Now Borthwick knows the limitations of his ‘Pom Squad’ — and more

There are different reasoning levels when it comes to defining Scotland’s thumping win over England in Edinburgh last Saturday. Some are obvious and others are given less scrutiny than they ought to receive.

The first and last words belong to Scotland. Their ruthless conversion of every advantage they created, or were ceded, was orchestrated by Finn Russell, who is one of the best in the game at exploiting defensive weaknesses. He played the game required, in the areas needed. The Scottish team answered for Gregor Townsend and his relevance to the set-up.

But one question remains: how does Townsend ensure the consistency that is the necessary foundation for a tournament or World Cup challenge and to thereby emerge from the middle rank of unions?

England bench selection showed limits

Simplistic but true, it is a fact that if you play for 30 minutes out of 80 with 14 men, you are going to lose most games against any capable opponent. End of, as they now say.

Henry Arundell could legitimately argue about his first yellow card but not the second (and a 20-minute red card) for his clumsy challenge with an airborne Kyle Steyn. Even when England were able to get 15 men back on the field, their bench selection came into play and showed its limits.

One of the reasons for England’s 12-match run of successive wins was that Steve Borthwick’s “Pom Squad” picks had proved more effective than those of his counterparts. With seamless transition between first-choice and second-choice players, they have been able to cover the eventualities that arose and have secured victories.

The Scotland game threw up a variable that was less easily managed, one which should cause pause for thought about the split on the bench between forwards and backs and which players are selected to cover the backs positions.

When Borthwick picked Fin Smith, he got cover at centre and fly-half, allowing Tommy Freeman to go to the wing when Arundell got sent off and was eventually replaced. Technically, this should have worked but it disrupted the back line more than if he had opted for Marcus Smith, or another player, who can cover both fly-half and full-back.

Borthwick needs to consider whether that option was more effective than Marcus Smith coming on at full-back with Freddie Steward moving to the wing, a place where he has been picked as first-choice on occasion. This conundrum might be one that occurs less often than not, but it is not unforeseeable and it exposes a problem with the now-conventional bench split of six forwards and two backs.

The replacement of Maro Itoje is also puzzling. Jamie George is an experienced leader, but I believe that in the absence of injury it is preferable to keep your captain on for the full game. As it turned out, the ending of Arundell’s 20-minute red card also appeared to have a knock-on effect when England made their forward substitutions. It was not until the 57th minute that England chose to change four forwards, by which time Scotland had scored four tries and gained a bonus point.

World’s best don’t have voodoo opponents

In my pre-tournament column, I said that this game would probably be the most testing of England’s fixtures and although they broke Scotland’s winning streak in the Calcutta Cup last year, that game was won by just one point and was played at home. It cannot be denied that presently Scotland have a psychological edge in this fixture.

When it comes to the world’s best, South Africa, you do not see this sort of voodoo opponent. England have to find a way to break this pattern as it is a conspicuous blot on their landscape.

Scotland decisively won the aerial battle, and this is an area that I believe needs more scrutiny than this crude observation. Given the ubiquity of kicking, the outcome of this duel has a significant impact in terms of momentum, if not always reflected obviously in points.

As it is often a messy contest, it can appear to be a matter of luck, but there is insufficient in-game analysis. Stats are used for everything else in the game, even things that are irrelevant. They remain frustratingly absent in recording how much momentum is gained from what are actually turnovers when kicks are not recovered in attack or are spilled when defending.

Although England threatened to work their way back into the game, they were undone by a series of muddled line-outs, handling errors and poor decisions at crucial times.

For England, Saturday’s home game against Ireland now assumes a disproportionate importance. Win and they might still have a chance of challenging for the title come the last round.

Lose and they are destined for mid-table mediocrity, which is not what was expected or needed on the back of their run of wins and conspicuous progress.

Colin Cowherd claims Jazz fans are fine with tanking appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Entering the second half of the season, the Utah Jazz have the third-worst record in the Western Conference at 18-38. With their woeful standing, the Jazz should be eager to get back on track and show signs of improvement.

