Guest Bob Mahelp Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 4 minutes ago, topcat(The most tip top) said: Back to Rugby The "Covid Six nations" as it will be remembered is wierd for all concerned Going out to try and perform at top level in front of a huge stadium with hardly any people in it must be totally disconcerting for any player that's never played for Edinburgh Back to the rugby. I agree, after my rant. It is indeed weird. And that's why we shouldn't be getting too cocky, despite a fantastic performance on Saturday. Home advantage has been completely nullified because of the lack of crowds, and I had a wee chuckle about the commentators on Saturday going on about Scotland having a great chance of the championship because we have 3 home games. An empty Twickenham worked in our favour on Saturday, but an empty Murrayfield could equally work in Wales' favour this coming weekend. We have to be careful and not relax just because we're playing in Edinburgh. Wales aren't all that great just now, but they have plenty of players that can hurt us if we're not at our best. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topcat(The most tip top) Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 Just now, Bob Mahelp said: Back to the rugby. I agree, after my rant. It is indeed weird. And that's why we shouldn't be getting too cocky, despite a fantastic performance on Saturday. Home advantage has been completely nullified because of the lack of crowds, and I had a wee chuckle about the commentators on Saturday going on about Scotland having a great chance of the championship because we have 3 home games. An empty Twickenham worked in our favour on Saturday, but an empty Murrayfield could equally work in Wales' favour this coming weekend. We have to be careful and not relax just because we're playing in Edinburgh. Wales aren't all that great just now, but they have plenty of players that can hurt us if we're not at our best. Nonsense The time for dour, pessimistic doom mongering is passed, now is the time for hubristic arrogance and myopic optimism. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bob Mahelp Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 Just now, topcat(The most tip top) said: Nonsense The time for dour, pessimistic doom mongering is passed, now is the time for hubristic arrogance and myopic optimism. I'm a Scotland and Aberdeen fan. I'll stick with dour, pessimistic doom mongering for the moment. It's what I'm used to.... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topcat(The most tip top) Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 1 minute ago, Bob Mahelp said: I'm a Scotland and Aberdeen fan. I'll stick with dour, pessimistic doom mongering for the moment. It's what I'm used to.... I've been watching Hearts for decades I can do despair and hubristic overoptimism but not dull realism And frankly why would I want to, There's enough dull realism in dull reality. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aDONisSheep Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 The thing I liked about it was the attitude. This team looked like they were absolutely relishing the fight. Personified IMHO by Finn's kick to Duhan which just failed. It was early doors and they knew it was a close one, but instead of being angry at missing the opportunity, they had a smile and a giggle. This was a performance won by battles up front though. Scotlands pack were too aggressive and mobile for England's pack (Itoje aside). I thought the contrast was illustrated by the difference in performances between Billy Vunipola and Matt Fagerson. Now I'm a big fan of Vunipola, but he couldn't get to grips with the pace of the game yesterday whereas you saw the energy of Fagerson personified in his kick chase efforts and aggressive ball carrying. I can't recall a game where the Scotland pack has dominated the England pack so much of the game, not even during the 25-13 game of about 3 years ago. As for criticism of Finn Russell? I obviously watch a different game. What I saw was a fly-half that varied the play beautifully and he absolutely bewildered the England back three. I also saw him organise our defence and be Price's eyes and ears when he was struggling. Yes he missed a couple of kicks, had one forward (but creative) pass, and got sin-binned, but on the the other side, and off the top of my head I saw him; Put a perfect ball through to Maitland from which we nearly scored Make Hill miss and panic Vunipola into getting a yellow Make some massive first up tackles Loft another pinpoint ball for Maitland to compete for (before the try) Beautiful crossfield kick for Duhan (from which we nearly scored) Massive clearance from an England lineout Some beautiful flat passes for the likes of Harris and Redpath to run on to and my personal favourite... Absolutely smashed Jonny May into next season He easily outperformed Farrell, Ford, Biggar, Sexton, Burns and probably outperformed Jalibert (who was excellent, but who didn't have to face the pressure of Tom Currie coming at him like an Exocet, trying to break his ribs. If we can't appreciate having the most gifted 10 in world rugby then there really is no hope for us. Special mention to Maitland, who I thought had his best game in years. Finally my man of the match would have been 'Duhan VDM" It was like having a third centre (and a crash ball one at that) and you've got to love someone that carries Mark Wilson over the line with them for a try. That having been said, you wouldn't get much argument from me if you picked any one from Hogg, Gray, Watson, M Fagerson, Turner etc, they were all absolutely magnificent. I almost blubbed at the end! Yours aDONis 11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvio Tattiescone Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 1 hour ago, Bob Mahelp said: Back to the rugby. I agree, after my rant. It is indeed weird. And that's why we shouldn't be getting too cocky, despite a fantastic performance on Saturday. Home advantage has been completely nullified because of the lack of crowds, and I had a wee chuckle about the commentators on Saturday going on about Scotland having a great chance of the championship because we have 3 home games. An empty Twickenham worked in our favour on Saturday, but an empty Murrayfield could equally work in Wales' favour this coming weekend. We have to be careful and not relax just because we're playing in Edinburgh. Wales aren't all that great just now, but they have plenty of players that can hurt us if we're not at our best. Just a thought, throwing an idea out there, so to speak. We know crowds of people aren't allowed into stadiums, but how about crowds of sheep? That would really distract the Welsh. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topcat(The most tip top) Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 18 minutes ago, NewBornBairn said: Just a thought, throwing an idea out there, so to speak. We know crowds of people aren't allowed into stadiums, but how about crowds of sheep? That would really distract the Welsh. A cunning plan but you've forgotten that a lot of the Scottish team come from the Borders 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvio Tattiescone Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 11 minutes ago, topcat(The most tip top) said: A cunning plan but you've forgotten that a lot of the Scottish team come from the Borders Damn 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genuine Hibs Fan Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 1 hour ago, aDONisSheep said: The thing I liked about it was the attitude. This team looked like they were absolutely relishing the fight. Personified IMHO by Finn's kick to Duhan which just failed. It was early doors and they knew it was a close one, but instead of being angry at missing the opportunity, they had a smile and a giggle. This was a performance won by battles up front though. Scotlands pack were too aggressive and mobile for England's pack (Itoje aside). I thought the contrast was illustrated by the difference in performances between Billy Vunipola and Matt Fagerson. Now I'm a big fan of Vunipola, but he couldn't get to grips with the pace of the game yesterday whereas you saw the energy of Fagerson personified in his kick chase efforts and aggressive ball carrying. I can't recall a game where the Scotland pack has dominated the England pack so much of the game, not even during the 25-13 game of about 3 years ago. As for criticism of Finn Russell? I obviously watch a different game. What I saw was a fly-half that varied the play beautifully and he absolutely bewildered the England back three. I also saw him organise our defence and be Price's eyes and ears when he was struggling. Yes he missed a couple of kicks, had one forward (but creative) pass, and got sin-binned, but on the the other side, and off the top of my head I saw him; Put a perfect ball through to Maitland from which we nearly scored Make Hill miss and panic Vunipola into getting a yellow Make some massive first up tackles Loft another pinpoint ball for Maitland to compete for (before the try) Beautiful crossfield kick for Duhan (from which we nearly scored) Massive clearance from an England lineout Some beautiful flat passes for the likes of Harris and Redpath to run on to and my personal favourite... Absolutely smashed Jonny May into next season He easily outperformed Farrell, Ford, Biggar, Sexton, Burns and probably outperformed Jalibert (who was excellent, but who didn't have to face the pressure of Tom Currie coming at him like an Exocet, trying to break his ribs. If we can't appreciate having the most gifted 10 in world rugby then there really is no hope for us. Special mention to Maitland, who I thought had his best game in years. Finally my man of the match would have been 'Duhan VDM" It was like having a third centre (and a crash ball one at that) and you've got to love someone that carries Mark Wilson over the line with them for a try. That having been said, you wouldn't get much argument from me if you picked any one from Hogg, Gray, Watson, M Fagerson, Turner etc, they were all absolutely magnificent. I almost blubbed at the end! Yours aDONis So much to agree with here. The aggression and mobility of the pack maybe the most important facet. One of my frustrations about the rebuild since the world cup is we have fronted up really well physically but not kept the ball well enough or made use of our pack's mobility against bigger teams. Saturday saw a lot more variation in the point of attack carrying and less one out runners standing still. England couldn't strike back in the way Ireland did in the autumn because they'd made all the tackles and been run around the park. Duhan is absolutely a game changer. Not just as a now undoubted finisher at test level (although I doubt we'll ever see him do one of those dive in the corner efforts) but as that crash ball coming off his wing that we've missed for a long time. A much better Sean Lamont really. For Wales I'd be targeting a bonus point win but not assuming we'll get one. They have the players to hurt us if we're not on it but if we match that physicality and game management and just have a bit more patience and composure in the 22 we could turn them over 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Left Back Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 11 minutes ago, Genuine Hibs Fan said: So much to agree with here. The aggression and mobility of the pack maybe the most important facet. One of my frustrations about the rebuild since the world cup is we have fronted up really well physically but not kept the ball well enough or made use of our pack's mobility against bigger teams. Saturday saw a lot more variation in the point of attack carrying and less one out runners standing still. England couldn't strike back in the way Ireland did in the autumn because they'd made all the tackles and been run around the park. Duhan is absolutely a game changer. Not just as a now undoubted finisher at test level (although I doubt we'll ever see him do one of those dive in the corner efforts) but as that crash ball coming off his wing that we've missed for a long time. A much better Sean Lamont really. For Wales I'd be targeting a bonus point win but not assuming we'll get one. They have the players to hurt us if we're not on it but if we match that physicality and game management and just have a bit more patience and composure in the 22 we could turn them over I thought the best aspect of the pack was ball retention in contact. How often do you see us keep it tight in the forwards then turn the ball over after a few phases? We didn’t do that on Saturday. We recycled the ball which led to the monumental posession stats. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aDONisSheep Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 2 minutes ago, Left Back said: I thought the best aspect of the pack was ball retention in contact. How often do you see us keep it tight in the forwards then turn the ball over after a few phases? We didn’t do that on Saturday. We recycled the ball which led to the monumental posession stats. Absolutely, and not in good conditions either. Forwards and backs played as though they were on the beach. I was very impressed by Maitland and Hogg under the high ball (I think Hogg was short once). Contrast to May and Daily (both quality players) who seemed to have had a bath in butter before kick-off. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genuine Hibs Fan Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 22 minutes ago, Left Back said: I thought the best aspect of the pack was ball retention in contact. How often do you see us keep it tight in the forwards then turn the ball over after a few phases? We didn’t do that on Saturday. We recycled the ball which led to the monumental posession stats. Aye the execution was very good, without checking the stats looks like incredibly low handling errors for a Scotland team. I think it's slightly harsh to criticise not getting more points. England should have had a yellow at least once for just standing offside when we were close to their line, otherwise I think we'd have got at least the try at the end of Russel's sinbin 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aDONisSheep Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 I still can't get my head round the notion that Lawrence's first touch was nearly an hour into the game! He was at 12 and brought in to be a wrecking ball. How can a 12 not get their hands on the ball for nearly an hour. An England 12 is starved of ball for nearly an hour at TWICKENHAM! Just let that stat sink in! Also, about the points, Scotland kept England to their lowest points tally (at Twickenham) for 56 years! I'm going to blub again! Yours aDONis 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAD Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 1 hour ago, Genuine Hibs Fan said: Aye the execution was very good, without checking the stats looks like incredibly low handling errors for a Scotland team. I think it's slightly harsh to criticise not getting more points. England should have had a yellow at least once for just standing offside when we were close to their line, otherwise I think we'd have got at least the try at the end of Russel's sinbin I had a look at the stats and the ball retention and possession are incredible. 100% on lineout, 65% possession, 70% territory, 11 clean breaks to 0 with only 12 turnovers (England had 13 with half the possession). The only real issue was that we didn't win by more. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Left Back Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 12 minutes ago, GAD said: I had a look at the stats and the ball retention and possession are incredible. 100% on lineout, 65% possession, 70% territory, 11 clean breaks to 0 with only 12 turnovers (England had 13 with half the possession). The only real issue was that we didn't win by more. Toony oot. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngusTheBull Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 4 hours ago, aDONisSheep said: As for criticism of Finn Russell? I obviously watch a different game. What I saw was a fly-half that varied the play beautifully and he absolutely bewildered the England back three. I also saw him organise our defence and be Price's eyes and ears when he was struggling. Yes he missed a couple of kicks, had one forward (but creative) pass, and got sin-binned, but on the the other side, and off the top of my head I saw him; Put a perfect ball through to Maitland from which we nearly scored Make Hill miss and panic Vunipola into getting a yellow Make some massive first up tackles Loft another pinpoint ball for Maitland to compete for (before the try) Beautiful crossfield kick for Duhan (from which we nearly scored) Massive clearance from an England lineout Some beautiful flat passes for the likes of Harris and Redpath to run on to and my personal favourite... Absolutely smashed Jonny May into next season He easily outperformed Farrell, Ford, Biggar, Sexton, Burns and probably outperformed Jalibert (who was excellent, but who didn't have to face the pressure of Tom Currie coming at him like an Exocet, trying to break his ribs. If we can't appreciate having the most gifted 10 in world rugby then there really is no hope for us. Agree with all of this, particularly on Finn Russell. Have always thought he is one of these players who suffers from his highlights reel in that if he isn’t doing ‘mad Finn things’ every 5 minutes people think he’s had an off-game. It does seem like if he does 9/10 things correctly, there’s always a lot more focus than other 10’s on the one thing that didn’t come off. As mentioned, he had a solid, professional, sensible performance (drop goal aside), the sort of performance which if it came from Sexton or Farrell would be getting lauded by the media as the sort of savvy showing at a tough away venue that gets you lions starts. As for his place kicking, well it’s never been a particular strength and is not really why he’s in the team. If it turns out that Redpath could kick, now that would be great. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajwffc Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘁𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗱 𝗨𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗜𝗻: George Taylor, Charlie Shiel & D'arcy Rae. 𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗯𝘀: Ewan Ashman, Blair Kinghorn, Jamie Dobie & Rufus McLean. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Connolly Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 Is that Kinghorn finally being found out? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAD Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 11 minutes ago, Mark Connolly said: Is that Kinghorn finally being found out? Assuming he's not injured, then it looks like it. He's not even going to make the bench for Saturday so might as well play for Edinburgh. Even if Hogg was injured I'd have Maitland ahead of him for fullback every time. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peasy23 Posted February 8, 2021 Share Posted February 8, 2021 I thought the best aspect of the pack was ball retention in contact. How often do you see us keep it tight in the forwards then turn the ball over after a few phases? We didn’t do that on Saturday. We recycled the ball which led to the monumental posession stats.Same for me, its been the most infuriating aspect of our play for quite a while that we were unable to recycle the ball more than a few times without either knocking it on, or a player getting isolated and getting turned over or we give away a penalty. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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