NPR

westport wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 7:41 pm Comfortable Ireland win.

Uncle fester wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 8:00 pm I'd say Scotland will be going after our set piece, especially the scrum. Get at those and they've a very good chance.

Biffer wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 10:11 pm I have a horrible feeling we have a red card and an historic loss coming.

Tichtheid wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:26 pm I went for Scotland by 5 on Superbru and got a telling off -“Are you sure? You’re picking quite an upset”

How rude.

Realistically if Ireland don't win by 25 I'll be surprised.

They are everything we aren't, accurate and disciplined.

We could turn it on right enough if Ireland stay way back on the defensive line and let us play. If they don't go after our lineout or compete at the breakdown

Ovals wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:40 pm

Tichtheid wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:26 pm I went for Scotland by 5 on Superbru and got a telling off -“Are you sure? You’re picking quite an upset”

How rude.

Realistically if Ireland don't win by 25 I'll be surprised.

They are everything we aren't, accurate and disciplined.

We could turn it on right enough if Ireland stay way back on the defensive line and let us play. If they don't go after our lineout or compete at the breakdown

I expect Ireland to win fairly comfortably but they haven't been at their best in the last 2 games - so it may turn out to be closer than expected.

fishfoodie wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:47 pm

Ovals wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:40 pm

Tichtheid wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:26 pm I went for Scotland by 5 on Superbru and got a telling off -“Are you sure? You’re picking quite an upset”

How rude.

Realistically if Ireland don't win by 25 I'll be surprised.

They are everything we aren't, accurate and disciplined.

We could turn it on right enough if Ireland stay way back on the defensive line and let us play. If they don't go after our lineout or compete at the breakdown

I expect Ireland to win fairly comfortably but they haven't been at their best in the last 2 games - so it may turn out to be closer than expected.

I tend to agree.

We're kinda the opposite of England; we've options on the wings, & a coach who is actually prepared to play them.

I always think that with wingers, you're a mug if you don't pick purely on who is playing on form at the time; so picking Hansen at the mo is spot on

Scotland always seem to stifle what our plan is, so it'll be interesting to see if we've evolved to not let that happen, & like England, despite what happens on the pitch, we still get the ultimate objective of the try bonus point.

Jock42 wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:59 pm

fishfoodie wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:47 pm

Ovals wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:40 pm

I expect Ireland to win fairly comfortably but they haven't been at their best in the last 2 games - so it may turn out to be closer than expected.

I tend to agree.

We're kinda the opposite of England; we've options on the wings, & a coach who is actually prepared to play them.

I always think that with wingers, you're a mug if you don't pick purely on who is playing on form at the time; so picking Hansen at the mo is spot on

Scotland always seem to stifle what our plan is, so it'll be interesting to see if we've evolved to not let that happen, & like England, despite what happens on the pitch, we still get the ultimate objective of the try bonus point.

Fuck me, if that's true they'd be getting proper pumping year on year

Jock42 wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:59 pm

fishfoodie wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:47 pm

Ovals wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:40 pm

I expect Ireland to win fairly comfortably but they haven't been at their best in the last 2 games - so it may turn out to be closer than expected.

I tend to agree.

We're kinda the opposite of England; we've options on the wings, & a coach who is actually prepared to play them.

I always think that with wingers, you're a mug if you don't pick purely on who is playing on form at the time; so picking Hansen at the mo is spot on

Scotland always seem to stifle what our plan is, so it'll be interesting to see if we've evolved to not let that happen, & like England, despite what happens on the pitch, we still get the ultimate objective of the try bonus point.

Fuck me, if that's true they'd be getting proper pumping year on year

fishfoodie wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:16 am

Jock42 wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:59 pm

fishfoodie wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:47 pm

I tend to agree.

We're kinda the opposite of England; we've options on the wings, & a coach who is actually prepared to play them.

I always think that with wingers, you're a mug if you don't pick purely on who is playing on form at the time; so picking Hansen at the mo is spot on

Scotland always seem to stifle what our plan is, so it'll be interesting to see if we've evolved to not let that happen, & like England, despite what happens on the pitch, we still get the ultimate objective of the try bonus point.

Fuck me, if that's true they'd be getting proper pumping year on year

Oh come on; you guys always target games against us. It niggles you that we've done the Pro game better, & as a result your always up for it, & are determined to screw things up.

