Scottish Rugby

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Italy back-row Sebastian Negri believes Scotland will be out to avenge their loss to the Azzurri in Rome last year when they begin their Six Nations campaign at Murrayfield on Saturday.

A 31-29 loss at the Stadio Olimpico ended Scotland's title hopes in the 2024 tournament and Negri believes that will fuel Gregor Townsend's side.

"We know Scotland will be hurting from that," Negri said.

"We know they've talked about putting things right and a bit of revenge, so we've got to expect that."

As well as beating the Scots, Italy drew with France and beat Wales in last season's championship and there is a feeling that after years of consistently being the weakest side in the tournament, Gonzalo Quesada's team are now ready to compete.

"I feel like we're in a really good cycle at the moment," Negri added.

"Obviously, we've been through ups and downs as a team. But I feel like this is a really good Italian team to be a part of. We can't shy away from that.

"And it's a different challenge for us now. With the cycle and where we are as a team, we've got to put in some performances and get some results. That's an exciting thing to be a part of.

"We're under no illusions. We know it's going to be a tough game. I looked at their team yesterday. I just see a really quality team there. Full of depth.

"You say that maybe Italy are probably in one of their better cycles, that we're a really good team. I look at Scotland and I can say exactly the same."

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Former Scotland number eight Johnnie Beattie says the current side is "the best I've seen" but that success in this year's Six Nations "would be a top-three finish".

Scotland, who get under way against Italy at Murrayfield on Saturday, are without injured captain Sione Tuipulotu for the championship.

"This is the best Scottish side I've seen", Beattie told BBC Sport. "It is the best-coached side and in terms of talent the best since they won the last Five Nations in 1999. However, other sides have a greater depth of talent.

"Tuipulotu has been our brightest spark over the last three years with the way he challenges the gainline physically and brings Huw Jones on to the ball with short passes.

"It will be a huge opportunity for Stafford McDowall, who operated at a high level in the autumn. He knows his role as it is similar to how Glasgow play.

"Success for Scotland would be a top-three finish."

Beattie has picked out Darcy Graham - absolutely electric on the wing" - as his player to watch and is backing Jonny Gray to be a Lions bolter.

"After pretty much two years out of the game he has come back this year for Bordeaux and been just incessant in the way he plays the game," Beattie said. "He doesn't miss tackles and is always in the game."

Read more Six Nations predictions

We asked for your thoughts after Scotland named their team to face Italy in the first round of the Six Nations on Saturday.

Here's the best of what you had to say:

Nathan: For many years Scotland have struggled to compete with the big teams in the front five. While we have a decent group starting, we lack depth at hooker, tight-head and second row. Could be a long Six Nations!

Steven: As strong a side that Scotland can put out, looking to get the campaign off to as good a start as possible. Dave Cherry might be seen as a surprise inclusion but for my money he's the best lineout thrower we have and might be in there to try and get our set-piece ticking over. The physicality that Ewan Ashman brings might not be needed for this game.

Paul: It's not our optimal side, but Gregor Townsend has striven to build depth and strengthen the mental fragility that was clear in the close shave against Wales and the loss to Italy. Big strides have been made if the performances in the autumn are anything to go by. If the coaches believe the players are fit they should have the skill and mental capacity to win.

Andy: A similar situation at hooker to the days where John Allan and Kenny Milne shared the position. Milne was for me the better all round player but Allan seemed to be an SRU favourite. Ashman and Cherry have the nod ahead of Johnny Mathews and I'm dumbfounded why.

Stuart: Townsend seems determined to throw a curve ball every time Scotland play. Ali Price in the autumn series and now Cherry in the Six Nations. The trouble is history shows he invariably gets it wrong. He has had perhaps the strongest squad Scotland have had in many years but has failed to take them to the next level. This must be his swan song.

Brian: I like the Cherry selection but I'm perplexed at Jamie Ritchie's inclusion, although he did have a good game against Australia. For me, Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge and Dempsey should be the first-choice back row. Would love to have seen Rory Hutchinson at 12. Silky smooth and very effective.

Tom English and Andy Burke chat to Scottish Rugby's new CEO Alex Williamson, plus Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend discusses his team selection for Saturday's Scotland's Six Nations opener at Murrayfield.

Listen and subscribe to the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Gregor Townsend has been speaking to the media after naming his Scotland team to face Italy in Saturday's Six Nations opener at Murrayfield.

Here are the key points from the head coach:

• Townsend says he selected Dave Cherry over Ewan Ashman based on good form for Edinburgh and his stronger set-piece game.

• He adds: "We see a lot of positives in his game and how a lot of that work around contact allows others to play."

