Team for Scotland

[Banquo]

I wonder if there are statistics showing where on the pitch rucks occur? Mitchell box-kicked often (fact). Was it slow ball from the forwards at the breakdown or safe ball because of the territorial situation that led Mitchell to believe that kicking was the right option?

Not sure how many times this needs to be said. He and they are playing to tight instructions. Simplified - we box kick or kick everything in our own half. And their’s

[Banquo]

Pretty shocking but an inevitable consequence of the plan is that we kicked 36 times on 42% possession Scotland 25 times on 58%. And didn’t even achieve territorial advantage.

[Stom]

Yeah, the MBM is going to be brutal...

Our default action once we got the ball was to:

a) kick poorly for touch
b) set up a ruck and box kick poorly
c) kick to "compete" and fail to win the ball back.

This is a Scotland side who scored 0 points from entries into our 22. They are not great. But they do punish teams who kick poorly. So why run that risk? Run the ball, ffs. We had 3 flankers on the bench, it's not as if we'd end the match blowing, we'd have the energy left.

[Oakboy]

Pretty shocking but an inevitable consequence of the plan is that we kicked 36 times on 42% possession Scotland 25 times on 58%. And didn’t even achieve territorial advantage.

Wow. Those stats are excruciating. Normally, you'd expect the facts to tone down a grim memory, not exceed it.

[Mellsblue]

Every time you read a stat it gets worse.

Only four times against Scotland did they build an attack of more than four phases.

[Stom]

Does anyone know what phase Scotland’s tries came off? And from what position? Because from my memory they were all second? But can’t remember from what.

[Mikey Brown]

Does anyone know what phase Scotland’s tries came off? And from what position? Because from my memory they were all second? But can’t remember from what.

Not checked but that sounds about right. Scotland are pretty hopeless beyond that point.

You'd really hope those first few phases of defence would be the first ones for El Abd to nail down, but I'm sure it's not that simple.

[Mellsblue]

Does anyone know what phase Scotland’s tries came off? And from what position? Because from my memory they were all second? But can’t remember from what.

Not checked but that sounds about right. Scotland are pretty hopeless beyond that point.

You'd really hope those first few phases of defence would be the first ones for El Abd to nail down, but I'm sure it's not that simple.

I’d wager at least a fiver that El Abd didn’t tell Lawrence to show DVDM the outside and then get beaten on the outside to allow the linebreak, for the first try.

[Stom]

Does anyone know what phase Scotland’s tries came off? And from what position? Because from my memory they were all second? But can’t remember from what.

Not checked but that sounds about right. Scotland are pretty hopeless beyond that point.

You'd really hope those first few phases of defence would be the first ones for El Abd to nail down, but I'm sure it's not that simple.

I’d wager at least a fiver that El Abd didn’t tell Lawrence to show DVDM the outside and then get beaten on the outside to allow the linebreak, for the first try.

Lawrence is one of those players who thinks he's amazing at everything, when in reality he's...well...not.

Genge is another.

[Banquo]

Does anyone know what phase Scotland’s tries came off? And from what position? Because from my memory they were all second? But can’t remember from what.

One was first phase, t'other was a counter attack from a shit sleightholme clearance/kadab

[Danno]

It seems there’s nothing to worry about. Borthers has had his say:

“I want the team to play with ball in hand, to attack with it, to be brave, aggressive with the ball, but there is another team trying to stop you and they’re pretty good at it,” he said.

“Ultimately they’re strong in defence, strong at the breakdown, and take the game to this kicking game.“

As long as the other team isn’t strong in defence and at the breakdown - how many can there be - we’ll play some ball in hand.

'Kin hell

[Epaminondas Pules]

It seems there’s nothing to worry about. Borthers has had his say:

“I want the team to play with ball in hand, to attack with it, to be brave, aggressive with the ball, but there is another team trying to stop you and they’re pretty good at it,” he said.

“Ultimately they’re strong in defence, strong at the breakdown, and take the game to this kicking game.“

As long as the other team isn’t strong in defence and at the breakdown - how many can there be - we’ll play some ball in hand.

Are you sure that wasn't Donald Trump?

[Mellsblue]

It seems there’s nothing to worry about. Borthers has had his say:

“I want the team to play with ball in hand, to attack with it, to be brave, aggressive with the ball, but there is another team trying to stop you and they’re pretty good at it,” he said.

“Ultimately they’re strong in defence, strong at the breakdown, and take the game to this kicking game.“

As long as the other team isn’t strong in defence and at the breakdown - how many can there be - we’ll play some ball in hand.

Are you sure that wasn't Donald Trump?

Not sure I can handle that performance and Trump in the same thread. Where is my safe space.