With Wales it was always that Gatland was pissed about the way the IRFU fucked him over; & with the Scots it's always that we're in the position that you expected to be in.

Jock42 wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:29 am Aye it definitely niggles (and then some) but I don’t remember many close games in the last decade +

Tichtheid wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:48 am

fishfoodie wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:16 am

Jock42 wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:59 pm

Fuck me, if that's true they'd be getting proper pumping year on year

Oh come on; you guys always target games against us. It niggles you that we've done the Pro game better, & as a result your always up for it, & are determined to screw things up.

With Wales it was always that Gatland was pissed about the way the IRFU fucked him over; & with the Scots it's always that we're in the position that you expected to be in.

I can honestly say that I've never encountered that position or thought about our games in that way.

Personally I've looked to Ireland and thought that one, they were in the lucky place that they have ready-made four provincial rivalries.
Two, they didn't have professional football to compete with, though of course there was the GAA.
Three, they went all in for pro rugby, Scotland had blazers opposing it every step of the way, we still do, believe it or not!
Four, having made the decision to go for rugby they really got behind the teams with the incentives to keep the best players in Ireland.
This also meant that they were able to bring in really top class international players to Leinster and Munster especially but also Ulster.
Connacht got the rough end, but since that march on Dublin and the rise through Elwood and then Lam they are not an afterthought.

It niggles me that Ireland have done the pro game better, but I don't resent Ireland for it, not in the slightest. I resent the bastards at the SRU who prevented us going full swing at it (having said that, the rebuilding of Murrayfield took up a lot of our finances)

Big D wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:53 am


I think your brackets nail it. Blazers were a problem but the SRU were fighting debt for what felt like decades. Don't think the blazers would have got the set up right so perhaps wouldn't have made a difference.

Tichtheid wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 1:05 am

Big D wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:53 am


I think your brackets nail it. Blazers were a problem but the SRU were fighting debt for what felt like decades. Don't think the blazers would have got the set up right so perhaps wouldn't have made a difference.

If we are comparing Scotland and Ireland for pro rugby, then Glasgow and Edinburgh are our top two supported cities. Glasgow obviously has over a hundred thousand supporters going to Ibrox and Parkhead every week, Hibs and Hearts don't get half that but near half.

For third and fourth cities for rugby we don't have them, the supposed heartlands in the Borders wouldn't support a team due to local rivalry and the Highlands are too dispersed.

Jock42 wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:29 am Aye it definitely niggles (and then some) but I don’t remember many close games in the last decade +

fishfoodie wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:18 am

Jock42 wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:59 pm

fishfoodie wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:47 pm

I tend to agree.

We're kinda the opposite of England; we've options on the wings, & a coach who is actually prepared to play them.

I always think that with wingers, you're a mug if you don't pick purely on who is playing on form at the time; so picking Hansen at the mo is spot on

Scotland always seem to stifle what our plan is, so it'll be interesting to see if we've evolved to not let that happen, & like England, despite what happens on the pitch, we still get the ultimate objective of the try bonus point.

Fuck me, if that's true they'd be getting proper pumping year on year

Oh come on; you guys always target games against us. It niggles you that we've done the Pro game better, & as a result your always up for it, & are determined to screw things up.

With Wales it was always that Gatland was pissed about the way the IRFU fucked him over; & with the Scots it's always that we're in the position that you expected to be in.

Biffer wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 8:25 am

fishfoodie wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 12:18 am

Jock42 wrote: Fri Mar 18, 2022 11:59 pm

Fuck me, if that's true they'd be getting proper pumping year on year

Oh come on; you guys always target games against us. It niggles you that we've done the Pro game better, & as a result your always up for it, & are determined to screw things up.

With Wales it was always that Gatland was pissed about the way the IRFU fucked him over; & with the Scots it's always that we're in the position that you expected to be in.

To be fair, it doesn’t niggle that you’ve done the pro game better, what’s annoying is all the guys who only started watching rugby ten or fifteen years ago who have this attitude that Ireland being better than Scotland is the natural order of things.

Big D wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 8:48 am Irish rugby circles continue to give Matt Williams air time. That is top trolling of Scots.

salanya wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 4:42 pm The Temple Bar pubs must be disappointed, but at least we have a match

ASMO wrote: Sat Mar 19, 2022 4:41 pm Flower of Scotland played by an oompah band just doesnt cut it