Scottish Rugby

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Edinburgh co-captain Ben Vellacott has signed a new two-year deal, keeping him in the Scottish capital until summer 2027.

The 29-year-old scrum-half signed from Wasps in 2023 and has made 71 appearances for the club, including 10 this season.

"Edinburgh is home for me and my family now and I'm absolutely delighted to be extending my stay," the Scotland cap said.

"With my experience, I feel like I'm in a position now to help bring on the younger scrum-halves at the club and really contribute to the team's growth.

"We have unfinished business here and I'm desperate to help lead this club to silverware. It's set to be a really exciting end to the season and I can't wait to play my part."

Head coach Sean Everitt said "consummate professional" Vellacott's "experience and leadership" will be invaluable in continuing to develop the squad.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Head coach Bryan Easson has been speaking to the media before Scotlnd's opening match of the Women's Six Nations at home to Wales this weekend.

Here are the best bits from his news conference:

• On handing a debut to Bristol Bears second row Hollie Cunningham, Easson says: "It is great to see somebody new coming in who drives standards."

• Easson is excited by the six-two split on Scotland's bench and says it reflects the depth now available to him.

• With Scotland and Wales being in the same pool for the World Cup later this year, he was asked if this weekend represents a chance to lay down a marker, but Easson insists his focus is purely on this match.

• Easson expects a "bounce" from a Wales side playing their first Test under new head coach Sean Lynn, but warned of the "big difference between club and international rugby".

• He expects another tight game against Wales and stressed the importance of "small margins".

• Easson is keen to build "momentum" for the rest of the tournament with victory in front of a home crowd.

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Sione Vailanu and Kyle Steyn will return from injury when Glasgow Warriors host Munster in the URC on Friday.

Tonga flanker Vailanu has been sidelined since December 2023 with a knee injury, while Scotland wing Steyn has been out since January after picking up an issue against Racing in the Champions Cup.

George Horne and Stafford McDowall join Steyn in the backline having returned from Scotland duty, with Gregor Brown and Matt Fagerson among the replacements.

Warriors are second in the league table, 13 points behind Leinster with six matches left in the regular season.

"We're looking forward to be back in action this weekend, as we kick off a run of three home matches," head coach Franco Smith said.

"We know that the rivalry with Munster is known to everyone, but we're concentrating on reintegrating everyone back into our environment after the Six Nations to help grow our continuity for the rest of the season.

"We're also pleased to welcome Sione and Kyle back to the line-up after their respective injuries; both men have worked hard in their rehabilitation and are raring to go tomorrow night."

Glasgow Warriors: Rowe, Cancelliere, Smith, McDowall, Steyn, Hastings, Horne; Bhatti, Matthews, Schickerling, Oguntibeju, Samuel, Ferrie, Vailanu, Mann.

Replacements: Stewart, McBeth, Talakai, Du Preez, Brown, M Fagerson, Afshar, Weir.

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

Following the end of another disheartening Six Nations, many of your questions surrounded the same issue...

Martin asked: Given the feeling of familiarity surrounding this year's disappointing tournament, and after stagnating in 2024, did Gregor Townsend's Scotland tenure peak after the 2023 Six Nations? If so, with this group of players ageing, how much longer can Scottish Rugby afford to stick with him?

Tom answered: We've had an awful lot of questions on a very similar theme. Understandably so. My take is that Townsend has been coach for a long time and for the last couple of years, the team has definitely been bobbing up and down without going anywhere.

It's complicated, though. This team is not good enough to finish first. France and Ireland have been better in recent times. Scotland are good enough to have finished third - the best of the rest. That hasn't happened for too long.

There are nuances to this season - the awful run of injuries. But then that brings us back to eight years - it's a hell of an innings and sometimes it just makes sense to bring in a new voice to see if they can get Scotland to a higher level.

The question is - who? Franco Smith? Possibly, if he wants it or if Wales don't get there first. Anybody else? I'm struggling to come up with high-class people who might take it.

If a Shaun Edwards or a Jacques Nienaber was available then I'd be minded to make a change. I think the SRU should be exploring their options now, at the very least.

Andy asked: Is it time we adopt the Irish/Leinster model and put most of the SRU funding behind a single pro club?

Tom answered: In a word, no. Scotland only have two professional clubs and that idea would run a serious danger of reducing it to one. It's absolutely critical that Glasgow and Edinburgh prosper.

