Scotland - The Generic Moaning Thread 2024

[George Carlin]

First topic message reminder :

Scotland v Tonga
Sunday, September 24
Stade de Nice - 4.45pm kick-off.

Scotland v Romania
Saturday, September 30
Stade Pierre-Mauroy, Lille - 8pm kick-off

Scotland v Paddy Cousins
Saturday, October 7
Stade de France - 8pm kick-off

***

The 20 teams are divided into four groups as follows:

Pool A – New Zealand, France, Italy, Uruguay, Namibia

Pool B – South Africa, Ireland, Scotland, Tonga, Romania

Pool C – Wales, Australia, Fiji, Georgia, Portugal

Pool D – England, Japan, Argentina, Samoa, Chile

The top two teams from each pool advance to the quarter-finals. The teams who finish third secure automatic qualification for the 2027 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Australia in 2027.

The quarter-final draw is as follows:

QF1 – Pool C winner v Pool D runner-up

QF 2 – Pool B winner v Pool A runner-up

QF 3 – Pool D winner v Pool C runner-up

QF 4 – Pool A winner v Pool B runner-up

That means if Scotland manage to progress from the group stages they would be likely to face New Zealand or France in the quarter-finals if results go as expected.

The semi-final draw is as follows:

Winner of QF 1 v Winner of QF2

Winner of QF 3 v Winner of QF 4

The 2023 Rugby World Cup final takes place on Saturday, October 28, at the Stade de France, kick-off 8pm.

[EST]

If I was Tom Curry I'd be pretty angry about this.

That shot on Ritchie looked identical to Curry's tackle. Guidance says that the movement downwards by the tackled player must be sudden and that's not what I took from the slo mo replays.

In terms of our performance, we just don't seem to maintain downwards pressure on teams. I'm sure that we'll put 70 points on Romania, but so what?

I think that Ireland will beat us by 14. I just want a fighting performance, regardless of the score.

Exactly this George.  We play in fits and starts. it was an OK result yesterday - but we should have pressed the accelerator in the second half, where I thought we mixed some good stuff with some absolute guff. I don't want to say we have no chance against Ireland, but nothing I have seen this tournament suggests we can get close.

[George Carlin]

I cannot mentally distance myself from a horror scenario where we have a purple patch game against Ireland, beat them but allow Saint Jonny of Sexton to kick a penalty in the 83rd minutes which gives them a LBP and puts Ireland through.

[jimbopip]

Lads, my history of watching Scotland teams find exciting and innovative ways to fail in a variety of sports goes all the way back to 1974. The only unbeaten team in the tournament!!!!
The opportunities to fecc it right up next week are almost endless.  I could lock myself in a padded room with Hannah Fry, Rachel Riley, Carol Fourdoorvan, a jumbo sized bottle of baby oil and our collective weight in white toblerones and we'd never work out all the variables.

We put out a full strength side against Romania and have three red cards and dancer gets crocked. Then our fifth choice hooker scores a hat trick against Ireland and we lose 17-18 to six Sexton penalties; all for early engagement at the scrum.

We hammer Romania and have a full strength side against Ireland. We lose a dull, dull game without firing a shot. 3-0.
We go full throttle, throw caution to the wind, and are leading 43-31 after 83 minutes and are camped on their line; Blarehorn decides it's time to kick to touch and end it but Ringrose intercepts and runs it in under our posts thus giving them the bonus point loss.

between those two there are countless variations on the theme with which we are all too familiar.: it's the hope that kills you.

[EST]

My only crumb of comfort is that I can't remember the last time we put in a proper 80min performance - it has to come at some time and I just instinctively feel that this team has one huge game in them. The hope indeed, Jim.

[jimbopip]

Without a doubt, we have seen neither a full 80 nor a full XV playing well together. The defence against the Boks was very, very good. The attack not so much.
Wee Shona was absent against the Boks. Dempsey had 10 carries against the Boks, the rest of the pack were excused ball handling duties.
Seven tries against Tonga, but Dancer reckons we left three or four (and he's being generous) out there.

