Scottish Rugby

Eve McTiernan
BBC Sport Scotland

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Scotland and Edinburgh lock Grant Gilchrist will reach a monumental milestone this weekend as he reaches his 200th cap for Edinburgh.

He will become just one of four to do so, following in the foot steps of WP Nel, Chris Paterson and Allan Jacobsen.

Gilchrist made his first appearance in 2011 and has since gone on to captain the club and country.

"To get this many games for Edinburgh was not even a dream of mine," he said.

"I desperately wanted to play for the club. I supported them as a youngster and used to come through and watch the games at Meadowbank.

"To play for the club once was a dream. To reach 100 games was so special but to reach 200 and be in the same conversation as those guys I grew up idolising is really special. I’m honoured to have played this many times for the club."

"I love the people in this place, that’s probably the thing that gets me going day to day. When you get people working hard, there is nothing better than winning rugby games, that feeling afterwards in the changing room when you have worked really hard through the week, you have given everything and you have won.

"That is why we do it – that feeling afterwards, the camaraderie and the people you meet along the way. That is a huge part of it for me. I get up every morning to come in and work really hard with my mates to try to win games of rugby.”

Eve McTiernan
BBC Sport Scotland

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Sean Everitt insists he "hasn't thought" about the prospect of becoming the first Edinburgh head coach to the lead the club to a European semi-final in nearly a decade.

The capital club last reached the last four of continental competition in 2014/15, when they beat Dragons to progress to the Challenge Cup final, losing to Gloucester at Twickenham.

A trip to South Africa stands between them and another semi-final as they prepare for a second meeting with Sharks in a fortnight, but Everitt doesn't have his eyes on making some recent history.

“To be quite honest, I haven’t thought about that," he said.

"I haven’t looked at the club’s history and past results. I just know that I came to Edinburgh because I know the team is good enough to win something.

“Saturday’s quarter-final is integral to achieving what the club’s potential is. It will be great for Edinburgh to reach the semi-final of a European competition.

"I know it’s not the Champions Cup. It’s the Challenge Cup but at the end of the day it’s about us performing to our best and delivering on what we’re able to with regards to the squad.”

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt has welcomed prop Pierre Schoeman back into the fold after his concussion ahead of their Challenge Cup quarter-final against Sharks.

Co-captain Grant Gilchrist will make his 200th appearance for the club, becoming the fourth player in the club's history to do so.

Behind the scrum, there are no changes as half-backs Ben Vellacott and Ben Healy continue their partnership, while Matt Currie and Mark Bennett make up the midfield once again.

Jake Henry also continues his impressive run, starting his fourth game in a row as Boan Venter returns to the bench.

Everitt said: "For Grant it's a huge achievement and well deserved for a guy who has given so much to the club and worn the Edinburgh badge on his sleeve.

"I'm blessed to be part of that because they [Gilchrist and WP Nel, who reached his 200th cap a few weeks ago] are two guys I've always admired from a rugby perspective and now that I've met them as individuals, they are great people too".

Edinburgh: Goosen, Henry, Bennett, Currie, van der Merwe, Healy, Vellacott (CC); Schoeman, Ashman, Nel, Skinner, Gilchrist (CC), Ritchie, Watson, Mata.

Replacements: Cherry, Venter, Rae, Hodgson, Crosbie, Price, Lang, Dean.

Eve McTiernan
BBC Sport Scotland

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Scotland head coach Bryan Easson says Scotland will "worry about friendships after 80 minutes" as they gear up to take on bitter rivals England.

Many of the Scotland XV play alongside or against the England squad in the Premiership Women's Rugby and have formed bonds despite the animosity at international level.

"They all play against each other and they all play with each other at clubs as well, so they know each other inside out, but it's about Scotland versus England this weekend," Easson said.

"It's not about friendships and I'm sure they'll speak to each other after the game. But for 80 minutes it's Scotland versus England. There's always an added edge with that game. We'll just keep concentrating on ourselves and worry about the friendships after."

Easson says the squad have gone into this game the same way they have any other but there is "an added value" with the sellout.

