6N starting team

[Mikey Brown]

I’m confused though. Had Laidlaw really won back the 9 shirt already?

[Donny osmond]

I’m confused though. Had Laidlaw really won back the 9 shirt already?

Frankly yes. Price was only on for 5 mins and he nearly handed the game back to France.

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[whatisthejava]

Watching the game back Russel did some brilliant stuff but his mis kicks are a big problem.

[Mikey Brown]

I’m confused though. Had Laidlaw really won back the 9 shirt already?

Frankly yes. Price was only on for 5 mins and he nearly handed the game back to France.

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I’m clearly not remembering the game properly. What did he do?

[Donny osmond]

I’m confused though. Had Laidlaw really won back the 9 shirt already?

Frankly yes. Price was only on for 5 mins and he nearly handed the game back to France.

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I’m clearly not remembering the game properly. What did he do?

76, 77 mins on the clock, just after we'd gone 6 points up, we have the ball and... he box kicks possession away.

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[hugh_woatmeigh]

Frankly yes. Price was only on for 5 mins and he nearly handed the game back to France.

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I’m clearly not remembering the game properly. What did he do?

76, 77 mins on the clock, just after we'd gone 6 points up, we have the ball and... he box kicks possession away.

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78 or 79 mins. We win possession. He celebrates as if we've won the game. There was still a lot to play out at that point...

[whatisthejava]

Lacey slightly favored us, can't remember the last time we got all the 50/50 calls from a ref.
It's Nigel next week so will get screwed over at the breakdown.

[Big D]

Frankly yes. Price was only on for 5 mins and he nearly handed the game back to France.

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I’m clearly not remembering the game properly. What did he do?

76, 77 mins on the clock, just after we'd gone 6 points up, we have the ball and... he box kicks possession away.

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I doubt he took that decision unilaterally.

If it was he deserves criticism, even if it was a decent kick from memory. Although to be fair 4min is an age to run down the clock around your own 22.

[Big D]

I’m clearly not remembering the game properly. What did he do?

76, 77 mins on the clock, just after we'd gone 6 points up, we have the ball and... he box kicks possession away.

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78 or 79 mins. We win possession. He celebrates as if we've won the game. There was still a lot to play out at that point...

There are many things Price deserved a slagging off for. That isn't one of them.

I've seen Jonny Gray for example celebrate winning a defensive penalty and celebrate similarly.

[hugh_woatmeigh]

76, 77 mins on the clock, just after we'd gone 6 points up, we have the ball and... he box kicks possession away.

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78 or 79 mins. We win possession. He celebrates as if we've won the game. There was still a lot to play out at that point...

There are many things Price deserved a slagging off for. That isn't one of them.

I've seen Jonny Gray for example celebrate winning a defensive penalty and celebrate similarly.

I'm aware. It's too much and it's OTT. There's still a job to be done.

[ARM]

Jeez...tough crowd.

Russell will come back better. And Price is still a young lad with only a couple of seasons of regular pro rugby under his belt.

Good win. The important thing - unlike last week - was that we came out firing after half time, with accuracy, and got ourselves back into the game.

Pleased to see the performances from Berghan (a superb first 40), Gilchrist, Laidlaw and Jones. The team changes from last week were all pretty successful.

[Edinburgh in Exile]

Jeez...tough crowd.

Russell will come back better. And Price is still a young lad with only a couple of seasons of regular pro rugby under his belt.

Good win. The important thing - unlike last week - was that we came out firing after half time, with accuracy, and got ourselves back into the game.

Pleased to see the performances from Berghan (a superb first 40), Gilchrist, Laidlaw and Jones. The team changes from last week were all pretty successful.

Indeed. Finn’s grin is a non issue. Folks could do with not taking it as a personal slight. Similar to our team celebrating turn overs. Relax lads. Sit down, have a coke, listen to a Cat Stevens record.

Sure, there is a very strong case to take the kicking duties off Finn, aside from one missed tackle though, he really wasn’t awful. Appreciate that his kicking had a huge impact on the game, and shouldn’t be dismissed as separate, but let’s keep the head lads.

[switchskier]

Okay, this is getting a bit ridiculous. Russell had a shocker today and a bad game last week. I'm actually worried about what has gone wrong as this is the first time I've seen him where it looks like his confidence is gone but...

Some of this criticism is ridiculous. The fact he smiles after mistakes is what normally gives me confidence that he'll try it again and it'll come off. I'm fed up of the idea that our players shouldnt enjoy it. Even when you make mistakes, I've never seen someone get better by getting down on themselves. The thing that worries me today is that the smiles seemed forced. It seemed like all the talk had got to him.