Mark asked: Finn Russell is without a doubt the standout 10 for the Lions Tour and would be the perfect mentor for the future development of Fin Smith and Sam Prendergast. That said, if Jonny Sexton is chosen as backs coach, do you think this could affect backline approach, mood and mentality?

Tom answered: I might be wrong but I cannot see how Johnny Sexton can be the Lions attack coach given he's never been an attack coach before. That would be madness. A kicking coach, yes. But not an attack coach.

Reports from Ireland are saying that he's going on Ireland's summer tour, so him going with the Lions might be a non-story. If he's chosen, then I'll say a bit more about Finn Russell and so on.

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While Scotland could only muster a fourth-place finish at the Six Nations, Blair Kinghorn's already considerable stock continues to rise.

The full-back is one of four nominees for the Player of the Championship award after a standout campaign for Gregor Townsend's side.

Kinghorn gained 580 metres, the most of any player in Six Nations history, surpassing the previous record of 543, set by England's Mike Brown in 2014.

The 28-year-old Scot was also top of the 2025 rankings for carries (86), line breaks (nine) and offloads (13), while he was second of all players for defenders beaten (25).

Kinghorn, whose two tries came in the win over Wales, was a threat to every defence he faced and looks set for a debut British and Irish Lions call-up for the summer tour of Australia.

Andy Burke and Tom English review the men's Six Nations, ask what next for Scotland, and look ahead to the women's competition.

Listen and subscribe to the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast

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South African back-rower Henco Venter will leave Glasgow Warriors at the end of the season to join French club Brive.

The 32-year-old has made 32 appearances for Franco Smith's side, scoring four tries, since his arrival in summer 2023.

Venter came off the bench in Glasgow's three play-off wins, including the final victory over Bulls, in the club's URC title triumph last season.

Brive are currently vying for promotion from the French second tier.

"I want to thank everyone at the club, both on and off the field - the last couple of seasons have been one of the biggest highlights of my career," Venter told the Warriors website.

"I've enjoyed my time here immensely and we're not finished yet – we've got a big finish to the season coming up, and I want to be as big a part of that as I can."

Head coach Smith said Venter "embodies what it means to be a Warrior" and added: "He has played a key role in the development of our squad, providing a consistently high standard of performance on the field and always driving standards off the field."

And just like that, the Six Nations is over for another year.

Scotland, once again, finished fourth and arguably end the championship with more questions than answers hanging over their head.

So, with that in mind, we want you to put your burning questions to our rugby reporters Tom English and Andy Burke.

There's plenty to get into with Gregor Townsend's team, while the pair will also be previewing the women's Six Nations on this week's podcast.

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

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Glasgow Warriors' defence coach Pete Murchie will leave Scotstoun at the end of the season for a coaching opportunity overseas.

The 39-year-old, who played over 100 times for Warriors - including during their Pro12 win in 2015 - recently became a double-centurion as he celebrated 100 games as a coach.

Under Murchie, Warriors have built one of the strongest defences in the URC. Only Leinster having conceded fewer points than Franco Smith's side in the 2024-25 season to date.

On his impending departure, Murchie said he's met with "mixed emotions" about leaving the club he calls "home".

"I've been at the club for a long time both as a player and as a coach, and this is home for my family and I," he told the club's website.

"When you have such an emotional bond to not only the club, but the city of Glasgow, it really does make it an incredibly tough decision to leave. It just felt like it was the right time on my coaching journey, and the right time as a family, to take up the opportunity.

"I'm excited by the opportunity, but there are obviously mixed emotions.

"I've said this to the players, but I feel incredibly lucky to have worked with them, and knowing that I've got a couple of months left really narrows the focus – I love working with this group of players, coaches and backroom staff, and I want to finish my time here as successfully as possible."

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer in Paris

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Gregor Brown stands up

The second-row had a positive impact off the bench in nearly every game he appeared in, but Saturday was his first Six Nations start, against the best team in the competition. He was excellent.

He was the big breakout player of the campaign for Scotland - powerful, dynamic, skilful and still very young at just 23. Once Scott Cummings and Max Williamson reappear after injury then the options in the second-row are going to look really positive.

