Rugby

[Scottie]

Excellent defensive performance today from the boys just that little bit short again. Ireland put the foot to the floor in the first 20 minutes of the second half and that ultimately was the difference.

If Townsend is to continue in his post he needs to find a way to turn these 1-4 point deficits into wins & to bring through youth as we are severely lacking there unfortunately.

[cabbageandribs1875]

elsewhere WRU Chief Executive Abi Tierney turns down Warren Gatlands resignation offer

[hibsbollah]

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Not convinced at all that Porters try should have be given, considering the buggering about over the grounding for the previous penalty.

it was even less a try than the first one. Looked like the ref was going to give it regardless, he didnt have a clear view either.

[Just_Jimmy]

4th behind a terrible England side.

Really poor campaign all things considered. Townsends position really should be under consideration.

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[Greenbeard]

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it was even less a try than the first one. Looked like the ref was going to give it regardless, he didnt have a clear view either.

Yep. Just because you power over the line at speed doesn't mean it's always a try. Absolutely no way the ref could see the "grounding", and on one (brief) replay it looked like there was a hand under the ball. Scotland done again by a bad ref decision. But for that, the France "no try" call, and the ref blowing for time in Rome when there was clearly no knock-on, then Scotland could have been 5 from 5.

[Greenbeard]

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4th behind a terrible England side.

Really poor campaign all things considered. Townsends position really should be under consideration.

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Nonsense. Hugely unlucky with the results.

[Sloop67]

It doesn't matter who the coach is if the players can't do the basics, the first try yesterday was shocking.

[McD]

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he's not got control of that

they desperately wanted to give them it though inc the co-commentator

still 10-6

fgs do the basics

The Irish co-commentator gets the prize for biggest hypocrite. Throughout the match was asking for every decision for Ireland, then when Scott Hastings commented saying he didn’t think the disallowed try was grounded, the Irish guy immediately snaps ‘of course you don’t’.

He was almost as bad as Jonathan Davies is for the Welsh on bbc

[McD]

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it was even less a try than the first one. Looked like the ref was going to give it regardless, he didnt have a clear view either.

The ref gave the try from behind the Irish players, who had piled in with the ball carrier, must have been at lest 6 bodies between the ref and the ball, yet he blew up instantly for the try. He had less of a view than the one prior that was eventually proven to be held up, to which he claimed he lost sight of.

[Just_Jimmy]

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Nonsense. Hugely unlucky with the results.

How long is it bad luck?

We're often under prepared. We play one half or often play well for 10 mins and look awful the rest. We never win big games.

You can blame refs (and I don't think they've been up to anything) as much as you want. Townsend has taken scotland as far as he can.

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[hibsbollah]

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How long is it bad luck?

We're often under prepared. We play one half or often play well for 10 mins and look awful the rest. We never win big games.

You can blame refs (and I don't think they've been up to anything) as much as you want. Townsend has taken scotland as far as he can.

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Im not the most knowledgeable, but ive watched every game this campaign and we deserved to beat France and did beat England, the teams immediately above us in the table. The only team clearly better than us in the northern hemisphere is Ireland, who are having the best success of their entire history in the sport! So he must be doing something right surely?

[Just_Jimmy]

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Im not the most knowledgeable, but ive watched every game this campaign and we deserved to beat France and did beat England, the teams immediately above us in the table. The only team clearly better than us in the northern hemisphere is Ireland, who are having the best success of their entire history in the sport! So he must be doing something right surely?

We didn't beat France.
We failed to beat Italy
We scraped a win after being up 27 points on Wales.

We were unlucky with the decision against France. I accept that.

He's done a lot right. However, he's taken us as far as he can. Yet again it's a 4th place finish.

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[McD]

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We didn't beat France.
We failed to beat Italy
We scraped a win after being up 27 points on Wales.

We were unlucky with the decision against France. I accept that.

He's done a lot right. However, he's taken us as far as he can. Yet again it's a 4th place finish.

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There’s a lot to be positive about, when we are switched on, we are excellent at attacking, our broken play attacks are outstanding generally, when we need to we can dig in in defence and shut a team out.