• Stafford McDowall has earned the 12 jersey in Sione Tuipulotu's absence. Townsend cites his impressive performance in Dublin last season when Tuipulotu was out injured and says: "Whenever he's been given the opportunity, whether on summer tour or November Test, he's really stepped. He's a very good player, Stafford, he'll bring his own strengths to the game."

• On Jonny Gray being ready for a first cap in two years despite not playing for six weeks: "What impressed us last week is that he trained fully and got up to speed really quickly."

• Darcy Graham - selected for his first Six Nations game since March 2022 - is "a big player for us" and has become a more rounded performer in the last year.

• Graham has as many assists as tries now and Townsend adds: "He wasn't very happy with his performances in November whereas we were and I'm sure the public were. He knows there's more in him and he's improved physically a lot."

• On the challenge Italy will pose: "They're a confident team in terms of the wins they've delivered together. They're a fit team, they play a brand of rugby which is very structured but also they have the individual talent and the ambition to move the ball wide and they'll be physical."

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

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The selection of Dave Cherry, uncapped since September 2023, for Scotland's Six Nations opener against Italy is a gobsmacking move from Gregor Townsend.

Cherry fell down the stairs of the Scotland team hotel in Nice during the World Cup, invalided himself out of the tournament and hasn't been seen since in the Test arena. Now he starts ahead of Ewan Ashman.

He's a solid operator, a good lineout thrower, a decent physical presence, but his inclusion is still a shock. He has rarely suggested he is a frontline Six Nations hooker.

Townsend has gone with a failing Edinburgh team's second and, occasionally, third-choice hooker ahead of Johnny Matthews, winner of the URC with Glasgow.

Matthews, of course, is not in the squad at all. Dylan Richardson, second choice during the autumn, is injured. It's all getting a bit surreal.

Darcy Graham makes a long-awaited return to championship rugby having, incredibly, not played a Six Nations game since March 2022. Stafford McDowall is at 12, as expected.

Jack Dempsey, undercooked, is on the bench for impact. Jonny Gray, also undercooked, starts.

Gray hasn't played in six weeks and has only had three games since the end of October. Where a few weeks ago all was well with this squad, now it's looking uncertain in too many areas.

Dave Cherry is a surprise starter for Scotland's Six Nations opener at home to Italy on Saturday.

The Edinburgh hooker and Bordeaux lock Jonny Gray both earn their first caps in two years, while Stafford McDowall replaces injured captain and Glasgow team-mate Sione Tuipulotu at inside centre.

Has Gregor Townsend got the big selection calls right?

Let us know your thoughts on the Scotland XV, external

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Alex Williamson did not seek out Mark Dodson for advice before taking on the job as Scottish Rugby's new chief executive, but he seems to have learned some lessons from his predecessor, such as not coming out the gate with eye-catching statements of intent.

Shortly after taking charge in 2011, Dodson set out a four-year strategy that included winning a Six Nations Grand Slam and the Rugby World Cup.

Williamson, on first impressions, is a character in stark contrast to the bullish Dodson. In his first session with the media he was keen to lay out an ambitious plan for the union, minus the any proclamations of world domination.

"I think we can be highly influential on the international stage," Williamson said on the BBC's Scotland Rugby Podcast.

"We can be very competitive from a playing perspective. I think our pathways can be good. And we can be outstanding at delivering the on-day experience, whether that be men's, women's, young players, or for just entertainment purposes.

"And if you can get all of those together, why can't you be the leading union? It doesn't mean you're necessarily winning the World Cup, but it does mean that you're recognised around the world as being absolutely top-drawer at what you do. And that's kind of what I'm after."

Williamson describes himself "relatively low ego" and confirmed his pay packet will be lower than the exorbitant salary and bonuses pocketed by his predecessor that so infuriated Scottish rugby fans.

Having been in the job just over a week, the CEO is still getting is feet under the table, but knows the big challenges awaiting in his in-tray.

Revamping Murrayfield is high on the list. Whether that is transforming the stadium and campus for sporting and cultural events to grow revenue, or simply sorting the more mundane and urgent priorities like fixing the toilets.

It all comes at a cost, and for a union that posted a £11.3m loss in their last set of published accounts, it is a challenge.

"We're not going to be able to do Murrayfield in one [go]. But sensible levels, as in fix stuff that doesn't work, and drive things that are going to improve our revenues, that's all do-able," Williamson said.

Sorting the business side of the operation is what Williamson has brought in to do, but what fans want to see is successful clubs and national team.

The strong sense is that performance director David Nucifora – "the big brain rugby IP that Scottish rugby needs", as Williamson describes him – has been given the keys to the entire rugby operation and the big decisions relating to on-field matters will rest with him.

Upgrading Murrayfield, financing the national sides and pro teams, diverting resources to the pathway, all against a brutally tough financial backdrop – Williamson has a big job on his hands.

