Scottish Rugby

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Scotland fly-half Adam Hastings is a doubt for the upcoming Six Nations after suffering a facial fracture during Glasgow Warriors' narrow URC win over Scarlets on Friday.

Hastings, 28, was substituted in the first half of the game after colliding with Scarlets number eight Vaea Fifita, and now faces a spell on the sidelines before he can return to action.

In a statement, Glasgow said: "After a short spell in hospital after suffering a facial fracture, [Hastings] has now been released and is back home - he will now begin working with our medical team on his return to play pathway."

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Chris Ashton believes The British and Irish Lions could feature an all Scottish back-line when they tour Australia next year.

Scotland's first-choice back-line of Ben White, Finn Russell, Darcy Graham, Sione Tuipulotu, Huw Jones, Duhan van der Merwe and Blair Kinghorn are all likely to be in contention for Andy Farrell's squad, and indeed the matchday 23, barring injuries.

Speaking on the BBC's Rugby Union Weekly podcast, Ashton was discussing Lions options with fellow former England internationals Danny Care and Ugo Monye.

"I like Graham," said Ashton. "There's a potential for a whole Scotland back-line."

Care commented: "Jones, he's so good. If you look at that back-line now, it's been pretty set now for a couple of years now. Those lads have got 20, 30, 40 caps and 20 of them as a unit. They seem to keep them fit."

And Monye opined: "If you pick Finn [Russell] and I think [Sione] Tuipulotu plays at 12, shouldn't you be picking Jones? Scotland were cooking last year."

Listen to the latest Rugby Union Weekly podcast in full.

Following a winning weekend in the URC for both Edinburgh and Glasgow, we are offering you the chance to throw more questions at 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.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Edinburgh’s split personality

When Benetton’s second-half revival brought the scoreline back to 40-33, those of us in the press box were asking if any side had ever blown a 35-point lead to lose.

Thankfully we were spared an unwanted dive into the history books.

It was the most ludicrous match. Edinburgh were so good in the first half. Their big ball-carriers were running amok, Benetton could not handle the power and looked like they would rather be anywhere else in the world than dealing with a home side who looked hungry to make a statement.

The roles were completely reversed after the break. Benetton looked hungry and Edinburgh looked like a team who had mentally checked out, perhaps thinking the job was already done.

“Completely ridiculous” is how Magnus Bradbury described Edinburgh’s drop-off that allowed the Italians to get dangerously close on the scoreboard. Head coach Sean Everitt blamed the turnaround almost entirely on the wind, which did pick up significantly in the second half in Benetton’s favour.

However, even the most difficult conditions do not mitigate conceding five tries in 27 minutes, as Edinburgh did after the break. They managed the situation dreadfully, though at least showed a bit of character to close it out at the end and avoid the mother of all collapses.

Ritchie leads from the front

Jamie Ritchie looks a man reborn.

After an outstanding showing for Scotland against Australia, the back-row was named player of the match at the Hive (as many felt he should have been against the Wallabies).

The fire is back in the belly, the mojo is back - however you want to describe it, we are seeing the return of the very best version of Ritchie.

There was a passage of play when Edinburgh were 28-0 up and Ritchie made three or four tackles in a row, one after the other, bouncing straight back on to his feet and hunting down the next Benetton ball-carrier. He looked like a man on a mission.

Ritchie won three turnovers, disrupted countless more breakdowns and his influence was immense.

If he continues in this vein then you hope others will follow and Edinburgh can enjoy the type of season we know they are capable of.

Goosen continues to shine

We often talk about how potent Edinburgh’s back three would be if they could only get Darcy Graham, Duhan van der Merwe and Emiliano Boffelli all fit and firing at the same time, but Wes Goosen has probably been Edinburgh’s standout attacking player in recent times.

The club’s players’ player of the year last season, he has excelled at full-back in the absence of Boffelli, who is sidelined with a long-term injury.

He made 136m against Benetton, more than anyone else in the pitch, and his break teed up Van der Merwe to open the scoring barely a minute into the match.

His sharp footwork, pace and his identification of space makes him a nightmare for opponents to contain. He will be key for Edinburgh again this season, especially when those more celebrated names disappear for the Six Nations.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Champions win ugly

If you’re looking for gifts to buy your loved ones this Christmas, I am going to suggest you do not buy them a DVD of this match. Come to think of it, do people even buy DVDs anymore?

