Scottish Rugby

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Glasgow Warriors and Scotland centre Sione Tuipulotu will be sidelined for up to three months, club head coach Franco Smith has confirmed.

The 27-year-old picked up a knee injury during the national team's weekend victory over England.

"Sione’s injury is not as bad as first feared," Smith said. "He’s going to be out 10-12 weeks, maybe even quicker, but we are conservative with it. No operation is needed, which is important."

Jamie Dobie returns to his more recognised scrum-half role days after signing a contract extension as Warriors visit Benetton in the United Rugby Championship on Saturday, but Smith praised the player's "versatility".

"We want to have the best players on the field and if you have a different skill set then why would someone miss out if they can offer something to the team just because they are doubling up in the same role," the head coach added.

"I think in the current way our squad is set up and obviously the depth in our squad, it’s important for us to think out of the box sometimes and allow our players to express themselves and contribute even in a different role."

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GB Sevens star Rhona Lloyd and Aila Ronald will make their first starts for Edinburgh women in Sunday's final Celtic Challenge fixture against Clovers at Parc y Scarlets.

Lloyd, who joins Nicole Marlow and Cieron Bell in the back three, is one of six changes in Claire Cruikshank's side from the draw with Wolfhounds two weeks ago.

It is a new-look front row as Poppy Fletcher and Molly Poolman come into the XV alongside hooker Ronald.

Leia Brebner-Holden is also handed a start, joining skipper Sarah Denholm in the half-backs.

Adelle Ferrie packs down alongside Natasha Logan, the duo started in the side's first fixture against the Clovers.

With Wolfhounds having secured the title last weekend, Edinburgh are guaranteed to finish second.

Head coach Cruikshank said: “We’d have obviously preferred to be coming into this game playing for the title, however we’re still incredibly proud of the progress this team has made.

“It should be another tough match against the Clovers, and we’re excited to try and end the tournament on a high.”

Edinburgh: Marlow, Lloyd, Flynn, McNamara, Bell, Denholm (C), Brebner-Holden; Fletcher, Ronald, Poolman, Ferrie, Logan, Gunderson, Stewart (VC), F Walker

Replacements: Haynes, Wilson, Lindsay, Kidd, Taganekurukuru, Turner, Ramsay, H Walker

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Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith has made two changes to his starting XV for Saturday's United Rugby Championship game at Benetton.

Sebastian Cancelliere returns from a neck injury to start on the wing alongside Facundo Cordero and Josh McKay at full-back.

Cancelliere's inclusion sees Jamie Dobie move to his original position of scrum-half, with Ben Afshar dropping to the bench.

In the pack Nathan McBeth starts in place of Jamie Bhatti, who is not in the matchday squad.

Glasgow: McKay, Cancelliere, McDowall (C), Jordan, Cordero, Thompson, Dobie; McBeth, Matthews, Sordoni, Williamson, Samuel, Ferrie, Gordon, Venter.

Replacements: Hiddleston, Dell, Kebble, Manjezi, Miller, Fraser, Afshar, Weir

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World Rugby’s Lindsay Starling has backed the use of new smart mouthguards, following Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend's reservations about the technology used in them.

Speaking out following Scotland's victory over England in the Calcutta Cup, Townsend expressed his disappointment over Zander Fagerson being withdrawn for an HIA before later returning to the action. It followed George Turner being removed from play in the game against France.

“I think we have to really watch what we are doing here by trusting technology that has not been proven,” Townsend said. “There is a bit more work to do before this technology is correct.”

Starling, World Rugby’s science and medical manager, told the PA news agency that the mouthguard technology has removed seven players in the Six Nations so far.

The device tracks the frequency and amount of head acceleration events that players encounter while playing a game, with this year's Six Nations the first elite men's competition to use the mouthguard technology.

It is designed to help with identifying a need for head injury assessments and provide in-game alerts to medical teams.

Starling, who leads on the mouthguard project for World Rugby, said that in nine games played so far, the seven players removed had endured the largest impacts in a total of 9,500 head accelerations.

