rugby page. Not sure how they missed that one but a bit late in the day to mention now.

Well the pitchforks are out in weegie land. Turns out poor facilities, a gym hall for a clubhouse and expensive season tickets are ok when they team is winning. When they're not it's become a bit problem! Lots of complaints from Warriors fans on social media.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/128776878/hurricanes-flyer-wes-goosen-signs-to-play-for-edinburgh-in-scotland

Okay last Goosen post I swear, but 55 comments from kiwis sad to see him go with some saying he should have been ahead of George Bridge for an AB's call up. Edinburgh have got themselves a real gem of a player if he can be equally as effective as he was in the SH.

RDW wrote:Well the pitchforks are out in weegie land. Turns out poor facilities, a gym hall for a clubhouse and expensive season tickets are ok when they team is winning. When they're not it's become a bit problem! Lots of complaints from Warriors fans on social media.

Glasgow fans are as close to Football fans you'll get in Rugby Union. A different kind of fan pressure than most other rugby franchises that's for sure.

DW saying in an interview this weekend that he has one more year left on his contract.

He still sounds confident that things can go better for Glasgow next season and I would agree with him that we should be looking at a better squad next season.

However you would have to say that the clock is ticking. He likely has until around xmas to prove that he is the man for the job as the SRU are not realistically going to be able to leave any decisions about a new coach much later than that. They are hardly likely to want to pull anyone, just as Dalziel out of the national set up so close to a WC, so you would imagine that id they do decide to bin him (a very real possibility) they will be going onto the open market for a successor this time.

It is certainly not easy being a professional rugby coach!

bsando wrote:

RDW wrote:Well the pitchforks are out in weegie land. Turns out poor facilities, a gym hall for a clubhouse and expensive season tickets are ok when they team is winning. When they're not it's become a bit problem! Lots of complaints from Warriors fans on social media.

Glasgow fans are as close to Football fans you'll get in Rugby Union. A different kind of fan pressure than most other rugby franchises that's for sure.

Well they'll be facing a tasty backlash from Leinster at the weekend I suspect!

John Barclay - In The Times, a bit more upbeat about the Scottish club sides than most of us (especially the Glasgow fans)

Let's hope he is right.


The rugby season has a few weeks left to run but, if the bookies have it right, it will be over for Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors by Saturday evening. The two Scottish teams have daunting draws in the United Rugby Championship’s (URC) quarter-final stage — Edinburgh head to Cape Town to face the Stormers, while Glasgow go up against Leinster in Dublin — and it would be an epic achievement for either to get through to the last four. A victory for either would be their greatest win this season by some distance.

Edinburgh did win in South Africa a few weeks ago, but wild weather had made a lottery of their game against the Sharks and the Stormers will be a very different proposition. Glasgow, meanwhile, have been wretched away from home all year, and it is hard to see them reversing that pattern against a Leinster side desperate to salvage something from this season after their heartbreaking loss to La Rochelle in the Champions Cup final.

Credit to both for reaching the knockout stages, but if that’s as far as it goes then it’s maybe worth looking at where the Scottish teams stand today. I don’t know the details of their finances, but it seems clear to me that they both need cash injections to take them to the next level. And if they do go into the market they need to find the sort of talismanic player that Todd Blackadder was for Edinburgh or that Josh Strauss was for Glasgow.

I see a bit of Blackadder in Glasgow’s Jack Dempsey, the Australian No 8. Changes in eligibility rules mean that Dempsey, a 14-cap Wallaby, will be able to play for Scotland later this year, so he is likely to miss a lot of domestic games. And this is where the Scottish sides really suffer, for they are decimated by Test call-ups for large chunks of the season.

Things looked pretty good for the Scottish teams at the start of the URC season. They kicked off with a run of wins and they were near the top of the table for quite a few weeks. Even then, though, I had a feeling that this was unsustainable.

ADVERTISEMENT
At that stage neither had gone to South Africa or faced a fully-loaded South African side. Edinburgh’s fixture list meant they did not play one of the powerful Irish teams until February. Moreover, they both looked thin in terms of squad depth and were bound to pay a price when their injury lists began to grow.

Overall, both sides lack power. Any doubt as to the importance of power in the club game was quite literally blown away by what La Rochelle did in the last five minutes of Saturday’s final. Glasgow’s struggles against the Bulls a few weeks ago also provided evidence. The Warriors need some brutes to add the kind of grunt that would allow them to stand up to stronger teams.


