Scottish Rugby

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

Graeme asked: Do the Lions need Finn Russell more than he needs the Lions?

Tom answered: Er, no. I'd imagine that Russell would be achieving a dream if he was starting 10 for the Lions, as he should be, in my opinion.

He doesn't need the Lions but he deserves this tour and his brilliance warrants a Test team spot, assuming his form stays as it is.

This whole business with Johnny Sexton has caused a bit of confusion. Given the silly things he has said about Russell, and his obvious issue with him, Sexton should now be picking up the phone and arranging a face-to-face chat with him to clear the air. This is something he absolutely needs to do.

Rod asked: David Nucifora arrived with huge expectations, I really thought we needed someone with his background and skills. But so far I have seen nothing in terms of change. And now he is off with the Lions for the summer. Am I missing something - have you heard or seen anything he is doing?

Tom answered: Scotland's pathway issues go back many years and there's no way Nucifora was going to come in, wave a magic wand and fix things in a matter of months.

This is a serious piece of work that needs doing. It's failure at all levels at underage rugby and the entire pathway department in the SRU needs an overhaul. I'm told Nucifora is working away on that. Don't expect a grand unveiling of the masterplan any time soon.

Him going away with the Lions is a very bad look. He shouldn't be going on that tour. He should be with Scotland on their tour, getting to know people, picking some brains.

I can completely understand why some are asking about Nucifora and what on earth he's actually doing, given his Lions involvement.

But in the area of pathway development he's one of the best in the world, so let's hold fire a while longer to see what he can come up with.

He's with the SRU for two years. Personally, I think he's going to need every day of those two years to try to fix the shambles of Scotland's pathway system.

Nick asked: How concerning it is to see Scotland U18s lose comprehensively to Spain?

Tom answered: It's the continuation of what we've been saying at underage. It's very, very concerning. They lost all three of their games. It's why David Nucifora has been brought in, See above answer for more on that. I think the SRU have got the best pathway planner in Nucifora, but it's going to take time.

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Glasgow Warriors have signed Scotland lock Alex Craig for next season.

Craig, 27, has played with Scarlets for the last two campaigns and made 40 appearances having previously spent over four years with Gloucester.

He was voted as Scarlets' player of the season last year by his team-mates.

From Castle Douglas, Craig made the last of his six Scotland caps as a replacement in the win over Australia at Murrayfield in November last year.

"For me, coming back home is a massive opportunity and I'm looking forward to getting stuck in," Craig told Glasgow's website.

"I'm from Castle Douglas, and I've always kept a close eye on how Glasgow were doing as I supported the club when growing up. To see the club go from strength to strength in recent seasons has been so impressive, and they just keep getting better and better as a team.

"I know quite a lot of the boys from U20s and from Scotland duty; I grew up playing minis with Stafford [McDowall] too, his dad was my first rugby coach and we played together from when we were seven until about 14 or 15.

"Stafford's probably the one I spoke to the most when making the decision to move up here, but everyone I've spoken to has had nothing but good things to say about the club."

Joining Tom English on this week's episode of the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast are Glasgow lock Max Williamson and Scotland lock Emma Wassell, who shares a health update after a tumour was discovered in her chest last autumn.

Listen and subscribe on BBC Sounds

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Josh McKay says it was an "easy decision" to sign a contract extension keeping him at Glasgow Warriors until summer 2028.

The New Zealand-born full-back, 27, has scored 17 tries in 62 appearances since joining in November 2021.

McKay, who will be eligible for Scotland through the residency rule in autumn next year, said: "It was a really easy decision to renew in the end.

"It's great to have a good bit of certainty on where I'll be for the next few years – I love it here, both playing for Glasgow but also living in the city and being able to get out and explore Scotland.

"To be able to do all of that for the next three years is huge, and I can't wait to make more memories with the boys.

"I'd love to play 100 games for this club and I'd love to win more silverware with the boys. We've got a really good group here and we know that we've got a great chance to do just that over the next few years."

Head coach Franco Smith says McKay has "fully bought into" what the current URC champions are trying to build, adding: "His performances are consistently of the highest level, as well as developing into a leader on and off the field."

Sandy Smith
Fan writer

It's not the first time Edinburgh have played the Springboks, however when we met them in a friendly in 1998 they were at least not disguised as a club team.

They turned up in Sharks colours on Friday night at the Hive and a casual glance at the team they selected would have given anyone the fear.

The injury to Ben Vellacott and the 'rest protocol' absence of Darcy Graham were worrying, then there was the all-too-familiar update from the club that we had to alter the starting line-up as talisman Wes Goosen had failed a fitness test.