“That is to put it into perspective regarding how rare and small these numbers are in terms of the players coming off,” she said.

“For a player to be removed, it means they have sustained a really big knock.

“We are confident in the data that comes from the mouthguards and confident in the technology. We wouldn’t be introducing this on such a large scale if we weren’t confident in the data that is coming from them.

“From research we’ve done over the last few years, we have essentially identified a threshold whereby any impact that is occurring to a player above that threshold, it is very likely that the player displays signs of clinical concussion."

Eve McTiernan
BBC Sport Scotland

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt is pleased to call upon a "wealth of experience" to take on Welsh side Ospreys in the URC on Friday, and singled out Sam Skinner for praise.

Everitt has welcomed the likes of Skinner, Ali Price, Ben Healy, Hamish Watson and Harry Paterson back into the fold from international duty.

“Sam adds a wealth of experience to our group," Everitt said. "We’re always on hand to support the national team, and it’s good that Sam gets game time, especially if he’s needed in the next couple of games in the Six Nations.

"But he’s a valuable member of our group, He has extended his contract here with us. We’re just happy to have his experience on Friday night against a team that’s performing well."

Centre Mark Bennett is set to make his 100th club appearance on Friday evening and Everitt believes it is great for fellow midfielder Matt Currie to learn from someone of his experience.

“Matt and [Mark] played really well together - unfortunately Benzo got injured against Gloucester and struggled with that. But he is back now. He had played really well up until then.

“Matt has been our stalwart in midfield although he’s young. He’s kept his position every time he’s been available for selection. It’s great that Matt can play next to a guy like Mark Bennett, who is playing his 100th game.

"Matt is a keen learner, and players get better when they’re playing against senior people, and obviously they learn a lot from the players that they’re playing with."

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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Glasgow scrum-half Jamie Dobie has celebrated his return to full fitness by signing a new "long-term" contract at Scotstoun.

The scrum-half was poised for a starting role with the Warriors following the departure of fellow scrum-half Ali Price to Edinburgh, but picked up a nasty injury just days later and admitted it's been a "rollercoaster" few months.

"It's been a tough few months," he said. "t's the longest injury I've had and it was a frustrating time to get injured, just as there was hopefully more opportunities coming my way," Dobie said.

"I missed that a lot in the three months. There was a lot of big games and standing or sitting in the stands watching them or watching them on TV is not always easy."

Now Dobie will have more time to impress, in which he aims to lead the newest generation of Warriors.

At 22, he's still young in the dressing room but has already made over 50 appearances for Glasgow.

"We have got a great group of young guys, which I can still, I think, put myself in. We're all great mates off the field, we spend a lot of time together. It's nice to see a lot more of them playing a big part in the squad and on the pitch.

"We've got that great blend of young guys coming through, and something Franco's really driven is that whole squad and everyone's playing their part throughout a season. That's what you need as a strong squad to really compete at the back end of a season, and that's something we've really developed."

One player who has developed a lot this season is fellow Glasgow scrum-half Ben Afshar, who went to school with Dobie in Edinburgh.

"I spent a lot of time chatting with Ben and obviously working with him on the pitch and chatting off the pitch. It's been awesome to see him step up and look so comfortable out there. It certainly didn't look like he'd never played for Glasgow before.

"He's great to work with, we get on really well. The group of scrum halves that we've got is great. I've got boys who I can lean on and we can test each other and help each other."

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Head coach Sean Everitt has made four changes to the Edinburgh XV for their URC clash against Ospreys on Friday.

Everitt will be hoping the changes produce an improved performance from their narrow victory away to Zebre Parma last time out.

Mark Bennett comes into the starting XV in place of James Lang, and will make his 100th appearance for the capital side.

Ben Vellacott captains the side from scrum-half ahead of Ali Price, who starts on the bench, while Ben Healy is tasked with pulling the strings from fly-half.

Sam Skinner returns from Scotland duty to start in the second row ahead of Marshall Sykes, and Tom Dodd also comes into the side, preferred to Glen Young.

