Agen Saturday 18 January

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Agen Saturday 18 January

Postby Tichtheid on Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:03 pm

Edinburgh Rugby team to face Agen at BT Murrayfield in the European Challenge Cup
Saturday 18 January, kick-off 3pm

15. Damien Hoyland (70)

14. Darcy Graham (29)
13. Mark Bennett (33)
12. George Taylor (16)
11. Duhan van der Merwe (53)

10. Jaco van der Walt (51)
9. Nic Groom (9) CAPTAIN

1. Pierre Schoeman (36)
2. David Cherry (20)
3. WP Nel (137)
4. Ben Toolis (118)
5. Grant Gilchrist (145)
6. Luke Crosbie (35)
7. Hamish Watson (106)
8. Nick Haining (7)

Replacements: 16. Mike WIllemse (14) 17. Rory Sutherland (80) 18. Pietro Ceccarelli (21) 19. Fraser McKenzie (117) 20. John Barclay (10) 21. Henry Pygros (33) 22. Simon Hickey (30) 23. Chris Dean (86)
Unavailable: Stuart McInally, Magnus Bradbury, Jamie Ritchie


I find it infuriating that Shiel isn't getting enough game time, he is one of Scottish rugby's brightest prospects, this is the sort of game he should be involved in.
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Re: Agen Saturday 18 January

Postby Tichtheid on Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:12 pm

Good to see Christine and Fraz back, though
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Re: Agen Saturday 18 January

Postby Friday Knight Lights on Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:13 pm

Yep disappointingly strong team. Agen are absolutely dreadful and uninterested and he rolls out that side.

I hoped Cockers learnt last year that he needs to rotate the squad! Shiel, Sutherland/Bhatti, McCallum, Thomson need gametime. This is the type of match for academy guys too.

Disappointed.
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Re: Agen Saturday 18 January

Postby TheSmidge on Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:25 pm

Friday Knight Lights wrote:Yep disappointingly strong team. Agen are absolutely dreadful and uninterested and he rolls out that side.

I hoped Cockers learnt last year that he needs to rotate the squad! Shiel, Sutherland/Bhatti, McCallum, Thomson need gametime. This is the type of match for academy guys too.

Disappointed.


From all the reporting this week, I think it's been clear that Cockers was going to put out as strong a side as he could.

With the exception of Sutherland and Bhatti, who will most likely need to be in every travelling squad in the 6N, all those guys will get plenty of game time in the next couple of months.
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Re: Agen Saturday 18 January

Postby The Feral Goat on Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:33 pm

Friday Knight Lights wrote:Yep disappointingly strong team. Agen are absolutely dreadful and uninterested and he rolls out that side.

I hoped Cockers learnt last year that he needs to rotate the squad! Shiel, Sutherland/Bhatti, McCallum, Thomson need gametime. This is the type of match for academy guys too.

Disappointed.


We have changed 9 of the team from last week we changed 8 for the Bordeaux match, we are rotating.

The guys listed above are likley to be playing throughout the 6N so will get gametime.

We still have to win and probably get 4 tries to be sure of qualification. If we are there by HT fine make changes but we need to play a strong team make sure we have done the job.

The Scotland internationals will be getting a break after this and ahead of the 6N so use them now before we can't.
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Re: Agen Saturday 18 January

Postby liveinhope on Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:36 pm

Agree.We got a for try bonus point win away at Agen with our 2nd Xv yer Cockers plays a near 1st XV at home! Disappointing-Scotland needed Sutherland to get another start. Surely Sau,Shiel,Carmichael,Macallum could have been given game time even if from the bench.
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Re: Agen Saturday 18 January

Postby Crichton Gunner on Fri Jan 17, 2020 1:42 pm

I'm not surprised we've gone with a strong team. We need to win, and have a rest period coming up. Would have been good to see Shiel get a run out, but that apart the selection makes sense to me.
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Re: Agen Saturday 18 January

Postby dolf_lundgren on Fri Jan 17, 2020 2:26 pm

A wee bit of rotation albeit a stronger team.

I think it is less obvious when we are rotating as the players coming in are not a massive drop off. Taylor, Groom, arguably VDW, Cherry, Haining & Crosbie are all roations of a sort but all good players. Previously we have replaced quality with mince and paid the price.

I would have preferred to see Darcy and Schoe rested to be honest, they will likely have heavy schedules over the next couple of months.

im wondering if Nel playing so much is a bid toget him fit for Scotland, his form has not been good and I would much rather have Berghan, although for this game it may not be a bad thing to let him have a good blow for 80 mins.
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Re: Agen Saturday 18 January

Postby Friday Knight Lights on Fri Jan 17, 2020 3:46 pm

The Feral Goat wrote:
Friday Knight Lights wrote:Yep disappointingly strong team. Agen are absolutely dreadful and uninterested and he rolls out that side.

