Ospreys 29Nov

[The Feral Goat]

Total SteveWalsh, spineless

Hook thompson and vellacott at HT

O'Connor adds LawrenceBryce all

Morris and thomson (F) doing well.

[The Feral Goat]

A win masks an awful lot of problems.

Thomson and Morris did well.

Scott, last cross field kick aside, looked a better option than thompson.

Mindset and attitude poor.

Ffs we are in the champions cup it will be very ugly if we perform like that.

[Castlecannon]

Prepared to accept that team were mentally off it tonight as was the atmosphere which had lacked the energy and edge of bigger nights at the Hive. Perhaps too a bit of an anti climax after the November series . Our breakdown was poor and other than Finlay Thomson running hard in straight lines our attack was a mess. Liam McConnell showed up as did our set piece but other than that we rode our luck.The considerable challenge of the next four massive games will hopefully sharpen the mindset and focus in raising the levels in preparation and performance.

[The Feral Goat]

We are allegedly a professional sports team, we should not accept being mentally off.

Thomson, McConnell and Morris played well and looked like they gave a SteveWalsh some.of the senior players not so much.

Morris made a try saving tap tackle yet DVM amd someone else didnt react quick enough.

10-13 is an issue. If fit Scott, lang, currie for me but as Barclay said post match we need to stick with a 10 they have had 2 games each this season we are not building a.core.

Bit like with Scotland we need a proper 7 playing, backrow individually were pretty good but all a bit similar.

Bench use again questionable OBL looks ready but he is on for 1min waste of time.

[The Chiel]

OBL looks ready but he is on for 1min waste of time.

Absolutely this. I get the game was tight but he has to be given a proper chance.

[doedin]

Awful performance!

We are so short of quality at 10-12-13 it is embarrassing and I have no idea how we got into this position. As the commentators said last night all the Os defence did was recognize the lack of running threat from Thompson and slide out to defend wide. His kicking was also way below standard. I would start Scott next week assuming Healy is 3rd choice. The young guy Thomson did well at 12 but O'Connor is nothing more than a poor/average pro centre with little to offer. I appreciate Currie,Lang and Tuipilotu are inured but we are so light and lacking talent at 10-12-13 it is embarrassing! Currie and Lang can do a job but Tuipulotu is inexperienced, O'Connor a poor stop gap squad filler and McCaig inexperienced and untested. How we ended up going into the season with such a shortage of numbers and/or quality at 10-12-13 is just beyond me.

Our squad is so imbalanced - we can field an all Scotland international pack plus a Springbock LH and possibly match the Weegies. Yet apart from Darcy and VdM we have a very poor stock of backs with only Darcy and VdM (?) as first choice Scotland picks and Paterson and Currie as possible wider squad members. The discrepancy in numbers and quality between us and the Weegies in the backs is huge! Embra needs to invest in some quality backs in the short term and really focus on bringing the young guys through quickly!

Scotland packs

Embra Scottish Pack

1 Schoeman
2 Ashman
3 Rae
4 Sykes
5 Gilchrist
6 McConnell
7 Douglas/Crosbie
8 Bradbury

Subs - Harrison, Williams, Jones, Skinner, Richardson, Muncaster

Weegies Scottish Pack
1 McBeth
2 Hiddleston
3 Fagerson
4 Cummings
5 Williamson
6 Fagerson
7 Darge
8 Dempsey

Subs - Fraser, Bhatti, Richardson, Samuel, Brown, Ferrie

The Weegies can supply Scotland with a complete set of top quality backs and subs yet apart from Darcy I dont think we can compete ie

Embra Scottish Backs
9 Vellacot (is he SQ?)
10 Scott
12 Lang
13 Currie
11Graham
14 VdM
15 Paterson

Subs: Sheil, Thomson/Healy, Tuipulotu

Weegies Scottish Backs
9 Horne
10 Hastings
12 Tuipilotu
13 Jones
11 Rowe
14 Steyn
15 Smith

Subs: Dobbie, McDowell, Lancaster

[Castlecannon]

Interesting analysis. I do recall our midfield backs getting the better of Glasgow and Toulon back in the M Blair / Cockerel era . We weren’t perfect but so much better cohesion and fluency , particularly in best days of Mike Blair before stress got the the better of him and before Steve Diamond disrupted progress and confidence . Half backs need a confidence boost and maybe some reinforcements.

