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

Bennett much better with the boot this week as well, the conversuion is good

30-29 Edinburgh, first time they have lead all game

7 minutes to go, what a great result if the guys can hold on.

And Morne Steyn steps up to try and win the game!

Does he ever miss a kick like that?

33-31 Bulls

High shot on Bennett, who looks out cold, this should be a RC

Thats a bad call, only a penalty

Edinburgh get a kick to win the game

Immelman misses and Edinburgh loss the game, albeit with 2 BPs

I can't believe that tackle did not get a card though, it was high and reckless. We definitely seem to be going away from cards for high tackles again. I have no idea why?

Great awayvresult for Edinburgh, but sounds like they could have won it?
Who deserved to win, Big Gee?

Oh man, that really sucks. I thought he had to slot the last one.

Anglo, I think that game could have gone anyway. However, Immelman has a penalty just in the Luvvies half on 77 minutes with the Luvvies 1 point ahead. He misses and the Bulls have the ball. If he had gone to the corner and they win the lineout they could have seriously run down the clock and hoped for an easier kick at goal or a drop goal. Poor decision making.
It should have been a red for the hit on Bennet. The winger's hips and shoulders are at an upwards angle of about 75 degrees. The ref said he felt the tackle started at the top of the chest and rode up. Well if your body is in that shape you will be driving up. Players have a duty of care and if they don't exercise appropriate care then it's a red.

Finally, ADHD Kid was the best player on the field. was not far behind.

Shona and for the Scotland midfield?

Anglobraveheart wrote:Great awayvresult for Edinburgh, but sounds like they could have won it?
Who deserved to win, Big Gee?

Oh Edinburgh will think that was one that got away, once they got into the game, they were the better side, but had to much of a mountain to climb after being all at sea the first quarter.

They took a few casualties along the way though, VDW, Crosbie, mata and Bennett must all be doubtful for next weekend.

I would have liked them to have brought Vellacott on a bit earlier, Henry managed the game well, but could not speed the game up in the second half when they were getting on top. Still a lot of good performances by the Edinburgh players. Bennett and Lang were both very good as were the back three and all the pack, although they did give away to many pens.

2 BPs is no bad result out there, but it could/should have been more.

jimbopip wrote:

Shona and for the Scotland midfield?

Maybe, except they may be playing for the same position. After last night, I can't help but thinking Tuipoltu is a better 13 than 12. Both are weapons, though they have a different way of going about it.

You got to say that both Lang and Lord Stafford played well in the 12 channels for both our clubs this weekend.

We are not short of good centres, we just need to find a combination that works well at international level and solving that conundrum seems to have escaped Toonie so far.

It's great that both our club sides have shaped up well this weekend.
The centres conundrum is a big ask. I would be happy with a Redpath/Bennett combo or Redpath/Jones.
If all fully match fit of course.

Good that we are on the up and both sides playing well 2 games in to the new season

Am just watching Saints v Tigers now snd Hutchy is playing well also

Almost to many choices!

It is a bit of a conundrum; Johnson, Shona, Stafford, Shug , Seaman, Messiah, Dean, Redpath and Harris. Oh and Hutchie.

Toonie will probably go for Lang and Harris and wonder why the tries never came.

That stings. But a great away performance and excellent work from Graham to bag three tries, the one of the post was a beauty, great awareness.

That’s very much more like it from the Weegies, big result well played

Haven’t seen the Edinburgh game yet but gutted to have come so close and narrowly missed out, but still that’s a hell of a shift to run the Bulls that close, a lot of good teams will come off a lot worse against them this season. Looking forward to watching the game later

TheMildlyFranticLlama wrote:That’s very much more like it from the Weegies, big result well played

Haven’t seen the Edinburgh game yet but gutted to have come so close and narrowly missed out, but still that’s a hell of a shift to run the Bulls that close, a lot of good teams will come off a lot worse against them this season. Looking forward to watching the game later

The season certainly looks like it is opening up a bit.

Quite a few sides showing a bit of form early days!

