Scottish Rugby

Scotland kicked off their WXV2 title defence with a 19-0 win over Italy in Cape Town.

What did you make of their performance? Who impressed you? Send us your thoughts here., external

It wasn't meant to be for Edinburgh in Pretoria as they suffered a 22-16 defeat to Bulls.

Sean Everitt's side were the architects of their own destruction as they failed to capitalise on key moments throughout the game.

What did you make of the contest? How do they come back from this? Let us know your thoughts here, external.

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Edinburgh captain Grant Gilchrist on Premier Sports: "We'll dust ourselves off.

"It feels like a missed opportunity; we're absolutely gutted. We put ourselves in positions to win the game but a lot of moments to look back on. We were five metres from their line and then conceded a 95 metre try.

"We will dust ourselves down and keep striving for what is right for us. It hurts because we put ourselves in a position to win but we weren't quite good enough in the key moments in the last 20 to make it happen."

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Scotland head coach Bryan Easson:

"It was a difficult game. The weather meant we had to exit and look after the game well. Defensively we were solid, so I'm really pleased.

"There's a couple of things out there we'll have a look at. We've got two games left, we'll learn from that and take the little positives.

"We're one from one and that's what we came for today."

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Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm:

"It was a super physical game. Italy really made us work for it, especially in the first half.

"Those conditions probably favoured us a bit. I said to the girls it was a bit like one of the back pitches at Murrayfield.

"We did an outstanding job of managing the game in the second half and keeping Italy pinned in."

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Tom English, chief sports writer BBC Scotland

Glasgow coach Franco Smith is hopeful that Adam Hastings and George Horne will be available for the Cardiff game next Friday after both players failed HIAs in the 42-10 win over Benetton at Scotstoun.

Hastings was the victim of a shoulder charge that led to a red card for Benetton lock Scott Scrafton just before half-time.

Just after the hour-mark, Horne left the game with an injury of his own.

"They failed HIA1, so that is just a normal procedure," said Smith in the aftermath.

"They can still be available towards the end of next week depending on the outcome of the test that needs to be done from now on. So we'll see. They both looked fine to me, but obviously they failed the first test that they had to do.

"It's a pity about the injury (to Hastings) because we would have seen some more (from him) in the second half when things got a little bit loose."

Kyle Steyn, scorer of two tries, is nursing a bruise on his shin and is another player that Smith will be monitoring ahead of round three in Wales.

"We're gonna have to examine that and see what's happened," added Smith. "Hopefully it's nothing serious, but he did score a try still with that leg like it is, so hopefully it's not that serious."

Steyn was awarded man-of-the-match, something Smith was happy about. "He's a wonderful leader in the sense that the players relate to him," said the head coach. "To be rewarded tonight the man of the match, there was a lot of other games where he should have got it, but he didn't get it. So to get it tonight was important."

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Tom English, BBC Scotland chief sports writer

Glasgow took a step up on Friday night against Benetton, says their coach Franco Smith. The Warriors scored six tries and might have had three or four more against a visiting side that had one red card and two yellows over the course of a miserable night.

"We asked for progression this week from last week and we saw that from a technical perspective,” said Smith. "We backed up a good defensive performance from last week with another good defensive performance."

Smith was not happy with the profligate nature of the Glasgow lineout, though. "We missed about six lineouts inside the 22 which is a big work on for us this week. But it's uncommon, it’s something that we can fix."

Glasgow scored early through Kyle Steyn before Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge, Jamie Dobie, Steyn again and Euan Ferrie (the flanker operating on the wing at that point) crossed to wrap up a routine victory and a valuable bonus point.

Benetton's discipline went to pot on the night. At one point they were down to 12 men "I know what's happened there,” said Smith. "They have invested a lot this season. For every international, they've got a very good international player to cover that role and therefore I think they are a little bit desperate to still perform despite the fact that they have got a card down.

"The red card can make a difference, but I still thought we had ascendancy the whole first half. Like last week against Ulster, we had ascendancy in every part of the game. There were moments where we could have taken the game away from them earlier without them being a red card down.

"Our boys applied themselves and they want to make this Warrior Nation proud and they want to hit their straps as soon as they can."

Glasgow fans, what did you make of your side's six-try win over Benetton at Scotstoun?

