Spring Tour: Fiji vs Scotland. (16/06/2012, 1400 local time )

[thebiz1987]

Well another packed international weekend just about over! time to look ahead to the up and coming internations.

my team to play Fiji would be

1.R.Grant -
2.R.ford -
3.G.Cross/E.Murray
4.R.Gray -
5.A.kellock -
6.A.Strockosh -
7.R.Rennie -
8.J.Barclay -
9.M.Blair -
10.G.Laidlaw -
11.T.Visser -
12.M.Scot -
13.N.De-luca -
14.J.Ansbro -
15.S.Hogg -

Great chance for laidlaw to show that he can get a backline going. we will need to score tries out there to be in with a chance.
Should also see the long awaited debut of tim visser although he will have his hands full with the fijian wingers.

should be a pretty good game!!!

 

[retardedgenius]

agree but put ansbro at 13 and tom brown on the wing. i would like to see wier get some game time

 

[thebiz1987]

so de-luca on the bench?

 

[retardedgenius]

so de-luca on the bench?

nah give dunbar a shot. anyone read rugby world this month where called alex dunbar, john dunbar. though it was a bit of a disgrace

 

[welshglory]

You guys need to look at smashing Fiji, their really in the shits at the moment and the squad they've picked for the summer is rubbish.

Don't look to play a 7's style game because the Fijians will love that. Instead you should look to gain physical domination at the breakdown, boss the set pieces which tbh you should do quite easily and then start raking up the score line like we did in the world cup.

I'd like to see Ansbro move to 13 and have Lamont at 14, you'll need his physicality. I think that if you select Scott, Dunbar and Ansbro you'll be a bit too lightweight

 

[Darwin]

You guys need to look at smashing Fiji, their really in the shits at the moment and the squad they've picked for the summer is rubbish.

Don't look to play a 7's style game because the Fijians will love that. Instead you should look to gain physical domination at the breakdown, boss the set pieces which tbh you should do quite easily and then start raking up the score line like we did in the world cup.

I'd like to see Ansbro move to 13 and have Lamont at 14, you'll need his physicality. I think that if you select Scott, Dunbar and Ansbro you'll be a bit too lightweight

I don't think there is any risk of that - Scotland don't exactly play the most expansive rugby I think Scotland's normal (conservative) style will be ideal for playing Fiji - as you mention this is a very weak Fiji team, so I would be surprised if Scotland don't win this game comfortably (my guess would be a 20-25 point win).

 

[psychic duck]

Joe Ansbro is ruled out due to a cut eye due to that headbutt

 

[welshglory]

Whatever they do they shouldn't play De Luca, he's shown that he isn't up to it, and also what the hell does Alex Grove have to do to get back in the test team he's been on fire for Worcester this season

 

[TRF_Cymro]

Game is being shown live at 3am BST on ESPN on Saturday.

 

[HB Scot]

Scotland for the past couple of seasons have not plasyed pasrticularly played conservatively. They just struggle to convert the opportunities in to tries.Hopefully this will change sooner rather than latter.

 

[Don't Skip Leg Day]

Joe Ansbro is ruled out due to a cut eye due to that headbutt

Is he going to get cited for that lol!

 

[retardedgenius]

i'm worried by how bad nick de luca has to play to be dropped from the team. imo we have 3/4 outside centres who are all better than him. For starters ansbro and evans are both wasted on the wing, alex dunbar has had a great season for glasgow so deserves a chance, i am also hearing good things about alex grove but cant comment too much. De luca has proved time and time again that he is unable to produce his club form with scotland. This may change with visser comming into the team but i dont think it will. Who else agree's?

 

[DuncTheDoodle]

While De Luca looked quite ghood in the HC, he's been horrific for Scotland in 99% of the games I've seen him play (I recall him having a good game last year in the summer warm-ups Vs Ireland, but nothing else springs to mind) although I quite like the balance of the Scottish backline, to be fair. Perhaps it's worth keeping an experienced head in with Scott & Visser, plus, actually, Laidlaw and Hogg playing their few games at this level, whether or not he deserves those 30/40-odd caps. Hope that come the autumn it's Ansbro or Dunbarr outside Scott, though, as both are too good to be left out/banished to the wing, where they'll never see the ball. (Evans tends to go looking for it, so I don't mind seeing him there)

 

[Tonga_rugby]

I Think Scotland will win by 8 points... :huh:

