AI Squad & general match thread

[hugh_woatmeigh]

Forwards: Alex Allan (Glasgow Warriors), Simon Berghan (Edinburgh), Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh), Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Allan Dell (Edinburgh), David Denton (Leicester Tigers), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Ross Ford (Edinburgh), Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh), Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Rob Harley (Glasgow Warriors), Murray McCallum (Edinburgh), Stuart McInally (Edinburgh), Willem Nel (Edinburgh), Gordon Reid (London Irish), Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh), Sam Skinner (Exeter Chiefs), Blade Thomson (Scarlets), Ben Toolis (Edinburgh), George Turner (Glasgow Warriors), Hamish Watson (Edinburgh), Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors)

Backs: Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors), Dougie Fife (Edinburgh), Chris Harris (Newcastle Falcons), Adam Hastings (Glasgow Warriors), George Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Pete Horne (Glasgow Warriors), Sam Johnson (Glasgow Warriors), Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors), Lee Jones (Glasgow Warriors), Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh), Greig Laidlaw (Clermont Auvergne), Sean Maitland (Saracens), Byron McGuigan (Sale Sharks), Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors), Henry Pyrgos (Edinburgh), Finn Russell (Racing 92), Matt Scott (Edinburgh), Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors)


I was hoping we may have been able to get Vellacott across.

[Chunks Baws]

Sam Skinner?? I guess the press got the wrong lad at Exeter. What sort of player is her?

[hugh_woatmeigh]

I wish they'd do positional breakdowns. Alphabetic makes no sense & makes it hard to spot bolters/omissions off the bat. Here is my attempt:

Props
Allan, Dell, Reid
Berghan, McCallum, Nel

Hookers
Brown, Ford, McInally, Turner

Locks
Gilchrist, Gray, Toolis, Skinner, Harley

Back row
Bradbury, Denton, Fagerson, Ritchie, Thomson, Watson, Wilson

Scrum Half
Horne, Laidlaw, Price, Pyrgos

Fly Half
Russell, Hastings

Centre
Dunbar, Harris, Horne, Johnson, Jones, Scott

Back 3
Fife, Jones, Kinghorn, Maitland, McGuigan, Seymour


Shout if I've missed anyone. At first glance, I'll reiterate what I've been saying for a while. LH is problem position for us since the Dicko news. We have lots of options, none spectacular at present.

[General Zod]

Initial thoughts are that we should increase our strength in depth for RWC through this tournament with arguably at least 4 first teamers out (Gray, Dunbar, Hogg, Barclay).

Pleased we have picked up the lad from Exeter, and it looks like Gary Graham is going to have to chase a cap from the Calcutta cup losers, as he can’t get in to this squad.

Also, no matter how many tries or penalties we score, they don’t count until the ball is secured after a re-start and we either clear our lines or do something productive with it.

This is the year of re-start efficiency to take us through to the World Cup and beyond.

[hugh_woatmeigh]

Toony/Johnson are doing a good job at identifying Scottish talent. I wish there was some concrete info on the eligibility of Lowe and McNicholl. Both heavily rumored to be SQ.

Would have hoped that we'd included Christie from the Canes - he didn't even make the wider 19 main fringe/training group for NZ. He is clearly not in Hansen's RWC plans.

Also really glad to see this is a largely 'form' selection. Toony obviously likes L Hamilton but he's been really awful this season.

[hugh_woatmeigh]

Crosbie and Graham have been invited to train with the squad also.

[General Zod]

Luke Hamilton was quality in November last year.

Have just spotted the try machine Ross Ford! A late tilt at the RWC Squad?

[hugh_woatmeigh]

Luke Hamilton was quality in November last year.

Have just spotted the try machine Ross Ford! A late tilt at the RWC Squad?

I would personally prefer Ford to Turner.

Here is the injury list FYI

Not considered through injury: John Barclay, Mark Bennett, Lewis Carmichael (all Edinburgh), Cornell du Preez (Worcester Warriors), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Richie Gray (Toulouse), Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors), Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors), Duncan Taylor (Saracens).

Which means that Bhatti and Grigg have simply been omitted. Don't think there are any other notable omissions.

The other one is SHC - who is clearly second choice at Scarlets but getting plenty of starts and minutes as they battle on two fronts. He's had time at 10 as well.

[Croft_No.5]

I would have had SHC in the squad for the first match and then insist he is released also goes for Thompson.

[General Zod]

I would have had SHC in the squad for the first match and then insist he is released also goes for Thompson.

Good point!

[Mikey Brown]

Wow. Actually no major issues with that, given injuries.

