Scottish Rugby

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

Rod asked: Sean Everitt's time may be coming to an end but who would replace him? There's clearly a fundamental player management and commitment issue with Edinburgh, so how do you change this as many coaches have tried and failed?

Tom answered: You're right, Rod. Many have tried and failed. It's not like Edinburgh were successful under the previous coaches but now it's even worse.

So, sure, Everitt will lose his job if this continues for much longer, but, as you say, it's deeper than that. Way deeper. The culture at Edinburgh is clearly lousy. They get into positions to win games and lose them. They get into positions to get a four-try bonus point and don't get it.

Opposition teams, and I've heard it from one in particular, think that when you apply enough pressure on Edinburgh they'll fold. They don't have the resilience. It's been that way for too long. They finished 10th last season and won six out of 18 the season before. It's feeble.

It's hard to know how to change it while looking from the outside. I do think, though, too many of these Edinburgh players have been there too long and are drifting. I'm not sure the club means as much to them as Glasgow means to the Warriors boys. That's down to culture. It's not been right in there for quite a while, well before Everitt arrived.

The right coach can change the fortunes of a club but only if he has an inherently strong dressing room, as Franco Smith had when he arrived at Scotstoun. The Warriors had just lost their way and needed a full reset and Smith provided it.

It's more serious than that at Edinburgh, though. At times like this you want your senior pros to step up but some of the senior pros are a fundamental part of the problem. There doesn't seem to be much leadership or personality in this team. I fear for Everitt. I struggle to see how he can turn it around, Everything is just soft at Edinburgh.

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

Peter asked: What’s the likelihood of Tom Jordan being called up to the Scotland Six Nations squad? He is a different 10 from Finn Russell and Adam Hastings. And at the moment on form head and shoulders above Ben Healy. I am a big fan of TJ!

Tom answered: I think he's a certainty, Peter. In fact, I'd be staggered if he's not capped in the autumn. He'll be eligible sometime in November.

Like you, I think he's terrific. He can play 10 and he can play in the midfield, which makes him an excellent option off the bench. He's tough as hell and can create. When he's eligible it'll be very close between himself and Hastings as back-up to Russell. Healy is slipping down the pecking order.

Doc Ken asked: What are your thoughts on the news Glasgow will play the first leg of the 1872 Cup at Hampden? A bold move by the Warriors to raise awareness of rugby in a football city and grow the fanbase, or a way of generating more revenue by increased ticket sales to keep our star players? Or maybe a bit of both?

Tom answered: It's definitely both, Ken. In their last three home 1872 Cup games, Edinburgh drew crowds of 24,000, 25,000 and close to 38,000 in the one last season. The revenues must have been significant.

Glasgow are stuck at around 7,000. When you see Leinster moving their game with Munster to Croke Park and selling 70,000 tickets in the relative blink of an eye, you see how Glasgow must adapt.

In every conceivable way, this makes sense. Commercially, it'll be a winner because I reckon they could get 25,000-plus at that game. That's a lot more money in the coffers. And in trying to promote the club and reach new fans, it's a glorious opportunity.

They want to expand the appeal of the team and this is the moment. They're the reigning champions so this is a perfect time to build on what they achieved last season.

They're also a fantastically exciting team to watch, full of top-class players, so entertainment is pretty much guaranteed. I'm really looking forward to seeing how it goes.

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Josh McKay and Sione Tuipulotu have been rested amid seven Glasgow changes for the URC visit of Zebre Parma on Friday.

Stafford McDowall will lead the Warriors out at Scotstoun after the centre was named as captain on his return from injury.

Johnny Matthews is retained in an all-Scotland front-row, with props Jamie Bhatti and Zander Fagerson coming into the starting line-up.

Gregor Brown moves to the second-row from blindside flank, where Euan Ferrie gets the nod, while Rory Darge returns after recovering from a head injury sustained in the home win over Benetton.

George Horne and Adam Hastings form the half-back combination, having also recovered from head injuries.

A reshuffled back-three means Kyle Rowe moves to full-back as Jamie Dobie and Facundo Cordero line up on the wings.

Glasgow have opened their title defence with two wins from three, while Italians Zebre have one victory so far.

Warriors head coach Franco Smith said: "We were pleased to come away with five points from Cardiff last weekend, but we know there are still more levels to come.

