Scottish Rugby

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

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Scottish Rugby's communications department is at pains to point out that Gregor Townsend's deal on rugby strategy is with Red Bull, the global brand, rather than with Newcastle Red Bulls, the one rugby club that the global brand actually owns.

Maybe it was a fear of failing foul of conflict of interest rules, but there was a fair amount of dancing on the head of a pin from some at Murrayfield.

If Townsend has no involvement with Red Bull's rugby team in the Premiership, who, exactly, is he advising on rugby strategy, philosophy and culture?

Perhaps these things are entirely unconnected but Wednesday brought further news from Newcastle Red Bulls.

• Jonny Petrie, a former Scotland team-mate of Townsend's, is their new managing director.

• Neil McIlroy, Townsend's fellow Borderer, is the new sporting director/general manager.

• John Fletcher, currently head of pathways at the SRU, will become Newcastle Red Bulls academy and pathways director later in the year.

It's already been termed by some fans as a Scottish takeover. If Townsend is not advising the rugby club, these new additions must be a series of co-incidences.

There is a hope - expressed quietly within Murrayfield - that connections with a giant organisation such as Red Bull will have benefits not just for Townsend and his hunger for knowledge, but also for the SRU.

The SRU has no money to create a much-needed third professional team to sit alongside Glasgow and Edinburgh. They need to get more games into their younger players and they have limited scope to do it.

There is no business link between the SRU and the Red Bulls, but if underplayed young Scots can be loaned out to this ambitious new club and given more game-time than they might get at home, that could help their development.

No discussion of this sort has taken place, and maybe none will, but Townsend now having a foot in the Red Bull world could be of use down the line - to him and to the SRU in general.

A source close to Murrayfield said that if a relationship with Red Bull blossomed to the point that their rugby team could become a sort of third outlet for Scottish players then the SRU would "up for that conversation."

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Former Scotland and Glasgow hooker Fraser Brown believes Franco Smith's extended stay is "healthy" for both Warriors and Scottish rugby.

Despite attracting interest from elsewhere the South African agreed a new contract last month, which ties him to the club as head coach until 2028, having overseen a period of success since his arrival in 2022.

Glasgow opened their URC campaign on Friday with a 35-19 bonus point victory over Sharks at Scotstoun.

"For Glasgow, it's brilliant," Brown told the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast.

"They get continuity, they get a world-class coach. I think they've got a world-class coaching team as well.

"Franco, he's a very complex man at times, very emotional man.

"To have him at the helm at Glasgow is healthy for Glasgow and to have him in Glasgow is healthy for Scottish rugby."

Scotland captain and Warriors flanker Rory Darge echoed Brown's praise of the head coach.

"It's great know that Franco is staying on and there's an amount of continuity there with the coaches," he said.

"There have been young boys stepping up, knowing he's going to be here long term."

Grant Young
Fan writer

After a busy summer of rugby featuring the Lions in Australia and Scotland's tour, it was great to be back at Scotstoun.

Anticipation for the new season is high, with Franco Smith committing his future and Glasgow holding on to a number of key players. The big loss could be Tom Jordan, who tore it up for Bristol on his debut.

Smith's men enjoyed a winning start against a visiting Sharks side who were missing several starters but still played with typical grit and determination.

After an error-strewn opening 40 minutes for the Warriors in which they wasted several chances, Rory Darge's try and an opportunistic score from the sniping Jamie Dobie ensured victory.

Darge was superb, a classy performer starting the season the way you'd expect.

Debutants Kerr Yule and Dan Lancaster also impressed, looking like they are fitting in well and taking the opportunity given to them.

The next challenge takes Glasgow to Italy to take on Benetton. Smith's side were dominated and demolished on their previous visit there in May by the improving Italian side and will be hoping to set the record straight.

It's a huge game in determining which direction the season could take.

It was an eventful opening weekend in the URC as Glasgow beat Sharks at Scotstoun while Edinburgh suffered a last-gasp defeat at Zebre.

Whether it's looking back on those two matches, or anything else Scottish rugby related, our reporters Tom English and Andy Burke are ready to answer your questions.