HW's idea that he has needed a kick up the arse for months is balls. When he has played in that time he has produced some of the best flyhalf play I've ever seen from a Scotland ten. It pisses me off that when a ten with flair has a bad or really bad game it is always an attitude problem whereas a conservative one should be persevered with as a safe option.

The idea that Horne is somehow a steady pair of hands is ludicrous. The idea that we have a better chance going forward with Laidlaw at ten is not far off. The only way Russell should not play against England is if Townsend decides their is something more deeply behind this loss off form or his confidence won't come back in time.

And as for Laidlaw, yeah he played alright but he was hardly great. At least two shocking passes and only one of his kicks was anything other than a gimme.

If we want to talk decision making I actually thought the decision to go for that last pen was a mistake though not a clear one. I'd have tried to to keep the pressure on down there rather than let them have a final chance to win it.

Here bloody here. Russell is always going to be a player where you take the rough with the smooth but there still isn't anyone in Scotland that can realistically push him for the jersey. I also love to see him trying stuff at odd times in the game, the unpredictability is needed. The missed kicks to touch were annoying but I'd have been a lot more worried if he'd retracted into his shell afterwards rather than grinning and expecting to get the next one. He doesn't look like someone who's lost confidence to me.

[morepork]

He looks like someone who should practice his fucking kicking.

[General Zod]

He looks like someone who should practice his fucking kicking.

Haha. Yup.

[OptimisticJock]

Okay, this is getting a bit ridiculous. Russell had a shocker today and a bad game last week. I'm actually worried about what has gone wrong as this is the first time I've seen him where it looks like his confidence is gone but...

Some of this criticism is ridiculous. The fact he smiles after mistakes is what normally gives me confidence that he'll try it again and it'll come off. I'm fed up of the idea that our players shouldnt enjoy it. Even when you make mistakes, I've never seen someone get better by getting down on themselves. The thing that worries me today is that the smiles seemed forced. It seemed like all the talk had got to him.

HW's idea that he has needed a kick up the arse for months is balls. When he has played in that time he has produced some of the best flyhalf play I've ever seen from a Scotland ten. It pisses me off that when a ten with flair has a bad or really bad game it is always an attitude problem whereas a conservative one should be persevered with as a safe option.

The idea that Horne is somehow a steady pair of hands is ludicrous. The idea that we have a better chance going forward with Laidlaw at ten is not far off. The only way Russell should not play against England is if Townsend decides their is something more deeply behind this loss off form or his confidence won't come back in time.

And as for Laidlaw, yeah he played alright but he was hardly great. At least two shocking passes and only one of his kicks was anything other than a gimme.

If we want to talk decision making I actually thought the decision to go for that last pen was a mistake though not a clear one. I'd have tried to to keep the pressure on down there rather than let them have a final chance to win it.

Here bloody here. Russell is always going to be a player where you take the rough with the smooth but there still isn't anyone in Scotland that can realistically push him for the jersey. I also love to see him trying stuff at odd times in the game, the unpredictability is needed. The missed kicks to touch were annoying but I'd have been a lot more worried if he'd retracted into his shell afterwards rather than grinning and expecting to get the next one. He doesn't look like someone who's lost confidence to me.

The amount of territory scotland lose after winning a penalty due to Russell's inability to find touch is unacceptable. If it was the odd one here and there there would be an argument for him trying to over extend himself but it's not.

I agree that his unpredictability is what makes him such a good player but you still have to be pulling off more than you fuck up and he's not done that this tournament. As a consequence he shouldn't be given a free ride either.

Perhaps I expect higher standards from a professional. Everyone else seems to be too nice and just want to pat wee Finn on the head and give him a sticker for doing His best.

[Big D]

Okay, this is getting a bit ridiculous. Russell had a shocker today and a bad game last week. I'm actually worried about what has gone wrong as this is the first time I've seen him where it looks like his confidence is gone but...

Some of this criticism is ridiculous. The fact he smiles after mistakes is what normally gives me confidence that he'll try it again and it'll come off. I'm fed up of the idea that our players shouldnt enjoy it. Even when you make mistakes, I've never seen someone get better by getting down on themselves. The thing that worries me today is that the smiles seemed forced. It seemed like all the talk had got to him.

HW's idea that he has needed a kick up the arse for months is balls. When he has played in that time he has produced some of the best flyhalf play I've ever seen from a Scotland ten. It pisses me off that when a ten with flair has a bad or really bad game it is always an attitude problem whereas a conservative one should be persevered with as a safe option.

The idea that Horne is somehow a steady pair of hands is ludicrous. The idea that we have a better chance going forward with Laidlaw at ten is not far off. The only way Russell should not play against England is if Townsend decides their is something more deeply behind this loss off form or his confidence won't come back in time.

And as for Laidlaw, yeah he played alright but he was hardly great. At least two shocking passes and only one of his kicks was anything other than a gimme.

