RugbyRebels

James Lang was quiet over the autumn but I think with Finn and Harris either side of him and the back row working hard I think he will do fine. I also think that he is coming into a team that is really excited to play and that’s much easier than the autumn when we felt like we were limping through till the next game

Maitland was also good but it’s hardly a step back getting Darcy Graham. He’s been quiet for Edinburgh but I think he will have a great game

Blade coming in is an interesting shout but as expected

Mom scotland

A bit of a come down to see the three enforced changes. Redpath is the one I'm really disappointed by but what can you do. They hid his injury well didn't they?!

Thompson I can see the logic for. I think he has generally done well. He looks a bit like a lock in the right so maybe does a bit more than gets picked up. Big downgrade on Richie though.

Maitland was great last week but since he has come through (until his recent dip) I would always have Graham starting. I think he is very good on the kick chase too.

whatisthejava wrote:James Lang was quiet over the autumn but I think with Finn and Harris either side of him and the back row working hard I think he will do fine. I also think that he is coming into a team that is really excited to play and that’s much easier than the autumn when we felt like we were limping through till the next game

Maitland was also good but it’s hardly a step back getting Darcy Graham. He’s been quiet for Edinburgh but I think he will have a great game

Blade coming in is an interesting shout but as expected

Mom scotland

Let's hope so.

Maybe with Lang coming in to a side with some momentum and positivity he will be encouraged to show something of the all round game that Redpath did. I've said it a million times but he can do it all, but is surely not getting many more chances to actually show it. (Again, much like Thomson)

What's the deal with Johnson at Glasgow? Just not up to speed yet? I guess he'd had little time back when the squad was announced, but it seems crazy for him to be behind Lang given his Scotland performances since coming in.

Lang’s had much less time than we gave Harris.

I think this is a great opportunity for him to come in and do well. Ref path has been awesome and it’s gutting about the neck but realistically 3 hard games coming up and we need a centre partnership to get through all 3

whatisthejava wrote:Lang’s had much less time than we gave Harris.

I think this is a great opportunity for him to come in and do well. Ref path has been awesome and it’s gutting about the neck but realistically 3 hard games coming up and we need a centre partnership to get through all 3

Hopefully, though I'm not sure around this narrative that's building that the selection of Harris over the last few years has been proven right.

I'd pick him right now and don't think he has been terrible or is a bad player but I would still like an upgrade.

Mikey Brown wrote:I don't disagree with any of that. We may have different definitions of trying to be positive though.

no, just I didn't take in your first line. My bad

Mikey Brown wrote:
What's the deal with Johnson at Glasgow? Just not up to speed yet? I guess he'd had little time back when the squad was announced, but it seems crazy for him to be behind Lang given his Scotland performances since coming in.

yeah, Johnson had been injured, and form not great. Still have taken a punt if he's fit rather than Lang. Apparently Taylor not considered because he hasn't played much since lockdown. Hear that Eddie?

Fvck it. Lang’s the man.

Shame about the injuries (but we can't really complain, Wales have had terrible luck there).

No doubt the replacements are a step down, but Thomson will bring something to the lineout, Graham is probably more dangerous in space (even if his form has been patchy of late) and Lang did fine in the autumn - clearly he can pass the ball and they trust him to do a job in the defensive system.

The worrying thing is that even with some players missing, there's still a lot of quality in that Wales side, so we will need to replicate our intensity and make sure we take the points when they are on offer. Liam Williams/Aaron Wainwright/Nick Tompkins/Gareth Davies are excellent players to bring in as substitutes

Should be a good game. Scotland should win it, but they seem to struggle to turn dominating periods into points. Wales still don't seem to add up to the sum of their parts. Probably to get decided over a costly mistake.

Buggaluggs wrote:Should be a good game. Scotland should win it, but they seem to struggle to turn dominating periods into points. Wales still don't seem to add up to the sum of their parts. Probably to get decided over a costly mistake.

I hope not. Rugby needs a clear winner who goes on to lift the Triple Crown and the Championship.

normanski wrote: I hope not. Rugby needs a clear winner who goes on to lift the Triple Crown and the Championship against Ireland in a few weeks’ time.

FTFY.

General Zod wrote:

normanski wrote: I hope not. Rugby needs a clear winner who goes on to lift the Triple Crown and the Championship against Ireland in a few weeks’ time.

FTFY.

No! You mean against France in Paris.

What’s the weather forecast for Edinburgh tomorrow? Does Murrayfield still have under-turf heating?

Hope the weather won’t have too much an impact on the outcome.

normanski wrote:What’s the weather forecast for Edinburgh tomorrow?

jesu sinit

https://tinyurl.com/1ri6sex6

don't worry, its safe

Best of luck today, short of a win.

Edinburgh is my favourite six nations away trip by an absolute mile. Loads of good memories and on my last couple of visits I have gone for a bracing stroll up Arthur’s Seat the morning after the match, to clear out the cobwebs. Wish I could do it this weekend, despite the weather. I even enjoy the train journey to Edinburgh through East Anglia and then through York, Durham, Newcastle etc.

I grew up in the Rhondda and when I was a teenager the night after the match the local pubs would all have a few Scottish blokes. They were friendly, but it was obvious that they really just wanted to talk to the women !

My last visit was 2017. I thought that Wales looked good for a routine win after 30 odd minutes, 13-6 up. But Halfpenny missed a simple penalty, the crowd really got behind Scotland and the momentum totally shifted. Scotland won 29-13 going away. Hamish Watson came off the bench early on and had an absolute stormer. Hope that Wales can hold off Scotland to sneak a win today.

