Scottish Rugby

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

And so begins a mammoth year for rugby. A Six Nations where Scotland might finally do something, a women's World Cup with the improving Scots daring to dream of a strong tournament, a Lions tour that might feature a record number of Scots.

Professional rugby is such unpredictable terrain that only the terminally unwise would dare predict things.

Mercifully, such a hostage to fortune and glutton for punishment is at hand. To hell with the fence-setters. Here's what's going to happen in 2025. Possibly, maybe.

France to host Scotland in Grand Slam showdown

Yes, we enjoyed our Christmas and Hogmanay and, yes again, the drink might be talking here, but hang on…

Scotland play Italy first at home. Given that Italy beat Scotland in Rome last season this is no gimme, but Gregor Townsend's team will start with a win, however tight.

Next, another home game, against Ireland. The head-to-head makes grisly reading for Scotland, but Ireland's hold over them has to end sometime. There's no Andy Farrell at the helm this time - he's away preparing for the Lions - and they'll miss him.

Ireland, the champions, had an indifferent autumn. There are doubts about their lineout, their high number of handling errors and their poor points return. They're not vintage right now. Scotland are good enough to make it two from two if their nerve holds.

England away. They're not winning and still look a team in transition. Scotland's backline to storm Twickenham again. Three from three.

Wales at home in round four. Incredibly hard to see how Scotland would lose that if they've won the previous three. Grand Slam showdown in Paris, then.

France will win because they're just too good, but second would be an all-time high in the Six Nations for Scotland. You'd take it now.

Scotland to win three games in Women's Six Nations for first time since 2005

They came close last season, going to Ireland on the final day with a record of two from four, only to lose somewhat unexpectedly. It was a near miss as was their bid to retain the WXV2 title.

This is an improving team, though, with a good age profile and some proper threat out the back line. Beat Wales and Italy at home, as they'd expect to, and they have Ireland at home on the final weekend. Three wins would be a big breakthrough.

Glasgow to face Leinster in URC final

Leinster are top at the turn of the year and Glasgow are second. Now, there's no guarantee the form guide carries on all the way to the final. Glasgow finished fourth in the league phase last season and Munster finished fifth when they won the trophy the year before.

Leinster and Glasgow look the strongest, though. Glasgow could have a home quarter-final and semi-final, but if Leinster make the final then they'll most likely be hosts.

Leinster v Glasgow would be a sensational final. Leinster would be favourites to win, but it would be a mighty battle.

Edinburgh to make URC play-offs

Considering the quality of their squad it should be a given every year, but it isn't. The win over Glasgow at Murrayfield was a sign of life. They probably don't have the consistency to make top four, so it'll be an away quarter-final. Their away record remains awful, so that's where their run is likely to end.

Near misses in Europe

They should reach the knockouts of Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, but everything from there depends on seeding and luck of the draw.

Glasgow can go far if they avoid an away trip to the biggest hitters in France. A first Champions Cup semi-final is within their grasp. Edinburgh need home advantage. Without it, they'll bow out in the Challenge Cup last 16 or more likely, the last eight.

David Nucifora to make big call

Would it be a shock if the new performance director announced a ban on non-Scottish qualified signings for Glasgow and Edinburgh, save for exceptional circumstances? Not especially. He did it in Ireland. He wants to give homegrown players every chance and that's one way of doing it. Glasgow and Edinburgh may not like it.

Kinghorn to do double double with Toulouse

Having won the Top14 and the Champions Cup in his first season with Toulouse there is every chance Blair Kinghorn will repeat it in his second. Toulouse are a wondrous force. Hard to see anybody stopping them.

World Cup women to meet England

Bryan Easson's team are second seeds in their pool behind Canada. Beating the Canadians would be a very tall order, so a quarter-final against England looks the more likely outcome. Getting out of that one with pride intact will be all the Scots can hope for. England are massive favourites to win the tournament in their own backyard.

Ten Scottish Lions in Australia

The certainties: Blair Kinghorn, Sione Tuipulotu, Huw Jones, Finn Russell, Pierre Schoeman and Zander Fagerson. The probable: Duhan van der Merwe. The possibles: pretty much everybody else in a first-choice Scotland. The bolter: Tom Jordan, there aren't many utility backs as good as him.