Or are they?

With their odds of winning the title as slim as a pencil on a diet restriction, many believe that the Jazz are more than willing to tank and get a better shot at landing the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft.

For sports commentator Colin Cowherd, it seems people in Salt Lake are totally fine with, um, sucking this season.

“I think the Utah fans, who almost have a collegiate feel because it’s a smaller NBA market, I think they’re in on it. I think they know it. I think they go to the games and enjoy it with their friends, but if you ask them if you can get the number two pick or the number 14 pick, they would take the number two,” said Cowherd on his podcast.

“Utah’s been bad for several years. What’s another 12 games or 26 games at the end of the year?”

The NBA recently fined the Jazz $500,000 for “compromising the integrity” of the league by benching their healthy players. Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. did not play in the fourth quarter of their games against the Orlando Magic and the Miami Heat last week. Utah lost both games.

Jackson is now out for the season as he set it to have surgery on his left knee.

Last year, the Jazz landed the No. 5 overall pick, using it on Ace Bailey. In 2024, they ended up with the No. 10 overall pick, grabbing Cody Williams. They had the No. 9 overall pick in 2023, taking Taylor Hendricks, who is now with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Related: Adam Silver makes feelings clear on tanking following Jazz, Pacers fines

Related: Jazz 2026 NBA trade deadline grade after Jaren Jackson Jr. bombshell

Rejoice, San Diego Padres baseball is back!

Full squad workouts have begun in preparation for the 2026 season. And by the end of the week, we will have digested our first Cactus League clash. 

Not too many major league Spring Training camps have two legitimate stars like Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. beginning their work for the coming season. Each will continue to anchor the Padres’ lineup at the top of the order. Normally, we would be discussing their impact on the team’s success. 

Instead, all eyes will be on Ethan Salas, who is entering the crossroads of his pro career.

Why has Salas’ stock dropped?

No question, his stock has declined, as Salas is no longer atop the consensus top prospect lists. Baseball America ranked him No. 8 in their 2024 MLB prospect list. Now, Salas is ranked No. 90 in this year’s prospect list. Injuries and struggles at the plate have contributed to his demise.

So, not great news for Salas, who is the Friar’s top international free agent signing at 16 years old for $ 5.6 million. Despite all the uncertainty, the organization invited him to major league camp as a non-roster invitee.

Since his arrival, his offensive production has been disappointing. In three minor league seasons, Salas has a career batting average of .221, accompanied by underwhelming power numbers. He has 58 extra-base hits in 800 minor league at-bats. But what is more alarming is that he struck out in 22.5% of his plate appearances. It is not a bad percentage if you were a proven power-hitter. 

Last season, Salas hit .188 in 10 games at Double-A San Antonio. The 19-year-old missed the remainder of the season due to a stress reaction in his lower back. Thus, another lost season in his development.

The one constant in his up-and-down pro career has been his defense, as Salas is considered one of the top defensive catching prospects in baseball. Scouts have graded him with high marks (70-fielding and 60-arm) on their 20-80 grade scale. It is the reason why Salas is still in conversation as a potential major league call-up candidate.

What is next in Salas’ career?

The odds are high that Salas will begin the 2026 campaign in the minors. The Padres do not have a spot on the Opening Day roster for him, as all the competitors for the backup catcher role have a proven track record in the majors. 

You can argue that injuries have left him a shell of his former self. But Salas has an opportunity in the major league camp to show he can be productive at the plate and hopefully remain injury-free for the upcoming season.

It is not impossible to believe the Friars might be inclined to trade Salas before breaking camp. Nevertheless, other clubs may be reluctant to acquire him due to concerns regarding his offensive production. If the market for Salas is lower than expected, then let him develop in the minors. Hopefully, he fulfills his potential and becomes a more complete player.

It is not impossible to envision Salas turning his career around. He is young enough to improve offensively.

All the talk is over; Salas must prove he is a potential fixture in a major league lineup. He is at the crossroads of his Padres career; something has to give in 2026.