Scottish Rugby

BBC Scotland's chief sportswriter Tom English has been answering your Scottish rugby questions.

Steven asked: Who do you have as Scotland's first choice pairing at lock? We've seen a lot of change here over the years with no one commanding a regular spot, and how much is this affecting our lineouts? Based on what I've seen our poor lineout form is as much to do with the jumpers/lift as it is the throws from the hooker.

Tom answered: We had a chat about this on radio after the Portugal game. Scotland lost five lineouts that day. It was a pack that had never played together before, so you have to factor that in, but it's an issue for sure.

Losing Richie Gray was a blow because he was Scotland's best lineout forward, as well as being a huge man. In fairness, at his age, he probably only had another season left in him anyway.

I asked the Scotland management about Jonny Gray's availability for the Six Nations but they didn't know his status.

Of the ones definitely available I'd probably go with Grant Gilchrist (knowledgeable people keep telling me he's vital to the lineout) and Scott Cummings, but Max Williamson is coming up on the rails now and it'll be neck and neck before very long.

There are some good young ones now. Alex Samuel and, if he can get himself fit, Cameron Henderson are both excellent prospects. I also want to see more of Ewan Johnson, who's only 25.

BBC Scotland's chief sportswriter Tom English has been answering your Scottish rugby questions.

Ian asked: With both Ali Price and Tom Jordan leaving Scotland at the end of the season I worry, given the financial situation, that more may join them. Am I right to worry?

Tom answered: Losing Jordan to Bristol was a particularly sore one because I suspect if Glasgow were quicker on the draw they could have kept him without breaking the bank. I think he was one Scotland could have held on to as opposed to a Finn Russell or a Blair Kinghorn who were impossible to keep.

France is where the real money is these days. French rugby is a bit of an outlier in that it's in pretty rude health in a financial sense. I can see a few more going over there. Price, obviously. Duhan van der Merwe, too.

I don't think it'll be an exodus but there are good players in Scotland and they'll get offers. Some will be sad losses, others less.

I think right now, Van der Merwe would fall into the latter category. Edinburgh don't get enough out of him to justify what will be a major spend. They might be better off using the money to strengthen in a couple of positions.

In one sense, players leaving is grim news because the better these guys do the harder it will be for Glasgow and Edinburgh to keep them. In another sense, it frees up space for younger ones to come through. It's the circle of rugby life.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Mosese Tuipulotu says his first appearance in Scotland colours will be "pretty emotional" after his grandmother paid a surprise visit from Australia to cheer on him and brother Sione this weekend.

Glasgow centre Sione will captain Scotland in their final Autumn Test against Australia on Sunday, while Mosese will get his first taste of international rugby for Scotland A against Chile on Saturday.

The brothers had been unaware their grandmother Jaqueline Thomson had flown from Australia for the matches and she surprised the pair at the national stadium earlier this week.

"It was actually a massive surprise just because me and my brother didn't know anything about it," Mosese said.

"They did pretty well to keep it under wraps, but it was a pretty emotional one also just because when I left back home to say goodbye and move over here for rugby, you never quite know when you're going to see your family again.

"It was a very special moment just to see my gran again."

Mosese has relished his first involvement with the Scotland set-up this month, and admits he has seen a new side of Sione in his role as national team captain.

"It's quite strange just because, you know, he's my brother," he said.

"You're so used to hanging out with him outside of rugby and mucking around with him, but I've seen kind of a different side of him in here.

"Just the level of leadership he's shown has been pretty huge. I guess I've kind of learned a bit off him both on and off the field on how to conduct yourself as a professional."

Matt Taylor, a former defence coach for Scotland and Australia, give his prediction for Saturday's meeting at Murrayfield.

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A Scottish derby between Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors kicks off the 2024-25 Celtic Challenge next month.

The match at Hive Stadium on Friday, 20 December (19:35 GMT) opens the cross-border competition that features six teams, including Ireland's Wolfhounds and Clovers plus Welsh sides Gwalia Lightning and Brython Thunder.

The format has been expanded to 10 rounds of games this year - the third edition of the tournament - with teams now playing each other home and away.

The reverse fixture between the Scottish sides takes place at Scotstoun on 15 February.

Edinburgh placed second in the six-team group last season, while Glasgow finished bottom without a win.

All the Celtic Challenge fixtures., external

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Australia centre Samu Kerevi is out of Sunday's Autumn Test against Scotland at Scottish Gas Murrayfield after being given a three-game ban for a dangerous tackle in the win over Wales.