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Glasgow fly-half Duncan Weir and operations manager John Manson join Andy Burke on the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast to relive Warriors' journey to URC glory in the 2023-24 season.

Listen on BBC Sounds

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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The 1872 Cup derby double-header has highlighted a welcome headache for Gregor Townsend as Scotland's Six Nations opener against Italy looms next month.

Edinburgh were impressive in their second-leg win over Glasgow, but world-class wings Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham were again painfully underutilised.

The best we saw of Van der Merwe involved squashing Kyle Rowe and Sebastian Cancelliere in quick succession, a rare showing of his defensive game.

However, there was an impeccably-timed return for Kyle Steyn, as he came back from injury to play a key part in the first leg and Glasgow's enormous victory which ultimately proved enough to retain the trophy.

Three world-class options await Townsend come the Six Nations, if they can all stay fit. How on earth does he pick between them?

Van der Merwe and Graham both have the flair and X-factor that Townsend likes, but Steyn brings more stability and bags of leadership. He also knows what it feels like to win silverware and drag his team over the line.

A good headache for the national coach to have, but a headache nonetheless.

Sandy Smith
Fan writer

It is a huge cliche but being an Edinburgh supporter is like riding a rollercoaster.

The lows are Mariana Trench-like at times. The highs can sometimes be a bit more like that wee stool you buy for your 3-year-old to stand on during toilet training.

However the gap between those two opposites still means that when something good happens, you can enjoy it especially when it involves confounding the "we'll win by five tries" expectations of your oldest rivals.

Funnily enough the only folk complaining about it being a boring game are also the same folk who are suddenly more interested in the 'Inter-City Cup' than their long term goals. I guess it's all about perspective.

Edinburgh's perspective now has to be about being the disciplined and motivated team that they were against Glasgow at Murrayfield on a rolling basis. Much of which could be exemplified by Duhan van der Merwe's aggressive yet legal tackling of Sebastian Canciellere into touch around the halfway mark in the first half. If the word has made it out to Duhan on the left wing we must be getting somewhere.

What would define success for this Edinburgh team in what remains of this season?

In season 2019-2020 we beat Glasgow at the same point of the year. We then went on to win our next five league games and even though the season was shortened by Covid we ended up on our highest ever league points total and narrowly lost the semi final to Ulster. Our win rate in the league that year was 78%.

So, equalling or surpassing that streak would be the kind of success that we can control. Replicating it with the fixtures upcoming should be possible if, and it's a big if, we can harness the application we showed against Glasgow at the weekend and the flair we showed against Bayonne.

We have to learn how to win away. If we don't then we could be looking at no more than eight wins from 18 games and that will not be enough to earn a play-off place.

There's some Challenge Cup adventures in January and hopefully beyond but as for the league let's hope we can enjoy what's left of the ride

Grant Young
Fan writer

An 1872 cup win ends 2024 the way Glasgow would have hoped for or even expected.

A damp and dull second leg took place in front of a 40,000 crowd in the capital on Saturday. A 10-7 win for the hosts showing what could have been for their season.

However it's Glasgow left feeling frustrated. Unable to get going, countless unforced errors really only in the game due to the brilliance of their team defence.

Six points from 10 against Edinburgh likely puts a halt on the Warriors looking up the table to high flying Leinster, rather concentrating on those teams below them in the table.

So what could the reasons be for Glasgow dip on the road? It has been well documented the amount of players unavailable for Glasgow due to injuries, missing players like Jack Dempsey, Nathan McBeth and Josh McKay to name a few has meant an increase in load for a number of front line players, especially after a busy international autumn period.

In the game though Edinburgh seemed to adapt quicker to the way the game was officiated and the home encounter seemed to have them playing with more intensity than what we have seen at times.

Glasgow on the other hand were lacklustre and unable to create opportunities for the backs to strike. The penalty try eventually came after Edinburgh had conceded numerous penalties but again even with a man advantage Glasgow couldn't muster a scoring opportunity.