Anyway, the point is this game was not pretty, but Glasgow found a way to win while not at their best.

Some games it just does not click into gear, errors abound and frustrations grow. Champions find a way to get it done regardless, to win ugly, and that’s exactly what Warriors did against Scarlets.

Franco Smith famously rotates his squad to great effect, but for long spells it looked like he had perhaps rested too many of his key players as Glasgow struggled to find their attacking shape.

It was a sign of how much Scarlets frustrated them that late in the game they elected to kick a penalty at goal rather than to the corner - a rare sight for Glasgow.

That penalty was banged over by Duncan Weir and ultimately won them the game so, you know, good decision.

New boys gain valuable experience

Prop Fin Richardson and lock Jare Oguntibeju made their Glasgow debuts, while Jack Mann was given an opportunity to show what he’s all about after a hellish time with injury.

All three showed some good moments and some not so good. Oguntibeju, 22, in particular looks raw, but at 6’6 and with a powerful, athletic physique, he has the type of attributes Smith can mould into an effective player in the engine room.

Mann had some good carries and forced a penalty for holding on to halt a Scarlets attack when the game was firmly in the balance.

This will have been invaluable experience for these guys and they know playing for Glasgow they are at a club where more opportunities will come their way.

More bad luck for Hastings

If there’s one guy who deserves a run of luck it’s Adam Hastings, so it was particularly distressing to see his injury curse strike again at Scotstoun.

There was a collective gasp around the ground as the Scotland fly-half was left spark out on the deck after a sickening collision with the rampaging Vaea Fifita.

Fortunately he was able to leave the field on his feet and Smith said the initial signs were positive when Hastings returned to the dressing room.

We can only hope his latest setback is not a significant one and we see him back out there sooner rather than later.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Magnus Bradbury says Edinburgh must eliminate the type of “ridiculous” wobbles that almost cost them victory over Benetton.

Edinburgh produced a scintillating first 40 minutes at the Hive, Bradbury scoring twice as they ran in five tries to lead 35-0 at half-time.

The wheels came off in spectacular fashion after the break. The Italians – aided by a strong wind - responded with five tries of their own to come back to 40-33 until a late Ben Muncaster try and a Ben Healy penalty saw Edinburgh home.

“We previewed Benetton and how they play and identified their weaknesses, but I think the start we had, to go 35-0 up at half-time, then to let him back to within a score is completely ridiculous,” Bradbury said.

“The elements obviously played a factor, but if we want to mature as a team and get the results that we want and go where we want to go, we need to be better.

“We've been chatting about it and the media has always been chatting about a soft underbelly, so we're trying to put that to rest.

“I think there's been a couple of years in Edinburgh before we could have capitulated there and lost the game, but that strength of character in the last 10 minutes was good to see.”

We asked for your views on Glasgow and Edinburgh's URC wins this weekend.

Here's what some of you said...

GLASGOW:

Chris: Definitely felt at times like Scarlets were close to running away with it. Credit to the young Warriors who never gave up. A brilliant performance to keep up the momentum. Shout out to Mann who I thought had some excellent impacts. Tight five too especially Richardson and Schickerling. Absolutely brilliant result. Hope Hastings is okay.

Ben: A win is a win! With so many quality players missing this was never going to be a straightforward game. Some of the young boys really stepped up, and I’m excited to see more of Oguntibeju! He made some mistakes but showed so much potential, he could be a very fun player! Tom Jordan also stepped up and we are going to miss him next season.

Stuart: Very inaccurate and ill-disciplined display from Warriors. Set-piece plays didn’t work well. This is one of these games that are an ugly win, but a win. Some young blood given a chance of game time against a good but unlucky Scarlets team.

Roddie: In Franco we trust. The teamsheet might have looked unusual. four hookers! But he rested some big players before our European run and still took the win.

EDINBURGH:

Arran: First half was what we’ve been missing all season! Free-flowing attack, good kicking and stout in defence. Second half, exactly what we could’ve seen coming against a Benetton team missing 70% of first team players. We let them back into the game, yes the wind was a factor but this should not be happening. Well done for not losing it though.

