Road to RWC 2023

[switchskier]

Hopefully we get off to a faster start this week and the bench get most, if not all, of the second half.

[Cameo]

I'm not sure we can start any better than last week - it was what happened next that was the issue.

I'm happy enough with the team. Townsend has made clear he thinks we will get better and better with more games, and there is still time before the first match. It's a risk but our only chance in this tournament is to get off to a fast start. It is not like Ireland, say, who can use their first game as a final warmup.

[BaldiePete]

Kyle Steyn has replaced Darcy for the Georgia match. He’s reported as having a “mild strain to his quad”.

[switchskier]

Anyone watched the SAv-NZ game this evening? So much for thoughts that SA weren't in tip top form. Give tries, all scored by forwards. At least we know what is coming, though stopping is a hell of a lot harder.

Only silver lining might be DeToit picking up a ban.

[BaldiePete]

ABs played like Scotland used to on a bad day. Lots of handling errors, lineout all over the place, persistently giving away stupid penalties and generally playing like headless chickens. Was it three penalties in a row for early shove at lineouts? Hopefully we’ve put those days behind us. If not we’ll get reamed.

[Mikey Brown]

Well, that was okay? I have no sense of how to judge the ‘lesser’ teams now.

[Donny osmond]

Well, that was okay? I have no sense of how to judge the ‘lesser’ teams now.

Was just thinking about that, we're all worried about what Ire and SA are going to do to us, but Tonga and Romania are still going to cause problems.

[Cameo]

Struggle to know what to make of that having now seen highlights of England Fiji and Ireland Samoa.

Watching our game, I wasn't impressed (first half at least). It just looked like we were having the kind of issues we might have against SA or Ireland. We kept having one good phase where we would make ground quite easily and then two bad ones ending in a turnover or penalty. A lot of it seemed to come from the runners overrunning the ball carrier and then having to slow or stop for the pass, but there were numerous other things that just weren't sharp.

In hindsight, though, you could say the game vindicated the decision to pick basically the top team. There were definitely issues to be worked on, and we did improve as the game went on. There were also no injuries, though I am a little worried about Graham and Kinghorn. I think they are key even though I like Steyn and Smith.

[Big D]

Well, that was okay? I have no sense of how to judge the ‘lesser’ teams now.

We played like a team trying to avoid any injuries in the 1st half. Hard to blame them 2 weeks out from the WC. The only key to that game was no injuries and suspensions


We turned it on for 10min and sealed the game.

In a WC or any game not the one before the RWC we'd have stuck 50 on them.

[septic 9]

Struggle to know what to make of that having now seen highlights of England Fiji and Ireland Samoa.

Watching our game, I wasn't impressed (first half at least). It just looked like we were having the kind of issues we might have against SA or Ireland. We kept having one good phase where we would make ground quite easily and then two bad ones ending in a turnover or penalty. A lot of it seemed to come from the runners overrunning the ball carrier and then having to slow or stop for the pass, but there were numerous other things that just weren't sharp.

In hindsight, though, you could say the game vindicated the decision to pick basically the top team. There were definitely issues to be worked on, and we did improve as the game went on. There were also no injuries, though I am a little worried about Graham and Kinghorn. I think they are key even though I like Steyn and Smith.

at the game I thought the 1st half felt like the Italy warm up. Team looked as if they had just met, and tried to go wide far too early and often. "Earn the right" etc did not apply.
That said altho we played better 2nd half, that first half paid off in an odd way. The Georgians were blowing out of their proverbials a few mins into 2nd half. Think that as much as anything was why we outplayed them so easily

I hope Kinghorn and Graham recover - Toonie seems very confident these were minor niggles, but I want them if only for depth. They will both likely start, but I'm happy with Steyn and Smith; bench starts to become very thin though without 2 * back 3 players, one injury away from George H covering wing