Another year, another Guinness 6 Nations rolling into February.
But this one feels a little different, and not just because there are games on a Thursday or coverage on Premier Sports, or indeed adverts on screen mid way through play (thanks ITV).
After an autumn series where Scotland decidedly did not do anything worth getting fans hopes up, there’s very little “this could be our year” chat floating in the ether, of the sort that gives snarky pundits across the Irish Sea (there are a lot) a stick to beat us with.
Scotland vs Italy could be the Wooden Spoon clash this year – depending on how Steve Tandy gets on at Wales – but secretly we still want to be hopeful about this Scotland squad being a little better than bottom of the table. Certainly there’s enough talent in there we should be talking up our chances. We’re just too jaded to bother, having been here before. So many times.
Gregor Townsend has a mostly fit squad with Finn and both first choice centres available, and competition so healthy in the back three that, allied with Glasgow’s form, Duhan doesn’t even make the 23. Neither does Blair Kinghorn, and Darcy Graham only makes the bench. Will the back three look the same for the next round? It seems unlikely; but also it would seem unlikely to make “squad rotation” picks for the first game of the tournament, and here we are.
The pack is much the same as we’ve seen in recent years with a with a very settled look, but no sign of any new second or back row blood breaking through any time soon anywhere other than the bench.
On the bench there will be plenty of spark to come late in the game in the backs (possibly even too much excitement for Rome to handle?), while D’arcy Rae has been rewarded for a fine showing in the autumn with demotion to the A team and Eliot Millar Mills returns as Zander’s backup.
I’m hoping for a big tournament from Gregor Brown who does feature there, and this weekend is the place for that to start.
Italy: Marin, Lynagh, Brex, Menoncello, Ioane, P Garbisi, Fusco; Fischetti, Nicotera, Ferrari, A Cannone, Zambonin, Lamaro (capt), Zuliani, L Cannone.
Replacements: Di Bartolomeo, Spagnolo, Hasa, Ruzza, Favretto, A Garbisi, Da Re, Pani.
Scotland: Tom Jordan, Kyle Steyn, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu (capt), Jamie Dobie, Finn Russell, Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, Ewan Ashman, Zander Fagerson, Scott Cummings, Grant Gilchrist, Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge, Jack Dempsey.
Replacements: George Turner, Nathan McBeth, Elliot Millar Mills, Max Williamson, Gregor Brown, George Horne, Adam Hastings, Darcy Graham.
55 responses
Loving the tone of the article Rory. “We should be talking up the team but we’re too jaded to bother”. Captures the mood amongst fans brilliantly.
One positive is that Toonie hasn’t just picked his old favourites but seems to have accepted Franco Smith is currently the best coach in Scotland and has gone for Glasgow+
Would have liked to see someone younger replacing Gilchrist.
Fingers crossed for the win.
Always hopeful – but coming up for 20 years of the site next year and it’s hard to get fired up these days!
Disappointed that Gilchrist is still being selected when there are more dynamic options available. Overall a very strong team but I hope the lineout doesn’t fall apart when Turner comes on. The backs look very exciting. I’ve read a few comments from people disappointed that Kinghorn is playing but he can’t tackle & isn’t good under high balls, he’s picked the backs that are in great form.
Sorry, typo, Kinghorn isn’t playing
Like the look of the team . Happy with Jordan inclusion.
Given the Roman weather forecast and Italian gameplan anticipating an ariel free for all, for a tall man Kinghorn is awful under high ball We lose nothing if Darcy comes on in that sense
Quietly confident. But take a look at Italian 15, they are a good team. Also the ongoing nonsense around Townsend is deflating.
Wish we had made a change. But here we go again Cmon Scotland ( Its the hope that kills)
Fairly satisfied with the 23. It’s never going to exactly what I want but better than expected.
As an aside, this is the first 6N where I have been so despondent watching and listening to Townsend at pressers. It’s almost like he’s hanging around the national team like a bad smell. I bet deep down he still thinks he’s a better head coach than Franco who should be getting the job in the summer – not after the next RWC.
Right tone, Rory. Italy have really come on in since the last World Cup and this will be another tough encounter. I hoped our bench might have brought more experience and grunt after 50 minutes as closing out games has been our achilles recently and would have been happy to see the front 3 swapped to see the impact. Otherwise, hopeful we might scrape a win!
reasonably happy with the selection decisions. For me this game is absolutely pivotal – defeat I think means an inevitable descent into a miserable campaign, with victory allowing us some breathing space and chance of better things.
Not going in with much optimism, personally
It’s Townsend’s leadership that is the cause for my cautious approach, he’s drained the energy out of me.
Kinghorn needs to go and work on his defense. I’d have rather seen Duhan on the bench than Darcy , Darcy seems to be greedy with ball in hand.
