GAD

I guess if Townsend refuses to play Kinghorn anywhere other than 10, with Hutchinson, Graham, Huw Jones and Rowe all injured, Hogg, Hoyland and Maitland at home then there isn't really anyone else in the squad, is there? Got to be McLean and Smith.

I genuinely have no idea what that team is all about. Surely White and Graham must be injured? At least the pack still looks relatively strong, which is where the game was won last weekend, but it's mental that every other position is now open to rotation on this tour except 10. I get the whole thing about giving players a chance and seeing what they can do, but most of these guys have had chances. Why can we not just put our best team and hopefully win the series? It's the same fucking about that cost us a chance at beating the Boks in the autumn. Ireland never f**k around like this in these games, they just pick their best team and win.

Hit the bar, had one cleared off the line, Grieve put a free header and a shot from about 8 years wide under very little pressure, O'Hara the same when set up by Offord, and that's just off the top of my head. Loy rhymed off even more on the radio after the game.

For me, Brophy is key because he's the only real goalscorer we've got, despite the usual injuries, he still scored 7 goals in the league last season I think, which was about 20% of the goals we scored in total! More than Main, Greive, Henderson and Jones put together (not picking on these guys, just these were our other attacking players last season). I don't know if it's possible to keep the guy fit, but if Robinson can, he could easily be a double figure striker for us next season. I honestly don't think Grieve or Main ever will be. Offord has looked pretty good in his cameos so far this pre season, so could offer something, but he's very young. He does look like he can create though. To be honest, I also thought Henderson and Tanser were putting in some great balls on Saturday, the crossing looked good. I think in all the hysteria after the defeat it's been a bit forgotten that we really should have scored at least two goals. We created quite a lot against a good defence.

Yeah, it wasn't the formation that made him unable to put any corner or cross past the first man. Also, his performance in the humping off Motherwell was probably a big part of the reason we switched to a back three as he offered absolutely nothing defensively that day. I know it's not his game, but at least jog after the fullback a wee bit mate. To be honest, I thought he was crap. Probably is potentially a player there, but he was brutal for us and deeply disappointing signing. Maybe not the worst signing of last season (Miller was pretty pointless) but definitely by far the most dissapointing.

Yeah. Maybe Skinner could cover there at a push I suppose. I think the whole insistence with Kinghorn at 10 shows that we'd like to go 6-2 though, especially if Dempsey becomes an option in the future.

I think I'd still go with Watson just now, I thought he was good throughout yesterday. Darge really shone when we were on top, but Watson was digging out turnovers and making big tackles all through the first half when everything else was going to shit.

I'm with DT, that was a decent performance in the end. Kinghorn at 10 isn't going to work for me though, he's not a good enough passer, quite telling that none of our tries really involved him, was mostly forward pressure and hitting good lines off 9. Though White was excellent actually. Kinghorn was much better when he went on the wing. Back row was excellent throughout.

Yellow cards for trying to catch the ball, 5 minute scrums, the same penalty for tiny technical errors as there is for blatant cheating, almost every breakdown open to interpretation. It needs a bit of an overhaul.

The Oz v England game was shaping up to be a good finish, but Brace is fully at it now and will whistle England over the line in this last ten. He's pulling out all the classics from "not straight" at line outs when Oz look like scoring, to random maul penalties just because.

Scotland will be the only NH team to lose on tour today. Stick on.

Now that it's pretty obvious it's over for Johnson, I kind of want to see how far he takes it. The whole of British politics was always supposed to be about doing the "right and honourable" thing and now we've got a guy in there giving it "f**k you, if you like resigning so much you fucking do it, I'm staying" and there is not really any mechanism to deal with this. He's broken all the rules, but they forgot to ever actually write them down, so unlucky. We've not had a functioning government for months.

That's pretty much exactly the same as Black and White Army to be fair! I think, from what I've read, that it's probably better that we are not playing Hartlepool now. They barely have a squad, and to be honest, looking at the signings they have made, I can see why the fans aren't exactly inspired so far. Hartley might have a bit of a job on his hands there.

On the totally legal stream I'm watching this on, Australian TV are now going on full ad breaks at each scrum.

I think Tuipolotu is ok, a bit better than he gets credit for, but he's just Nick Grigg MK2 really isn't he? He'll do the same job as Grigg did for Glasgow on Scotland, but I don't see him as a realistic 40-50 cap prospect for Scotland at all.

