RugbyRebels

The biggest surprise is Sutherland on the bench. I hope he can be back to his best form but I’m not sure getting occasional game time in French D2 is going to be enough. Obviously, I live in hope of a Scottish win but I just can’t see it outside of Ireland getting a couple of red cards. Even getting a losing BP would be a good result, indicating that we were at least competitive.

Aye hoping for a competitive performance. At least as a supporter this is the game I'm not expecting anything from so the level of disappointment will be minimal.

Jocky wrote: ↑Wed Mar 13, 2024 9:27 am Are we expecting any team changes for Saturday or does anyone actually care anymore?

It's not just me that's struggling to care then?

We're going to lose. We might lose very badly to an angry Ireland team who are our kryptonite.

But beyond that it's just hard to get excited about this team. Which is weird considering it's the most competent team, with the highest floor, that we've had in forever. And I cant help shake the feeling that it's a team that has passed it's peak, and in the crucial moments it failed to step up. There's currently very little to debate about the starting side or competition for places. It doesnt feel like there are youngsters coming through demanding attention and to drive competition. There is nothing to get excited about: Russell can be superlative, and should be appreciated, but witgiut better players around him I think we've hit the limit on where he can take us (to be clear we should in no way drop him, I just think that hes great and at the peak of his powers).

Rather there is a feeling of inevitable slide back to scrapping not to be the wooden spoon over the next two years.

I wish didn’t agree with all of that but I do.

I feel similar sometimes. It's not the teams fault but I think fans have got used to this level of relative success so we don't get as excited by a big win or two each tournament any more. This 6N had the potential to be different with us really being in it on the final day but a mixture of officiating and the performance screwed it up, and now it's difficult to see how we will ever make the step up to actually winning a tournament.

That said, a win on Saturday would be incredible.

Happy enough with the team. It makes me sad that Redpath has been dropped, but I think it is probably the right call. The midfield wasn't strong enough in defemce last week and against Ireland if you let them on the front foot you are done. I just hope he doesn't become a cameo player who never fully establishes himself.

I've mentioned before I probably would have started Ritchie or Fagerson. I'm not as blown away by Christie as some. But I'm not really complaining about that. Christie is clearly a good player and might have a great game.

It's is clear that we don't even want the ball, DVDM narcissism aside. This is awful rugby.

Donny osmond wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2024 5:15 pm It's is clear that we don't even want the ball, DVDM narcissism aside. This is awful rugby.

That was a crazy bad fuck up at the line out.

Mr Mwenda wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2024 5:16 pm

Donny osmond wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2024 5:15 pm It's is clear that we don't even want the ball, DVDM narcissism aside. This is awful rugby.

That was a crazy bad fuck up at the line out.

If we were a team not widely known and derided for shooting ourselves in both feet, constantly kicking away possession might be an idea... However that line out showed the exact problem

Pretty listless there from the kick off, clearly Townsend is inspirational.

Russell kicking away turnover ball twice- shocking

We don’t deserve to win this but Matt Carley really is a useless cunt.

why the fuck kick away all your possession at this stage of things??

paddy no 11 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2024 6:25 pm Russell kicking away turnover ball twice- shocking

But 2 games ago he did a moment of magic so it's all fine

BaldiePete wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2024 6:33 pm We don’t deserve to win this but Matt Carley really is a useless cunt.

Agreed, giving Ireland a penalty for accidental offside but Scotland only get a scrum for identical incidents

Ireland’s second try looked held up to me.

BaldiePete wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2024 6:46 pm Ireland’s second try looked held up to me.

Agree, though I think furlong did score his!

paddy no 11 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2024 6:49 pm

BaldiePete wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2024 6:46 pm Ireland’s second try looked held up to me.

Agree, though I think furlong did score his!

If he gets that can we have Skinner’s “try” against France?

Can't fault the effort. Because we aren't used to winning these games the players panic a little and composure goes out the window.

Christie was excellent. Not sure why he was the one sacrificed after the yellow.

Some big questions needing asked but not tonight.

That was what I’d call a respectable loss. We were massive underdogs and did OK in the first half apart from the lineout fuck up. It was even a better 2nd half than some of those we’ve had recently, although still it good enough. I’m deflated but not utterly depressed like I was after losing to Italy. I was in the pub for their match and didn’t properly see what was going on but I get the impression they were comfortable and the final score flattered Wales. That could be worrying for next season.

BaldiePete wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2024 7:02 pm That was what I’d call a respectable loss. We were massive underdogs and did OK in the first half apart from the lineout fuck up. It was even a better 2nd half than some of those we’ve had recently, although still it good enough. I’m deflated but not utterly depressed like I was after losing to Italy. I was in the pub for their match and didn’t properly see what was going on but I get the impression they were comfortable and the final score flattered Wales. That could be worrying for next season.

Seems about fair. A strange and frustrating game. Lots of good, but lots of typically non-clinical Scotlanding amongst it. Simply made worse by this being a team at/over their peak and this championship realistically being one we could have won.

Still have that feeling we flip a coin to decide whether we’ll be good in attack or defence and the other just goes out the window. How can it work that way?

Christie class. Horne infuriating. Russell looked absolutely frazzled. McDowell??? Dunno. Van der Merwe was absolutely fucking tragic.

You have to take the absolute most of every small chance in these games.

The overthrow, McDowell not slipping Kinghorn in after the bust and Steyn not releasing Jones on the wing with space are examples of things we just can't do in these games.

Is it time to dust off the same old review that we've had for the last... number.... of years?

The below is copied from twitter so I don't vouch for it's veracity, but it feels about right. Make of it what you will...

-----------------------------
The strangest (or possibly most telling) Scottish stat from the Six Nations - difference between penalties won & penalties conceded:

Fra: +11
Ita: +10
Wal: +7
Ire: +3

Eng: -1
Sco: -30

Scotland both conceded the most (57) & won the fewest (27) penalties in the tournament

Donny osmond wrote: ↑Sun Mar 17, 2024 4:15 pm The below is copied from twitter so I don't vouch for it's veracity, but it feels about right. Make of it what you will...

-----------------------------
The strangest (or possibly most telling) Scottish stat from the Six Nations - difference between penalties won & penalties conceded:

Fra: +11
Ita: +10
Wal: +7
Ire: +3

Eng: -1
Sco: -30

Scotland both conceded the most (57) & won the fewest (27) penalties in the tournament

I saw similar. Especially in the first and last games we got absolutely destroyed in the penalty count.

The low penalties for may be explained by our tactic now of holding ball carriers up rather than chopping and going for the jackal. I can see that slows ball up even if it doesn't lead to the turnover but I'd ratger we ditch it as:

- one of the advantages should be that we give less penalties away at the ruck, that doesn't seem to be happening.
- we've got one, and sometimes two, of the best jacklers in the tournament, and we are not giving them chances.
- it seems to mean we give away lots of metres while we are trying to keep someone up, we are too easy to make ground against.

Overall, this performance was okay. Amazing in defence, didnt do anything in attack and when we tried to our hands weren't good enough. Can't really complete about running this Ireland that close in Dublin, but like MB says, this year was a missed chance (but every team could say that).

Those stats are from Kevin Millar, a Warriors fan, who does a lot of statistics and can be counted on to be accurate. It’s very tempting to think we’re being refereed differently from other teams but I think it’s more likely we lack discipline and focus at critical times.