Everitt has named an unchanged back three, which sees Emiliano Boffelli continue at full-back with Chris Dean and Harry Paterson on the wings.

Edinburgh: Boffelli, Paterson, Bennett, Currie, Dean, Healy, Vellacott; Venter, Cherry, Nel, Skinner, Young, Dodd, Watson, Mata

Replacements: Harrison, de Bruin, Sebastian, Sykes, Muncaster, Price, Lang, Goosen.

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Scotland star Huw Jones has signed a new two-year contract with Glasgow Warriors, committing his future to the Scotstoun club.

Rumours had linked the 30-year-old with a move to Top 14 side Montpellier, with Bayonne - who Jones almost signed for in 2021 - also said to be interested.

The centre, who has 46 caps for Scotland, has been a key player for Gregor Townsend in the last couple of years, and has started all three of Scotland's 2024 Six Nations fixtures.

Jones initially joined Glasgow in 2017 from South African side Stormers and made 49 appearances in his first spell, before rejoining in 2022 after a year at Premiership side Harlequins.

Speaking to the Glasgow Warriors website, Jones said: “When it came down to it, it was a really easy decision to be honest.

“We’ve got a really good thing going here in Glasgow, and we fully believe that we’re on our way to becoming one of the top teams in Europe. That’s an environment that I really want to be a part of going forward.

“I love all of the boys here and I love working with the coaching group. Since Franco came in, he’s helped to drive standards and improve us across the board, and he’s helped to create a brilliant culture at this club. I really enjoy being here and coming in to work every day.”

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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When Bryan Easson's extended Scotland squad was announced for the Six Nations, fans of the Celtic Challenge Cup might have been surprised to see Briar McNamara's name not mentioned.

The reason why was a simple one. She doesn't qualify. Yet.

The New Zealander moved to London in 2018 before heading north a year later. She has since played for the Watsonian's in the Premiership before excelling for Edinburgh.

"It's definitely been a team effort in the competition," the modest 27-year-old said. "Personally, it's great to be a part of Edinburgh.

"Considering we've never had an Edinburgh team in this competition before, it's been great. I'd love to, and be honoured to, play for Scotland, but we'll see how things go."

The centre, who also played football for New Zealand at under-20 level, currently combines playing with a full-time career as a police officer.

"It's been difficult at times, coming off night shifts and things like that, but work have been really good with time off at the weekends to get to play, so that's been a bonus for me," she said.

Even more incredible is the fact she did not start playing with the oval-shaped ball until she was in her late teens. That was down to her sporty family, who have kept supporting her from overseas.

"I grew up watching rugby," she explained. "My brother played and my cousins played. When there was an opportunity to get involved, I took it. I was going both [rugby and football] at the same time, but I decided late on that 'actually, rugby is what I find more enjoyable than football'.

"My grandma absolutely loves it. She gets up every morning for the game, sometimes at 2am or something silly like that. The rest of the family just waits until they get up and watch the replay."

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Scotland will face Canada in Ottawa on 6 July at the start of their summer tour, Rugby Canada has announced.

The match at TD Place is expected to be followed by matches against United States and in South America.

Canada and Scotland will be contesting the Douglas Horn Cup, which the visitors have held since their last meeting in Edmonton in 2018, when they won 48-10.

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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Facundo Cordero is just glad to be back playing after an injury-ravaged spell at Glasgow Warriors so far.

The Argentine winger made a try-scoring debut against Dragons earlier this month, despite signing for the Warriors 11 months ago.

"I was injured at the beginning of the season and at the end of last season," Cordero revealed. "I came here as a medical joker and I got injured on my second day. It was bad. Just injury, stress injury, injury. It was a long time, but I don't think about my injuries anymore."

Reflecting on the 40-7 win in which he made his debut, Cordero admitted he's never been more nervous to take to a rugby field.

"It was the game that I was the most nervous for in my life. I made my debut with Pumas against Ireland, and I was not that nervous because I was playing a lot with Exeter, so I was confident of myself. Here I arrived and it was a while that I hadn't played, so I was very nervous, but hey - we got a win."