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

Chris asked: Is confidence in Scotland's ability so fragile that the loss of Sione Tuipulotu shatters any possibility of success? There has been so much positive progress that there should be confidence.

Tom answered: Well, if you took Antoine Dupont out of the France side then that's a team that is dramatically weakened. Tuipulotu is Scotland's Dupont.

Tuipulotu is one of the best 12s in world rugby, so of course his loss is going to hurt hugely. In attack, defence and his smarts as a leader, his loss is a massive one.

But the hits to the confidence don't end there. Scott Cummings and Max Williamson are both very physical lock forwards and they're a big loss in a tournament where power usually wins.

Jonny Gray hasn't played in six weeks. Dylan Richardson, the reserve hooker, is out and his replacement, Dave Cherry, hasn't played a Test match since September 2023. Cherry will be on the bench against Italy. There's nobody else.

And there's no Josh Bayliss and no Andy Christie as bench options. It's really been a horrible preamble on many fronts.

Greg asked: Why are all international players not treated the same with regard to availability over international periods no matter where they play?

Tom answered: Deals can be done with certain clubs to rest players - the RFU pay the English clubs a lot of money for the privilege - but elsewhere it's entirely down to the club whether they want to do it. The more important the player the less likely they might be to rest him.

Bath are paying Finn Russell a fortune and had a big game on Sunday, so why should they rest their best player just because Scotland would like them to?

Gregor Townsend would love to have all these guys under SRU control, as is the case in Ireland, but the SRU can't afford it.

Hence, Josh Bayliss plays on Sunday and gets injured. There's not a lot that can be done about that.

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

David asked: Probably like many others I'm sure: Alexander Masibaka. Your thoughts on his selection and prospects?

Tom answered: I heard about it on Sunday night and we broke the story on here on Monday morning. Like most other people my first reaction was 'Who?'

I've only seen brief highlights online, the same as everybody else. He's big and powerful and looks pretty speedy, but we're looking at him playing in the French second tier.

It's a decent level (there's a Pro D2 player in the France squad) but I'm looking to hear from other players how he's shown up in training this week.

Scotland have plenty of depth at eight. Jack Dempsey, Josh Bayliss, Jack Mann, Matt Fagerson (when not playing six), Ben Muncaster, Magnus Bradbury. You could put Andy Christie in there without any worries.

Four of them are unavailable right now, so Masibaka is in. Unless he absolutely tears it up in training I can't see him being involved in the Six Nations. He's only 23, though. If he shows up well then we might see him in the Test arena one day.

Henry asked: Could we try Tom Jordan at 10 and Finn Russell at 12 on Saturday, with Huw Jones at 13? This would leave George Horne and Stafford McDowall as the two bench backs. Plenty of experience.

Tom answered: That would be pretty radical. I really think you need one of the best 10s in the world playing 10, especially given his experience and his cohesion with what is largely a very settled backline.

Russell's kicking, passing and running game can do more damage at 10 than anywhere else.

I'd go McDowall and Jones at 12-13. McDowall's physicality will be important. There's going to be some huge units running down that channel.

Jordan will be vital coming off the bench. His versatility gives Gregor Townsend the option to have a 6-2 if he wants it. Or if he has any fit forwards to fill it!

Adam asked: Ali Price has served Scotland very well, a great player in his day and his tactical nous is undoubtedly very good, but is his speed of delivery anywhere near where it needs to be, please?

Tom answered: I think it's a long road back for Price. He played against Fiji in the first match of the autumn and Townsend was bigging up his form at the time.

I thought he was over-egging the praise, to be honest. Price was an outstanding player and a Lion, but he hasn't been since that Fiji game and isn't in the Six Nations squad.

Ben White, George Horne and Jamie Dobie are all ahead of him. After that, it's Gus Warr, Price and Ben Afshar in whatever order you prefer. I wouldn't write him off, but he will be 32 in May and has traffic ahead of him.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Scotland defence coach Steve Tandy says last year's defeat in Rome is still fresh in the mind as the Scots prepare to host Italy in Saturday's Six Nations opener.

The loss at the Stadio Olimpico buried Scotland's title hopes last season and Tandy says his team are fully aware of the dangers in the Azzurri side.

"It's definitely been referenced around the learning," Tandy said of that defeat.

"It was an experience that we didn't like, weren't happy with, but I think we've grown.

"We put a performance in the week after, and ultimately we've had a good autumn, and we know how good Italy are. There's a lot of consistency around the boys playing for Treviso. You see the guys as well, some big players playing in France.

"So we know and totally respect what Italy do. They're a really good outfit, well-organised, well-drilled. So we know how we're going to have to put in a complete performance on Saturday."

