Scottish Rugby

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Dylan Richardson has become the latest Scotland player ruled out of the Six Nations because of injury.

A shoulder problem has forced the hooker, who has six caps, to pull out of the squad, while wing Arron Reed has been called up.

Richardson's withdrawal comes a day after captain Sione Tuipulotu was ruled out of the tournament with a pectoral muscle injury suffered in training, while lock Scott Cummings is a major doubt with a broken arm.

Gregor Townsend's men get their campaign under way at home to Italy on 1 February.

Grant Young
Fan writer

It was a weekend to forget for the Warriors with a Champions Cup defeat followed by some crushing injury news.

Glasgow were outplayed at The Stoop by motivated Harlequins who secured their target of a place in the knockout rounds.

Franco Smith's side forced a lot of offloads in contact, however it just felt messy and full of mistakes. The absence of Kyle Steyn, George Horne and Sione Tuipulotu was keenly felt.

The other big disappointment was the injuries, particularly with Scotland's Six Nations campaign getting under way a week on Saturday.

Not only was Steyn, a key player last year in the tournament, missing from the start but Scott Cummings was forced off in the opening 10 minutes with an arm injury that is set to keep him out of the Six Nations.

The worst news of all was the substantial injury Sione Tuipulotu suffered during training, ruling the centre out for a number of months. This could be a disaster for club and country as Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu was probably the in-form 12 in the northern hemisphere and looked set for a Lions call-up.

From a Warriors point of view, the coaching team have often spoken about the rotation of players. We had seen a reduction in the amount of injuries in recent weeks but with Cummings out it leaves the second row further depleted.

In midfield, whenever Sione plays it feels like he walks off the pitch as man of the match. Do Glasgow have someone ready to step up? Huw Jones and Stafford McDowall are the obvious choice, but do we see Tom Jordan slot into his more natural position if and when Adam Hastings returns?

The difficulty is there are URC games slid into the mix during the Six Nations, so will we see players released back to the clubs? The coaches will definitely have their fingers crossed.

These in-between periods can be tough and Glasgow host a Connacht side who will definitely be smelling blood on Friday night. The selection for Glasgow will be one to watch.

Sandy Smith
Fan writer

An eventful early afternoon at the Hive on Sunday saw Edinburgh top Pool 3 in the Challenge Cup and secure a home tie against Lions of a different stripe on the first weekend in April.

The officiating team had a busy afternoon in particular. Two yellow cards for both teams and a red for Magnus Bradbury's transgression. Live in the stadium I thought the red card decision was a trifle harsh and that Healy's later sin-binning may have been worse. On review I still have some doubt but it is what it is.

At half-time I was a little concerned. We were down to 14 players and despite a 24-3 lead this is Edinburgh Rugby and anything is possible. Two early second-half tries from Matt Currie and Patrick Harrison eased those fears.

In any case Edinburgh got the job done despite only playing around 24 minutes of the match with a full complement. The biggest issue now will be picking a back row for our trip to Scarlets with an anticipated ban for Bradbury, Freddy Douglas' injury and the small matter of the requirements of the Scotland squad to contend with.

Luke Crosbie was the official man of the match. No complaints there as he definitely led by example but Wes Goosen was once again flawless. A scroll through the match stats show him prominent in every category except tackles. I think the problem here is that it's easy to overlook his contribution because he's been ever-present this season and is at least an 8/10 every week.

It was a good debut for Lewis Wells, deputising for Duhan van der Merwe. He was confident and competent in defence and attack and unfortunate not to get a try. I suspect we'll see more of him in the coming weeks.

With the pool stage complete, supporters of every team still in the competition are looking at a potential route to glory. I'm no different but am conscious that our next step on that hopeful journey is against a Lions side that inflicted a humiliating defeat on us not so long ago.

I feel we can take our revenge for that loss and progress in this competition. That said, we have five league games to deal with first so that optimism is a long way from being set in stone.

Sandy Smith can be found at The Burgh Watch, external

With the Six Nations looming, there's plenty to talk about in the world of Scottish rugby.

