Blood & Mud

RBS 6 Nations Preview: Scotland vs England, Murrayfield, Sat 17:00

We've already talked about this game a bit, but I want to reiterate just how fuck-awful the England pack selection is.  Faced with perhaps the tournament's most dynamic back-row - the fabulously monikered "Killer Bs" of Brown, Beattie and Barclay - Johnson has picked Joe "Can Tackle, Won't Pass" Worsley.  It's not that Big Joe is the worst back-row player in the world (that's Johnny O'Connor), more that he is a six playing at seven for a start, and his skillset is more limited than a one-legged unicyclist.   Louis Deacon is simply a 6'6" high, man-shaped pile of particularly cumbersome SHIT.  As you can see, I'm starting to lose my normally relatively reasonable disposition.

Scotland have been forced to have a fully reshuffled backline after Thom Evans' neck/back-knack and it is hard to see where the cutting edge is coming from - their perennial problem.  It may very well be supplied  their pacey and rangey forwards and that back-row could take the game away from England, and I fully expect Euan Murray to turn Tim Payne into mincemeat. 

Having said all that, the likelihood of a severe lack of tries means this could be a place-kicking competition and England still have Jonny and Scotland don't have Paterson.  This will perhaps be the deciding factor in a game I expect to be extremely depressing.

B&M Prediction: One team will get more penalties than the other. I cannot bring myself to care which one.

Spotter's Badge: Nick Easter picks up from the scrum and does that pointless, one-handed flick pass to Danny Care who then runs round and round in circles like some brainless ADHD child who has been mainlining Lucozade, utterly confusing his team-mates who have no idea if and when he is likely to pass before aimlessly chipping ahead.  Joe Worsley then tackles the posts.

TEAMS

Scotland: H Southwell (Stade Francais); S Lamont (Scarlets), N De Luca (Edinburgh), G Morrison (Glasgow), M Evans (Glasgow); D Parks (Glasgow), C Cusiter (Glasgow, capt); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh), E Murray (Northampton); J Hamilton (Edinburgh), A Kellock (Glasgow); K Brown (Glasgow), J Barclay (Glasgow), J Beattie (Glasgow)

Replacements: S Lawson (Gloucester), G Cross (Edinburgh), N Hines (Leinster), A MacDonald (Edinburgh), R Lawson (Gloucester), P Godman (Edinburgh), S Danielli (Ulster)

England: D Armitage (London Irish); M Cueto (Sale), M Tait (Sale), R Flutey (Brive), U Monye (Harlequins); J Wilkinson (Toulon), D Care (Harlequins); T Payne (Wasps), D Hartley (Northampton), D Cole (Leicester); L Deacon (Leicester), S Borthwick (Saracens, captain); J Haskell (Stade Francais), J Worsley (Wasps), N Easter (Harlequins).

Replacements: S Thompson (Brive), D Wilson (Bath), C Lawes (Northampton), L Moody (Leicester), B Youngs (Leicester), T Flood (Leicester), B Foden (Northampton)

Referee: Marius Jonker (SA)

Tweet

Why not subscribe to Blood and Mud? You can get all our updates fresh in your inbox via email and add us to your favourite feedreader. You can also follow us on Twitter.

Like this this post? Why not like bloodandmud.com on facebook and tell your friends?

Comments

RBS 6 Nations Preview: Scotland vs England, Murrayfield, Sat 17:00

We've already talked about this game a bit, but I want to reiterate just how fuck-awful the England pack selection is.  Faced with perhaps the tournament's most dynamic back-row - the fabulously monikered "Killer Bs" of Brown, Beattie and Barclay - Johnson has picked Joe "Can Tackle, Won't Pass" Worsley.  It's not that Big Joe is the worst back-row player in the world (that's Johnny O'Connor), more that he is a six playing at seven for a start, and his skillset is more limited than a one-legged unicyclist.   Louis Deacon is simply a 6'6" high, man-shaped pile of particularly cumbersome SHIT.  As you can see, I'm starting to lose my normally relatively reasonable disposition.

Scotland have been forced to have a fully reshuffled backline after Thom Evans' neck/back-knack and it is hard to see where the cutting edge is coming from - their perennial problem.  It may very well be supplied  their pacey and rangey forwards and that back-row could take the game away from England, and I fully expect Euan Murray to turn Tim Payne into mincemeat. 

Having said all that, the likelihood of a severe lack of tries means this could be a place-kicking competition and England still have Jonny and Scotland don't have Paterson.  This will perhaps be the deciding factor in a game I expect to be extremely depressing.

B&M Prediction: One team will get more penalties than the other. I cannot bring myself to care which one.

Spotter's Badge: Nick Easter picks up from the scrum and does that pointless, one-handed flick pass to Danny Care who then runs round and round in circles like some brainless ADHD child who has been mainlining Lucozade, utterly confusing his team-mates who have no idea if and when he is likely to pass before aimlessly chipping ahead.  Joe Worsley then tackles the posts.

TEAMS

Scotland: H Southwell (Stade Francais); S Lamont (Scarlets), N De Luca (Edinburgh), G Morrison (Glasgow), M Evans (Glasgow); D Parks (Glasgow), C Cusiter (Glasgow, capt); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh), E Murray (Northampton); J Hamilton (Edinburgh), A Kellock (Glasgow); K Brown (Glasgow), J Barclay (Glasgow), J Beattie (Glasgow)

Replacements: S Lawson (Gloucester), G Cross (Edinburgh), N Hines (Leinster), A MacDonald (Edinburgh), R Lawson (Gloucester), P Godman (Edinburgh), S Danielli (Ulster)

England: D Armitage (London Irish); M Cueto (Sale), M Tait (Sale), R Flutey (Brive), U Monye (Harlequins); J Wilkinson (Toulon), D Care (Harlequins); T Payne (Wasps), D Hartley (Northampton), D Cole (Leicester); L Deacon (Leicester), S Borthwick (Saracens, captain); J Haskell (Stade Francais), J Worsley (Wasps), N Easter (Harlequins).

Replacements: S Thompson (Brive), D Wilson (Bath), C Lawes (Northampton), L Moody (Leicester), B Youngs (Leicester), T Flood (Leicester), B Foden (Northampton)

Referee: Marius Jonker (SA)