Scottish Rugby

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

David asked: France can manage their international side during the Six Nations by only protecting 22 players, while the rest of the squad are returned to their clubs on weekends when there are no games. Why does Gregor Townsend release so few players back to the Scottish clubs, to the detriment of the clubs' performance?

Tom answered: We've had a few questions on this subject. If you look at last weekend, Edinburgh were without their international players but still managed to put in one of their best performances in years against Munster - and Glasgow had victory in their hands against Ospreys and blew it. Their loss had nothing to do with absent Test players. They had the game won and a moment of madness cost them.

I take your point about Gregor Townsend's reluctance to release players back to their clubs, but this is how Glasgow built their strength in depth that served them so well in their URC-winning season.

Lots of fringe players came through while the Test guys were away, or were being rested, and those fringe players became important to Glasgow as the season went into its pivotal weeks. I'm talking about Gregor Brown, Euan Ferrie, Max Williamson, Alex Samuel, Gregor Hiddleston and the like.

I know it can be frustrating when clubs don't get their Test players back, but if these lads are going to get a chance to show what they've got, then this is the right time to do it. It didn't do Glasgow any harm last season.

Gordon asked: If Wales win this weekend what's next for Townsend? Is it not time to add greater athleticism and youth to the second row. Cameron Henderson is now a regular in the Leicester team and I believe he could bring another dynamic to the Scottish pack. Do you agree?

Tom answered: More is needed from the Scotland front five, for sure. George Turner, now in Japan, is a big loss in terms of power and intensity. Jonny Gray and Grant Gilchrist have been terrific Test players, but they're not carriers and a new type of second-row is needed. You see what Ireland get from Joe McCarthy and Tadhg Beirne. Those two are massively influential as ball-carriers, monsters in McCarthy's case and, in Beirne's case, a constant menace at the breakdown.

I'd imagine if Scott Cummings and Max Williamson were both fit then they might well be starting. We have to be moving fast into a world where those two, Henderson, Brown and a few others are the front-liners in the second row. It's got to happen.

Abigail asked: Is Ben Muncaster a future Scotland/Edinburgh captain? He always seems to go into games with great drive and motivation. His performances are very good and therefore he can certainly lead by example...

Tom answered: I don't know enough about him as a leader, but I really like him as a player. He's tough and relentless and if it wasn't so soon into his comeback, then I'd be very tempted to have him on the bench against Wales. He's part of the future for definite. Scotland need more with his kind of aggression and belligerence.

We asked for your views after Gregor Townsend named his Scotland team to face Wales in the Six Nations.

Here is what some of you said:

Rob: Glad to see George Horne on the bench, I feel he is a more exciting player to Jamie Dobie. He's the sort of player that can make something happen to close out tight games.

Anon: Probably Scotland's strongest team bar the injured players. This is a game Scotland should win. The press are the only doubters. The Welsh calling Scotland arrogant? We may be confident but never can you call Scotland arrogant. A comfortable victory for the Scots I'm thinking.

Ronald: What a shame we have no options in the second row. Jonny Gray is very lucky that he's in Townsend's favourites clique because he is certainly not selected on his form in this Six Nations. Matt Fagerson is also lucky that Josh Bayliss and Andy Onyeama-Christie are injured, a shadow of the player from last season.

John: I would have liked Fergus Burke to get a crack on the bench with a possibility of coming on in the second half against Wales. Why wax lyrical about him when the squad was announced, yet he don't give him a sniff? Otherwise, strong team. Need to see an 80-minute performance from Scotland and to be ruthless in the Welsh 22.

Paul: No surprise that Townsend has largely stuck to the same side that came within a conversion of winning against England. Despite that decent performance and narrow defeat, I'd still liked to have seen some tweaks to the pack, notably second row.

David: Not too many options. Backs pick themselves and it's great to have Darcy Graham back. Would have liked to have had some options in the forwards but injury really has limited options. This will be a very tricky match, Scotland v Wales are always tough attack-minded games. Scotland to win, but very tight.

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Head coach Gregor Townsend says there is still "a lot to play for" in Scotland's final two Six Nations games despite their title hopes already being over.

Having opened with victory over Italy, the Scots occupy fourth place heading into Saturday's match at home to Wales after successive losses to Ireland and England.

"Well, we've got two games to go," said Townsend. "We don't know where that's going to leave us at the end of the competition if we did manage to get two wins, but there's a lot to play for.

"There's a higher-up place on the table, but also our own performances, how we worked during the week to produce a performance that we're proud of, that makes our supporters proud, but also to earn that winning feeling.

