Unner twennies twenny twenny two

[Big D]

Was a good win. Benefitted from some poor Welsh discipline but in a howling wind it was a good result.

[General Zod]

On bbc red button, if anyone’s interested.

Doing ok so far against a vastly more professionally-experienced side, but a couple of handling errors and missed tackles have cost them. 19-5 France.

[Cameo]

Got hammered in the end but from the highlights they stuck at it well in the second half and prevented some almost certain tries.

[switchskier]

Anyone watching? This could end up being 80 against. Can't work out if Ireland are really good, we're really bad, or both. Hope it's not repeated on Sunday.

[septic 9]

Anyone watching? This could end up being 80 against. Can't work out if Ireland are really good, we're really bad, or both.

both.
Getting no decisions and no luck of the bounce but we are poor and they are very good indeed. After the start did well to keep it under 100

[switchskier]

Those Irish bavkrow forwards are just so athletic though. I don't know where they keep finding them, and why we can't, but they are really physically gifted. Prendergast impressed too, though had an utter armchair ride.

[paddy no 11]

The South County Dublin schools cup is basically a cult that churns out 50 athletes a year these lads are at a semi pro level and give Ireland a competitive advantage

[switchskier]

Team for the opening match in the second division U20 WC this morning. They scored ten tries but evidently eased off once they were 50 points up. I don't really know but looks fairly young with not many names from the the 6N.

15 Dan King (Heriot's Rugby)

14 Finn Douglas (Southern Knights/Edinburgh Rugby)
13 Ben Salmon (Stirling Wolves/Glasgow Warriors)
12 Kerr Yule (Ayrshire Bulls/Glasgow Warriors)
11 Geordie Gwynn (Ealing Trailfinders)

10 Andrew McLean (Boroughmuir Bears)
9 Ben Afshar (Ayrshire Bulls) CO-CAPTAIN

1 Craig Davidson (Watsonians)
2 Jerry Blyth-Lafferty (Boroughmuir Bears/Edinburgh Rugby)
3 Callum Norrie (Stirling Wolves/Glasgow Warriors)
4 Eddie Erskine (Bath Rugby/Bath University)
5 Jake Parkinson (Ealing Trailfinders)
6 Liam McConnell (Boroughmuir Bears/Edinburgh Rugby) CO-CAPTAIN
7 Jonny Smith (Harlequins)
8 Sam Derrick (Southern Knights)

Substitutes

16 Corey Tait (Boroughmuir Bears)
17 Max Surry (Cardiff Met University)
18 Oliver Minnis (Hartpury University)
19 Ruaraidh Hart (Stirling Wolves/Glasgow Warriors)
20 Jonny Morris (Watsonians/Glasgow Warriors)
21 Finlay Burgess (Stirling Wolves/Edinburgh Rugby)
22 Findlay Thomson (Watsonians)
23 Matt Reid (Watsonians)

[Cameo]

Following that game we beat the USA after being down at half time BUT

We have now lost to Uruguay! Spain and Uruguay to contest the final.

We really need to appreciate the team we have as we may fall off a cliff for a while in a few years. Our youth structures don't seem fit for purpose. I have heard some encouraging things and the current failures may reflect issues that are on their way to being fixed (though there is no guarantee of that) but it might be a long road ahead.

[switchskier]

Highlights if anyone cares to watch, though there's virtually nothing there from a Scottish perspective other than some horrible defense and they can evidently operate a maul from 3 meters out.

Deeply worrying. You have to hope that you only need 3 or 4 from each year to step up with only two pro-teams. But when you look at Ireland (as what we should aspire to in terms of population) in the U20 world cup final, you have to wonder how we can ever bridge that gap. Maybe we can't.

Still, does Murray now have to go? Where has he succeeded since Ayr?

[septic 9]

just sneaked past Samoa to win 3rd place play-off. Samoa were very poor. We scored about 29 maul tries and loads of others as well. I lost count and the will to count. 80 something to 13

[Big D]

Brainless 5min by O'Drscoll took the jam out the teams doughnut. Was a decent performance for 70min.

[Jocky]

Anyone see any of the match against France. Much improved second half. Douglas at 7 looks a good prospect. Felt for the 10 just trying to be a bit too ambitious with his penalty kicks to the line - must have been 4 or 5 which would have put us in a good attacking position. He will learn and played well otherwise. More game time for these boys in the Super 6 making a difference?

[Big D]

Anyone see any of the match against France. Much improved second half. Douglas at 7 looks a good prospect. Felt for the 10 just trying to be a bit too ambitious with his penalty kicks to the line - must have been 4 or 5 which would have put us in a good attacking position. He will learn and played well otherwise. More game time for these boys in the Super 6 making a difference?

Definitely seem a better crop this year. One of the better prospects isn't allowed to play due to only being 17 too.

[Cameo]

Does seem to be a bit more promising. Second tier u20s tournament at home this year too I think which might be fun.

[septic 9]

Anyone see any of the match against France. Much improved second half. Douglas at 7 looks a good prospect. Felt for the 10 just trying to be a bit too ambitious with his penalty kicks to the line - must have been 4 or 5 which would have put us in a good attacking position. He will learn and played well otherwise. More game time for these boys in the Super 6 making a difference?

