Glasgow and Edinburgh had contrasting fortunes in their Europe this wek, now we are offering you the chance to throw questions at our rugby writers Tom English and Andy Burke.
Send them in via this link,, external external and they will be answered on this page later in the week.
We asked for your views on Edinburgh's emphatic 52-12 win over Bayonne in the Challenge Cup and Glasgow's narrow 30-29 Champions Cup defeat by Toulon.
Here's what some of you said:
Derek: Darcy Graham was unplayable, Marshal Sykes a beast, Jamie Ritchie's best game in yonks, Ali Price controlled the game! Job done.
Chris: Darcy plays a different game to everyone else. Just an absolute joy to watch. With this scoreline, it makes next week even more interesting. Will be an absolute banger!!
Neil: Great to see Darcy Graham in peak form. When he's fully fit and healthy he is so elusive and could dance around defenders in a phone box. Bayonne just had no answer for him.
Steve: Finally a performance we knew was possible with this group of excellent players. Bayonne were made to look ordinary and they certainly are not. This on top of the close Gloucester loss with those up-and-coming players are the two most hopeful displays for a long long time. This should now set the standard.
Geoff: If only Edinburgh could play like that every week!
Warriors fans, we wanted to know what you made of your side's narrow Champions Cup defeat by Toulon.
Here's what some of you said:
Graeme: There were a few points in that game that a Glasgow team from a few years ago would have buckled; not getting the scores when playing 13 and being down to 14 and Toulon cranking up the pressure. But this team has more grit than I have seen for a long time, very impressive, two well-earned and important points, well done!
Jamie: Franco Smith picked inexperienced Glasgow players going to the hotbed of French rugby with a partisan crowd and yet the team performed well. There were missed chances but there is a robust team there. Both prop positions a concern, Zander Fagerson's workload high. Second row now looks solved with Jare Oguntibeju replacing Richie Gray. Tom Jordan needed a new contract 6 months ago.
Stephen: Glasgow showed just by the side they put out in the first half the belief in the ethos that Franco Smith has installed at the club. Toulon were at full strength and at home, yet Glasgow went after them. I am chuffed to bits by the performance and in no way disappointed.
Alan: I thought a Glasgow team with a number of second-choice starters did relatively well. I think the regret will be in giving away too many needless penalties, particularly getting isolated and tackled too often. I am also not sure if Franco will regret not fielding a stronger team as this could have made the difference, some looked out of their depth.
George O'Neill
BBC Sport Scotland
Image source, SNSDarcy Graham was Edinburgh's standout performer against Bayonne
Graham a nailed-on Lion
In a dominant display, one Edinburgh player stood head and shoulders above his teammates against Bayonne.
Darcy Graham scored two tries, created two more and terrorised the French side's defence every time he got the ball.
The Hawick-born winger made 163m with ball in hand, and made seven clean breaks on Friday night, in addition to winning two turnovers.
It was a statement individual performance, one that underlined Graham's world-class ability and showed why he is a guaranteed pick - barring injury - for Andy Farrell's Lions squad next year.
Attacking intent shines through
Edinburgh's failures last season were at least partly down to a dull predictability in attack, with a lack of try-scoring bonus points costing them a place in the URC's top eight.
However, Sean Everitt's side have found an extra few gears this term. They already have six bonus points in the league, more than they managed in the entirety of last season's league campaign, and they put eight tries past Bayonne in the Challenge Cup.
They played with a real intensity, getting the ball out of the breakdown at speed and it allowed their stellar back division to influence the game.
Matt Currie and Mosese Tuipulotu's centre partnership is flourishing, and if Duhan van der Merwe can become as prominent at club level as he is for Scotland, the try-scoring numbers will continue to soar.
Edinburgh take momentum into 1872 Cup
Edinburgh's progress will be measured by their performances in their next two matches, as they try to regain the 1872 Cup from rivals Glasgow Warriors.
The team from the west are URC champions, and have reached the level Edinburgh aspire to.
Everitt's side will go to Hampden Park on Sunday as underdogs, but the performance and result against Bayonne will give them real heart.
A full-strength Edinburgh side is, on paper at least, a formidable prospect. The two-legged tie against Glasgow is not just an opportunity for league points, it's a chance to show they can deliver what fans and pundits expect from such a well-funded and talented pool of players.
Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland
Image source, SNSGlasgow fail to punish Toulon's ill-discipline
In the 26th minute, this match swung in Glasgow's favour. Awarded a penalty try, they also watched Baptiste Serin and Lewis Ludlam trot off the pitch as Toulon had two players sin-binned.
That was the moment to stamp their authority on the game. With a two-man advantage, they had to punish Toulon and take the lead with the scores currently tied.
Instead, Toulon kicked two penalties and Glasgow's play turned sloppy as they tried to force the issue instead of sticking to basics.
Jare Oguntibeju continues to impress
This young man's story becomes more unbelievable by the week. At 22 years old, playing just his third game of top-class rugby, he scored his first pro try.
This is a player who only picked up an oval ball aged 17, and lost two-and-a-half years to injury.
The growth in his game in his last three outings has been incredible. He's absorbing information like a sponge and starting to use his significant size to Glasgow's benefit. Gregor Townsend will be watching, and the Six Nations audience will soon know his name.
Smith's depth-building project continues to reap rewards
It is a disappointing loss for Glasgow, in the sense that the game was there to win. However, two bonus points is no small feat either and given the side Franco Smith named, it is still a success of sorts.
They were underdogs going in, despite being URC champions. Gregor Hiddleston, Oguntibeju, Samuel, Jack Mann, and Ben Afshar all started and all are still in the nascent years of their careers.
The Warriors can now name a XV packed with second-choice players that can mix it with Test internationals. That is a testament to Smith's coaching and his brave, bold selections during his reign.
Glasgow fans, what did you make of your side's narrow Champions Cup defeat by Toulon?
Image source, SNSFull-back Ollie Smith made his first appearance since rupturing his knee ligaments last December
An 'Emerging Scotland' XV were beaten 24-7 by Italy Under-23 at Hive Stadium on Saturday.
The sides went into half-time level after Marcos Gallorini's try for the visitors cancelled out Ollie Blyth-Lafferty's score for the Scots.
However, Italy took control after the break with tries from Luca Andreani, Marco Scalabrin and Mirko Belloni.
Liam McConnell - who recently made his Edinburgh debut - captained the home side, while Scotland international Ollie Smith made his long-awaited return from injury at full-back.
Image source, SNSGeorge Horne stared as the Warriors beat Sale at the weekend
Glasgow Warriors will be "right up there" in both the European Champions Cup and United Rugby Championship this season, according to former England scrum-half Danny Care.
Warriors opened their Champions Cup campaign with a dominant bonus-point victory against Sale Sharks last weekend, with scrum-half George Horne scoring three first-half tries.
Horne was awarded the player of the match award, and Care reckons a Lions call-up will be in the player's sights now.
Speaking on the Rugby Union Weekly podcast, Care said: "Those Scottish scrum halves, this is the year to play well.
"Ben White's the first choice you'd say but George Horne has battled his way back in there ahead of Ali Price, and he might be looking at the Lions tour going 'I may be a little bit different, I can add a bit of zip'.
"These are the type of games I'm sure Andy Farrell will be watching at home… if he's got the subscription. "
"Glasgow will be right up there domestically and in Europe again domestically this year."
Edinburgh fans, what did you make of your side's emphatic win over Bayonne in the Challenge Cup.
Image source, SNSScotland winger Darcy Graham scored two of Edinburgh's eight tries against Bayonne
Player of the match Darcy Graham tells Premier Sports: "There was a bit of pressure. This season we've had good wins backed up by a loss. There's been inconsistency. It's now about getting a big win away.
"The first ten minutes was loose - I was blowing. For the fans to watch it was excellent. Second half we knew our fitness would kick in and we'd blow them away. I'm really proud of the boys because Bayonne came at us hard.
"We can fire into the 1872 Cup now. The next two games are going to be quality. We want to be moving the ball about - that's our game plan, and Glasgow are the exact same."
Image source, SNSBen Afshar makes his first European start against Toulon
Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith has rotated his squad for Sunday's trip to Toulon in the Champions Cup.
The URC champions began their European campaign with an impressive win over Sale Sharks last weekend; Smith makes seven changes to the team that started at Scotstoun.
Sam Talakai replaces Zander Fagerson in the front row, Alex Samuel is preferred to Scott Cummings in the second row, while Jack Mann comes in for Matt Fagerson.
Henco Venter shifts to blindside flanker to accomodate Mann and Rory Darge continues at openside.
In the backs, last weekend's player of the match George Horne drops to the bench and is replaced by Ben Afshar, while Duncan Weir also comes into the team at fly-half, with Tom Jordan also among the replacements.
