Scottish Rugby

We asked for your opinions on the Scottish rugby action over the weekend.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

SCOTLAND WOMEN

J: Amazing match in La Rochelle and amazing atmosphere in the stadium. France were too powerful and took advantage in seven minutes of madness, but Scotland did us fans proud. What a place to watch a game, too - wonderful and welcoming local support, with fans staying in their seats to cheer the team long after the final whistle.

Johnny: Why does the coaching team leave most of their replacements until late in the game? In this game there was a big shift in momentum with three quick tries but three or four of the subs were not used until the last 10 minutes. With a squad of 23, we don't seem to make the most of our replacements.

Hopey: Difficult match for the Scotland team. France were clearly more powerful and had player after player able to make yards in contact. Cannot fault the team for effort and showed that their belief was still strong to score their second try at the end of the game. Take the loss and move on.

EDINBURGH

Kenny: First-class first half, but the second period a different story. Dropped balls and sloppy passing plus the ongoing line-out problems emerged. Ross Thompson continues to struggle at fly half.

David: How good was Darcy Graham? Scored one try, set up another, and got Edinburgh behind the Dragons defence on so many occasions. When Graham is not there and Edinburgh have to batter down the door, or find some creativity elsewhere, they have a tendency to struggle.

Andy: Great to get bonus point win but being honest, Dragons are a poor side and Edinburgh left about half a dozen tries out there due to lack of composure and terrible handling. A lot of work to do if they're to make the play-offs and progress in Europe.

Steve: Healthy looking scoreline that papered over a lot of cracks. No disrespect to Dragons, but our performance could have seen us lose to every other team in the league. Easy to see the errors but thankfully Graham and Paddy Harrison had a stellar first half. Cammy Scott looked decent when he came and Ross McCann was solid and busy again.

GLASGOW

Iain: The SRU & Glasgow need to pull out all the stops to secure Franco Smith on an extended contract to prevent him from being offered the Wales job - we can't afford to lose him.

James: A game of two halves, both equally exciting despite the difference in scoring. Loved it.

David: Glasgow were in top form on both sides of the ball. To score two points in the first half, then nil the Lions in the second, was a great effort. If only Scotland had played with the same targeted passion in the Six Nations, they would not have finished fourth.

Scotland fans, what did you make of Bryan Easson's side's performance as they fell to a 38-15 defeat by France in La Rochelle? Who impressed in your opinion?

We're also looking for your reaction to Glasgow Warriors 42-0 demolition of Lions in the United Rugby Championship.

Have your say on the matches.

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt has revealed the club are trying to sign Scotland hooker Dylan Richardson.

The 26-year-old, who has six caps, has spent his entire club career with Sharks in South Africa and can also play in the back row.

After reports emerged earlier this week touting the possibility of a move, Everitt was asked how likely a deal is after Edinburgh's United Rugby Championship win over Dragons on Friday.

"We're still in talks," he said. "Dylan has been on our radar at Edinburgh since he was 18 years old - that's when I was coaching him in Durban.

"We've tried for a number of years to bring him to Scotland, so who knows?

"I think the versatility is good for us. But, like I say, he's a Durban boy, he's got two years left on his contract, so yeah, it's a far cry - but not impossible."

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Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm tells BBC Sport: "It was really tough.

"At half-time we had a real energy about us, but that 15-20 minutes after half-time they really turned it up a notch. We didn't really react.

"We showed we can compete against the best, but if we don't concentrate and keep our intesnity for the full 80 minutes then teams will punish us and that's what they did.

"I'm super proud of the effort - to score a try at the death is what this team is all about."

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Paddy Harrison paid tribute to "livewire" Darcy Graham after the Scotland winger inspired Edinburgh to a bonus-point win over Dragons.

Graham scored a try and created the second of Harrison's two tries as the hosts touched down six times in a 38-5 win to boost the capital side's hopes of making the URC playoffs.

"He's an absolute livewire," Harrison told BBC Scotland.

"You've seen that the whole game. He just keeps on going, which is the most impressive thing.

"He's class, and it's class to have him back."

Harrison was pleased with the way Edinburgh bounced back from a disappointing loss to Benetton in Italy last weekend.

"Obviously, we needed a win this week, it was pretty obvious," said the hooker.

"The boys did pretty well. I was pretty gutted last week to lose it at the end of the game.

"We came out firing this week, so it was pretty good.

"We chatted about having a fast start at the start of the game and we definitely did that. We took our chances when we had them, so I'm pretty pleased.

"It's obviously really tight around that end of the table. Every game is a huge game for us going forward.

"We need to be putting those performances out every week."

Edinburgh fans, what did you make of your side's display against Dragons? Who were the standout performers in your opinion?

Have your say on the match.

