Scottish Rugby

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Edinburgh winger Duhan van der Merwe says their next two games are "must win" as the club looks to secure a play-off place.

Currently seventh in the URC table, Edinburgh must finish in the top eight to advance. They host reigning champions Munster on Friday before facing Benetton in Italy on 1 June.

"Every game for us now is a must win, especially against a side like Munster," said Van Der Merwe.

"They've won the last seven URC games. We want to pride ourselves at home, going up against a quality side like Munster and hopefully come away with the win.

"You can be coming into the last two games and potentially have nothing to play for. At least we've got something to play for, a play-off spot. It's exciting, the boys are looking forward to it and it's going to be a massive challenge.

"The league is so tight that even with us sitting seventh, if we lose a game we could potentially go to 10th. It's not about holding on to that seventh spot, it's potentially going up to sixth or fifth. We know if we don't get a win, we'll make it really hard for ourselves."

Sean Everitt's side head into Friday's night game against Munster on the back of a rousing victory of Zebre - but it took them a while to get going.

Winning 19-7 at the break, they allowed the Italians a glimmer of hope before scoring 26 points in the final 20 minutes.

"We still were looking to get that 80-minute performance," Van der Merwe added. "There was parts of our game that wasn't good enough on the weekend."

The 28-year-old was also keen to put his hand up for selection on Scotland's summer tour, despite indications that key players may be rested for the trip to North and South America.

"I absolutely love playing for Scotland," he added. "If given the opportunity, I'd love to play. I still believe I'm fairly young. I just feel like the more rugby I play the better I get."

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There were plenty of Scots in action in Premiership Women's Rugby over the weekend as Exeter Chiefs and Bristol Bears confirmed their place in the competition's play-off semi-finals.

Jade Konkel made her full return to league rugby for Harlequins as she captained her side to a 47-12 win over Leicester Tigers at The Stoop.

The former Scotland captain returned from injury a few weeks ago in the Allianz Cup, having missed the entire Six Nations campaign, and played 70 minutes.

There were more Scots in the losing line-up, with winger Francesca McGhie grabbing two tries for the visitors. The usual front-row of Leah Bartlett, Elis Martin, and Lisa Cockburn packed down, with Eva Donaldson behind them in the second row.

Rachel McLachlan also returned to action for Sale Sharks, as they fell to a 54-21 loss against Saracens. The Scotland openside has missed most of the PWR season with an ankle injury but returned to fitness during the Six Nations to come off the bench for Scotland.

Sarah Law also made a rare start at fly-half, with Molly Wright starting at loosehead prop. Fellow Scots Anne Young and Mhairi Grieve came off the bench.

Fi McIntosh, fresh from her Scotland debut, started in the second row with Coreen Grant on the wing. Louise McMillan and Isla Alejandro were among the subs.

Eilidh Sinclair was in try-scoring form again as Exeter Chiefs beat Trailfinders 40-10 to secure a top-four finish. She started on the wing, alongside loosehead Demi Swann - who helped set up Exeter's final try with a fine carry. Liz Muzgrove started on the wing for the losing hosts.

Finally, Loughborough Lightning's loss to Gloucester-Hartpury confirmed Bristol Bears' place in the top four.

Helen Nelson started at fly-half for Lightning, with Emma Wassell at second-row and Rachel Malcolm captaining from blindside.

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt tipped Ewan Ashman to become Scotland's first-choice after the hooker's player of the match performance against Zebre.

The 24-year-old scored twice in the first-half as Edinburgh eventually blew the Italian side away, winning 40-14.

"Ewan would be challenging George Turner anyway with the performance that he's been putting in," Everitt said of Ashman's Scotland chances.

"There was an area of the game that he needed to work on and that was his line-out throwing. He's improved so much that he's sitting as the second-best thrower in the URC.

"He's a strong ball-carrier, strong defender, and good on the ground. He's a player that's improving and hopefully there will be an opportunity for him to be number one."

Looking ahead, Everitt says Edinburgh will not lean on Ben Healy's intimate knowledge of Munster as they prepare to face the URC champions on Friday.

Healy spent four years at Munster, making over 50 appearances for the side and winning the league with them last season.

"We know what Munster bring so we won't be relying on Ben too much and we've done our homework on that.

"Munster have performed well over the last seven rounds of the URC where they haven't lost. We know what's ahead of us and what challenge it will be. It should be a titanic battle."

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Scotland international Marshall Sykes has extended his Edinburgh contract for another two years, taking his deal with the capital club to 2026.

The 24-year-old second-row joined from Glasgow in 2020 and has made 19 club appearances so far this season.

He earned his solitary Scotland cap in October 2021, coming off the bench in a 60-14 win over Tonga at Murrayfield.

"The club and city have become a real home for me," Sykes said. "I’m excited to be a part of what’s to come in the next two years.