The backline was shuffled and although I had no concerns about the quality of the replacements, the disruption to what had been a well-oiled structure over the last few weeks added to my angst.

To the first half and Edinburgh's attack eased my fears considerably. They scored two cracking tries through James Lang and Jamie Ritchie, which unfortunately were unconverted.

The half was also punctuated by Ross McCann's early departure and replacement by Jack Brown. McCann has clearly benefited from a run in the team and has looked increasingly comfortable in Duhan van der Merwe's absence. Hopefully it's nothing serious.

In the first half Sharks seemed to be reluctant or unable to take on the Edinburgh defence. They had three opportunities to kick for good territory but opted for shots at goal.

Despite getting an early score in the second half, it remained tight and frustration boiled over into ill discipline and yellow cards abounded.

Sharks' defence was solid, though, and on reflection Andre Esterhuizen thoroughly deserved his player of the match accolade as his efforts alone probably won the game for them. He at least let his rugby do his talking unlike a number of his team-mates.

It's easy to look at the handling error that gave Sharks possession, which led to their last second try, as being the thing that cost us, but equally two missed conversions or being held up over the line at least twice has to be in that conversation too.

It was a great game and Edinburgh were the side that showed ambition, desire and grit. It went against us, but I was proud of how the team stood up in the face of such a task.

Sometimes it's more about character.

Sandy Smith can be found at The Burgh Watch, external

Grant Young
Fan writer

Are Glasgow limping to the end of the season? The Warriors looked majorly out of sorts in the lacklustre 14-6 victory on the road against Zebre Parma.

Was it a European hangover after the humbling by Leinster? The Warriors were nil at half-time and guilty of individual errors and kicking away possession as they again struggled with the press defence.

Zebre had multiple chances to build a bigger lead and coughed them up. Stronger teams would have had the game won at half-time.

The amount of frontline injuries and lack of player rest may now be catching up with Glasgow at the most important part of the season. Huw Jones hasn't played since the Six Nations, Scott Cummings has been a major loss in the second row and now the addition of ever-present Zander Fagerson to the injury list is a big worry.

This time last season Glasgow's starters basically named themselves, now it feels it is almost a who's available/fit?

There are bright spots the fans can cling on to. Josh McKay looked comfortable on his return at 15 and certainly adds to the depth of the squad.

However, the main change was when the departing Tom Jordan came off the bench. The speed and direction completely changed as Warriors went from a struggling side to the one we have seen the past few seasons.

Yes, the two scores came when the Italians had 14 men, but that was largely due to the increased pressure inspired by Jordan.

A top-four finish is confirmed but the team will want to go better than last year. A top-two place avoids the trip to South Africa, so beating Bulls on Friday is a must.

The South African side, currently one spot and four points behind the Warriors, arguably have an easier final two games so Glasgow will want to have it wrapped up before their final-day trip to runaway leaders Leinster.

Franco Smith will hope to see more of his injured stars return on Friday and for Glasgow to inject their usual quality back into the performance.

As usual on a Monday, we're giving you the chance to put your burning rugby questions about the game to our chief sports writer, Tom English.

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

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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Glasgow lack strength in depth

The previous week's 52-0 European Champions Cup thrashing by Leinster appeared to be weighing heavily on Glasgow Warriors as they faced Zebre despite head coach Franco Smith freshening up his side with 10 changes to his starting line-up.

The Italian hosts threatened their first-ever win over Warriors as they led 6-0 at half-time and only when Matteo Canali was sent to the sin bin did the tide turn in the visitors' favour.

A lengthy injury list that has stretched Glasgow's squad to its limits was a contributing factor to 120 minutes of rugby without a point, but it was little wonder Smith was visibly angry at their display at half-time in Parma and made more changes to his side soon after.

Win over Bulls now a must

Any kind of victory will have been welcomed at half-time, especially as it secures a home tie in the quarter-finals.

However, the failure to add a bonus point could prove crucial in their head-to-head battle with Bulls to finish second in the table behind runaway leaders Leinster.

The Bulls did likewise in their 16-13 win away to Munster to remain four points behind Glasgow before they visit Scotstoun on Friday in what could be a season-defining game for both in the URC with only three games of the regular campaign remaining.

With Glasgow thereafter facing a difficult trip to face fifth-placed Benetton then finishing off away to imperious Leinster, it is surely a must-win for Smith's side if they are to finish second and secure home advantage in the last four should they reach that far.

Especially so considering Bulls' last two games are the easier on paper - at home to sixth-top Cardiff and bottom-of-the-table Dragons.