Fair enough. I think you are wrong. I think the current state of Westminster will be a compelling reason for some people to switch to Indy, maybe you are right and it's not a good enough reason, but I honestly think many people looking at how thier standard of living has dropped and how people like Johnson, Rees Mogg, Patel, etc have behaved in office and think "f**k this". It's a record any "No" or "Remain" team will not want to have to defend, so they'll have to offer something to show how it's going to get better.

Elaborate on what? My point is a case will need to be made either way, that's not my job anymore than it's yours. I don't mind you not making a positive case for the union either, it's fine for you to leave it up to others as well. We are not politicians. Also, at no point did I say we should blindly believe everything will be solved by independence either. However, if you think the absolute shambles of Westminster over the past 6 years, the loss of previously held rights, and the massive reduction in the standard of living, as well as Johnson and the Tories record in government aren't going to be front and centre of any campaign that may happen, then you are in for a big surprise. The record of the Westminster government is going to be a huge argument for Independence.

Yeah, but I'm not arguing that. I'm saying there is a case that needs to be made for independence, but there is also a case that needs to be made for staying in the UK as it currently stands. In fact, let's be honest here, you are the one advocating that we blindly believe everything will be fine if we stay in the UK, despite almost 6 years of pretty much constant crisis, without putting up any points or arguments as to why this is a reasonable stance.

I agree, the case needs to be made for independence. What I'm also saying though is a case needs to be made for the UK as well. My "perceived" grievances with the UK are shared by many, saying the UK is currently utterly dysfunctional isn't exactly controversial, there are over a hundred MPs for the ruling fucking party who agree! Pretending this can't get worse either way is as myopic as it comes. Both sides need to make a case as to why their way will be better than what we have now. If all the UK can offer is more of this, then that's a huge boost for yes.

I take it there is some kind of Brexit thing that means signing Aussies and Kiwis is now easier than signing players from the EU? Seems to be a quite a lot of them this summer to the league as a whole.

The idea that there is no risk in staying in the union, therefore no case to be made for it, is wrong. Since 2014, when we voted No, we have been taken out of the EU, the currency has tanked, wages have stagnated, we've had multiple general elections, have a hard right populist government with a huge majority of power based on a minority vote, who have basically promised to rip up the current laws protecting our human rights and are making laws to suppress dissent. Beyond that though they are pretty much incapable of governing and are making up policy on the hoof depending on the morning's headlines. The cost of living crisis is only just getting started, and already, in real terms, most people are poorer than they were in 2014. The last 6 years or so have not been stable, they have not been good to the normal working people of the UK. It's been chaos, with no real indication that it's likely to change in the near future. Yeah, Brexit has been a complete disaster, but mostly because the UK government has made it so. To suggest no case has to be made to stay in this disaster as it is just now is crazy. The current dysfunctional state of the UK is a massive point in favour of independence and it will need to be addressed.

Anyone who thinks staying in the UK isn't just as much of a financial risk right now as leaving it hasn't been paying attention over the last 6 months. Unfortunately I doubt they'll be able to ignore it come winter.

Conor Newton is always one of those guys I wonder if he knows what a legend he is at the club. He's probably the guy from that team you hear about the least, yet he was the man who won us the cup. I don't know if this makes sense, but guys like Thommo, DVZ, Samson, Goodwin, Mair, McAusland, McGowan have always been about since then, McLean, McGinn and Dummett as well, still high profile players and have been about the club, and been at games a few times since. Isma and Carey get linked with a move back every transfer window, but Newton there's never anything. Scored the goal that won us the cup, was one of the best players on the pitch that day, played for us for another season, then dissapeared. We should put him in the hall of fame or something.

To be fair, the whole "youth team player leaving before even starting a game" thing has been going on for decades, it's just nobody ever really knew it cared as it wasn't reported in the press very much. Even at saints I'm sure a fair few of our best "youth graduates" to the first team actually came to us from somewhere else. McLean and Broadfoot immediately spring to mind.

I think I'll go down for the Bath game. My sister lives in Bristol, which is just up the road, and it's a ground I've always fancied going to. The timing is a bit shit though, Dec or Jan. September would have been lovely...