“Sean [Everitt] has been brilliant since he came in and I’ve really enjoyed working with him so far this season. The boys are giving their all and you can see that in our performances.

"We’ll be leaving nothing out there with two huge games to come at this business end of the campaign.”

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt has been speaking to the media after his side's URC win over Zebre last Friday night.

Here are the key points from his press conference:

• He said Edinburgh "lost their way" for about 10 minutes in the second-half, but was happy they regained control to score 26 points in the final 20 minutes.

• He was delighted with Ben Vellacott's impact from the bench and said scrum-half selection policy is about "horses for courses".

• They already know what Munster bring before their clash on Friday, and insists they "won't be relying on Ben [Healy] too much".

• Discipline had "let them down" for much of URC season, but he says in recent weeks it has been "immaculate".

• He believes Ewan Ashman has improved his line-out throwing, and hopes "there will be an opportunity" for the hooker to be first-choice for Scotland.

• Emiliano Boffelli remains a doubt for Friday's game having missed the last few weeks with a back problem.

We asked for your thoughts after Edinburgh beat Zebre to keep their URC play-off hopes alive, and Glasgow fell to defeat away to Bulls.

Edinburgh fans still feel their team aren't performing to their full potential despite the result:

Grant: I’m at a loss to understand the plan. What on earth is the coach telling the players? We should have blown them off the park, but there were some good individual performances. Ben Vellacott made such a difference.

David: TheEdinburgh backline has to learn to pass. On numerous occasions in the 22 Edinburgh players chose to run into contact instead of passing to supporting players, and the chance of a try was lost. They played like a group of individuals instead of a team.

Darwin: Winning only because a lot of the players are good internationals and that instinct is pulling them through. They don't look like a cohesive unit playing to any set pattern. If they make the knock-out stages I expect them to lose first up, to anyone.

Glasgow fans were able to take some positives despite the result:

Stair: Glasgow were unlucky. The second half was good to watch. I felt the TMO should have intervened more as the Bulls were continually entering from the side and sealing off. Referee Whitehouse also missed several high tackles. Still, two good points.

Robert: If Glasgow had played as they did in the last quarter, they could have won. They are best shipping the ball wide as they did.

Stuart: Glasgow fought to the end and gained two bonus points. It makes you wonder what the score would have been if they got all together for a full game.

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Glasgow Warriors prop Jamie Bhatti spoke to the club's media after their 40-34 loss against Bulls in the United Rugby Championship:

"Two bonus points are massive. To come here and get two points is huge, in the toughest conditions we've probably played in.

"In the second half, we brought it back and played our game and our shape. We cut them open and scored a good few tries.

"We're all pretty happy with two points, we would've loved to win obviously but two points is huge."

Four tries from Glasgow, three of which came within a space of 10 minutes took them from a shell of the team we are used to seeing to comeback kings.

Who stood out for you from Franco Smith's men? Where do you think they went wrong in the first half? Do you see them remaining top?

Give us your views here., external

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Glasgow Warriors refused to "roll over" despite facing a heavy deficit in their tough loss against Bulls, says former Wales international Tom Shanklin.

Franco Smith's side were 37-10 down, but fought back to finish the game 40-34, having scored three tries in the space of 10 minutes.

"Fair play to Glasgow because it is quite easy to just roll over and say that's it but they didn't, they went for it," Shanklin told Premier Sports.

"It took until 63 minutes before you actually saw a Glasgow attack where they went wide. A lot of the time they were getting stuck in the midfield because of the line speed."

Glasgow secured the bonus point with a fourth try from Sebastian Cancelliere and the final kick of the ball from Duncan Weir's penalty gave them a second bonus point.

"You take any bonus points, any points you can get in South Africa you take them and Glasgow got two," Shanklin added.

"It was a huge kick from Duncan Weir in the end."

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Former Scotland international Chris Paterson believes Edinburgh will have a "spring in their step" after thumping Zebre in the United Rugby Championship.

Sean Everitt's side secured a crucial bonus point in their 40-14 win over the Italian side.

"There were big performances out there and they'll be happy with that," Paterson told Premier Sports.

"Those late tries will make a big difference and put a spring in their step as they move onto the next challenge.

"There was pressure on before the game obviously but there was pressure at some points during the game as well. On two or three occasions Zebre fought back so there was pressure throughout the game."

"There will be elements that have frustrated Sean Everitt but he will be relatively happy with that.

"He's got loads of experience and total respect from his players so will lean on that going forward.

"Collectively they need to stay together to get the job done. No one let themselves down individually. The focus will now go to next week.

"This could be your final moments of the season, you don't know if you're going to start or be on the bench so players have to maximise every single moment."

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Head coach Sean Everitt spoke to BBC Scotland after Edinburgh's URC win over Zebre.

