Ireland make three changes for Scotland but keep Conor Murray in reserve

It’s a quandry, like I said elsewhere I can only think SB intends to change the game plan so wants to keep using the same players he’ll need for it. Rather than changing everything, he’s only doing half. I haven’t actually noticed who’s come in in place of him for this weekend yet, I imagined they’ll just be sharing these last two games one each at 10.

Oh, and Jordan was only used at 12 because he had a fearless tackling streak as a flyhalf. He could actually nail people. That’s the jist I got, I’ve said elsewhere he’s there because he made a good 12 at URC level, but it’s like trying to say Dmac is a 10 because he played 1 in every 5 games their over his first 8 seasons. It’s going to mean nothing when you’re thrust into that position in a test. It’s just a side effect of only having two pro teams, they simple need more to ensure there is adequate depth when it comes to things like this. Scotland just can’t ever consider themselves a top 6 side without having something more than Edinbourugh and Glasgow. Even offloading players like Tuipulotu to a big English or French club so that you can build his depth at home.

His record without Shaun Edwards is not even schools rugby standard.

He got found out.

These comps are already taking it to extremes (and of course Tokyo has had such games before) and just think they’re running the risk of being a statistic to one of these deaths that happened with a Korean playing dying in Japan due to heat stroke recently.

What ‘hole’ do you think these two unions are in?

My point was that he can’t play either with the same impact as Keenan (at full-back) or Ringrose (12/13). Crowley isn’t comparable to Keenan either.

As I said, although both those players are developing, that’s a huge drop-off. Especially if a game is on the line in the last 20 mins. It’s a valid concern in comparing the benches of both teams

Bad faith is for the faithless.

It’s always been about SA and Australia, and in this respect, Japan has it even worse. Weather in Tokyo will climb to 40 if they play in our season, and when we’d be happy to play in our mid 20’s summer, it’s so freezing over their they stop playing for a month!

There’s a nice period for a cup type competition if they can finish their season sooner, say May, and we can start ours later, using this cup tournament as a really good preseason imo. Would have to split (or play through) SR in between the July international window, and carry on right up until NPC kicks off, and likely into it a bit however.

The last clear and obvious red/target job at test level was 2022. When PSDT used his forehead to clear a French ruck.

They rarely happen.

Games were taking so so long, that 1 or two minutes difference in ball in play is meaningless compared to the extra 10 minutes (of rest) games were taking.

Dupont may as well be playing a different sport he’s that far ahead of the rest. But I think JGP is a better 9, purely as a positional player. Dupont’s gifts are in what he does outside of the role of a 9.

4 breakdown penalties won in the top 14 final last year. By a 9! The gravity defying tackle on Hansen in the last Dublin match!

Different gravy.

Is that because the clock should be stopped, something I think I might have remembered hearing? Did you see the Drua try to win the game against the Brumbies off the quick restart? Got scratched out because the ref said he stopped play to award a card. He never blew his whistle at all, and the clock kept running. They lost 30 secs for the period he “supposedly” stopped the clock.

But anyway, Work to Rest ratio (it calculates of game length to my understanding) takes into account everything, down to how different leagues treat TMO’s speed, occurrence frequency, hurrying up medics, everything. BIP does not, right? It’s just worried about how much their is in the 80 minutes, not whether the 80 minutes takes 130 minutes, or just over 100 minutes to complete, this has always been where the issue is.

It was a real shame to see the ref handle the broken comms issue so poorly, killed that game amongst all his prior hard work. It was the same ref who wasted time trying to check a superficious injruy replacement in the last play of the game now that I think of it?