"We were close at Twickenham and that fuels the motivation to do better next game."

Townsend admits it "wouldn't be great" going to Paris to face France with just one win in four.

Wales are on a 15-match losing run but were much improved against Ireland in interim head coach Matt Sherratt's first game in charge last time out.

"We've just got to focus on how we get the victory, how we build on what we did well against England," added Townsend. "We're going to not think of anything else outside of that."

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Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has been speaking to the media before the Six Nations game with Wales this weekend.

Here are the key points from his press conference:

• ⁠Despite being out of title contention, Townsend still wants to make supporters proud and says the narrow Twickenham defeat "fuels the motivation to do better next game".

• Townsend says it's "for other people to decide" if Scotland have got what they deserved from the championship, and believes the performance against England was "one of our best over the last few years" despite falling to defeat.

• The head coach is glad to have Darcy Graham back, noting the Edinburgh wing "deserves to be selected on what he's done for us".

• On his decision to make just one change to the side, Townsend and his staff felt the "team has been pretty consistent over the first three games" and they reviewed every position before making their final call.

• On Wales, Townsend says they are "a quality side" that can "fill the field well and are hard to break down" and will play with freedom at Murrayfield.

• He believes Welsh expectations have gone up after the impressive performance against Ireland and "maybe they do feel it's a free hit" playing Scotland this weekend.

• Townsend admits it wouldn't be a great position to be in should his side lose to Wales having to then travel to Paris with just one win in four. He calls on his side to "build on what they did well" against England and block out any external noise.

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

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Kyle Rowe has done a fine job in Darcy Graham's absence, but the minute that Gregor Townsend was confident of Graham's fitness then the Edinburgh winger was always going to return.

He made a blistering start to the Six Nations with a line break that was the turning point of the game against Italy. He was on fire.

Missing the vast majority of the Ireland game and the entirety of the England game has damaged his Lions hopes, but he's back now. As well as trying to rescue Scotland's season, the Lions will be on his mind for sure.

Graham has the oddest of records against Wales. He's scored against them in 2019, 2021 and 2022 - all losses.

He didn't score against them in his other appearance (2020) and Scotland won. Graham missed the victories in 2023 and 2024. He'll be motivated to the high heavens on Saturday.

Scotland fans, are you pleased with the side named by head coach Gregor Townsend to face Wales in the Six Nations on Saturday?

Are you pleased to see Darcy Graham return on the wing? Would you have liked to have seen more changes after defeat by England last time out?

Have your say., external

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

It was late spring of 1997 and Fran Cotton was talking freely on the telephone. Manager of the upcoming Lions tour to South Africa, Cotton was a reporter's dream.

Working for an Irish newspaper in those days, Cotton knew what this hack was looking for. Keith Wood was a certainty for selection, he said. Peter Clohessy's scrummaging strength had to be respected, he added. Lovely.

And there two more big Fran was keen to mention. All on the record. Jeremy Davidson, the Ulster lock, and Eric Miller, a fresh-faced back-row who had just broken into the Ireland team.

Nobody had been mentioning Miller as a possible tourist. "We like young Eric. We think he'd go well on the hard grounds of South Africa," said Cotton, and sure enough, he was selected along with the other three as the four Irish Lions in the original squad (Paul Wallace replaced the injured Clohessy soon after).

I've had a soft spot for Cotton ever since. Different times. Better days. Now? No inside tracks from chatty managers. We're left to our own guesswork about who is going to make it and who isn't, which is still a lot of fun.

Personally, I've picked about fourteen different Lions squads already and I'm still only warming up. For now, we'll look at the Scottish squad and how they might be placed in Andy Farrell's eyes.

Saturday against Wales is a massive game on many fronts, not least for the Lions dimension. Farrell is expected to name his squad in mid-to-late April. Time is ticking for the contenders.

Blair Kinghorn: Almost certainly on the plane as full-back (and utility back) along with Hugo Keenan. Has had a mixed Six Nations. Could do with a big game against Wales to eliminate any doubt.

Darcy Graham: Injury came at a horrible time for him. Only four wings were picked in 2021 and given Kinghorn's versatility it might be the same again. Tommy Freeman and Mack Hansen, who is known and trusted by Farrell, might edge the wee genius out.

Huw Jones: One of the best attacking centres in the world. In magnificent form. Australia-bound.

Sione Tuipulotu: Has to prove his fitness after his calamitous absence from the Six Nations. If he's firing, he's travelling.

Tom Jordan: A possible bolter at 10, 12 and 15. Might need an injury elsewhere to make it.

