Scottish Rugby

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Edinburgh's Pierre Schoeman has vowed not to let a potential British and Irish Lions call-up distract from his Edinburgh form.

The Scotland loosehead has been mooted as a possible pick for Andy Farrell when he names his squad in early May, but 30-year-old is keen to stress he is fully focused on club matters.

Edinburgh face South African side Lions in the Challenge Cup this Friday and are in the hunt for a URC play-off spot.

"It's always in the back of your mind," the prop said on the possibility of joining up with the Lions squad this summer. "However, when we do our prep for the match on the weekend, it's not near what you focus on.

"You just focus on what's important now, and that is the Lions game this week. Everything else, you switch off. Once we come in here, we focus, we prep, and you make sure you're on it.

"There's no personal distractions, no future distractions. It's just about the present, delivering.

"It [the Lions] is obviously something I've written down as a goal, and hopefully it will be. But the only controllables you can have is play well for Edinburgh, do everything you can, leave no stone unturned."

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Duhan van der Merwe's hopes of British and Irish Lions selection remain alive after Edinburgh confirmed the wing is on track to return to action "during May".

The club have given an update after the 29-year-old, who is Scotland's record try scorer, had a scan on the ankle injury that forced him off during the URC victory over Dragons on Friday night.

Lions head coach Andy Farrell names his squad on May 8 and if Van der Merwe's recovery goes to plan he is likely to be included for his second successive tour.

Edinburgh have also said lock Marshall Sykes is set to return "before the end of May".

Sandy Smith
Fan writer

Apparently you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, so I'm going to take this six-try, five-point victory over Dragons, say thank you and move on.

Edinburgh's play wasn't perfect by a long shot, but on a bitterly cold night at the Hive, we inflicted the biggest margin of defeat in Dragons' terrible season so far.

There were a few notable performances.

Paddy Harrison got a brace of tries and was close to getting Edinburgh's second hat-trick of the season. His second try certainly demonstrated his pace.

Our lineout completion rate was also much better which was handy as we did have 20 lineouts.

In the absence of Mosese Tuipulotu there was a return of the centre pairing of James Lang and Matt Currie. Both had good games.

Currie's first-minute tackle prevented a certain try that might have changed the course of the game, and he finished the 80 with a strong try in the corner. Currie is now the joint-top try scorer for the club this season along with Duhan van der Merwe and Paddy Harrison.

Wes Goosen continues to provide great value, having not missed a minute of the season so far. In this game, I lost count of the high balls that Dragons sent his way, and he gobbled them up gratefully.

However, the man of the match award rightfully went to Darcy Graham, who is one of those players you just love to watch. More carries, more clean breaks and more defenders beat than anyone in this match. Every time he got the ball you could sense the danger he was to the Dragons defence.

We could have been better. Dragons weren't exactly taxing opponents yet we gave them an easy ride in the second half and there were far too many missed opportunities because of handling errors.

Ultimately, other results went our way, and we finished the weekend in eighth. Something tells me there will be drama yet to come.

This week, we have a late-night date with the Lions. We'll be looking to right the wrongs of our defeat to them in Johannesburg from earlier in the season and secure a home tie in the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup.

How do we go about arranging for it to be a bit breezy?

Sandy Smith can be found at The Burgh Watch, external

Grant Young
Fan writer

I'm not sure what's more impressive - winning by 42 points or holding a team to nil.

Glasgow had to battle not only the travelling Lions but a 40mph wind that helped in the first half but felt like playing against an extra player in the second.

The Warriors were clinical in the opening 40, Nathan McBeth has returned with a bang and has now scored four on the bounce.

Jamie Dobie, out on the wing, deservedly was awarded man of the match. It wasn't just for his two tries, because defensively he timed some incredible tackles that completely ended any Lions momentum.

Adam Hastings, much criticised for his last two performances, looked to have a greater level of composure after a shaky start and scored his first Glasgow try since returning north.

However, the big headline scorer is new club record holder George Horne, who leaps over DTH Van Der Merve as the player with the most tries for the club. The question now is by how many can he extend the record?

On to the Champions Cup next and the visit of Leicester Tigers. It is a special competition and there is always something different in the build-up.