If we want to talk decision making I actually thought the decision to go for that last pen was a mistake though not a clear one. I'd have tried to to keep the pressure on down there rather than let them have a final chance to win it.

Here bloody here. Russell is always going to be a player where you take the rough with the smooth but there still isn't anyone in Scotland that can realistically push him for the jersey. I also love to see him trying stuff at odd times in the game, the unpredictability is needed. The missed kicks to touch were annoying but I'd have been a lot more worried if he'd retracted into his shell afterwards rather than grinning and expecting to get the next one. He doesn't look like someone who's lost confidence to me.

The amount of territory scotland lose after winning a penalty due to Russell's inability to find touch is unacceptable. If it was the odd one here and there there would be an argument for him trying to over extend himself but it's not.

I agree that his unpredictability is what makes him such a good player but you still have to be pulling off more than you fuck up and he's not done that this tournament. As a consequence he shouldn't be given a free ride either.

Perhaps I expect higher standards from a professional. Everyone else seems to be too nice and just want to pat wee Finn on the head and give him a sticker for doing His best.

I think everyone expects better. I just don't want to replace him with a part time 10 which is what we'd be doing.

[ARM]

Here bloody here. Russell is always going to be a player where you take the rough with the smooth but there still isn't anyone in Scotland that can realistically push him for the jersey. I also love to see him trying stuff at odd times in the game, the unpredictability is needed. The missed kicks to touch were annoying but I'd have been a lot more worried if he'd retracted into his shell afterwards rather than grinning and expecting to get the next one. He doesn't look like someone who's lost confidence to me.

The amount of territory scotland lose after winning a penalty due to Russell's inability to find touch is unacceptable. If it was the odd one here and there there would be an argument for him trying to over extend himself but it's not.

I agree that his unpredictability is what makes him such a good player but you still have to be pulling off more than you fuck up and he's not done that this tournament. As a consequence he shouldn't be given a free ride either.

Perhaps I expect higher standards from a professional. Everyone else seems to be too nice and just want to pat wee Finn on the head and give him a sticker for doing His best.

I think everyone expects better. I just don't want to replace him with a part time 10 which is what we'd be doing.

It was a very ballsy call by Toony to put Laidlaw at 10. Many coaches wouldn’t have taken that risk but he plays it how he sees it. Good.

But Laidlaw is not the man to chuck in at at 10 for the start against England. It would make our already diminutive backline positively liliputian. And his distribution would be found out against England’s defence which is a very hard press and much more effective than that of France

[General Zod]

Someone mentioned on another forum that Russell got smashed on the hip after about 20 minutes and didn’t really shake it off. Still doesn’t explain a few things, such as rolling out the red carpet for Thomas, or finding his own mistakes so amusing, but he’s not really been at
the races this tournament. He will start v England though, so hopefully he takes time to get back to basics and rebuild from there.

Also, Berghan played well. Let’s hope he keeps it up...

[hugh_woatmeigh]

Okay, this is getting a bit ridiculous. Russell had a shocker today and a bad game last week. I'm actually worried about what has gone wrong as this is the first time I've seen him where it looks like his confidence is gone but...

Some of this criticism is ridiculous. The fact he smiles after mistakes is what normally gives me confidence that he'll try it again and it'll come off. I'm fed up of the idea that our players shouldnt enjoy it. Even when you make mistakes, I've never seen someone get better by getting down on themselves. The thing that worries me today is that the smiles seemed forced. It seemed like all the talk had got to him.

HW's idea that he has needed a kick up the arse for months is balls. When he has played in that time he has produced some of the best flyhalf play I've ever seen from a Scotland ten. It pisses me off that when a ten with flair has a bad or really bad game it is always an attitude problem whereas a conservative one should be persevered with as a safe option.

The idea that Horne is somehow a steady pair of hands is ludicrous. The idea that we have a better chance going forward with Laidlaw at ten is not far off. The only way Russell should not play against England is if Townsend decides their is something more deeply behind this loss off form or his confidence won't come back in time.

And as for Laidlaw, yeah he played alright but he was hardly great. At least two shocking passes and only one of his kicks was anything other than a gimme.

If we want to talk decision making I actually thought the decision to go for that last pen was a mistake though not a clear one. I'd have tried to to keep the pressure on down there rather than let them have a final chance to win it.

Here bloody here. Russell is always going to be a player where you take the rough with the smooth but there still isn't anyone in Scotland that can realistically push him for the jersey. I also love to see him trying stuff at odd times in the game, the unpredictability is needed. The missed kicks to touch were annoying but I'd have been a lot more worried if he'd retracted into his shell afterwards rather than grinning and expecting to get the next one. He doesn't look like someone who's lost confidence to me.

