The Rugby Thread

[Buzzo]

Was at the Italy game on Sunday.

Was a **** game, proper rusty run out for the second string. Greasy ball so tons of mistakes.

Ben Healy was good though, particularly with the boot. Nobody really staked a claim for a starting place tho. But some made a case for a place in the squad.

[Buzzo]

Finn Russell captaining Scotland on Saturday v France

[Irishnev]

Just you and George Gregan, Nev.

Agree we can put 30 points on any team on any day. It's just making that day be the day that matters.

https://twitter.com/thistlerugbypod/...36661325107200

Long grass getting shorter…… Irl and Scot to get out of the group please

[Buzzo]

The World Cup draw is a ****ing travesty it is going to ruin the tournament really.

Look at the rankings and the split of the draw now

Was at the game today - good seats - we were absolutely horrendous first half, then sublime second. Came back to be an (albeit second string) France with 14 after Zander got sent off after about 50 mins. 2 tries and a con after going down to 14.

Hogg retiring means we get Kinghorn at FB and he was exceptional second half. If our backs fire we will score some tries.

Think we just lack a bit of depth front row.

[Buzzo]

England are playing Rugby that is about 10 years out of date. Have zero creativity through the backs.

Pack dominance is great but you need some flair in your back line to turn it into points. Japan and Argentina must fancy they could run England close.

[Irishnev]

Ireland C scraping home vs Italy - if it wasn’t for Caelon Doris they mightn’t have won. No injuries and a win

[Zapater]

Opposite of last week. Weak first half bit through quality came through in the 2nd. Good to see the players enjoying themselves at the end there.

[Buzzo]

Zander Fagerson’s red was the first through the new bunker review system. Definitely another progressive rule change. Will be used in the RWC.

Was a deserved red.

[Irishnev]

Zander Fagerson’s red was the first through the new bunker review system. Definitely another progressive rule change. Will be used in the RWC.

Was a deserved red.

Just saw the highlights Buzzo, nice win vs France B

[Buzzo]

Just saw the highlights Buzzo, nice win vs France B

Haha, oooft, it’s like chatting to an England supporter. France B weee excellent first half - no mugs in any France squad.

Playing the second half with 14 and winning 22-0 on the scoreboard we were very good. First half, less so. Very rusty. We are now going up against probably a full strength France next week. We lost Ben White to injury yesterday so I doubt we will go full beans next. Protect Finn at all costs.

I see you are claiming that’s your third string yesterday… how big is your current pool of players

[Buzzo]

I wonder if Cormack will come out of retirement for the WC?

[Buzzo]

Fagerson goes before the disciplinary panel this week. We’ve got **** all depth at tight head. Need it to be 3 dropped to 2.

[Irishnev]

Haha, oooft, it’s like chatting to an England supporter. France B weee excellent first half - no mugs in any France squad.

Playing the second half with 14 and winning 22-0 on the scoreboard we were very good. First half, less so. Very rusty. We are now going up against probably a full strength France next week. We lost Ben White to injury yesterday so I doubt we will go full beans next. Protect Finn at all costs.

I see you are claiming that’s your third string yesterday… how big is your current pool of players

Long answer to a short statement, like Dan on the US politics thread…… And of course there are no “weak” FR players but without DuPont, Ramos, Dante etc etc…… they are still a different proposition

The IRL team had two test starters and many lads who won’t make the bench - Beirne and Furlong came on for fitness. Nonetheless, I think Scotland are being written off by too many and Ive no doubt Townsend will use that as extra fuel

Oh and Tonga will be no mugs for us!

[Buzzo]

Haha, yeah I know you well enough in the Rugby thread to know there is no complacency.

Yep - we have France with the big guns on Saturday, but we have played well against them in all bar one of our last 4 or 5 encounters. The team they put out on Sat was defo second string.

It is an intriguing WC, but for all the wrong reasons, so many huge matches will be done by the semi finals.

We seemingly cannot put together an 80 min performance. Even vs you in the 6Ns where the game was closer than the scoreboard, but we ran out of vim in that brutal first half.

I think that is one of the big worries for our group. It is endlessly annoying when I look at the Wales and England groups, but as mentioned, the Pumas cannot be written off, and look at Japan in the last WC.

Agree on Tonga, no way anyone can go in against them with anything less than full concentration, though we will have to rotate some positions against them just down to workload.

Where I put us is - nobody will choose to play against us, we are a very dangerous team on our day, we have scoring options across the backs. But. We can have a soft underbelly, the very thing that Ireland and South African teams have been exposing for years.

We have gone about 20 points down v France twice now. Almost beat them in the 6ns and beat there seconds yesterday. We are ****ed if we do that in the WC.

This was quite a good overview: [ame="https://youtu.be/ZtEU_FvutII"]So can Scotland escape the Group of Death? | Rugby World Cup 2023 Preview - YouTube[/ame]

And this on you lot:

[ame="https://youtu.be/CsR-URBpGAM"]So can Ireland win the Rugby World Cup? | RWC2023 Preview - YouTube[/ame]

And one for you Zapater:

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaB5qqwViCo"]So can the Springboks retain the Rugby World Cup? | RWC2023 Preview - YouTube[/ame]

[Buzzo]

Our challenge.

[ame]https://twitter.com/thistlerugbypod/status/1688113845347155969[/ame]