Scottish Rugby

Edinburgh's United Rugby Championship play-off hopes are all but over after a 33-14 defeat to Stormers in Cape Town.

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Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt: "We felt we did well to stay in the game and had opportunities in the opposition 22 and we didn't take those.

"We believed we could have won the game but the last 20 minutes the Stormers got stronger and set pieces win you games.

"I am looking forward to getting back to Edinburgh, we've got a big game next Sunday against Leinster in the Champions Cup and hopefully we can improve on this performance to get a result."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Glasgow Warriors' bonus-point win over Benetton could prove "massive" in their pursuit of a top-two finish, according to Ollie Smith.

Warriors trailed 10-7 at the break after a scrappy first half at Scotstoun, but they delivered a strong response to run out 31-10 winners and strengthen their place at the top of the URC table.

"We've set ourselves up in a good position all season, top of the log in the URC and up there in the Champions Cup as well," full-back Smith told BBC Scotland.

"We want to be playing these games at home, and it's so good for us when we get in front of our own fans.

"It's such a fortress playing here, and that's what we spoke about last week. We had that dog in us from last week, against a Leinster team coming here, and we had to win.

"We said we had to back that up again and I think we struggled to do that in the first half against Benetton, who we were probably more expected to beat.

"No disrespect to Benetton, but we showed that in the second half, and those five points are going to be vital for us going to South Africa (to face Lions and Stormers) in a couple of weeks. The last couple of games, we want to be in that top spot to get the home play-off."

Next up for Glasgow is a home last-16 Champions Cup showdown with Bulls next Saturday, and they know victory will guarantee they remain at Scotstoun for the quarter-final.

"It's a massive opportunity for us," Smith added. "Play-off rugby here, get a quarter-final, get a semi-final at home, hopefully, if we keep playing the way we're playing.

"It's always tasty against the Bulls. We're just so excited to get play-off rugby. It's the business end of the season and it's so good to have it here."

Glasgow Warriors stretched their lead at the top of the United Rugby Championship with a bonus-point win over Benetton at Scotstoun.

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Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith: "The objective of this week was to keep the continuity of last week and make sure we have a lot of players rugby ready before we get to the last 16 game next week. Good to get the win as well.

"The top spot doesn't count for nothing. You have to be able to take it through. We've been blessed with not too many injuries and some great results. It gives us an opportunity.

"Fergus Watson grabbed the moments that he got. We know he's going to be very good for us.

"We expect a tough game [next week against the Bulls]. It's important to kick on and make sure we play well."

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Scotland trio Grant Gilchrist, Darcy Graham and Pierre Schoeman return from Six Nations duty to start for Edinburgh in Saturday's URC match with Stormers in Cape Town.

Centre James Lang is also restored to the XV after a quad injury and starts alongside Matt Currie. Charlie Shiel and fly-half Ross Thompson form the half-back pairing.

There's a new front row after the defeat to Lions last week, with tighthead Paul Hill and hooker Ewan Ashman deployed alongside loosehead Schoeman. Gilchrist starts in the second row with Marshall Sykes.

Graham is on the wing alongside Malelili Satala while Piers O'Conor replaces Harry Paterson, who is ruled out with a quad injury, at full-back.

Edinburgh have lost four of their past five URC games to leave their play-off hopes hanging by a thread.

"We know it will be a tough challenge at DHL Stadium on Saturday but we've had a good training week and are in a good place to get a special result at the weekend," said head coach Sean Everitt.

"The Scotland guys being back is obviously a boost, but we'll need everyone at the top of their game to turn over the Stormers on their own patch."

Edinburgh XV to face Stormers: O'Conor, Graham, Currie, Lang, Satala, Thompson, Shiel, Schoeman, Ashman, Hill, Sykes, Gilchrist, McConnell, Richardson, Bradbury.

Replacements: Blyth-Lafferty, Venter, Williams, Young, Douglas, Vellacott, Tuipulotu, Brown.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith says his side have learned lessons from previous campaigns and will not get carried away with their outstanding form as they battle for two trophies.

Epic victories over Toulouse and Saracens helped Warriors qualify for the Champions Cup knockouts as second seeds, securing home advantage for next weekend's last-16 tie against the Bulls and potentially all the way to the semi-finals.

Last Saturday's superb win over Leinster sent Glasgow eight points clear at the top of the United Rugby Championship, but Smith says his side have laid promising foundations in previous seasons and failed to deliver silverware.