Fiji have made eight changes and one positional switch to their team for Saturday's Test meeting with Scotland at Churchill Park in Lautoka.
The sweeping changes made by coach Inoke Male follows his side's Pacific Nations Cup loss to Samoa at the weekend.
The changes occur at hooker, tighthead, both flanks, scrum-half, fly-half, right wing and full-back, while Aloisio Buto moves from the wing to centre.
The last Six Nations team to play in Fiji was Italy in 2006 and Fiji captain Netani Talei said the hosts were keen to make the most of a rare opportunity against Northern Hemisphere opposition on home soil.
It is also a chance for the Fijians to showcase changes made since a disappointing campaign at last year's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, where they were eliminated in the pool stages after a string of lacklustre displays.
"I told the boys 'make use of the time and whatever you do come out hard, you'll never get this opportunity to play a tier one nation at home again'," Talei said.
"Having tier one nations coming in opens the gates for everything - for contracts for the local boys, sponsorships and more teams looking at us and saying 'oh yes, they've improved.'
"Winning this weekend will be a massive, massive achievement for us."
Fiji: 15 Isimeli Koniferedi, 14 Waisea Nayacalevu, 13 Wereniki Goneva, 12 Aloisio Buto, 11 Watisoni Votu, 10 Jonetai Ralulu, 9 Nikola Matawalu, 8 Netani Talei, 7 Malakai Ravulo, 6 Iliese Ratuva, 5 Leone Nakarawa, 4 Apisai Naikatini, 3 Setefano Somoca, 2 Viliame Veikoso, 1 Jeremaia Yanuyanutawa.
Replacements: 16 Tuatpati Talemaitoga, 17 Waisea Daveta/Graham Dewes, 18 Josefa Domolailai, 19 Kelepi Ketedromo, 20 Nemia Kenatale, 21 Kameli Ratuvou, 22 Metuisela Talebula.
Date: Saturday, June 16
Venue: Churchill Park, Lautoka
Kick-off: 14.00 (02:00 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Ian Smith, Andrew Lees (both Australia)

 

[ZeFrenchy]

Is that first choice? I don't know any player...

 

[Tonga_rugby]

Is that first choice? I don't know any player...

10 players play in Fiji (15, 10, 9, 6, 5, 3, 2 and 17, 19, 22).
In the attached image (in my post) are their teams...

 

[Keithmurdoch]

Actually, a lot of the players changed from the last game against Samoa are returning from the 2nd to last game they played, when they beat Japan. There are only 3 changes from that game to this: obviously his is a fairly new team and they're still trying out some combinations. Nevertheless, given that it's going to be played at 2pm in the tropics, and given the traditional difficultly home nations seem to have stopping enormous fast islanders I'm slightly surprised to see Scotland favourites to be honest. Fiji were in the game for a long time against a very good Samoan team. Also, I notice Berrick Barnes is NOT going to be taking the feild for Fiji.

 

[davidpalmer]

....sigh. The last time we showed any menace or style was 1999. Gary Armstrong, Tait '6 guns', Townsend and John Leslie. Poetry. That combo was just unbeatable. Sat in Stade Francaise that year and was exhausted by half time as we tore the French appart (kept the video ...also still got Gibbs photo as he levitates over the English try line to beat them and give us the last 5 nations). That was with Telford in charge. Following season it all fell apart under Geech ...and a few retirements... but since then we seem to have lost all our confidence. I think the players we have are good enough, they just lack the confidence, self belief and killer instinct. Gatland would be the man to sort that. Poach him from Wales So, teams like Fiji have a good chance against us if they can rock the boat early on. Forward domination won't cut the mustard other than to close the game down but our poor ability to recycle and to hold on to the ball in contact could be our achillies heel. Turnover ball in open play would be manna for the Fijians ...and they have beaten us before in Fiji.

Can' get to the games at Murryfield any more (live in Norfolk) so selling my class A debentures (expire 2045).
South stand S11 seats T11 and T12. £600 each to genuine fans only please (get ready for 10 questions on Scottish rugby to prove ur a fan). They are worth about £850 each. They cost £1200 each new in 1995.

 

[Muzzy]

The Rugby Channel in NZ are only showing a delayed replay, but watching it on a live stream now, just starting

 

[Feicarsinn]

Haha, they played the players singing the anthems at full volume. A pro choir they aint!