"We prepare ourselves properly for every other game, and the England game, as you say, just to have the sell out at the Hive as well brings that little added value.

"An edge of excitement, but preparation towards Wales, towards France would be pretty much the same as this week.

"The performances are enjoyable, it's a good brand of rugby, and, you know, the players should be really proud of what they are doing on the pitch that's really involving the crowd.

"And to get that sell out, the players should be proud of it. It's a little added edge of excitement, but we've not talked about it."

Eve McTiernan
BBC Sport Scotland

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Scotland full-back Chloe Rollie says the prospect of playing England in front of a sold-out Hive Stadium is "mind blowing".

The 28-year-old, who is set to win her 64th cap on Saturday, has been playing since the days the women's side played at Broadwood in front of mainly family and friends.

"For me, when I look back, it's kind of mind blowing if I'm honest with you," Rollie told the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast.

“Going from Broadwood to being at the Hive is a massive change. And it just shows how much effort we've put in.

"It kind of used to more be like a hobby, now it's a career. That just shows you exactly the way it's going and the way it should be going and it's very different for me from when I first started to now.

“It shows exactly how much effort individuals players, management, the people higher up in SRU have put in.

"Hopefully that keeps coming to keep pushing us on and get us higher in the rankings and more support."

Eve McTiernan
BBC Sport Scotland

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Scotland and Edinburgh lock Sam Skinner has said Edinburgh have been "typically Scottish" over the last few years having failed to win silverware.

Edinburgh are yet to win either the URC or the Challenge Cup.

"We've been quite typically Scottish in the last couple of years haven't we? Where we've shown some really good things and then we haven't necessarily been consistent with it."

Edinburgh face off against South African side Sharks for the second time in as many weeks. The first meeting was in the URC and Sharks defeated the Scots 23-13 in Durban.

"A game like this is a great opportunity for us to start to change the tide on that and go, okay, Edinburgh have gone away and won away and a [got] big, big result there," Skinner added.

"We've just got to make sure we can execute bang on, and then, hopefully we can start to get the results that everyone on the field and off the field are working so hard to achieve.”

Skinner, 29, is no stranger to the highs of knock-out rugby having won the Champions Cup with Exeter Chiefs and he says the mentality is not any different, the club just need to stick to their game plan.

"It's just winning rugby, isn't it? It's playing the game to go win the game. You'll see a lot of teams in both competitions kick into the corner when it's on, because that's how you win games.

"You build pressure, you score tries, so, as obvious and simple as that sounds, that's our game plan really, is to go and put our game on them.

"I know there's enough in the team [to get the win]. There was enough in the team last time we just didn't execute our game plan as accurately as we can.

"There's a real good focus about the group. I think the win (against Bayonne) helped us. It's just kind of reminded us of that belief and of the quality we have."

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Scotland fly-half Adam Hastings says he will return to Glasgow Warriors "a more mature player", having agreed to re-join the Scotstoun club this summer.

Hastings left Glasgow for Gloucester in 2021, but will head back north of the border at the end of this season.

The 27-year-old started his career with Bath, before moving to Glasgow for the first time. He made 53 appearances for the Warriors across four seasons, including a run to the PRO14 final in 2019.

“I’m hugely excited to be coming back to Glasgow,” Hastings said.

“I’ve got so many good memories of my time at Scotstoun from the first time around, and the club played a really important role in shaping me into the player I am today.

“There’s loads of depth in the back-line, and that’s really exciting for me. The brand of rugby that Franco [Smith] has the team playing is exactly the kind of rugby I love to play, and I can’t wait to get out there.

“I had a good chat with Franco and the coaches before signing, and I was really impressed with their vision for the club.

“The more rugby you play, the more experience you get, and being able to have experienced the last three seasons at Gloucester I think has made me a more blended player and more mature player overall."

Eve McTiernan
BBC Sport Scotland

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt says everyone at the club recognises the significance of Saturday's Challenge Cup quarter-final away to Sharks.