Kerevi, who made his 50th Test appearance for the Wallabies at the Principality Stadium last Sunday, was initially yellow carded for foul play on Wales' Jac Morgan before it was upgraded to red early in the second half.

The red card was upheld when the 31-year-old appeared before an independent three-member disciplinary committee on Tuesday.

The committee imposed a six-week mid-range ban on Kerevi, later reduced to three weeks due to mitigating circumstances.

"In light of the player accepting he committed an act of foul play as well as other mitigating factors such as his clean disciplinary record, his remorse and good conduct, they have applied the full 50% reduction in sanction, thus reducing the final sanction to three weeks/matches," a statement said.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Matt Currie says the Scotland A squad are "loving" working under head coach Pete Horne as they gear up to face Chile.

The Edinburgh centre made his home Test debut against Portugal last weekend and will get another chance to don a Scotland jersey when the shadow national team take to the field at Hive Stadium on Saturday.

Currie will start in the less familiar position of wing and will hope to replicate his try-scoring appearance for the Test Scotland side in their victory over Chile in Santiago in July.

And he says working under Horne, who is combining his coaching duties with the national team while also leading the A squad, has been a valuable experience.

"Pete's great," Currie said. "It's not long since he stopped playing and he definitely brings that energy and creativity to his role, which I enjoy.

"Our attack hopefully looks pretty exciting in the games. I think he's a massive part of that, what he brings, that creativity.

"He's diligent in what he does as well. He's there for the boys and we all love his coaching style."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Head coach Pete Horne says the internationals he has selected to play for Scotland A against Chile on Saturday have responded "brilliantly" despite being overlooked for the national team's showdown with Australia on Sunday.

The likes of Stafford McDowall, Jamie Dobie and Jamie Bhatti would have been in contention to take on the Wallabies in Scotland's final match of the Autumn Nations Series, but instead will play for the shadow national side at Hive Stadium the day before.

"Those three especially will have been desperate to be involved against Australia," Horne told the BBC's Scotland Rugby Podcast.

"It wouldn't be right if they weren't. They've got every right to be disappointed that they're getting ready to play against Chile, but then we just flipped it on how we use that as an opportunity.

"These guys have got a chance to show the coach, he's made a mistake, actually we should have been playing on Sunday.

"So if you leave a lasting impression on Saturday there's a chance that come Six Nations, 100% we will still be talking about how guys performed in this match."

Saturday's match will be viewed as a curtain-raiser for the main event at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on Sunday, but Horne has challenged his team to deliver a performance that gets people talking.

"I think any time the A team are playing, it's normally always a really good home crowd," said Horne, who is combining his head coach role with assisting Gregor Townsend with the full Scotland squad this autumn.

"It's a little bit more personal, isn't it? A little bit closer to the action. It'd be brilliant if we can all turn up and get a really good crowd for them.

"Just because we're the support act this weekend, there's no reason that we can't steal the show and have everyone talking about our game and our performance. That's what we're selling to the boys."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Head coach Pete Horne has named his Scotland A side to take on Chile at Hive Stadium on Saturday, which includes 12 internationals.

Fresh from becoming Scotland's youngest male Test player since 1963 with an appearance off the bench against Portugal last weekend, Freddy Douglas is selected in the back row alongside Ben Muncaster, who also made his Test debut last Saturday.

Stafford McDowall captained his country and scored in the Portugal victory, and he will lead the second string this weekend.

That means he is almost certainly ruled out of playing for the full national side against Australia on Sunday, and some others who may well have felt they were in contention to face the Wallabies will instead have to make do with running out for the A team.

Mosese Tuipulotu, younger brother of Scotland captain Sione, will make his first appearance at any level in Scotland colours, having signed for Edinburgh over the summer.

Jamie Bhatti, who scored his first Scotland try against Portugal, starts at the Hive in the front row alongside Gregor Hiddleston and D'Arcy Rae.

Marshall Sykes and Ewan Johnson of Oyannax are the locks, with vice-captain Tom Dodd completing the back row.

Jamie Dobie, who many felt would be the replacement scrum-half at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on Sunday, starts at 9 and is vice-captain, which suggests Gregor Townsend will go with Ali Price or George Horne as back-up to Ben White against the Aussies.

Ross Thompson is in at 10, while Arron Reed starts at full-back after scoring two tries against Portugal on his home international debut.

Ross McCann and Matt Currie make up the back three.