Scotland continue to suffer bad calls

We don't want to whinge, but some big calls went against Scotland. The England try that was given despite zero evidence that the ball was down. The late, late Finn Russell conversion incorrectly moved closer to a tougher spot, closer to the touchline, the yellow card given to Peato Mauvaka on Saturday night which should have been a red.

You could easily argue that the yellow given to Jamie Richie early on was harsh.

For fear of coming across as sore losers, Scotland really can't go public with their gripes but they're coming out on the wrong side of these decisions quite a lot. Maybe a private summit with World Rugby might be in order.

There's a host of other reasons why Scotland only won twice. Their capacity to fall asleep in games is still a concern, albeit it didn't happen in a courageous performance in Paris. Handling errors cost them in key moments. A lack of forward heft was an issue.

Scotland are not genuine contenders

No amount of guff about the golden generation is going to deflect from the fact that Scotland are not good enough to win a championship.

France are miles ahead in squad depth and power. England are improving and have vast amounts of players to pick from. Ireland are now firmly in transition but they're still better than Scotland, as, er, 11 wins in a row suggests.

Scotland are struggling badly for front-row forwards. There's precious little depth there and it's ruinous when they go up against the big guns who can bring quality players on to the pitch for the last 30 minutes.

That said, Gregor Townsend did not have much luck with injuries. The only hope Scotland have of making it to a final weekend with even a sliver of hope of a title win is if they avoid injuries to all of their key men. Clearly, they didn't this time.

Sione Tuipulotu, Cummings, Williamson, Josh Bayliss and Andy Onyeama-Christie didn't kick a ball. Their return can't come quickly enough.

The flipside of that is the return of Ritchie to his very best form. He had a terrific tournament and has played his way into the Lions conversation.

Scotland fans, we asked for your views on Scotland's final Six Nations match against France, and the tournament as a whole.

Here's what some of you had to say:

TR: We need to keep perspective about how tiny a nation we are rugby-wise. We have nowhere near the resources or player numbers of the likes of England, France or Ireland. We are punching above our weight as things are and Gregor Townsend has done a great job but now it's time for a change. Someone who will force the players develop a new mindset

Oscar: I think the stats don't lie and progress has stagnated. I think if you look at the Wales matches in 2024 and 2025, we haven't learnt anything. It's time for a shake up and time for a change; I'm fed up of finishing fourth.

Robin: Gregor has done an amazing job with the team and brought them a long way. On occasions, they play some of the most entertaining, free-flowing rugby in the world. The best way to cement his legacy would be to bring in the next leader to solidify and build on his achievements. It's about progression.

David S: We simply do not have the strength of depth to challenge for the Six Nations since it became pro. Fourth in the nation will be as far as we can go. As for the world cup getting to the quarters is the best we will ever do due in part to other countries playing more rugby than Scots and having a bigger population of serious players.

David: If this was football Townsend would be long gone, he's developed the team but needs someone else to take it up a level.

Ken: Our stats are getting better except for points scored and wins complete. We are not quite getting over the line and this has been the same for a couple of years. Time for a change.

Charlie: Gregor should stay as he's done a great job and increased depth in squad. This year he's been unfortunate with injuries before the start of the tournament. With a full squad and some additions in the pack let's see what the team can achieve.

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Tom Jordan says he has paid no attention to people tipping him as a possible bolter for Andy Farrell's British and Irish Lions squad, and says playing Six Nations rugby for Scotland was something he never envisaged.

After making his Test debut against Fiji in November, Jordan deputised impressively for injured captain Sione Tuipulotu during the championship.

His performances have led some to consider the Glasgow Warrior an outside bet to make the Lions plane to Australia.

"I haven't really thought about it too much," said Jordan. "I don't really know how the selection and all that goes, but I'm trying to put my best foot forward and we'll see what happens from there."

Jordan said he has relished every moment of his first Six Nations and admitted when he arrived in Scotland to play for semi-professional outfit Ayrshire Bulls, the idea of playing Test rugby seemed far, far way away.

"I would never have thought this would have happened, I guess," Jordan said after Scotland's 35-16 defeat to France in Paris.

"You get a lot of emotions going into the game, different thoughts here and there of different things and you're just really grateful to be out there.

"You just try to be present, soak up the moment and just enjoy every moment because I think in international rugby, a lot of guys can maybe not enjoy it and it comes faster than the club stuff.

"Gutted we didn't get the win, but it's been a great few months that's flown by and I've just really enjoyed every moment."