Sione Tuipulotu and Scott Cummings have both been ruled out of the tournament through injury, while there were mixed fortunes in Europe for Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Send your questions in for our rugby writers Tom English and Andy Burke via this link, external, and they will be answered on this page later in the week.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Hints of Healy getting back to form

It's a sign of Ben Healy's diminished status in the Scottish game that his omission from Gregor Townsend's Six Nations squad came as a surprise to precisely no one.

Not so long ago, when he was convinced to abandon his ambitions of representing Ireland to throw his lot in with Scotland, Healy was viewed as Finn Russell's chief understudy.

Some patchy form at the tail end of last season and the beginning of this campaign, along with the emergence of Tom Jordan and now Fergus Burke in the Scotland set-up, means Healy's road back towards earning more Test caps is a long one.

First things first. He must establish himself as Edinburgh's leading 10 ahead of Ross Thompson.

He showed some encouraging stuff against Black Lion. Yes the opposition was limited, but they were helped to look that way by some lovely distribution and excellent kicking from Healy.

Now he needs to build on that and show similar control against the better sides Edinburgh will face between now and the end of the season.

Tackle technique hurts Edinburgh

The one black mark on Healy's report card was a high shot in the second half which saw him sent to the sin bin. On first viewing, he looked fortunate that it wasn't red.

Magnus Bradbury had already been sent off for a similar high tackle, his shoulder making contact with the head of Bachuki Tchumbadze.

Sean Everitt bemoaned Bradbury's red – "it really put us in a sticky position" – and conceded that Healy was "probably a bit fortunate" not to see red also. His yellow was damaging enough given it reduced Edinburgh to 13 men and allowed Black Lion the space to score two late tries.

The Edinburgh boys can expect some work on their tackle technique in training this week.

Watson still a hero of the Hive

Hamish Watson has found himself essentially a bit-part player in recent times. His presence in an Edinburgh matchday squad is no longer guaranteed and his minutes on the pitch tend to come off the bench.

That was the case once again as he came on in the second half against the Georgian side. The ovation he received from the crowd at Hive Stadium told you he is still one of the fans' favourites in the capital.

Clearly the flanker is not the force of nature he once was. The barnstorming runs of bouncing off three/four/five defenders are rarely seen these days.

However, the experience of a man who was once a Six Nations player of the year and a Test Lion should not be discounted. Edinburgh would do well to make use of him before he departs at the end of the season, which seems likely.

George O'Neill
BBC Sport Scotland

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Lineout fails to fire

So often under Franco Smith, Glasgow have relied on their lineout and their mauling power to deliver tries.

It has been one of their great strengths in recent times, but at The Stoop they were hampered by lineout struggles.

Glasgow kept possession from just 63% of their own lineouts, with errant throwing and unforced errors present throughout the contest. It halted momentum on multiple occasions on what was a frustrating evening in south west London.

Cummings injury provides further headaches for Scotland

Much of the talk after the game has focused on Sione Tuipulotu's pectoral injury that has ruled the centre out of the Six Nations.

It has overshadowed Scott Cummings' arm injury sustained at Quins, which also rules him out of the tournament, another blow to Scotland's chances.

Cummings is an outstanding lock, and with young Max Williamson also out injured, Scotland's options in the second row suddenly look limited.

Glasgow forcing it too much?

Glasgow made 546m with ball in hand in the game, more than Harlequins' 423m, and they also made more clean breaks (15 to 8).

However, Glasgow didn't take their chances off the back of that. Too often they made the initial break and then threw away possession with a needless offload or overly ambitious pass, when recycling the ball and building again might have served them better.

Such has been their attacking prowess under Smith that it feels somewhat ridiculous to criticise, but against Quins they lacked their usual clarity with ball in hand.

If they are to go far in this competition, they need to rediscover that clinical touch.

Former scrum-half Andy Nicol says Sione Tuipulotu being ruled out of the Six Nations with a pectoral injury is "devastating" for Scotland.