It's time we beat Ireland.
It's time we clicked and put in a fifteen man 80 minutes in your face performance. it's about time "the best Scotland team ever" put in the best Scotland performance ever.

Followed by a QF where Sebastian, Matthews, Crosbie, Price and Harris all have to play 80 minutes due to suspensions/injury/falling out with Toonie.

[Mcsweens]

I really enjoyed Wales pumping Eddie Jones. I would have been just as happy seeing Gatland getting humiliated by Australia, but that treat is almost certainly for another day.

[BigGee]

A really good interview on Rugby Pass from Jamie Lyall to Sione Tuipolotu father Fohe Tuipolotu. It gives a great understanding of where he has come from and what drives him.



Fohe Tuipulotu falls silent as a tear slides gently down his cheek. Tuipulotu is a big man with a big heart. Big enough to work the doors on Melbourne nightclubs. Big enough, too, to admit his shortcomings as a young husband and father.

Tuipulotu is talking about his eldest son, Sione, the muscular Scotland centre with the quicksilver hands, delicate boot and awesome running power. He is recalling the day young Sione told him he wanted to be a professional rugby player, and how it jolted him out of an oscillating domestic lifestyle.

Tuipulotu is a proud Tongan. He earned a university scholarship in Melbourne, met his wife, Angelina, a second-generation Scot, and together the couple had five children. His two younger sons, 22-year-old Mosese and Tavi, 19, are also elite players. Mosese has made such a splash with the Waratahs that Scottish Rugby have put some tantalising offers before him.

In the early days, around 15 years ago, Tuipulotu’s approach to fatherhood was different. He loved his brood, of course, but it is fair to say he saw his role as provider rather than caregiver. Sione’s ambition lit a fire within him that, even today, stirs intense emotion.

“Our family life at the start wasn’t stable. That instability was based on what I was as a person. I’m not shying away from that. I wasn’t really committed to a family and that was reflected in the kids. I knew during that period Sione was going to go down the wrong path. Sometimes he didn’t want to go to school.

“The day he told me he wanted to play rugby, it did change me. I realised I had to help him. Not long after that, I decided to change my career, from working a 9-5 job, to starting a little business, and I turned my hand to everything – the security industry, the warehousing industry, everything I could to help him get where he wanted to be.

“And I told him that. I told him, ‘if you want to be a rugby player, I will support you until you get there’. I told him I would never miss any training session or any game until he signed his Super Rugby contract. And I did exactly that.

“We travelled state-wide; even when he was playing internationally, I always travelled with him because I wanted to keep my promise. The day he signed his first contract with the Rebels, we came out of the office and I said, ‘I think I’ve done my job for you, and I’ve got two other boys to help now’. I always knew he would go a long way, just from his love of rugby and the dedication he had from a young age.”

Tuipulotu often went without sleep. He worked in the warehouses during the day and on the doors at night. At the weekends, he drove across the state of Victoria taking his sons to matches.

“I struggled at the start coping with finishing one job and jumping off to another all the way through to morning, and then back to the first one. I never thought of anything but to get these boys to achieve what they wanted. Working as a bouncer, sometimes you are trying to cope with a lot of different personalities. Then you switch from there to the warehousing.

Once I started committing to what I should as a husband and a father, everything changed.

“My goal never faded. I did make a sacrifice that until my boys finish high school, I will stick with those jobs. Tavi finished school last year, and that’s when I decided to let go of the businesses.”

The boys grew up in Frankston, a seaside suburb around 40km south of the heaving Melbourne metropolis. Though Sione loves the place and what it gave him, there were malign influences on the streets. When his talent secured a scholarship at the esteemed St Kevin’s College, those evaporated. From there, he won his contract at the Rebels and Australia Under-20 caps, then embarked on a fascinating stint in Japan, opening the door for this wonderful chapter with Glasgow and Scotland.

“Once I started committing to what I should as a husband and a father, everything changed,” says his dad. “Every great thing came along. St Kevin’s came along. Everything fell into place from doing the right thing as a leader of the family.