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt told the assembled media post-match: "There were some really good moments in that game. We got the scores that we needed by half-time.

"It was always going to be difficult playing into a strong wind in the second half. Probably not a perfect performance, but our disciplined defence kept them out.

"That's the Paddy [Harrison] we know. He certainly adds impact and obviously Darcy Graham's individual brilliance was outstanding.

"Every five points you get is going to help the cause. We need to focus on every game and try to win them all.

"Our kicking game was good, we put them under pressure and when teams kick at us we're really dangerous.

"Dragons are proud and they've got a lot to fight for. The guys did really well to keep them down to one try. Happy with our defence and our discipline."

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Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith has made seven changes to the side that beat Munster last Friday for this Saturday's URC match at home to Lions.

Nathan McBeth, Grant Stewart and Sam Talakai form an entirely changed front row, while Gregor Brown - who signed a new deal with the club this week - partners JP du Preez in the second row.

Tom Jordan starts at inside-centre with Stafford McDowall shifting to 13, while Jamie Dobie replaces Sebastian Cancelliere on the wing.

Scotland internationals Zander Fagerson, Rory Sutherland and Rory Darge are all among the replacements.

Glasgow occupy second place in the table, with Lions down in 13th.

"We know that another stern test awaits us as we look to back up a hard-earned result last weekend," Smith said.

"The Lions play a brand of rugby unlike any other in the competition, with a highly physical forward pack complementing a backline that has the potential to cause problems from anywhere on the field."

Glasgow side to face Lions: Rowe, Dobie, McDowall, Jordan, Steyn, Hastings, Horne; McBeth, Stewart, Talakai, Brown, Du Preez, Ferrie, Vailanu, Mann.

Replacements: Matthews, Sutherland, Z Fagerson, Samuel, Venter, Darge, Afshar, Cancelliere.

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Edinburgh welcome back six Scotland internationals for Friday night's URC match with Dragons at Hive Stadium.

Wingers Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe return to the XV having both scored twice during the Six Nations, with prop Pierre Schoeman, lock Grant Gilchrist and back-row Jamie Ritchie also starting. Hooker Dave Cherry is named amongst the replacements.

Wes Goosen, who has played every minute of Edinburgh's campaign so far, starts at full-back alongside Graham and van der Merwe.

Edinburgh go into the game 11th in the standings having lost three of their past four league outings, while Dragons sit bottom.

"Dragons are a dangerous side, they win a lot of turnovers and can be really efficient and hurt you in the 22," said Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt.

"They gave Ulster a hard time on Saturday, so it's not a team we can take lightly.

"Every game in the URC has been tight in the last couple of months, so we have to focus on ourselves and make sure we can execute as accurately as we can."

Edinburgh team: Goosen, Graham, Currie, Lang, van der Merwe, Thompson, Vellacott, Schoeman, Harrison, Rae, Sykes, Gilchrist, Ritchie, Watson, Bradbury.

Replacements: Cherry, Venter, Sebastian, Young, Douglas, Price, Scott, McCann.

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Scotland head coach Bryan Easson has been talking to the media before the Women's Six Nations match away to France this weekend.

Here are the key points:

• Jade Konkel replaces Evie Gallagher - who serves a one-match ban after her red card last weekend - in a "smooth transition in the back row" for Scotland's only change from the opening win over Wales.

• Easson pointed to a longer-term emphasis on basing everything on performance as being key to a run of 13 wins from their past 17 fixtures as they head into a tough environment in front of 17,000 fans in La Rochelle.

• "I believe it's sold out," he said. "The whole town will come out and be out early. They'll be there for warm-up and we have made it very clear to the group of players who have not been in France before what to expect because it's important they understand. France is a good side. So it will be tough. We've been very, very clear on that, but we're going there with confidence."

• The head coach said the opportunity to play in that setting against one of the top sides is "why we play rugby" and Scotland are looking forward to "putting in another strong performance."

• For his side to compete, Easson says they have to "put it together for 80 minutes", adding they've been working hard on that and it is essential to put France under pressure."

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

Davie asked: When is someone going to read the riot act to these Edinburgh players? Time for coaching/player overhaul to sort this shambles. Slash the wage bill and give more Under-20s a chance??

Andy answered: If I had a pound for every time we have had to discuss Edinburgh's infuriating inconsistency, either online or on air, I would be a very wealthy man.

I have no idea what it will take to get these Edinburgh players to perform to their potential on a weekly basis. Crucially, Sean Everitt does not, after almost two years in the job, seem any closer to solving the puzzle either.

When Richard Cockerill first arrived in 2017, reading the riot act was exactly what he did and exactly what was required. I always recall Simon Bergan telling us how Cockerill had toughened him up a bit.

The Englishman's combative style was only ever going to have a limited shelf life, but it seems the current squad are once again at that point that they need an authoritative figure to come in and sort them out.