A difficult day for sure but with almost two weeks to rest and hopefully welcoming back more first team players to the mix, a return to Champions Cup rugby in the new year awaits.

Franco Smith can certainly look back on 2024 with fond memories for his Warriors squad, it's been a tremendous year for the club and fans have embraced the free flowing attack coupled in with the hard nose rugged and disciplined defence.

It will be interesting to see with the Six Nations on the wider horizon how many Warriors players are included.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Defiant Edinburgh buy Everitt breathing space

Few fancied Edinburgh to turn over Glasgow after their humbling at Hampden and fewer still would have backed them to pretty much nullify all Glasgow's celebrated attacking threats, but they did.

Edinburgh were a different beast to the fragile outfit that were blown away at the national football stadium in the first leg of the 1872 Cup. It wasn't pretty rugby at Murrayfield, but a ferocious defence and altogether stronger mindset made them a tougher proposition even the URC champions could not overcome.

This was a big victory for Sean Everitt. Much of the chat leading into this game was how another heavy defeat would bring the murmurings around his future as head coach to a deafening crescendo.

Those questions have not disappeared after one narrow win, but the victory does give the South African a little breathing space.

Everitt joked after the match that he had received a message from his predecessor Mike Blair on how he could bank on an Edinburgh backlash after last week's Hampden hammering. Therein lies the issue.

It should not take an embarrassment to prompt the level of physicality and determination Edinburgh showed at Murrayfield. It should be the minimum required for every game, as it is with the top teams.

"Greatest Schoeman" brings muscle and magic

With the list of wonderful attacking backs on show at Murrayfield, it was left instead to a prop to produce the game-breaking moment of skill.

Pierre Schoeman's little grubber through for Matt Currie was as delightful as it was unexpected, then the big fella turned on the trademark power to force himself over the line for the decisive try.

It was redemption for the Scotland front row after his horror Hampden experience. He was part of a forward pack comprehensively outmuscled and received a damaging first-half yellow card for his team for a cheap shot on Gregor Brown.

This was a reminder of what Schoeman offers at his best and why Edinburgh were so keen to tie him down to a new long-term deal.

Mosese takes first steps out of Sione's shadow

It can't have been easy for Mosese Tuipulotu arriving in Scotland in the summer.

As well as the usual challenges that comes with moving halfway across the world, he also had the pressure of living up to the impact made by his brother Sione with Glasgow and Scotland.

While Sione has thrived in a well-oiled machine at Glasgow, Mosese has been thrust into an environment where inconsistency of performance runs deep.

The younger Tuipulotu was a peripheral figure at Hampden, but we saw flashes of his potential in the return leg at Murrayfield.

A lovely delayed pass put Jamie Ritchie through a hole in the first half that should have led to a try. He looked much more of a threat with ball-in-hand and was part of an excellent defensive effort to shut down the much-vaunted Glasgow midfield of his brother and Huw Jones.

He still has much to learn and the temptation to continuously compare him to Sione should be avoided, but this performance was a step towards stepping out of his brother's shadow.

We asked for your thoughts on the second leg of the 1872 Cup, which saw Glasgow retain the trophy despite Edinburgh's narrow win.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Bill: Finally a bit of heart from Edinburgh but the flaws are all still there. Ali Price and Ross Thompson are not going to frighten anyone at half-back, and until that weakness is fixed, this team is going nowhere. Ben Healy isn't amazing, but that's twice in a row things have improved when he comes on, and if Sean Everitt cannot see that, he's not the right coach.

Marcus: Glasgow look well coached, coherent and always advance in attack. Edinburgh have no attacking structure it seems. Why can Edinburgh not do this with their squad? It's infuriating.

Doug: I'd class myself a rugby purist and I'm not sure that game was even one for me. Ill discipline and handling errors prevented the record crowd from getting out of their seats. As a Glasgow fan, pretty disappointed with league points left behind. Congrats to Edinburgh, deserved winners, now start playing like that every game and not once a season.

Dave: Very poor game for the 40,000 fans to watch. Glasgow definitely had an issue with the referee's interpretation of the laws and were penalized heavily.