Who impressed you? Would you like to see any improvements moving forward?

Have your say here, external.

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Glasgow head coach Franco Smith told Premier Sports:

"We never talked much about the loss last week. A lot of the players had their first outing in contact environment so we took a lot of heart from the performance.

"Tonight we asked for progression and in most areas we saw that. It was an important step for us.

"It's the start of the season, little timing errors [at the lineout]. We'll have a look at adjusting, but I'm not disappointed with that. We missed opportunities, but I'm still happy with the general performance.

"This first block before the Autumn Test series is going to be important to find feet. We will take lessons from tonight; I'm happy with the win."

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Scotland's Emma Orr says dealing with the pressure that now comes with being one of the world’s top women’s rugby sides is a "privilege".

Bryan Easson's side open their WXV2 campaign against Italy in South Africa this weekend, before games against Japan and Australia.

Having won the event last year, the Scots – who are now at a record high world ranking of fifth – are strongly fancied to do the same again this time round.

"We are in a fortunate position now that we are the highest-ranked team coming into this," said Orr

"With that there is obviously pressure ,but we want to have that pressure.

"The top teams in the world are going to have pressure and we know that it's a privilege to have that.

"We are in a really good place going into this and I think we are ready to take the challenge head on.’

"It's a massive 14 months coming up for us. We want to keep building, one step at a time, and continuing to win games and build confidence going into the ultimate thing, the World Cup."

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt has made three changes to the side that lost 31-33 to Leinster last Friday for Saturday's URC meeting with Bulls in Pretoria.

Centres Matt Scott and Mark Bennett both come into the starting XV, replacing Mosese Tuipulotu and Matt Currie, who both miss out entirely with hamstring injuries.

The other alteration comes in the forwards, where Magnus Bradbury makes his first start since rejoining the club in the summer. He replaces Ben Muncaster - who has a hip problem - at number eight.

"We've been able to have a consistent line-up after the first game," Everitt said. There are a couple of small injuries, however the players in the side deserve their shots, with Magnus and Matt both putting in good displays last week.

"We know the challenge that awaits us at Loftus. It will be a tough match but we've had a good week and are ready for the fight."

Edinburgh: Goosen, Graham, Bennett, Scott, Van der Merwe, Thompson, Price; Schoeman, Cherry, Hill, Sykes, Gilchrist (c), Ritchie, Watson, Bradbury.

Replacements: Ashman, Venter, Rae, Hodgson, Dodd, Vellacott, Healy, McCann.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Head coach Bryan Easson says Scotland must "thrive on the expectation" surrounding the team after their terrific recent form.

The Scots begin the defence of their WVX2 title against Italy in Cape Town on Saturday.

Ten wins from their past 13 matches has lifted Scotland into the top five of the world rankings for the first time, and Easson said his team want to maintain the momentum they have built.

"The mindset for us is not just about defending the title, the mindset for us is to keep winning," Easson said.

"We have previously talked about performance and how important performance was to move this team forward. We're really happy and really pleased with how we are performing.

"But with having been here last year, being here again this year, and with a World Cup in mind, we've got to really thrive on the pressure, thrive on the expectation that we have on winning a tournament.

"We made it very clear to each other that that's what we're here to do. We're all on the same page and we believe that we're in a good position to win this tournament and that's what we are striving and thriving to do."

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Adam Hastings will start for the first time since returning to Glasgow this summer after being handed the number 10 jersey for Friday's URC match at home to Benetton.

The 27-year-old Scotland stand-off - who has endured an "emotional" few weeks since the death of his aunt earlier this month - came off the bench in the second half of last weekend's agonising 20-19 defeat away to Ulster.

And now he will get the chance to play for Glasgow at Scotstoun for the first time since June 2021 after returning north from Gloucester, where he spent the past three seasons.

Hastings takes over from Tom Jordan, who drops out as one of six changes to the starting XV made by Franco Smith.

Scotland prop and 2021 British and Irish Lions squad member Rory Sutherland is in line for a debut off the bench.

"Friday presents us with an opportunity to build upon the effort shown by the players in our opening URC match of the season," Smith told the Warriors' website.

"We also look forward to seeing Rory make his debut for the club. He has trained well since arriving in the summer and we know he will be eager to make an impact."