(As it was an early game I popped down to Easter Road for the evening clash between Hibs and Dunfermline. An entertaining game finished 2-2, but the crowd was crazy and the referee needed a police escort off the pitch at the end).

All the best.

Wallpaperman wrote:Best of luck today, short of a win.

Edinburgh is my favourite six nations away trip by an absolute mile. Loads of good memories and on my last couple of visits I have gone for a bracing stroll up Arthur’s Seat the morning after the match, to clear out the cobwebs. Wish I could do it this weekend, despite the weather. I even enjoy the train journey to Edinburgh through East Anglia and then through York, Durham, Newcastle etc.

I grew up in the Rhondda and when I was a teenager the night after the match the local pubs would all have a few Scottish blokes. They were friendly, but it was obvious that they really just wanted to talk to the women !

My last visit was 2017. I thought that Wales looked good for a routine win after 30 odd minutes, 13-6 up. But Halfpenny missed a simple penalty, the crowd really got behind Scotland and the momentum totally shifted. Scotland won 29-13 going away. Hamish Watson came off the bench early on and had an absolute stormer. Hope that Wales can hold off Scotland to sneak a win today.

(As it was an early game I popped down to Easter Road for the evening clash between Hibs and Dunfermline. An entertaining game finished 2-2, but the crowd was crazy and the referee needed a police escort off the pitch at the end).

All the best.

Like you, Edinburgh is my favourite away ground and I have many happy memories of the trip north with Scottish colleagues and friends.

After Wales, I always cheer for Scotland - what would you expect with a granny from Stonehaven.

Wallpaperman wrote:Best of luck today, short of a win.

Edinburgh is my favourite six nations away trip by an absolute mile. Loads of good memories and on my last couple of visits I have gone for a bracing stroll up Arthur’s Seat the morning after the match, to clear out the cobwebs. Wish I could do it this weekend, despite the weather. I even enjoy the train journey to Edinburgh through East Anglia and then through York, Durham, Newcastle etc.

I grew up in the Rhondda and when I was a teenager the night after the match the local pubs would all have a few Scottish blokes. They were friendly, but it was obvious that they really just wanted to talk to the women !

My last visit was 2017. I thought that Wales looked good for a routine win after 30 odd minutes, 13-6 up. But Halfpenny missed a simple penalty, the crowd really got behind Scotland and the momentum totally shifted. Scotland won 29-13 going away. Hamish Watson came off the bench early on and had an absolute stormer. Hope that Wales can hold off Scotland to sneak a win today.

(As it was an early game I popped down to Easter Road for the evening clash between Hibs and Dunfermline. An entertaining game finished 2-2, but the crowd was crazy and the referee needed a police escort off the pitch at the end).

All the best.

Nice read, mate. Even the bit about the spoon-burners at the end!

Ah, we all miss it! Hope you’re back in a couple of years.

In a previous life time, my club, * RFC hosted a Welsh club from *redacted* for the international weekend. They`d stayed in a Borders hotel overnight before travelling up to play on the Saturday morning. We had no real idea what level of rugby they played. It became clear after a few minutes and a couple of whizzy tries that they were a very talented outfit, including a former Wales B (or equiv.) centre.
Fortunately for us, they were all still pissed, so after twenty minutes, reality began to overcome enthusiasm and they gradually fell apart.

Highlights..
Full back dropping high ball and collapsing, upon being unable to stand up, requested that his captain leave him to die.

Scrum half, " ball coming in, Nooooeacch.." threw up all over the ball. He did have an excuse as his teammates had pulled him off a local girl at 5.30 that morning..

Being Welsh, they`d all recovered remarkably well by the time the bar opened..
Turned out a good weekend .

Does anyone know of a club that still does this?

Tobylerone wrote:In a previous life time, my club, * RFC hosted a Welsh club from *redacted* for the international weekend. They`d stayed in a Borders hotel overnight before travelling up to play on the Saturday morning. We had no real idea what level of rugby they played. It became clear after a few minutes and a couple of whizzy tries that they were a very talented outfit, including a former Wales B (or equiv.) centre.
Fortunately for us, they were all still pissed, so after twenty minutes, reality began to overcome enthusiasm and they gradually fell apart.

Highlights..
Full back dropping high ball and collapsing, upon being unable to stand up, requested that his captain leave him to die.

Scrum half, " ball coming in, Nooooeacch.." threw up all over the ball. He did have an excuse as his teammates had pulled him off a local girl at 5.30 that morning..

Being Welsh, they`d all recovered remarkably well by the time the bar opened..
Turned out a good weekend .

Does anyone know of a club that still does this?

Our local club used to, and had a centre who moved to Cardiff as they thought he was international standard. It didn’t work out and he came back to our local club for his last few years. They also used to host a Scottish team when Scotland came to Wales (hence our pubs being full of Scotsmen).

I think cheap flights killed off a lot of the coach trips and visits between clubs.

Liberton FP play Llandaff North in Cardiff still. Quite a few went along to watch it after the Scotland v Wales game was cancelled late back in March.

Chunks Baws wrote:Liberton FP play Llandaff North in Cardiff still. Quite a few went along to watch it after the Scotland v Wales game was cancelled late back in March.

Good for them.

Right. Eng v Italy was a damp squib, here's the real deal. 'Mon lads!!

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Same scrum penalty as the 1st scrum last week but on the other side.

Not sure what Fagerson wa doing there. Even if just a tackle there was limited benefit to going in there.

Defended that relatively easily.but a couple of really dull penalties so far.