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Hogg, Russell and Price among six Scotland players disciplined - report
The BBC are reporting that six Scotland played have been disciplined internally following a breach of team protocols last weekend following their Six Nations win in Rome.
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Upon return to Scotland, skipper Stuart Hogg, Finn Russell, Ali Price, Darcy Graham, Sam Johnson and Sione Tuipulotu were sanctioned after they apparently left the team hotel to visit a bar in Edinburgh.
According to the report the players were told to return to their team hotel by management when their trip became known to staff.
The SRU said in a statement: “The Scotland management team have this week dealt with a post-match matter involving six players following the game against Italy last weekend.
“The players involved have been spoken to individually and those conversations and outcomes will remain private.
“Preparations for the match against Ireland this week have been good and the whole squad is fully focused on achieving a positive result on Saturday.”
Hogg, Price, Graham and Johnson all start against Ireland, while Russell is named on the bench.
The incident of course evokes memories of ‘Finngate’ in 2020, when Russell left the Scotland camp after a situation involving his reluctance to leave a hotel bar.
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When approached by team-mates and members of Townsend’s backroom staff during that episode, he ignored requests to stop drinking and later left the hotel to return to his parents’ home in Stirling.
Russell was a no-show at training the next day and was then informed he would not be selected for duty against Ireland. Russell then opted to return to Paris and miss the remainder of that tournament.
It was an episode the SRU would have liked to forget and it took months to mend the relationship between head coach Gregor Townsend and Russell.
In this year’s competition, Scotland have defeated England and Italy but were well beaten by Wales and France. Russell started all four matches without excelling and was sin-binned in the Wales game.
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Scotland are now looking to end the tournament on a high with a rare win away to Ireland.
“I think it’s been a mixed bag, with inconsistency,” said back row Hamish Watson, reflecting on his side’s performance in the tournament so far. “It started really well, on such a positive note (against England), but we didn’t manage to back it up against Wales and that hit our confidence.
“We’ve worked hard this tournament but I don’t think we’ve played at our best so it’s about trying to put everything together and put in a performance against Ireland.
“I think if we got a win away in Ireland, which is going to be a tough task, it would be a nice way to top off the tournament.”
Ireland have a chance of winning the Six Nations, if France slip-up against England, and have beaten Scotland in each of their last six meetings.
“It’s a very tough place to go and play,” said Watson.
“It’s quite a hostile environment but we believe in ourselves and the last time we went there (in the Six Nations), it was decided within a try so it should be a tight game.
“Ireland are one of the in-form teams in world rugby so we’re excited to test ourselves against them.”
Much of the pre-match chat has centred around Townsend’s decision to replace Russell with Blair Kinghorn at stand-off. The former is deemed one of the top number 10s in the world, while the latter is relatively untried in the position at the top level having only converted to stand-off this season.
Watson is an Edinburgh team-mate of Kinghorn’s and has backed the 25-year-old to handle the responsibility of such a key role in the Aviva Stadium.
“I’ve been playing with Blair since he joined Edinburgh when he was about 18 so I’m really happy for him,” said Watson.
“It’s exciting for him. He’s similar in a way to Finn because he’s a very chilled-out guy, very calm, and I think that will help him against Ireland.
“I don’t think he’ll let the occasion get to him. He’s been great for Edinburgh this season, really exciting, so hopefully he can take that on to the international stage.”
Scotland: Stuart Hogg (captain), Darcy Graham, Chris Harris, Sam Johnson, Kyle Steyn, Blair Kinghorn, Ali Price; Matt Fagerson, Hamish Watson, Rory Darge, Grant Gilchrist, Jonny Gray, Zander Fagerson, George Turner, Pierre Schoeman.
Reserves: Fraser Brown, Allan Dell, WP Nel, Sam Skinner, Josh Bayliss, Ben White, Finn Russell, Mark Bennett.
additional reporting PA
Comments on RugbyPass
“But with an exceptional pass accuracy rating “ Which apart from Roigard is not a feature of any of the other 9s in NZ. Kind of basic for a Black 9 dont.you. think? Yet we keep seeing FC and TJ being rated ahead of him? Weird if it’s seen as vital to get our backline beating in your face defences.
1 Go to commentsThanks BeeMc! Looks like many teams need extra time to settle from the quadrennial northern migration. I think generally the quality of the Rugby has held up. Fiji has been fantastic and fun to watch
13 Go to commentsLets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
11 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
11 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
16 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to comments