Waffly Good
Scots make history (again) in Paris
WELCOME: well here we are again, with Scottish rugby fans waking up on a Monday morning with the same warm glow and pinch-me-now disbelief we all felt after that historic victory over England on the opening weekend of the Six Nations. Surely it was too much to ask for Scotland to make history once again in Paris? But in the week of ‘Wafflegate’, they bloody well did it, and with the most thrilling of finishes. We are back this week to wax lyrical on that heroic performance, before taking a step back and assessing Scotland’s tournament as a whole, whilst also providing our take on the week that was in the world of Scottish rugby.
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YER WAFFLES, DEEP-FRIED: Scotland claimed their first victory in Paris since 1999, with Duhan Van der Merwe’s last minute try clinching a 27-23 victory over their French opponents.
Chasing the 21 point win that would bring them the Six Nations title, France showed their intentions from the off, choosing to run the ball from their own line and turning down kickable penalties. Scotland seemed up for the fight, and hassled well, Hogg and Finn were kicking astutely, while in stark contrast to Ireland, the lineout was a stable source of possession.
Townsend’s men were rewarded for their early endeavour, with Duhan showing his potential as a back row forward and burrowing over for a 10-6 lead. However, the big man was caught out at the other end as Damian Penaud put in Brice Dulin for a French score. Continued French pressure saw Hogg sent to the bin after repeated Scottish infringements, and as the half time whistle was blown France were 13-10 to the good.
CHERRY ON TOP: France struck another blow early in the second half as Penaud finished a flowing move started by Brice Dulin in his own 22. But Scotland recovered well, Sam Johnson taken close to the line after a clever line-out move. French indiscipline saw Russell kick to the corner, from which new cult hero Dave Cherry scored in fortuitous circumstances.
However, the momentum immediately shifted sides once more, Rebbadj crossing for the French after a series of forward drives, before Finn Russell was shown a red card. By the letter of the law his carry into Brice Dulin was probably worthy of a sending off, but it did seem as if the initial contact was with his opponent’s shoulder before riding up into the throat.
By the time Scotland had turned over promising attacking ball in the French 22, their host’s title hopes were finished. But that didn’t stop Brice Dulin from trying to run the ball rather than kick it out, conceding a penalty in the process. From there, patient build up eventually provided the space for replacement Adam Hastings to sling a wide pass to Duhan, who stepped his man for the score with 85 minutes on the clock. Hastings banged over the touchline conversion to secure the 27-23 victory.
PACKING A PUNCH: Although frustrating in parts, Scotland should be lauded for both their performance and attitude. The forward pack stood up to their supposedly more powerful opponents, the front row outstanding as per, Skinner and Gilchrist stepping up to the plate and Haining looking like he had been playing international rugby all his life. While the scrum was inconsistent, the lineout was massively improved, with Turner’s pinpoint arrows clearly helped by Gilchrist’s set piece expertise. In the backs, Johnson and Harris were direct in attack and dominant in defence, keeping Vakatawa largely quiet, and Duhan was clearly in the mood. Hogg and Russell provided control at key points with their kicking game.
But perhaps more impressive was how Scotland cussedly stayed in the match throughout, recovering well after French scores and managing the periods of numerical disadvantage. The composure shown with the clock in the red showed a mental strength that has perhaps been lacking in recent Scotland sides.
SIX NATIONS REVIEW: so what to make of the Scottish Six Nations campaign over all? On the surface consecutive 4th place finishes would suggest Townsend’s men have stood still, the home defeats to Wales and Ireland once again demonstrating the familiar failings of this Scotland side.
However, only 1 match point separated Scotland from 4th and 2nd place - 1 more try versus the French would have secured a highest ever finish in the championship. The Wales and Ireland matches were lost by a combined 4 points, and Scotland looked set to win the former before being reduced to 14 men. They were even more dominant against England than the scoreline suggested. And crucially, they have now proved (to themselves most importantly) that this team can win away from home.
Consistency is now the aim. 4 wins next season - a tall task no doubt but achievable - would be the return required to show that Hogg’s charges are now genuine title contenders.
PLAYER CAM: Watson was undoubtedly Scotland’s standout, and has been rightly rewarded with a player of the tournament nomination. Hogg was most impressive perhaps for his kicking game (is there a better spiraller of the ball in the modern game?), but he also looked sharp in attack, beating 18 defenders throughout the tournament. Both Sutherland and Fagerson showed their test match quality, and Turner - Wales aside - was excellent. Jonny Gray had an unsurprisingly industrious tournament, and it was pleasing to see Skinner and Gilchrist show that the second row selection door is far from closed.
Duhan van der Merwe’s performances have suddenly catapulted him into the Lions discussion. Although criticised for being somewhat one-dimensional, the tournament’s top try scorer showed even against the most physical of opposition (England and France in particular) how difficult he is to handle. His ability to strike from both out wide and in the tight marks him out from the other wingers in the Six Nations. Just look at those stats…
David Cherry’s rise was the ultimate fairytale. It was just 3 years ago that he was turning out for Stade Nicois in the 5th tier of French rugby. After several consistent Edinburgh performances, he took his opportunities well and is a very nice option at hooker. Scott Steele adds competition at scrum half, and we can look forward to George Horne once again pushing Ali Price for the starting 9 berth. Alex Craig looked a handy addition at parts, and hopefully Nick Haining can use his wondrous turn against France to build some consistency and challenge Matt Fagerson (who had a solid tournament) for the 8 jersey. It is also easy to forget just how good Cam Redpath was on his debut against England.
