Scottish Rugby

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Sione Tuipulotu says Glasgow Warriors are motivated to avenge last season's Champions Cup exit to Harlequins when they visit the Stoop on Saturday.

Warriors booked their place in the knockout stages thanks to a bonus-point victory over Racing 92 on Friday night, with Tuipulotu scoring a try and turning in a man-of-the-match performance.

The target for Franco Smith's men is to secure a home quarter-final and to do that they must overcome the side that knocked them out in the last 16 last season.

"I want to get that one back from last year, they're 1-0 up against us, so I really want to go back there and to win that game next week," Tuipulotu told BBC Scotland.

"It's something that I suppose is a little bit personal for the group. I'm actually really looking forward to seeing (former Glasgow coach) Danny (Wilson). I'm real close with him. I need to get that one back against him."

Warriors delivered a scintillating first-half performance against Racing, running in four tries, before dropping off near the end to allow the French side to give the full-time scoreline a different complexion at 29-19.

"We can't compete with the top end if we don't show 70, 80-minute performances," said Scotland captain Tuipulotu.

"I think the positives are that our first 40 minutes, teams are going to find it pretty hard to live with us.

"We know we've got athletes out there, we know we've got footie players out there that can really make a defence hurt. We've just got to be able to have the maturity now to hold that for 80 minutes and we can put any team under pressure."

Glasgow fans, did you brave the cold at Scotstoun on Friday night or were you following the action from home? Either way, we want your views on the victory over Racing.

Who impressed you? Do Glasgow have what it takes to go the distance in this competition?

And will Gregor Townsend have a particular interest in anyone in that Glasgow squad.

Have your say., external

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Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith: "We obviously want to improve, it's early in the year.

"It's the Christmas period, and sometimes when you're not in the building for a week, some things will give.

"The first hour, I was happy with. The boys stuck to script. There was good positive steps. Some frustration from the Edinburgh loss helped.

"We need to kick on. We need put on an 80-minute performance, like we used to do. It is there, one or two games that will allow us to be ourselves up until the end.

"Sione Tuipulotu plays well. The reason he's walking away with the man of the match medal so often is because he plays well. He's in a good space. His contribution is massively appreciated.

"It's Champions Cup, it's quality teams. They brought on a lot of experience and energy from their bench and they did what was asked.

"Our yellow card was unneccesary. We defended well enough to not give that away and that led to a couple of tries that we've leaked. Enough to work on but excited we've made progress.

"We fell two minutes short [against Harlequins last season]. We regroup, have a look on Monday. We've got a plan to go there and see how we can progress from tonight."

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Sean Everitt has made five changes to his Edinburgh side for Saturday's Challenge Cup Pool 3 game against Vannes in France.

James Lang makes his first start of the season in the centres, while stand-off Ben Healy - who was the league's top points scorer last season - makes just a second start this term and a first since October.

Mosese Tuipulotu and Ross Thompson drop to the bench from the team that narrowly beat Glasgow in the second leg of the 1872 Cup two weeks ago.

Both props are rotated, meaning Pierre Schoeman and Javan Sebastian come in and Boan Venter and D'Arcy Rae - who signed a new contract this week - drop to the bench.

Marshall Sykes comes into the second row, with club co-captain Grant Gilchrist unavailable through a hand injury. In the absence of Gilchrist and Ben Vellacott, Jamie Ritchie skippers the side.

Edinburgh top Pool 3 with six points from two games, with Vannes second on points difference.

Head coach Everitt said: "This is great challenge for us. Vannes are a different beast at home and they'll want to put in a strong performance in front of a passionate support.

"We're joint top and this is a competition we want to go far in. We travel to France with plenty of confidence after our win over Glasgow."

Edinburgh: Goosen, Graham, Currie, Lang, Van der Merwe; Healy, Price; Schoeman, Cherry, Sebastian, Sykes, Skinner, Ritchie (c), Crosbie, Muncaster.

Replacements: Harrison, Venter, Rae, Young, Watson, Shiel, Thompson, Tuipulotu.

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

Allan: When are we going to be able to get a third pro team? Dundee would be a great location for it and get the Caley Reds back. We need to increase the minutes players are getting so we have more players competing for international rugby.

Tom answered: The chances of a third professional team are, sadly, zero. The SRU can scarcely afford to fund the teams they have.

Edinburgh and Glasgow are both going to have their budgets cut next season, so the situation is grim, not just in Scotland but pretty much everywhere else as well. A whole lot more is going to have to be done to get fixtures for underage teams and A teams. As you say, these boys need games.

James asked: As well as Finn Russell is playing right now, Scotland need options at 10 long term. What are the chances of Saracens' Fergus Burke committing to Scotland? And might we see his name in the Six Nations squad this year?

