joe soap wrote:robdinsdale wrote:
Ross Thompson has certainly seized his chance but he's a year ahead of Chamberlain and wasn't even training with the first team in Glasgow until around about Christmas time when Brandon Thomson's game fell apart and they found themselves without a fly half. They've also gone out and signed Duncan Weir and Miotti, who are both decent and experienced fly halves, for next season. There would be an outbreak of severe tutting around here if Cockers brought in another international fly half for Chamberlain to compete with for game time.
The biggest issue for our young players is that we've been playing like a drain this season, not the amount of chances they're getting.
Playing like a drain could apply to either team until very recently
There is a big similarity with the starting positions of Thomson and Chamberlain. To a large extent both got accelerated into match day squads due to circumstances. For both it was needs must selections. The difference is Thomson (despite not getting into those squads until much later in the season than Chamberlain) got actual game time right away whereas Chamberlain was getting skelfs. Time will tell (its too early yet, and opportunities afforded may be the decider) who will turn out better, but going on the last U20s, Chamberlain was well in front. He's now miles behind. And that is not down to how teams were playing, its simply opportunities and trust
Its never really fair to make direct comparisons, particulalry with a small sample of games. Thomson is a year older and had a year in S6 behind him, which Chamberlain was meant to get this year, so he has been thrown in with a bigger step than Thomson. Players mature and take to pro rugby at different rates too.
You could argue that Stafford McDowell was ahead of George Taylor a couple of years ago and isnt now, but again not a fair direct comparison.
I do agree we havent managed to bring through as many youngtser recently. But we did bring through a batch, with Ritchie, Bradbury, Crosbie, Kinghorn, Carmichael etc and the new crop of Blain, Sykes, Hodgson, Harrison look good too.
We have stuggled to bring through inside backs in particular, but outside backs we have done well and forwards have been decent. Boyle is unlucky as we just have so much depth there.