Scottish Rugby

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt has made five changes to the side that beat Stormers last weekend for Saturday's United Rugby Championship match against Cardiff.

Scotland international Luke Crosbie makes his first start of the season in the back row, replacing Jamie Ritchie.

Props Boan Venter and D'Arcy Rae both come into the side, preferred to Pierre Schoeman and Paul Hill, while lock Marshall Sykes also starts.

Matt Currie is the only new face in the back line, partnering Mosese Tuipulotu in the centres in place of Matt Scott.

"Cardiff's backs have scored the majority of their tries, and they've managed to combine that now with a really strong set-piece and that's become a weapon of theirs," Everitt said.

"In all aspects of the game, we need to be really sharp on Saturday to be able to get the win."

Edinburgh XV to face Cardiff: Goosen, Graham, Currie, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe, Thompson, Price; Venter, Harrison, Rae, Sykes, Gilchrist, Crosbie, Muncaster, Bradbury.

Replacememts: Ashman, Shoeman, Hill, Hodgson, Watson, Vellacott, C. Scott, M. Scott.

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Sebastian Cancelliere will make his return from injury when Glasgow Warriors take on Sharks in Durban in the United Rugby Championship on Saturday.

The Argentina international is one of eight changes made by head coach Franco Smith to the side that beat Zebre last time out.

Nathan McBeth and Gregor Hiddleston come into the front row, while lock Max Williamson replaces Gregor Brown.

Matt Fagerson comes into the back row to join fellow Scotland caps Rory Darge and Jack Dempsey.

In the backs, Tom Jordan is preferred to Adam Hastings at fly-half, Sione Tuipulotu returns to captain the side, and Josh McKay joins Cancelliere and Kyle Rowe in the back three.

"To play a Sharks side containing 12 Springboks coming off a Rugby Championship win is a daunting task, and one that will be a big opportunity for us to measure ourselves against," Smith said.

"The levels of experience in the Sharks squad are near-unmatched in the URC and is a hallmark of the quality they have available.

"It's a chance to test ourselves against the world’s best at one of the toughest venues in the competition."

Glasgow XV to play Sharks: McKay, Cancelliere, McDowall, Tuipulotu, Rowe, Jordan, Horne; McBeth, Hiddleston, Z. Fagerson, Williamson, Cummings, M. Fagerson, Darge, Dempsey.

Replacements: Matthews, Sutherland, Talakai, Samuel, Brown, Venter, Dobie, Hastings.

Scotland have been drawn in Pool B for next summer's Rugby World Cup in England, alongside Canada, Wales and Fiji.

What do you make of the draw? Are you confident about Scotland's chances in the tournament?

Have your say here, external.

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

George asked: How important is it for Edinburgh to back up their win last week with a win against Cardiff? And should Glasgow be disappointed if they do not get a win on the South Africa tour?

Tom answered: It’s vital Edinburgh win not just at home to Cardiff, but away to Ospreys the following weekend. Three on the bounce would repair the damage of the horror show at Ellis Park and give them momentum. Cardiff are a dangerous team. They’ve lost the last two, though. Edinburgh should be winning this one.

Glasgow are up against the Sharks this weekend. I keep looking to see when the Sharks are going to unleash more of their big guns and I suspect we might see one or two familiar characters in their line-up this weekend.

Their squad is full of World Cup winners and it's world class, so once they start coming into the team then they’re going to be very, very hard to beat in South Africa.

I'd imagine a win and a competitive loss would be a really pleasing return for Glasgow in the two games.

David asked: I cannot get over the way Duhan van der Merwe is so woefully underused by Edinburgh. Why is he not being used more effectively? Is it him or the coaches?

Tom answered: Edinburgh have a new midfield and they’re trying - and so far failing - to get it wide. There is a massive onus on Van der Merwe to work harder to get himself involved, though. The best wings in the world go looking for ball, they don’t just stand about waiting for it to come to them.

He excites me and frustrates me almost in equal measure. There are times in games when it looks like he couldn’t be bothered and then the ball will go wide and he’s battering people out of his way.

He needs to work a lot harder to be more influential.

Greg asked: Are Edinburgh’s centre pairing a step up from last year? I'm not convinced.

