Scottish Rugby

Image source, Getty

We asked our intrepid and knowledgeable rugby reporters, Tom English and Andy Burke, to give their predictions on how Glasgow and Edinburgh will fare in the new URC season, which kicks off on Friday.

Here is Andy's verdict....

GLASGOW

This could be a tough season of transition for Glasgow.

I still believe they are good enough to make the play-offs, but I'm not sure they'll be able to maintain the consistency they have shown in recent years - regularly riding high in the top two - having lost a host of key players in the summer.

Tom Jordan, Sebastian Cancillierre and Henco Venter are big losses, and with Jack Mann just starting to look the part, his departure to Gloucester came as a blow too.

It's a younger, less experienced group this time around, and while there is still plenty of quality peppered throughout the squad, I'm not sure the depth is there to mount another URC title challenge.

Predicted finish: Fifth.

Player to watch: Warriors' season could depend in large part on Adam Hastings' ability to rediscover his best stuff.

Jordan's departure leaves a huge void, not just for his ability to run a game at 10, but also his versatility to slot in at 12 or 15 as required.

Hastings has had the most dreadful time with injuries and really needs an extended spell in the side to get back to his best. He now has Dan Lancaster to compete with for that 10 jersey.

At 29, Hastings should still have some of his best years ahead of him if he can get back to the standards that he reached when he was a Scotland regular.

Breakout star: Jare Oguntibeju. The 23-year-old lock got some valuable first-team experience last season and now could be set to play a much bigger role this season.

Oguntibeju has incredible natural attributes, and while he looked green in parts in some of his outings, he improved with every game and appears to be a quick learner.

A powerful physique allied to a ferocious workrate, Oguntibeju could make a big impact this season.

EDINBURGH

Sean Everitt says top four is the target and Paul Hill even suggested a title challenge was on the cards, but I suspect we will see more of the same from Edinburgh this season.

It may be that they make the play-offs a little more comfortably than last time around, but like Glasgow, a lot of experience has gone out the door over the summer.

Jamie Ritchie is the biggest loss and it will be interesting to see who steps up in his absence, both in terms of performance and leadership.

Everitt struck upon a good thing in the second half of last season and the key is to start the new campaign as they finished the old one.

Lay that foundation and they will have an opportunity to enjoy a good season, but when I look around the league I think there are five or six teams who are just better and far more consistent than Edinburgh.

Predicted finish: Sixth.

Player to watch: Freddy Douglas. The re-emergence of Hamish Watson was key to Edinburgh's upturn in the second half of last season, but that meant chances were few and far between for Douglas to shine.

His performances for Scotland Under-20s suggest the back-row has the ability to be a big player for club and country for many years to come and the hope is he gets the chance to prove that this season.

Ritchie's departure eases slightly the congestion for places in the back-row, where Edinburgh always seem to be blessed with quality options.

It will be fascinating to see if Douglas can justify the considerable hype.

Breakout star: The departure of Ali Price could offer a chance to 21-year-old scrum-half Conor McAlpine.

Everitt handed McAlpine his debut last season and has been impressed with the youngster's outings in pre-season.

Ben Vellacott has been an excellent servant to Edinburgh and remains the undoubted first-choice, but McAlpine has a chance to put some real pressure on Charlie Shiel for the back-up nine spot.

Image source, SNS

We asked our intrepid and knowledgeable rugby reporters, Tom English and Andy Burke, to give their predictions on how Glasgow and Edinburgh will fare in the new URC season, which kicks off on Friday.

Here is Tom's verdict....

GLASGOW

Despite the loss of Tom Jordan, Henco Venter and Seb Cancelliere, Glasgow are in a pretty good place.

They got top four and a semi-final spot last season even though they didn't get a whole lot of URC games out of some of their biggest names - the Fagerson brothers, Jack Dempsey, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu and others.

If they can get their heavy hitters on to the pitch a bit more often while utilising their array of younger players then they're going to be in business again. Franco Smith has a deep and impressive squad.

Predicted finish: Top four, for sure. A losing semi-finalist again would be my guess, but if they can finish top two and guarantee themselves home advantage in the quarter-final and semi-final then a final is likely. Leinster remain their bogey team - and the clear favourites for the title.

Player to watch: Anything is possible when Sione Tuipulotu is on the pitch. He's the man who makes them tick.