Martin: There is something seriously wrong with our defence routine. Why are we trying to throw silly passes when you have to keep the ball. Also whenever a team gets within five metres of our line we very rarely keep them out. It's all so frustrating but never improves.

Either way, we want your thoughts.

Have your say on the game., external

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt: "We didn't get the win that we thought we'd get in the first half, so that suited us. We certainly were more accurate in our execution as far as our attack was concerned.

"I'm proud of the guys in the the way they put 50 points on against a good Treviso team. Disappointed in the fact that we didn't hold them out for longer periods when they were in our 22.

"But to score three tries into a gale-force wind like this, it's credit to the boys and the urgency that they showed on the pitch.

"What we can control is how we played and I was pleased how we played probably for the first 33 minutes. Probably got a little bit loose late in that first half.

"Could have probably got another try at the end there, but I'm not going to be too critical of that. A second-half performance into a wind like this and to walk away with a win and 50 points, I'm extremely happy.

"It was about holding on to the ball, defending well and forcing an error. We did have a dominant scrum. We knew that if we got penalties and were able to keep them in their 22, it would be very difficult for them to play.

"From there, what we were hoping for is to build scoreboard pressure. What that does is it stops them from keeping as much as they would like to, which means that they'd have to keep the ball in hand. But I thought we did well and obviously to get the 50 points is what puts a cherry on the cake."

On Jamie Ritchie: "He's really playing good rugby and he wears his heart on his sleeve. The way he's been playing is credit to his relentlessness in trying to become a regular in the Scottish jersey again. He always does well for his team, he's a proud Edinburgh man and thoroughly deserved his player of the match award.

"Gloucester beat Northampton today, so it's not going to be an easy game down there. We've been struggling away from home and it's time for us to build some consistency in winning away."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Stafford McDowall paid tribute to Glasgow's inexperienced players after they ground out a 19-17 victory over Scarlets in the URC.

A Warriors side missing the likes of Sione Tuipulotu, Rory Darge and the Fagerson brothers were pushed all the way by the Welsh side but ultimately found a way to win while not at their best.

Captain McDowall was impressed with how the likes of Fin Richardson and Jare Oguntibeju - making their first appearance for Glasgow - acquitted themselves.

"It sounds weird, but it's probably one of my proudest nights in a Warriors jersey," McDowall told BBC Scotland.

"A young team out there against a fully loaded team with internationals against us and we found a way to win, which is a nice thing.

"If you look back to that Bath [Challenge Cup] game a couple of years ago, we went down with a young team, Bayonne last year we went away - it's those types of games that define this squad.

"We talked about springboarding ourselves into Europe next week with a big win. Maybe it wasn't a big win, but it was a win and that's all that matters.

"Unbelievable effort from some guys, first time pulling on the jersey, some guys haven't played in two years, we battled and we got a win."

Glasgow fans, were you at Scotstoun to see your side's narrow URC win against Scarlets, or were you following along from home?

Either way, we want your thoughts. Have your say on the game., external

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Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith tells BBC Scotland: "Everybody that follows us can be really proud. We used most of the boys who haven't played this season, young guys. We had four hookers involved and helped us get it done.

"We did well in taking them back five or six metres at the end through our defensive pressure, which made it a really tough goal [for Ioan Lloyd] into the wind. The compliment sits with the fact we didn't go offside and give a penalty away.

"The mentality of the players to not give up and wear their hearts on their sleeve. We said tonight would not determine our season, but the boys grabbed the opportunity. To get close to a full Scarlets team like that, that's playing well, they are very well coached, is a compliment to them.

"The first signs [when Adam Hastings] came off the pitch looked positive; we'll keep an eye on him."

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt has named several Scotland internationals who featured during the recent Autumn Nations Series in his side to face Benetton in the URC on Saturday.

The likes of Pierre Schoeman, Ewan Ashman and Jamie Ritchie all start in the forward pack, while Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe line up as the capital side's wingers.

Freddy Douglas - who became Scotland's youngest male player since 1963 against Portugal - could make his first Edinburgh appearance off the bench, and Sam Skinner is also among the replacements after injury.