Tom answered: Matt Scott and Mosese Tuipulotu have only played two games alongside each other, so I’m minded to reserve judgment for a while yet. I think they definitely have the potential to be a lot better than last season’s combinations, but let’s wait and see.

Edinburgh were never going to play expansive rugby against the Stormers. That was always going to be an attritional, forwards-driven response to their horseing the previous week.

I’m hopeful the midfield will spark soonish. But I couldn’t predict what Edinburgh are going to do. They’re infuriating.

Andrew asked: How would you make a winnable pool for Scotland in Thursday's Women's World Cup draw? What's the potential easiest and hardest options?

Tom answered: Scotland have dropped to seventh in the world rankings from fifth. They’ll be in pot two with Australia, Ireland and Italy.

The easiest draw would be France (ranked fourth), probably South Africa (ranked 12th) and Brazil (ranked 42nd).

The hardest would be host nation England (world number one and red-hot favourites to win the title), USA (the best side in pot three) and Spain, who just won WXV3.

John asked: Should the WXV have promotion and relegation? And would the men's game benefit from this set-up too?

Tom answered: There’s already an element of promotion and relegation in WXV. Samoa finished bottom of WXV2 in 2023 and were in WXV3 this year.

From 2026 the bottom team in WXV1 will be replaced by the champions of WXV2, which will give Scotland a shot at the bigger teams, if they’re good enough to win the second tier.

I don’t think promotion and relegation would work in the Six Nations. The relegated nation would fall into a financial abyss without Six Nations money. Nobody will - or should - vote for that, in my opinion.

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

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As Gregor Townsend nails down his squad for the four autumn Tests - the announcement will be next midweek - there is an area of concern that might be keeping the Scotland coach awake at night.

Who is the country’s most indispensable player? It’s possibly a dead-heat between Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu and Zander Fagerson.

I’d argue that Fagerson shades it. Why? Because when you swing open the cupboard with the number three on it, there’s a whole lot of empty space in there.

At least Townsend has Adam Hastings and Tom Jordan (plus Ross Thompson and Ben Healy) as back-up at 10, plus he’s got Stafford McDowall, Cam Redpath and Rory Hutchinson as potential replacements for Tuipulotu at 12 if he needs one, which he’ll hope like hell he doesn’t because Tuipolutu is an insanely good rugby player.

It would take a whole lot of cotton wool to wrap up big Zander, but it might be worth the effort given the lack of options should anything happen to him.

Fagerson is a remarkable operator. In his scrummaging, his power, his ball-carrying and his relentless nature, he’s a Lion-in-waiting.

In the quarter-final, semi-final and final of the URC last season, Fagerson played the full 80 every time. Three supercharged 80s, three weekends on the trot. That’s pretty special.

This season, Glasgow have had three players sharing tighthead duties - Fagerson, the Australian Sam Talakai and the Namibian-Englishman Patrick Schickerling. They’re the tightheads getting game-time.

Edinburgh, in the post WP Nel age, have had Paul Hill, the six-cap England player, and D’Arcy Rae. Hill has stated all four URC games, Rae has come off the bench in all four. The Scot won his Test cap coming up for six years ago. Rae has started one game of club rugby since March 2023.

Elliot Millar-Mills, who was on the bench during the last Six Nations, has played 40 minutes of rugby for Northampton this season so far. Will Hurd of Leicester has played 49 minutes.

Edinburgh’s Javan Sebastian and Angus Williams and Glasgow’s Murphy Walker and Fin Richardson haven’t played any minutes.

Who else? Murray McCallum is coming off the bench for the long-suffering Newcastle. McCallum has lost 20 of his last 21 games for his club.

Oli Kebble - we’re getting a bit crazy here, I know - can play both sides of the scrum. He’s playing loosehead with Oyonnax in the second tier in France now. Not exactly a standout prospect.

This would be a pretty good time for Townsend to unearth another tighthead from somewhere, anywhere. An 18st rabbit being pulled out of a hat would be quite the sight.

Scotland play Fiji first in the autumn and it’s outside the international window, so Millar-Mills won’t be available. Fagerson will have to start that one. He might well have to finish that one, too.