“Sione changed dramatically, I started to mentor him based on my experience coming from Tonga and a very poor family, the struggle I had, and that helped guide him to the right path. St Kevin’s played a big positive role in his life when he was not at home. We are very grateful for St Kevin’s, because it wasn’t just for Sione, but Mosese and Tavi went there too.”

Tuipulotu’s Tongan upbringing fuelled his work ethic. A promising rugby player, he attended Tonga College ‘Atele, a school which spawned the careers of many fine internationals. Tonga’s blockbuster backrow, Vaea Fifita, is among the most recent and prominent.

“I did change from rugby to education based on the struggle we had at home,” Tuipulotu says. “In my last year at school, my dad was diagnosed with cancer. I was a decent rugby player, but that changed my mindset. Rugby wasn’t professional in those days. I saw the opportunity with education and changed to that direction. It gave me an opportunity to get to Melbourne and study.”


Mosese Tuipulotu has attracted significant interest from Scottish Rugby. (Photo by Mark Tantrum/Getty Images)
Tuipulotu’s mother passed away in January, one of three desperate bereavements to strike the family in recent months. On the day of her funeral, Sione obliterated the Stormers defence, perhaps his finest display in a Glasgow jersey. He smashed the then-URC winners’ line while running backwards. His clutch grubber sent Sebastian Cancelliere careering home for the decisive try in the final minutes.

“I lost my oldest brother in December last year,” Tuipulotu says. “My mum passed away in January in the States. While I was organising her funeral, my first cousin passed away. That was three in a row for us. During those periods, Sione was playing, and I was in the States, and I told him to just focus on the games. He played for them. It’s been tough for me, and for our family. Your mum is the most special person in your life and she was also close to Sione and the kids.

“He didn’t know I was watching that game. After the funeral service I had my phone in front of me. He rung me after and said, ‘I think grandma was with me on the field today’.”

It is Sione’s maternal grandmother, the indomitable Jacqueline Anne Thomson, who provides his visceral bond with Scotland. Thomson is from Greenock and, by all accounts, has lost neither her sharp Clydeside accent nor the acerbic tongue to deliver it.

Recent health issues have prevented her travelling to France but gloriously, Angelina has made the trip. Fohe, for once, is staying home, to help organise a new family business with the couple’s elder daughter, Kiesse, and support the latest rugby-playing Tuipulotu, Tavi, on his quest for a senior deal at the Rebels. This has been Angelina’s first opportunity to see her boy play for her mother’s country in the flesh and it is a deeply moving experience for both of them. Sione broke down in a press conference when asked what it meant to have her with him.



“Sione’s mum was always the emotional rock for everyone,” Tuipulotu goes on. “She was always giving the kids everything they needed. She is a great mother and you can tell in the way they connect with each other.

“For her to come this time is really special for Sione. Since he moved to Scotland, she never watched him in person, it was always at home in the middle night on TV, then she had to get up and go to work.

“If Sione’s gran was healthy enough, she would have gone with her. We always think she doesn’t watch the games but she is up and messaging us during the matches, and I always see her comment on Facebook, anything to do with Sione, on the Scotland pages.”

On Sunday evening in Nice, Tuipulotu’s past and Tuipulotu’s present will collide. Scotland play Tonga knowing they must win, and win well, to preserve their hopes of reaching the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals. After being suffocated by the Springboks in Marseille, with a roaring Ireland team to face in the pool finale, there is no room for error.

Fittingly, Sione won his first cap against his father’s nation two years ago. Now, with his mother in the stands, he will face them again with the stakes sky-high.

“For us as a family, it will be a massive day,” Tuipulotu says. “It will be a great day for Sione to play against the team of his other heritage.”


Tuipulotu’s Scotland were well beaten by South Africa in their Rugby World Cup opener, and look to bounce back against Tonga on Sunday. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
That Scottish heritage remains conspicuous. With Mosese and Tavi turning heads, might there soon be a whole legion of Tonga-infused Tuipulotus igniting a navy-blue backline?

