Scottish Rugby

Former Lion Andy Nicol joins Andy Burke and Tom English to discuss Thursday's upcoming squad announcement and which Scots might make the cut.

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Sandy Smith
Fan writer

In an alternate reality the opening 10 minutes of Edinburgh v Bath goes like this.

Ali Price continues to chase his kick and thanks to a fortunate bounce touches down. Ross Thompson kicks the conversion.

Harry Paterson doesn't get injured. A few minutes later, buoyed by that earlier successful kick, Thompson slots a relatively easy penalty.

As a result, there is no dropped high ball from the 22 dropout or a penalty given away at the scrum and Bath don't score.

Boom. Ten-point swing right there and the game maybe takes on a different complexion.

The injury to Paterson was the most hurtful of those incidents. Not because he would have made us 15 points better over the 80 minutes, but his departure meant our backline was disrupted.

Mosese Tuipulotu came on at 12 and James Lang moved out to 13 with Matt Currie taking the wing slot. He's done well on the wing when required but the movement of Lang from 12, where he's been influential and a good link for Thompson, kind of put the brakes on a backline that felt like it lacked cohesion thereafter.

Our lack of discipline and accuracy were the issues we never really overcame. Two incidents sum it up.

The first being on the run-up to Bath's second try. An overthrow on the 5m line resulted in a tap back and then a knock-on. We never got out of that corner until Bath scored through Tom Dunn.

The second being at the restart after Edinburgh's first penalty try of the season. Javan Sebastian got pinged for obstruction. That penalty was followed by another three as the relentless forward power of Bath kept us cornered.

Sam Skinner was then yellow carded and any advantage from the Bath yellow evaporated without Edinburgh even getting out of their own half.

Ultimately this was about power. All six Bath tries came from forwards. Bath won 119 rucks to Edinburgh's 39, and nine of the top 10 tacklers in the match were in Edinburgh colours.

It wasn't the prettiest of ways to win a match but it was highly effective and as hard as Edinburgh worked in defence, it wasn't enough.

I'm disappointed but not crestfallen. We were in the game right up to the 75th minute. We'll be back and probably pretty soon.

Sandy Smith can be found at The Burgh Watch, external

As usual on a Monday, we're giving you the chance to put your burning rugby questions about the game in Scotland to our reporters, Tom English and Andy Burke.

Whether it's reflecting on Edinburgh's defeat to Bath, previewing the Lions squad announcement on Thursday or anything in between, our team are primed.

Send your questions via this link and they'll be answered on this page later on in the week.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Edinburgh go down fighting

Edinburgh, sitting 10th in the URC table, were always going to be up against it to topple the English Premiership leaders, but at least they went down fighting.

Sean Everitt after the game bemoaned his side's lack of accuracy and that was a contributing factor. The bigger reason for defeat is they were simply up against a better side.

Edinburgh were under the pump for much of the match and it's to their credit they managed to stay in the fight as long as they did.

Tries from Mosese Tuipulotu, Ali Price and the penalty try all came from sharp attacking play, but those moments came against the run of play as Bath forced the hosts into a defensive rearguard action for long spells.

Nobody can accuse Edinburgh of not giving it their all. They were simply outgunned.

Bath power tells in the end

There was a sense throughout that as heroic as the Edinburgh defensive effort was, the Bath power would take its toll in the end and that's exactly how it panned out.

Not until Niall Annett's try on 75 minutes did the visitors finally shake off the Edinburgh challenge.

The Bath bench brought an intensity that ultimately made the difference, with Annett and Alfie Barbeary both contributing tries after entering the fray in the second half.

Edinburgh lived with the Bath power as long as they could, but not for the full 80.

Crucial games to save season

Edinburgh's season now hangs in the balance. The chance of European glory has gone, and with it so does any realistic hope of winning silverware.

Now they must find a way into the URC play-offs to salvage anything from their campaign.