Send them in via this link and a selection of answers will be published on this page later in the week.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Franco Smith was pleased Glasgow Warriors came through "a strange game" against the Sharks to deliver maximum points in their United Rugby Championship opener.

Warriors eventually pulled away from the South African side in a stuffy affair to win 35-19 on Friday.

Smith says while nothing is won and lost on the opening weekend, Glasgow learned from last season the importance of putting points on the board early in the league campaign.

"We learned last year if you don't play every game on its merit you pay for it at the back end," Smith told BBC Scotland.

"We lost three in the last minute last year and if we won just one of those games, we would have had the semi-final at home. So it is valuable points at this stage."

Smith saw his son, Jean, make his URC debut for the Sharks when he came off the bench late in the game at Scotstoun.

"I was nervous," Smith said. "I didn't want him to come on early because maybe one of his errors can lead to us winning.

"So I wanted always the best for him. But everything worked out well and he made a very try-saving tackle on Ollie Smith. So we'll look with a double opinion on that.

"But I'm really proud of him and I'm glad it happened here."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Glasgow's winning mentality

Glasgow will perform better this season, but what shone through was their winning mentality, which is particularly evident on their own patch.

The Sharks stubbornly refused to go away until the late in the game when Warriors finally pulled away on the scoreboard.

What was impressive was whenever the South African side hauled themselves back within striking distance, Glasgow went straight down the other end and scored to reassert their authority.

That's the mindset of a team who have been over the course before, and you would not bet against them being there or thereabouts again this season.

Reliable Rowe

Kyle Rowe rarely grabs the headlines but he must be a coach's dream.

The wing has that happy knack of seemingly always being in the right place in the right time and popping up with tries just when his team needs them.

The Sharks opened up Glasgow on a couple of occasions early on and got themselves in front with Edwill van der Merwe's try, but Rowe's response just five minutes later prevented any sense of panic setting in for the home side.

Rowe is one of those wings who does everything well – a terrific runner with ball-in-hand, solid defensively, good under the high ball and always seems to make good decisions.

Ferrie made of the right stuff

This could be the season Euan Ferrie really comes to the fore.

The 24-year-old has for some time been considered one of Glasgow's best prospects and now we are seeing him ready to play a more central role.

Ferrie carries hard, makes vital yards and has a great appetite for work.

His brilliant offload off the deck for George Horne showed there is also a subtlety to his game and his ability to cover both second and back-row makes him an invaluable option for Warriors.

We asked for your views on Edinburgh's 31-28 defeat to Zebre.

Here's what some of you said:

Rod: More of the same. Kicking from hand was awful. Losing to the worst team in the league when they were down to 14 men for 30 minutes is truly worrying. Surely it is time for a change.

Alex: When are Edinburgh going to stop scapegoating the head coach and realise it's the club culture of mediocrity that's the problem? Edinburgh players have access to international facilities, international physios and international equipment at Murrayfield! This clown car of a club needs to stop, it was funny for the last 26 years, not now!

Mark: I like Zebre as plucky underdogs but Edinburgh should be putting these teams away easily. A terrible start to the season. Edinburgh have world class players who play magnificently for the Lions and Scotland but are miserable for them. The only conclusion is that a team that represents 50 per cent of the Scotland team will finish outside the top eight and that's down to the coach.

Steve: Well, what can one say about that. Once again Edinburgh Rugby manage to play slightly below the level of their opposition in what was a low quality contest. Aimless, directionless, rudderless, call it what you will, but definitely useless. In fact, pick any "less" you like and that pretty much sums up Edinburgh right now. For all the bravado of the pre-season talk, the players looked half baked and badly prepared, both physically and tactically.

David: Edinburgh gave the impression that they simply did not want to be there. There appeared to be no spark in the team. They had no exit strategy from their own half except aimless kicking which allowed a 14 man Zebre to keep them in their own half for most of the sin bin period. They were back to the disjoined outfit they were at the beginning of last season.

Joe: Hate to be harsh but absolutely no progress from last season. Same lack of passion from some players, set plays just not working and for me that's the head coach all day.