The Argentina international is now in contention to face Benetton this weekend, and might come up against some familiar faces.

"I know lots of 'Argies' in there. They are very good players. Some of them are Pumas, some of them should be Pumas. Tomas Albornoz, he's a great character.

"He's the 10 that I literally grew up playing with in different teams and he's an unbelievable player. Hopefully I play, so I can intercept some of his passes or put some tackles in on Kiki [Ignacio] Mendy - he's a good mate of mine as well."

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Mark Bennett will become Edinburgh's latest centurion on Friday night when Edinburgh host Ospreys at the Hive Stadium, as they get back to URC action.

The 31-year-old Scotland international joined from rivals Glasgow Warriors in 2017 and has since become a regular in Edinburgh colours.

"I'm absolutely delighted to become a centurion at the club," Bennett said. "It's been seven years I've been here now, and I've really made it my home. I'm just looking forward to getting out there at the weekend and getting stuck in with it.

"It was a funny one when I realised I'd played more games over in east than I had the west. I grew up on the west coast, but I've played some of my best rugby here, and got myself back into the Scotland setup."

Bennett has seen Edinburgh's circumstances fluctuate in his time in the capital, and has seen a big improvement since Sean Everitt's arrival.

"We're a really difficult team to beat," Bennett said. "Our defence has been really good this season. We've really stepped up there from last season. Attack-wise, we're a bit more aggressive. We're a physical side.

"We just need to take a few more of our chances. We're creating line breaks, we are creating these opportunities, we're just maybe not quite being as clinical as we could be. Once that clicks I think we're going to be a force to be reckoned with."

Bennett also singled teammate Matt Currie out for praise, adding: "Matt's a quality operator. He's a big man. He does the physical stuff really well and he's a really hard worker. His engine is impressive.

"In the last six months you've just seen him grow in confidence and he's just going to keep getting better and better, and it has really been a fight for my spot."

Scotland cap Fraser Brown believes smart mouthguards "should not have been thrown into the Six Nations".

The new technology has been used in the first three rounds of the championship as a measure to protect players from head injuries.

But Brown, 34, told the BBC Scotland Rugby podcast: "These things are massive in your mouth. They're really, really bulky.

"There are teething problems, they should be teething problems that have been eliminated before you get to the highest level of competition of the sport.

"It should not have been thrown into the Six Nations."

Brown says the guards could have been "allowed a longer testing period" in the United Rugby Championship.

And he added: "I don't think it should be forced on players. There's nothing in the game that's forced on players.

"Educate the players, they're fully aware of the risks. Explain the risk. Give them the choice. If they don't want it then they don't want it."

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Tom English and Andy Burke chat to Glasgow and Scotland hooker Fraser Brown in the aftermath of a fourth Calcutta Cup victory and look ahead to the next Six Nations match in Rome.

• Listen to the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast here.

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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Edinburgh Women's head coach Claire Cruikshank wants to "finish the tournament on a high", despite Irish side Wolfhounds being crowned champions last weekend.

Edinburgh's second-placed finish is already sealed, so they're trip to Parc Y Scarlets to face the Clovers is effectively a dead rubber, although that won't impact Cruikshank's team selection.

"We've been consistent throughout the programme and what we want to do is finish the the programme on a high," Cruikshank said.

"We want to give opportunities to players to showcase what they can do again. We'll be looking at our team selection as we have done every week. We'll look at the best combinations that are available."

It could have been very different had Edinburgh held onto a 14-point lead against Wolfhounds with just five minutes to go, but the capital side somehow threw it away.

"It's a tough one," Cruikshank admitted. "On reflection, we've looked at the things we could have done differently and we're looking to learn from it.

"But it's five minutes of a tournament which has been overall really successful for us, so we don't want to dwell on it too much."

Once again, Scotland have called up players who have excelled in this tournament with four Edinburgh players named in the wider Six Nations squad - Alex Stewart, Merryn Gunderson, Cieron Bell and Nicole Flynn.

