Game 4 : Scotland v Ireland

[Big D]

Huwipulotu have had one game v Ireland. We win or loe in the forwards and all of them have tried and failed v Ireland (less so Darge and Dempsey). The forwards need the game of their lives at the weekend.

Sexton apparently hasn't lost to a Scotland team in 12 years, Townsend led Scotland teams haven't beaten them. This is a massive task.

[Dozey]

Looking on the bright side, Scotland didn't lose to Ireland in the 12 years up to 1999. Beating them is certainly possible, if unlikely.

[Donny osmond]

Bottom line is, we have players with enough skill and physicality to challenge anyone, but they let themselves down with inaccuracy, daft penalties and simple mistakes every single time. Against most teams our guys are good enough to get away with that over 80 minutes, but against Ireland (or SA, or Fra) we are going to be punished for mistakes. The relative merits of this or that player or combo is all very interesting but comes a distant second to just cutting out the mistakes that give control of the game to Ireland.

[Big D]

If we really want to depress ourselves - they only top 10 side we've beaten at the world cup.since world rankings were introduced was Italy.

Not sure we've ever won a game we were underdogs for at the RWC.

[Cameo]

Bottom line is, we have players with enough skill and physicality to challenge anyone, but they let themselves down with inaccuracy, daft penalties and simple mistakes every single time. Against most teams our guys are good enough to get away with that over 80 minutes, but against Ireland (or SA, or Fra) we are going to be punished for mistakes. The relative merits of this or that player or combo is all very interesting but comes a distant second to just cutting out the mistakes that give control of the game to Ireland.

I don't agree with that. We have the players to challenge and we do. I don't think they underperformed or let themselves down any more than anyone else. It's the nature of the game that when you lose (especially when you lose to better teams), you can point to mistakes and penalties.

Take Damien Penaud tonight. Absolute genius and might win the World Cup for France. He makes mistakes every game though, some of them a bit daft.

I'd love a mistake free game and we need to keep them to a minimum, but if that is our focus we are doomed.

[Cameo]

Not going to lie, that bench has drained my enthusiasm for this game.

I would have liked to see Townsend hit the gamble button on this game and really gone for it, load the bench with talent and win the game from it. Not sure how we are going to impact the game at all. People won't agree with me here but I'd have gone for

1. Schoe
2. Turner
3. ZF
4. Gray
5. Cummings
6. Ritchie
7. Darge
8. Dempsey

9. Horne
10. Russell
11. Duhan / Steyn
12. Redpath
13. Harris
14. Graham / Steyn
15. Kinghorn

16. Matthews
17. Sutherland
18. Nel
19. Skinner
20. Fagerson
21. Tuipulotu
22. Jones
23. Steyn / Duhan / Graham

I think that team would have drained my enthusiasm to be honest. Not sure how it would have been an attacking move to drop your best attacking midfield (on the basis that Chris Harris looked good vs Romania?). Also, if you want impact off the bench, Horne is your man.

The chances are we won't win, but to me the team suggests we back ourselves. Making big changes to what has clearly been developed as our first choice team would have suggested a bit of panic/lack of belief. We had that vs Japan last world cup and I was in favour as we just hadn't looked ourselves and the players on the bench we clearly playing better. We are in a better place now, though facing a tougher challenge.

[paddy no 11]

Big game day let the best team win and both teams go through

[Donny osmond]

Bottom line is, we have players with enough skill and physicality to challenge anyone, but they let themselves down with inaccuracy, daft penalties and simple mistakes every single time. Against most teams our guys are good enough to get away with that over 80 minutes, but against Ireland (or SA, or Fra) we are going to be punished for mistakes. The relative merits of this or that player or combo is all very interesting but comes a distant second to just cutting out the mistakes that give control of the game to Ireland.

I don't agree with that. We have the players to challenge and we do. I don't think they underperformed or let themselves down any more than anyone else. It's the nature of the game that when you lose (especially when you lose to better teams), you can point to mistakes and penalties.

Take Damien Penaud tonight. Absolute genius and might win the World Cup for France. He makes mistakes every game though, some of them a bit daft.

I'd love a mistake free game and we need to keep them to a minimum, but if that is our focus we are doomed.

always love your positivity but it is usually misplaced, if you don't mind me saying.

It reads like you're being slightly contrary here, if we have the players to challenge and they don't let themselves down, how come we haven't beaten Ireland (or NZ or SA) in years? Either our players are good enough to beat those teams but don't because they let themselves down, or they aren't good enough to beat those teams. Can't have it both ways.

For the record, I'm of the opinion that our players are good enough to beat those teams, I'm not just being negative about Scotland's players or coaches, we absolutely could beat those teams. We don't because we make too many mistakes. We make the same mistakes against the likes of Italy, but they get swept under the carpet because we win against Italy (or, more recently Eng and Wales), but against the best there's no hiding when you give away the same ruck penalty you've been pinged for a hundred times, or knock on and gift them territory, or ignore a massive overlap. These are the things that we get away with against everyone else, but won't get away with this evening.

[Mikey Brown]

Yeah it’s very difficult to distinguish between a team’s overall quality if they were less error-prone and just being a team of players who are sub-par because of the collective errors.

The reality is Ireland don’t make the same kinds of errors, and when they do they immediately switch and and remedy it. We tend to let it spiral.

It feels like we go in cycles where our main downfall is either discipline, set-piece or not finishing chances. It seems like for entire games at a time we get 2 of those 3 elements right, but you can’t win at the top level against the top teams without all 3.

We can do it, and we’ve come painfully close in recent years, but an outsider would say that Italy are equally capable of beating the top sides if they simply didn’t make mistakes.

[Big D]

It dawned on me that Scotland do not have that landmark win in a world cup where we outperformed expectations.

In 91 we beat Ireland in the groups when we were better than them and Western Samoa in the QFs as would be expected. We've lost twice to Argentina and to Japan when closely matched. It's actually quite depressing. Even Japan, Samoa and Fiji have wins that were above expectations.

[Mikey Brown]

I genuinely don’t know if I can face watching this.

[BaldiePete]

I genuinely don’t know if I can face watching this.

Same here. It’s only a game of rugby and we’re odds on to lose but I’m a nervous wreck.

[switchskier]

Feck me there's a lot of Irish fans here tonight. Beer queue an absolute shambles.

[paddy no 11]

Enjoy switchskier

[paddy no 11]

Lineout gone

[paddy no 11]

Lineout gone

[UKHamlet]

Sorry about the interruption to the service. I had to buy an extra processor to accommodate the load.

[Lizard]

The plan’s coming together isn’t it? All you need is to win the 2nd half 42-0.

[Jocky]

Embarrassing and predictable.

[Donny osmond]

Turned it off. Once again, the big game comes and we go AWOL. I'd rather watch strictly, significantly less cringe than watching Scotland tonight.

[Cameo]

I don't even think we have been that bad, a couple of defensive lapses apart. We are just not as good as Ireland. I like our players, but Ireland has front rows who win jackal penalties, second rows who carrying handle, and a whole team who defend aggressively without conceding penalties. We don't have those things.

[Jocky]

Have we actually won anything in the game?

[Buggaluggs]

Are Ireland really this good? Or have Scotland gone backwards? They were looking so sharp a games ago.

[Cameo]

Have we actually won anything in the game?

What's the question? Have we won the Six Nations or the World Cup?

[Cameo]

Are Ireland really this good? Or have Scotland gone backwards? They were looking so sharp a games ago.

The top four teams look so far ahead in this tournament. It's like they have taken it to a new level of intensity (in different ways).