Stafford McDowall replaces Huw Jones in the centres, partnering captain Sione Tuipulotu, and Jamie Dobie comes in for Sebastian Cancelliere on the wing.
"This weekend presents another challenge for this group, as we face a side with a strong pedigree in European competition," Smith said.
"Toulon come into the match in great form, having played some excellent rugby to overcome the Stormers last weekend.
"They will also be looking to defend their proud record in front of a passionate home support, making it a challenge we look forward to facing on Sunday."
Glasgow XV to face Toulon: McKay, Dobie, Tuipulotu, McDowall, Rowe, Weir, Afshar; Bhatti, Hiddleston, Talakai, Oguntibeju, Samuel, Venter, Darge, Mann.
Replacements: Matthews, Sutherland, Z Fagerson, Cummings, M Fagerson, Fraser, Horne, Jordan.
BBC Scotland senior reporter Andy Burke has been answering your Scottish rugby questions.
Peter asked: Is the consistent non-selection of Hamish Watson the end of his career?
Andy answered: I am a little puzzled by the continued omission of Watson from the Edinburgh side at the moment.
I don't think it's unfair to say Watson's best days are behind him, but I believe he still has something to offer.
Sean Everitt has confirmed Watson is not injured but, even with Freddy Douglas picking up an injury against Gloucester last week, has again omitted the 33-year-old from the squad to face Bayonne on Friday night.
It's understandable, and indeed essential, that younger options are given game-time in the Edinburgh back row, but I can't help but feel the experience of a Scotland and Lions international such as Watson would be handy as the club tries to fight on two fronts.
The end of his career? Who knows, but it does seem his time at Edinburgh could be coming to an end.
BBC Scotland senior reporter Andy Burke has been answering your Scottish rugby questions.
Chris asked: If Glasgow need to recruit, which position would be filled first? Is there depth in the squad to not need another established 10?
Andy answered: I think Tom Jordan's departure to Bristol at the end of the season has made signing another 10 the top priority for Glasgow.
Adam Hastings is a class act and should be the first-choice fly-half when Jordan leaves, but his continuing struggles on the injury front is a cause for concern. Hopefully his luck turns soon.
Duncan Weir remains an important figure at the club, both on and off the field, and it will be interesting to see if Franco Smith thinks the veteran has another year left in him come the summer.
There's real hope in the Scottish game that Richie Simpson, having turned in some excellent displays for Scotland Under-20s, can have a bright future at the top level and it would be good to see him given a chance in the near future.
For such a pivotal position, though, I think Glasgow need to find another proven high-level performer going into next season.
Ben asked: What can Gregor Hiddleston do to force his was into Gregor Townsend's thinking for the Six Nations? I think it may come too soon for him this year, but he has been so impressive for Glasgow and it wouldn't shock me if he overtakes Johnny Matthews by the end of the year at Glasgow.
Andy answered: Hiddleston played very well last weekend against Sale and it says a lot about how highly he is regarded that Franco Smith entrusted him to start such a big game. His faith was rewarded.
Is it too early for Hiddleston to make the Scotland Six Nations squad? I don't think so.
The hooker position remains intriguing. Ewan Ashman found some good form in the Autumn Nations Series and is the man in possession of the jersey.
Beyond that, Dylan Richardson seems to have worked his way into a decent position to be chief back-up, but that is far from nailed down.
Johnny Matthews seems to be one of those faces that just does not fit under Townsend and it could be that some strong performances over the next few weeks could see Hiddleston edge himself into the conversation for the Six Nations.
Image source, SNSScotland centre Matt Currie says staying with Edinburgh can make him a better player after signing a new two-year deal.
The 23-year-old, who is nearing 50 Edinburgh appearances, was the club's breakout player of the year last season and has started six out of eight games this term.
Currie won the first of his four Scotland caps against Canada in the summer of the Americas.
"I'm really excited about staying on for the next two years," he said.
"Edinburgh is a great place for me to be in terms of honing my skills and trying to improve as a player. We have some class centres here and there's some brilliant centres in Scotland right now.
"It's a very competitive place but I think, if I can keep working on my own game in Edinburgh, I can hopefully push for more international caps in the future."
Head coach Sean Everitt said praised the versatility of "talented and hard-working" Currie and said he "has the potential to become one of the best centres in the country".