[Epaminondas Pules]

It seems there’s nothing to worry about. Borthers has had his say:

“I want the team to play with ball in hand, to attack with it, to be brave, aggressive with the ball, but there is another team trying to stop you and they’re pretty good at it,” he said.

“Ultimately they’re strong in defence, strong at the breakdown, and take the game to this kicking game.“

As long as the other team isn’t strong in defence and at the breakdown - how many can there be - we’ll play some ball in hand.

Are you sure that wasn't Donald Trump?

Not sure I can handle that performance and Trump in the same thread. Where is my safe space.

Steve Borthwick has a tremendous approval rating......

[Puja]

Joking aside, a lot of people can't cope with the state of the world rn and, while "safe space" has been turned to a joke phrase by people mocking it, this board is a politics-free zone. Let's not start a comedy thread involving Trump please.

Mod

[Danno]

[Puja]

Does anyone know what phase Scotland’s tries came off? And from what position? Because from my memory they were all second? But can’t remember from what.

Not checked but that sounds about right. Scotland are pretty hopeless beyond that point.

You'd really hope those first few phases of defence would be the first ones for El Abd to nail down, but I'm sure it's not that simple.

I’d wager at least a fiver that El Abd didn’t tell Lawrence to show DVDM the outside and then get beaten on the outside to allow the linebreak, for the first try.

Have reached the first one on the m-b-m - it was 4th phase and Lawrence was absolutely sold out by Earl blitzing up and failing to catch Russell, despite us being down numbers, leaving a whacking great hole on the inside of Lawrence that he had to prevent DVDM from stepping back into. No choice but to show him the outside and hope he could catch him.

Puja

[p/d]

Not checked but that sounds about right. Scotland are pretty hopeless beyond that point.

You'd really hope those first few phases of defence would be the first ones for El Abd to nail down, but I'm sure it's not that simple.

I’d wager at least a fiver that El Abd didn’t tell Lawrence to show DVDM the outside and then get beaten on the outside to allow the linebreak, for the first try.

Have reached the first one on the m-b-m - it was 4th phase and Lawrence was absolutely sold out by Earl blitzing up and failing to catch Russell, despite us being down numbers, leaving a whacking great hole on the inside of Lawrence that he had to prevent DVDM from stepping back into. No choice but to show him the outside and hope he could catch him.

Puja

Absolutely!!! And did you capture Earl ‘ambling’ back to help out in preventing the try?

[Puja]

I’d wager at least a fiver that El Abd didn’t tell Lawrence to show DVDM the outside and then get beaten on the outside to allow the linebreak, for the first try.

Have reached the first one on the m-b-m - it was 4th phase and Lawrence was absolutely sold out by Earl blitzing up and failing to catch Russell, despite us being down numbers, leaving a whacking great hole on the inside of Lawrence that he had to prevent DVDM from stepping back into. No choice but to show him the outside and hope he could catch him.

Puja

Absolutely!!! And did you capture Earl ‘ambling’ back to help out in preventing the try?

I'll be honest, I lost interest in watching Earl once he took himself out of the picture, but I do now have a renewed urge to defend Genge and Cowan-Dickie after having watched how hard they ran to try and stop that try. Gave absolutely everything to chase what a lot of front rowers would've given up as a lost cause and very nearly made the difference.

Puja

[Mikey Brown]

Is anyone aside from Squidge actually using the term 'hammer' defence? Is it an England/El-Abd thing? I'm watching the recap for this game and he's said it about 400 times already.

As usual some good points are made, but also some entirely routine scenarios (any kind of linespeed at all) are described as if they've never been seen before.

[Mikey Brown]

There's a nice shoutout for Ted Hill making 75% of a tackle as well.

[FKAS]

There's a nice shoutout for Ted Hill making 75% of a tackle as well.

4 of 6 wasn't it. So not quite that high.

[Which Tyler]

There's a nice shoutout for Ted Hill making 75% of a tackle as well.

4 of 6 wasn't it. So not quite that high.

Didn't he come on with the clock at 79'52?

[p/d]

There's a nice shoutout for Ted Hill making 75% of a tackle as well.

4 of 6 wasn't it. So not quite that high.

Didn't he come on with the clock at 79'52?

Ridiculous timing. That said he put in 4 tackles, each of which prevented Scotland sneaking a late drop goal attempt.

Class

[Puja]

4 of 6 wasn't it. So not quite that high.

Didn't he come on with the clock at 79'52?

Ridiculous timing. That said he put in 4 tackles, each of which prevented Scotland sneaking a late drop goal attempt.

Class

In fairness, while I was very loud and exercised live about the stupidity of him being brought on for a theoretical 8 seconds, Scotland then kept the ball for 3-4 minutes and having him able to be bouncing around, fresh as a daisy, instead of a knackered Chessum, was useful when they were trying to attack from deep.

Puja