Scotland A: Reed, Currie, Tuipulotu, McDowall, McCann, Thompson, Dobie; Bhatti, Hiddleston, Rae, Sykes, Johnson, Dodd, Douglas, Muncaster.

Replacements: Morris, Jones, Richardson, Oguntibeju, McConnell, Afshar, Healy, Brown.

Three down, one to go.

Scotland have enjoyed two victories in their Autumn Nations Series so far, either side of that battling loss to the Boks.

The Wallabies are in the capital this weekend as Gregor Townsend's side look to close out 2024 on a high.

With Australia in mind, as well as the win against Portugal on Saturday, what would you like to ask our rugby writers Tom English and Andy Burke?

Send them in via this link, external, external and they will be answered on this page later in the week.

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

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Bayliss in pole position to replace Dempsey

The Portugal game was, in part, a trial to see who was going to take over from the injured Jack Dempsey for the Wallabies game on Sunday. Gregor Townsend could put Luke Crosbie in at six and move Matt Fagerson to eight or he could just put in Ben Muncaster as a direct replacement for Dempsey.

The probability, though, is that Josh Bayliss has cemented his place in the starting line-up against the Wallabies. The big Bath number eight was decent against Portugal, showing power and pace in scoring a try, his third for Scotland in nine Tests. He doesn't have Dempsey's manic carrying ability, but has a bit of dynamism about him and he looks to be the one for Australia.

McDowall, Hutchinson, Reed - lucky and unlucky

All three players were really good against Portugal and all three are fine rugby players who, in a different landscape, would win a ton of caps. They'll win plenty more, you'd hope, but their misfortune is to be around in a time of plenty for Scotland.

Stafford McDowall and Rory Hutchinson are competing with Scotland’s best midfield partnership (Huwipulotu) since Gregor Townsend and John Leslie a quarter of a century ago.

Arron Reed is up against the best collection of Scottish wings possibly ever. An absolute flying machine, he has now scored four tries in three Tests (what more can he do?) but he's probably sixth choice behind Duhan van der Merwe, Darcy Graham, Kyle Steyn, Blair Kinghorn and Kyle Rowe.

All three are delighted to be in the mix, but you feel for them at the same time.

Callow Scottish lineout struggled, but…

Scotland lost five lineouts against Portugal, which is an unacceptable number. Was it the throw, the lift, the catcher, the movement on the floor, the timing in the air? So many moving parts, so many things that can go wrong. You wouldn't expect them to go so badly wrong against Portugal, though.

There is nuance to this, of course. The lineout personnel had never played with each other before. One of the stats of the day was that Jamie Bhatti had more caps than the other seven starting Scottish forwards put together. Four of the seven had four caps or fewer. Two were uncapped.

So, unfamiliarity would have been an issue. Grant Gilchrist and Scott Cummings will return against the Wallabies, along with Ewan Ashman and hopefully security out of touch will return with them for what promises to be a thrilling finale to Scotland's autumn.

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Arron Reed says scoring his first tries at Murrayfield was "a dream" after he crossed the whitewash twice in Scotland's 59-21 win over Portugal.

On his first home Scotland appearance, Reed score twice in the second half as Gregor Townsend’s men ran in nine tries.

"I was lucky enough to score two but scoring the first one was obviously amazing," said the Sale Sharks winger.

"It's a dream isn't it, scoring for Scotland, but scoring at Murrayfield makes it even better. I can't really describe it in words to be fair, but it was good."

With the likes of Darcy Graham, Duhan van der Merwe, Kyle Rowe and Blair Kinghorn - not to mention the injured Kyle Steyn - all competing for wing spots, Reed says it's important to maximise every opportunity he gets in a Scotland jersey.

"I've been in the past three camps and the campaigns have been good. I didn't get a chance in the Six Nations, but obviously I got a chance in the summer.

"Getting these chances and scoring tries, you're obviously putting your name out there, but there's obviously lads are ahead of me at the moment who were obviously playing really well.

"It's really good competition. We're making each other better, but it's good to get my name out there."

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Ben Muncaster says Darcy Graham is a "generational talent" after the winger’s try against Portugal saw him draw level with Duhan van der Merwe as Scotland's record try scorer.

Muncaster made his Test debut as the Scots ran in nine tries to win 59-21 at Murrayfield despite a dogged performance from the visitors.

Graham notched his 29th international try in his 41st Scotland appearance, and Muncaster was full of praise for his Edinburgh team-mate.

"He's just absolute world-class," the back-rower said.