Jordan must start

To add to the importance of Friday's game, Bulls will arrive seeking revenge for last season's 21-16 defeat by Glasgow in Pretoria as the visitors secured the URC title.

Smith will no doubt change his starting line-up again and will by praying that some of his injury absentees return, with Zander Fagerson and Huw Jones said to be closest to battle readiness and captain and fellow Scotland international Sione Tuipulotu still not worth a risk.

You imagine that Tom Jordan will also be pencilled in given he helped change the game in Warriors' favour when he replaced Adam Hastings at centre after the break in Parma.

Glasgow did it the hard way last season, winning the semi-final and final away from home, but it would be difficult to see them secure a third title if they have to do the same this time.

We asked for your views on yesterday's rugby action, here's what some of you had to say:

Edinburgh 17-18 Sharks

Stair: Edinburgh played out of their skin. Probably the best 80 minutes of the season. The Hive was bouncing. The last minute spoiled a great night. The home loss against Zebre destroyed our season not the result tonight. Just bad luck.

Fred: Typical old failings. Had a chance to go seven points up which would at least mean Sharks would need a converted try to draw, given their place kicking was awful, another win has slipped through the fingers. Be lucky to get another win this season.

Abigail: Mixed response from the game. Proud of the team fronting up against such a strong opponent and battling to the end. But disappointment in missed chances and silly mistakes, but clear team improvement.

James: Edinburgh threw that match away after working so hard to stay ahead. The favourite Scottish trick of not being able to score from close range once again reared it's ugly head as they failed to get the clinching score and bonus point win, then they gave it away. They just don't have winners and leaders. Failing to secure the goal line dropout was shockingly poor inviting the scrum penalty and conceding field position. There are some individuals in the Edinburgh set up who are just not good enough. The substitutions who came on near the end were poor.

Zebre 6-14 Glasgow Warriors

Chris: Glasgow looked like the wind had been knocked out of them. Not the bounce back performance that was expected, a win is a win but the visit of the Bulls is daunting.

Hopey: Tough watch. First half lacked direction, application and passion. A lot of players did not put their hand up or make a difference. Better in the second-half for the first 20 minutes, there was a clear effort to break the gain line and get behind Zebre. Thomas Gordon certainly brought momentum and the players around him followed his lead. No bonus point, but a win here was incredibly important for the rest of the season. Can breath again but will need to fix the TV.

George: One of the worst games of rugby I have ever watched. Both sides wanted to show that they could knock on more and make the silliest of errors. Saying that will be good experience for the younger players to know they can come back and win when everything seems not to be working for them.

David: Franco Smith achieved two things, they got a win away to Zebre and rested key players for the difficult matches at the regular season.

England 59-7 Scotland

Mike: Another huge defeat at the hands of England, we just can't compete at any age or grade level, professional women and now since the Six Nations, our men. Where do we actually go from this point forward? U16, U18, U20, Women's and Men's game? In a few years our men's group, the best ever assembled, will be out of date and our development of young players is, I'm sorry to say, woeful! We will transition like Wales and take years to get any sort of talent through. Our chances of any Championship has been lost since the Six Nations started and this will not change anytime soon.

Tom: Psychological hangover, lots of players trying too hard. Hope we get over this quickly or our title defence will fail but it will help if some of the injured players return because they did not play in Dublin so can bring back the positivity of our earlier performances.

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Scotland captain Helen Nelson took some comfort from her side's improved second-half display despite their hefty 59-7 Women's Six Nations defeat by England.

The visitors found themselves 42-0 behind at the break, when a much more damaging defeat appeared to be on the cards.

"We were frustrated at half-time," Loughborough Lightning fly-half Nelson told BBC Two. "We showed glimpses in the first half, but England are so clinical and score quickly.

"It was a much better second half from us."

Nelson thinks the Scotland squad continues to improve.

"We are getting depth," he added. "We had three new caps today, as you need with a World Cup coming, but England are world class and have so much depth.

"We put in a really strong performance in the second half and move on to a big game against Ireland next weekend."

With Scotland sitting fifth, a win over Ireland is needed if they are to at least match last season's fourth-place finish.

There was good news and bad news for Scottish rugby on Saturday as Scotland were thumped 59-7 by England in the Women's Six Nations, but Glasgow Warriors edged out hosts Zebre 14-6 to secure a home quarter-final in the United Rugby Championship.

Give us your thoughts on either or both of those big games.

Have your say.

Scotland head coach Bryan Easson expressed his "pride" at the way his side stemmed an English tide after half-time in their 59-7 Women's Six Nations defeat.