They are currently two points and two places outside the play-off spots, with matches away to Connacht and at home to Ulster to come. Edinburgh need to finish with a bang and hope for favourable results elsewhere.

Missing out on the top eight for the third season running would be a disaster.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Head coach Sean Everett says a lack of accuracy was Edinburgh's undoing as they were knocked out of the Challenge Cup at the semi-final stage by Finn Russell's Bath.

Edinburgh were under pressure for most of the game but stayed in the fight through tries from Mosese Tuipulotu, Ali Price and a penalty try.

It was only when Bath went over for their fifth and sixth tries from Niall Annett and Guy Pepper in the closing stages that the Premiership leaders pulled away for a 39-24 win to book their place in the final.

"We were confident going into the game that we could win it, I thought we prepared really well," Everett told BBC Scotland.

"Unfortunately we just weren't as accurate as we should have been. Things in the game over the season we were really strong at let us down. I think eventually it's hard to keep a powerful team like that out, so it does have its toll.

"I thought the guys were unbelievably good at defending the try-line and that stint off to half time between 43 and 55 minutes, we kept them out. They had to go and change their strategy. I'm proud of them with regards to that.

"We spoke about the threat of Finn Russell before, but we managed to contain them in phase. Unfortunately, they got over us with a power game and that's what they had to turn to. It's what they're good at."

Edinburgh fans, we asked for your views on the Challenge Cup defeat to Bath.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Matthew: Brilliant performance by Edinburgh for 75 mins of the game then Bath upped the anti to push it out of reach. You can see that Edinburgh's performances of late (apart from the Zebre game) are improving, but the downfall is that it's too late. They should have been playing like this all season and not when it matters most.

Scott: Scottish clubs will always have a good show against English clubs but the English clubs' ability to buy quality players is what separates them.

David: Once Edinburgh got into the lead with the penalty try and yellow card in their favour, they should've kicked on. Instead, their predictable indiscipline reappeared: Javan Sebastian who conceded vital field position on Bath's restart and Sam Skinner whose absence resulted in two killer tries (brainless after ref's warning!). Key job of the new coach (yes!) is kick backsides and sort out discipline.

Ian: Bath were the better team. Congrats.

Bath kept their hopes of a domestic and European double on track by beating Edinburgh to seal their place in the Challenge Cup final.

The hosts were looking to cement their place in a European final for the first time since 2015 but fell just short.

What did you make of the game, Edinburgh fans? Did anyone impress? And are you confident for the remainder of the season?

Let us know your thoughts here.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Sean Everitt acknowledged the size of Edinburgh's task against Bath this weekend, as they try and beat "the best in England" to seal a place in the Challenge Cup final.

The capital club have not made it to a European final for 10 years, since they lost to Gloucester in 2015, and now need to beat the side who are comfortably top of the Premiership, led by Finn Russell.

"It's a massive task for us, we know Bath are the form team in the Premiership by some way, they've put a lot of good teams to bed," head coach Everitt said.

"At the same time, we've got experienced players within our group, international players, so we're not daunted by the task ahead of us. It's going to be a great challenge to measure ourselves with the best in England."

Edinburgh will be buoyed by the fact it's a home semi-final, something they achieved by finishing top of their pool in the group stages.

"Every time we play at the Hive, we tend to feed off the energy of the crowd," Everitt added. "We've also got to give them something to cheer.

"The Sharks game was an example of how they get behind the team. Our team gets very motivated from the support they get. The Hive will be buzzing."

A further boost has been provided by the return of Jamie Ritchie, who some are tipping for a place on the British & Irish Lions tour with the squad announced next week.

"He went through some adversity post-World Cup, but it shows the character of the person, the personality of him - he's a fighter," Everitt said. "He got over that disappointment and put in really good performances in the URC.

"He was the turnover king in the URC last year and he's on a similar route this year. He's extended that form into international rugby as well. It's brilliant for him and we're very proud of what he's achieved."

