Scotland World Cup campaign

[General Zod]

Rambo dropped! Maitland injured, so Seymour covers him and Graham keeps his shirt. Mr. Grieg to captain.

[Mikey Brown]

McInally dropped. What the fuck?

Seymour in for injured Maitland.

[Mikey Brown]

I like the three horned bench approach, but no Hastings after that performance?

[hugh_woatmeigh]

McInally dropped. What the fuck?

Seymour in for injured Maitland.

I was wondering why the f*ck Brown was taken off after 30 minutes.

I'd have started George and I think Seymour over Maitland as well as Kinghorn over Maitland is questionable but given game time/turnaround/performances it's as good as we can manage I think.

P Horne & Kinghorn give near perfect bench coverage. Hastings would change that.

[Chunks Baws]

McInally dropped. What the fuck?

Seymour in for injured Maitland.

You can't say Rambo has been on good form. He looks unfit as well and he's been a fairly ineffective Capt. I'm glad he's been dropped.

[hugh_woatmeigh]

Form aside, Brown is a very different player. Perhaps we're going to target the breakdown.

[hugh_woatmeigh]

Watson aside... the fact that our starting back row has barely 25 caps combined reeks of piss poor planning. Wilson's limitations & Barclay's age should have been acknowledged long before the RWC.

[Mikey Brown]

Another angle is that having a captain on the pitch for 80 makes sense. Not sure who it would go to otherwise? Gilchrist?

[ARM]

Hopefully not all academic but bit of a statement from Toony dropping el capitano.

Think this shows we’re going to go hard up front and play this tight and tactical. Brown is a heavier scrummager, no question, and arguably a better defender - both in terms of defensive maul and the breakdown. Lots of kicking, territory and ball off the park, at other times contest the box kicks with Seymour.

[hugh_woatmeigh]

Brown is more prone to disciplinary brain farts though. And in quite a big way. When he screws up, boy does he screw up.

[Mikey Brown]

Brown is more prone to disciplinary brain farts though. And in quite a big way. When he screws up, boy does he screw up.

Perfect GT player really.

[hugh_woatmeigh]

And their lot :

Japan

1. Keita Inagaki
2. Shota Horie
3. Jiwon Koo
4. Luke Thompson
5. James Moore
6. Michael Leitch (capt.)
7. Pieter Labuschagne
8. Kazuki Himeno
9. Yutaka Nagare
10. Yu Tamura
11. Kenki Fukuoka
12. Ryoto Nakamura
13. Timothy Lafaele
14. Kotaro Matsushima
15. William Tupou

16. Atsushi Sakate
17. Isileli Nakajima
18. Asaeli Ai Valu
19. Uwe Helu
20. Hendrik Tui
21. Fumiaki Tanaka
22. Rikiya Matsuda
23. Ryohei Yamanaka

[hugh_woatmeigh]

Tupou at 15 a possible weak link. Unless it's mind games - Fukuoka is the full back... and a good one at that.

[Spiffy]

This.

If you're just going to assume the results, then why bother playing matches at all? I mean, it's not like Japan are going to beat Ireland or anything, is it?

Everyone can just stay at home and look at the World Rankings to decide who wins each game.

I don't actually care what happens with the Jap-Sco game now, the cancellation of the other games means, in my eyes, this World Cup has lost it's legitimacy as a sporting contest.

This times 100.

Really?

They haven't cancelled the matches just because they feel like it - it's a super typhoon! It's a natural disaster! I can't believe you're seriously suggesting that the entire tournament is worthless because NZ-Italy and England-France got called off in the face of something that's a hell of a lot bigger than a rugby game.

Puja

You might feel differently if England had been eliminated because of a cancelled game.

[Puja]

This times 100.

Really?

They haven't cancelled the matches just because they feel like it - it's a super typhoon! It's a natural disaster! I can't believe you're seriously suggesting that the entire tournament is worthless because NZ-Italy and England-France got called off in the face of something that's a hell of a lot bigger than a rugby game.

Puja

You might feel differently if England had been eliminated because of a cancelled game.

Currently Scotland are not eliminated because of a cancelled game. And, while I would be fuming if say, the Australia pool game in 2015 had been called off, denying us a chance to come back from losing to the Welsh, I wouldn't have called the tournament worthless because a weak England weren't in it anymore - there would have been a lot of rugby played after our elimination and there would have been little expectation of us going further.

However, that is not the same as being happy or even sanguone about the games having been cancelled. I think it's rubbish, really hope Scotland vs Japan can go ahead, and wish that the IRB had done better with looking for other options than cancelling. Just don't think it's worth binning off the whole RWC just yet.