"Zebre have shown this season already that they will be a match for any team and will compete hard in all areas."

Glasgow: Bhatti, Matthews, Fagerson, Brown, Cummings, Ferrie, Darge, Dempsey, Horne, Hastings, Cordero, McDowall (c), Jones, Dobie, Rowe.

Replacements: Stewart, McBeth, Schickerling, Samuel, Williamson, Venter, Afshar, Jordan.

George O'Neill
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, Getty Images

Scotland fly-half Helen Nelson says they want to retain their WXV2 title for Emma Wassell when they face Australia in Cape Town on Saturday.

Wassell, 29, was ruled out of the tournament last month having been diagnosed with a tumour in her chest.

The lock has credited her "rugby family" for getting her through the stresses of surgery just months after her mother died.

Scotland must beat Australia and deny the Wallaroos two bonus points if they are to lift the trophy, and Nelson says Wassell is an inspiration for the whole squad.

"She's amazing. Everything she's been through in the last wee while, she's just incredibly tough, resilient and we were there to just support her as best we could," Nelson said.

"It's sad not to have her with us [in South Africa], she's such a big personality, but knowing she's back home recovering and preparing for what's to come next, we're happy that she's being looking after.

"Knowing we have the opportunity to make her proud, we've talked about it quite a lot, just doing everything we can to represent her."

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

So, Edinburgh.

Second bottom of the URC, most tries conceded in the championship this season. Most points conceded in the championship this season. The biggest half-time deficit in the championship, ever. Lovely.

How could a team made up mostly of international players trail 48-0 to anybody after 40 minutes of rugby? Mortifying doesn't even come close.

But hey, Sean Everitt, their beleaguered coach, says they showed a lot of character in the second half last Saturday at Ellis Park. They didn't ship 60 or 70 to the Lions. Fair play, boys.

Everitt says his players have "accepted accountability" for the performance. The problem is Edinburgh players have been accepting accountability for horrible defeats for a few seasons now. The mea culpa routine is wearing thin.

They finished 10th in the URC last season and missed the modest target of making the play-offs. The lads accepted accountability, though. They finished 12th the season before, winning six of 18 games. Accountability accepted then as well.

Different seasons, different coaches and the same feeble failure. A core of senior players have been there for all of this. They talk of culture, but do they really have one at Edinburgh?

Pierre Schoeman, Grant Gilchrist, Jamie Ritchie, Hamish Watson, Darcy Graham, Mark Bennett, Duhan van der Merwe - how many experienced operators do Edinburgh actually need in order to form a culture made of steel and not paper?

How much more punching below their weight are they intending to do before building an environment that stands for something?

Everybody can see Glasgow's style of play, embodied by the power and creativity and wonderful leadership of Sione Tuipulotu, but what do Edinburgh represent? Who are they? What are they trying to do?

What team in its right mind kicks loosely to the Lions in their own backyard? The dogs in the street know that's what the Lions prey on, so they can unleash their devastating counter-attacking game. Enter gullible Edinburgh.

At best, Edinburgh are in a period of stagnation. In 2022-23, they lost six URC games by a score. In 2023-24 they won six by a score. In 2024-25 they've lost two of their three games by a score, as well as that annihilation in South Africa. Running to stand still.

Last season's failing was a chronic inability to secure bonus points. In six different URC different games they finished on three tries. In most of those they had ample time to make it four.

Their opener this season saw them score five tries against Leinster. Hallelujah! But they lost. One step up and two steps back.

Between their three games this season and their last two URC games of last term they have conceded 25 tries in five matches. Last Saturday at half-time, people were laughing at them.

They're a very well-funded squad full of internationals and yet they are weak and failing. Perhaps a change of coach might change that, but it didn’t the last time or the time before that or the time before that. Coaching is a serious issue, but this runs deeper than coaching.

This is a comfort zone. Softness runs through the place. There might be a reaction on Saturday when the Stormers are in town. They might summon enough fury, based on humiliation, to deliver a big performance, but what then? What happens when the anger subsides?

Do they revert to type or was last Saturday's ignominy a turning point? It needs to be, but the hard-bitten cynics would have cause to doubt it.

Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith has welcomed the home 1872 Cup tie with Edinburgh in December moving to Hampden, saying is a chance to "exhibit our game" and allow more fans to attend.