Duhan van der Merwe: It'll surely be Van der Merwe and James Lowe slugging it out for the Test left-wing spot with Lowe in pole position. Both should tour.

Finn Russell: There's a campaign building for Sam Prendergast and another for Fin Smith. Both excellent and both will probably be picked. Russell remains the senior man. Put him behind a dominant pack and watch him dominate.

Ben White: Jamison Gibson-Park is out on his own at nine. Tomos Williams will go as part of a skeletal Welsh crew. Might be between White and Alex Mitchell. The Englishman, by management decree, is kicking the leather off the ball. White offers more.

Pierre Schoeman: Should make it along with Andrew Porter and Ellis Genge, but Saturday at Murrayfield will be interesting. A very, very shrewd judge mentioned Wales' Nicky Smith as a bolter.

Jamie Ritchie: Came back into the conversation after a brilliant performance at Twickenham. Given the savage competition in the back-row, he needs two more huge games against Wales and France to stand a chance. Odds against him. Only six back-rows went in 2021.

Matt Fagerson: Would have been on many shortlists before the Six Nations, but it hasn't happened for him so far in the tournament. Chances receding all the time.

Rory Darge: The openside is an outstanding player, but as rival flankers he has Josh van der Flier, the Curry brothers, Ben Earl, Jac Morgan and others. Beirne can move back there, too. As can Ollie Chessum. He needs two monster performances against Wales and France and, most likely, two wins.

Zander Fagerson: Not a position of great strength for the Lions, but Fagerson is quality and he'll be in Australia.

A final note on Kyle Steyn and Scott Cummings, who would have mounted a challenge but injury cruelly denied them the chance.

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Andy Burke and Tom English discuss the growing trend for moustaches and mullets among rugby players in the most recent episode of the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast.

Listen to the full episode and subscribe for more.

George O'Neill
BBC Sport Scotland

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Zander Fagerson says Scotland must "right our wrongs" when they host Wales in the Six Nations on Saturday.

Gregor Townsend's side are fourth in the standings after successive defeats by Ireland and England, while Wales are yet to win and prop up the table.

Fagerson says the narrow loss at Twickenham last time out was hard to take, but his sole focus is now on ending the tournament on a high with a trip to Paris following the Wales match.

"We were all pretty gutted after the game," Fagerson said. "But we had that week to regroup and get those training sessions under our belt.

"This competition comes so thick and fast that you can't rest on your last performance. So it's all about making sure we just right our wrongs and go out there and win these last two games. That's the goal going forward."

Fagerson says time with his family help him process defeats quickly and it is small tweaks that will help Scotland turn narrow defeats into wins.

"Gutted at that time but I got home to my family and the kids don't care if I won or lost," he added.

"It's all about making sure I go back to being dad for a couple of days and we get back into that review and make sure we can learn from our lessons.

"We were close. The boys put in a good shift but it's just that 1%, that 5% in international rugby, it's all about the small margins. We came up short and we've got to do all we can to make sure this weekend we come away with a win."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Forwards coach John Dalziel says Scotland must look to "bring the demons back" for Wales when the sides meet in the Six Nations on Saturday.

Wales are on a 15-match losing run, though took heart from a brave showing against Ireland in interim head coach Matt Sherratt's first game in charge.

The Scots are also out of title contention after back-to-back defeats by Ireland and England, and Dalziel wants his team to bounce back with victory at Murrayfield this weekend.

"We know any Welsh team, when they put that red jersey on, it's pride and passion," Dalziel said. "They've been close encounters over the last few years.

"We've got to try and find areas where we can go and pressure them and try and put them into uncomfortable positions and hopefully bring the demons back that have been there in the games prior. That's what we're looking for.

"Like every Test match, we're going to look at the opposition and where we can get some sort of advantage.

"There will be areas where both teams will be looking at each other to try and do that. It's going to be a very competitive Test match."

Scotland have won the last two meetings between the sides and Wales scrum coach Adam Jones suggested in the media the pressure is all on the Scots ahead of the match.

"We've heard that before and it's a game where if they want to put the pressure on us, that's fine," Dalziel said.

"We're just determined that the last home game of the season here at Murrayfield, we want to try and finish well.

"I think we've got to build on the real positives from that England game. We went down there and we created a lot of opportunities in that game.

"I suppose it's just about being accurate and understanding what accuracy looks like as well in terms of the high-pressure moments and trying to come away with more of them in this weekend's fixture."

Sandy Smith
Fan writer

Edinburgh packed up their troubles in their old kit bags and turned everyone's heads as they defeated Munster in Cork for the first time since 2019.