To your point about fielding more U20s, I think Edinburgh should – and will – move on some older players whose best days are behind them, but the youngsters replacing them need to be of the required standard or else you are simply putting out lambs to the slaughter.

Freddy Douglas looks ready now, he's a special talent and should play a prominent role between now and the end of the season.

James asked: In December the SRU announced the appointment of David Nucifora with great fanfare given by the media yet we've heard nothing since other than his impending absence with the Lions. Known as a man of action, and in light of Edinburgh's dire form, Franco Smith's uncertain future and Scotland's poor Six Nations, when will we see the first signs of his influence?

Andy answered: The Nucifora situation is an interesting one. When we spoke to new SRU chief executive Alex Williamson on the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast at the end of January, he said he could not see any downsides to Nucifora going off on tour with the Lions. I'm not so sure about that.

Here we are with Scotland coming off an underwhelming Six Nations and many people questioning whether Gregor Townsend is still the right man to take the national team forward, Sean Everitt looking more and more like a lame duck at Edinburgh, and Franco Smith seemingly itching for his next move.

There is uncertainty surrounding the three top jobs in Scottish rugby right now and the man tasked with overseeing it all presumably has his head in all things Lions.

A post-tournament review is standard after every Six Nations and it will be interesting to see what, if anything, comes from this one.

If it is radio silence and business as normal, there will be a sense that Nucifora's priorities are not where they need to be from a Scottish rugby perspective.

Image source, Getty Images

John Dalziel says he was surprised by the "respect" given to Scottish players by fellow British and Irish Lions coaches after he was confirmed as part of Andy Farrell's staff for the summer tour to Australia.

Dalziel joins Richard Wiggleworth, Simon Easterby, Andrew Goodman and John Fogarty on the coaching ticket, with the playing squad to be announced on 8 May.

"The biggest surprise for me was the respect given to all the Scottish players by all the other coaches," Dalziel said. "Looking at the Scottish names on the list and the way they are speaking about our players as well as us in our bubble.

"We know internally we've got a lot of world-class players, so it's great to see Scottish players are properly getting spoken about in circles like this."

On what he will bring to the Lions camp, Scotland forwards coach Dalziel emphasised the importance of understanding and empathising with players.

"The key is the connection with players," he said. "You have to connect with them away from rugby and have the comfort to have a difficult chat about performance but also let them know you're there to pick them up and support them."

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Scotland's Gregor Brown has signed a new Glasgow Warriors contract running until the summer of 2027.

After coming through the club's academy, the 23-year-old has enjoyed a breakthrough year.

The versatile Scotland international, who can play in both the second row and back row, made his professional debut in February 2021 and has gone on to make 31 appearances.

He was rewarded with a Scotland call-up for his form across the 2023-24 season and was selected in the 2024 summer tour, making his senior international debut in the victory over Canada in Ottawa.

"It was a really easy decision," Brown said. "I grew up supporting Glasgow Warriors and watched the team lift the 2015 title, so to be a part of a league-winning squad with this club last season was a real dream come true.

"I feel like I've really developed my game since signing as a professional here. The coaching group are a world-class group, who have all been so important for my own development."

Head coach Franco Smith added: "Gregor's development has been extremely impressive over the past two seasons and we are delighted to retain a player of his potential."

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Scotland lock Grant Gilchrist says he is "more determined than ever to achieve something special" with Edinburgh after signing a one-year contract extension to remain at his boyhood club for a 15th season.

The 34-year-old made his professional debut against Cardiff in 2011 and is just the fourth player in Edinburgh's history to surpass 200 appearances.

Gilchrist, who is co-captain, said: "Being a one-club man is something I cherish deeply. I still feel like I have so much more to give to this club and the thought of helping lead this team to a winning moment would be the proudest moment of my career.

"We have a huge finish to the season ahead in both the EPCR Challenge Cup and the URC and I'm more determined than ever to achieve something special with this group of players and staff.

"Retirement isn't on my mind; I still feel I have unfinished business here at Edinburgh."

Gilchrist featured in all five of Scotland's Six Nations fixtures earlier this year and started three of the Autumn Nations Series Tests in November against Fiji, Australia and South Africa.

Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt said: "Grant is the epitome of a one-club man and his unwavering commitment to Edinburgh is inspiring.

"It's brilliant news to retain a player of Grant's calibre, who continues to perform at the very top of his game."

After another Edinburgh defeat, the future of head coach Sean Everitt is a hot topic on this week's episode of the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast.

Andy Burke and Colin Gregor also look back at wins for Scotland in the Women's Six Nations and Glasgow in the URC.

Plus we hear from Scotland flanker Rachel McLachlan before the game with France this weekend.

Listen and subscribe on BBC Sounds