Ian: Lots of chat pre-season about Edinburgh picking up where they left off last season and kicking on. Not evident in that match. Yes it's the first game of the season, but this was pretty one dimensional and uninspiring. Early days, need to pick it up this Friday and set the season alight. Please don't let this be yet another season where we underperform to our potential.

Doug: Edinburgh want to win the URC but then at the first hurdle they fall over. Serious mental fragility continues to exist over this squad. They'll no doubt continue to flatter to deceive, possibly eke out a performance against Glasgow then return to normal. Nothing changes year on year, it's the fans I feel sorry for.

Andy: Looks like another poor season in store for Edinburgh. They've learnt nothing from past seasons and continue to be a group who have no strong leadership. Unless a quality nine & ten can be found, it'll be a mid table finish at best.

Glasgow fans, we asked for your views on Glasgow Warriors' victory over Sharks on Friday night.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Kenny: An important win for Warriors at the start of another long season. Excellent attacking rugby from both sides with sparkling tries to match. Let's hope that the Jack Dempsey injury ahead of kick-off is not a serious blow to player and club.

David: Good win for Glasgow. Dan Lancaster needs to up his speed of thought as his indecisions stopped good opportunities in attack, as he was caught in possession. Game certainly was played at a higher pace when Adam Hastings was stand off.

Tom: Great game to watch. The pace and aggression from both sides was breath-taking to watch. A real team performance and I felt all of our players were on it from start to finish. Very optimistic for this season.

Ethan: As Franco Smith would say, always good to learn from a match but even better to learn when winning. The scoreboard didn't reflect Glasgow's performance as should have had about three or four more tries as they were taken away by ref/missed opportunities such as try line knock on. Good debuts for Lancaster and Kerr Yule. A winning bonus point whilst denying Sharks is a brilliant result. Hopefully Jack Dempsey recovers soon and Glasgow are sharp for Benetton away as that's always a tough game.

Henry: Overall, a few shaky moments but a good start. Stafford MacDowall guided the young ones well as captain.

Edinburgh started their United Rugby Championship campaign in heartbreaking fashion on Saturday as a penalty in the final seconds gave Zebre a 31-28 win in Parma.

Read the match report.

Have your say on the match.

Glasgow Warriors started their URC campaign with an impressive 35-19 victory over Sharks at Scotstoun on Friday.

Read the match report.

Have your say on the match.

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Glasgow flanker and player of the match Rory Darge tells BBC Scotland: "It's great to be back and great to start with a win. We want to start the season well and know every league point counts.

"To get five points tonight is a great way to start the season.

"First half we weren't getting the results we wanted - just little detail not quite on it. It was about sticking to what we knew would work and executing it.

"We've had a few battle with Sharks and tonight was another battle.

"The way Franco goes about giving young guys opportunities, there's competition for places. The whole environment in pre-season and this first game has been great. It's exciting times.

"Attention will turn to Treviso, which hasn't been easy for us in recent years. If we go there and get a win as well we'll be in a really good place."

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James Whitcombe and Piers O'Conor will make their competitive Edinburgh debuts as Sean Everitt's side start the new URC season at Zebre on Saturday.

Scotland-qualified prop Whitcombe signed on a three-year deal from Leicester Tigers earlier this summer, while versatile back O'Conor arrived from Connacht on a two-year deal.

Magnus Bradbury captains the side from number eight, while Lions duo Pierre Schoeman and Duhan van der Merwe are both named on the bench.

Edinburgh finished seventh in the URC last season under Everitt, losing to Bulls in the quarter-finals.

"I think everyone's raring to go," Everitt said.

"It's been a long pre-season, it's been nine weeks, the guys have played two games now and we can't wait to start. We're all looking forward to it and excited about what it might bring.

"I think we're well equipped if you look at the amount of hours we've spent on the training pitch, particularly over the last four to five weeks because we've been able to train really well with the numbers that we've had.

"We got a lot of 15 v 15 training so everyone is well equipped. We've got two new caps this week which is exciting for them but the rest of the team have all played together before."

Edinburgh side to face Zebre: Goosen, Paterson, O'Conor, Lang, Brown, Healy, Vellacott; Whitcombe, Ashman, Hill, Sykes, Gilchrist, McConnell, Crosbie, Bradbury.