"He's a generational talent and to be in the same team as him is an absolute privilege.

"Sometimes he just does those things which no one else can do."

Having got his first taste of international rugby Muncaster is keen to get more, whether that is representing Scotland A against Chile on Saturday or taking on the Wallabies in Scotland's final match of the Autumn Nations Series at Murrayfield next Sunday.

"Even though this was a special day for me and my family, I want to push on, I want to get as many caps as I possibly can," said the 23-year-old.

"Whether I play in the Australia or the Chile game, I'm going to give it my absolute all and hit the ground running a bit more. I've got some game time in the national shirt, so yeah, I can't wait."

We asked for your thoughts on Scotland's 59-21 win against Portugal.

Here's what some of you had to say:

John: Disappointed to see Tom Jordon getting in to Scottish rugby, then upping sticks to move to Bristol. We need to keep players in Scotland to have proper strength and success.

Mark: An enjoyable carnival atmosphere at Murrayfield, but it doesn't really feel as if anyone really put their hand up to seriously challenge the established XV. Probably explains why Jordan got the man of the match award. It's a totally different Test next week.

Anon: That was a B side by Scotland who played well, scrappy at times, but a team that has never played together. A lot of young players for the future. Some big forwards which was nice to see. Portugal were good to a point, they like to run and have the ball in hand.

Ed: Why is Duhan van der Merwe still seen by so many, including some pundits, as the go-to winger? He's a fantastic finisher, but Darcy Graham creates more for himself and for others and is much harder to nullify entirely from the game. Don't Graham, Kyle Steyn, Kyle Rowe, Blair Kinghorn all bring better skills and more gifts to the backline?

Henry: Great to be able to say after another big win, with nine tries, that there is room for improvement! The new recruits all fitted in well. Next week will be a real test. Congrats to Portugal for having a go.

John: Scotland have now got so much depth on the wing with Graham, Duhan, Kinghorn, Steyn, Rowe and Arron Reed. I feel sorry for them that they are amazing players but won't get much game time in big matches.

Graeme: Once we could rely on the lineout, now it's a major concern. None of our hookers have a reliable throw, which is a huge worry with the Six Nations looming. Glad Darcy got himself a try, deserves everything he gets, he's a better all round winger/player than Duhan.

David: Why was Johnny Matthews ignored in the way that he was when Patrick Harrison was having a terrible game? Gregor Townsend is beginning to embarrass himself.

Jamie: Scotland played well but have to be more resilient and less complacent. Some of the tries Portugal scored could easily have been denied with some simple defence.

Iain: What a poor performance. Our set piece was a shambles with Portugal dominating scrum and lineout. Furthermore we had no shape and were directionless. Only Josh Bayliss in the forwards and Jordan and Rory Hutchinson achieved pass marks. Our strength in depth is not as deep as we thought and the coaching team has a lot of questions to answer.

Darcy Graham equalled Duhan van der Merwe's Scotland try-scoring record in a comfortable nine-try victory over Portugal at Murrayfield.

What did you make of the game, Scotland fans?

Who impressed you? What did you, and Gregor Townsend, learn about the team? And who stuck their hand up for next week?

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Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend told Sportsound: "I thought [Portugal] were really good, they brought line speed in defence.

"They were physical and if a team plays ambitious rugby, there'll be times when they break you. They were very fit. Sometimes you wear a team down and space opens up more, but they kept on going.

"We're pleased with the result. There'll be areas where we can improve but credit to Portugal for being a tough opponent today. We had to work out what the defence was doing, and it worked our way. We worked hard, created extra numbers.

"We didn't kick on as much in the second half, didn't have as much possession, we're frustrated we kicked the ball away in the 22 a few times. It was a solid performance.

"Really pleased for those playing for Scotland at Murrayfield for the very first time, those making their first caps. You could see how committed they were and they put their bodies on the line."

"[Tom Jordan] is learning all the time about fullback, today he got the ball in more space so it's how he links up with those around him and he did that well."

"Most of the guys got through the game, Alex Samuel failed his HIA. Hopefully he'll make a quick recovery. Everyone else seems good so that's a positive.

"We've had some really good games against Australia over the last few years, tight games mainly. They play rugby too, Joe Schmidt's teams always try and keep possession.

"Last week [against England] showed they can offload, through one individual in particular! This week they have [Samu] Kerevi and [Will] Skelton back. They're a quality side with all the players they wanted to select available. We know they're a top five side and we'll have to play our best rugby to win."