Exciting Edinburgh game! The SA teams have definitely brought a great new dynamic to the league - it's mad seeing Edinburgh play at Loftus.

Edinburgh really stood toe to toe with a hefty Bulls teams and played with a lot of intelligence and skill. We showed excellent defence at times too.

Schoeman was putting in a huge shift and in surprised he was taken off so early. He was clearly enjoying playing in his old stomping ground.

I thought Jamie Ritchie put in a hell of a shift as well and it's great to see him quickly getting back in the groove.

In the backs our centre pairing performed well too. I was surprised to see Dean dropped after last week but Lang justified his selection. With Bennett not in a good way I suspect Dean will be back next week.

Immelman put in his best performance yet and was my MOTM. Shame about the kicking but he's probably 5th or 6th choice.

As for wee Darcy - what more is there to say! He's absolutely electric and on red hot form.

On the last few minutes, I think Edinburgh should have gone for touch prior to the Steyn kick and not go for goal. We could have eaten up the last few minutes or got a much easier penalty to extend the lead, instead of a hail Mary which put us back under pressure.

For the Bennett hit I think a yellow would be fair, perhaps red. Both defender and attacker were crouched down so there was mitigation. It was dangerous and reckless though and just about hit him in the chin so could easily have been a red. Just a pen was a farce though. And there's even Bok fans on Twitter saying it wasn't even a pen...!

The task doesn't get any easier next week and we'll definitely need a few changes in personnel due to the injuries.

Edinburgh has very good attacking backs, they showed up the Bulls backline with their fast feet, skills and running lines.

I think they will go far this seasons.

On the final penalty, I cannot see Jacobs going much lower on that tackle, if it was dangerous he would have hit Bennet in such a manner that the head snapped back immediately, not first continue forward motion and then snap back.

So I will disagree on that one.

Old Man wrote:Edinburgh has very good attacking backs, they showed up the Bulls backline with their fast feet, skills and running lines.

I think they will go far this seasons.

On the final penalty, I cannot see Jacobs going much lower on that tackle, if it was dangerous he would have hit Bennet in such a manner that the head snapped back immediately, not first continue forward motion and then snap back.

So I will disagree on that one.

Sorry Old Man I don't follow your reasoning here at all.

Tackle height - he was entirely in control of that situation. He had at least a 5m run up and chose to tackle high with force, probably through a mix of poor technique, fatigue and trying to kill off the game. He had more than enough time to do a standard tackle round the knees. It wasn't like the AB prop who was red carded earlier in the year when the attacker took a sudden change in direction and he couldn't adjust his body in time. it also wasn't like it was a 6ft 7 second row who could only get down so far. He had time to adjust to make a less dangerous tackle - indeed that is the whole point of why these types of challenge are being penalised as it forces players to change their ways and coaches to coach these high risk tackles out of them.

Neck movement - also not following this. The ref and TMO said it started upper chest (debatable in itself) but ultimately then continued upwards to hit his jaw /head (due to the angle of the hit). So that is a dangerous tackle as it resulted in a shoulder to the head. For me it's a starting point red but negotiated down because he did make an attempt to bend and Bennett had also bent slightly to brace. That's also borderline though and I could see other refs giving a red. Most refs giving at least a yellow.

As an aside it's a real shame another great game is being dominated by a ref discussion! As I said earlier the Bok teams have added so much into the league already and as an Edinburgh fan it's great we have these experiences.

Just realised that the Chiefs YT account had a good account of Hoggy's knee problems (starts at 6:27):

Talking of Hoggy, he seems to be in full mid life crisis

Made his return for Exeter today off the bench and was sporting a man bun no less!

He did 20 mins off the bench in a crazy crazy game that Chiefs won on the last play, with a pass that could charitably have been described as flat ftom Hoggy!

JG played the whole game and looks a lot more bavk to his old self. Problem is, his old self still seems quite bland by modern second row standards. I am not sure he is going to be the first name on the teamdheet for Scotland in the way he used to be, we have some other decent options in the row these days

https://twitter.com/EdinBruRugby/status/1574077050381549568?t=erU47U-TPBNmKxz-V6BIxA&s=08

WTF

Think Edinburgh could get Duhan back?

