1
A tale of two halves for Scotland.
They were blown off the park in the opening 40 minutes, with Wales looking odds on for a convincing victory in the Scottish capital. The second half was a different affair however.
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Here’s how we rated the Scottish players.
15. Blair Kinghorn 4
Kicked loosely in the opening quarter and was found badly wanting in a one on one with Worcester’s Josh Adams, having been out of position when Wales found some space on the Scottish flanks. Got up gingerly after knocking the ball on in the 25th minute and was replaced by Adam Hastings six minutes later. A game to forget for the otherwise in form youngster.
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14. Tommy Seymour N/A
In his 50th start for Scotland, the Lion’s day came to an abrupt end with what looked like a serious upper limb injury in the 20th minute.
13. Nick Grigg 6
A couple of solid carries for Grigg marked him out in the secondhalf. However the midfield was an area dominated by the Welsh today.
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12. Pete Horne 5
Fell off a tackle on Jonathan Davies for Wales’ second try. Will have to take his share of the blame for Scotland’s patchy, passive defending. Was stripped in the 48th minute (Davies again), but was saved by the whistle.
11. Darcy Graham 8
Looked electric with ball in hand in opening exchanges and a stunning break in the 20th minute brought the subdued Scottish crowd into the game. A livewire all day in attack and solid in defence. Deserved his try and was missed when he left the field injured in the 64th minute.
10. Finn Russell 7
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Returned from his HIA layoff, and looked a tad rusty. Found himself defending on the wing for Wales’ first try. Starved of anything resembling a platform in the first half, the Racing playmaker never had an opportunity to show his remarkable wares. The secondhalf was a different story, with a lovely inside ball to McGuigon for Graham’s try a highlight.
9. Ali Price 6
Brought the increased tempo to Scotland that was expected following his selection over incumbent nine and captain Greig Laidlaw. His attempts to add urgency to Scotland’s play were not always met with the support of his teammates. Gave away a crucial and silly penalty when tackling Anscombe without the ball in the 75th minute.
1. Allan Dell 7
Won a turnover early on and made nine tackles in a first half spent on the back foot. A fantastic 46th minute carry awoke an up until then justifiably depressed Murrayfield crowd – injuring Liam Williams in the process.
2. Stuart McInally 5
Edinburgh hooker and club captain McInally took on the national team captaincy for the third time in the absence of Laidlaw. It didn’t suit him. Spent the first-half tackling with the rest of the Scottish pack. Conceded two of Scotland’s four first-half penalties. A forgettable turn for the usually excellent Scot.
3. Willem Nel 6
The tighthead scrummaged well on return from injury but his trademark carrying was nowhere to be seen.
4. Grant Gilchrist 6
Carried when he had to in the secondhalf but missed a couple of tackles in a what was a marathon defensive session in the first. Was outshone by the industrious Welsh engine room of Adam Beard and Alun Wyn Jones.
5. Jonny Gray 6
A standard bearer in the physicality stakes – he tackled all day. The Glasgow lock will be disappointed with how much change the Welsh found carrying in and around the ruck area.
6. Magnus Bradbury 7
The brutality of his carrying was a brilliant subplot, although the blindside will want to check his ball security after being stripped in possession by Hadleigh Parkes.
7. Jamie Ritchie 8
Left the field after 9 minutes for a HIA, but returned. He constantly bedeviled Gatland’s men at the breakdown, and was unlucky to concede one of his two penalties. Grabbed Adams by the collar in an attempt to get his team pumped up, but no one else seemed too interested.
8. Josh Strauss 6
The big number eight carried with his usual workmanlike efficiency when he got a chance with the ball in hand but was utterly outshone by opposite number Ross Moriarty.
Substitutes
16. Fraser Brown 6
Got straight in the action when replacing McInally and played his part in a bright finish, although was also part of two lineout mauls which failed to make their way over the line.
17. Gordon Reid NA
Came on too late to rate.
18. Simon Berghan 6
Came on in the heat of battle and didn’t look out of place in the thick of things.
19. Ben Toolis 6
Came on for a knackered Gray on 65 minutes but didn’t impose himself in the short time he had on the pitch to shine.
20. Hamish Watson 9
Came on as HIA replacement for Ritchie before leaving as a blood injury. Returned in the 65th minute with two thunderous runs, beating six defenders. The very definition of an impact substitution.
.@HamishWatson7 is having a stormer ??#SCOvWAL #GuinnessSixNations pic.twitter.com/JefdPuSX2u
— Guinness Men's Six Nations (@SixNationsRugby) March 9, 2019
21. Greig Laidlaw
Was slow when Scotland needed speed in the final quarter. He didn’t do much wrong but you felt the timing of his entry into the battle wasn’t ideal.
22. Adam Hastings 8
Made a try-saving hit on Josh Adams in the 38th minute and looked sore afterward. Made excellent contributions anytime he got near the play.
23. Byron McGuigan 7
Looked scatty at times, bright at others. Took a quick lineout in the 56 minute which lead to a penalty on the other side of the pitch. Ran a stunning line for Darcy Graham’s try.
Comments on RugbyPass
Dagg is still trying to get enough headlines to make himself relevant enough to get a job. The Crusaders went back to square one at all levels. Shelve this season and nail the next one.
4 Go to commentsHe was in such great form. Sad for him but only a short term injury and it will be great to see him back for the finals.