Breakout star: There's a lot of talk about Fergus Watson, a full-back-come-wing. He showed up really well in a pre-season friendly against Northampton. With Cancelliere away, Watson might get a healthy amount of game-time.

EDINBURGH

They've lost a ton of experience with the exits of Jamie Ritchie, Ali Price, Mark Bennett, Matt Scott, Dave Cherry and Emiliano Boffelli.

Sean Everitt seems calm enough, though. He's talking up his young Scots and is targeting a top-four finish.

We'll believe it when we see it, but Edinburgh have a capable enough squad, albeit with holes in terms of creativity in midfield and depth at half-back. Magnus Bradbury is an admirable new captain.

Edinburgh just need to be ruthless, as they were towards the end of last season. The amount of games they let slip is the reason they find it so hard to progress.

Their levels of performance are maddeningly inconsistent, but it'll be interesting to see how their young guns fare. I suspect we'll be seeing a fair amount of them.

Predicted finish: They need a quick start to establish confidence but they have a raft of injuries going into week one. Top four seems way out of their reach. Top six while pushing the ones above them to the wire would be an improvement.

Player to watch: No marks for originality, but Darcy Graham is a joy. After his recent injury woes, he deserves a clear run and if he gets it you can bank on him lighting it up. A quite brilliant attacker.

Breakout star: Conor McAlpine, the 21-year-old scrum-half, impressed his coach in the couple of appearances he made last season and his pre-season work in the recent weeks. With Ali Price now in France, McAlpine might get a decent shot at showing what he's got.

Claire Thomson
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, SNS

Glasgow Warriors full-back Josh McKay thinks he and the rest of Franco Smith's squad head into the new season at home to Sharks on Friday refreshed after a "long off-season".

The 27-year-old, who has scored 17 tries in 64 appearances since joining in November 2021, headed back home to New Zealand to reset this summer before returning to Glasgow.

McKay believes the off-season has been beneficial for both him and the team after the defending champions lost their United Rugby Championship semi-final to eventual trophy winners Leinster in April.

"It's been a while since we last played at Scotstoun," he told BBC Scotland. "It's been a good summer and pre-season, so we're looking forward to getting stuck into round one.

"We were disappointed with our last season finish, but it's so important to get the body right in the off-season, not only physically but mentally.

"It can be a long winter and a lot of rugby can definitely take its toll over the season.

"Franco does a really good job at managing us all here. We're lucky to get a long off-season, so by the time we come back, everyone is ready to be back in the building and go to work for each other.

"We've got to keep turning up in good shape, but we're all super excited for this season."

McKay thinks "it's going to be a good season" and he is relishing the start to the campaign against the visitors from South Africa.

"It's easy to want to look ahead and forecast, but we're taking it week by week and just stacking up as many wins as we can to hopefully put ourselves in a better position at the end of the season," he added.

"I'm happy with how I've been progressing over the last few seasons. I'm looking to build on the last four seasons here."

Image source, SNS

With the new URC season looming this weekend, Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt joins the latest episode of the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast.

Everitt discusses what success looks like for his side in the upcoming campaign, Darcy Graham's rollercoaster ride on the Lions tour, and plenty more.

Give it a listen here.

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

Ethan asked: Any predictions for either Autumn or Six Nations Scotland bolters? With how well Dan Lancaster and Fergus Watson played in the Glasgow warm-up games I could see the latter getting called up for the autumn…

Tom answered: I did a depth chart and I got to 55 names very quickly and none of them really come into the bolter category.

On Lancaster, he's got five fly-halves ahead of him, so I can't see him making an appearance in the short term.

Watson had an eye-catching performance against Northampton - a full-back operating on the wing. I really hope he gets a decent amount of game-time for Glasgow because he looks to have a lot going for him.

With Huw Jones recovering from surgery and probably unlikely to make the autumn, Gregor Townsend could do with another outside centre in the squad.

He has Cam Redpath, Rory Hutchinson and, I guess, Sione Tuipulotu and Stafford McDowall could do a job there as well even though they're natural 12s. Edinburgh's Matt Currie, if he can recover from his own injury worries, has a lot to play for.

Alan asked: How much will the Warriors miss the likes of Tom Jordan, Jack Mann, Henco Venter, etc? Why can't we hold on to our best players?

Tom answered: Jordan's exit is a very sore one for Glasgow because he's three players in one - a centre, a fly-half and a full-back - and on his day he's seriously good in all three spots.