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

The grim confirmation of Sione Tuipulotu's Six Nations-ending injury was expected but it still landed with a thud nonetheless.

Tuipulotu is one of the form inside centres in the game; a captain, a physical brute, an artist, an inspiration to his team. He's a pretty rare amalgam of world class bludgeon and world class rapier.

His absence - and that of the outstanding lock Scott Cummings - has seen Scottish optimism, racing along merrily last week, reduced to a slow crawl. Glasgow have also suffered a double blow in the loss of two critical operators.

Tuipulotu's partnership with Huw Jones is a cosmic blend. Now an alternative is needed. Jones and his excellent Warriors' team-mate, Tom Jordan, don't pack enough physical punch for Test rugby as a duo. Franco Smith never plays them together at 12-13 for Glasgow.

The same could be said for Rory Hutchinson, the dangerous Northampton centre. A Hutchinson-Jones combo lacks enough muscle for the unforgiving fields of Six Nations rugby.

Most likely, it's going to be another Warriors pair, Stafford McDowall and Jones in the midfield in the championship. McDowall is a tough operator and a Glasgow captain but nobody inside the Scotland camp is pretending that Tuipulotu's absence is anything other than a nightmare.

As for Tuipulotu's fitness for the Lions - pretty much every pundit in all four nations has picked him at 12 in the Test series - let's just hope that his operation is successful and that his recovery is swift.

Losing Cummings is also hellish news given his power game and his form. Grant Gilchrist and Jonny Gray will surely now start against Italy in the opening day of the championship, but their back-up, Glasgow's Max Williamson, is also out for the tournament, so there are problems in multiple places. Glasgow head coach Smith, like Gregor Townsend, must be a disappointed man today.

Scotland began their Six Nations season with two home games back-to-back, with Italy and then Ireland coming to Murrayfield in the first nine days of February.

The odds on Townsend's team causing a sensation this season will have drifted with Monday's news.

We asked for your views on Sione Tuipulotu's injury woes before he was confirmed to miss the Six Nations.

Here's what some of you said:

John: This will be an absolute disaster for Scotland. First and foremost, I hope that he recovers quickly. He is an exemplary leader and player.

James: This is such bad news for Glasgow and Scotland with the possibility of losing such an inspirational player. I don't understand why he was even down training, if not even considered for this. The Harlequins game should have been a rest, we are kind of unlucky but have to just move on. I reckon Stafford McDowall, Cameron Redpath or Tom Jordan could do a good job.

Neil: As a Scotsman I think this may be a bit of a selection dilemma for Gregor Townsend but if it's not as serious as it could be, I think he would be selected for the opening game of the Six Nations tournament against Italy in Edinburgh. Let's hope so because he captained us to victory in three of the four Autumn Nations series only losing to the Springboks.

Ben: The injury to Tuipulotu plus Glasgow's result against Harlequins has definitely put a dampener on optimism for the Six Nations. If we want to be in with a serious chance at the tournament, we need all of our big players available and playing consistently at eight or nine out of 10's. Zander Fagerson, Finn Russell & Tuipulotu we need the most.

Henry: Tuipulotu's injury was obvious last week and he should have been withdrawn immediately. Now he and George Horne are doubtful Scotland starts. No Warriors excuses. We did it the hard way last year and can repeat that this time.

Bill: Of course the loss of a world class player is a blow to a squad which is aiming to bring on a number of newer talents supported by several established stars, but we must stop focusing on negatives and reorganise around our other game changers including, in particular, Huw Jones and Blair Kinghorn.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Darcy Graham will "100%" be selected for the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia, if he stays fit, according to his former Edinburgh coach Richard Cockerill.

The winger helped Edinburgh to a Challenge Cup victory over Cockerill's Black Lion side on Sunday, and the Englishman, who gave the Hawick flyer his senior debut in 2017, is convinced Graham has what it takes to don the famous red jersey in Australia this summer.

"The first time I ever saw him train, I knew he was going to be a special player," Cockerill told BBC Scotland.

"He's got great feet, he's got great pace. He's tough as teak for such a little fella. He was outstanding tonight.