George Horne and Scott Cummings return to the matchday squad as substitutes after missing the defeat at Ulster through injury, but fellow Scotland internationals Jack Dempsey and Huw Jones continue to be among the Warriors' absentees.

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Defending champions Scotland have made five changes to their starting XV for Sunday's WXV2 opener with Italy.

In the pack, lock Fiona McIntosh and number eight Evie Gallagher come in while, in the backs, wing Coreen Grant, fly-half Helen Nelson and scrum-half Caity Mattinson start.

Elliann Clarke, Louise McMillan and Lisa Thomson drop to the bench while Jade Konkel and Rhona Lloyd miss out, having featured in the final warm-up match against Fiji.

Meryl Smith moves from fly-half to inside centre.

Bryan Easson's side won that match 59-15 and beat Wales 40-14 in the previous game.

Last year, the Scots defeated hosts South Africa, the United States and Japan to take the title.

This year in Cape Town, Scotland will also face Japan (5 October) and Australia (12 October).

Scotland: Chloe Rollie, Coreen Grant, Emma Orr, Meryl Smith, Francesca McGhie, Helen Nelson, Caity Mattinson; Anne Young, Lana Skeldon, Christine Belisle, Fiona McIntosh, Sara Bonar, Rachel Malcolm (captain), Rachel McLachlan, Evie Gallagher.

Replacements: Elis Martin, Lisa Cockburn, Elliann Clarke, Louise McMillan, Alex Stewart, Leia Brebner-Holden, Lisa Thomson, Lucia Scott.

With the URC back under way, BBC Sport Scotland's Andy Burke is here to answer more of your questions.

Alan asked: Do you think Glasgow should look at this loss to Ulster as a reality check at the start of the season, or do you think we still have a lot of players to come back in?

Andy answered: ‘Reality check’ would suggest Glasgow have become carried away with last season’s success, which I simply do not believe to be the case.

You will struggle to find a coach more grounded in reality than Franco Smith, who – as he told us on last week’s Scotland Rugby Podcast – has no interest in looking back and parked the URC title win pretty quickly in order to look ahead to the next challenge.

The Ulster defeat was frustrating but there was a lot to like in the Glasgow performance, and with big guns like Jack Dempsey, George Horne and Huw Jones still to come back into the fold, I expect Warriors to come good, starting this Friday night against Benetton at Scotstoun.

Sulei-Ethan asked: Is Franco Smith’s plan to make Adam Hastings a utility back?

Andy answered: Hastings has been signed primarily as a 10, but I would not be surprised to see him deployed at full-back from time to time.

He has played 15 for club and country and performed well. His kicking game and attacking threat with ball in hand means he has something to offer in the deeper position and he can also step into first receiver to give Warriors another distributor in open play.

Smith likes his back-line players to be adaptable. Jamie Dobie can play scrum-half and wing, Tom Jordan can play 10 and 12, Sione Tuipulotu and Stafford McDowall can slot comfortably into either centre jersey, and Kyle Steyn is an able 13 when required to shift from his normal position on the wing.

Hastings will want to be in that chief playmaker position at fly-half and no doubt both he and Jordan will battle hard for that jersey, but his flexibility could prove useful throughout the season.

Willie asked: With Edinburgh's attack looking better, do you think a change of defence tactics (or coach) would help Edinburgh? They look so competent sometimes, yet have the regular ability to shoot themselves on the foot. Ali Price's dodgy box kick vs Leinster comes to mind.

Andy answered: Edinburgh conceded 397 points across the 18 regular season games in the URC last season. Only four teams – Leinster, Munster, Glasgow and Stormers – boasted a better defensive record.

That would suggest the foundations of a solid defence are there, but Edinburgh’s problem has been conceding in short bursts. Three tries in 10 minutes against Leinster was ultimately their undoing on Friday night.

As we’ve seen over the years with the national team, focusing on one area, be it attack or defence, can lead to the other side of the game dropping off.

Scotland around 2018-19 were playing dazzling attacking rugby and running in the tries, but their defence was soft. After the World Cup in Japan they became a tough defensive side only for the attack to start to misfiring.

Sean Everitt needs to find that balance of getting his talented attackers into the game while having the basis of a mean defence that is tough to breach. They will need all that against the Bulls this weekend.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Anne Young has described the next three weeks as "massive" for Scotland as they aim to defend their WXV 2 title in South Africa.