Replacements: Harrison, Schoeman, Rae, Skinner, Watson, Shiel, Thomson, Van der Merwe.

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Fly-half Dan Lancaster and centre Kerr Yule will make their Glasgow Warriors debuts in Friday's URC opener against Sharks.

Lancaster, 24, joined Glasgow from Racing 92 in the summer, while 19-year-old Yule is an academy graduate.

Outside centre Stafford McDowall captains Warriors, with regular skipper Kyle Steyn not involved because of a hand injury.

Recent signing Charlie Savala as well as Zander Fagerson, Huw Jones, Nathan McBeth, Sione and Tavi Tuipulotu and Sione Vailanu also miss out.

Versatile Scotland back Adam Hastings is among the replacements.

Head coach Franco Smith told the Warriors website: "Playing at Scotstoun is always a privilege and we are looking forward to starting a new campaign at home in front of our home supporters.

"Even without their South African internationals, the Sharks are proof there are no underpowered teams in the URC – their squad is built to perform and their depth was a key factor in them finishing in the top four last season."

Glasgow Warriors: Josh McKay, Kyle Rowe, Stafford McDowall (capt), Kerr Yule, Ollie Smith, Dan Lancaster, George Horne; Jamie Bhatti, Jonny Matthews, Fin Richardson, Jare Orguntibeju, Alex Samuel, Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge, Jack Dempsey.

Replacements: Gregor Hiddleston, Rory Sutherland, Sam Talakal, Scott Cummings, Gregor Brown, Euan Ferrie, Jamie Dobie, Adam Hastings.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Edinburgh have set their sights on winning the URC this season, says prop Paul Hill.

The capital side finished the regular season in seventh place last time around, going down to the Bulls in Pretoria in the quarter-finals.

Despite only scraping into the play-offs last season, Hill sees no reason why his team cannot be contenders in the new campaign, which Edinburgh begin with a trip to face Zebre in Parma on Saturday.

"We want to win the league," Hill said. "We talked about it, it happens because people believe in it day in, day out.

"Having silverware in the cabinet, I think that's the only goal. I believe in it. I think that's all there is.

"Edinburgh have traditionally underperformed. I think last year the beginning of the season was disappointing.

"But the momentum we carried from the back end, if we can show that all the way through this season and put games back-to-back, I think that's something we can definitely achieve."

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We asked our intrepid and knowledgeable rugby reporters, Tom English and Andy Burke, to give their predictions on how Glasgow and Edinburgh will fare in the new URC season, which kicks off on Friday.

Here is Andy's verdict....

GLASGOW

This could be a tough season of transition for Glasgow.

I still believe they are good enough to make the play-offs, but I'm not sure they'll be able to maintain the consistency they have shown in recent years - regularly riding high in the top two - having lost a host of key players in the summer.

Tom Jordan, Sebastian Cancillierre and Henco Venter are big losses, and with Jack Mann just starting to look the part, his departure to Gloucester came as a blow too.

It's a younger, less experienced group this time around, and while there is still plenty of quality peppered throughout the squad, I'm not sure the depth is there to mount another URC title challenge.

Predicted finish: Fifth.

Player to watch: Warriors' season could depend in large part on Adam Hastings' ability to rediscover his best stuff.

Jordan's departure leaves a huge void, not just for his ability to run a game at 10, but also his versatility to slot in at 12 or 15 as required.

Hastings has had the most dreadful time with injuries and really needs an extended spell in the side to get back to his best. He now has Dan Lancaster to compete with for that 10 jersey.

At 29, Hastings should still have some of his best years ahead of him if he can get back to the standards that he reached when he was a Scotland regular.

Breakout star: Jare Oguntibeju. The 23-year-old lock got some valuable first-team experience last season and now could be set to play a much bigger role this season.

Oguntibeju has incredible natural attributes, and while he looked green in parts in some of his outings, he improved with every game and appears to be a quick learner.

A powerful physique allied to a ferocious workrate, Oguntibeju could make a big impact this season.