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Edinburgh are able to welcome back five key players for the Challenge Cup semi-final clash with Bath on Saturday, as they aim to make their first European final since 2015.

Scotland stalwarts Pierre Schoeman, Ewan Ashman, Grant Gilchrist, and Jamie Ritchie all return to the forward pack, while full-back Wes Goosen is the only change in the backs.

His return allows Harry Paterson - who signed a new two-year deal earlier this week - to move to the wing.

From the team that drew with Zebre in Parma last weekend, try-scoring prop Boan Venter drops to the bench, as do hooker Paddy Harrison and back-rower Ben Muncaster.

However, lock Marshall Sykes - who was part of Scotland's Six Nations squad - returns from injury to take up a place among the replacements.

Duhan van der Merwe remains out with injury, joining Emiliano Boffelli, Dave Cherry, Luke Crosbie, Paul Hill, Ben Vellacott and Cammy Scott.

Edinburgh: Goosen, Graham, Currie, Lang, Paterson; Thompson, Price; Schoeman, Ashman, Rae, Skinner, Gilchrist (c), Ritchie, Watson, Bradbury.

Replacements: Harrison, Venter, Sebastian, Sykes, Muncaster, Shiel, Healy, Tuipulotu.

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Eight Scotland players were selected for the last British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa in 2021 and, speaking to BBC Scotland, former Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw has identified six Scots he expects to make the squad this time around.

Finn Russell (fly-half): "Andy Farrell's obviously been successful, he knows what he wants within that squad and he's going to pick the players that he feels is right. When I look at the way Ireland play and the real positivity around that ball movement, I can't see why Finn can't fit into that system and thrive within that as well."

Sione Tuipulotu (centre): "He's just got himself back in the nick of time from injury. I think he's been in such great form and it's probably like for like, him and Bundee Aki, two similar players."

Huw Jones (centre): "He's been excellent form, hasn't he? I think they should take him because he's been very solid both defensively and offensively in recent times for Scotland."

Duhan van der Merwe (wing): "Duhan went on the last tour and he showed up pretty well. He's excellent going forward. Whether he'll start in Farrell's team, I'm not too sure. He likes fairly smart operators in defence and that may be the one thing that might cost him a Test spot, but he's certainly very dangerous going forward."

Blair Kinghorn (full-back): "Blair has been excellent. I think there's some injury worries potentially around him. Hopefully, it's nothing too serious for his sake. He's been excellent for both Scotland and Toulouse and it's awesome to see a Scottish guy going on to play for one of the best clubs in Europe. Injury being well, I'm pretty certain he'll be there."

Zander Fagerson (prop): "I think Zander's been great. There is a lot of competition in that tighthead slot coming through as well, but I think he's still done enough. He showed up pretty well in the last tour in 2021 as well, so I think he'll have a little bit of money in the bank there."

Laidlaw believes scrum-half Ben White has a "50-50" chance of travelling - "I would take him" – and thinks his familiarity with Russell could tip the scales in his favour.

However, despite the strong cases put forward for selection by Jamie Ritchie and Rory Darge, Laidlaw expects the fierce competition for back-row places will probably mean the Scotland flankers miss out.

BBC Sport Scotland rugby reporter Andy Burke has been answering some of your questions.

Alan asked: Finn Russell will not be selected for the upcoming Lions tour of Australia. Discuss.

Andy answered: Up until a couple of weeks ago, I would have dismissed the suggestion of Russell missing out on the Lions tour as ridiculous. Now there's a part of me that's a little nervous for him before Thursday's squad announcement.

That doubt stems almost entirely from the appointment of Johnny Sexton to the Lions coaching staff.

Even when it was rumoured a couple of months back, I could not see a coaching rookie like Sexton - incredible player though he was - getting a gig on the biggest stage with so little experience.