The Scots open their campaign against Italy this weekend before games against Japan and Australia.

Now ranked fifth in the world, the Scots are taking some impressive momentum into the event.

And the Loughborough Lightning prop knows the importance of maintaining that.

"It is a massive three weeks for us, obviously we are defending our title from last year and our mindset as a squad is that we are out here to win it," Young said.

"We are going to do everything we can to win, that is what our prep has been about, that is what our chat has been about... we are going into the tournament with that mindset.

"We are looking at a 12-month programme, looking to the World Cup next year, so momentum is really important for us to keep building confidence.

"This squad has still got so much potential and we can take it to the next level."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

When you think of the great Scottish rugby captains, your mind may automatically wander to David Sole, who led the iconic 1990 Grand Slam side, to Finlay Calder or Gavin Hastings, who captained their nation and the Lions, or maybe to Greig Laidlaw, who skippered Scotland more times than any other man.

When she decides to hang up the boots, hopefully years from now, we may well put Rachel Malcolm in the same bracket.

The back-row should earn her 50th cap in the WXV2 opener against Italy in Cape Town on Saturday, a landmark moment for a player who has been at the forefront of a transformative period for the women’s game in Scotland.

Malcolm made her international debut in 2016 against Spain. In those days Scotland struggled to attract any meaningful support, both in terms of fans and financial assistance from the SRU.

Those involved at that time have spoken about Test matches during that period, of playing in front of a couple of hundred fans - mostly friends and families - and their games being used as warm-up acts for the men’s national under-20s team.

At that time it would have seemed impossible to predict with any confidence that Scotland would perform in front of a sell-out crowd, as they did against England at the Hive in this year’s Six Nations.

Or what about Scotland breaking into the top five of the world rankings? After 10 wins in their last 13 Tests, there they are.

It’s been a long and tough road to get the team to where they are now and Malcolm has been central to it all.

She spoke recently about feeling under-prepared for international rugby when she arrived on the scene, but she has developed into a player and leader of considerable substance.

Commanding respect is a prerequisite for any successful captain, and you only have to read and listen to how Malcolm’s team-mates speak about their leader to understand just how highly regarded she is in the dressing room.

With a PhD in environmental physiology, a sports and exercise science bachelor’s degree and a masters degree in exercise physiology, it’s no surprise Malcolm comes across as incredibly intelligent, but it’s the emotional intelligence she has displayed in the tough times that has perhaps been even more impressive.

Bryan Easson’s side endured a horrible run of narrow defeats - including heartbreakers at the hands of Wales and Australia at the last World Cup - and the sense of frustration around the national team, outside the team bubble at least, was palpable.

And yet through that period, Malcolm remained steadfast in her belief that this team would come good, that progress had been made and that progress would soon be underlined with positive results.

The WXV2 title win last year was evidence of that, now the team returns to South Africa looking to go back-to-back.

With the recent good form and a real sense of momentum behind Scotland at the moment, you wouldn’t bet against Malcolm and her team-mates lifting the trophy once again.

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Scotland women's assistant coach Matt Banahan says "there is no reason" why they can't be among the world's top three sides in years to come.

Over the last 18 months, they have climbed from just outside the top 10 to their current all-time high position of fifth in the global standings.

And they are looking to continue that momentum when they open their WXV2 campaign against Italy in South Africa this weekend.

"I think mentality in sport is when you get momentum, you have got to keep going and moving with it," Banahan said.

"In my own opinion if we are happy with that fifth place everybody else behind us will then catch us up.

"If we can keep trying to propel ourselves forward and get closer to fourth we could also create a gap behind us.

"There is no reason in the future, in three, four, five years time why we couldn’t be third or second in the world pushing the top teams, but we have to start now."

Former Bath and England winger Banahan was appointed attack coach in August last year.

He says the most important bit of advice he has given the squad since he came in is not to apologise.

"I don’t want to hear them saying sorry," Banahan added.

"I back them with everything I have, if they believe something is on they do it, and then we will learn from what happens next.

"So the word sorry was banned and I still remind them it is not allowed to be said because we don't go out on to the pitch to make mistakes on purpose, we go out there trying things."