His versatility was so important to Glasgow when they won the URC. It's impossible to replace a Swiss Army Knife player like Jordan on Glasgow's budget.

Mann is very good but Glasgow are not short of back-rows, both experienced and emerging. Venter is slightly different in that he was an incredibly consistent frontliner who led that back-row when the Test players were away. His loss will be felt when the Test guys are not available

Why can't they hold on to their best players? Well, they held on to most of them. Jordan, Venter and Seb Cancelliere were the main ones they couldn't keep. Why? Part financial reasons, part wanting to give space for homegrown players to grow and, possibly in Jordan's case, just delaying negotiations too long and losing him as a consequence.

David asked: Will the financial pressures on both Edinburgh and Glasgow result in more Scotland-qualified young talent emerging this season? If so, is that not ultimately a good thing ?

Tom answered: It should do and, if it does, then it's unquestionably a good thing. In fairness to Glasgow, they've given opportunities to young players right from the moment Franco Smith took over.

That's why him staying until 2028 is good not just for Glasgow but for Scotland. He already has delivered quite a few young players to Townsend's squad and I think he'll keep doing it.

Edinburgh have lost so many experienced players they'll have to look to their young guys. We have Sean Everitt on the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast this week and he sounds really excited about bringing in the next wave.

Everitt mentioned young scrum-half Conor McAlpine in a way that suggested he could feature prominently now that Ali Price is away. The way is a little clearer now for the likes of Jack Brown, Ollie Blyth Lafferty, Liam McConnell and Freddy Douglas. All very talented young players.

Over at Glasgow you could say the same about Fergus Watson, Seb Stephen, Macenzzie Duncan and others. And, remember, more established players like Max Williamson, Alex Samuel, Jare Oguntibeju and Gregor Hiddleston are still young.

I'm really looking forward to watching who comes powering through this season.

David asked: With some recent surprising results in the Rugby Championship, might see the first Scotland win over the All Blacks this autumn?

Tom answered: We live in hope. The Rugby Championship has been magnificent with all four nations really delivering some exceptional stuff.

New Zealand got walloped by the Springboks last time around but beat them the game before that. They got beaten by the Pumas but beat them 41-24 the week before.

It's been brilliant and dizzying. With home and away fixtures against the Wallabies to come, the All Blacks are not favourites to win the championship.

Every time they've played at Murrayfield in their past nine visits going back two decades they've done so as Rugby Championship winners/Tri Nations winners. They had an aura that maybe has been chipped away at a little bit in recent weeks.

The week before they come to Scotland they're playing Ireland in Chicago. So that's a lot of tough games, including the Rugby Championship, and a lot of hard travel before they hit Edinburgh.

I don't know if Scotland will beat them - let's check how things are on the injury front closer to the time. But given all the rugby New Zealand will have played - and they might have had another defeat or two to undermine their confidence - there's a definite chance. Possibly the biggest chance in quite some years.

With the new United Rugby Championship season starting this week, we want to know your questions on Edinburgh and Glasgow - or anything else to do with the world of Scottish rugby.

Send them in via the link below and our rugby reporters Tom English and Andy Burke will answer them later this week.

Send us your questions before the URC gets back under way.

Image source, SNS

Glasgow Warriors flanker Rory Darge says the disappointing end to last season's URC campaign will fuel Franco Smith's side heading into the new campaign.

Glasgow host Sharks on Friday in their first competitive match of the 2025-26 season.

They went into last term as defending champions but were well beaten by Leinster in Dublin at the semi-final stage.

Darge is determined to do better this time around, but insists Glasgow won't get too carried away.

"Any time you're involved in a competition, your ultimate goal is to go and win it," the Scotland international said.

"We're approaching this season in blocks and taking it week by week. You can't look too far ahead. It starts against Sharks on Friday and that's our mindset.

"There's a real challenge to back things up. We did a fairly good job of that last season, but dropped down at the end and missed out on a home semi-final.

"Having the disappointment of going out in the semis is good motivation for this season."

Image source, SNS

Back row Magnus Bradbury says he has "matured a lot" and "learned the importance of setting high standards" after being named Edinburgh captain for the second time.

The Scotland forward, who rejoined the club from Bristol Bears last season, has been appointed for the 2025-26 season.