Stair: At long last this Edinburgh team are living upbto expectations. I thought that Hamish Watson was immense. It was unfortunate that took an HIA to Ritchie to bring him onto the field. Every forward played well .It is a shame that this coach can't work out how to involve our electric three-quarter line. Never mind a win is a win. Well done.

Ben: Frustrating loss for Glasgow. Felt in the most part we were comfortable defending Edinburgh, we were just not clinical at all at the other end. Once we finally got the score, we should kick on against 14 men but gave up such a soft score which cost us. Ultimately six points and the 1872 cup is a decent return for the last two games.

Steve: It was a game for the purists and none the less for it. Great to see that both Scottish outfits have the ability to defend but given Scotland use a similar attacking approach to Glasgow that might also be cause for concern come the Six Nations. It's the least inventive I've seen Glasgow since week one of the URC.

Martin: Edinburgh won today, woohoo. It only papers over cracks. There were times today we couldn't pass the ball wide as the whole team were between the 15m lines, very narrow. If we were going to kick points why was Ben Healy not on from the start? Our attack is very blunt , still not convinced by Mosese Tuipolotu at all.

Rob: Plenty of comments on social media about how boring the game was. I think Edinburgh deserve some credit for turning it into an arm-wrestle, because that was the only chance they had to win it. Still huge problems at Edinburgh, but fair play for fronting up and shutting down Glasgow's expansive game with some organised defence.

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Despite retaining the 1872 Cup for a third straight year, Glasgow flanker Rory Darge admitted it was a "sore one" after his side lost narrowly to Edinburgh in the second leg at Murrayfield.

The Warriors blew Edinburgh away in the first leg at Hampden with their 19-point win giving them an ample cushion to secure an aggregate victory, despite defeat in the capital.

"With these games, the most important thing is the league points," Darge told BBC Scotland. "We've picked up a losing bonus point and that's it, so it's a sore one.

"It's difficult to stay [where things went wrong]. There's loads of different things. It wasn't just the breakdown, or attack or defence. There were loads of things that were a six or seven out of 10, rather than eight or nine like last week.

"We all have to try and figure out why that happened and make sure we don't allow ourselves to move forward like that."

Conversely, Edinburgh centre Mosese Tuipulotu was delighted by his side's reaction to last weekend's humiliating defeat, as they played in front of a record crowd for a Scottish club match.

"It was unreal," he said. "The atmosphere was crazy when I walked out. We're super stoked to get the win.

"We knew we had to bounce back after last week, it was pretty disappointing. I'm just proud of the boys.

"At the start of the week, our defensive leaders - Jamie Ritchie and Grant Gilchrist - really drove the week. They got us in the right mood for this game.

"We felt like we left a couple of points out there. That's the bench mark, we've got to keep moving forward. When we come back, we've got to step it up a bit."

Fourteen-man Edinburgh won a ferocious second leg of the 1872 Cup with a late try from Pierre Schoeman, converted expertly by Ben Healy.

Glasgow retained the trophy 40-24 on aggregate, but this was much-needed respite for Sean Everitt's team who were blown away last weekend at Hampden.

What did you think of the game, rugby fans? Did the result and performances from both sides surprise you?

Who impressed? Is anyone knocking on Gregor Townsend's door?

Let us know your thoughts here., external

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Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith told BBC Scotland: "It's not that tough to take. I thought Edinburgh did really well so compliments to them.

"We kept on knocking on the door. They were much more organised, much better than last week. I don't think we got much wrong, they got so much right.

"To bounce back from last week's defeat is fantastic for them. I'm proud of my boys anyway, they stayed in the fight. There was some misfortune here and there, we could have won the game.

"They got together this week and produced, as they did after the Lions defeat earlier in the season. They are a quality team, we've said that all year. They've got some character and they proved that again tonight.

"I thought they did well to keep us out. There was a lot of questions asked from our perspective about why we couldn't convert.

"We got our noses in front there, but compliments to Edinburgh again. They targeted that breakdown to turn it over and that led to their try. It's what they did, it's not what we didn't do.

