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Celtic Symphony: Ireland v Scotland. 8pm Saturday 07th Oct. Paris. RWC 23

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  • 05-10-2023 3:21pm
    #1
    sydthebeat
    Subscribers Posts: 41,452 ✭✭✭✭sydthebeat


    Picture it…. 5 mins left and Darcy Graham goes over in the corner to stretch Scotland out to a 38 – 22 lead. Scotland have a sizeable lead and the win and the 5 points they need to progress to the next round. Ireland huddle together under the posts but the chat is highly unusual.

    Hansen: ah c’mon mates. Fair dinkum to these bogans but hey we can run in 3 meat pies before the end here. Stubbies are on me later yeah!?


    Porter: is Killer togged out yet? Im fcuked lads


    JGP: alls goods yeah, no worries bro. chill, lets do this.


    Ryan: hang on lads, wasn’t there something about something got to do with the score or something? Only kidding gilbert.


    Ringrose: Jesus lads do any of you actually know the rules here. If we score again we’re going out, we need to let them score again in order for us to go through.


    POM: wot?? Shure that make no sense ringer. Are you after taking another knock to the head? That’s crazy talk. Like planting a Lychnis coronaria in a shaded area….. madness!!


    Beirne: hey josh, that idea of us changing scrum caps hasn’t worked, lets never do that again.


    JVDF: wie had gedacht dat een man uit Leinster die blauw droeg en een man uit Munster die rood droeg, niet zouden werken?


    Ringrose: Tsk, shut up Josh, just cos you’re playing hooker now doesn’t mean you have to talk like one……. No lads, believe me, I stayed up all night running the numbers here. If we let them score again the bokke go out and we go through.


    Doris: really? Wtf? That makes no sense. How are we supposed to hit them then?


    Ringrose; yes really. Gotta trust me here lads. We need to let them score again.


    Crowley: I have to restart, here lads what are we doing?


    Ringrose: Just kick it straight to them, we’ll do our best effort to look like were making tackles but we wont.


    POM: but isn’t that what you usually do? snigger


    Ringrose: Feck off Pete, ill let you away with that one as its your 100th.


    Crowley: ok so, kick it straight to them and let them run through to score, yeah?


    All: YEAH!


    Lowe: just don’t kick it to Duhan! That egg couldn’t catch a cold bro, he’d drop it.


    So yes, that how crazy this weeks build up has been. The permutations have been analysed over and over, and the format in case of a tie has been debated back and forth.

    Im not going to do that again here. Because the goal is simple and clear. Beat Scotland and roll on to the quarters. Leaving our faith in someone elses hands is not what this Ireland team are about.



    Scotland

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29-LRuuqFT0


    So where exactly are Scotland at? For a lot of commentators this is the best Scottish side in a long long time, probably from the sides that challenged for silverware in the late 90s. Scotland have never won a six nation, never really got within a sniff of winning one to be honest. Never won a triple crown in the six nations period either. The best they have to show for their efforts is a few Calcutta Cups and a Glasgow Celtic league win in 2015. Yes they are a very talented team, yes they have the capabilities to beat a big team on their day. The problem is they haven’t done it. Their confidence is all predicated on a game where Scotland beat a French B team by 4 points after being 18 points down. They haven’t beaten New Zealand and haven’t beaten South Africa in over 20 years. A great stat came out this week that Johnny Sexton has not lost to a Scottish team in over 12 years. Says enough really. The Scots are mentally weak.

    So, this being the best Scottish team in a long time doesn’t exactly scream world beaters, and that was plainly shown in their opening game against South Africa. Three points scored is a poor return in any game. South Africa showed clearly how reliant Scotland are on the ‘mercurial’ Finn Russell. I always found the expression ‘mercurial’ to be quite amusing as a descriptor of a supposed positive attribute, when it means someone who rapidly changes their mind and goes off script. One aspect of mercury that I remember from my science classes back in the day is that when you spill some of it it will go hiding in any little crevice or hole it can find, so perhaps mercurial isn’t a bad descriptor for Russell after all.

    Can they win? Sure they can(as long as there are no stairs to fall down, or slices of bread to cut). but they will they? If they do they will have to do something they haven’t done in the last 8 meetings of these teams. What exactly has changed? Well, yes Scotland have gotten better, but so have Ireland, and arguably to a higher degree as well.

    No Watson on teh Scotland bench is a bit of a surprise, especially seeing as they have included two flankers in fagerson and Crosbie. A 6 / 2 split seems kinda funny after Rassies 7/1 totally failed.

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    Ireland

    The single biggest factor that can bring Scotland into this game is Irish complacency, one eye on the quarters. For Scotland this is their world cup final, and if they go out, they will go out kicking and screaming. Andy Farrell seems to have Gregor Townsends number when it comes to tactics and game play, so it wont be lost off the field. In a weird way, Scotlands best hope is to turn this into a low scoring slog fest where they try to knick a try or two, but that’s not their style at all. They want a harum-scarum unscripted disorganised game where they can allow their backs to cut loose through broken field.

    When Ireland are on the money though that just doesn’t happen. Ireland are the most organised team in defence in the world really. They can resist the ultra heavy power plays from the likes of the bokke, and also shut down the speedy clinical plays that the likes of the All Blacks come up with. Like any team we have our weaknesses though, sometimes we get too narrow, but we have the speed in scramble should that arise. We don’t have any players though that are prone to brain farts like Irn-Du though, and no better team to exploit this, like Hansen did in the six nations. But the game play in defence is very simply, smother Russell, smother Scotland.

    Henderson starts with Ryan on the bench is great. Ryan hadnt the best game against South Africa, including some line out calls, and Henderson was like a man possessed when he came on. Big Choo Choo Stu gets his chance finally from the bench following another unfortunate injury to Henshaw. The guy is poxed when it comes to world cups. Conans return onto the bench just emphasises how good our bench ball carriers are.



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    Ref watch.

    So often games are conducted by the personality of the referee, and this game will be no different. Nic Berry may not be a common name to supporters in the northern Hemisphere, but hes well known down south. He may be better known up here as the brunt of Rassies disgraceful video which bought him a 2 month ban back in 2021. Berry is one of the more lassie-faire referees out there, think the polar opposite of Mathew Carley. He has had a long professional playing career, and is a rugby league fan, and that has certainly drifted over into how he referees. He has a great feel for the game, is not overly fussy and allows the game to flow. Who that actually benefits is hard to tell, but he certainly rewards the team in possession more than the defence, so if Ireland can retain possession through the phases, which we are good at, then we will be rewarded.


    Verdict

    I cant see Ireland being complacent. They are treating the game as knock out rugby from here on in and this game is perfect prep. Scotland have never really given these players many scare. 4 years ago in the same fixture we held them to 3 points are they were utterly exposed as not having much beyond their first few phases. I expect a similar enough game where we keep them to single figures or low teens, where we use their ill disciple to pound the scoreboard pressure onto them (due to their ill-discipline in defence) and force them to do riskier and riskier things which would be playing right into our hands. Ive a feel we could see one of our back three running in an intercept try in the last few minutes to put the game to bed by about 20 points.


    Broadcasters:

    Virgin Media                    

    ITV 4                                  

    ITV X

    ITV1

    Supersport


    finally....... no words needed: 100 cap man !!!


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