“It’s all about them and what they want. They are the ones who are on the field. We can suggest things but whatever makes them happy, we will support 100%. If they all end up in Scotland then good for them, and good for Scotland.”

Scots may rejoice at such a prospect. Tuipulotu simply rejoices in the dreams of his boys crystallising before him. Seldom can a child’s ambition have changed his father so profoundly. All those hours shifting goods in the warehouses. All those nights dealing with inebriated punters in the doorways. Now, the richest of rewards for the toil and the love as Sione scales the very peak of his chosen sport.

“To be honest, my life… sorry,” Tuipulotu falters, as the pride and the tears bubble. “Sione changed my life by playing rugby. He changed the way I looked at things, how to run my family. And he knows that.

“I know he will keep working hard, not only for himself and his family but for the people of Scotland because Scotland gave him the opportunity of a lifetime, to get better as a player and be happy as a human being. I know he is happy – there is no doubt about that.”

[BigGee]

I don't mind admitting it.

There was a small tear in my eye when I read that.

[RDW]

Ooft that was a good read, and a further reminder that in the modern world there are many motivations to play for a country these days, and it's not just about where you were born.

[RDW]

Huge outpouring of posts from the Scotland team on Mcinally 's retirement. You can tell he was clearly a massively popular member of the group.

It's a shame that injuries robbed most of the last few years of his career but for several years he really was a top international class hooker, which is remarkable given he only started in that position once he'd already established himself as a pro.

That try against England will love long in the memory!

[bsando]

I cannot mentally distance myself from a horror scenario where we have a purple patch game against Ireland, beat them but allow Saint Jonny of Sexton to kick a penalty in the 83rd minutes which gives them a LBP and puts Ireland through.

We really need a strong opening quarter against Ireland (on the scoreboard). I can’t see any other way of beating the Irish without gaining a sizeable lead early on.

[EST]

I cannot mentally distance myself from a horror scenario where we have a purple patch game against Ireland, beat them but allow Saint Jonny of Sexton to kick a penalty in the 83rd minutes which gives them a LBP and puts Ireland through.

We really need a strong opening quarter against Ireland (on the scoreboard). I can’t see any other way of beating the Irish without gaining a sizeable lead early on.

We pretty much need to have the perfect game, hope they are a bit off it and hope the 50/50s bounce our way!

[RDW]

So what do we do for Romania?

It's fair to say we need to be fully battle hardened to take on Ireland but I'm not sure we're there yet which suggests we need consistency in selection. Saying that it's only a 6 day turnaround  plus high risk of injuries.

I'm in favour of shaking things up:

Bhatti
Ashman
Nel
Skinner
Gilchrist
Crosbie
Watson
Fagerson

Horne
Healy
Steyn
Redpath
Jones
Graham
Smith

Sutherland, Mathews, Sebastian, Cummings, Dempsey, Price, Russell, Kinghorn

[TJ]

Can I just check? are we still doomed?

[Tramptastic]

So what do we do for Romania?

It's fair to say we need to be fully battle hardened to take on Ireland but I'm not sure we're there yet which suggests we need consistency in selection. Saying that it's only a 6 day turnaround  plus high risk of injuries.

I'm in favour of shaking things up:

Bhatti
Ashman
Nel
Skinner
Gilchrist
Crosbie
Watson
Fagerson

Horne
Healy
Steyn
Redpath
Jones
Graham
Smith

Sutherland, Mathews, Sebastian, Cummings, Dempsey, Price, Russell, Kinghorn

That team is bang on what ive been shown with the exception of:

sebasse and Nel swapped
Harris to start, Jones on on the bench
Darge for Dempsey
Price to start, Horne on the bench
No Russell.

To me seems like those who havent played yet are getting a chance to get up to speed so they are match fit if required for Ireland.
Horne is seen as The Bench option and either White or Price starts
Not worried about Harris to start ahead of Jones, he seems to be in for leadership in that midfield (listed as VC), fully expect Huwipulotu for Ireland.