"The boys are really producing. Our squad depth was challenged and is challenged. But I'm looking forward to getting some boys back soon."

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt told BBC Scotland: "I'm very proud. It was tough week for all of us. We're all in it together, we put in the hard yards, put in some really good conversations through the week.

"It wasn't easy to identify what was wrong. It was about recognising, if we get it right how good we can be. Tonight, it was a dominant performance although the scoreboard doesn't suggest that.

"If I was on the losing end, I'd be really disappointed. Defensively we were strong tonight. We had weak moments last week but we put a lot of pressure on them in attack, although it didn't lead to tries.

"Compliments to Glasgow. To keep us out for those long periods of time was really good from them. A great game, although the scoreline might not suggest that.

"I wouldn't say it's technical, it's more of a mindset thing. We always perform well at home. I was chatting to Mike Blair this morning on Whatsapp, and he said he was looking forward to a good 'Edinburgh reaction' this afternoon.

"That's what happens. The boys were hurting and disappointed last week. They knew they were better than they showed.

"At half-time, we'd given away two penalties. Glasgow had given away six. Life does become easier for you.

"Last year, we beat the Bulls and Glasgow - the finalists in the competition. We've beaten some top dogs here. Those are the things that are frustrating for me, but hopefully this win is a wake-up call that we are a top four team and if we get our mindset right and put in a performance like that, maybe we won't get all the results but we'll get the majority.

"When they scored, there were 12 minutes left or so and that's quite a long way to go. I was confident if we could hold onto the ball that we'd be able to either get level or find the winning try. The short kick off just shows how brave the boys are. We did show intent and that's the most pleasing part."

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Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith will not be content with an aggregate victory in the 1872 Cup, and wants his side to retain the trophy with a win at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Last season, the Warriors lost 19-14 at Murrayfield, but did enough to win 36-29 overall after their home win.

Smith's side take a 33-14 lead with them to the capital, but with United Rugby Championship points on the line as well as bragging rights and silverware, Smith wants his side to go all out to back up their triumph in last weekend's first leg.

"Look, we don't want to lose, nobody wants to lose," Smith said. "So play to win. Last year in Edinburgh, it took away a little bit of the joy of winning the cup in a way.

"So for us, there's more to play for than just arriving and trying to win the game. We want to be the best version of ourselves.

"It's another URC game. We're facing a difficult opponent away from home. We always knew that the second leg was going to be challenging.

"Last year we found that out by losing in the last minutes. We obviously expect this game to be a tough one again, like any URC game should be."

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt says the mood among his players in one of optimism despite heading into the second leg of the 1872 Cup against Glasgow Warriors trailing by 19 points.

The capital side were well beaten at Hampden Park on Sunday, but Everitt has not dwelled on that performance over the Christmas break.

With a crowd of more than 35,000 expected at Murrayfield on Saturday, Everitt has faith his side will "bounce back".

"The guys are upbeat," Everitt said. "Obviously, in sport you get a second chance to make amends for what happened last week. The mistakes that we made on the pitch on Sunday are all fixable, so the guys are pretty upbeat.

"Obviously, playing at Murrayfield in front of our fans brings energy to the squad and we were able to work really hard on the things that let us down against Glasgow on Sunday.

"We've seen responses from this team over the last, I don't know how many years, even before I got here.

"So I'm confident that the guys will bounce back and also confident that they want to make the spectators proud."

Everitt dismissed the idea of a gung-ho approach as Edinburgh try to regain the 1872 Cup, insisting that his primary focus is on the United Rugby Championship and securing points for the league.

Edinburgh are ninth in the URC, while champions Glasgow sit second.

"For us, it's about the URC and then obviously trying to get that 1872 Cup," Everitt added. "I got a message the other day from a mate, he said 'you just got to win both halves 10-0 and then you win the 1872'.

"So, we can be optimistic about it, but we're not going to take risks to lose the game to get more points (for the aggregate score) when the URC is so important."

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Glasgow Warriors have made just two changes to the side that swept to a comprehensive 1872 Cup first-leg victory over Edinburgh for Saturday's return leg at Murrayfield.