Loosehead is a toss-up as mentioned. I like Bugatti but couldn’t comment on his form. I like Lang but hasn’t quite done enough to lose Horne’s experience, I’d imagine the vye for the same 10/12/15 spot. Hamilton and Grigg as much as they try I just don’t think they can take this team to another level.

Skinner is an interesting one, Harley is no lock but I imagine a guy like that is great in a training squad this size.

Is Johnson fit?

[Big D]

Decent squad. Skinnee is an interesting one. Sutherland the only unlucky one perhaps.

I wonder if Townsend spoke with Vellacott, Christie or GGraham?

I assume Harley can only be because the non scots based guys wont be available v wales.

[ARM]

Skinner and Thomson add to our options in the pack so pleased with that. Starting to build some good depth up front, LH aside.

Behind the scrum, back three is the weakest area. When you have Dougie Fife getting picked for Test rugby you know there’s a problem. Good club man, but out of his depth at Test level.

[Mikey Brown]

Didn’t spot Fife in there. I’d agree, he seems to be playing well enough but Jones, Maitland and McGuigan have all looked good in recent weeks anyway. Of Seymour is 100% obviously he walks in but I’m not sure how much game time he’ll have at that point.

I wonder how Reid’s waistline is doing.

[hugh_woatmeigh]

I wonder how Reid’s waistline is doing.

Eh?

[Big D]

I think wee fat Dunc a little unlucky not to be in the squad. He has been good this season. Although he probably isn't international level.

Matt Scott is a little lucky. I still think Dean has been hard done to at Edinburgh with Scott getting by on past glories as times.

[Mikey Brown]

I wonder how Reid’s waistline is doing.

Eh?

He seems to fluctuate in weight, fat/muscle ratio and quality quite a lot doesn’t he? I just have no idea if he’s justifying a spot or not, but he’s got some experience I suppose.

Sutherland should be a bit put out? Also never seen much from Allan except a very impressive sidestep or two.

[Soapy]

What I've seen of Sutherland this his scrummaging hasn't been that great. He really struggled against the Cheetahs and McCallum - a TH - looked much more solid when he came on. I've always liked Reid as a player - tends to hold his own pretty well at LH and bring a bit of attitude to his game which I like to see.

[AL.]

That Thompson looks handy, seems to know how to take a restart too:

[hugh_woatmeigh]

The Thomson capture is on par with Jones/Maitland if not bigger. He is very, very, very good indeed.

[hugh_woatmeigh]

No Vellacott or Graham in the England squad.

[Mikey Brown]

Yeah he does look handy. I'd got the impression from somewhere he was a wispy, namby pamby, line-out jumper sort of 8 but he looks pretty physical too. Though we could certainly do with a serious lineout option in the backrow anyway if we've got McInally/Brown continuing to be undroppably good in the loose and total scatterguns at the lineout.

We probably have to give up on this idea of Denton/Strauss rounding their game off or Ashe fulfilling his potential and staying fit.

Who would you pick to start in the backrow? Thomson isn't available for Wales I don't think, but Bradbury, Watson, Thomson looks pretty handy, if not the biggest.

[Chunks Baws]

Yeah he does look handy. I'd got the impression from somewhere he was a wispy, namby pamby, line-out jumper sort of 8 but he looks pretty physical too. Though we could certainly do with a serious lineout option in the backrow anyway if we've got McInally/Brown continuing to be undroppably good in the loose and total scatterguns at the lineout.

We probably have to give up on this idea of Denton/Strauss rounding their game off or Ashe fulfilling his potential and staying fit.

Who would you pick to start in the backrow? Thomson isn't available for Wales I don't think, but Bradbury, Watson, Thomson looks pretty handy, if not the biggest.

Thomson is definitely not available for the Wales game. I'd expect Watson and Wilson to start against the taffs, blindside...who knows? Unless he goes with Denton at 8 and Wilson at 6.

[Big D]

I can see the Wales game being full on tombola. He said no player will start 4 games. I reckon Ritchie will be at 7 v Wales.

[Big D]

Yeah he does look handy. I'd got the impression from somewhere he was a wispy, namby pamby, line-out jumper sort of 8 but he looks pretty physical too. Though we could certainly do with a serious lineout option in the backrow anyway if we've got McInally/Brown continuing to be undroppably good in the loose and total scatterguns at the lineout.

We probably have to give up on this idea of Denton/Strauss rounding their game off or Ashe fulfilling his potential and staying fit.

Who would you pick to start in the backrow? Thomson isn't available for Wales I don't think, but Bradbury, Watson, Thomson looks pretty handy, if not the biggest.

Thomson is definitely not available for the Wales game. I'd expect Watson and Wilson to start against the taffs, blindside...who knows? Unless he goes with Denton at 8 and Wilson at 6.

Denton won't be released either.