Things not looking good at sixways

Do either Scottish team really need a winger though?

Probably the only real reason to do it would be to keep him playing regularly in a WC year but you would think that he will get picked up by some side, even if on a short term contract for the rest of this season.

BigGee wrote:Do either Scottish team really need a winger though?

Probably the only real reason to do it would be to keep him playing regularly in a WC year but you would think that he will get picked up by some side, even if on a short term contract for the rest of this season.

But then who's got the budget? the prem is on fire, the scottish sides wouldnt offer anything near his market value, maybe a french side who need a medical joker?

BigGee wrote:Do either Scottish team really need a winger though?

Probably the only real reason to do it would be to keep him playing regularly in a WC year but you would think that he will get picked up by some side, even if on a short term contract for the rest of this season.

Edinburgh could use him. He and Darcy were the perfect balance on either side.

No disrespect to Hoyland but he’s not in the same league as Darcy and Duhan.

tigertattie wrote:

BigGee wrote:Do either Scottish team really need a winger though?

Probably the only real reason to do it would be to keep him playing regularly in a WC year but you would think that he will get picked up by some side, even if on a short term contract for the rest of this season.

Edinburgh could use him. He and Darcy were the perfect balance on either side.  

No disrespect to Hoyland but he’s not in the same league as Darcy and Duhan.

Agree about Hoyland but there is also this new Kiwi Goosen and King Boff to fit in. You can always use a player as good as Duhan but why not let someone else pay his considerable wages. It is not like he will give you a lot of cover as he will be away during international windows as well.

If he came back, it would only be short term and on a cheap contract. He would be away again as soon as a decent offer came up next season and you can't really blame him for cashing in, he is in his peak earning years.

Some squad news from both teams

Muncaster and Hutchinson have flown out to SA, which strongly suggests Mata and Bennett are both crocked, hardly surprising, particularly in Bennett's case.

Mixed news for Glasgow. Ollie Smith and Ross Thompson are now back in training but Rory Darge has had his surgery and is expected to be out for 'several months'

It sounds like even the start of the 6N might be a bit of a stretch for him.

I wonder if we might see Dylan Richardson back in the international squad this autumn. I noticed he was back in the Sharks team this weekend after missing the greater part of last season injured. I did not see that game, so no idea how he is playing, but is clearly rated by Toonie and may well be in the mix if back to form.

https://www.theoffsideline.com/rory-darge-in-race-to-be-fit-for-six-nations-while-pete-horne-expects-big-future-for-tom-jordan/


Well this article might explain why we saw so little of TJ last season, I did not realise there was a two international rule in the URC. It is a bit confusing as players like him become resident after 3 years, even though they can't play international rugby till they have been 5 years resident.

He becomes resident this November, so we may well be seeing plenty more of him this season.

That can't be right, Edinburgh have a load of international players playing each week.

Or does it mean in the starting 15?

Some of them may be resident as well, Mata, Nel, VDW

I think there are some other funny rules that for some countries they are considered resident. I think thst might be the case for SA. Which is why there are so many playing over here.

It's all very confusing and i don't profess to understand it properly myself.

I

Also, no to VDM unless he has no place else to go. As has been said Goosen and Boffelli still need to come into that back 3, players other youngsters like Blain currently struggling for gametime.

I'm sure a French team will pick him up.

Sutherland hopefully too - again I don't think Edinburgh or Glasgow need him.

Macallam is the interesting one of the three.

I agree with RDW that the other 2 likely to be picked up but MM, much less so.

Yet he has been starting at TH for them and looked pretty decent when i watched last week. If Scotland need any depth in any position, it has to be at TH, where we are still so reluctant on Zander staying fit and playing for 70 mins each game.

Surely we need to bring him back if he does not, as seems likely, get picked up by another club, assumi g no one rescues them as a job lot.

Good point on McCallum - he's really developed into a top class prop that we can't afford to lose in terms of depth at interested level given WP is soon to be getting a letter from the King.