"It's what they deserve," Cruikshank said. "Those young players coming through for the first time, they've been real standouts for us at Edinburgh. They've also been standouts within their local environments, whether in Scottish Premiership or in the BUCS Women's National League. It's rightly and richly deserved by them.

"We've played a very small part in their journey, we're a 12-week programme. Hopefully, we give them a platform to showcase what they can do at that higher level. We're proud of them and we look forward to seeing what they can do in a Scotland shirt in the near future."

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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Glasgow assistant coach Nigel Carolan believes the Warriors are treating their trip to Benetton as a "semi-final", as they aim to get the most out of their matches around the Six Nations.

Despite missing so many players for the match against Dragons two weeks ago, Glasgow's young team stepped up to hand out a 40-7 thrashing and move second in the URC table.

"We've even been talking about these three games - Dragons, Benetton and Cardiff - as like a quarter-final, a semi-final, and a final," Carolan said.

"We're looking at this as a semi-final game. Add the fact it's on the road and we're playing without some of our international players.

"[A win] would be a massive statement to those guys - the international guys and those that are injured - that we're building depth and we can compete, no matter what squad that we put out."

Carolan also admitted he "relishes" international windows, as he views them as a chance to blood some youth into the Warriors first team.

"As you saw against Dragons, it gives an opportunity to those that next tier of player. That's exposure that you wouldn't get any other time of the year. I do relish this time of the year, I relish the challenge of getting those guys together, building that cohesion so that they can perform."

"It's not just about winning, it's just about performing. Scottish rugby needs to be able to build depth behind the national team and in every position, try and create three and four competitors."

On rumours linking Huw Jones with a move to France, Carolan said Glasgow are optimistic that the centre's future is at Scotstoun.

"It was news to me. Negotiations are going well with Huw. Huw’s very happy here. He's playing brilliant rugby, not only for Glasgow, but for Scotland as well.

"I think everything was going positively and I think last night, that was thrown up on the rumour mill and it's news to all of us. We’ll continue our negotiations and making sure that Huw is as happy as possible to stay in Scotland."

Sandy Smith
Edinburgh Rugby fan columnist

Will Scotland's historic Calcutta Cup victory have any bearing on the mental approach to Edinburgh's game against Ospreys on Friday?

Will it make a difference to the players if they had some actual part in that clash with the Auld Enemy, or if they were sitting in the stand as part of the wider squad?

What, if any, effect will it have on those who aren’t in the Scotland squad at all but have aspirations in that area?

You would hope, regardless of involvement, that good feeling would transfer over to preparation for a return to URC action, but I imagine it’s always going to be easier to assess someone's physical fitness as opposed to their mental preparedness.

It can even be hard for supporters to switch their focus to the pro club game during the Six Nations, and sometimes that is reflected in attendance. Besides, it can be an expensive time if you want to be there to support Scotland in the flesh.

This could be a pivotal game for Edinburgh, though. With the teams around us playing each other, there is a decent chance of making some progress up the ladder.

Yet, Ospreys - on the back of a last-second victory over Ulster - will fancy making a climb themselves, as they are only a point behind us.

Ulster and Munster are also nipping at our heels and they have home matches against Dragons and Zebre respectively this weekend so you’d have to predict home wins.

Therefore, it’s jeopardy and opportunity in equal measure. Hopefully that will focus the mind, while the memory of Scotland's win will push us towards the latter.

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After making his first Six Nations appearance during Scotland's win over England on Saturday - three minutes off the bench as a blood sub - Scotland and Edinburgh fly-half Ben Healy spoke to BBC Scotland. This is what he had to say:

On game time: "I'd obviously have liked more game time, but sometimes in sport you just have to be a bit patient at times. Selection is out of my control, so I'll do whatever I can whenever I'm playing. If that's five minutes at the weekend, or another home fixture for us with Edinburgh, I'll do whatever I can to put my hand up.

"I try not to overthink these things. I know the coaching staff have faith in me because I was selected in the squad. Whatever my role will be - whether it's more prepping the team for the week or during the week, or whether I come back here and hopefully I'm playing this weekend - I'll do it to the best of my ability."