Edinburgh are consistently inconsistent and continued that trend by following up a pitiful display against Zebre with a first away win in the league since April. In the process they scored the most points and tries they ever have against Munster.

The team's first hat-trick since Darcy Graham against Bulls in September 2022 earned Matt Currie the man of the match award but it was a game where almost everyone turned up with the correct mindset and did a great job.

I have to give a big shoutout to the front row especially, but the whole pack did a number on Munster's scrum, forcing them to concede around 10 penalties in that area.

Incidentally, Boan Venter will become eligible to play for Scotland in February 2026. I'm of the firm opinion he is the best scrummaging loosehead in Scotland so I expect he and Pierre Schoeman will be our first and second choices in that position thereafter.

It was good to see Ben Vellacott get a start and it was clear his dynamism gave some time to Ross Thompson, who although wasn't perfect did have a strong game.

A good try, strong off the tee, a great pass and a crossfield kick that led directly to tries were on Thompson's credit side. He did get charged down and was caught in possession by Munster's Alex Nankivell but it may well have been his best game so far for Edinburgh.

This result will have dialled back the doomsday clock on Sean Everitt's Edinburgh career, but it will take a quantum leap forward if he can't find a way to get his team to replicate this performance on an ongoing basis.

If he can then our run-in is decent and of the six teams we still have to face only Sharks are currently above us in the table. Not one of them have scored more tries or points than we have.

This was a famous win against statistically our most difficult opponent in the league, so it should be celebrated regardless of the eventual margin at the 80-minute mark. Take it, enjoy it and we can worry about Benetton in a couple of weeks.

Sandy Smith can be found at The Burgh Watch, external

Grant Young
Fan writer

Glasgow were moments away from stealing the full five points on Saturday evening in a game where they largely looked second best.

When Duncan Weir split the post to take Glasgow two points clear, adulation filled the stands. What then unfolded, though, was a serious of calamitous mistakes.

Ospreys, despite their lowly league position, travelled north with a plan. They struck the heart of Glasgow's defence and broke it down three times in the first half.

Glasgow pride themselves on defensive intensity but something was off. Ospreys pinned high balls on the returning Adam Hastings, who at 15 looked uncomfortable and fragile dealing with the aerial threat.

The impressive Max Mann's size and bulk were missed when he went off with a head knock midway through the first half and never returned.

Then we have the final 20 seconds. Warriors have become a well-drilled and disciplined team. However, the sheer panic off the final restart was alarming.

The catch off the kick by JP du Preez was perfect. All he had to do was fall down, present the ball for the nine to kick out as time expired or let the forwards hit one more up then kick the ball out.

Instead, he threw an offload to Facundo Cordero, who panicked and threw it to Sean Kennedy and a penalty was ultimately coughed up to allow the visitors to snatch victory.

I'm baffled why firstly Du Preez just didn't keep the ball but also how unaware the next two players were of how little time was on the clock. Glasgow went from securing the five points to walking off with only two.

The panicked ending, after working so hard, puts Warriors back closer to the pack rather than trying to keep up with Leinster.

It's back to the drawing board as the team now need to wait two weeks to go again with Munster in town. What this defeat tells us is there are zero easy games in the URC.

Matt Currie, Nathan McBeth and Ben Muncaster have been called into the Scotland squad for this weekend's Six Nations game against Wales but back rows Luke Crosbie and Jack Mann have been ruled out by injury.

As Scotland prepare for their next Six Nations test, have you got any burning questions to put to our rugby writers Tom English and Andy Burke? Send them in via this link, external, and they will be answered on this page later in the week.

Clive Lindsay
BBC Sport Scotland

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Glasgow Warriors lost ground on United Rugby Championship leaders Leinster after a dramatic, stoppage-time penalty handed victory to Ospreys at Scotstoun on Saturday.

But what did we and, more importantly, head coach Franco Smith learn from the loss?

Warriors shoot themselves in the foot

Sean Kennedy will rue his decision, as the clock turned red at Scotstoun, to attempt a pass rather than simply kick the ball out of play straight from the restart after Warriors had just taken what looked like a winning lead.

The scrum-half suddenly enveloped by Ospreys limbs, a needless penalty was conceded, Jack Walsh was handed the chance to seal the Welsh side's first win in Glasgow in nine years and four points were squirrelled away.

Kennedy will have been playing that one back in his mind all weekend and will surely not make the same mistake should such circumstances ever present themselves again.

Youngsters yield positivity

Some fans have questioned Warriors' strength in depth following their defeat by a side who only lie 11th despite their bonus-point win at Scotstoun.

