Questions for Scottish Media to Ask Gatland

[hp18]

I think you'll find yourself in the minority when it comes down to which side the Scots are supporting on this tour.

I think you'll find I'm pretty comfortable with that.

Aye, you'll be able to see the tv now.

[hp18]

I won't be supporting the All Blacks, but when the decision has to made whether to get up at stupid o'clock to watch a test I don't care about versus getting in some quality Z's, I'm pretty sure that it's only going to fall one way.

+1

[MrK]

"if cases are being made that certain Welsh players are fortunate to have been picked, then it isn’t Scottish ones who have been harshly treated as a result.

To highlight a few examples, if Ken Owens hadn’t made it, Dylan Hartley would have. If Alun Wyn Jones had been ditched, Launchbury was the obvious alternative.

Had Ross Moriarty not received the thumbs-up then it would have been James Haskell or Chris Robshaw.

Irish wonderkid Gary Ringrose would have been favourite had Jonathan Davies not done enough,

and Zebo or Kearney were standing by for Leigh Halfpenny."

Thoughts?

[Big D]

"if cases are being made that certain Welsh players are fortunate to have been picked, then it isn’t Scottish ones who have been harshly treated as a result.

To highlight a few examples, if Ken Owens hadn’t made it, Dylan Hartley would have. If Alun Wyn Jones had been ditched, Launchbury was the obvious alternative.

Had Ross Moriarty not received the thumbs-up then it would have been James Haskell or Chris Robshaw.

Irish wonderkid Gary Ringrose would have been favourite had Jonathan Davies not done enough,

and Zebo or Kearney were standing by for Leigh Halfpenny."

Thoughts?

Some true enough statements but, Henderson is in on the back of one game the fact he plays 6 too is irrelevant given itoje, stander, POM, Faletau, Warburton, SOB can all play 6. So at least one Gray and Launchbury IMO should have made it.

Moriarty just doesn't seem needed given the options at 6 and 8. They could easily have taken a flyer on Watson.

I think injuries have robbed probably 2-3 Scottish lions too.

[Wylie Coyote]

"if cases are being made that certain Welsh players are fortunate to have been picked, then it isn’t Scottish ones who have been harshly treated as a result.

To highlight a few examples, if Ken Owens hadn’t made it, Dylan Hartley would have. If Alun Wyn Jones had been ditched, Launchbury was the obvious alternative.

Had Ross Moriarty not received the thumbs-up then it would have been James Haskell or Chris Robshaw.

Irish wonderkid Gary Ringrose would have been favourite had Jonathan Davies not done enough,

and Zebo or Kearney were standing by for Leigh Halfpenny."

Thoughts?

Some true enough statements but, Henderson is in on the back of one game the fact he plays 6 too is irrelevant given itoje, stander, POM, Faletau, Warburton, SOB can all play 6. So at least one Gray and Launchbury IMO should have made it.

Moriarty just doesn't seem needed given the options at 6 and 8. They could easily have taken a flyer on Watson.

I think injuries have robbed probably 2-3 Scottish lions too.

That's the sort of cheap throwaway remark pundits toss to explain the injustice. Suddenly WP Nel, Huw Jones, Greg Laidlaw, Josh Strauss become certain picks "if only they'd been fit". If the Grays or Watson or Russell had been injured they too would've become "certainties". Nonsense. They would not have gone either. If Gatland had his way it would've been 1 Scottish player - Hogg, Seymour a late addition and marginal call for him.

[Edinburgh in Exile]

"if cases are being made that certain Welsh players are fortunate to have been picked, then it isn’t Scottish ones who have been harshly treated as a result.

To highlight a few examples, if Ken Owens hadn’t made it, Dylan Hartley would have. If Alun Wyn Jones had been ditched, Launchbury was the obvious alternative.

Had Ross Moriarty not received the thumbs-up then it would have been James Haskell or Chris Robshaw.

Irish wonderkid Gary Ringrose would have been favourite had Jonathan Davies not done enough,

and Zebo or Kearney were standing by for Leigh Halfpenny."

Thoughts?