The Ireland legend is no fan of Russell. He went public with it in his autobiography, suggesting Russell being "the darling of the media" was why the Scotland fly-half was selected ahead of Sexton for the 2021 Lions tour. In a newspaper interview in October, Sexton dismissed Russell as "flashy".

Will Sexton be able to set his issues with Russell to one side for the good of the Lions? Does Andy Farrell share Sexton's views on the Bath 10?

I still think Russell will tour, but I do have a nagging fear that did not exist before Sexton's appointment. If he does miss out, Scottish rugby will explode.

Roy asked: How influential will Edinburgh's result against Bath be with regard to the future of the head coach, given that the URC campaign seems to be slipping away again?

Andy answered: This is a huge, potentially defining game for Sean Everitt.

Victory over England's leading club and reaching a European final would bring much validation to Everitt's assertions that this is an Edinburgh team moving forward.

If they lose the semi-final and then fail to reach the URC play-offs for the second year running on his watch, it would be hard to make a case for the head coach remaining in post.

The hope comes from the fact Edinburgh tend to bring out their best stuff against the biggest teams. It's against the teams they are expected to beat that they often fall down.

Let's hope we see an Edinburgh side at their best at Hive Stadium on Saturday. They'll need to be.

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One-club-man and "ultimate professional" Hamish Watson has signed a new one-year deal with Edinburgh, extending his stay with the capital club to a 15th season.

The Scotland flanker has started 11 games for Sean Everitt's side this season and last year he became the first back-row in the club's 152-year history to reach 150 appearances.

Preparing for this weekend's eagerly-anticipated Challenge Cup semi-final against Bath, the former British and Irish Lion is keen to achieve "something special" with the club, 10 years on from their last European semi-final.

"I'm incredibly proud to be continuing my journey with Edinburgh for another season," the 33-year-old said.

"Pulling on this jersey and representing the club where I've spent my entire professional career still means so much to me. It's a special feeling every single time.

"We're absolutely buzzing for Saturday's European semi-final – it's hard to believe it's been 10 years since the club's last one. It would be an amazing feeling to achieve something special with this club."

Head coach Everitt hailed the openside flanker's commitment to the club as "invaluable" and added: "Hamish continues to be an outstanding player for Edinburgh.

"His performances this season have been testament to his dedication – he is the ultimate professional that young players should aspire to be.

"His commitment to the club and his desire to help develop the next generation of 'Hamish Watsons' is invaluable."

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Edinburgh won't "shy away from the challenge" when they face Bath in the European Challenge Cup semi-final on Saturday, insists Harry Paterson.

Full-back Paterson, who has signed a new two-year deal, can't wait to tackle the English Premiership leaders at a packed Hive Stadium.

The 23-year-old said: "I think we're sold out. It should be great. The crowd was amazing at the Sharks game which was sold out a few weeks ago.

"Hopefully we can do one better than that and get to the final in Cardiff.

"It's huge. Bath are a great team, similar to the Sharks. We'll respect what they have, but not shy away from the challenge. And we'll just attack it head on and get to that final."

On his new deal, Paterson said: "I'm really chuffed with it. It's nice to sign something and just be able to just focus on the rugby for another two years, which is great."

Scotland cap Paterson's season has been stop-start due to various injuries, but he's relishing being back in action at the business end of the season.

He added: "It's an interesting one because it wasn't really one big injury. It was kind of a lot – concussion, hamstring, a foot injury.

"You think you're getting somewhere, and then something else happens.

"I've been involved the past few weeks, which has been great, some big games as well, especially this weekend."

Image source, SNS

Scotland back row Evie Gallagher has been shortlisted for the 2025 Women's Six Nations player of the championship award.

Gallagher is nominated alongside Ireland back row Aoife Wafer, England winger Abby Dow and France second-row Manae Feleu, with the winner determined by a fan vote.

Scotland finished the tournament in fifth place, with wins over Wales and Ireland.

The 24-year-old topped the competition stats for defensive ruck hits, 38, and turnovers, 10.

