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INTERNET forums are a collection of all sorts from the articulate to the foolish although on some occasions, you get an individual who's a mixture of both.

SPEAKING with former Scotland number 8 John Beattie earlier this week raised an eyebrow or two. When asked for his thoughts on the Six Nations' new champions, he commented: "I found Ireland boring".

ENGLAND captain Steve Borthwick's pre-Calcutta Cup match statement reminded me of a quote from Groucho Marx.

"From the moment I picked it up until the moment I put it down again, I was convulsed with laughter. Someday I might even read it".

IRELAND go into Saturday's clash at Cardiff in search of their first grandslam since 1948 and with a canny operator like Brian O'Driscoll leading them, who would bet against them doing it?

AT last Scotland have got off the mark in this year's Six Nations - although you'd be forgiven if you had missed it.

A familiar pattern seems to be evolving with matches involving Italy this year.

Namely, the favourites will come out on top but at the expense of sending their own fans to tears of boredom.

Both England and Ireland defeated L'Azzurri and both were slated by insomniacs for taking the Michael.

THE decision by Saracens to shed 15 players by their new South African owners could have far reaching implications not just for England, but Scottish rugby as well.

Star names such as Chris Jack, Cencus Johnston and long-standing club veterans Kevin Sorrell and Ben Skirving have been bluntly told they are no longer part of Saracens' new South African investors' plans.

A MUCH improved performance by Scotland against France but questions still have to be asked on team selection.

As mooted in last week’s blog, playing players out of position in the pack and having no cover at all in one particular area on the bench had the potential to be our downfall and so it proved.

REFUSAL to admit you are wrong can be a difficult thing for someone to do but as long as it is done not long after things have gone belly-up, you would allow yourself some lee-way from the baying hordes.

Frank Hadden's team selection for Saturday's trip to Paris did cave in to what many of us had been saying prior to last weekend's Welsh debacle, the Evans brothers must start.

However, his selection as a whole does smack of merely giving the fans a concession in picking the Glasgow siblings as once again, his team are more notable for who's not there.

THE mere mention of France - ahead of Scotland’s trip to Paris this weekend - brings a warm glow to the heart. Though rest assured it has nothing to due with the two cognacs knocked back to erase the memory of Scotland’s dire show against Wales.

For it was as an impressionable young seven-year old that 15 men in royal blue made me glue my eyes towards rugby in the first place and there they have stayed ever since.

Watching them throughout their 1981 grandslam campaign stirred up this hack’s imagination - particularly the chap who played at full-back.

THE Billy Connolly videos stacked on top of a wardrobe in the post-match media room at Murrayfield were clearly left beforehand in anticipation for what eventually transpired in yesterday’s Scotland v Wales Six Nations opener - after all, we were in dire need of a good laugh after what we had just seen on the pitch.

If one were being really cynical, I’d hazard a guess that they were installed the Wednesday before the game when coach Frank Hadden announced his team to face the reigning champs.