Tandy confirmed that Duhan van der Merwe, Jonny Gray, Grant Gilchrist and Luke Crosbie all took part in training ahead of the match on Saturday.

With the opener against Italy this weekend fast approaching, injured fly-half Adam Hastings discusses Scotland's Six Nations hopes with Tom English and Andy Burke.

Listen to the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast

Sandy Smith
Fan writer

If Sergio Leone had watched Scarlets v Edinburgh he may have called his legendary spaghetti western, The Good, the Bad and the Piardi.

Let's start with the bad. Edinburgh's discipline was as poor as I've seen it for quite some time. Four penalties conceded in the first 13 minutes gave Scarlets a 6-0 leg up without them barely having stretched off.

In that same period Sam Lousi charged down an Ali Price box kick. I was aware that was something he was known for. He did it about four times to Charlie Shiel the last time we visited Parc y Scarlets. Price wasn't looking and neither was he paying attention later in the game when he missed the ball shooting out from a scrum just inside our 22.

Needless costly penalties were conceded by senior players including Sam Skinner, Glen Young, Hamish Watson, and an obstruction on our own try line by Tom Dodd led straight to Scarlets' last try.

The Piardi part has two aspects. The first is we should be able to adapt to his foibles. I'll just highlight a couple of examples of those from the closing stages that probably cost us as a team.

On 63 minutes Edinburgh were attacking close to Scarlets' line and he called, "Advantage - don't play the nine", as a Scarlets player grabbed a hold of Price over the top of the ruck. The attack was disrupted and ended with a Scarlets lineout.

With seven minutes left he awarded Edinburgh a scrum penalty around the halfway line. Scarlets loosehead Alec Hepburn started jumping up and down, gesticulating and shouting at Piardi. Sanction? Nothing.

The good? Two bonus points is definitely a positive and it was encouraging in the wider sense that despite everything that was going against us that we kept fighting.

There was another strong showing from Lewis Wells before he was injured and the likes of Rob Carmichael, Tom Currie and especially Harri Morris all showed up well.

Ultimately if you mention a 10-hour bus trip and say it's not an excuse then, I'm sorry, that's exactly what it is. The two points may turn out to be valuable but it's like being happy you've got candles when the power is out.

After 10 games we have 24 points. At this stage last year we were on 34. Improvement?

Sandy Smith can be found at The Burgh Watch, external

Grant Young
Fan writer

The storm may have passed but Glasgow and Connacht dealt with all the seasons in the rescheduled game on Sunday afternoon.

Gale-force winds, sleet, snow and rain battered the players and left both teams looking like they would rather be anywhere other than Scotstoun.

It's often spoken of how depleted Glasgow are during these international windows, where squad depth and talent are really tested.

Add into the mix the amount of injuries Franco Smith is dealing with and it could cause a real headache. However, there is something about this squad. Ollie Smith played his first 80 but as 13 not at full-back and yet again Glasgow had three hookers in the 23.

The stiff wind on Sunday made it a real tricky game for place kicking and clearing territory in general. Connacht started brighter but Glasgow roared back and two scores from Sebastian Cancelliere paved the way for victory.

Player of the game Ben Afshar looked a veteran as he marshalled the Glasgow team throughout. He scored a marvellous try but, like George Horne and Jamie Dobie, he continually makes brilliant support runs and looks to be working hard on his kicking game too. A bright future awaits the youngster.

His game-time may be restricted at present but it won't be long before he is knocking at the door of both Smith and Gregor Townsend and earning that playing time.

Glasgow at this break in the season sit second in the URC and a home tie with Leicester Tigers in the Champions Cup last 16 also awaits. A successful start to 2025.

As the start of the Six Nations edges even closer, there's plenty to talk about in the world of Scottish Rugby.

Got any burning questions to put to our rugby writers Tom English and Andy Burke? Send them in via this link, external and they will be answered on this page later in the week.

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Duncan Weir has praised his Glasgow Warriors teammates for their narrow URC victory over Connacht on Sunday in "horrible" conditions.

33-year-old Weir led out the team as captain for the first time in their 22-19 victory and insists that the Warriors learnt from their "hard loss" against Harlequins last weekend.

"I think after last week, it was a hard loss. We played well in certain areas of our game, but we missed some opportunities," said Weir.

"I think our endeavour to try and play good positive rugby was there.

"Even tonight, the conditions were horrible and cold, but we came into this game with the right mindset of playing the Glasgow way and we definitely did that in tonight's game.

"I'm just really proud of the boys' efforts.

"For guys that maybe don't get a lot of opportunities, to maybe go and front up, and win a really tight game against a quality opposition.

"It's huge for the club and it's huge for their morale, we will have some time off, and that time off will be a lovely big cheeser on our face which is always nice."