On what would constitute success at Edinburgh: "Trophies. Anything short of that wouldn't be success.

"What's needed is belief. Each season is different, so it's going to require something different. When I was with Munster last year, the belief was there, but then also we had to go away and win multiple fixtures away from home.

"I would say we're definitely going to have to believe. Hopefully we make it to the play-offs and further in both competitions. Whatever those challenges present, we'll just have to play it as it comes. But definitely, the overriding thing you need is that belief."

On international windows at club level: "In my experience, whatever team I've played with, when you have internationals coming in and out that is often the most challenging period of the season.

"It's not necessarily the toughest fixtures, but just because getting that cohesiveness can be a challenge at times. We're delighted to come out of [Zebre] with a win, to be honest, given how we performed. We were way below what we set our standard to be. I would say a lot of that comes down to boys jumping in there."

Glasgow Warriors fan Grant Young

Glasgow are sitting in a pretty good spot right now. Second in the URC, and into the next stages of the Champions Cup. There is, however, one big question heading into the final months of the season.

Who do Glasgow play at centre?

During the injury crisis of December and January, Glasgow didn’t have much to worry about and we saw Huw Jones shifted onto the wing, allowing Sione Tuipulotu and Stafford McDowall to play at 12 and 13.

But which combination is best for the Warriors?

It’s a crazy situation to even think about, considering Jones and Tuipulotu are the star pair for Townsend and Scotland, but there is the the massive 6ft4in frame of McDowall to consider.

He's been Mr Consistent this season for Glasgow and is now part of the leadership group, captaining the side on a number of occasions.

Brilliant with the ball in hand, with a superb left foot to help clear any danger, he is someone you would consider a bit of an unsung hero for the Warriors under Franco Smith.

The rumour is he almost left before the South African head coach arrived, but has he done enough to unseat either Huw Jones or Sione Tuipulotu from the starting 15 when all players are available?

Answers on a postcard.

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Scotland star Huw Jones is being linked with a sensational move to Top 14 side Montpellier, according to French rugby paper Midi Olympique, external.

Jones, 30, has excelled since re-joining Glasgow Warriors in 2022 from Harlequins, forming a clinical partnership with Sione Tuipulotu in the centres.

His 2021 move to Quins only came about after a move to Bayonne collapsed when L'Aviron were relegated to Pro D2.

Bayonne, now back in the Top 14, are also allegedly interested in Jones but Montpellier appear to be in pole position for his signature.

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Sean Everitt wants a more clinical Edinburgh performance when they host on-form Ospreys on Friday evening in the URC.

The Welsh side are just a point below Edinburgh in the log, and the head coach wants a much improved performance from the narrow win over Zebre two-weeks ago.

"It was an error-ridden performance, and when we got our opportunities in the first half - I think we had five - we only converted one," Everitt lamented.

"We can put teams to bed, like we did against Scarlets. It's something that we've taken notice of and need to work on.

"Everyone wrote the Welsh teams off at the start of the URC, and they're carrying the flag at the moment and they've done you know incredibly well. It's an energised team, playing with a lot of motivation.

"Their coach [Toby Booth] said it last Sunday - they're a team doesn't know how to go away and we expect nothing less from them this weekend."

A win against their near rivals would boost Edinburgh's play-off chances ahead of a double header in South Africa, and Everitt knows how big a statement a win could be.

"We said in these two games against Zebre and Ospreys we wanted to get to get nine points. Every point counts at this stage in the competition. Often we look at us getting five points, but it's also about denying opposition that are on your tail.

Everitt also confirmed that Mark Bennett would start, making his 100th appearance for the capital club, as well as explaining the club's position on Darcy Graham's latest injury.

"We're not sure at this stage. We're waiting on an opinion from the [doctor]. What's important is that we give Darcy every opportunity to fully recover from the injuries that he's had over the last 12 months.

"He's really struggled. He's a player that's 26 years old, so to keep pushing him is probably not going to be ideal for him and his career, going forward. We'll give him however long it takes to fully recover from all his niggles that he's struggled with."