[RDW]

You say that Huwopolotu will be back for Ireland - it's not ideal that they won't have played together since the very first game against SA where they didn't come up with much in attack. And it's not like the Irish defence will.be any more lenient!

[BigGee]

You say that Huwopolotu will be back for Ireland - it's not ideal that they won't have played together since the very first game against SA where they didn't come up with much in attack. And it's not like the Irish defence will.be any more lenient!

They did play most of the second half v Tonga as well to be fair!

[jimbopip]

You say that Huwopolotu will be back for Ireland - it's not ideal that they won't have played together since the very first game against SA where they didn't come up with much in attack. And it's not like the Irish defence will.be any more lenient!

No worries there; they're in constant telepathic communication.

The team, needs to be mixed up, metaphorically speaking, there would be too many fat boys who have had very little, or no, game time who could end up playing against the Irish if things went south against Romania.

We should hammer Romania and then we can endlessly debate the composition of the bench against Ireland.

Shooey, Matthews, Nel, Principal,Mbawza, Hornito, Healey( just to wind them up), Redpath.

 OR

Bhatti ,Ashman, Seabasse, GG, Hamish, Hornito, Redpath, AADHD Kid

 OR

you get the idea.

[jimbopip]

AADHD = absolute attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

He's been moved into a class of his own.

[Tramptastic]

You say that Huwopolotu will be back for Ireland - it's not ideal that they won't have played together since the very first game against SA where they didn't come up with much in attack. And it's not like the Irish defence will.be any more lenient!

they also play together regularly for glasgow so how the run off each other should be well known to each other (you'd hope)!

[Mcsweens]

I cannot mentally distance myself from a horror scenario where we have a purple patch game against Ireland, beat them but allow Saint Jonny of Sexton to kick a penalty in the 83rd minutes which gives them a LBP and puts Ireland through.

This would be up there with 1978 World Cup in Argentina. The nightmare. Finn does an Archie Gemmill wonder try, but then Josh van der Flier gets the bonus point. Scotland win by 5 points, Ireland go through, an entire generation are forced to wear the glorious failure mantle all over again, and a mediocre Trainspotting 3 sequel does an update of that scene where a saggy Renton and Diane, getting into Rugby in their comfortable post-addiction middle age, re-run Finns weaving brilliance as they try not to do their back in.

The absolute bloody horror.

[Galted]

I cannot mentally distance myself from a horror scenario where we have a purple patch game against Ireland, beat them but allow Saint Jonny of Sexton to kick a penalty in the 83rd minutes which gives them a LBP and puts Ireland through.

This would be up there with 1978 World Cup in Argentina. The nightmare. Finn does an Archie Gemmill wonder try, but then Josh van der Flier gets the bonus point. Scotland win by 5 points, Ireland go through, an entire generation are forced to wear the glorious failure mantle all over again, and a mediocre Trainspotting 3 sequel does an update of that scene where a saggy Renton and Diane, getting into Rugby in their comfortable post-addiction middle age, re-run Finns weaving brilliance as they try not to do their back in.

The absolute bloody horror.

Sounds better than Trainspotting 2.

[Mcsweens]

I cannot mentally distance myself from a horror scenario where we have a purple patch game against Ireland, beat them but allow Saint Jonny of Sexton to kick a penalty in the 83rd minutes which gives them a LBP and puts Ireland through.

This would be up there with 1978 World Cup in Argentina. The nightmare. Finn does an Archie Gemmill wonder try, but then Josh van der Flier gets the bonus point. Scotland win by 5 points, Ireland go through, an entire generation are forced to wear the glorious failure mantle all over again, and a mediocre Trainspotting 3 sequel does an update of that scene where a saggy Renton and Diane, getting into Rugby in their comfortable post-addiction middle age, re-run Finns weaving brilliance as they try not to do their back in.

The absolute bloody horror.

Sounds better than Trainspotting 2.

Trainspotting 2 was a bit rubbish

[RiscaGame]

I kind of liked the nostalgia of Trainspotting 2.