Throughout the tournament she showcased her skill-set, making 44 carries and delivering six offloads, the third most across the tournament.

This week's BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast sees Andy Burke and Tom English at the Hive Stadium in Edinburgh to speak to club veteran Grant Gilchrist before the Challenge Cup semi-final with Bath on Saturday.

Andy and Tom also look back on Scotland's Women's Six Nations victory against Ireland, Glasgow's URC defeat by the Bulls, and ponder whether Finn Russell will get a Lions place.

Listen and subscribe on BBC Sounds

Sandy Smith
Fan writer

After a few weeks of feeling like Edinburgh may just have turned a corner, the match against Zebre had a strong smell of 'normal service has been resumed'.

It was so flat and while watching on TV is never going to be as intense as being in the stadium, the first half passed like I was undergoing a dental procedure.

The only thing that pierced the fog was my frustration when Zebre scrum-half Alessandro Fusco scored an almost identical second try.

Asked pre-match about the change of kick-off, Sean Everitt's response wasn't entirely convincing while a smiling Zebre assistant coach Aldo Birchall was hugely positive about getting to play instead of train.

I hope the change didn't affect the way Edinburgh played as that would point to a pretty fragile mindset.

I suspect it was more just that we don't travel well (one away win in the league all season), that thoughts were drifting to this week's Challenge Cup semi-final and the fact Zebre were playing with the freedom that comes from knowing they've had Edinburgh's number already this season.

It doesn't help that we have 17 players on the injury list and are subject to a rest protocol that doesn't seem to have any flexibility to allow for the fact we are in the closing stages of the season and every game is crucial.

We will never know if having Jamie Ritchie and Pierre Schoeman available would have made a difference but it's safe to say it wouldn't have hurt.

In the second half some leadership seemed to be re-established with Grant Gilchrist coming on. And it's entirely possible if it hadn't been for the Ben Muncaster yellow card Edinburgh might just have got over the line because, despite how poor the match had been, our match statistics suggested a dominance that wasn't visible to the naked eye.

To the team's credit they kept their heads and rescued an unlikely draw following Matt Currie's try and a wonderful kick by Cammy Scott, who had only been on the field for 10 minutes.

It means our league campaign still has some life even if we need some outside help. If we are true to form we usually follow an underwhelming performance with a great one. Look out Bath.

Sandy Smith can be found at The Burgh Watch, external

Grant Young
Fan writer

A title-defending season that promised so much is in danger of falling off the rails.

Injuries, suspensions, workload and a difficult schedule could all be reasons why Glasgow have struggled in recent games.

Defeat to a dominant Bulls side on Friday night was damaging as the South Africans moved to within a point of Franco Smith's second-place team with two games left.

Bulls travelled north with points to prove and they delivered. They took points when they were on offer and their defence stood firm.

It looks like a lot of teams have seen the success Leinster had against Glasgow and are copying that high-press blitz defence. So far, the Warriors have no answer.

The blessing for Glasgow was the two late scores, bringing a bonus point and some much-needed confidence.

For a team used to scoring with ease, it has felt in recent games a struggle for Glasgow to get the ball over the line. Is a change of approach needed? Will we see the Warriors take penalties at the post?

It is something Smith hasn't done a great deal of but as the season approaches knockout rugby, it could be the area that keeps Glasgow in games.

The worry, though, is the amount of players missing. Four players who can play at number eight - injured trio Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey and Jack Mann plus suspended Henco Venter - are out.

We saw in the past number of weeks the importance of Zander Fagerson in the scrum and his absence is massive. The Scotland international would likely be boarding a flight with the Lions this summer but could his injury end that hope?

A free weekend comes at a good time for the Warriors, who finish with away games at Bennetton and Leinster while Bulls have two home games.

Glasgow may need a favour in the fight for a top-two finish and will hope some of their main protagonists can get fit for an enthralling end of the season.