The 30-year-old was first appointed Edinburgh captain aged just 22 but was stripped of the role following an off-field incident.

Bradbury has impressed since returning to the capital and led the side against Ulster in the final regular-season game, scoring two tries to secure Edinburgh's place in the United Rugby Championship play-offs and seal a spot in the Champions Cup.

He will lead the team at Hive Stadium on Friday night against Ealing Trailfinders in the second match of a pre-season double-header.

"It's an immense honour," said the former academy graduate. "It's my home, my city, and it feels like the right time for me to take on this responsibility.

"I've grown and matured a lot since my last stint as captain in 2017. My time in Bristol alongside experienced internationals really helped me develop as a man and a player.

"I'm a captain who leads by my actions. I want to show the team what it means to put your body on the line and fight for every inch.

"Off the field, I've learned the importance of taking accountability and setting high standards for myself and for the team."

Head coach Sean Everitt believes the leadership of the abrasive Bradbury can inspire Edinburgh to a successful season.

"His deep connection to the city and our supporters was a significant factor in our decision," said Everitt.

"He will have the full support of a great leadership group at the club. We're confident that Magnus leading with purpose will help drive this club forward."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Franco Smith hopes the experiences his Glasgow Warriors players gathered playing alongside their Leinster counterparts for the British and Irish Lions in the summer can help strip away the "aura" of the Irish side.

Warriors were on the end of heavy defeats by Leinster in both their Champions Cup quarter-final and United Rugby Championship semi-final last term.

It was the continuation of a pattern of dominance for Irish sides over their Scottish counterparts at both club and international level in recent years.

Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu and Scott Cummings all contributed to a successful Lions tour that culminated in a 2-1 series win over Australia.

"That experience of sitting in changing room with people that you've given sometimes a lot of respect, suddenly the gloss comes off a little bit," Smith told the BBC's Scotland Rugby Podcast.

"Hopefully they bring that back and realise that the people that we face, or the teams that we face, are beatable. They are normal people.

"We had a lot of injuries in the back end of the season and, especially in the URC semi-final, it was a different group that gained a lot of that experience.

"So we will have a much broader group that will be able to challenge that aura, if that is the word. I don't think we're intimidated by that. We're excited to play them."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith has pleaded for patience from a support hungry for more trophy success.

The defeat by Leinster that ended Glasgow's URC title defence in June sparked a summer of speculation around Smith's future at Scotstoun, with the South African hinting he may seek a new challenge.

He held discussions regarding a role in the England set-up, as well as receiving approaches from Wales, Leicester and the Bulls, before ultimately deciding to commit his future to Glasgow by signing a contract extension to 2028.

Smith admits that, with the departure of players like Tom Jordan and Henco Venter among others over the summer, and a tighter playing budget to operate with this season, he and the Glasgow fans may have to be patient in their wait for further success.

"Every job has its frustrations," Smith told the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast. "It doesn't matter if you sell paint, it's the same story.

"Yes, budget is always a problem. Coaching beats the budget up to a point. Unfortunately, if the plant gets too big for the pot, usually the plant must be either planted in another pot or it dies. Or we must keep it trimmed down.

"It's important for us to bring the next young players through and see if we can't convert some of these academy boys into pros next year. That will lift our number.

"What's important for me is that the current process is only in year one, it's a start. It's not a year seven or a year eight project.

"From my side, I'll have to be patient if I believe that this was year one. I think this year, starting year two, this current young group and the way the academy is set up at the moment can help us.

"If everybody, including our supporters, have patience with that, I think we can maintain a very good record."

We asked for your thoughts after Scotland were knocked out of the World Cup by England at the quarter-final stage.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Jimmy: Firstly, well done the Women's team. I thought they played really well, and despite the odds played excellent against the number one and two ranked teams in the world. Sadly, I think they have been let down by the SRU over contracts, and it just reminds me of England's Will Carling's comment about the hierarchy in the game being full of "old farts".

David: The squad, led by the superb Rachel Malcolm, did really well to get to the quarter-finals. England, even on a not so good day for them, were a step too far. I'm disgusted though at the SRU's treatment of them and I think their behaviour needs some scrutiny.

Daniel: Those at the top of Scottish Rugby who made the decisions to not award contracts to the women's players should be facing the media not hiding like cowards in their boardrooms and plush offices at Murrayfield. They should be backing this incredible group of players who are proud to represent their country despite being let down by the the SRU and a lack of financial backing.