I also am really intrigued by Scotland v Ireland. It’s one of the few group stage games that still hold my interest now, tbh.

[RDW]

I kind of liked the nostalgia of Trainspotting 2.

I also am really intrigued by Scotland v Ireland. It’s one of the few group stage games that still hold my interest now, tbh.

A good point - very few pool games.come with much jeopardy or intrigue which isn't ideal for the World Cup

[Tramptastic]

I cannot mentally distance myself from a horror scenario where we have a purple patch game against Ireland, beat them but allow Saint Jonny of Sexton to kick a penalty in the 83rd minutes which gives them a LBP and puts Ireland through.

This would be up there with 1978 World Cup in Argentina. The nightmare. Finn does an Archie Gemmill wonder try, but then Josh van der Flier gets the bonus point. Scotland win by 5 points, Ireland go through, an entire generation are forced to wear the glorious failure mantle all over again, and a mediocre Trainspotting 3 sequel does an update of that scene where a saggy Renton and Diane, getting into Rugby in their comfortable post-addiction middle age, re-run Finns weaving brilliance as they try not to do their back in.

The absolute bloody horror.

Sounds better than Trainspotting 2.

Trainspotting 2 was a bit rubbish

Trainspotting 2 was a bit excellent!

[tigertattie]

Anyone know the difference between the Namibian now red card and the yellow card for Tonga for whacking Jamie???

[BigGee]

Best not go there!

The Namibian one was a tired clumsy challenge with no great force.

The Tongan one was deliberate, malicious and full force.

And yet!

[Heuer27]

I’ll see you your Namibian red card and raise you an Uruguayan yellow card.

Whole system is a farce. There is no mitigation in the yellow that I could see.

[Tramptastic]

I think what doesnt help is we dont get to hear any deliberation or direct feedback from the bunker to the ref. just the end result?

what needs to happen is the key bit of footage the bunker has used to come to a conclusion needs fired up on the screen with a scribble of text i.e. remains a yellow because ball carrier dipped at the last second

Would keep bunker identities anonymous but would give the viewer key reasoning. Doesn't remove discussion on whether it was the correct decision but at least lets us know how and why they got there.

[TJ]

Anyone know the difference between the Namibian now red card and the yellow card for Tonga for whacking Jamie???

Yes.  The mechanics of the tackle, following the protocols and subjective decisions.  In Ritchies case the last moment sudden dip he made was considered mitigation as it was an attempt at a legal takle.  the Namibia one wsa not an attempt at a legal tackle so mitigation cannot be applied so it remains red.

Its really not difficult. The protocols and procedure are all laid out. The ref explains to the captain why the decision was made. You may disagree with the decisions and as there will always be subjective elements to the decisions.

Please stop falling for the commentators balderdash on this. Decisions are clear, are made following a set of protocols and its obvious many of the commentators have little understanding of the process. also be aware of selective editing. ON the Kreil one we were mainly shown one angle that looked like direct head contact. One showing of the other angle which made it clear it was indirect contact but no one wanted to discuss that.

[NeilyBroon]

Team's oot
15 Smith
14 Graham
13 Harris
12 Redpath
11 Steyn

10 Healy
9 Price

8 Fagerson
7 Watson
6 Crosbie
5 Gilchrist
4 Skinner
3 Sebastian
2 Ashman
1 Bhatti

Solid enough but bit worried we need to be scoring on average about every 4-5 minutes. I reckon it'll take these guys at least 20 to get into it.

[NeilyBroon]

Bench
Matthews
Sutherland
Nel
Cummings
Sarge
Horne
Kinghorn
Jones

[BigGee]

Strong old bench, could do some ddmage if they are flagging in the last 20 mins.

Johnny the Scouser is going to get his first cap and well deserved it is to!

[NeilyBroon]

A long overdue debut. Hope he goes well, I think we could do with someone like him against the boys in green!

[EST]

I like the team, and glad the wider squad are getting a run out - they will be raring to go and looking to make a huge statement. I don't think we can worry about the points difference, just gotta go out there and win - we can see how the cards fall for the Ireland game.