Hear more from Smith & Edinburgh counterpart Sean Everitt on the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Glasgow Warriors captain Kyle Steyn says Sione Tuipulotu is setting the standard for the rest of the squad on and off the pitch.

Tuipulotu delivered a superb player-of-the-match display in last week’s victory over Cardiff which included a scintillating solo try.

The Scotland centre is now being tipped for selection for Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions squad for next summer’s tour to Australia.

“You can just see after Friday night that Sione’s focus is where he wants it to be,” Steyn said on the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast.

“I think the biggest thing is you just see the impact he's having on the wider group at the moment. He's immense for us.

“Everyone's seeing the way he goes about his work during the week and what that's producing on the weekend.

“Boys are chasing to try and get up to that standard. So really chuffed for him and his family, but really chuffed for the Warriors as well.

“Collectively we didn't play as well as we wanted to together against Cardiff, but the moments of individual brilliance were just through the roof. So there's a lot of buzz around those boys, Sione and Kyle Rowe, guys like that.”

Listen and subscribe to the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast

Sandy Smith
Fan writer

Before Saturday, Edinburgh had played Lions three times and on each of those occasions the margin of victory in either direction was no more than six points. That changed at the weekend, but why?

We have been here before. Three times in the last three years.

2022. A convincing win v Dragons, a narrow loss to Bulls. A seemingly upward trajectory derailed by a complete collapse to Stormers.

2023. A handsome win v Zebre, a creditable loss to Munster. Raised expectations then annihilation by Benetton.

2024. A creditable loss to Leinster. A valuable point gained v Bulls. We then had a good chance to get the season on track but were dismantled by the Lions.

Cherry picking? Maybe, but these fruits are pretty rotten. There's a pattern and for this observer it points to some kind of ongoing mental fragility.

So is the bell tolling for Sean Everitt? He doesn't inspire confidence when interviewed. That doesn't make him a bad coach though.

Mike Blair could tell a great story. Richard Cockerill was awesome for a quote. The press loved them and they both failed despite their vastly different approach to coaching and their media chops.

Edinburgh didn't arrange these fixtures and even had they been spread across the season we may still have lost all three. It’s not the loss that hurts but the nature of it.

It's the position we are in after Ulster visit in May 2025 that counts. Let's give the quiet man a chance to put things right.

The only way is (just about) up.

Sandy Smith can be found at The Burgh Watch, external

Grant Young
Fan writer

The skill and power in attack was exquisite on Friday night as Glasgow secured their first away win of the season in emphatic fashion in Cardiff.

The likes of Sione Tuipulotu and Kyle Rowe bulldozed through the helpless hosts as Glasgow continued their recent trend of big-scoring visits to the Welsh capital.

The one concern for the coaches will be the feeble efforts in defence.

However, the positives in attack that maybe had been missing through the opening two rounds came with eight tries - some of them try of the season candidates - in the 52-36 victory.

Is it fine to start the whispers of Tuipulotu being a lock-in for the Lions next summer? The centre continues to make club and country tick and his effort on both sides of the ball is incredible. It seems his standards are contagious as he makes whoever is next to him better.

We should also see Tom Jordan earn his first Scotland cap this season when he becomes eligible. The next in a line of tartan Kiwis to pull on the blue of Scotland, but the question is where is his best position?

Glasgow are back at Scotstoun on Friday, with Zebre the visitors. The Italian side have six points from the opening three games, including a morale-boosting home win against Munster.

The Scotstoun crowd will be expectant now after Glasgow's promising start to the season.

George O'Neill
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, Getty Images

Is Everitt's time up?

There is no doubt Edinburgh are underperforming. Missing out on the play-offs last season was a dismal failure for head coach Sean Everitt and his playing group, and there has been nothing in their opening three league games this time around to suggest the tide is turning.

Three defeats and 110 points conceded, the worst defensive record in the United Rugby Championship. Yes, Edinburgh have faced three good sides, but that is not good enough.

Edinburgh's defensive frailties are nothing new. Under Everitt, the leaky defence remains, but there is none of the exciting running rugby we saw in previous campaigns.

Fans are disenchanted, and understandably so. Their neighbours along the M8 won the URC last season with a squad of players - on paper at least - not so different in ability to Edinburgh's.