I hoped Cockers learnt last year that he needs to rotate the squad! Shiel, Sutherland/Bhatti, McCallum, Thomson need gametime. This is the type of match for academy guys too.

Disappointed.


We have changed 9 of the team from last week we changed 8 for the Bordeaux match, we are rotating.

The guys listed above are likley to be playing throughout the 6N so will get gametime.

We still have to win and probably get 4 tries to be sure of qualification. If we are there by HT fine make changes but we need to play a strong team make sure we have done the job.

The Scotland internationals will be getting a break after this and ahead of the 6N so use them now before we can't.


We'll win this game. Agen are both not good and uninterested.

We'll have bigger tests in the six nations against good sides. This game is perfect for Shiel to start and be told to run the show, it's ideal for Thomson, McCallum, Bhatti/Suzz to play because they will be playing in important games soon.

Disappointed. Schoeman doesn't need to play every minute of every game. We have two good loosies behind him.
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Re: Agen Saturday 18 January

Postby Weegie on Fri Jan 17, 2020 6:03 pm

I am not happy.

Some time ago I committed to an event with my wife. Which means I'll miss this match.

To be fair to my lovely wife, she has looked for ways to get me out of it but doing s would be letting a third party down as well.

At least I can watch on my phone.
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Re: Agen Saturday 18 January

Postby liveinhope on Fri Jan 17, 2020 7:11 pm

Is the match being streamed? No sign of it as yet on the EPRC site.
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Re: Agen Saturday 18 January

Postby joe soap on Fri Jan 17, 2020 7:40 pm

Tichtheid wrote:Edinburgh Rugby team to face Agen at BT Murrayfield in the European Challenge Cup
Saturday 18 January, kick-off 3pm

15. Damien Hoyland (70)

14. Darcy Graham (29)
13. Mark Bennett (33)
12. George Taylor (16)
11. Duhan van der Merwe (53)

10. Jaco van der Walt (51)
9. Nic Groom (9) CAPTAIN

1. Pierre Schoeman (36)
2. David Cherry (20)
3. WP Nel (137)
4. Ben Toolis (118)
5. Grant Gilchrist (145)
6. Luke Crosbie (35)
7. Hamish Watson (106)
8. Nick Haining (7)

Replacements: 16. Mike WIllemse (14) 17. Rory Sutherland (80) 18. Pietro Ceccarelli (21) 19. Fraser McKenzie (117) 20. John Barclay (10) 21. Henry Pygros (33) 22. Simon Hickey (30) 23. Chris Dean (86)
Unavailable: Stuart McInally, Magnus Bradbury, Jamie Ritchie


I find it infuriating that Shiel isn't getting enough game time, he is one of Scottish rugby's brightest prospects, this is the sort of game he should be involved in.


spot on. Its way stronger than necessary, will lose Graham during 6N and will want to have DVDM, no need to play both (the game won't be won and lost on the wings surely). And Shiel should be getting a start, to not even bench. Might as well move on. McCallum will be needed if both Bergan and Nel are retained by Scotland (never mind Cecarelli by Italy), another who could do with a start or at least bench. Cockerill has the wrong priorities here
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Re: Agen Saturday 18 January

Postby Rico on Fri Jan 17, 2020 9:48 pm

Currently watching Worcester vs Castres since, by my calculations, it’s quite possible that we might play whichever of them wins tonight in the QFs (or the Dragons, if they gub Enisei and Worcester win without a bonus point); and assuming, of course, that we beat Agen with a bonus

I’m happy to report that they both look absolutely awful, and appear to be thoroughly beatable. And before anyone says it, yes I know, one game at a time, and all that...!
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Re: Agen Saturday 18 January

Postby The Nudger on Fri Jan 17, 2020 9:57 pm

While I think some of the criticism of this selection is way over the top there are two things that I too am infuriated by. I definitely think Schoe should have been rested to give Sutherland and Bhatti some needed and deserved game time. Really don't understand why we overlay Schoe when we have quality understudies. Like everyone else I'm mystified as to Cocker's reticence to play Shiel? I wasn't convinced when he first came into the side but he's looked electric this season. I can understand if Cockers isn't happy with his game management but the only way that will improve is with game time and there won't be many better opportunities for him to get it. I'd have started him with Pyrgos on the bench to steady the tiller if Shiel isn't cutting it.
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Re: Agen Saturday 18 January

Postby Tichtheid on Fri Jan 17, 2020 11:12 pm

The thing about not playing Shiel now is that in a couple of months, a rolled ankle and tweaked hamstring and Shiel has to start our quarter final play off, or the game that will get us to a quarter final play and secure Big Cup rugby next year, and he'll be doing so with only a handful of minutes game time.

This is incredibly short-sited of Cockers, imo. I've been wholly behind him so far, but we need to get Shiel up to speed, he could well be knocking at the door for Scotland selection in future if he gets a run
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