joe soap wrote:Friday Knight Lights wrote:Great interview.The guys will either buy into and be part of it or they won’t buy into and won’t be part of it…that will be their decision.
It'll be interesting to see who doesn't buy into this. I keep thinking Ross Ford's Edinburgh gravy train might be reaching the buffers but to be fair when pushed by Brown at Scotland he's responded well.The Englishman promises to hand that mantle to the younger generation because “the senior players haven’t done the job”.
Finally putting the Solly nonsense that young players can't play in a bad team so we're to continue being bad but with some Manuwatu Turbos sub instead of a young Scot to bed.
Ford did respond really well when he lost his Scotland spot, the problem has always been he doesn't play like that all of the time (not close usually, Friday being a case in point). Here he doesn't get dropped whoever the coach is - does that tell us more about the competition for his place, or about the coaches he has had or just illustrate that he he has been happy in the comfort blanket here? Or all of the above?
Solly for all his faults did introduce Scottish youngsters, just did not throw them a in immediately. They will a be a couple of years older now and easier for Cockerill to trust. Now its direction and decent coaching they need rather than just experience
Also I think the senior players referred to are not just non Scots. Manu and Gilchrist , one SQ one not, have failed mainly down to injury. Compare to Ford and when he was here, Mike Coman - which senior player stepped up there to show real leadership on the park?
Manu has been crocked for two years - when he did play he was pretty good, it's the same with John Hardie who I hope stays. Gilchrist, du Preez, Ford, McInally, SHC and Burleigh have been the established players who have really and consistently unperformed this year. The rest; guys like Berghan, Cochrane, McKenzie, Kennedy, Brown are what they are and what they are is below average pro12 players. And you have the young guys who have played well in spots and Watson/Toolis who have been outstanding.
Ford has been benched a couple of times for Cochrane but he just isn't very good - Turner must've done something wrong to never get a look in and that's a problem because he's 24 now and needs to kick on or at least given a chance to and McInally just isn't very good at the set piece. There just isn't a better playing option at 2 than Ford - Rambo needs to move back to back row and okay he won't be an international there but he's only an international hooker because the depth is so bad.