The amount of territory scotland lose after winning a penalty due to Russell's inability to find touch is unacceptable. If it was the odd one here and there there would be an argument for him trying to over extend himself but it's not.

I agree that his unpredictability is what makes him such a good player but you still have to be pulling off more than you fuck up and he's not done that this tournament. As a consequence he shouldn't be given a free ride either.

Perhaps I expect higher standards from a professional. Everyone else seems to be too nice and just want to pat wee Finn on the head and give him a sticker for doing His best.

Most sensible post in the thread so far IMO. Nobody is suggesting Finn stops trying things but someone who is about to be paid 350k or whatever it is at Racing has got to be nailing the basics like a simple touch finder. Even a prop would nail it - they know their limits.

A lot of people here are underestimating what that shift in momentum, territory and possession can do to a team physically and mentally. England will bury us if we play like we did yesterday. They certainly won't be giving up that many kickable penalties.

[hugh_woatmeigh]

The amount of territory scotland lose after winning a penalty due to Russell's inability to find touch is unacceptable. If it was the odd one here and there there would be an argument for him trying to over extend himself but it's not.

I agree that his unpredictability is what makes him such a good player but you still have to be pulling off more than you fuck up and he's not done that this tournament. As a consequence he shouldn't be given a free ride either.

Perhaps I expect higher standards from a professional. Everyone else seems to be too nice and just want to pat wee Finn on the head and give him a sticker for doing His best.

I think everyone expects better. I just don't want to replace him with a part time 10 which is what we'd be doing.

It was a very ballsy call by Toony to put Laidlaw at 10. Many coaches wouldn’t have taken that risk but he plays it how he sees it. Good.

But Laidlaw is not the man to chuck in at at 10 for the start against England. It would make our already diminutive backline positively liliputian. And his distribution would be found out against England’s defence which is a very hard press and much more effective than that of France

It won us the game, it was excellent management from Toony. Despite the win he has some serious selection headaches for England at 8, 9, 10 and 12.

[Big D]

I think everyone expects better. I just don't want to replace him with a part time 10 which is what we'd be doing.

It was a very ballsy call by Toony to put Laidlaw at 10. Many coaches wouldn’t have taken that risk but he plays it how he sees it. Good.

But Laidlaw is not the man to chuck in at at 10 for the start against England. It would make our already diminutive backline positively liliputian. And his distribution would be found out against England’s defence which is a very hard press and much more effective than that of France

It won us the game, it was excellent management from Toony. Despite the win he has some serious selection headaches for England at 8, 9, 10 and 12.

A lot of the play came one or two out off 9 against a tiring French defence when Scotland were already starting to get on top. The saw the game out well but that last 15min is vastly different to what we'll be up against v England.

Laidlaw got the 9 shirt back in part due to Price being poor. Now folk are talking about Price coming back in on the back of Russell being poor. If Price is crap v England does Laidlaw go back to 9 for Ireland?

I also worry the impact it would have on the centre's if Laidlaw played. His passing doesn't have the range or sharpness of some and the defence can comfortably drift on to 12 and 13.

[Mikey Brown]

Laidlaw simply isn’t a good enough passer to play our game and I’m really worried Townsend can’t see this.

The hip injury thing perhaps makes a bit of sense with Russell. He was standing so far back and firing passes out miles behind the gainline without engaging anybody.

We were so often just going through the motions with our running lines and seemingly not realising we were just letting the defence rush up.

Obviously it’s a whole lot easier to play flat when you can get on the front foot, but that’s a rarity with the quality of carriers and support off of slow ball. I think Denton has to come in and we just hope he replicates his debut.

[Sandydragon]

I think your best chance in this game is to play at 100mph, so keep Laidlaw on the bench. He does steady the ship and it worked well for you yesterday. But he doesn't challenge defences in the same way and I don't see you getting too many chances, the English defence is good.

Whilst there might be an argument for solidity and then bring on Russell or Price later on when players are tiring, you might find your self a bit behind by then and forcing the game too much. Far better to have England being wary of the Scottish attack from the off.

[Mikey Brown]

I think your best chance in this game is to play at 100mph, so keep Laidlaw on the bench. He does steady the ship and it worked well for you yesterday. But he doesn't challenge defences in the same way and I don't see you getting too many chances, the English defence is good.

Whilst there might be an argument for solidity and then bring on Russell or Price later on when players are tiring, you might find your self a bit behind by then and forcing the game too much. Far better to have England being wary of the Scottish attack from the off.

I sort of agree, but need to find a way around the same plans that you guys had. If England want to let Russell/Hogg rub themselves ragged from the start, but swamp them with defenders, there needs to be another plan.

Scotland really need to recognise the link between making dents in the middle and attacking those wide channels, and that attacking for 80 minutes probably isn’t feasible.