But I also believe that both Scottish sides are in the early stages of their journeys. It takes years to build a squad and a culture. Mike Blair is in his first year at Edinburgh and largely working with a group recruited to play an entirely different brand of rugby. Glasgow’s Danny Wilson is further down the line, but while some supporters have been calling for his head, I believe that next season will provide a clearer picture of where the Warriors stand.

Mike has to be the happier of the two at this stage. He has shown his worth, especially in the way he has expanded Edinburgh’s game. His side have suffered a form dip recently and almost came a cropper against Zebre last month, but overall they have played a hugely entertaining brand of rugby.

Against that, they have lacked a ruthless streak. They racked up spectacular scorelines against weaker teams, but struggled against the better outfits. They could have been 21-0 up against Ulster recently, but ended up losing 16-10. I hate comparing teams to Leinster all the time, but the Dubliners are the standard-bearers, the side to emulate, and there is no way they would have let so many opportunities slip.

Still, Edinburgh have recruited well. They have had great value from players like Henry Immelman, Emiliano Boffelli and Ben Vellacott. Others have been rejuvenated by having a new ground and a new coach. Blair Kinghorn, Pierre Schoeman and Mark Bennett have all been superb.

Things look grimmer at Glasgow. The Warriors fell away badly in the second half of the season and started to play within themselves. Ross Thompson is a gifted and exciting fly half, but seemed to be sitting deeper and deeper, a sign that he and they lacked belief in themselves. The Warriors have also shown signs of immaturity in the way they have drifted out of games and suffered second-half collapses.

Glasgow were particularly poor in their recent loss to Edinburgh. So much was riding on that game and it needed senior players to step up and bring their experience to bear. The defeat means they will be in the second-tier Challenge Cup next season, the first time in 16 years that they will not be sitting at the top table in Europe.


In their favour, newer players at Glasgow have had a positive impact. Dempsey, Josh McKay, Rory Darge, Sione Tuipulotu and Ollie Smith have all excelled, while Kyle Steyn has had a new lease of life. Their discipline — lamentable last season — has also improved.

Glasgow fans have been grumbling on social media over the past few days, but the components of a good side are mostly there. Wilson just has to work out how to put them all together.

According to Mark Palmer in the Times. Alan Dell is moving back north and coming to Glasgow next season.

I had heard that he was released from London Irish and we probably are a LH down with Lambert leaving.


So with Bhatti, Keeble, Mcbeth and Dell, we are reasonably solid at LH now.

The only concern Gee is that both Dell and Bhatti are suspect scrummagers. Fine in the loose, but decent tightheads will be fine packing down against those two. Puts a lot of pressure on Kebble to stay fit and see off the first 60 minutes. Don't know much about McBeth.

Where is Lambert off to? He looked decent when he played us.

funnyExiledScot wrote:The only concern Gee is that both Dell and Bhatti are suspect scrummagers. Fine in the loose, but decent tightheads will be fine packing down against those two. Puts a lot of pressure on Kebble to stay fit and see off the first 60 minutes. Don't know much about McBeth.

Where is Lambert off to? He looked decent when he played us.

It's a big ask as well, as Keeble has not been the most robust of players over the years and 60 mins is usually a push for him. Dell, I think, is generally ok at club level, but you are right that he has been chewed up by genuine international THs in the past.

McBeth is still a bit of an unknown quantity, not that much gametime yet, but seemed pretty highly rated in SA before he came over.

Lambert had the misfortune of getting seriously injured just as he was breaking through anf has pretty much miss the whole season. The smart money would be that he is heading back to Oz, but no word on that really. He was promising, but again, not the biggest of LHs and so not really sure how good he could be. Maybe we will see him again at some pointy in the future if he can establish himself somewhere.

Dell will be a bit of an unknown, in that he's barely played any rugby. Only started 3 games all season as a result of being third choice in a squad where the first and second choice haven't been injured.

He's been steady when he has played. Not seen him have a nightmare game in his three seasons with us. Likewise, he's not stood out either.

Margin_Walker wrote:Dell will be a bit of an unknown, in that he's barely played any rugby. Only started 3 games all season as a result of being third choice in a squad where the first and second choice haven't been injured.

He's been steady when he has played. Not seen him have a nightmare game in his three seasons with us. Likewise, he's not stood out either.

There was some word on the LI forum that Kyle Rowe could be heading back north to Edinburgh as well, any likelihood of that?