Some true enough statements but, Henderson is in on the back of one game the fact he plays 6 too is irrelevant given itoje, stander, POM, Faletau, Warburton, SOB can all play 6. So at least one Gray and Launchbury IMO should have made it.

Moriarty just doesn't seem needed given the options at 6 and 8. They could easily have taken a flyer on Watson.

I think injuries have robbed probably 2-3 Scottish lions too.

That's the sort of cheap throwaway remark pundits toss to explain the injustice. Suddenly WP Nel, Huw Jones, Greg Laidlaw, Josh Strauss become certain picks "if only they'd been fit". If the Grays or Watson or Russell had been injured they too would've become "certainties". Nonsense. They would not have gone either. If Gatland had his way it would've been 1 Scottish player - Hogg, Seymour a late addition and marginal call for him.

Ha, you aren't wrong there, I've read some belting excuse gymnastics over the last couple of days, "you didn't have a Scottish coach to champion the players to the head coach" being my particular favourite... You've really got to be wonder why the WRU gave that mid life crisis looking fud all that time off if he is genuinly outsourcing the selection of the other countries players. What's he been doing all year?

Someone better than me pointed out on PR that the modern Lions are all about the coach these days, that seems a fair assessment to me, this isn't the British and Irish lions, it's Gatlands Lions.

[Stones of granite]

"if cases are being made that certain Welsh players are fortunate to have been picked, then it isn’t Scottish ones who have been harshly treated as a result.

To highlight a few examples, if Ken Owens hadn’t made it, Dylan Hartley would have. If Alun Wyn Jones had been ditched, Launchbury was the obvious alternative.

Had Ross Moriarty not received the thumbs-up then it would have been James Haskell or Chris Robshaw.

Irish wonderkid Gary Ringrose would have been favourite had Jonathan Davies not done enough,

and Zebo or Kearney were standing by for Leigh Halfpenny."

Thoughts?

I had a long and detailed response to this planned, but I'm just going to go with two words.
Dan Biggar

[Adder]

I think you'll find yourself in the minority when it comes down to which side the Scots are supporting on this tour.

I think you'll find I'm pretty comfortable with that.

Aye, you'll be able to see the tv now.

[emoji1]

Sent from my SM-J500FN using Tapatalk

[Edinburgh in Exile]

I think you'll find I'm pretty comfortable with that.

Aye, you'll be able to see the tv now.

[emoji1]

Sent from my SM-J500FN using Tapatalk

See you two, you are a pair of cunts.

[QwentyJ]

"Warren: how does it feel to be such a key cog in the campaign for Scottish Independence?"

[MrK]

"if cases are being made that certain Welsh players are fortunate to have been picked, then it isn’t Scottish ones who have been harshly treated as a result.

To highlight a few examples, if Ken Owens hadn’t made it, Dylan Hartley would have. If Alun Wyn Jones had been ditched, Launchbury was the obvious alternative.

Had Ross Moriarty not received the thumbs-up then it would have been James Haskell or Chris Robshaw.

Irish wonderkid Gary Ringrose would have been favourite had Jonathan Davies not done enough,

and Zebo or Kearney were standing by for Leigh Halfpenny."

Thoughts?

I had a long and detailed response to this planned, but I'm just going to go with two words.
Dan Biggar

Completely agree on Biggar - cant fathom that one out at all.

[Lizard]

"Warren, given your apparent focus on experience, do you think you would have picked more Scottish players if Scotland had toured New Zealand more recently than June 2000?"

[Soapy]

Why, if it was important to you that someone represented the Scottish players in selection, did you refuse Vern Cotter's support?

[OptimisticJock]

Now that's actually a great question

[Lizard]

Here, ask him yourself

[Mikey Brown]

Why, if it was important to you that someone represented the Scottish players in selection, did you refuse Vern Cotter's support?

This happened?

[hp18]

Why, if it was important to you that someone represented the Scottish players in selection, did you refuse Vern Cotter's support?

This happened?

Aye. Think it was they offered Vern to consult on players etc throughout the year but the offer was refused.

[Mikey Brown]

Fair enough.

I know there are many factors to it but I wonder if anyone that isn't a Welsh player or on the Lions coaching staff is actually glad it's Gatland rather than Cotter leading the tour?