Puja

[Cameo]

I think that team is decent. Didn't see McInally being dropped but he does look a bit jaded. I would have had G Horne and Kinghorn rather than Laidlaw and Seymour but can understand them.

[switchskier]

I think that team is decent. Didn't see McInally being dropped but he does look a bit jaded. I would have had G Horne and Kinghorn rather than Laidlaw and Seymour but can understand them.

Whilst I'm a big fan I think that George Horne showed some of his weaknesses in the Russia game, especially in his box kicking which was rarely contestable. Against Japan they'll run those back all day long. Not saying that I'd pick Laidlaw (who's kicking is better but not by much atm) but I can see why.

[Donny osmond]

I think that team is decent. Didn't see McInally being dropped but he does look a bit jaded. I would have had G Horne and Kinghorn rather than Laidlaw and Seymour but can understand them.

Whilst I'm a big fan I think that George Horne showed some of his weaknesses in the Russia game, especially in his box kicking which was rarely contestable. Against Japan they'll run those back all day long. Not saying that I'd pick Laidlaw (who's kicking is better but not by much atm) but I can see why.

Maybe pick Horne and, I realize this is swimming against the tide but... dont box kick quite so much possession away?

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[Donny osmond]

I wonder how many non-Scots genuinely rate our chances today?

I'm actually pretty confident, and yes i realise that might be the kiss of death. I think our problems are more psychological and I dont think Japan will be putting the same blocks in place as playing against Ireland seemed to. Altho I suppose the situation might but I do really think the guys will show up in decent nick today and get the job done.

I am basing this on absolutely nothing at all.

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[hugh_woatmeigh]

I wonder how many non-Scots genuinely rate our chances today?

I'm actually pretty confident, and yes i realise that might be the kiss of death. I think our problems are more psychological and I dont think Japan will be putting the same blocks in place as playing against Ireland seemed to. Altho I suppose the situation might but I do really think the guys will show up in decent nick today and get the job done.

I am basing this on absolutely nothing at all.

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I agree with this. Japan are far better drilled & coached though. Another mental lapse or no-show from our lot today and they will savage us.

I suppose I think, individual man for man... we probably win at least 13 of the contests with one marginal one and labuschagne probably trumping Ritchie. But collectively Japan are ahead of us. If the 'good' Scotland show up, we won't have a problem IMO.

[switchskier]

I wonder how many non-Scots genuinely rate our chances today?

I'm actually pretty confident, and yes i realise that might be the kiss of death. I think our problems are more psychological and I dont think Japan will be putting the same blocks in place as playing against Ireland seemed to. Altho I suppose the situation might but I do really think the guys will show up in decent nick today and get the job done.

I am basing this on absolutely nothing at all.

Sent from my HUAWEI VNS-L31 using Tapatalk

I agree with this. Japan are far better drilled & coached though. Another mental lapse or no-show from our lot today and they will savage us.

I suppose I think, individual man for man... we probably win at least 13 of the contests with one marginal one and labuschagne probably trumping Ritchie. But collectively Japan are ahead of us. If the 'good' Scotland show up, we won't have a problem IMO.

I give Matushima, Lafele and Horie to Japan as well with Leith/Bradbury a push.

[hugh_woatmeigh]

I wonder how many non-Scots genuinely rate our chances today?

I'm actually pretty confident, and yes i realise that might be the kiss of death. I think our problems are more psychological and I dont think Japan will be putting the same blocks in place as playing against Ireland seemed to. Altho I suppose the situation might but I do really think the guys will show up in decent nick today and get the job done.

I am basing this on absolutely nothing at all.

Sent from my HUAWEI VNS-L31 using Tapatalk

I agree with this. Japan are far better drilled & coached though. Another mental lapse or no-show from our lot today and they will savage us.

I suppose I think, individual man for man... we probably win at least 13 of the contests with one marginal one and labuschagne probably trumping Ritchie. But collectively Japan are ahead of us. If the 'good' Scotland show up, we won't have a problem IMO.

I give Matushima, Lafele and Horie to Japan as well with Leith/Bradbury a push.

Horie was the marginal one for me. He's fantastic.

Lafele - fair enough. We really do have better centres than him though, we just need them to play... and perform.

Matushima on form, probably yes but I have a feeling he's a bit of a flat track bully.

[Cameo]

It is really tough to judge some of their players just because we see so little of them and it is always in a certain context.

[hugh_woatmeigh]

Right so we'll use this thread for the match?

[hugh_woatmeigh]

Love a 3 second knock on...