Then it’s the Springboks - and he’s definitely starting that one. After that it’s Portugal. He’ll get a respite that day, possibly. Then it’s the Wallabies. Scrum on down again, big man.

Fagerson is worth his considerable weight in gold to Glasgow and Scotland. Quite how one of the major French clubs with money to burn haven’t made a decisive play for him is bizarre, but it’s a blessing for Townsend to still have him in the country.

Russell and Tuipulotu are extremely important. Fagerson is utterly essential.

Head coach Bryan Easson joins Andy Burke and Tom English on this week's podcast to dissect Scotland's WXV2 disappointment.

Easson believes that although the Scots failed to retain their title, they still met the aims of their campaign ahead of the upcoming World Cup draw.

Tom and Andy also review last weekend's URC wins for Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Click here to listen to the latest episode and remember to subscribe to the BBC's Scotland Rugby Podcast.

Grant Young
Fan writer

Comfortable Glasgow eased to the most straight forward win of the new season.

Five tries scored and up the road as such as Glasgow put in a clinical display last Friday.

It very much felt though the pre-curser for what the next two weeks have in store for the Warriors. Franco and the squad head back to South Africa for the first time since triumphing in URC glory. The word from the camp seems to be winning and not defending which is positive to hear, but no doubt Glasgow will be in for two hard fought games against firstly Sharks then finishing the double header against the Stormers.

Glasgow last season had to wait until late in the schedule for the two week excursion to South Africa and it quite possibly inflated the Warriors standings before the double header. I believe having it this early in the season can help show the club to be in a truer position come the decisive part of the season.

The difficulty is we seen how badly Edinburgh travelled recently and the true harsh reality of how strong the South African pro sides are on home turf. It will take Glasgow at their best to cause even one upset.

It was curious though looking at last Friday's game, the players not involved. Glasgow are able to rotate the squad quite easily and still win at a canter missing the likes of Sione Tuipulotu, Matt Fagerson, Kyle Steyn and even though he was on the bench, Tom Jordan, didn’t see any game time. You’d be wise to think that was deliberate with what lay ahead.

It’s a difficult challenge that awaits. Glasgow currently sit second in the standings but how will that look after the toughest of games?

Time will tell but the confidence to get results is clearly there.

Sandy Smith
Fan writer

Around 6pm on Saturday, a quick look at the URC table would have given any Edinburgh supporter a bit of a fright. Benetton had won against Sharks and as a result we were bottom of the league at that point.

Thankfully, as we took a firm grip of the game against Stormers and closed it out with Ben Muncasters’ second try of the match, we finished the weekend in ninth.

In the wake of our first win of the season, it's great to be able to have some positives to highlight.

Our scrum is in a great place. Paul Hill has been an excellent acquisition and there seems very little, if any, drop off between the Schoeman/Hill and the Venter/Rae combos.

We conceded only six penalties in the entire game. A 92% tackle success rate, combined with big numbers in possession and territory, helped us keep Stormers off the scoresheet in what was a dominant last 30 minutes.

It was great to see a number of Edinburgh's younger players come to the fore. Muncaster was a deserving man of the match, Patrick Harrison topped the tackle count and Ross Thompson took on a lot of weight when you consider there was hardly a scrum-half box kick to be seen in the match.

It's a work in progress. It will still be next week. We are a bit ponderous and narrow in attack. Nine of the fourteen tries we have scored this season have come from short range maul drives. Our lineout is faulty.

The main point though is we have overcome a team we've never beaten previously, hauled ourselves up from a pretty low place and restored some pride.

There's no stats for that unless someone is out there counting smiles.

Sandy Smith can be found at The Burgh Watch, external

After Glasgow and Edinburgh's big wins in the URC this weekend, and Scotland's WXV2 defeat by Australia, 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.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Edinburgh's attack - better but still work to do

Ben Healy paid the price for what Sean Everitt described as a "directionless" performance from the Edinburgh attack against the Lions, replacing him at 10 with Ross Thompson.

The Scotland international was steady rather than spectacular. His work was neat and tidy for the most part and some of his kicking from hand helped to pin Stormers back in the second half.

Thompson's goal-kicking has always been a strength and - aside from one wayward effort with the game all but done - he kicked his goals well, particularly a beauty from the touchline to convert Darcy Graham's try at a key moment in the game.