"If he can stay fit, 100% he will be a Lion, I've no doubt of that."

Graham will be pivotal to Scotland's hopes of a successful Six Nations campaign, and Cockerill believes Gregor Townsend's side are capable of mounting a serious title challenge.

"Scotland are a real contender for the Six Nations," said Cockerill, who combines his role with Black Lion with the Georgia national head coach job.

"They've got a settled squad. They've got an experienced squad. They start with Italy, then they have Ireland. If you can get through those two, then anything is possible.

"It's the hope that kills you, isn't it? They're a great side. They've shown that.

"They've beaten England the last four times. They're real competitors and they should be one of the favourites for the Six Nations."

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Glasgow Warriors will host Leicester Tigers in the Champions Cup round of 16.

Franco Smith's side finished second in Pool 4, while the Tigers came third in Pool 1. The match will take place on either 4, 5 or 6 April at Scotstoun.

In the Challenge Cup, Edinburgh will take on South African side Lions in the last 16 of the Challenge Cup in the Scottish capital.

Sean Everitt's team topped Pool 3, while Lions came fourth in Pool 2. That match will also take place on the first weekend in April.

What did you make of Edinburgh's victory over Black Lion?

Did you enjoy seeing Richard Cockerill back in town? Who impressed you in the win over the Georgians?

And how important is it that Edinburgh finished top of the pool? Has Sean Everitt eased some of the pressure on him as head coach?

Let us know your thoughts here., external

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt told BBC Scotland: "Pleased that we got the job done. Frustrated playing 13 men for 10 minutes, that's where the game turned a little sour.

"The guys stuck to task. They were always going to be a difficult opposition to play against, they've run other teams close in this competition.

"Sometimes when you're down to 14 men, you go into the game with a defensive mindset and defend rather than attack. We did brilliantly to score those two tries after the red card.

"I'm just proud of the boys and how they fought defensively. With 13 men, it's not easy to cover the full width of the field and we were really good in that department. Hats off to the forwards, who scrummed with seven after the red card. We took a chance and it worked.

[On red card] "We've got a policy on our tackle technique. We want to hit below the ball and we didn't. That's a risk that you take when you get above the ball. No one does it on purpose, we see it every week.

"The boys are now aware that there is massive consequences for that. Especially with Maggie's one, it really put us in a sticky position.

[On home advantage in next round] "We learn the hard way last year when we had to travel to Durban for a one-off against the Sharks. One of our goals was to finish on top of our pool and we've achieved that. It does make it easier. You win the last 16 and you get a home quarter.

"The guys understand now what consistency is. If you look at how we started the game, and how we played last week, and the second performance against Glasgow, it was important we showed that consistency and we've done that.

"[Grant] Gilchrist and Duhan [Van der Merwe] should be fit and ready to play against Italy."

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

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When everybody at Glasgow Warriors - and at Murrayfield - talk vaguely, or not at all, when asked about Sione Tuipulotu's injury, you get a feeling that bad news is on the way.

All of Scotland waits with bated breath for the official prognosis.

Tuipulotu is one of the form inside-centres in the world game; a captain, a physical brute, an artist, an inspiration to his team. If he's missing some, or all, of the Six Nations then a chunk of optimism about Scotland's campaign is going to go with him.

His partnership with Huw Jones is a cosmic blend. Now it looks like an alternative is needed.

Jones and Tom Jordan does not pack enough physical punch. Franco Smith never plays them together at 12-13 for Glasgow.

Most likely, it is going to be another Warriors pair, Stafford McDowall and Jones, in the midfield in the championship.

That is still a forceful and dynamic unit, but the potential loss of the big man is a nightmare on many fronts.

As for Tuipulotu's fitness for the Lions, let us just presume that whatever time he misses in the Six Nations he will still have time enough to get himself roaring again for the summer in Australia.

What was your reaction to the news that Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu is an injury doubt for the upcoming Six Nations?

How do you think his absence would affect Scotland's chances, and who would you pick to replace him in the centres?

Have your say, external.