Everitt's side suffered a 23-13 defeat in Durban when the sides met in league action two weeks ago, following a heavy loss to Stormers the week before, but he but he doesn't think that will have a bearing on proceedings when they return to South Africa.

"I don’t think the guys would have any mental issues around going out to Durban to beat Sharks, especially with the magnitude of this competition,” Everitt said.

"I said to the team through the week that we’ve got to believe we can win away from home, and we’ve had good wins away from home this season, but we all know important this one is.

"Our emphasis post the [league] game was that we can prepare well and do everything right on the training field but it’s the individual stuff that needs to take care of itself.

"That’s probably what let us down against Sharks and Stormers, more so than the team collectively."

Tom English and Andy Burke are joined by lock Grant Gilchrist ahead of his 200th cap for Edinburgh Rugby.

Scotland Internationalists Chloe Rollie and Leah Bartlett chat about their upcoming game against England in the Women's Six Nations

Listen to the Scotland Rugby Podcast.

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Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm has extended her contract at Women's Premiership side Loughborough Lightning.

The club did not confirm the length of the new deal.

The 27-year-old has made 57 appearances for the East Midlands side since making her debut in September 2017, scoring 12 tries in that time.

Malcolm is set to lead out Bryan Easson's internationals when Scotland meet England in the Six Nations on Saturday, marking her 45th cap.

“My decision to stay is very much based around how excited I am about what we can achieve with the squad we’ve got, the culture that we have built and also the players that we have got coming through,” said Malcolm.

“I still feel that I can add value to that and what we are trying to achieve here. I have really enjoyed this season, but I do not think we have necessarily had the success that our hard work deserves."

Fellow Scotland international Christine Belisle has also penned a new deal at Loughborough, extending her contract by two years.

The Canada-born tighthead prop has made 25 appearances for the club since joining in 2021.

“When I first came to Lightning I knew it was time for me to move somewhere I would face more international players, more consistently, because that’s how I knew I would get better in that position,” said Belisle.

“The team as a whole has grown closer, we have got a really good community and it was easy for me to stay. As a 30-year-old in Loughborough it could be tricky as it is a University town, but it is made a lot easier with the girls that were around all the time. We have a really good squad and it doesn’t grow tiring which is quite nice.”

Sandy Smith
Fan writer

Apart from the fact Edinburgh scored five tries in a match for only the third time this season, the big thing that told you it was a much better performance from the team was that there were probably five legitimate candidates for player of the match.

Hamish Watson was given the award by Chris Paterson on co-comms and there was no argument from me on that decision. He could just as easily have selected Jamie Ritchie, who topped the tackle chart and was an abrasive nuisance throughout.

Grant Gilchrist was also quietly very effective on both sides of the ball and the lineout functioned so much better under his guidance.

Ben Healy had a great game. His kicking, on a day where the wind was a huge factor, was on the money. His tackle on the Bayonne second row, as unconventional as it was, saved a certain try and the flat pass to Duhan van der Merwe gave the winger a head start for his score.

Ben Vellacott was also a consideration as his two quickfire tries probably settled the outcome of the game.

It was a scrappy first half but the team stuck to their task and that patience told after the break as they pulled away from Bayonne.

If I had a criticism it might be that the tries we scored had a bit of an individual feeling to them. Any try is a good one, of course, but even though Bayonne lost their offload game felt much more joined up and incisive.

So it’s back to Durban for another go at Sharks. This time it’s likely to be Grant Gilchrist marking his 200th Edinburgh appearance. Let’s hope it’s a double celebration.

Sandy Smith can be found on The Burgh Watch, external.

Grant Young
Fan writer

Glasgow's close defeat feels like the perfect example of what exemplifies Scottish rugby. Another game where defeat is clutched from the jaws of victory.

Ill discipline, being on the wrong side of the referees and individual clutch mistakes all adding up to another what might have been.

For large spells, Glasgow were on the cusp of being blown away by the man in yellow who early on took a poor view - with the aid of his TMO - of the Glasgow defence and discipline.