Tom answered: The line from the Scottish management is no official approach has been made to Burke and there won't be unless they're convinced he's better than what they have.

I'd be surprised if they haven't quietly sussed out Burke on whether he wants to declare for Scotland or not. He qualifies for England as well. They've got young 10s in Marcus Smith and Fin Smith, but Burke looks class and you can't have too many options.

Scotland have Russell, but he's 32 now. There's Tom Jordan, Adam Hastings (an unfortunate injury profile) and I think that's about it, realistically. You'd really, really hope Gregor Townsend is making a play for Burke behind the scenes. He's only 25 and would be a hell of an asset.

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

Michael asked: Winning the URC last season was a remarkable achievement. However, is Nigel Carolan realistic in his assertion that Glasgow are genuine contenders for the Champions Cup?

Tom answered: I think he's right to see Glasgow in that way. There's a smallish group of clubs that win it and Glasgow, with the luck of the draw, are among that group. Maybe at the bottom of it, but in there nonetheless.

Clearly, Blair Kinghorn's Toulouse are red-hot favourites. You have Johnny Gray's Bordeaux and La Rochelle as well from France. I thought Bath would go far but they've lost both of their games so far. Northampton and Harlequins have a chance.

Glasgow definitely belong in that company. The squad is very strong and they have players to come back from injury as well. Home advantage will be absolutely key.

Keith asked: Should Franco Smith be making discrete inquiries about the availability of Harry Byrne after his medical joker stint with Bristol is finished, and would David Nuicifora be on board with the acquisition of a non-Scottish qualified player?

Tom answered: It's still painful to think of how Glasgow let Tom Jordan slip away from them. A colossal misstep from the Warriors.

Byrne is probably fourth choice at Leinster, hence his short-term move to Bristol. I'm not so sure about him and, as you mention, I'm not at all convinced Nucifora would sanction a move for him.

I suspect Nucifora is really going to tighten the rules around recruitment of non-Scottish qualified players. That'll be a good thing for the pathway structure but it's going to cause Franco Smith and Sean Everitt some angst, if it happens.

I wouldn't go for Byrne and I doubt they'll be a major signing because they can't afford it. I'd like to have a look at Richie Simpson and any other young ones on the periphery…

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Scotland prop D'Arcy Rae has signed a two-year extension to his contract at Edinburgh.

The 30-year-old joined up in October 2023 following a short-term deal with Montpellier after being released by Bath.

Rae had spent eight years with Glasgow Warriors from 2013, earning his debut Scotland cap against Ireland in the 2019 Six Nations.

After a long wait, his second international appearance came as a replacement in November's 57-17 win over Fiji at Murrayfield.

"He showed massive improvement in pre-season and it's great that he's been motivated enough to achieve his goal of playing for Scotland again," Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt told BBC Scotland.

"We're very happy for him and, for the club, he's going to bring success for us."

Rae is "really chuffed" to extend his stay and added: "At the start of the season I made the decision to properly commit to this city and this great club.

"I've moved east, made Edinburgh my home and I feel like a full pre-season is paying dividends. I'm in great shape and feel really confident every time I take the field."

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Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith has made five changes to the side beaten by Edinburgh at Murrayfield for Friday's Champions Cup clash with Racing 92.

Rory Sutherland and Johnny Matthews come into the front row, replacing Jamie Bhatti and Gregor Hiddleston, while flanker Rory Darge replaces Ally Miller.

In the backs, George Horne is preferred to Jamie Dobie at scrum-half and Josh McKay returns from injury on the wing with Kyle Rowe dropping out.

A win for Glasgow will secure their places in the knockout stages of the competition.

"We know that Racing will pose a tough test for our opening match of the New Year, and we must be ready to meet the challenge they will present," Smith said.

"They have a squad full of physical forwards and talented backs, and can cause problems for any side in Europe on their day."

Glasgow XV to face Racing 92: McKay, Cancelliere, Jones, Tuipulotu, Steyn, Jordan, Horne; Sutherland, Matthews, Z. Fagerson, Brown, Cumming, M. Fagerson, Darge, Mann.

Replacements: Hiddleston, Bhatti, Talakai, Samuel, Miller, Ferrie, Dobie, Weir.

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

In the sprint that is the modern Champions Cup, Glasgow hit the three-quarter mark of their pool campaign on Friday night when they host Racing 92, the style-over-substance champions of the global game.

Glasgow need to win, not just to stay in pole position for a place in the last 16, but to give themselves a best chance of a home draw, which is critical.

This is a contest between a club that has grown organically into something special and another club that is funded by a billionaire, Jacky Lorenzetti. The real estate magnet has been shovelling cash into Racing for the best part of 20 years and, pitifully, he has one trophy to show for it, the Top 14 title of 2016.