BigGee wrote:

Margin_Walker wrote:Dell will be a bit of an unknown, in that he's barely played any rugby. Only started 3 games all season as a result of being third choice in a squad where the first and second choice haven't been injured.

He's been steady when he has played. Not seen him have a nightmare game in his three seasons with us. Likewise, he's not stood out either.

There was some word on the LI forum that Kyle Rowe could be heading back north to Edinburgh as well, any likelihood of that?

He's not on the leavers list announced today, so unlikely.

He would have been a loss. Was looking super sharp again in the last game of the season the other week. Would be great to see him him capped this summer if a few guys end up staying home.

Margin_Walker wrote:

BigGee wrote:

Margin_Walker wrote:Dell will be a bit of an unknown, in that he's barely played any rugby. Only started 3 games all season as a result of being third choice in a squad where the first and second choice haven't been injured.

He's been steady when he has played. Not seen him have a nightmare game in his three seasons with us. Likewise, he's not stood out either.

There was some word on the LI forum that Kyle Rowe could be heading back north to Edinburgh as well, any likelihood of that?

He's not on the leavers list announced today, so unlikely.

He would have been a loss. Was looking super sharp again in the last game of the season the other week. Would be great to see him him capped this summer if a few guys end up staying home.

He was picked up late and was a bit of an unknown quantity when he came to LI, so can't imagine he was on a long contract or much money, so you would imagine he would be looking for a bit more on both fronts now that he has established himself.

Yeah, can't see him having been on any more than a 1 year deal initially, so I imagine he may have re-signed. Hard to tell for sure as LI frustratingly don't ever announce contract lengths. May see an announcement shortly as we've only just started announcing a few new deals last week.

More importantly than all of this rugby malarkey, I just want to mention that I am in Cambridge (UK) at the moment interviewing for jobs. It's a lovely city and offers you a chance to continue to be a perpetual student like Bru and his heavily mortgaged testicles or a high end, luxuriously appointed spendthrift like FES.

We're moving for the schools so it's going to be here or another classic whitey commuter belt destination like Canterbury, Sevenoaks or may even Brighton. Hopefully my two MiniCarlins will pull it out of the bag at entrance exam level and we'll have a bit of choice.

Seems a weird thing to say but after nearly 12 years in the Middle East, it will be nice be back home again. Just in time for record inflation levels and cracker-kickingly high living costs. And drizzle, of course.

George Carlin wrote:More importantly than all of this rugby malarkey, I just want to mention that I am in Cambridge (UK) at the moment interviewing for jobs. It's a lovely city and offers you a chance to continue to be a perpetual student like Bru and his heavily mortgaged testicles or a high end, luxuriously appointed spendthrift like FES.

We're moving for the schools so it's going to be here or another classic whitey commuter belt destination like Canterbury, Sevenoaks or may even Brighton. Hopefully my two MiniCarlins will pull it out of the bag at entrance exam level and we'll have a bit of choice.

Seems a weird thing to say but after nearly 12 years in the Middle East, it will be nice be back home again. Just in time for record inflation levels and cracker-kickingly high living costs. And drizzle, of course.

Good luck in the interviews GC!

Aye your timing is certainly pretty spot on from pretty much the worst time to move to the UK...!

We emigrated to the otter side of the world a week before Covid 'hit' and survived - I'm sure you'll thrive in the world of yummy mummys , men with beards and students trying to convert you to  become fruitarians.

Remember GC, you're a Glasgow fan...they'll be damn fortunate to get you.
If you're still in Engerlund you can drink artisanal lager while watching the rugby club put Leinster to the sword. But probably best to switch off after ten minutes.

P.s. since you're not doing much this week why not do a match thread?

I am hoping that the Edinburgh Illuminati are just impressed with the idea that someone from the west coast is actually interested in getting a job.

George Carlin wrote:I am hoping that the Edinburgh Illuminati are just impressed with the idea that someone from the west coast is actually interested in getting a job.

Dammit the joke was right there!

Will endeavour to learn from this and do better next time.

RDW wrote:

George Carlin wrote:I am hoping that the Edinburgh Illuminati are just impressed with the idea that someone from the west coast is actually interested in getting a job.

Dammit the joke was right there!

Will endeavour to learn from this and do better next time.

In a similar vein; GC, the only  Glaswegian in court wearing a suit who isn't the accused.

I  find this kind of humour both cheap and nasty, but it gets a laugh.

Still no thread for Saturday GC What are you doing with your time? You best not come to me for a reference.