Image source, SNSWingers Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham both start for Edinburgh
Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt has welcomed back eight Scotland internationals for Friday's Challenge Cup match at home to Bayonne.
Everitt had rested several big names for the European opener - a 15-10 defeat by Gloucester at Kingsholm.
Pierre Schoeman and Ewan Ashman are back in the front row, while Grant Gilchrist, Luke Crosbie and Jamie Ritchie also come into the forward pack.
Ali Price replaces Charlie Shiel at scrum-half, and Duhan van der Merwe - who signed a new deal with Edinburgh earlier this week - is named in the back three along with fellow Scotland flier Darcy Graham.
"It's great to welcome back some of our internationals for tomorrow night's match," Everitt said. "Winning at home in these knockout competitions is vitally important, so having those guys back is incredibly important.
"We know that Bayonne can be a dangerous team; they played some great rugby against us last season and beat Scarlets last week, so they'll come to Hive Stadium with confidence."
Edinburgh: Goosen, Graham, Currie, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe, Thompson, Price, Schoeman, Ashman, Hill, Sykes, Gilchrist (c), Ritchie, Crosbie, Bradbury.
Replacements: Cherry, Venter, Sebastian, Skinner, Dodd, Shiel, Healy, Lang.
Image source, SNS"Exceptional leader" Kyle Steyn has signed a new contract with Glasgow Warriors, keeping him at the club until 2028.
The Scotland winger has 28 tries in 79 appearances for Glasgow since joining in February 2019.
Steyn, who was appointed captain before the 2022-23 campaign, led the Scotstoun club to their first European final - losing to Toulon in the 2023 Challenge Cup showpiece - before they claimed the URC title last season.
Head coach Franco Smith says Steyn "can be truly world class" for both club and country.
He added: "We're proud to retain a player of Kyle's calibre and character. He is an exceptional leader who leads by example above all else, and is a huge asset to the club."
Steyn, who has 13 tries in 23 international Tests, said it is "one of the biggest honours of his life" to lead out Warriors.
"I've loved my time here so far, every minute of it," the 30-year-old said.
"My wife and daughter are really settled here, we've got a great set of friends in the city and the group of boys here make it a privilege to come to work every day.
"Everyone here recognises the quality of group we have, both here and with Scotland. I just want to be a part of that, contribute in every way I can, and take us as far forward as possible."
We asked for your views on Duhan van der Merwe signing a two-year contract extension with Edinburgh.
Here's what some of you said:
Steven: It is always a boon to hold on to a top international player and it should be good for the club as long as they can get him involved enough to get a decent return in terms of tries. I think for him personally he seems settled in the city after bad experiences elsewhere abroad.
Dave: Absolutely fantastic news for Edinburgh and Scotland. Wonderful player he has been for club and country, long may he continue to excite with his all-round play. Such a devastating player to watch and some of his finishes are brilliant.
Murray: Could be wrong, but personally I feel this is a bad decision from the SRU. Although I love that VDM is staying, I assume it's due to a more appealing contract. With funds already extremely tight with the SRU, surely letting VDM go would have been a smarter business decision. He would still develop in France, England or Japan.
Geoff: Obviously delighted he is staying, repaying Edinburgh's loyalty to him. He does need to develop a club style of playing as his international style isn't entirely suitable for club level games.
George: Great news for Edinburgh and Scottish rugby. We need to retain players of his quality in Scotland as this will help younger players to learn from him.
Jamie: The biggest hope is that in retaining Duhan it is not a detriment to the club's finances, that would then hinder other new contracts or bringing in other new players to strengthen the club. Duhan is a top-class player on his day, hopefully this contract will settle his mind and bring with it some much-needed punch in his game.
Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer
It was towards the end of his press conference on Tuesday when David Nucifora gave us a real glimpse of the kind of uncompromising character Scottish Rugby has turned to as its all-powerful performance director.
"I try to be engaging with people," said the Australian, who spent 10 hugely successful years in Ireland from 2014.
"If you want to work in this business, once you've worked out where you want to get to and how you're going to get there, you've got to be fairly bullish because there's lots of distractions, there's lots of things that will happen that will potentially knock you off track if you let it."
Nucifora went on to talk about the importance of single-mindedness. "If you don't have that, you can call it uncompromising, you can call it what you like, but this is a difficult business.
"I'll certainly be searching for people that are up for the challenge, that are adaptable, agile, all the things you need to be if you're going to work in high performance; people that are excited about trying to achieve something because if you're not, you're in the wrong business."