They have an all-star cast of coaches. Stuart Lancaster, who did such stellar work at Leinster, is head coach. Frederic Michalak, winner of six European Cups and 77 caps for France, is backs coach. Dimitri Szarzewski, 83 caps for France and a double Top 14 champion, is forwards coach. Joe Rokocoko, one of the greatest All Black try scorers of all time, is skills coach.

They play in one of the most jaw-dropping rugby stadiums in the world. Costing a reported £300m, La Defense Arena is a thing of wonder. And yet they have one of the lowest average crowds in their league.

In 15 seasons in the top flight they have won one final and lost six semi-finals. Never have they finished top in the league phase and they won't be doing that this season either.

Currently, they sit ninth, an embarrassment brought on by spending a reported million a season on Owen Farrell plus a bundle on Gael Fickou, which has left them light in too many areas of the pitch. In nine away games, they have lost seven, which is good news for Glasgow.

One of their greatest sons, the hooker Camille Chat, has just left the club after allegedly turning up drunk for training. A few months back, Lorenzetti virtually chased the great Siya Kolisi out with some insulting words about his contribution.

Kolisi was just the latest in a series of expensive galacticos - Johnny Sexton (Johnny Cash, as his team-mate Jamie Roberts called him), Dan Carter, Finn Russell and current incumbent Farrell.

And that's just the fly-halves. Lorenzetti's Hollywood transfer policy has extended far beyond one position over the years and yet proper success has eluded him. That line about the fur coat applies.

Glasgow add a little foreign gold to a squad that's already grown from within and they have one of the great cultures in the URC. Racing do it the other way around and it hasn't worked.

Lorenzetti's money has got them to three Champions Cup finals, but they've lost all three. Last season they scraped into the play-offs as 16th and bottom seed and duly got knocked out. The season before they didn't even make the last 16.

And now comes news that Lorenzetti may have had enough. It appears the man with the bottomless pit of cash is calling for a reduction in the salary cap of the Top 14 clubs in France. The big-spending poacher is attempting to become the cautious gamekeeper. The irony is lost on nobody in French rugby.

Glasgow could only dream of the riches Racing have burned their way through in the Lorenzetti era. Warriors lost two of their finest players to Racing, of course. Russell and Leone Nakarawa both played there directly after leaving Glasgow, their pockets bulging, if not their trophy cabinet.

Racing remain a club that inspires fascination but not admiration. In terms of glamour, they win.

In terms of everything that actually matters - talent and grunt, cohesion and hunger - Glasgow should have too much for them. Scotstoun ain't La Defense, but it's a whole lot harder to breach.

Image source, Getty Images

Grant Young
Fan writer

Champions Cup week has a different vibe to it. Group chats are a bit more active and there seems to be more of a buzz. A match against French side Racing 92 brings a bit of razzmatazz, and regardless of the freezing temperatures forecast, the quality of the rugby on show should heat up the spectators.

Glasgow travelled to France to face Toulon in the last round of European fixtures and came away with points despite the 30-29 loss. With Warriors now at home, they are favourites to win and secure their passage into the knockout stages of the competition.

While Glasgow are on an upward curve under Franco Smith, the opposite could be said for Racing, who are ninth in the Top 14 and delivering some underwhelming performances.

It will be interesting to see which of their high-profile players make the trip to Glasgow, while it remains to be seen how strong a line-up Smith will name amid a spate of injuries.

It's a big couple of weeks for players with the Six Nations looming and spots up for grabs. I'm hoping to see Gregor Hiddleston picked by Gregor Townsend. The hooker has been tremendous in recent fixtures and I felt it was harsh he missed out on involvement during the Autumn Nations Series.

Tom English and Andy Burke discuss audience questions and comments as they take a look at the year ahead for Scottish Rugby.

Is it now or never for Scotland in the Six Nations? Is Scottish Rugby on a firm financial footing? What can we expect from Glasgow and Edinburgh in 2025?

Listen on BBC Sounds.

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Glasgow Warriors and Scotland centre Huw Jones says he wants to "lay down a marker" this week in the Champions Cup for what he hopes will be a huge year with club and country.

Warriors welcome Racing 92 to Scotstoun on Friday knowing a win will secure their passage into the knockout phase of Europe's elite competition.

The significance of the next few fixtures is not lost on the Scotland back, who has recovered well after needing hand surgery last year on a finger injury.

"It's obviously a massive game this week," he said. "Winning the games in the middle of the season really tells, especially in the league.

"We're in a good position in the Champions Cup at the moment. We've got seven points from the first two games and a big opportunity this week at home to lay down a marker and hopefully get a big win."