Glasgow have given contract extensions to Stafford McD, Ollie Smith and Tom Jordan.

Ollie Smith was a no brainer. He has been outstanding recently after a rocky rugby horror show of a start. Living proof that form is temporary and class is permanent.

Stafford rose meteorically then crashed and burnt under Cowboy Dave's empathetic man management but seems to be putting himself back together again. Hopefully he'll become the player we thought he'd be.

Tom Jordan is obviously world class. Why else would he play for Ayr?

Who TF is Tom Jordan?

RDW wrote:Who TF is Tom Jordan?

10/12 Who has been playing for Ayr in the Super6.

He's a rugby player and has never appeared in a knitwear magazine so I understand your unfamiliarity with him.

jimbopip wrote:

RDW wrote:Who TF is Tom Jordan?

10/12 Who has been playing for Ayr in the Super6.

He's a rugby player and has never appeared in a knitwear magazine so I understand your unfamiliarity with him.

What does that say about the weegies given they were pumped by a bunch of apparent 'knitwear models'!

Looking at the teams for the QFs I really do fear for Glasgow. The back 5 of the pack in particular is significantly mismatched.

Flounder takes the bait again!
Also " pumped by a bunch of knitwear models" !!! What a rich, and troubling, internal life you have developed since being transported to the colonies.

Glasgow Warriors team to face Leinster at the RDS, Saturday 4 June, kick-off 3.15pm, live on Premier Sports 2. You can also follow all the action as it happens in our Live Match Centre at glasgowwarriors.org.
1. Jamie Bhatti (66)
2. George Turner (76)
3. Zander Fagerson (114)
4. Rob Harley (266)
5. Richie Gray (82)
6. Ryan Wilson (C) (212)
7. Gregor Brown (4)
8. Jack Dempsey (21)
9. Ali Price (110)
10. Ross Thompson (36)
11. Rufus McLean (20)
12. Sam Johnson (92)
13. Sione Tuipulotu (19)
14. Josh McKay (14)
15. Ollie Smith (19)
16. Fraser Brown (122)
17. Oli Kebble (75)
18. Simon Berghan (12)
19. Lewis Bean (17)
20. Kiran McDonald (54)
21. Thomas Gordon (51)
22. George Horne (78)
23. Domingo Miotti (5)
Unavailable for selection: Sebastian Cancelliere, Scott Cummings, Rory Darge, Matt Fagerson, Ally Miller, Kyle Steyn, Duncan Weir.

I must admit to being slightly surprised that Batman and Big Bad are not on the naughty step.
The 6-2 split suggests that we are looking to take them on up front first and foremost. It could be a long afternoon. If i were a betting man then Yellow cards for the two serial offenders would be a safe punt.

Unlikely Victory Checklist

Slow their ball down at the tackle area... No Darge, Gordon on the bench
Achieve parity at scrum time...if we can't manage it with those six players (three at a time) we never will
Upset their line out ...should be a realistic goal
Keep the penalties to a minimum...
Attack when it's on...Thompson has to play on the gainline and trust his instincts; unless they are to play 10 metres behind the line.

Keep 15 men on for the 80 minutes, convert any chances we get, defend like demons.

SIMPLES

jimbopip wrote:Keep 15 men on for the 80 minutes, convert any chances we get, defend like demons.

Hard lines Jimbo, things really not going to plan and turning into a right pumping here. I fear the Edinburgh game could go a similar way shortly!

The live feed is making for grim reading.
Are there any positives for us from anyone actually watching the game?

Anglo, I'm forcing myself to watch till the end . It is the worst performance I can remember.
We started very well. Ritchie's yellow swung the momentum but Leinster were relentless after that.
It's way beyond embarrassing.

Sorry to say but you’ve reached embarrassing levels now, Glasgow team have largely given up and Leinster are just strolling in tries. Really not a lot of positives to take, it was always going to be a tough ask but Glasgow came out, started strongly then once Leinster came back at them quickly folded and looked like they didn’t want to be out there

Glasgow play has been riddled with errors, inaccurate passing, poor defence and poor handling, no pressure on the Leinstar breakdown, the list goes on

Well it’s over. You’ll be forgiven for reaching for a few afternoon single malts to help forget that one lads. Abysmal showing, really letting the Glasgow fans down with that lack of effort and commitment

The only question is who gets his P45 first Danny Wilson or Boris?

Well, hopefully a month off will give them time to refocus for a hard working pre-season.
Shipping 76 points sounds pretty abysmal.