The visitors were 42-0 down by the break at Mattioli Woods Welford Road Stadium.

But Easson was more satisfied with the second half deficit of 17-7 against a side who top the standings going into their winner-take-all final game against France next weekend.

"We didn't do anything we said we should in the first half - we gave away far too many easy scores," he told BBC Two. "But we showed pride and fight in the second half and can be proud of that."

Easson recognised England's vastly superior pool of players from which to choose.

"We have to keep building our strength in depth and the pathway and give players opportunities," he added.

"Bridging the gap is tough because England have 40, 50, 60 players who can play at this level, but we will keep working had to close the gap."

Scotland, who finished fourth in last year's championship but are currently fifh, will host Ireland next Saturday looking to add to their sole victory over Wales this campaign.

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Makazole Mapimpi's last-gasp try for the Springbok laden Sharks broke Edinburgh's hearts and dented their hopes of qualifying for the United Rugby Championship play-offs.

Were you encouraged by Edinburgh's performance against such a star-studded side? Or are you concerned the late defeat could dent this team's confidence for the run in?

Have your say here

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Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith has made 10 changes for Saturday's URC trip to face Zebre in Parma.

Josh McKay returns from injury along with Gregor Hiddleston, who joins Jamie Bhatti and Fin Richardson in an all-changed front row from last weekend's heavy Champions Cup defeat by Leinster.

Jare Oguntibeju starts in the second row and Euan Ferrie and Jack Mann come into the back row as Sione Vailanu moves to openside.

Behind the scrum, Jamie Dobie shifts from wing to scrum-half. Stafford McDowall moves from outside to inside centre, Ollie Smith takes the number 13 jersey and Sebastian Cancelliere starts on the wing.

Glasgow occupy second place in the table, with Zebre 15th.

"Zebre are a team that can hurt any team when presented with an opportunity, and we have seen the significant progress they have made across this season both in Parma and on the road," Smith said.

"We know that there is little margin for error in a league as tightly contested as the URC, and we know we must be at our best tomorrow night."

Glasgow side to face Parma: Bhatti, Hiddleston, Richardson, Oguntibeju, Samuel, Ferrie, Vailanu, Mann; Dobie, Hastings, Steyn, McDowall, Smith, Cancelliere, McKay.

Replacements: Matthews, Schickerling, Talakai, Williamson, Darge, Kennedy, Jordan, Cordero.

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Scotland forward Rachel McLachlan has described the prospect of winning her 50th cap as "kind of surreal".

The Montpellier flanker reaches the milestone against England at Twickenham in the Women's Six Nations on Saturday.

"It's an absolute privilege to be here, honestly," she said.

"That's never lost on me, no matter how long I'm here, whether it's my first cap or my 50th."

The 26-year-old made her debut for the national side in 2018 and says in the following nine years women's rugby in Scotland has been transformed.

"This is now our full-time jobs - that's been absolutely massive," she added.

"We've got great depth across all positions now and a lot of young people coming through as well, which is amazing for both them but also to push the people who have been in the jerseys."

The Scots, who sit second bottom of the table with one win in three following their defeat by Italy on Sunday, face the world champions on their home patch on Saturday.

"They are a quality team but we also know what we can be and we want to show that, especially after last week," said McLachlan.

"We're a bit wounded, we're hurt by our performance and we know we have so much more in us. So I think going forward it's an exciting prospect for us and we just want to get stuck in."

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

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Mid-morning on Thursday and Johnny Sexton is announced as the latest coaching addition to the British and Irish Lions - or, perhaps, the Irish and British Lions.

Immediately, the talk turns to what this means for Finn Russell, given Sexton's barbed comments about the Scotland fly-half as recently as February. Doomsday for Finn?

An interview Sexton gave to The Times last autumn will get a hell of an airing over the next few months. Sexton said being overlooked for the last Lions tour in 2021 "kills me to this day", an angst that came across strongly in his autobiography, published last year.

He expected Owen Farrell and Dan Biggar to be picked but couldn't understand why coach Warren Gatland went with Russell ahead of him.

Sexton and Russell are polar opposites as players and people. They see the game in different ways. Sexton, clearly, has a beef with Russell - or with the coverage he inspires.

Hence, the alarm in the Russell camp at the news of Sexton's elevation. That's an Ireland head coach, an Ireland attack coach and now Sexton running the show in Australia.

There's fast-tracking and then there's this. For the 2024 November internationals, Sexton was given a vague job title in Andy Farrell's Ireland coaching ticket - consultant.

When the Six Nations swung around, he was still involved, but again his remit was not wholly specific - kicking advisor, mentoring the Ireland fly-halves, contributing his thoughts on the attack.

