Val
Ryder Cup Winner
Val.......What do you think of a Price/Laidlaw half back partnership. ?
Russell seems to have lost the plot for the last two games.
Trying too hard to impress I think, as they say he should do less better.
I just caught up with the game having been on hospital duties for a few days.
Thought Scotland played very well
Price and Laidlaw is carnage. As much as Scotland played with both, Laidlaw didn’t actually cover 10 in a traditional sense, he was kept on to kick penalties. In the final 3rd of the game it was apparent the French were tiring so the tactic was to use Denton to truck it up crash style to break the French down and either take them on the outside or have them infringe to win penalties which is what happened. Laidlaw isn’t the answer at 10 and chances are we’ll unlikely see it again. Townsend recognised that penalties would be key and having a kicker like Laidlaw was going to be crucial especially when Finn was kicking like he had rigger boots on.
If you watch the game again and take the missed tackle on Thomas and the kicking away, Russell played quite well. His passing and decision making was spot on, his final pass to maitland was spot on but he needs to work on his kicking from hand. There is no doubt he is Scotland’s no 1 stand off and on his game he is one of the best in Europe but he needs to learn when it’s on and when it’s not in test match rugby, that’s the difference between him and the likes of Sexton or Farrell