Victoria: I think they should be proud. All week everyone was highlighting how the average Scotland loss to England is by over 50 points, but this performance against an England team that were playing really well, losing by only 32 points, is such progress. Obviously a few things to work on, the lineouts and scrums especially, but I think it would be a sign of good things to come, if Scotland weren't having their professionalism undermined.

Image source, Getty Images

Scotland bowed out of the World Cup after a bruising defeat to England but can be "immensely proud" of their campaign, insists Rachel McLachlan.

A run to the quarter-finals came to an end after a 40-8 loss to the tournament hosts in Bristol.

Having come through their pool in second place after wins over Wales and Fiji, it was Scotland's best World Cup showing since 2002.

There has been acrimony about the number of players left without a contract and the departure of head coach Bryan Easson, which appears to have spurred the team on.

"It's been a really successful Word Cup for us," flanker McLachlan told BBC Scotland. "I'm immensely proud of the squad.

"The strides we've taken in the past two or three years have been absolutely massive and this has been a culmination of that effort.

"In some ways it's the end of an era, with people leaving. It's sad to see them go but I'm excited for whatever comes next."

After conceding six tries to the red-hot favourites for the trophy, centre Emma Orr said: "There was a lot of emotion in the dressing room.

"We've left it all out there and we can walk away with our heads held high."

On the one-sided loss at a rain-soaked Ashton Gate, Molly Wright added: "There are lots of elements of the performance made us proud but there are lots of things we can improve on."

At 34, Wright is one of those cut from Scottish Rugby funding.

"In lots of ways it makes it easy," she explained. "Just enjoy every moment like it's your last. I've had a great time at this World Cup."

'Scotland emptied the tank'

Former international Deborah McCormack, who represented Scotland from 2014-20, was impressed by the heart shown against England after a tough run.

"The first time in a quarter-final in 23 years, they deserve to be on this stage, playing against the best teams in the world," she said.

"It was difficult, they did get suffocated at times but they fought until the absolute end. They never gave up.

"Scotland had three tough pool games and there will be some tired bodies. The starting team will have played a lot more minutes than England and they emptied the tank."

Scotland head coach Bryan Easson, who is leaving his role, reacts to the Women's World Cup quarter-final defeat by England.

MATCH REPORT: Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-finals - England 40-8 Scotland

Image source, Getty Images

Scotland head coach Bryan Easson told BBC Sport: "What we said we wanted to do was to get to the knockout stages of a World Cup. We've done that.

"You don't quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals the first time you ever do it. We've learned from that and we have to use this as a stepping stone. It shouldn't be the end, it should be the start of something.

"We've shown everyone the talent we have, the talent pool that we have, the 23 on the pitch today, the 32 that we've got as well. This has to be a stepping stone and has to be something that pushes everybody forward.

"When you look at the players out there, everybody deserves something moving forward. The professionalism of this group is undoubted, the work they've put in since 2 June, they've shown the talent they have.

"Contracts for them would keep pushing us forward because quarter-finals of World Cups, that's something you want to keep looking for. It's a great experience to have, but you have to work hard for them. We want to keep doing it."

Image source, SNS

Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm told BBC Sport: "I'm hugely disappointed with the outcome today, but overall when I reflect on the tournament, I'm immensely proud of how we've turned up, how we've taken steps forward - in terms of how we want to attack, defend, and where we want to take Scotland women.

"What we've seen in this tournament, more so than in any other, is a full squad performance. Every woman who has taken the field with a thistle on her chest has given their absolute all in this tournament.

"We're going to miss [Bryan Easson] hugely. On a personal level, Bryan and I have worked really closely for the majority of my captaincy so it's going to be a big transition for me and also all the girls. He's a brilliant people manager, he's always about putting the person first and he's done a great job of bringing this group together.

"Tyrone Holmes as well, our defence coach, who's completely transformed the way we play as a team over the last six years, is also not in contract after the World Cup. To lose someone of his calibre, and Bryan, is a big hurt to this squad, but we'll go and celebrate them.

On if she had a message to the SRU: "Just to listen. We know this game better than anyone, we're a part of this thing and we all want the same thing. We want to push Scotland women forward, we want to be a part of Scottish rugby, and we want to work together to compete with the likes of England. With the player voice incorporated in that, we can definitely move this sport and this team forward."