After a single-figures Test involvement as a coach/mentor, Sexton is now a Lions coach. The new Neil Jenkins, as it were.

That interview last year shone a light on Sexton's views on Russell, revealing some of the things that have built up over the years but were never voiced in public.

The Irishman called Russell "flashy" and a "media darling" in that piece. He has long held the view the Scotland fly-half is talented but showy, but this was the first time he said it on the record. He didn't exactly ask 'where's your medals?' but it was implied. His words were put-downs.

He also called England's Marcus Smith flashy, but then rowed back. He called Smith a generational talent who can manage a game while lighting it up. There was no such readjustment of his opinion on Russell.

In fact, he went one further. Who would Sexton pick as the starting Test 10 in Australia? Most observers would have said - and would still say - Russell. "I'd pick Owen Farrell," said Sexton of the Lions coach's son.

"Who do you want in there when the going gets tough? Test match animals. I know who the media would want. Finn Russell, Marcus Smith, the flashy…"

You can almost hear the words being spat out. Who do you want in the trenches? Who's the Test match animal? Not Russell. The Scot remained stoic when all this was put to him. This stuff has been one-way traffic, from Sexton to Russell. The Bath man has only ever said nice things about Sexton.

It's easy to interpret this as bad news for Russell and good news for Owen Farrell (and Sam Prendergast). Sexton is a Prendergast fan and also a huge admirer of Farrell, a truly great 10 in his day but one who has played just 14 games for a struggling Racing this season (including three yellow cards).

Farrell, 33, has had only three starts this year and has played just 139 minutes since the end of January. He has no form, but his stock may have risen on Thursday. His father could pick him - the squad is named on 8 May, so time is running out - but he'd be open to accusations of favouritism, fair or otherwise.

Now Farrell junior has an independent champion in Sexton and his voice on who should play 10 will carry serious weight. It's all very intriguing.

What's also interesting is that in his new role, Sexton is now going to have start looking at Russell through a coach's eyes rather than with the bitterness of a rival player.

All he has seen up to now is a talented operator but one who is, in his one-eyed opinion, over-praised in the media while winning virtually nothing, a guy who unjustly took his Lions place in 2021 and broke his heart.

Maybe now he'll see things in Russell he has never allowed himself to see before. Maybe. The two men were (briefly) Lions together in 2017 and played against each other numerous times over the years, but there's no relationship there, no bond.

One of the beauties of the Lions is how strangers and arch rivals can become team-mates and friends in the relative blink of an eye on tour. Sexton and Russell will be another test of that.

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Sean Everitt insists Edinburgh are "relishing this opportunity" to see off Springboks-laden Sharks in Friday night's URC showdown and continue their recent momentum.

The capital side are eyeing a South African hat-trick after defeating Lions and Bulls this month on their run to the Challenge Cup semis.

Edinburgh last faced Sharks a year ago, losing 36-30 in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals in Durban, but head into Friday's game in fine fettle after four wins in their past five outings in all competitions.

"Obviously we take a lot of confidence and momentum into the game," head coach Everitt said.

"We know the Sharks present similar challenges to what the Bulls do. The Bulls brought on five Springboks in the second half and it made a difference to their performance.

"The Sharks will be no different. They'll start with probably a dozen Springboks in their ranks. But at the same time, we've done well against the Sharks when we were away in the quarter-final last year in the EPCR, so we also take confidence out of that performance when there were a lot of the Springboks playing as well.

"We've also got our own group of internationals and we're playing at home, so we're relishing this opportunity. Our rugby performances have improved and with that you obviously get results."

Everitt has rested Scotland wing Darcy Graham and Hamish Watson amid five changes for Friday's game.

Props Pierre Schoeman and D'arcy Rae both start, Ali Price and Harry Paterson feature in the backs and Ben Muncaster comes in at openside flanker.

Edinburgh are eighth in the URC and one of several clubs scrambling to secure their spot in the play-offs.

"We've got some tough games on the road as well coming up, so it is challenging," Everitt added. "The league is really tight, so every point matters at this stage."

Meanwhile, scrum-half Charlie Shiel will remain at Edinburgh for a ninth season after signing a new one-year deal.

Edinburgh team to face Sharks: ⁠Goosen, Paterson, Currie, Lang , McCann, Thompson, Price; Schoeman, Ashman, Rae, Skinner, Gilchrist, Ritchie, Muncaster, Bradbury.

Replacements: Cherry, Venter, Williams, Young, Douglas, Shiel, Scott, Tuipulotu.