The URC champions won 33-14 last weekend and head down the M8 as heavy favourites.

Gregor Hiddleston replaces Johnny Matthews - who has a knee injury - as the starting hooker, while Jamie Dobie starts at scrum-half with George Horne dropping to the bench.

"We expect a strong response from Edinburgh after last weekend, and we know that we must keep focusing on ourselves and our own processes in order to meet that challenge," head coach Franco Smith said.

"Every player wants to be involved in derby matches, especially in front of a crowd such as the one awaiting us in Edinburgh tomorrow.

"We're excited the test that lies in wait for us, and we look forward to meeting that test head-on."

Glasgow Warriors XV to face Edinburgh: Rowe, Cancelliere, Jones, S. Tuipulotu, Steyn, Jordan, Dobie; Bhatti, Hiddleston, Z. Fagerson, Brown, Cummings, Miller, M. Fagerson, Mann.

Replacements: Stewart, Sutherland, Talakai, Samuel, Darge, Fraser, Horne, Weir.

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt has made four changes to the side heavily beaten 33-14 in the first leg of the 1872 Cup against Glasgow.

Dave Cherry replaces Ewan Ashman as the starting hooker for Saturday's return leg at Murrayfield, in what will be his 100th appearance for the capital club.

Boan Venter also comes into the team after his two tries last week with Pierre Schoeman dropping to the bench, while lock Sam Skinner is preferred to Marshall Sykes.

The final change is at number eight, where Ben Muncaster comes in for Magnus Bradbury.

The back line is unchanged.

"We want to put more intent into our performance," Everitt said. "Last week we didn't win the scrap battle, we lost the aerial battle, I think they got the better of us at the breakdown as well, especially in the first half.

"There's a huge number of supporters expected to be at Murrayfield tomorrow, and we want to put on a show for them."

Edinburgh XV to face Glasgow: Goosen, Graham, Currie, M. Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe, Thompson, Price; Venter, Cherry, Rae, Skinner, Gilchrist, Ritchie, Crosbie, Muncaster.

Replacements: Harrison, Schoeman, Sebastian, Sykes, Watson, Shiel, Healy, Lang.

Sandy Smith
Fan writer

Do you recall the song Coward of the County by Kenny Rogers? In the lyrics the protagonist Tommy gets told, "Walk away from trouble when you can" and as a result he takes the odd beating.

Edinburgh could be Tommy. They were attacked from every angle by Glasgow on Sunday and turned the other cheek until they had almost been ground into the dirt. Only then did they find the courage to fight back.

There weren't even any scuffles which at least would have indicated that someone was angry about being made to look quite so third rate.

I've said all season long, when are we going to see an Edinburgh captain read the riot act in a team huddle? Surely they are capable of hearing a few harsh words and then reacting in some way other than sulking?

Was it the worst ever from Edinburgh? Probably not. The memory of our defeat to Lions is pretty fresh. Is it our worst defeat in an 1872 cup match? Mathematically? No, we lost 34-10 in 2019.

Character wise? That's harder to quantify and frankly trying to check back and see if there was a game against Glasgow where we looked more dispirited and disinterested than we did in this one would just be too depressing.

Any positives? There are but they seem trivial in the face of the result and it is results that matter. Winning the second half, not returning a 100% lineout rate, winning all your scrums? Those things count for less than zero when for the most part Edinburgh looked as if they'd prefer to be at home watching Antiques Roadshow.

I am embarrassed and I am angry. I don't want to hear platitudes about yellow cards and 'learnings'. I've heard it all before too many times. Go media silent and spend the time instead on finding some pride.

Tommy proved later in the song that he wasn't without fight. Edinburgh can have that fight in them but it seems it turns up on the throw of a dice.

I wouldn't put it past them to throw a six and provide Sean Everitt with a lifeline next week.

Even if that happens though, it won't last and another wince-inducing capitulation will await somewhere down the line.

I need to find some fight myself to continue with the pain that comes with being an Edinburgh supporter.

Sandy Smith can be found at The Burgh Watch, external