(MORE THAN) THREE LIONS? Gatland has been widely quoted as claiming that Scotland’s inability to win away from home in recent years has dictated their weak showings in recent Lions squad. Well, how do you like them apples? Gatland will have been disappointed in the Scottish showings against Wales and Ireland, but victories against England and France away from home would surely impress most coaches.
ON THE PLANE: Hogg is a 100% certain tourist, if not test starter. Next question please. Russell should go, but will face a real fight for the starting 10 jersey. Hamish Watson was once again freakishly good this week, outshining the French captain Ollivon. His stats card, as shown below, was both incredible and just what we have come to expect from the man. Surely a shoot out between him and Tom Curry for that Lions 7 shirt?
#HARRIS4LIONS: And how about Chris Harris as an outside contender? Who would have thought we would be having this discussion even 6 months ago? Harris has continually defied critics (us included) to show how valuable he is to the Scotland side. His defensive qualities, directness in attack and ability to cover multiple positions could make him a very useful tourist.
FRINGE BENEFITS: Sutherland was looking a likely tourist, but we await to hear the extent of the injury picked up against the French. Fagerson had a very good tournament, although the tighthead shirt is an extremely competitive one. Jonny Gray’s injury might give Gatland enough of an excuse to not take the Exeter man, particularly given the second row quality across the other nations. Hookers Brown and McInally remain outside bets who have probably fallen foul of injury at exactly the wrong time. How about a Holywood ending for the Dave Cherry story?
ROBMAC: we continue to be proud to work with sponsor RobMac, a partnership that has witnessed the Scotland national side make history on two separate occasions. RobMac are an independent financial advisor specialising in mortgage management, financial planning and investments. We know the team at RobMac well and they are just as keen on Scottish rugby as we are so it makes a great fit.
You can check them out at robmac.co.uk
WOMAN’s SIX NATIONS SQUAD: Bryan Easson has announced his squad for the 2021 Woman’s Six Nations. Led by ever present captain Rachel Malcolm, the squad contains a good mix of Tyrell’s 15s players and domestic club talent. Scotland have kick off with a daunting away trip to Doncaster to face the reigning champions England on Saturday 3rd April, before hosting Italy at Scotstoun on 17th April. Disappointingly the games are being shown solely on BBC iPlayer rather than broadcast live. Here is the squad in full:
ITALIAN JOB: Glasgow recorded a professional 46-25 victory over Benetton on Saturday, securing the Warriors’ 4th place finish in Conference A and a spot in the Champions Cup next season after the Dragons’ failure to achieve the 45-point winning margin required against Edinburgh (more on that below). The youngsters once again impressed and it was great to see George Horne return to action, marking the occasion with a trademark score.
KRASNOYAR AWAY? meanwhile, an Edinburgh side with little to play for went down 24-17 to the Dragons. However, a second half fight back secured a losing bonus point and was enough to help Glasgow qualify for the European top tier next season. While recent results will have disappointed Cockerill, he will take some comfort from the introduction of some proper youngsters, including Sam Kitchen, Shaun Gunn, Patrick Harrison and Angus Williams in the front row, and 10/12 Matt Currie has impressed in glimpses. And above all else, Edinburgh fans now have a potential Challenge Cup trip to Siberia to look forward to next season.
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SCOTS ABROAD
Gallagher Premiership
Gloucester vs Exeter Chiefs
Chapman (22) vs Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (9) - Chapman scoring again after a sniping run
Bristol Bears vs Harlequins
vs Glen Young (19)
London Irish vs Bath
Blair Cowan (7) vs
Worcester Warriors vs Northampton Saints
Isaac Miller (16), Tom Dodd (19) and Cornell du Preez (20) vs Rory Hutchinson (13) and Fraser Dingwall (22)
Wasps vs Sale Sharks
vs Byron McGuigan (14) and Ewan Ashman (16)
Leicester Tigers vs Newcastle Falcons
Cameron Henderson (19) vs Jon Welsh (3)
Championship
Bedford Blues vs Jersey Reds
vs Jack Macfarlane (23)
Doncaster vs Cornish Pirates
Robin Hislop (1) and Gus Warr (9) vs
Richmond vs Saracens
vs Callum Hunter-Hill (4), Tim Swinson (5), Duncan Taylor (12) and Sean Maitland (23)
Meanwhile over the pond in the MLR, our favourites Old Glory battled to a 26 all draw versus their NOLA opponents, while it was a winning start for the LA Giltinis’ Scottish contingent, over Dougie Fife’s New England Free Jacks. Former Scotland Sevens favourite Fife produced this sublime piece of skill in the match:
FAKE NEWS? It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction in the post-truth Trumpian world we now live. But the Thistle would like to stress that, despite some confused Twitter users, the below image was indeed photoshopped (give us strength)
BEZOS vs WRU - CLASH OF THE TITANS: the Times reported last week that television rights for the Six Nations could now include Amazon, with the BBC, ITV and Amazon sharing one match a piece per week. Despite the turgid rugby we saw on offer during the Autumn Nations Cup, the 2021 Six Nations was some spectacle, and we have heard from several sources that the drama of Duhan’s match winning score in Paris was enough to get the green light from Bezos. However, it is now being reported that the WRU have chucked in a last minute grenade as they seek to ensure Wales’ Six Nations matches remain on free-to-air television in the Welsh language, potentially pouring cold water on Amazon interest.
THE PREMIER SPORTS PARTNERSHIP GOES ON: Pro 14 fans rejoiced at the news last week that coverage would be leaving Premier Sports and shifting across to Sky (despite the significant increase in price). However, we understand that Sky Sports have pulled out of the race to show the Pro 14 next season, meaning Premier Sports are back in our life. Particularly galling given how enjoyable it was cancelling my subscription over the weekend…