Smith preferred to accentuate the positives. His side had come so close to victory despite being without a slew of international players and others through injury - and showed "character" to come back from the concession of three early tries.

Indeed, Smith suggested it showed they have young players waiting in the wings ready to take the step up when needed.

Down, but far from doomed

On the one hand, while Leinster, with 12 wins out of 12, look a class apart from the rest of the league, Glasgow stay second top and remain well placed to finish in the top four and secure a home play-off quarter-final.

On the face of it, Glasgow will be disappointed to lose to Ospreys on their own patch, but they will be mindful that the improving Welsh side have lost just once in seven games and came close to beating the league leaders a couple of weeks ago only to lose 22-19.

George O'Neill
BBC Sport Scotland

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Scrum dominance provides platform

Edinburgh's surprise win in Cork was built on a magnificent display from their forward pack.

Led by the excellent Boan Venter, Edinburgh won eight penalties at scrum time, providing both territory and momentum.

The visitors' physical dominance was particularly evident in the first half, and it provided the platform for Sean Everitt's side to run in four first-half tries and take a 22-point lead into the break.

Ben Muncaster and Magnus Bradbury were also impressive with ball in hand for Edinburgh, who needed a response after dismal defeats by Scarlets and Zebre.

Versatile Currie shows his worth

With Emiliano Boffelli and Harry Paterson injured, and Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe away with Scotland, Matt Currie has been shunted onto the wing from his usual centre berth.

He showed finishing instincts that any of Edinburgh's four absentees would have been proud of against Munster, scoring a magnificent hat-trick that proved decisive.

His first and third scores were opportunistic, born out of relentless running and a never-say-die attitude, while his second relied on strength as he held off several defenders to reach the line.

Currie's work-rate and attitude are a fine example as Edinburgh look to put their recent struggles behind them and make the play-offs.

Play-off hopes boosted

Speaking of their league hopes, the five-point victory took Edinburgh back into the URC's top eight and eased some of the pressure on Everitt and his players.

The challenge now for Edinburgh is to back up their first away win in 10 months with both performances and positive results against Benetton and Dragons.

Inconsistency has been Edinburgh's weakness again and again in recent years, and they cannot allow this win to be a one-off with six games of the regular league season remaining.

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Scotland second row Ewan Johnson will play Top 14 rugby next season, having agreed to join Bayonne in the summer.

Johnson, 25, has four caps to his name and currently plies his trade in the French second division with Oyonnax, who did play in the top flight last season.

Currently part of Scotland's Six Nations squad, he came through Racing 92's academy, making one appearance before joining Vannes.

Three of his caps came in the summer tour of the Americas, picking up his fourth appearance against Portugal in the autumn.

Johnson has signed a two-year deal with Bayonne, who currently sit fourth in the the Top 14.

Glasgow fans, we asked you for your opinions on the gut-wrenching 31-32 loss to Ospreys at Scotstoun on Saturday night.

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

Abigail: Tough way to lose a game. Ospreys deserved winners - frightened Glasgow and forced them to defend as well as some stunning tries. Inexperience and lack of game time showed. Not having Jamie Dobie or George Horne released is frustrating. Hopefully lessons learned and we go on.

Alan: The Warriors threw that game away after all the effort they'd put in to battle back at the end. By the time we'd woken up, Ospreys were three tries to the good. Then, every time we fought back, we lost concentration and allowed them back in. How we didn't manage to see the game out at the end is a mystery to me. The last 30 seconds were daft!

Chris: Injuries really biting now. Players playing out of position starting to show. I heard Ryan Wilson say Henco Venter is away at end of season. If true and Jack Mann follows, Gregor Brown and Euan Ferrie will be getting more game time which is good. Wonder who the crop behind them will be?

Alastair: I've never seen Warriors miss so many tackles which, on top of penalties conceded, was their downfall. As good as the second choice players are, they are not a cohesive team.

There was an improvement in physicality when the bench forwards came on but Warriors had to work hard for their tries unlike Ospreys who, in the end, deserved the win.

George: Inexperience, lack of game time, failing to watch the clock properly, and maybe a player or two who are over the hill in terms of their careers. Hopefully this loss refocuses Glasgow and we can push on and do something this year.

Paul: Fair play to Ospreys - we have to recognise that despite Glasgow getting into a winning position before conceding a needless penalty, they were the better team. Glasgow have picked up 11 points from three games in the Six Nations period. Hopefully some internationals will be available for the Munster game. We're still well positioned. Onwards.