Soft underbelly brutally exposed

Not all the blame can be apportioned to Everitt though.

It has long been a trait of Edinburgh teams that when the going gets tough, they are nowhere to be found. Tight games tend to be lost, and they regularly ship multiple tries in short periods of the game.

That inability to battle and grind it out was laid bare again in Johannesburg on Saturday, as Lions ran in seven first-half tries. The South African outfit bullied Edinburgh. They smelled blood and killed the game as a contest inside half an hour.

For a team of established internationals, it was embarrassing. Simply not good enough.

Lack of leaders?

At the top level of club rugby, you will inevitably find yourself up against it, but that is when you turn to your leaders to uphold standards and drag a team through tough spells.

Jamie Ritchie was Scotland captain not long ago, Grant Gilchrist has led his country on multiple occasions, and as mentioned above, this is no team of youngsters. And yet, Lions exposed Edinburgh out wide again and again, with no-one on the park able to stem the flow of tries.

Gilchrist and Ben Vellacott are the club's co-captains, but does sharing the role distil its effectiveness somewhat? With one leader, you know where you stand on the pitch; too many cooks spoil the broth, as they say.

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

Image source, Huw Evans Picture Agency

Glasgow are unstoppable when they turn it on...

You don't score eight tries without scintillating attack, but the truth was for long periods, Glasgow struggled to fire a shot at their hosts.

When they did, they almost always scored. They had less possession than Cardiff and far less territory, yet they beat 31 defenders, and had 16 clean breaks.

Sione Tuipulotu was at his wrecking-ball best, to label him a flat-track bully would do a disservice to his superb handling and kicking game, as well as his leadership abilities.

Tom Jordan unlocked the Cardiff defence with deftly-timed offloads, or sometimes with his own sheer pace. Kyle Rowe was another able to conjure up moments of magic from thin air.

Yes, they were uber-clinical and teams won’t always dominate the ball for 80 minutes. But this could have been even further out of sight.

But they looked fallible in defence

Glasgow’s defensive stats made for, at first glance, incredible reading against Ulster and Benetton.

Rory Darge made 39 tackles in the opening round of the URC - only one player has ever made more in recorded URC history (no prizes for guessing who).

They completed 316 tackles as team against Ulster - the second-highest in history again. 57% of those were made within 10 metres of their own line.

The problem with these stats is that they also show just how much defending they have had to do. Now, they only made 161 tackles against Cardiff, and 93% were successful - but they were almost overpowered by the Cardiff momentum.

Tom Jordan is a Scotland player in waiting - but in what position?

Plenty was made pre-match of where Cardiff’s Ben Thomas plays best - 10 or 12? The same question can be asked of Tom Jordan.

The soon-to-be-Scottish-qualified Kiwi is nailed on for a place in Scotland's squad, but where does he best fit?

He is a brilliant playmaker, but can run the hard lines of a 12 and has a fantastic partnership with Sione Tuipulotu.

What do you then do with Huw Jones? Does Jordan’s versatility make him more valuable to come off the bench? We haven’t even mentioned Stafford McDowall yet.

All of the above are questions for both Gregor Townsend and Franco Smith to answer in the coming weeks and months.

After Edinburgh's defeat, Glasgow Warriors' win and another success for Scotland in WXV2, are there any questions you would like to put to Tom English and Andy Burke?

Send them in via this link, external and they will be answered either on this week's Radio Scotland Rugby Podcast or in written form on this very page.

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Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm: "That could have gone either way. Japan were outstanding.

"The physicality they brought was unbelievable, but testament to my team for sticking in and getting the job done. I'm super proud of the girls for sticking at it.

"We're going to have to recover a lot after that. We've got a lot of fix-ups, that wasn't good enough. Hopefully we come out next week and put in a performance to be proud of."

Scotland head coach Bryan Easson: "Disappointing. A good win, but not the standards we set ourselves.

"We can perform better than that, but all credit to the girls - they stuck in and we're alive for next week.

"We've got a brilliant group of players so we can look at the way Australia play. We'll review today and then build up for next week."

We asked for your thoughts after a win for Glasgow against Cardiff, and a defeat for Edinburgh away to Lions in the URC.