Edinburgh lost their most recent league outing - against Ospreys last month - and sit 10th in the URC table.

"It's great to be back to URC action, playing in front of our fans at Hive Stadium," Everitt said. "It has felt like a while, and it's brilliant to be back with all of our Scotland internationals available for selection.

"Our recent matches against Benetton have been tight affairs, and I'm expecting another big test against them on Saturday night."

Edinburgh XV against Benetton: Goosen, Graham, Currie, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe, Thompson, Price; Schoeman, Ashman, Hill, Sykes, Gilchrist, Ritchie, Muncaster, Bradbury.

Replacements: Harrison, Venter, Rae, Skinner, Douglas, Vellacott, Healy, McCann.

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

George asked: What else are Scotland missing to win the Six Nations? We have heard about mentality, the bench etc. Do we need to go now as Ireland don't look as strong and the fixtures suit us?

Tom answered: Have a listen to our latest podcast, George. We talk a little bit about this. I'd preach all sorts of caution about this notion Ireland aren't as strong as they usually are.

They're making a few tweaks at 10 and maybe 15 but they’re still a very formidable outfit. The best defence and the team with the most power normally wins the championship. Also, the team whose error count is lowest. No stupid mistakes that cost you tries.

Scotland's power game is good. Their attack is exceptional. The defence is decent. The bench is improving. The lineout is an issue that can be fixed.

Consistency is what they lack. Scotland's squad is really good, but they need to be really good for five games in a row. Or if they can’t do that, they need to be as dogged as hell and grind out a really ugly win along the way. Winning ugly when their attack is not firing is something they need to improve on.

Ken asked: Scotland have the team and the quality in depth to win the Grand Slam. To me, rugby is all about belief in yourself and the team. Can they win the Grand Slam in 2025?

Tom answered: They've never finished second in the Six Nations, Ken, not to mind first and not to mind first with a Grand Slam.

France, to me, are the best team in the northern hemisphere and Scotland have to go to Paris. Ireland are second and Scotland are third. Splitting France and Ireland would be a success.

This team definitely believes in itself and are at home in their first two games, so they have a chance to build momentum.

I can't see Scotland winning the championship but I'll be really disappointed if they're not in contention to win it after three or four games.

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

Calum asked: How difficult would it be to train a loosehead prop to cover tighthead? Someone maybe like Jamie Bahtti to give extra cover for Zander Fagerson? I've seen South Africa use props that could play both loose and tighthead.

Tom answered: I've asked Test props about this over the years and they say it's a lot easier to move from tighthead to loosehead than the other way around. In other words, it would be harder for Jamie Bhatti to play tighthead than it would be for Zander Fagerson or Will Hurd to play loosehead.

They say that about 60% of the power of an opposition scrum is directed at the tighthead, which makes Big Zander all the more remarkable. He’s absolutely world class at soaking all that up and still galloping about the pitch for 70 and, on occasion, 80 minutes.

Andrew Porter, the Irish prop, moved from tight to loose and he said the big difference was that when he came up off a scrum as a loosehead he was able to breathe immediately, whereas at tighthead it took him a few seconds, such was the massive weight coming through on him.

Bhatti is a really good player and it's a shame to see him kicking his heels outside of the 23. If they thought him capable of playing tighthead at Test level I'd say they'd have given him a chance by now.

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Fin Richardson and Jare Oguntibeju will make their debuts for a Glasgow Warriors side bolstered by the return of seven Scotland internationals in Friday night's URC game with Scarlets at Scotsoun.

Macenzzie Duncan is among the replacements and could also make his first top-team appearance as Glasgow return to action after the international break.

Former Scotland Under-20 prop Richardson, a summer arrival from Exeter Chiefs, is selected at tight-head and joins Patrick Schickerling and Johnny Matthews in the front-row.

Oguntibeju partners new Scotland cap Alex Samuel in the engine room.

Number eight Jack Mann makes his first home appearance two injury-disrupted years on from his debut and Ally Miller also plays his first game of the season, with Henco Venter completing the pack.

George Horne and Adam Hastings - who are among the seven returning Scotland stars - comprise the half-back pairing and Stafford McDowall captains the side from outside centre.