However, we also have frequent lapses in concentration and execution, we are prone to periods of conceding penalty after penalty, and we rarely play for 80+ minutes.

I wonder if the answer may be to bring in assistant coaches to address the shortcomings, whilst still maintaining GT’s positive aspects - or finding a top class coach who will take this team on and push into the next level

[Just_Jimmy]

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There’s a lot to be positive about, when we are switched on, we are excellent at attacking, our broken play attacks are outstanding generally, when we need to we can dig in in defence and shut a team out.

However, we also have frequent lapses in concentration and execution, we are prone to periods of conceding penalty after penalty, and we rarely play for 80+ minutes.

I wonder if the answer may be to bring in assistant coaches to address the shortcomings, whilst still maintaining GT’s positive aspects - or finding a top class coach who will take this team on and push into the next level

I think it's time to move on. He's brought in different coaches and he's tried various players in different roles. I just think it's time to try a new voice.

We've under achieved with this squad. 1999 is a long time ago. Worryingly, the future doesn't look bright with the 20s. We're relying on more and more foreign born players.

The games not in a great condition in Scotland.

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[Greenbeard]

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There’s a lot to be positive about, when we are switched on, we are excellent at attacking, our broken play attacks are outstanding generally, when we need to we can dig in in defence and shut a team out.

However, we also have frequent lapses in concentration and execution, we are prone to periods of conceding penalty after penalty, and we rarely play for 80+ minutes.

I wonder if the answer may be to bring in assistant coaches to address the shortcomings, whilst still maintaining GT’s positive aspects - or finding a top class coach who will take this team on and push into the next level

We have one already.
Who is on your long list of better top class coaches who have a proven record at International level? Or do you want to take a gamble on an inexperienced coach with potential who can talk a good game at an interview, as Hibs have done more times than we all care to remember these last few years?

[Greenbeard]

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I think it's time to move on. He's brought in different coaches and he's tried various players in different roles. I just think it's time to try a new voice.

We've under achieved with this squad. 1999 is a long time ago. Worryingly, the future doesn't look bright with the 20s. We're relying on more and more foreign born players.

The games not in a great condition in Scotland.

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That's one thing you've said that I won't disagree with.

[Greenbeard]

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Im not the most knowledgeable, but ive watched every game this campaign and we deserved to beat France and did beat England, the teams immediately above us in the table. The only team clearly better than us in the northern hemisphere is Ireland, who are having the best success of their entire history in the sport! So he must be doing something right surely?

Knowledgeable enough.

[JimBHibees]

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Yep. Just because you power over the line at speed doesn't mean it's always a try. Absolutely no way the ref could see the "grounding", and on one (brief) replay it looked like there was a hand under the ball. Scotland done again by a bad ref decision. But for that, the France "no try" call, and the ref blowing for time in Rome when there was clearly no knock-on, then Scotland could have been 5 from 5.

Yes fine margins and competitive in every game

[JimBHibees]

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Im not the most knowledgeable, but ive watched every game this campaign and we deserved to beat France and did beat England, the teams immediately above us in the table. The only team clearly better than us in the northern hemisphere is Ireland, who are having the best success of their entire history in the sport! So he must be doing something right surely?

Totally agree

[JimBHibees]

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How long is it bad luck?

We're often under prepared. We play one half or often play well for 10 mins and look awful the rest. We never win big games.

You can blame refs (and I don't think they've been up to anything) as much as you want. Townsend has taken scotland as far as he can.

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You can't blame refs? We were cheated out of a winning try v France where there was clear footage showing the grounding.

[McD]

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We have one already.
Who is on your long list of better top class coaches who have a proven record at International level? Or do you want to take a gamble on an inexperienced coach with potential who can talk a good game at an interview, as Hibs have done more times than we all care to remember these last few years?

Easy, I was asking a question, I didn’t advocate for moving on or for keeping Townsend, and I’m still not doing either.