[dolf_lundgren]

We seem to have got ourselves into the position where we have 4 international class hookers and no international class half backs. Its madness.

Thompson looked nervous again, the centres did ok, but just lacked in any quality. As said even without the 3 injuries we are short on quality there. Is Mark Bennet still playing for Marr? Seems bonkers if he is and we are so short on cover. Even an emergency signing for a few months woudl have helped, he looked miserable last year though so possibly he said no.

I thought the backs at least tried a be a bit more creative with passed out of the back, but it was all miles behind the gain line and didnt really penetrate.

Forwards generally carried very well, but we were slow to support and clear rucks. Back row all good, but no real balance there. Seems really odd to have Watson and Douglas available and we pick Muncaster at 7.

[The Feral Goat]

We seem to have got ourselves into the position where we have 4 international class hookers and no international class half backs. Its madness.
.

Paddy Harrison used to be a centre, maybe we just dont see the genius and vision of the powers that be.

[bignose]

We seem to have got ourselves into the position where we have 4 international class hookers and no international class half backs. Its madness.

I genuinely believe that Sheil would have been an international class scrum half if he'd been at almost any other club.

Is Mark Bennet still playing for Marr? Seems bonkers if he is and we are so short on cover. Even an emergency signing for a few months woudl have helped, he looked miserable last year though so possibly he said no.

My spies tell me that he wasn't offered anything

Seems really odd to have Watson and Douglas available and we pick Muncaster at 7.

In fairness, Watson is past his best now.

[joe soap]

Is Mark Bennet still playing for Marr? Seems bonkers if he is and we are so short on cover. Even an emergency signing for a few months woudl have helped, he looked miserable last year though so possibly he said no.

he was not offered anything. Far from it!

from an article in The Times

i found out before pre-season started that they didn’t want to keep me after this season,” he recalls. “Obviously that sucked, but I looked at it as ‘I’ve got a year to show myself and get something else. So it is what it is.’
Initially I can’t say it was particularly motivating.

If i were him I'd tell Edinburgh to TonySpreadbury off if approached. Mark is going MLR (Seattle) for next season, ie February

[dolf_lundgren]

Interesting, I find it hard to believe he didn’t know he was t being offered a contract, his face and body language looked thoroughly TonySpreadbury off in the second half for the season. I’m not sure what he can do at Marr which will open up an opportunity that playing for Edinburgh couldn’t.

Not sure what the money is like in MLR, but he has always been a good player and would probably still be our best centre when fit, much as Matt Scott was both times he was let go.

[Castlecannon]

Agree on Bennett . Consistency was his issue performance wise and availability . Very unlucky with injuries a few years back. A fantastic finisher and in his later years a better giver of a pass and defender . But as far as the present is concerned we can only hope Lang and Currie return to fitness in top form and we fix 10 ., the most important position on the pitch . An achilles heel too often for us sometimes but we do see potential in Thomson and Scott. Confidence and a strong run of winning games will help them .

[The Feral Goat]

Chris Dean was a very good club player that left through mutual consent (lack of game time)

George Taylor retired through injury

Cammy hutchison i thought was decent gave us a different option at 12 was let go.

+Bennet & Scott

Outwith the back 3 Edinburgh/SRU focus has felt like it has always prioritised the pack and that is probably reflected in 9-12 now being an issue. Combine that with SteveWalsh coaching and giving young players opportunities and a chance to develop and we are yet again looking at a rebuild.

[dolf_lundgren]

Totally agree, we have felt unbalanced for a long time.

Can’t get away from the area we seem to have scrimped on forever (Cockers possibly the exception) is coach s, we haven’t been able to get a coach who has a strong record and experience. Compare to Hlasgow who seem to have prioritised that and brought in proven coaches. It may be that it is chicken and egg and we can’t attract them until we get better?

Lee Blackett was one we apparently spoke to a couple of years ago and didn’t get over the line, that’s the type of coach we need. Unfortunately Japan are hoovering up good coaches now.