Cummings and Gilchrist need to bring their best game ever. Darge is not aggressive enough at the breakdown so he needs to man up.
Keep Townsend negative voice out of the dressing room , and the team might just fire up.
Same guys that flopped for Toonie in the Autumn have blossomed for Franco Smith, before and since. Let’s see what happens. Franco gets us Second seed in Europe.
Franco gives it on a plate .. No pressure .
I like the team , I like the bench (well not sure about Turner). Townsend is no longer tinkering, what kept him. I heard Italy had injurys but that looks like a powerful back line , so we had better starve them of ball.
That bench should tear them apart.
Bless you, Rory. As a Sassenach (although of Scottish heritage), I appreciate your no nonsense approach and lack of lust for ‘clickbait’. I just feel at home with your calm analysis. It is something which I feel that I can trust and believe. I, too, hope that Scotland will win – don’t really doubt it – although the Italians do have good outfit. Should be a good match!
As the Yanks say, more strength to your arm! :-D
Time for a very experienced coach to deliver a motivational half time talk and get his team back on track. Step up Toony.
Why are we playing dry weather rugby in the pissing rain?
The bst Scottish team ever. Discuss
We didn’t get beat by the weather,conditions both sides had to contend with its just that Italy handled the game much better,well done Italy. Townshend and his favourites have to go.
Why did we wait until the 81st minute to play the conditions properly?
Townsend has to be finished now. Such basic errors compounded this
But he is a coach that clearly has this team going backwards. That was shocking
10th in WR Rankings now.
The bench made a difference . The Glasgow bolierhouse win the lineout. George Horne v Ben White ? Horne is an impact player but with Dobie on the pitch as well ! Is 3 SH’s in the squad one too many . Italy deserved to win.
Thought the ref was a penalty away from sending an Italian off when in their own red zone , but …. Once agan , they adapted better to the conditions.
yes thoroughly outplayed – Italians made fewer mistakes and played conditions better. Their set piece was solid whereas our line out and scrum were awful.
Going to be a disappointing campaign by look of things – dont fancy our chances next week
Firstly congratulations Italy. It would have been a travesty if we’d picked and go’ed our way to a winning score at the end. Dreadful conditions but Italy coped much better. Our lineout was a complete and utter shambles. No doubt Nucifora and Williamson will be preparing a new contract extension for Townsend after that.
If the match had been 5 minutes longer , would we have won it ! = Maybe.
So the bench was on too late = Probably
But in reality , they got off to a great start , at home . Their maturity in finishing off without giving away too many penalties, is a lesson we need to learn.
A bad start. But we are better than that.
I’m sad and disappointed because I used to go to murryfield or watch scotland on telly and get totally involved in what I was watching, now , I watch and can’t raise myself to get excited. At half time I turned over to watch the curling and nearly didn’t switch back,unfortunately I did.
The Townsend era has just left me cold.
Would those players have lost that match playing for Glasgow?
Some of those players would not be selected to play for Glasgow.
There’s no worse pressure than the self induced type. There was not one player in that team who could honestly put his hand up and say I gave my all today. The teams ability to carry out the very basics did not happen. Looking forward, what do people think about Ronan O Gara from La Rochelle having a go. I think the French style of play is great to watch.
Oh dear, I thought Townsend had picked the backs who were on form, unfortunately they collectively had the worst game they’ve played all season. As for the forwards, what can you say, let’s wait till the last 5 minutes before we start playing. Dreadful performance all round. Terrible conditions but it was the same for both teams. If Turner ever appears in another squad I won’t bother watching, not that Ashman was much better, the set pieces were a disgrace at this level. It’s between us & Wales for the wooden spoon now. Townsend can go to Newcastle anytime he likes.
They say that it’s the hope that kills you, but after that dog’s breakfast of a performance I’m all out of hope.
Congratulations to Italy; they were deserved victors.
Coming on here in search of catharsis. My two cents:
That was bad. Conditions completely nullified Scotland’s usual attack shape, so that game was always going to come down to aerial battle, set piece, minimal errors and discipline. We came off second best on the whole.
Contrary to general sentiment, I don’t hold Toonie fully to blame for this one (I stress “fully”). There were some idiotic individual moments of indiscipline from Gilcho, Turner, Ashman, Dobie and others and a boatload of basic individual errors that killed all momentum. Lineout systems were a shambles but I think that’s obvious.
What I do hold Toonie accountable for is selection. And I don’t think he got it right. Dobie has been sharp for Glasgow but I don’t believe he’s an international winger. Graham at least won a load of scraps for us when he came on. Gilchrist – I have literally no idea how he can keep getting selected. Jordan can play 15, but I’d say it’s his third position. Wholesale changes to the back three all at once and things get as disjointed as they clearly were in the first half. Gregor Brown should have started somewhere – days like today were made for him. Hastings was only going to come on if Finn broke his leg and they failed to tape him to another player. So why have him there at all when you have Jordan as cover? At least Kinghorn or VDM MIGHT bring a game breaking moment off the bench.