"I'm happy with the five points," he said. "Frustrating second half; credit to Zebre.

"We knew we were going to be in a tussle. Just happy that the guys showed the composure in the last 20 to pull through comfortably.

"Ewan Ashman got a couple of tries tonight. He seems to have really just hit the ground running since he arrived at the club.

"He's done really well and worked incredibly hard at his game.

"When we came in on Monday after the break everyone was refreshed. We said it's going to take something special from each and every individual over the next four weeks, whether it be from preparation or individuals looking after themselves."

Edinburgh scored six tries in their 40-14 victory over Italian side Zebre in the URC.

Who did you think was the stand-out player for Sean Everitt's side? Were you convinced by their performance? Do you see them going on to secure a quarter-final spot?

Have your say here, external.

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Edinburgh hooker Ewan Ashman was named player of the match after scoring two tries in the 40-14 win over Zebre.

"I think it's a good outcome when you get the win and there's a lot of stuff to work on," he said.

"That second half probably wasn't as good as the first and that's something that we've got to address. It's exciting that we can get better still after a good result like that. All guns blazing from for Munster on Friday.

"We're building a really good vibe around the place. It was a crucial win today and in the past, we've made hard work of it against Zebre. So it was good to get a little bit of a cushion there. Outstanding performance from the boys."

Follow live text updates as Edinburgh host Zebre in the United Rugby Championship.

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Franco Smith insists there is more improvement to come from Glasgow Warriors after steering them to the top of the URC.

The South African, in his second season at the helm, has Warriors four points clear with three fixtures of the regular season to go, starting with Saturday's meeting with Bulls in Pretoria.

"It wasn't our mission to be on top of the league," said Smith. "It was all about us improving, getting better, understanding the conditions this time around.

"We're still growing and there's a lot of experience to be gained in that regard. For us it is to say 'let's be a better team going back home regardless of the result.'

"The boys have worked hard the whole season and I think that gives them confidence in the plan and the approach for this week."

Smith insists his side's focus hasn't changed as a result of topping the table.

"We still have a long journey," he added. "We didn't allow us to be distracted by being the league leaders and that this was secondary to anything we've tried to achieve."

Scotland prop Murphy Walker makes his comeback from a long injury lay-off for Glasgow in South Africa this weekend.

"He's an eager guy and he wants to contribute," Smith said.

"He's already played for Scotland more than the club which means he was really eager to come and start his journey with us again. It was important to channel the energy and also the expectation.

"The compliment sits in how hard he's worked when he was not able to play. His physical development was really an emphasis, he's worked hard at it and I think he's ready to come and play now on the big stage."

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Edinburgh fly-half Charlie Savala has signed a permanent deal to remain with Northampton Saints after his loan spell ends this summer.

The 23-year-old joined the Premiership side in November after 33 appearances during three years with Edinburgh.

Head Coach Sean Everitt said: “We’d like to thank Charlie for his contributions to Edinburgh. He’s a good player who showed great commitment while here in.

“However, with a core group of young Scottish stand-offs competing for the 10 jersey – Ben [Healy] and Cammy [Scott] in the senior squad and then Isaac [Coates] coming through our academy – this move allows Charlie the opportunity to secure more game time.”

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Murphy Walker, fresh from signing a new contract, makes his first appearance in almost 18 months amid 11 Glasgow Warriors changes for part one of their double-header in South Africa on Saturday.

Prop Walker, who has been plagued by injuries since his last outing in December 2022, joins Jamie Bhatti and Grant Stewart in a new-look front row as head coach Franco Smith revamps the side that defeated Zebre two weeks ago.

Also coming in for the game against Bulls in Pretoria are Sebastian Cancelliere, who is favoured over Kyle Rowe in the back three, with George Horne and Tom Jordan combining at half-back.

Scott Cummings and Gregor Brown are the preferred second-row pairing, with Matt Fagerson, fit-again Rory Darge and Jack Dempsey making up the back row.

Having recovered from injury, Johnny Matthews takes a place on the bench.

Smith's side are four points clear at the top of the URC standings with three games remaining and complete their South Africa trip against Lions next weekend.

Glasgow: McKay, Steyn (C), McDowall, Tuipulotu, Cancelliere, Jordan, Horne; Bhatti, Stewart, Walker, Brown, Cummings, M. Fagerson, Darge, Dempsey

Replacements: Matthews, McBeth, Z. Fagerson, Williamson, Ferrie, Venter, Dobie, Weir.

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Head coach Sean Everitt believes Edinburgh have coped "incredibly well" with an extensive injury list and says it is not worth risking Emiliano Boffelli for Friday night's visit of Zebre.

Having returned from a five-game lay-off to face Cardiff last time out, Argentina full-back Boffelli is absent this weekend after a recurrence of his back spasms.