There is still a sense Edinburgh's attack is a little disjointed, though. Aside from his try, Graham did not see much of the ball, while Duhan van der Merwe on the other wing was largely a spectator.

Edinburgh need to find a way to get these devastating attackers into the game more.

Towering defence

While the attack showed some signs of improvement, this was a victory built on the solid foundation of ferocious defence.

Edinburgh had to withstand huge amounts of pressure on or near their own line from the Stormers, especially in the second quarter.

Some of the last-ditch defending was heroic, and preserving their seven-point lead going into the break, having withstood numerous assaults on their try-line, was a huge psychological moment in the match.

That is the standard of defence Edinburgh need to bring to every single match.

Patrick Harrison makes Scotland case

With Gregor Townsend due to name his squad for the autumn internationals in a couple of weeks, hooker Patrick Harrison did his case for inclusion no harm at all.

As well as his try, he had some penetrating carries and stood up well physically in the tackle and at the breakdown against a powerful Stormers side. The odd loose arrow at lineout time shows there are still rough edges to be smoothed out, but the raw materials are there.

With George Turner now out of the national picture following his move to Japan, hooker has become an intriguing position, with several contenders in the mix for the number two jersey.

Another Edinburgh hooker, Ewan Ashman, is the leading candidate, but Harrison could play himself into contention to compete with the likes of Johnny Matthews, Dylan Richardson and Dave Cherry.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Fortress Scotstoun delivers again

In a week where there has been much discussion about Glasgow's decision to switch December's 1872 Cup match against Edinburgh to Hampden, here was another reminder of the power of Scotstoun.

While decamping temporarily to the national stadium for the derby makes sense for any number of reasons, you can understand why some fans are a little reluctant to give up home advantage.

Glasgow's record at Scotstoun is outstanding. It is now 26 consecutive home wins in the regular league season for Glasgow, since a defeat to then-champions Leinster almost three years ago.

OK, Zebre did not provide the sternest of tests, but the longer Glasgow keep putting teams away on their own pitch, the more the aura of Scotstoun grows and that could be priceless should they secure a home play-off at the end of the season.

Bhatti pushing for Scotland 1 jersey

Jamie Bhatti must surely be pushing hard for the starting loose-head berth for Scotland in the upcoming Autumn Nations Series.

Pierre Schoeman has been one of the first names on Gregor Townsend's teamsheet in recent times, but like the rest of the Edinburgh team, let his standards drop towards the end of last season.

Now he has serious competition in the form of Bhatti, who carries hard, scrummages well, with a tackle count that is consistently good.

He is also part of a winning culture and you wonder just how important that will be when Townsend sits down with his coaches to discuss the 50-50 selection calls.

Bhatti has been a key cog in Glasgow's recent success and would relish the chance to play a greater role for the national team in November.

Discipline needs a little work

If there is one hole to pick in an otherwise professional performance, it's Glasgow's discipline.

Warriors conceded 12 penalties, not a ridiculous total, but in a game in which they were in almost complete control throughout, against such limited opposition, they need to be doing better.

Among the excitement of the thrilling wins away to Munster in last season's semi-final and at Loftus Versfeld against Bulls in the final, it’s easy to forget how Warriors penalty count almost proved fatal.

Many would argue that some curious decisions from Andrea Piardi, the referee on both occasions, was the primary reason for Glasgow’s discipline problems, but you have to react and adapt to how the referee is calling it on any given day, and I'm sure Franco Smith will want his players to tidy up that area before tougher tests in South Africa against Sharks and Stormers.

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Ben Muncaster believes Edinburgh's comprehensive win over Stormers on Saturday can kickstart the capital side's season.

Muncaster, 22, scored two of Edinburgh's five tries as they halted a three-match losing streak and secured their first win of the new URC season.

"The fact we've got stuff to work on and we're still winning with a bonus point is very much a positive thing," he said.

"Three losses in a row, we needed to bounce back and we did. Ross Thompson orchestrated us really well and we capitalised on mistakes.

"There's a lot more confidence in the boys, and let's come with momentum now into the next game against Cardiff."