Biggest concern, as it always has been in recent memory, is the tight five. Unless we can find some big scrummagers, a hooker that can nail his darts, some second rows that can offer more dynamism / ballast and a front row bench that doesn’t leave me hiding behind the sofa when I see them take their trackies off, we will not win a tournament. You could put any coach in the world in charge and it wouldn’t change that.
Good point on Hastings and there is no need for 3 scrummies in the 23. The dynamic second rowers were on the bench. Grant Gilchrist “thank you for your service”. Line out , no leadership. Wrong calls at right time. So many utility players , what happened to specialists.
one aspect of today was that Finn was largely anonymous – with his experience and nous, he should have been able to dominate with a skilful kicking game – cant remember a significant kick from him
I was critical of Russell during the AI’s, but I don’t think he was at fault at all for this one. He isn’t Superman. If the forwards can’t get him the ball due to inaccuracy at the set piece or in contact, or because their discipline escapes them in critical moments, he can’t do a lot. We also kicked far more off nine than ten. Given the conditions, he did a limited and unspectacular job fairly effectively.
Change the fecking coaching team now . We need an aggressive back row , Darge is a pussy cat. Winning The break down and the set piece is what needs serious attention.
How many turnovers did Darge make ? I counted 0, Scotland are losing the game at the breakdowns.
yep, where is Jamie Ritchie? Back to his best last season and he’s a pain in the arse to play against. Darge looks a 1-season wonder to me.
In two words why we lost? No anger.
On that field today, in biblical torrents, the men chosen folded from the first line-out. Body language lackadaisical and lazy at breakdown, trotting instead of roaring back onside. No urgency until the 80 clock went red. Throughout, the Italians had more pride, more hunger to win. And deserved their win.
Culture emanates from the top. It gets absorbed through loud voice. The culture Townsend has set is peely-wally all over. Polite and PR-compliant. In such a system, you will never engineer players to fight.
I saw, in my masochistic rewatch of today’s debacle, not an ounce of on-field leadership. And in the TV yaks from the captain and coach, not an ounce of anger. Just bland coached mealy-mouth verbiage. Everything a mask of the complaceny that starts at the truly dumb SRU.
Townsend has to go on this evidence, long before RWC 2027.
Angry lesson from today: expunge Toonie’s loves forever – Gilchrist, Turner, Ashman (count all his personal failures today). Sadly Schoo is also past his angry best, getting shovelled for at least two scrum pens.
Get rid Townsend. He’s a lovely guy. And that’s the problem.
You will all have your own voodoo dolls.
Yep right on cue – You named them. None of those would get selected at Glasgow. The weather should not have been a surprise. Even my Smart Speaker can tell me when it will rain to the minute.
So very predictable.
The team selection was a joke, many of us said it beforehand. Each of the 23 players is key in modern day rugby…having Hastings and Graham on the bench makes no sense. They can play in just 1-2 positions each and Russell will never be tactically subbed off. The smart coaches are loading the bench with 6 forwards minimum, ideally one one of whom can play at centre at a push, and 1-2 versatile backs. I know Kinghorn hasn’t been playing great recently but he has credit in the bank and can cover every position in the backs well, minus at 9. Duhan was subbed on v Argentina in November and that too was a stupid bench pick as he can only play on the wing.
Ashman….he’s been terrible all along as his decent work in the loose doesn’t mean much when his set-piece sucks. Cherry should be in the team, nothing flashy about him but nails the basics, especially important with the weather they should’ve known was coming.
And not taking 3 points and kicking to touch off penalties, when the line-out was already shambolic. Monumentally stupid and naive. The decision making in team selection and in-game is ameteur hour.
Oh and the strips sucked too.
Putting Townsend aside for a moment, if player safety is as much of a concern as governing bodies say then the game should really have been called off or at least paused until the rain stopped or eased off IMO. I would imagine that the 6N organisers told the officials to crack on to keep sponsors and TV companies happy with England Wales scheduled to follow. It’s a miracle that there was no serious injuries on either side. It was so slippery underfoot and someone could easily have done a knee or worse.
The issue I have is that the plan A wasn’t suited to the conditions and the last time someone tried to take the initiative and work out a plan B (which is always conspicuous in it’s absence) they were banished to the sidelines.
Yes Scotland are better than this, but until we have a coach who selects a team on form with a clear game plan out aspirations are merely to win next week.
This was our best shot with this generation.
Michty, that was a disappointment.
Another 4th place finish beckons with a calcutta cup win which will somehow be framed as a satisfactory return by the SRU. It’s all painfully predictable.
