What a sad little life, Gregor
WELCOME: Usually we start the newsletter with a preview of the doom scroll you are about to enjoy, but…whisper it…this was actually quite a *good* week for Scottish rugby. Hopefully this won’t jinx it…
OH CAM ALL YE FAITHFUL: Gregor Townsend has named an exciting looking squad for the upcoming Six Nations, which Scotland kick off with a daunting trip to Twickenham, where they have not tasted victory since 1983.
Possibly the biggest talking point was the inclusion of Bath centre Cam Redpath, son of Scottish rugby legend Bryan. Having turned out for various England age group sides - after being capped at Scotland under-16 level - and been included in an Eddie Jones’ training camp, it seemed as if Redpath junior’s head had been turned by the red rose (or £25,000 per international appearance), so Townsend has pulled off quite a feat in winning this particular tug-of-war contest.
Redpath is one of the most exciting young players in the British Isles at the moment, and has started the current season at Bath in fine form. With experience playing at both stand-off and centre, he offers Scotland a playmaking option at 12. The thought of him linking up with Russell will be giving the England defence coaches plenty of food for thought. Perhaps the promise of a starting jersey at Twickenham was enough to convince him to join up with Townsend’s men.
Here is a glimpse of Redpath in his school boy days; wowza.
CHERRY ON TOP: The hooker spot was another area of interest. As expected, Dave Cherry was named as George Turner’s deputy, with Grant Stewart likely next in line, but there was a surprise call up for young Sale hooker Ewan Ashman. Ashman has impressed at Scotland under-20 level and is highly regarded at Sale. We wouldn’t be surprised if he managed to force his way into a squad place during the Six Nations. After a short loan spell with Edinburgh at the start of the 2019 season, we have heard that the SRU are making moves to bring him back north of the border.
DEPTH, ACTUALLY: Elsewhere, Townsend has managed to add test level quality by bringing Richie Gray, Huw Jones and Gary Graham into the squad. Although Jones has played all of his rugby this season at fullback, it was interesting to hear Townsend say that he thinks of him primarily as a 13. Whilst Chris Harris has established himself as a highly dependable pick, it would be great to see Jones properly pushing him for the outside centre jersey.
POTENTIAL XV v ENGLAND So what could a potential Scotland XV at Twickenham look like? While open for debate at this stage, this is what Thistle HQ would go for:
What does everyone make of the squad? Any notable omissions? Who would you like to see starting against the auld enemy?
GLASGOW SQUAD TAKES SHAPE: the Warriors’ recruitment efforts have come in for a lot of stick in recent times, as Danny Wilson has struggled to replace the likes of Russell, Hogg and the soon to depart Adam Hastings. However, following the signing of Duncan Weir and contract extensions for the likes of Scott Cummings, Sam Johnson and Tom Gordon, Glasgow have become more active in the transfer market.
KEAT ON MOVING: Firstly Irish stand-off Ian Keatley, formerly of Munster and Connacht, will be joining from Benetton until the end of the season. Whilst perhaps not the most awe inspiring of signings, having an experienced (and fit) stand-off until the end of the season makes a lot of sense. Brandon Thomson clearly needs time to regain his confidence, and while Ross Thompson enjoyed an impressive start to his Glasgow career, he remains very green. He should benefit a lot from having Keatley around.
BHATTI’S BACK: In other good news, Jamie Bhatti has agreed to move back to Scotstoun after a fairly unhappy sojourn down the M8 at Edinburgh. While the Warriors are relatively well stocked at loosehead, with Kebble the nailed on starter and Aki Seuili looking sharp in recent weeks, Bhatti was highly regarded under Dave Rennie, doing enough to displace Kebble and start the Pro 14 final at Hampden. At just 27, he has his best propping days ahead of him.
JONESING FOR A MOVE: Sadly talk of a Huw Jones exit persist, with Bayonne in the south of France the rumoured destination. While few would turn down the opportunity - the town of Bayonne averages 25 degrees in the summer, the club has cash to burn and maybe management will play him at 13 rather than fullback - it does feel as if Jones should be playing at a higher level of club (Bayonne are currently 3rd bottom of the Top 14).
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TRUE GRIT: Edinburgh bounced back from their 1872 loss with a gritty victory against Zebre on Saturday. Tries from the increasingly in form Mark Bennett and a last minute interception from Jamie Farndale were enough for the capital side, helped by four penalties from Jaco VDW. It could have been very different though, when on 59 minutes WP Nel was sin binned for repeated scrum penalties, and then replacement George Taylor was red carded for a high challenge. Impressively they weathered the storm and managed to close it out.
Farndale’s final play is nice to look back on:
MAN OF THE JAC: A nice MoM performance from Jaco Van Der Walt as he heads back into his second Scotland camp. While Finn is of course the nailed on starter (if he can keep off the third beers that is), it is pleasing to see Jaco in form in case the worst happens (which is usually does with Scotland). It was a nice bit of business from Edinburgh to extend his contract last week, despite rumours of interest from south of the border. His MoM interview is here:
DON’T SCRUM FOR ME ARGENTINA: One of the benefits of the lack of fans is hearing more of what the players are saying to one another. On more than one occasion at scrum time the Edinburgh side were heard screaming ARGENTINA…anyone know what it means other than “Scrum well”? Answers on a postcard…
TABLE TALK: Edinburgh are still 5th in Conference B, but with the Dragons up next you would hope they can join the peleton of Cardiff, Connacht and Scarlets with their game in hand.
FINN IN FRANCE: at present it seems like every week we are treated to a new clip of Finn Russell pulling off the sublime in Racing 92 colours. It is mad to think that it was a year ago that he decided to walk out of the Scotland camp on the eve of the Six Nations: that god bridges have been mended. Once again here is he strutting his stuff against Bordeaux:
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