It's another chance for those in British and Irish Lions contention to impress against a cross-border rival and, for the club, it almost has the feel of a Scotland v England match.

Leicester have a wealth of international experience at their disposal and are third in the English Premiership.

It's going to be a brilliant matchup as the URC defending champions take on one of the big English sides.

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Edinburgh and Scotland wing Duhan van der Merwe has had a scan on the ankle injury he picked up in Friday's win over Dragons.

British and Irish Lions hopeful Van der Merwe, 29, went off in the first half of the 38-5 win and was seen in a protective boot.

"Duhan went for a MRI today," head coach Sean Everitt said on Monday. "We haven't had the results back. We should know that early this evening.

"He's in a boot. But we can't see the damages. A little bit of soreness and swelling this morning and that's all I can report on."

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George Horne has signed a new contract with Glasgow Warriors just days after becoming the club's record try scorer.

The 29-year-old scored Warriors' fourth try in Saturday's 42-0 win over Lions to take his club total to 55, which saw him overtake DTH van der Merwe as the United Rugby Championship club's record try scorer.

The scrum-half says it was an easy decision to sign a new contract at "exciting" Glasgow Warriors, with the club announcing he he signed on "for the foreseeable future".

"That's the main thing, everyone's been so delighted for me, a lot of congratulations online and stuff, so it's been nice to see," he said.

"The boys have been great, they recognised it after the game. I'm just thankful to play in a team that gets me on the end of a lot of tries, it's been a cool couple of days.

"[I've] Just signed up for another couple of years here, and I think I said after the game, I'm really proud to represent Glasgow, the club and the city as well and obviously delighted to be staying on.

"It's a club where I've played my whole professional career at, I love being part of it - the boys, the backroom staff, everyone involved with the club - it's a great place to come into work every day.

"Obviously, coming off the back of last year, we're in a pretty good place, but we're desperate to achieve more. It's an exciting club to be a part of at the moment, and I can't wait to see what the rest of this year and the next couple of years have in store."

As usual on a Monday, we're giving you the chance to put your burning questions about the game to our rugby reporter Andy Burke.

There was a Six Nations defeat for Scotland women in France, but both Glasgow and Edinburgh claimed URC victories.

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

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Edinburgh bounce back

It's what Edinburgh do, isn't it? Follow up a poor performance with a reaction to deliver a better display.

First things first – Dragons are a poor outfit. Other than a couple of fleeting moments early in the game and Aaron Wainwright's try shortly after the break, the URC's bottom side offered little.

Still, Edinburgh did a professional job on them, killing the contest with four unanswered first-half tries.

The frustration is they didn't keep the foot on the gas after the break, but maximum points is what they came for and that's what they delivered.

Dazzling Darcy back with a bang

Everything looks rosier in the Edinburgh garden when Darcy Graham is on the field.

The little magician was at his electric best after his return to the team from Six Nations duties with Scotland.

Every time he got his hands on the ball he looked to make things happen, and the Dragons' defence could not contain him.

Graham created Paddy Harrison's second try with one deft chip over the defence, gathered the ball then put through another inch perfect kick for the hooker to score.

His speed and anticipation saw him get on the end of Ben Vellacot's smart dink over the top to cross the whitewash himself.

It would be unfeasible to think Graham is not at the forefront of the thoughts of the Lions selectors, but this was just a timely little reminder of his class.

Harrison stakes his claim

Paddy Harrison stood up with a big performance and, in many respects, a timely one.

The hooker scored two tries, the first of which a routine score from a rolling maul, the second far more flamboyant, outpacing the cover defence to touch down a clever kick through from Darcy Graham.

Harrison has had to make do with being third choice in the queue for the Edinburgh number two jersey, behind Scotland internationals Ewan Ashman and Dave Cherry.

However, with Ashman struggling for form with club and country, and Cherry rumoured to be leaving for France at the end of the season, Harrison could find more opportunities coming his way.

Another Scotland international hooker, Dylan Richardson, could well be on his way to Edinburgh for next season, but Harrison can push himself into the conversation.

Having got a taste of Test action on last summer's tour of the Americas, Harrison could get some more exposure to international rugby this summer, depending on how strong a Scotland squad is selected.

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.