We asked for your thoughts after Edinburgh and Glasgow both secured URC victories.

Here's what you had to say:

GLASGOW

Stuart: Good bonus-point win for the Warriors. Zebre were never a real threat on the night. Warriors will need to be just a bit more clinical for the Sharks and Stormers games. George Horne, Adam Hastings and Huw Jones were outstanding for me. The lads who will fill in for those on international duty look like they will hold their own.

Peter: Performance can be described as workman-like. Penalty count higher than it has been, but did not let Zebre get a try. Franco Smith has rotated the squad well in the first four games and lots of them in different positions. Ben Afshar came onto the wing last night to add to the versatility, got to be a good thing.

Alex: Wasn't the most flowing game of rugby. But, I was fascinated and impressed by Glasgow's defence. Zebre are no mugs and they came out flying, but it became obvious pretty early on that our boys were determined to not let them through.

David: Very scrappy game, with a great defensive shift from Glasgow after the previous week's game against Cardiff. A number of the next generation got good game time and I wonder how many of them will force their way into Gregor Townsend's squad given Edinburgh's lack of form. Good rather than spectacular. Great to see Jones and Stafford McDowall back and on form.

EDINBURGH

Stuart: As a Warriors fan I say hats off to Edinburgh. When you have your critics this was the stunning way to show them who you are. The most complete display from an Edinburgh side for a while. Ben Muncaster, Patrick Harrison, Ross Thompson and Darcy Graham all impressed. The 1872 Cup matches look far more interesting now!

Arran: Better performance, Muncaster did really well in attack and deserved player of the match. I thought Ali Price played better and was more solid, lineout needs to be fixed but overall a good first win of the season.

George: Nice to see the players fight for themselves, the club, and the jersey. Hopefully they can continue it for the rest of the season. Can't just have one of games where you play well. Was really impressed with Thompson.

Andrew: A much-improved performance and a much-needed win. Muncaster and Thompson surely starters now. Rumour mill has Duhan van de Merwe moving to France. On his performances for Edinburgh since moving back from Worcester, bon voyage!

Rob: One win doesn't fix all of the issues clearly, but equally it shows that the component parts of a successful team do exist. But we won't beat better teams by simply keeping the ball in the forwards. We must be more expansive and use the world-class backs we have.

Ian: What a difference a week makes. The players looked up for it and hungry, the team were all on the same page - aggressive, cohesive, largely accurate, much much better. Well done Edinburgh, more of that please.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt says the club have opened contract discussions with Duhan van der Merwe in an effort to keep him at the club.

The prolific winger's existing deal is due to expire at the end of the season and a number of French clubs are reportedly interested in signing Scotland's record try-scorer.

Everitt would not be drawn on any potential interest in Van der Merwe, and would like to British and Irish Lion cap, 29, to commit his future to the capital club.

"We want to keep Duhan in Scotland if we can," Everitt said.

"He's got a business here in Scotland. We desperately do want to keep him here, so we'll do the best we can.

"We're in the process of contracting for season 2025-2026 at the moment. We'll cross that bridge when it comes to it."

Edinburgh fans, what did you make of your side's performance as they triumphed against Stormers in the United Rugby Championship?

Who stood out for you? Have they redeemed themselves after the disastrous Lions performance?

Have your say here, external.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt praised his team for their impressive response to last week's hammering by Lions after they delivered a bonus-point win over Stormers.

The capital side were heavily criticised for their display in Johannesburg which saw them fall 48-0 down by half-time - a URC record - before ultimately going down 55-21.

They were unrecognisable against the Stormers, scoring five tries and producing a towering defensive display to register their first win of the season.

"This team has never lacked character under my leadership," Everitt said.

"I'm just glad that they were able to put in the performance and get the result that they did against a quality Stormers outfit.

"It’s been a difficult week for everyone. It was always going to be a tricky start to this competition. But it just shows what this team can do with good game management and good leadership.

"The leaders took responsibility for having gone a little bit off-strategy last week. This week we get it right and hopefully we can build on it."

Scotland fell short in their attempts to retain the WXV2 title, as Australia edged a thrilling contest in Cape Town.

What did you make of the game? Who impressed you for Scotland?

Have your say here, external.