If that gives the impression of a guy who knows what he needs to do and knows how to do it, then good, because that's the way he came across.
Talk is cheap, of course, but not when you can back it up. And Nucifora can certainly do that.
In his decade as IRFU performance director, two Grand Slams and three Under-20 Grand Slams were won. Ireland hit world number one. They beat the All Blacks for the first time, won a series in New Zealand for the first time, made a Junior World Cup final and saw the previously non-existent men's and women's Sevens teams make giant improvements, both reaching the Olympics.
Throughout all that, Nucifora gave the impression that giving briefings to the media was about as high on his to-do list as taking a kicking from Paul O'Connell.
So when he spoke impressively on Tuesday it was tempting to look on it as, in fact, two press conferences - his first and possibly his last.
The Australian is here for two years but such is his way of doing things, there's no guarantee we'll hear from him again. His admirers in Ireland will tell you he's driven, focused and ruthless in the execution of his plan. His forcefulness caused friction, but a battle never bothered him.
"I really didn't have much intention when I finished in Ireland to take something else on," he said on Tuesday, adding: "But I was convinced there was opportunity here to do something.
"I suppose the temptation of being able to help reshape something I believe has a very high ceiling was attractive to me.
"I don't see it as being something that's going to materialise overnight. I certainly don't have a magic wand, but I do see that the structures and the raw material is here to work with. I look at it in a very positive light that we can achieve some really good things."
Nucifora will rework Scotland's failing player pathway in the first instance. "You've got to have a system underneath you that allows that sustainable success you're chasing. It's no good just having bursts of success and then dropping off.
"You have to be creative to find ways to create competition. Because if you don't do that, unfortunately, there's a terrible habit in human nature to become comfortable. So we need to find a way to create that competition, and that's best done by driving people from beneath and getting them ready to compete at the highest levels of the game."
This is going to be an interesting journey. Nucifora will not base himself in Scotland permanently, but he'll appear for chunks of time throughout the year. A human whirlwind, blowing in and out like a force of nature.
Image source, SNSDavid Nucifora has begun his two-year stint as Scottish Rugby performance director
Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter
Image source, SNSAustralia-born captain Sione Tuipulotu qualifies for Scotland through his grandmother
New Scottish Rugby performance director David Nucifora says improving the player pathway for homegrown talent is one of his top priorities, but the national team will continue to utilise players who qualify for Scotland on ancestry or residency grounds.
Scotland have been criticised in some quarters for their over-reliance on players developed outside the Scottish system.
Examples include current captain Sione Tuipulotu, who was born in Australia but qualifies through a Scottish grandmother, and Scotland's record try scorer Duhan van der Merwe, the South African-born winger who became eligible on residency grounds in 2021.
"You've got to operate within the regulations that you've got in front of you," Nucifora said.
"You've got to be creative. I think that at the end of the day, what do people care about when it really comes to the crunch? They care about winning. They care about having success.
"So you've got to find a way to meet that. And in the perfect world, you will want more players coming out of the system because I think what you have to do is you have to squeeze every drop out of every area that you've got access to, to be able to build a winning team.
"So if it's the pathway and producing local players, we've got to make sure we're doing absolutely everything we can to make them the best that they can be.
"If there are other avenues through using exiled players or whatever it may be, we've got to be the best at that as well."
George Horne to make the Lions squad?
Hear from Scottish Rugby's new performance director David Nucifora on the "high ceiling" of the game north of the border and his single-minded management style.
Plus, Tom English and Andy Burke discuss Glasgow and Edinburgh's fortunes in Europe.
It's all on the latest episode of the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast - give it a listen.
Duhan van der Merwe says his "connection to the club and our supporters" was a key factor in his decision to snub interest from elsewhere and sign a two-year contract extension with Edinburgh.
The Scotland and British and Irish Lions wing has scored 45 tries across his two spells with Edinburgh and is within two appearances of becoming the club's latest centurion.
Edinburgh have described keeping the 29-year-old - who is Scotland's leading Test scorer - as a "major coup" and head coach Sean Everitt said: "Retaining a player of Duhan's calibre is a testament to the club's ambition as well as the environment we've created."
Edinburgh fans, we want your opinion on Van der Merwe staying put in the capital. Is it a great piece of business? Or would the funds have been better spent elsewhere?
Let us know your thoughts, external
Image source, SNS