As others have said, there are a number of problems with rugby in Scotland, the lack of success at senior international level is just one. We have had the best group of players in a long time over the last 5 or so years, but have continually struggled to take the next step in achieving something tangible. I don’t think it’s unreasonable that a conversation about the coaching and leadership of that group happens. You feel differently, fair enough

[He's here!]

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4th behind a terrible England side.

Really poor campaign all things considered. Townsends position really should be under consideration.

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England aren't terrible. They beat Ireland and were unlucky not to beat France. As Italy have shown, there's less between most of the sides now. Had we been awarded the try we should have been against France we'd have been right in the mix.

[Just_Jimmy]

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You can't blame refs? We were cheated out of a winning try v France where there was clear footage showing the grounding.

Not every time.

The France game was disgraceful. However, prior to that it was a pathetic game of rugby.

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[hibsbollah]

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Not every time.

The France game was disgraceful. However, prior to that it was a pathetic game of rugby.

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I thought this report has some good analysis. 10 of the 15 games having points decided by 4 points or fewer is a good stat as testament to how close it all was.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/mar/18/six-nations-rugby-union-ireland-france-england-scotland-wales-italy

[cabbageandribs1875]

#		Team	Points
1		South Africa	94.54
2		Ireland	90.69
3		New Zealand	89.80
4		France	87.92	(+0.60)
5		England	85.75	(-0.60)
6		Scotland	82.82
7		Argentina	80.68
8	(↑9)	Italy	79.41	(+1.36)
9	(↑10)	Australia	77.48
10	(↓8)	Wales	77.26	(-1.36)
11		Fiji	76.38
12		Japan	74.27
13		Georgia	74.02	(+1.34)
14		Samoa	72.23
15	(↑16)	Tonga	71.57
16	(↓15)	Portugal	70.28	(-1.34)
17		USA	67.94
18		Uruguay	67.39
19		Spain	64.37	(+0.91)
20		Romania	61.66	(-0.91)

[cabbageandribs1875]

Autumn nations fixtures starting in Nov..

v Fiji
v South Africa
v Portugal
v Australia

[Greenbeard]

So post 6NC, if a Lions squad was being picked now, which Scots would make it?
In my eyes:
DEFINITES
Kinghorn as a utility back with his versatility to cover 15, 11, 10
VDM
Tuipoluto
Russell
Turner

PROBABLE
Jones
Z Fagerson

POSSIBLE
White
Schooo
Dempsey/Christie

[cabbageandribs1875]

On March 19th 1938, 83 years ago, the BBC broadcast the first ‘Six Nations’ game in which Scotland, captained by Wilson Shaw, beat Herbert Toft’s English side 21-16.
Then known as the Home Nations Championships, before France and Italy made it the Six Nations, Scotland were poised to win the Calcutta Cup and Triple Crown along with the trophy.
And whilst the audience was limited, with under 10,000 television sets in the UK and transmission confined to London, it caused a landslide of sporting firsts.

[Just_Jimmy]

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So post 6NC, if a Lions squad was being picked now, which Scots would make it?
In my eyes:
DEFINITES
Kinghorn as a utility back with his versatility to cover 15, 11, 10
VDM
Tuipoluto
Russell
Turner

PROBABLE
Jones
Z Fagerson

POSSIBLE
White
Schooo
Dempsey/Christie

Finn
Jones
Toup
VDM
White
Zander Fagerson

Not sure they will but they'd be my picks. Ben White is outstanding.

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[Greenbeard]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/68609875

Following on from the thread on the main forum about law changes folk would like to see in football, what's the one change you'd like to see introduced in rugby?
For me it's the laws around the "use it" call at rucks - with the purpose of speeding things up.
The ref to call "use it" as soon as the ball is visible and playable; once called, no-one else (from either side) can join the ruck; referee the 5-second use time strictly, or reduce it to 3-seconds if refs are going to continue to be lenient on the count.
Doing this would not only make rucks quicker, but also more competitive, with counter rucking becoming more of an opportunity to regain possession, or at least disrupt your opponents, rather than not committing players to a ruck, and just letting the opposition take their time to set themselves for a kick from the often double-extended base.