EDINBURGH

Sean Everitt says top four is the target and Paul Hill even suggested a title challenge was on the cards, but I suspect we will see more of the same from Edinburgh this season.

It may be that they make the play-offs a little more comfortably than last time around, but like Glasgow, a lot of experience has gone out the door over the summer.

Jamie Ritchie is the biggest loss and it will be interesting to see who steps up in his absence, both in terms of performance and leadership.

Everitt struck upon a good thing in the second half of last season and the key is to start the new campaign as they finished the old one.

Lay that foundation and they will have an opportunity to enjoy a good season, but when I look around the league I think there are five or six teams who are just better and far more consistent than Edinburgh.

Predicted finish: Sixth.

Player to watch: Freddy Douglas. The re-emergence of Hamish Watson was key to Edinburgh's upturn in the second half of last season, but that meant chances were few and far between for Douglas to shine.

His performances for Scotland Under-20s suggest the back-row has the ability to be a big player for club and country for many years to come and the hope is he gets the chance to prove that this season.

Ritchie's departure eases slightly the congestion for places in the back-row, where Edinburgh always seem to be blessed with quality options.

It will be fascinating to see if Douglas can justify the considerable hype.

Breakout star: The departure of Ali Price could offer a chance to 21-year-old scrum-half Conor McAlpine.

Everitt handed McAlpine his debut last season and has been impressed with the youngster's outings in pre-season.

Ben Vellacott has been an excellent servant to Edinburgh and remains the undoubted first-choice, but McAlpine has a chance to put some real pressure on Charlie Shiel for the back-up nine spot.

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We asked our intrepid and knowledgeable rugby reporters, Tom English and Andy Burke, to give their predictions on how Glasgow and Edinburgh will fare in the new URC season, which kicks off on Friday.

Here is Tom's verdict....

GLASGOW

Despite the loss of Tom Jordan, Henco Venter and Seb Cancelliere, Glasgow are in a pretty good place.

They got top four and a semi-final spot last season even though they didn't get a whole lot of URC games out of some of their biggest names - the Fagerson brothers, Jack Dempsey, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu and others.

If they can get their heavy hitters on to the pitch a bit more often while utilising their array of younger players then they're going to be in business again. Franco Smith has a deep and impressive squad.

Predicted finish: Top four, for sure. A losing semi-finalist again would be my guess, but if they can finish top two and guarantee themselves home advantage in the quarter-final and semi-final then a final is likely. Leinster remain their bogey team - and the clear favourites for the title.

Player to watch: Anything is possible when Sione Tuipulotu is on the pitch. He's the man who makes them tick.

Breakout star: There's a lot of talk about Fergus Watson, a full-back-come-wing. He showed up really well in a pre-season friendly against Northampton. With Cancelliere away, Watson might get a healthy amount of game-time.

EDINBURGH

They've lost a ton of experience with the exits of Jamie Ritchie, Ali Price, Mark Bennett, Matt Scott, Dave Cherry and Emiliano Boffelli.

Sean Everitt seems calm enough, though. He's talking up his young Scots and is targeting a top-four finish.

We'll believe it when we see it, but Edinburgh have a capable enough squad, albeit with holes in terms of creativity in midfield and depth at half-back. Magnus Bradbury is an admirable new captain.

Edinburgh just need to be ruthless, as they were towards the end of last season. The amount of games they let slip is the reason they find it so hard to progress.

Their levels of performance are maddeningly inconsistent, but it'll be interesting to see how their young guns fare. I suspect we'll be seeing a fair amount of them.

Predicted finish: They need a quick start to establish confidence but they have a raft of injuries going into week one. Top four seems way out of their reach. Top six while pushing the ones above them to the wire would be an improvement.

Player to watch: No marks for originality, but Darcy Graham is a joy. After his recent injury woes, he deserves a clear run and if he gets it you can bank on him lighting it up. A quite brilliant attacker.

Breakout star: Conor McAlpine, the 21-year-old scrum-half, impressed his coach in the couple of appearances he made last season and his pre-season work in the recent weeks. With Ali Price now in France, McAlpine might get a decent shot at showing what he's got.