[bsando]

A long overdue debut. Hope he goes well, I think we could do with someone like him against the boys in green!

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/sep/29/javan-sebastian-determined-not-to-butcher-chance-in-scotland-front-row

Is that who you’re talking about broony? Nice read, but I find it a little annoying sometimes to read about perfectly normal jobs outside rugby being compared to prison. Even the press on Rowe working in an Amazon packing centre seemed to make it out as the ultimate low.

Hope the team can find the BP today and cause some selection headaches. With Jones on the bench perhaps we’ll see a redpath jones partnership later in the game.

[NeilyBroon]

A long overdue debut. Hope he goes well, I think we could do with someone like him against the boys in green!

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/sep/29/javan-sebastian-determined-not-to-butcher-chance-in-scotland-front-row

Is that who you’re talking about broony? Nice read, but I find it a little annoying sometimes to read about perfectly normal jobs outside rugby being compared to prison. Even the press on Rowe working in an Amazon packing centre seemed to make it out as the ultimate low.

Hope the team can find the BP today and cause some selection headaches. With Jones on the bench perhaps we’ll see a redpath jones partnership later in the game.

Matthews but Javan deserves a start too I reckon, he's shown up well in all the warm up games and I think he'll be an important part of the 6Ns squad (yes I've already given up on thinking beyond a group exit!).

Also, Matthews to score a hat trick!

[bsando]

That would be make my World Cup to see that! He’s been prolific at Glasgow and seems a real character. Need more players like that in rugby.

[George Carlin]

Should World Cups really feel like this? Can it really be true that Scotland fans only start to enjoy the matches when we no longer have a dog in the fight? This seems like the longest walk to the gallows.

[TheMildlyFranticLlama]

Should World Cups really feel like this? Can it really be true that Scotland fans only start to enjoy the matches when we no longer have a dog in the fight? This seems like the longest walk to the gallows.

Took a quick trip over to Lyon on Wednesday night to catch the Uruguay v Namibia match. Absolutely fantastic experience all round and a cracking game. Got a chance to congratulate a few of the Uruguayan players after the game and they were absolute gents. Safe to say I’m thoroughly enjoying this World Cup now regardless of what happens with Scotland!

[NeilyBroon]

Should World Cups really feel like this? Can it really be true that Scotland fans only start to enjoy the matches when we no longer have a dog in the fight? This seems like the longest walk to the gallows.

This has been a rotten world cup for us for all the wrong reasons. In a lot of ways it's worse than 2019 where we were just dire and didn't fire a shot. This time it just feels like it's been mostly out of our hands from the start. Against a boks squad that had walloped NZ two weeks before and an Ireland squad on a 16 match winning streak fired up to break their world cup duck. Any of the other tier one squads would have struggled, including France and NZ. Feels mighty unfair when we look at pools C&D.

My support will be behind Fiji for the quarters!

[BigGee]

Oh, that was a dreamy offload from Redpath!

[tigertattie]

Skills from Redpath followed by brain farts from price

We need to rack up points and we send price out there to give balls slower than an apology from Boris Johnson

[tigertattie]

Darcy Graham seems to be running faster these days

I’m putting it down to better aerodynamics not wearing the scrum cap

[Heaf]

Oooh Mr Darcy ... he's a bit quick isn't he ...

[BigGee]

Don't think there is any doubt about Darcy's place in the team, no matter how well Steyn plays!

[funnyExiledScot]

Dare I suggest that Adam Hastings is a level above Healy??

Graham is on fire. How long do we leave him on though? He's essential for Ireland.

[BigGee]

Dare I suggest that Adam Hastings is a level above Healy??

Graham is on fire. How long do we leave him on though? He's essential for Ireland.

He'll be on till half time and the fourth try

Healy had missed a couple of touches, but otherwise playing well and getting the backs moving, not necessarily his natural game

[funnyExiledScot]

Watson and Redpath going well. I'm all about the BP try and hoiking off the key players.

Looks like a red coming here.

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