[2025 Six Nations] Scotland vs Ireland - 09/02/25

[Amiga500]

I just hope Gerry Thornley is ok.

His (now not so top secret agent) - codename butterknife - has gone silent.

With supergrass Farrell out of the loop, Gerry is scraping!

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Everyone hyped asf for the battle for the Lions' 13 amd he goes and does that.

Scotland will be licking their lips with us dropping our best defender. Really puzzling. Don't like Baird as second row cover either. Hard to begrudge POM but really?

Can only hope we're adopting a horses for courses approach within the squad and the idea is to overpower Scotland completely for 55-60 mins and then up the pace even more in the last quarter.

Edit: actually have come around to the POM change. Scotland don't pose the sort of physical threat he struggles with and he's in there for the lineout andnto slow the **** out of their ball. Baird at lock for a controlled amount of time is ok and allows for more dynamism attacking late in the game, just have to hope for no injuries there.

Ringrose I don't get. Feel like Henshaw is the better impact player and worse defender and while we're playing the attack more through 10 with Prendergast than we will be with Crowley, Ringrose is the better second distributor option. The reverse just makes so much more sense to me.

 

[Groundhog]

A good Irish Times article this week on the stats behind how we've been on top in this fixture and it's all about possession and tactical kicking. We have stifled them to 10 points compared to an average of 24 against other sides. PO'M is very much a keep ball, turnover threat type of player. He's also always been pretty good against Scotland. Still wouldn't have started him though, I'd love to get Conan in somewhere.

Think Easterby has committed to Prendergast barring a complete disaster of a performance, which to be fair despite some hysteria online, last week was not.

Dropping Ringrose to the bench is the one that makes no sense to me. It's not really an impact from the bench thing for me, you play him all 80 minutes if he's fit and he's the lynchpin to our defence.

Objective is clearly to blow them away with the bench, but again I'd rather have Ringrose emptying people for the full 80.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

A good Irish Times article this week on the stats behind how we've been on top in this fixture and it's all about possession and tactical kicking. We have stifled them to 10 points compared to an average of 24 against other sides. PO'M is very much a keep ball, turnover threat type of player. He's also always been pretty good against Scotland. Still wouldn't have started him though, I'd love to get Conan in somewhere.

Think Easterby has committed to Prendergast barring a complete disaster of a performance, which to be fair despite some hysteria online, last week was not.

Dropping Ringrose to the bench is the one that makes no sense to me. It's not really an impact from the bench thing for me, you play him all 80 minutes if he's fit and he's the lynchpin to our defence.

Objective is clearly to blow them away with the bench, but again I'd rather have Ringrose emptying people for the full 80.

Agreed, although I love Conan off the bench.

I actually wouldn't be surprised to see Sam and Crowley flip the next two games. The obvious benefits to Prendergast starting (keep ball, multi-phase and territory) aren't as big points of difference against France. I'd back us to be bigger try scoring threats without going through too many phases from 30+m out with Crowley and France are a team you don't want to kick long too because they'll either kick it back further or set up dangerous attacks. Style of play is realistically the only thing seperating these guys in the minds of the management team and it looks like that's being considered far more in selection currently.

 

[big ginger 8]

Not mad on the POM option but think it's better having him starting rather than coming off the bench. I'd imagine having Baird coming off the bench in the row for this is also considered preferable to having to have Henderson on the bench.

Like the others don't understand Rongrose on the bench. Maybe the plan is to hammer Russell's channel?

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Tough to see where that Scottish pack makes in roads. Our centre pairing makes a bit more sense, lots of traffic down the 10/12 channell you'd imagine. Serious mass difference.

 

[General Melchett]

Happy with the backline but that won't matter if they don't get any ball. Jonny Gray must have naked pictures of Townsend in uncompromising positions. Kin ell. I'd rather play Tom Stoltman there even if he's never played rugby before. The gulf between those benches.

 

[big ginger 8]

Reckon Schoeman is benching to try get an advantage vs Clarkson, which fair enough take your advantage where you can, but if that's your hope...

 

[AngloScotsHybrid]

Schoeman is Scotland's best prop. He should be starting and playing the majority of the game. (Putting aside the fact that he is south african and shouldnt be playing for Scotland at all).

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Schoeman is Scotland's best prop. He should be starting and playing the majority of the game. (Putting aside the fact that he is south african and shouldnt be playing for Scotland at all).

Ah he's been there 7 years. Should he have been playing in 2021? No. Now? Absolutely fine.

 

[AlRums]

Ah he's been there 7 years. Should he have been playing in 2021? No. Now? Absolutely fine.

He did his 3

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

He did his 3

Yeah but those old rules were mental. Same for Lowe, JGP and Aki. None should have played as early as they did.

 

[AlRums]

View attachment 22819

Tough to see where that Scottish pack makes in roads. Our centre pairing makes a bit more sense, lots of traffic down the 10/12 channell you'd imagine. Serious mass difference.

From "Huwipulotu" to "Tom Jones".

 

[General Melchett]

From "Huwipulotu" to "Tom Jones".

I guess Tom Jones works better than Huge Ardon.

Definitely deserves some Welsh backing.

 

[retired9]

Pretty much the best team Scotland can field (probably showing my ignorance of the second row a bit), want to see if 10/12/13 can work together from the beginning.

For Scotland, everything is on the forwards to get parity and not be bullied off the park. Much of Irelands success against us has come from Russell getting no time or space and/or cr@p ball - this has to be rectified as once it gets out past 10 there is capability to score.

One would like to think that having suffered defeat to the Irish often enough, there is a bit of smart game planning going on to find a way through them.