Alongside the likes of Harry Paterson and Darcy Graham, Boffelli is on an injury list that has reached double figures.

“Injuries sometimes are out of your control, you’ve got to deal with what you’ve got, and I think the backs we have at the moment have coped incredibly well and been resilient in fitting in wherever they’ve been needed to fit in," said Everitt.

"He [Boffelli] played in the Cardiff game and did really well, then he came off that game a few days later and the back started playing up again.

"I think it’s important for us to rest him this week so that he can make a full recovery to be ready for selection next week.

“The risk in him playing this week would be that he might not be able to take the field against Munster - and for that matter against Benetton.

"So we’ll give him as much time as we can to get him back to full recovery, especially with the schedule that we have."

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Glasgow Warriors fly-half Duncan Weir says playing for his boyhood team is a “big burden” but “one that you cherish”.

Weir worked his way up from Glasgow's minis and Under-16 ranks to earn a professional contract and make his professional debut at age 19.

Now in his second spell with the club, Glasgow stalwart Weir said: “It was a surreal experience [playing for Glasgow] after being a fan for so long and going to games and watching.

“From a kid playing at half-time, then going up the age grade ranks. It’s a pretty special feeling.

“That burden maybe weighed you down at times, as you can probably imagine, but it also gives you so much inspiration and it’s a special feeling as well.

“It was also a huge learning curve for me. When you first come in you’re kind of naive to a lot of things. You just went out and played the game.

"You wanted to make sure you have done yourself proud but you also had a wee chip on your shoulder because you wanted to ‘earn your stripes’ and make sure you can make the cut at that level.

“Once you’re established then you kind of lose that but it’s now come full circle and I’ve kind of tapped into that after being at Worcester. You kind of feel like you have to get that respect back from the Glaswegians again.”

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Scotland playmaker Finn Russell starts for Bath against Newcastle on Friday after a "significant groin injury" sidelined him for five weeks.

The 31-year-old sustained the injury during Bath's Champions Cup defeat by Exeter on 6 April.

Russell's Scotland team-mate Cameron Redpath will also start in the centre for the first time since recovering from an ankle ligament injury.

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Head coach Sean Everitt is calling for Edinburgh to be "accurate in all departments" as they look to avoid a shock against Zebre and maintain their play-off push.

Edinburgh currently sit ninth in the race for a top-eight finish, but are just a point adrift of three teams, with three rounds of fixtures remaining.

“Our destiny is still in our own hands," said Everitt, whose side missed out on a bonus point with a 24-7 win at Cardiff in their previous outing.

"We need to move on and make sure that we put in a good performance on Friday.

"What we need to do is focus on us, and make sure that we’re accurate in all departments whether it be in defence or attack."

Zebre prop up the URC standings but Everitt is taking nothing for granted.

"We know what they’re going to bring - the Italians are always emotional, and regardless of where they play, what they play and who they play against, they’re always difficult opposition," he said.

"I think it comes down to soft moments. They don’t give you much on how they attack. They use their maul effectively to play from, and generally they’re quite conservative, and they defend really well and they’re aggressive off the line. So they force you into making mistakes.

“They’ve had some really tight results, especially at home, and certainly their results away have been improving.”

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Emiliano Boffelli drops out through injury as Edinburgh make two changes for the crucial URC home game with Zebre on Friday night.

The Argentina international has suffered a recurrence of his back injury and his absence means Matt Currie shifts to the wing, with Mark Bennett coming in at outside centre.

Viliame Mata starts ahead of Luke Crosbie at the back of the scrum.

With three games remaining, Edinburgh are currently a point outside the play-off spots.

Edinburgh: Goosen, Currie, Bennett, Lang, van der Merwe, Healy, Price; Schoeman, Ashman, Nel, Skinner, Gilchrist (C), Ritchie, Watson, Mata

Replacements: Cherry, Venter, Sebastian, Sykes, Crosbie, Vellacott, Scott, Dean.

It's finally here. A trip to South Africa and the most gruelling and demanding two weeks of the season.

By 19 May we will know what is at stake and what will be needed in the final week of the season to finish as near to the top of the URC as possible.

As the team fly out there is a few things we know for certain. South African teams are immense at home, they play fast and attacking rugby and they hit hard.

The destiny of the season is loosely in the hands of the Warriors. Big performing players were rested last time out and you’d expect Jack Dempsey, Matt Fagerson and Rory Darge to come back into the pack.

One thing I think helps us against these sides is how comfortable several of our players are under the high ball.

Kyle Steyn, Josh McKay and even Kyle Rowe take the ball incredibly well under pressure.

It's not make or break, but how incredible would it be to have Glasgow finishing top of the standings? If they are to do so, they need to come through these two weeks unscathed.