Thistle rugby pod saying Sutherland and VDM are on their way to Edinburgh.

They're usually pretty on the ball with gossip.

That is a pretty strong squad Edinburgh are putting together if that is the case.

I guess they are going to have to beef up their for the WC period at the begining of next season in any case, so maybe just start early.

I wonder whst Boffs future is though if Duhan returns permanently though, as the article suggests. He is not going to be short of suitors and Edinburgh are not getting great value from him with his international commitments.

Could end up being a straight swap.

Sutherland on a loan suggests he needs to find some form and fitness. He has not really reached his Lions call up level since then and needs to put a marker down for his next contract.

I hope Mcallum comes to Glasgow, i still think we are light on a decent TH option.

RDW wrote:Thistle rugby pod saying Sutherland and VDM are on their way to Edinburgh.

They're usually pretty on the ball with gossip.

I'm just catching up - I didn't realise that Woos had actually been put into a formal process.

I would be very pleased to get Sutherland back but I agree that I don't want a logjam at wing three quarter. Dooey might want to come back to the familiar comfort of Edinburgh but I'd much rather he got a contract with another Premiership club.

Sutherland and McCallum to Edinburgh make sense. DVDM depends on whether it is a multi-year deal.

Behind Schoeman, there is Boan and then uncertainty. Blair seems to be better at rotating and should be able to manage Sutherland's gametime to keep him happy and fit.

De Bruin has not established himself as hoped and Nel is not a 60 minute starter for most of the season at his age. Gamble is young and injured all the time at the minute. McCallum has developed into a decent quality starter and would be a good workhorse.

Edinburgh have committed to the back three with an experienced trio of NSQ (Bofelli, Immelman, Goosen), an SQ star (Graham), experienced club man (Hoyland) and several youngsters who should be starting to make a mark (Blain, Owsley, Henry). If it is more than a year, you can plan on losing one or two of the NSQ's to make the budget work

Full metal jacket from Edinburgh - they need to be as the Stormers have done too! Looks like it could be an epic game.

This could feasibly be 5-6 of the starting Scotland pack so they really need to stand up here.


Edinburgh Rugby team to face DHL Stormers at DHL Stadium in the BKT United Rugby Championship

Saturday 1 October (kick-off 1pm BST/ 2pm local) – live on Premier Sports



15. Henry Immelman (18)



14. Darcy Graham (52)

13. Mark Bennett (73)

12. James Lang (21)

11. Damien Hoyland (96)



10.Blair Kinghorn (120)

9. Ben Vellacott (23)



1. Pierre Schoeman (85)

2. Stuart McInally (167)

3. WP Nel (173)

4. Sam Skinner (2)

5. Grant Gilchrist CO-CAPTAIN (177)

6. Jamie Ritchie CO-CAPTAIN (87)

7. Hamish Watson (132)

8. Nick Haining (26)



Replacements



16. Dave Cherry (59)

17. Boan Venter (27)

18. Luan de Bruin (9)

19. Glen Young (13)

20. Ben Muncaster (16)

21. Henry Pyrgos (72)

22. Charlie Savala (13)

23. Chris Dean (122)

I am amazed that Bennett is playing, he looked out cold last week!

BigGee wrote:I am amazed that Bennett is playing, he looked out cold last week!

You'd like to hope it's clear cut that he's ok and they're not taking a risk. It was a mighty smash so no surprise he looked groggy, but may have not had a head injury.

Edinburgh scrum demolishing the stormers atm!

Bennett just stopped in the corner but Stormers giving away pens like crazy, now on a warning!

Stormers lose a man and Edinburgh pounding their line, they need to take some points here

Eventually Scheoman gets over

10-0 Edinburgh

Amazing, penalty to Stormers

Edinburgh is getting sway with pllenty in their maul defence

Edinburgh miss one tackle and Stormers show us how dangerous they can be. Possible try but looks just short.

Desperate defence from Edinburgh but it costs McInally 10 mins in the bin.