Harlequins took full advantage with 14 points when Glasgow were down to 14. Half-time helped Glasgow a strong start and two ultra quick tries brought the tie back in the favour of Warriors.

Anyone who has watched Glasgow will know that Franco’s Warriors sparingly kick for goal, knock out rugby is decided by the smallest of margins. Those two kickable penalties sent to the corner again resulted in no points.

Earlier still zero points scored when Quins were down to 14 with Marler off the field. Critical moments and critical decisions that Warriors were in control of resulting in zero points. We saw this with Scotland and we’ve seen this with Edinburgh. So is that where the problem is?

What next? A tough return to URC action, with a home encounter against the Sharks.

The South African side have had a campaign to forget but in recent weeks have welcomed the return of several Springboks to their line up and have seen an upturn in results.

Glasgow will be hoping to bounce back and not let the season's flame go out.

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A sell-out crowd for Scotland's Women's Six Nations fixture against England on Saturday shows "how much interest and growth" there is in women's sport, says captain Rachel Malcolm

There is expected to be a record crowd of 7,774 for the game at Hive Stadium, located next door to Murrayfield.

The previous record was set earlier in this championship, when 5,601 fans watched Scotland's 15-5 defeat to France, following their win away to Wales the week before.

“We are so proud to have sold out Hive Stadium for our final home game of the Six Nations," Malcolm said.

"The growing crowds at our games over the last two years have meant a great deal to us, our fans really do bring us so much encouragement on game day.

“While undoubtedly this is a special moment for our team, it’s also very special for women’s sport in Scotland and it goes to show how much interest and growth there is in female sport.

“We hope that we can put on a performance this weekend everyone can be proud of and I cannot thank our fans enough for their support.”

Edinburgh will play Sharks in the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup after the South African side blew Zebre away in a 47-3 victory.

The seven-try win sets Sharks up for another meeting with Sean Everitt's side next weekend as they return to Kings Park Stadium.

The teams faced off at the end of March with the hosts coming out on top in Durban with a comfortable 23-13 triumph.

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We asked for your thoughts on the showings of Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh in their European showings.

First up, Glasgow exited the Champions Cup as they came out on the wrong end of the thriller with Harlequins:

Kenny: A narrow win for Quins and Glasgow put up a good fight, especially in the second half. Am I the only fan who gets a bit frustrated with the Warrior's refusal to take the simple points on offer in games with kickable penalties? Going to the corner is commendable but sometimes you have to get the easy ones in the bag.

Jamie: Glasgow played really well but were undone by poor refereeing decisions, which are becoming all too common in the game these days. Marler definitely should have been sent off. If the game is to survive in its current form we cannot tolerate high tackles such as his any longer.

Anthony: When will Glasgow ever learn that when easy points are on offer when a game is tight you have got to take them? They’ve been lucky more often than not this season that these decisions haven’t come back to bite them but not against Harlequins. I am close to stopping watching rugby on TV. Games are dominated and often decided by woeful officiating.

Anon: Scottish teams need to smarten up, firstly if they’re being racking up penalties speak with the ref then address it and secondly if there are points on offer go for them instead of the obsession with the line out option where the chances of scoring are less than 50:50.

Edinburgh had a better time of it, progressing to the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup with victory over Bayonne:

Mike: Decent enough performance from Edinburgh but the stand out issue was how good the Bayonne fans were. Full of life, loud, even when their team went behind. Edinburgh fans need to find our voice - and songs particularly - to take the intimidation factor and home game advantage to the next level. Ed-in-bra on a loop just ain’t cutting it!

Stair: Great performance! Best of the year so far.

Anon: Ben Healy was unlucky not to win man of the match. A try-saving tackle, where he stopped an absolute tank twice his size and wonderful kicking and distribution and great try. Probably made the difference on the night.

Ant: Brilliant by Edinburgh. Keep this up and a URC play-off is assured. Keep a clear head and no reason to not progress in Europe

Finlay: Edinburgh were great in the second half, bring on the quarter final.

Edinburgh fans, what are your thoughts on the performance in the Challenge Cup win over Bayonne?

Have your say on the game here.