Douglas has been excellent both games so far. He is another who isn't the biggest but the rest of the pack are for once pretty big and physical, so he is fine.
So, so far not being outmuscled in the all too often men v boys look. And as BigD said we have a monster in teh wings waiting - not that the current TH is small, he certainly ain't, he is huge.

Trouble this week was an old one frankly. we often have what look like talented backs, but collectively and individually a defensive nightmare. No structure and falling off simple tackles.

The young 10 has talent but its about time the SRU's so called kicking coach earned his corn. The boy rarely strikes the ball off the centre of the laces, its pretty random where the ball is going.

Super 9 and futures XV may have made a difference, I guess its always foolish to see a couple of games as a definitive proof. But if it isn't making a difference its a helluva coincidence. That and the clearly better conditioning - or is that just a bigger set of recruits this season? will take years to be sure, and thats the problem. difficult to be certain what causes what when you only had the lads for a season (or two at best)
Again on S6, seems to have done Harry PAterson the world of good - he didn't get to yesterday's level in all those edinburgh appearances (was it 3 starts and a few off bench?)

[Big D]

Anyone see any of the match against France. Much improved second half. Douglas at 7 looks a good prospect. Felt for the 10 just trying to be a bit too ambitious with his penalty kicks to the line - must have been 4 or 5 which would have put us in a good attacking position. He will learn and played well otherwise. More game time for these boys in the Super 6 making a difference?

Douglas has been excellent both games so far. He is another who isn't the biggest but the rest of the pack are for once pretty big and physical, so he is fine.
So, so far not being outmuscled in the all too often men v boys look. And as BigD said we have a monster in teh wings waiting - not that the current TH is small, he certainly ain't, he is huge.

Trouble this week was an old one frankly. we often have what look like talented backs, but collectively and individually a defensive nightmare. No structure and falling off simple tackles.

The young 10 has talent but its about time the SRU's so called kicking coach earned his corn. The boy rarely strikes the ball off the centre of the laces, its pretty random where the ball is going.

Super 9 and futures XV may have made a difference, I guess its always foolish to see a couple of games as a definitive proof. But if it isn't making a difference its a helluva coincidence. That and the clearly better conditioning - or is that just a bigger set of recruits this season? will take years to be sure, and thats the problem. difficult to be certain what causes what when you only had the lads for a season (or two at best)
Again on S6, seems to have done Harry PAterson the world of good - he didn't get to yesterday's level in all those edinburgh appearances (was it 3 starts and a few off bench?)

I think the signs are S6 has made a difference for the 20s. The back row is typically strong and the front row seems slightly less green.

The Stirling Wolves hooker who was on a partnership deal signed FT with Glasgow so there are signs of a proper thought out route to pro rugby too.

[septic 9]

The Stirling Wolves hooker who was on a partnership deal signed FT with Glasgow so there are signs of a proper thought out route to pro rugby too.

Hiddlestone. Interesting case, I think he is going to be the dog's bollox

Doesnlt appear t have been in the official system from very young as most are, not until U20s. Before that played for Dumfries and Hawks before Wolves in S6. This is very good of I am right as it shows there is a clear path for kids who do not show enough at 15 or so to still progress to a full pro deal, and as I expect in Hiddlestone's case full cap

[switchskier]

Good second half tonight. Fought hard having been 18 down after the first 40. Didn't see the first half so not sure how much that was England easing up after effectively securing the win.

Quite liked the look of our number 4. Anyone know anything about him? He's not, in typical current Scottish fashion, stuck behind Samuel and Williamson at Glasgow is he?

[septic 9]

Good second half tonight. Fought hard having been 18 down after the first 40. Didn't see the first half so not sure how much that was England easing up after effectively securing the win.

Quite liked the look of our number 4. Anyone know anything about him? He's not, in typical current Scottish fashion, stuck behind Samuel and Williamson at Glasgow is he?

number 4 - McVie is I think in the Edinburgh academy. Looks a big hard aggressive unit and exactly what we need. Missed last game but was excellent in the opening game IIRC
number 5 - Hart, is in the Glasgow academy so behind Williamson and Samuel, bu made his pro debut off the bench last week off the bench last on. Also a decent prospect

First half was a mixture of our scrum getting mashed and a lot of really appalling reffing. we often complain about refs but this was something else
But all game we spilled too much ball (again) and couldn't win a lineout.

With Ireland and a massive Italian pack to come it looks bleak, but a better squad than for a few season and some real talent in the pack. Where are they going to play Freddie Douglas who is a machine at the breakdown, as good as I've seen at this stage in all 3 games so far

[Puja]

Where are they going to play Freddie Douglas who is a machine at the breakdown, as good as I've seen at this stage in all 3 games so far

He was an absolute bloody menace. There was a stage in the second half where he won a beautiful jackal from three or four attacks of ours in a row - he won the pen, your lot kicked to the corner and then cocked up the attack, we then tried to run it out and Douglas was there to win another penalty!

You've got a decent one there.

Puja

[General Zod]

Jeezo.

Hope we screw the nut tomorrow.