Here's what some you had to say:

EDINBURGH

Simon: Yes Sean Everitt will carry most of the blame but we have to start questioning the players as well. We have previous Scotland captains, British and Irish Lions, players with 100s of games for Edinburgh, yet we can't do the basics of passing and catching. Something wrong in the capital city.

Pip: Embarrassing. Shipping 46 points in one half isn't the fault of the coaches. It's the players on the pitch fault. Changing coaches, again, won't be enough for this Edinburgh team. There needs to be a culture change at the club and they need to stop feeling sorry for themselves. Same old story with this squad. Some of the journeymen need to go.

Andrew: Sad to say Edinburgh's evisceration didn't come as a surprise. They have carried on where they left off last season, plodding, predictable, devoid of imagination or adaptability to what the opposition presents. Not looking forward to the Stormers or Cardiff. Can someone introduce the Edinburgh team members to each other. Rugby is a team game!

Stair: Edinburgh must appoint a coach who is capable of setting up a team to play South African opposition. So naive in the first half. Surely ball retention is a priority. Professional players should not be subject to panic attacks and loss of focus. A horrible game to watch.

Andy: Incoherent, disorganised, directionless in attack and a mess in defence. With the players we have, we should be better than this. Over a year of Everitt and I see nothing resembling a game plan or style of play. Changes needed in the coaching setup. A long and painful season ahead.

Geoff: Worst half of rugby I have ever seen Edinburgh play. Their kicking took no heed of the conditions. They were careless and ill disciplined. Something far wrong at the moment. This does not augur well for Scotland! How can internationals play so badly?

Andrew: Not getting easier to remain positive about Edinburgh. Too many players are too comfortable. Successive coaches unable to get them firing. Blair Kinghorn summed it up when he said he was stagnating before moving on. There's something off within the camp that has needed to change for a few years, sticking with the same co-captains doesn't signal change.

Mike: That was a watershed game for Edinburgh. It's simply not working with the coach and players we have. Utterly embarrassing performance. Enough is enough. Everitt needs to consider what's next for Edinburgh Rugby.

GLASGOW

Gareth: A largely second string Glasgow put on a decent showing against an improving Cardiff team. You'd hope Zebre will be a five pointer, but the true test of South Africa will show us where Glasgow are. Still expect a top-four finish for this quite outstanding team.

Dave: Thought the game was dictated by some crazy decisions by the referee leading to a chaotic breakdown. Sione Tuipulotu played really well, the Cardiff stand-off could not stop him and was subbed at half time. His try was ridiculous! Matt Fagerson, Jamie Dobie, Kyle Rowe, Tom Jordan and Johnny Matthews all had great games. Not a game the coaches will enjoy, too many errors.

David: Great game. Very enjoyable to watch, but spoiled by the Cardiff fans cheering Glasgow mistakes. Really impressed by Glasgow's ability to spot gaps in the Cardiff defence to score from deep. The referee was very poor with his interpretation of when the ball was out of the ruck, and the push on Dobie on the try line, a push is penalty.

Rod: A quite extraordinary game. I've never seen the breakdown refereed like that before and suspect I never will again! It confused the Glasgow defence, the commentators and most people watching! Tuipulotu and Jordan were amazing. The Glasgow lineout and scrum were dreadful, and the Glasgow defence coach must be fuming. A very odd game.

Peter: When Jordan came on the scene - the chat in the East Stand at Scotstoun was how poor a kicker he was, he wasn't a good distributor and would not be at Glasgow long. The humble pie tastes good! What a game he had, he is now one of the most impressive and important men in the squad.

Stuart: Warriors did well to end this match as winners. Shocking defence but had resilience to see it through, albeit with the help of Cardiff down to fourteen men. Franco Smith is getting all his squad game time over these first few games and it was a different team this week, so a different dynamic. Game was not helped by an unusual refereeing style.

Ronald: Some of the tries conceded were disappointing but on the other hand some of the attacking play was great. The back row balance wasn't quite right although Jack Dempsey was outstanding. Great performances by Jordan, Tuipulotu and Rowe in the backs.

Tom: Testy second half but it paid off for Smith's men. Have to say I think Jordan was robbed of man of the match, the man was everywhere! Definitely should be in contention for Scotland when he's eligible.

Edinburgh fans, what did you make of your side's crushing URC loss away to Lions?

Do you think Sean Everitt is the right man to lead the club forwards?

Have your say on the performance here, external.