Illicit Pleasures Part Two, Beating the English, or, Oh Calcutta!

[f4f3]

Scotland beat England at rugby yesterday. They beat a heavier, technically more accomplished side by confronting them with spirit, hunger to win and the absolute refusal to break, even when bent so far back they could have seen their own heels.

I couldn't actually watch the game, but I listened on extremely crackly medium-wave between Invergordon and Drumnadrochit and, to be honest, I listened with a lump in my throat. Our line outs were terrible, our scrums just about adequate, and we didn't score a try, but that didn't matter. England came to play to their strengths, and when they couldn't batter or bully their way through they became baffled and, I would have to say, they went down to defeat tamely.

The English coach said that they would have to go home and do some thinking. The Corries couldn't have put it better.

Oh, and Chickenfeet, you owe me a dollar...

Comments

[pigeonhed.livejournal.com]

I think you are wrong about Scotland wanting the win more than England, I watched the game and Scotland did NOTHING positive throughout the game. Each England attack was rebuffed and they regrouped to face another expected attack. I don't think Scotland had a single serious attack apart from the incident that led to Grewcock's yellow card. And they didn't do anything with that, or the subsequent man advantage.

The penalty at the end would have been fine if England had followed it up with possession and pressure to get within range for another kick, instead they made a hash of the restart. It summed up the England performance, clumsy, careless and inexcusable. They could have won, and should have won.

That England were so bad doesn't mean that Scotland played better, they didn't. The victory is nothing to gloat about and probably hides as many flaws in the Scottish performance as in the English.

[f4f3.livejournal.com]

Gloat? Me? Nope, just celebrating. I seem to remember mentioing our line out and scum frailities. But it does seem that Scottish rugby is improving while England are going backwards at a rate of knots that I'd find worrying.

Still, next year at Twickers will be fun...