6 Nations - Prediction Fun (or misery, if you're Scottish)!

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Pro Tour Punditry

Pro Tour Punditry

Guru
Col5632 said:
I think the game will be closer than most think, C'MON Scotland :hyper:
Click to expand...

It won't be; I have just seen the team selection :sad:

[QUOTE 2914374, member: 1314"]He was on the books at London Scottish until he was 18 when it was time for the club to hand out some pro-contracts. He told me that at that point the club brought in a few South Pacific players who got the contracts...he just wasn’t good enough.[/quote]

18 is no age to be thrown out of the game!

I despair when I see the 2 Scottish Pro teams recruiting yet another foreign player - yes 2 teams! Surely there is sufficient local talent to manage to be able to field 2 Scottish teams? Time spent nurturing will be time well spent.

I am not against fielding "non Scots" at international level when they qualify by way of the rules as they stand, but think the national game needs to look more at local talent than bringing in more and more non-Scots. I think that having some more experienced players from other countries is good, but that perhaps the "easy fix" of bringing in a ready-now foreign player is detrimental. Perhaps have a cap on the number? I don't know to be honest!

I regularly watch rugby union, and see many young players working hard week on week. I also use a gym which is frequented by some of the players and they work hard in the gym as well. Some of them have quite clearly been/are involved in the Pro teams development squads due to their kit, and some play at U20 international level. But I always feel a degree of sadness for them knowing that the chances are if they are not signed by a pro team that they will never reach their full potential. And if 18 year olds are consigned to the pile of "not good enough" then we shall never be able to compete properly at international level.

Scotland is a tiny country, with small numbers of athletes, and there are many more "non-traditional" sports attracting the attention of kids (which is great). But we do have talent, if the time is taken to develop it.

Without wanting to sound like an old duffer (which I am) I rue the day that Union became professional: not because players get paid, but because the "system" does not allow proper nurturing and development; immediate results are required when money is involved and it's easier to bring in "ready now" players from elsewhere than to take time to develop players. That being said I also think there are some Scottish players who are a bit too comfortable in their approach and too accepting of excuses. Young players need the chance to make mistakes on the pitch, to learn from the "big boys", to be angry when they get beaten but not punished for it by being told they are not good enough, and to know that if they keep trying that they might just make it. To know that you're "not good enough" in your late teens and early 20s must be heart-breaking for some.

And there are still too many "suits" at SRU - some of them want immediate results but are not prepared to make the proper investment in the future. Murrayfield is all hype on a match day; pipers, fire, fireworks, and an over-enthusiastic announcer - the crowd are not the problem!

Anyway, <said rather unenthusiastically> C'mon Scotland...
 
Last edited:
GrumpyGregry

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
Gobsmacked. What a shocking performance.
 
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