Jones feels improved away form has been the key to Warriors' recent progress under head coach Franco Smith. The reigning URC champions are now out to prove they are genuine contenders for European rugby's top prize.

"We showed last year by winning the league that we can win tough games, especially on the road," he added. "That was maybe an issue for us in previous seasons, especially in the Champions Cup.

"We may have to go away if we make it into the play-offs so these are really important games that we're looking forward to. We have an ambition to go far in this competition.

"You have to go for it in these competitions, you have to take risks. That's what we'll be doing."

Warriors go to Harlequins after the Racing clash, before welcoming Connacht to Scotstoun in the URC at the end of the month.

After that, eyes turn towards the Six Nations, with Scotland kicking off their campaign at Murrayfield on 1 February against Italy.

Jones is targeting success on the international stage as well as at club level.

"We've got a big opportunity in this Six Nations. We've been building for a few years but it's about time we string a few big wins together," the 31-year-old said.

"That's probably the nearest goal for me personally - to get into the Scotland squad and then play well there."

Sandy Smith
Fan writer

With Gloucester hosting Scarlets on Friday night Edinburgh will go into Saturday's game against Vannes on the Brittany coast knowing what is required to keep their Challenge Cup campaign on track.

There are a number of different scenarios but an Edinburgh win in France this weekend will in all likelihood see us go into the game against Black Lion on the last weekend of the group stages in top spot.

Despite the fact four of the six teams in each pool qualify for the round of 16 it's still desirable to finish in first place as that will guarantee a home draw all the way to the semi-final.

Vannes, in their first European campaign, will fancy their chances despite a difficult introduction to life in the Top 14 that sees them bottom after 14 games. They have three wins in the league as well as a home victory against Gloucester in the second round of the Challenge Cup. By all accounts it is a proud rugby town and Stade de la Rabine is apparently on course to be an 11,000 sellout for the game.

The obstacles in our way include that it's not easy to win away at French clubs and our own predisposition to follow good performances with average or downright poor ones.

We have managed the first of these hurdles with recent wins against Pau and more recently Castres, two sides a fair way up the Top14 ladder this season. However, we've also come up short across the Channel a few times, with losses to Clermont last season and a heavy one to Racing 92 a few years before that.

The seemingly fluctuating form of this Edinburgh side is a bit harder to predict but I'm currently feeling pretty optimistic that it's the hard-working version we will see this weekend and that the words Grant Gilchrist used when presenting Dave Cherry with his 100th cap - about seeing the care for the club every week - won't have faded since that post-Christmas win at Murrayfield.

A decent finish in the URC isn't beyond this team but that fluctuating form may yet be our undoing in that arena. I hope therefore that we select as strong a side as possible for this game as the Challenge Cup offers probably the best route to glory we have this year.

Sandy Smith can be found at The Burgh Watch, external

As we enter a mammoth year for Scottish rugby, 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 and they will be answered on this page later in the week.

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Wolfhounds: (36) 48

Tries: Djougang, Corrigan 3, King 2, O'Dowd, Higgins Cons: O'Brien 4

Glasgow Warriors (0) 7

Try: Tucker Con: McNamara

Wolfhounds got back to winning ways in the Celtic Challenge with a 48-7 victory against Glasgow Warriors at Kingspan Stadium.

After losing against Clovers last time out, Wolfhounds raced into an early lead as Stacey Flood offloaded to Linda Djougang, who crossed with Dannah O'Brien converting.

The home team got their second try after 14 minutes as patient build-up play allowed Flood to find Katie Corrigan out wide to touch down and O'Brien added the extras from the tee.

Erin King then crashed over twice, Niamh O'Dowd bustled her way through and Corrigan registered another to stretch Wolfhounds' lead before half-time.

Corrigan completed her hat-trick soon after the restart, dotting down in the corner.

Glasgow were much improved in the second half and got their first and only try after 55 minutes when captain Ailie Tucker bundled over with Briar McNamara kicking the conversion.

Eve Higgins darted through a gap to score Wolfhounds' eighth and final try to round off the victory.

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Celtic Challenge: Edinburgh v Brython Thunder

Edinburgh (17) 22

Tries: Taganekurukuru, Walker, Bell 2 Con: MacRae

Brython Thunder (0) 17

Tries: Lane, Bluck 2

Edinburgh held off a Brython Thunder fightback at Hive Stadium to secure their second victory in as many Celtic Challenge matches.

First-half tries from Sam Taganekurukuru, Hannah Walker and Cieron Bell gave the hosts a commanding half-time lead, before Hannah Lane hit back for the Welsh side after the break.

Bell then crossed for her second try to keep Thunder at arms-length and secure Edinburgh a try-scoring bonus point.

Two tries from Thunder centre Hannah Bluck gave the visitors hope, but Edinburgh held on to take all five points.