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Scotland gave it their best in Paris, but eventually France's physicality became too hard to break down, and their clinical attack started to stretch the scoreboard.

It meant another fourth-placed finish for Scotland, while France won their first Six Nations since 2022. Here's what our pundits had to say:

Former Glasgow Warriors scrum-half Colin Gregor: A three-point deficit at half-time was beyond where I thought Scotland would be. They went toe-to-toe with France in the first half.

Whether it was nerves, whether it was all part of the masterplan, I don't know. France's discipline was poor. Fabien Galthie looked livid. It seemed Scotland had gotten under their skin.

But as feared, the quality on France's bench, which came on early, they made an impact. There was an increase in intensity, their discipline sharpened right up. They became difficult to break down. Rarely were France stretched.

Ex-Scotland prop Peter Wright: I was pretty proud of the way Scotland played. They stuck at it, went out and tried to play the game that could have beaten France.

They had a go, moved the ball, played with width. [Blair] Kinghorn had one of his best games. [Duhan] Van der Merwe and [Darcy] Graham looked dangerous.

[Finn] Russell will get a lot of criticism for certain things, but I thought he played pretty well and gave Scotland a chance. He varied the game enough to try and hurt the French.

Ultimately, France are a better side. There are world-class players all over the pitch, they can bring real quality off the bench and that just adds to the tempo and physicality.

Former Scotland back-row Johnnie Beattie on ITV: That's cruel nature of our sport - if Finn Russell kicks his goals at Twickenham, and this game goes down to the wire for a championship, that changes the context.

Look at our player participation numbers. France have hundreds of thousands and we have around 20,000 adult players.

That is not something Scottish fans will want to hear but when you look at numbers, that is where we are.

Scotland's record point-scorer Chris Paterson: That was a massive defensive effort from France. They were quite happy to allow us to have possession, they were quite wide in their defence.

We played with some fantastic endeavour and were quite sharp on the ball, but we couldn't break through, get in behind and really stress them.

Scotland played the right way, gave ourselves the best opportunity by keeping the ball alive, playing as quick as possible. It wasn't always accurate but it's the right way to go about it.

BBC Scotland's chief sports writer Tom English: Galthie sprung the bench very early, and that changed the game. The power and control was awesome.

Scotland grew tired. They put an awful lot into the first half, played really well. But when that ferocity is coming at you for another 40 minutes, I don't know how you withstand that. Ireland couldn't.

Scotland put an awful lot into this game, really good in places. France are just better.

France secured the Six Nations championship with a flourish - and quashed England's hopes - by ultimately overpowering a dogged Scotland in Paris.

What did you make of the match, Scotland fans?

What went right and what went wrong? Who impressed you?

Let us know your thoughts here, external.

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Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend told ITV he has "mixed feelings" after his side's defeat.

"We asked the players to deliver a performance of effort and physicality and they did that," Townsend said. "Our forwards played outstanding rugby at times, really fronted up.

"We didn't get the breaks, the bad luck before half-time [with a disallowed try] and then a mistake and they scored just after half-time. We were in that game for a lot of it.

"We were a bum cheek away from converting in the first half when Blair Kinghorn was just in touch and they are a very good defence. You need to have patience and accuracy and that was little bit missing today."

Townsend offered no opinion on Peato Mauvaka's sin binning, preferring to "leave that to others to decide."

He added: "These things can be decisive as we know. I am just proud the team fronted up tonight and even at the end to deny France another try, a maul try, they were very aggressive."

Asked if Scotland deserved to finish higher than fourth, he replied: "No, if we don't win when we have a lot of the game, that's where we are going to finish.

"It is a very tough competition. Teams can't play well every game no-one won a Grand Slam.

"We are a quality side, it just didn't go our way this year."

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Oyonnax lock Ewan Johnson has been named as a late replacement for Jonny Gray on the Scotland bench to face France in their final match of this season's Six Nations in Paris.

Bordeaux 30-year-old Gray misses his chance to earn an 81st cap because of a knee injury.

Johnson, born in England with a Welsh mother and Scottish father but who also qualifies for France through residency, made his international debut last year and will earn his fifth cap should he come off the bench on Saturday.

Currently playing in the French second tier, the 25-year-old has agreed a two-year contract to join Top 14 club Bayonne this summer.