The back-three is unchanged from Glasgow's win over Stormers last time out as Kyle Rowe and Sebastian Cancelliere line up either side of full-back Josh McKay.

Defending champions Glasgow occupy second place in the table having won four of their opening six matches while Welsh side Scarlets are seven points below in sixth.

Warriors head coach Franco Smith said: "We’re pleased to be back at home as we look to hit the ground running in the second block of our season.

"The Scarlets have been in good form this season, and their mix of dynamic forwards and exciting backs can cause problems from anywhere on the field.

"We're also pleased to include Fin, Jare and Macenzzie in our matchday squad for the first time. All three have worked hard to earn their opportunity."

Glasgow Warriors: McKay, Cancelliere, McDowall (c), Jordan, Rowe, Hastings Horne; Schickerling, Matthews, Richardson, Oguntibeju, Samuel, Miller, Venter, Mann.

Replacements: Stewart, Dell, Talakai, Duncan, Hiddleston, Fraser, Afshar, Weir.

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An 'Emerging' Scotland side - comprised of the best young players in the country - will take on Italy Under-23s next month at Hive Stadium in Edinburgh.

The game on 14 December is part of the national academy pilot programme which was launched in September to "add increased value to the development of a selected group of promising players".

The pilot players were selected from Scottish Rugby's regional academies and the senior academies of Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh.

The Scotland squad will be coached by national boss Gregor Townsend and his staff.

Head coach Townsend said: "This fixture enables us to bring our best young players together, have a week of training with national team coaches, and take on a quality international side."

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

The ridiculousness of Edinburgh's travails in the United Rugby Championship had a spotlight shone on it at Murrayfield on Sunday as Scotland took the Wallabies to the cleaners in a second half of attacking brilliance.

Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham were at the heart of Scotland's acceleration away from the visitors. Grant Gilchrist was a towering presence in the lineout when his early-season performances for his club suggested a loss of his powers.

Jamie Ritchie put in one of his best displays for Scotland, an influential and angry thing, a game heavy with aggression, bite and breakdown menace.

Ritchie has been in and out of the Scotland team all year. Selected at six, then not in the 23, then on the bench, then picked at seven, then back out of the 23 again. He lost the captaincy this year, of course. What began in serious disappointment has ended with something of a rebirth.

Pierre Schoeman also had a good autumn after questions had been asked of the big man's form for Edinburgh.

Schoeman, Van der Merwe and Graham will all be Lions next summer, unless something goes badly awry. In Ritchie, Gilchrist, Ewan Ashman, Marshall Sykes, Luke Crosbie, Ben Muncaster, Magnus Bradbury, Hamish Watson and others they have a support cast up front that's strong and experienced.

And so we ask (again) about Edinburgh's feeble form in the URC. In the history of the competition has any team ever made so little of so much? Funded to the tune of more than £6m a year, they have financial muscle, a decent support crying out for something to get behind and a squad of players that should be in the URC playoffs at an absolute minimum.

And yet they are 10th, having played one game more than Sharks, who sit just above them. Watching Edinburgh trying to overcome their own shortcomings over the last number of seasons has been painful. It's rugby’s equivalent of fingernails across the school blackboard.

There's lots of time for Edinburgh to find themselves. And find themselves they must. They're at home to Benetton this weekend. How about a routine win? How about a professional hit job that suggests they still have a pulse to go along with the star quality?

They'll break for Europe after that, but Europe isn't their priority. The URC is where they must advance and the next time we'll see them after Benetton will be against Glasgow at Hampden on December 22 and again at Murrayfield six days later.

Two wins from the three and you can maybe start thinking about Edinburgh having the gumption to force their way into relevance at the right end of the table. Three from three and the tinsel will be out.

Edinburgh fans will steel themselves for a whole lot less than that. They remain the great underachievers of URC rugby - an expensive conundrum, a team of internationals who can't get it together. Coaches come and go and the story hardly ever changes.

We keep waiting for the plot twist. The senior pros at Edinburgh need to take inspiration from the Warriors to the west and get mean, get uncompromising, get the kind of attitude that propelled Ritchie forward on Sunday. Living in the shadow of Glasgow can't be much fun. This weekend, with the URC back in full flow, they need to start emerging from it once and for all.

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