1 Go to commentsAfter their 5/0 start, I had the Crusaders to finish Top 4 only…they lost the plot in Perth but will reload and back themselves vs 4th placed Rebels…
3 Go to commentsBoth nations missed a great opportunity to book a game that would have had a lot of interest from around the world. I understand these games can’t be organised in 5 minutes but they should have found a way to make it happen. I don’t think Wales are ducking anyone but it’s a bad look haha.
3 Go to commentsIt will be fascinating to see the effect that Jo Yapp has. If they can compete with Canada and give BFs a run for their money that will be progress
1 Go to commentsFollowing his dream and putting in the work. Go well young fella!
3 Go to commentsPerhaps filling Twickenham is one of Mitchell’s KPIs. I doubt whether both September matches will be at Twickenham on consecutive weekends. I would take the BF one to a large provincial stadium so as not to give them the advantage and experience of playing at Twickenham before a large crowd prior to the RWC.
3 Go to commentsvery unfortunate for Kitshoff, but big opportunity potentially for Nché to prove he is genuinely the best loosehead in the world, rather than just a specialist finisher. Presuming that if Kitshoff is out, it will also give Steenekamp a chance to come into the 23? Or are others likely to be ahead of him?
1 Go to commentsA long held question in popular culture asks if art imitates life or does the latter influence the former? Over this 6 nations I can ask the same question of the media influencing the thoughts of its audience or vice versa. Nobody wants to see cricket scores in rugby, as a spectacle it is not sustainable. With so many articles about England’s procession and lack of competition it feeds the epicaricacy of many looking for an opportunity to pounce. England are not the first team to dominate nor does it happen only in rugby, think Federer, Nadal, Red Bull or Mercedes, Manchester Utd, Australia in tests and World Cups. Instead of celebrating the achievements why find reasons to falsify it pointing towards larger playing pool, professional for a longer period or mitigate with the lack of growth in other nations. Can we not enjoy it while it is here and know that it won’t last for ever, others coveting what England have will soon take the crown, ask the aforementioned?
6 Go to commentsShame he won’t turn out for the Netherlands now they’re improving. U20s are Euro champs and in the U20 Trophy this year. The senior sides gets better every year too.
3 Go to commentsWill rugbypass tv be showing these games?
1 Go to commentsWell where do you start, the fact that England have a professional domestic league and Ireland’s is fully amatuer, that they have fully seperated professional squads at Fifteens and Sevens (7’s thinly disguised as GB), and Ireland have fully pro Sevens squad who loan some players back to the Semi-Professional Fifteens squad (moved from amateur for only a year or so) for a few games at 6N & RWC’s. The Women’s games is a shambles, and is at risk of killing itself by pushing for professionalism when the market isn’t really there to support it outside one or two countnries..
6 Go to commentsWayne Smith's input didn't have as much impact on the last final as Davison's red card for Thompson. England were 14 points up and flying when that happened.
6 Go to commentsBilly's been playing consistently well for 2 - 3 seasons now and deserves a look in at the top level. Ioane and ALB are still first choice but there needs to be injury cover and succession. His partnership with Jordie gives him first dibs you'd think. Go the Hurricanes.
3 Go to commentsIt’s not up to Wales to support Georgian Rugby. That’s up to International Rugby and Georgia. I sympathise with Georgia’s decent attempt to create this fixture. But for Wales the proposed match up is just a potential stick to beat them with and a potential big psychological blow that young Welsh team doesn’t need. (I’m Irish BTW.)
3 Go to commentsCale certainly looks great in space, but as you say, he has struggled in contact. At 23 years old, turning 24 this year, he should be close to full physical maturity and yet there exists a considerable gap in the power and physicality required for international rugby. Weight doesn’t automatically equate to power and physicality either. Can he go from a player who’s being physically dominated in Super rugby to physically dominating in international rugby in 1 or 2 years? That’s a big ask but he may end up being a late bloomer.
36 Go to commentsIf rugby wants to remain interesting in the AI era then it will need to work on changing the rules. AI will reduce the tactical advantage of smart game plans, will neutralize primary attacking weapons, and will move rugby from a being a game of inches to a game of millimetres. It will be about sheer athleticism and technique,about avoiding mistakes, and about referees. Many fans will find that boring. The answer is to add creative degrees of freedom to the game. The 50-22 is an example. But we can have fun inventing others, like the right to add more players for X minutes per game, or the equivalent of the 2-point conversion in American football, the ability to call a 12-player scrum, etc. Not saying these are great ideas, but making the point that the more of these alternatives you allow, the less AI will be able to lock down high-probability strategies. This is not because AI does not have the compute power, but because it has more choices and has less data, or less-specific data. That will take time and debate, but big, positive and immediate impact could be in the area of ref/TMO assistance. The technology is easily good enough today to detect forward passes, not-straight lineouts, offside at breakdown/scrum/lineout, obstruction, early/late tackles, and a lot of other things. WR should be ultra aggressive in doing this, as it will really help in an area in which the game is really struggling. In the long run there needs to be substantial creativity applied to the rules. Without that AI (along with all of the pro innovations) will turn rugby into a bash fest.
24 Go to commentsSouth Africa rarely play Ireland and France on these tours. Mostly, England, Scotland and Wales. I wonder why
2 Go to commentsIt was a let’s-see-what-you're-made-of type of a game. The Bulls do look good when the opposition allows them to, but Munster shut them down, and they could not find a way through. Jake should be very worried about their chances in the competition.
2 Go to commentsHats off to Fabian for a very impressive journey to date. Is it as ‘uniquely unlikely’ as Rugby Pass suggests, given Anton Segner’s journey at the Blues?
3 Go to comments