Horrendous performance to match the horrendous strip.
How Townsend has been allowed to ruin another SN.
Please at some point, take him out of his and our misery.
If Townsend is not sacked, at least send the Glasgow players back to Franco before Toony ruins them.
Gregor Townsend and his pink boys.
Townsend will NEVER achieve anything.
Congratulations to Italy.
That’s the worst I’ve seen a Scotland team play in a long time: we live in Scotland, we often play in the rain so to blame conditions is nonsense.
The backs were basically anonymous, and kicks behind meant they were easily beaten.
I’ve fought shy against the many calls for the end of Toonie time but I hope that he’s coached his last 6N for us.
Shocking weather. Shocking performance. Shocking result. Just back from Stadio Olimpico amongst the largest contingent of Scotland supporters I’ve ever seen there. I’ve seen a few defeats there and in the Flaminio over the years but can’t recall anything as dispiriting as yesterday’s.
We have one club side atop the URC, another that’s under-performing yet boasts a fair few players of genuine Test class and other high quality players plying their trade outwith Scotland. How on earth are we sitting at 9th or so in the world rankings? It’s a question I can’t answer.
Battle hard to parity against NZ then stack it in the last 15. Dominate Argentina for 50 minutes then totally surrender to them. Basically lose yesterday’s Test match in the first 20 minutes and fail to respond in conditions which were as challenging for Italy as they were for us. Something is very wrong in this squad.
How many times in recent years have we totally stuffed up lineouts that have led directly or indirectly to crucial opposition scores? And that’s just one example of problems we create for ourselves on the park.
Credit to Italy. They deserved it.
Just gutted, basically.
10th in the world now John, 10th. I say again 10th
It is like the Great Escape. You watch it every year and hope he will get over the fence on a motorbike. There is some very exprienced players out there, they should have taken control. Every School boy knows, line out not working , go to number 2 and contain it. Over the back is for slick moves an a fast surface. But we didnt. So why would experienced leaders at club level, such as Gilco ( to name only one) , not take control. What is stopping them !
I for one won’t be buying a ticket to pay Townsend’s wages nor the wages of the SRU nor the players who totally disrespect the wishes of the supporters that turn up and pay for their wages. Townsend has failed, Darge is not international level , and those that are , are so close to retirement having had their international careers wasted on Townsend . The dream is over for Townsend and has become a nightmare.
Do the decent thing now resign or sack him.
Toony says after the match , it will be hard now .
I doubt we can exceed our best ranking of 3rd in the 6N . We have been third in 2001 (McGeechan), 2006 (Hadden), 2013 (Johnson) and 2018 (Townsend) . Most of those coaches only got a few years and they were on their way .
I am really gutted for fans who travelled to Italy and deserved much more. It would be nice to hear someone recognising that.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been so downbeat about our chances in a 6 Nations. I had a feeling Italy would get the better of us, particularly when I saw the conditions. Given Ireland’s horrendous injuries and Wales looking well short, Italy should be looking at 3rd place as a minimum this year. Good luck to them!
While I do think some players have to take personal responsibility – Ashman and Turner particularly – selection really has become a bit of a conundrum. Pretty confident most of us would have picked the same back 3 as Townsend. Kinghorn has been poor for a while, Darcy and Duhan haven’t been firing for Edinburgh this season (maybe down to another coaching issue), and Steyn and Dobie have been absolutely stellar. No blame there, although Darcy gave us a bit of spark when he came on. He and Horne should get the nod next time out.
But in the pack, Gilchrist is long past his best at international level, and selecting Turner ahead of Hiddleston looks like a massive error in hindsight. I know lineouts aren’t just about hookers, but it was telling that one of the first decent darts thrown was by Matt Fagerson! Glasgow’s lineout is a weapon, Scotland’s is a liability. Think Hiddleston deserves a shot with Ashman on the bench (maybe a bit of sympathy for Ashman because I thought he’d turned a corner recently at test level). Unsure where to go next with the back row. Dempsey, Darge and Fagerson are all superb players, but I can’t help but feel Douglas, Ritchie and Bayliss are pushing at the door. Also, Brown earlier please.
All in all, it’s a bit deflating. Lose our next match and I think its time to blood the younger players with a view to the World Cup / next coach.
I was just reading a headline “England name settled side for Scotland clash”.
So England have named the team early , setting out their stall, baiting us to co-opt a team to beat them. I like their style, they are spending this week building confidence.
Same old England, throwing us the gauntlet. Is that over-confidence ! I hope so.
they.ve got a lot to be over confident about!
We won’t beat England. sorry.
Wales are dreadful so most likely will save us from the wooden spoon (though I’m sure they’ll target Scotland in Cardiff as their potentially most winnable fixture?)
I thought we’d get humped. I’m delighted to have been wrong about that.
The lads were magnificent.