Smith, who has Scotland internationals Sione Tuipulotu, Huw Jones and Max Williamson back from Six Nations duty and in his starting line-up for Friday's URC visit of Benetton, said: "Everybody realises home advantage is really a contribution to your campaign - it's not the start all and end all, though.

"We've proved that to ourselves as well. There's enough pressure on us to perform every week. The expectation grows and there's more unnecessary pressure on a simple decision-making process.

"For now, we want to win every collision. We want to win the lineout ball. We want to win on competitive scrum time. We want to score as many tries as possible. We want to avoid giving away tries. If that's the focus then the results will look after itself.

"But I do not want to burden the players or the environment with too many external uncontrollables because we've learned, if we're not going to learn from previous campaigns where we fell short because those type of conversations got into the mix, we must try and avoid that.

"Therefore, our mission is to focus on the controllables and let the race look after itself."

Wing Fergus Watson makes his Glasgow debut in Friday night's Scotstoun game, while Smith said Kyle Steyn will begin running next week as he recovers from a suspected stress fracture in his foot and is "touch and go" to face the Bulls in the Champions Cup on 3 April.

Scott Cummings' return date from a calf injury is still unclear. And while Smith did not rule out Gregor Brown for the season, he confirmed the lock would not feature before Glasgow head to South Africa to face the Lions on 18 April as he looks to recover from a hamstring injury.

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Scotland lock Jonny Gray has left Bordeaux-Begles to join fellow French Top 14 outfit USA Perpignan until the end of the season.

Gray, 32, has been brought in to bolster Perpignan's injury-hit squad as they battle to avoid relegation.

Fellow Scot Jamie Ritchie is one of the players absent for Perpignan after he suffered a knee injury in Scotland's Six Nations win over England.

Gray, who has started just five games for Bordeaux, is out of contract at the end of the campaign so has played his last game for the club.

Perpignan currently occupy the relegation play-off spot in the French top flight.

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Hooker Gregor Hiddleston says he "couldn't imagine being anywhere else" after signing a two-year contract extension to stay with Glasgow Warriors until summer 2028.

The 23-year-old made his Glasgow debut in January 2024 and has become a key component of Franco Smith's side this season.

Hiddleston's form was rewarded with a first senior Scotland call-up before this year's Six Nations. He went on to feature in Scotland A's draw with Italy XV in early February.

"Absolutely delighted, it came about pretty early on in the season, I'm buzzing to be staying at the club," Hiddleston said of his new contract.

"I've learned so much already and I'm loving being here. I couldn't imagine being anywhere else.

"Everyone's so aligned here, lots of opportunities, and the club's in such a good place, the coaches are absolutely class. It's a world-class coaching team."

He added: "It was good to be involved in the Scotland squad. I didn't play, but being in that environment, working with those coaches, was really good.

"And 19 [Glasgow] players going and playing for Scotland, it's something to look up to and follow in their footsteps."

Head coach Smith said: "Gregor has worked hard on his own game and is committed to his own development, and we are pleased that he has renewed his contract with us.

"His impact in both attack and defence has been evident throughout this season, whilst also providing a solid set-piece platform for our team."

BBC Sport Scotland's Andy Burke has been answering some of your Scottish rugby questions.

Alan asked: How long is too long before Edinburgh decide to part ways with Sean Everitt? He has a team with a core of elite players he seems to make look average to mediocre.

Andy answered: With every passing week and poor performance, the decision to hand Everitt a new two-year deal becomes even more baffling.

I thought the upturn in results and performances in the second half of last term justified Everitt remaining in place for this season, but not only have Edinburgh failed to kick on, they have significantly regressed.

The display against the Lions was pitiful, and there can be no excuse of being caught by surprise as they served up a similarly woeful performance against the same opponents in Johannesburg last season.

I suspect Scottish Rugby will not be minded to get rid of Everitt so soon after extending his contract.

They will hope a new coaching team around him will lead to a vast improvement next season, but if I was the SRU I'd be concerned with the growing discontent among the club's fans. They are not happy with what they are paying to watch from their team right now.

Stuart asked: Can the Warriors push on and possibly win the URC and Champions Cup?

Andy answered: Glasgow are going along brilliantly at the moment, but as Franco Smith has been at pains to point out over and again, they have won nothing yet.

I was so impressed at the way they took apart a Leinster side who, while not at full strength, were packed full of established stars.

The way the Warriors youngsters stepped up gave real hope about the next wave of talent coming through at Scotstoun.

But knockout rugby is a different beast entirely and it's where the big guns really bring their best stuff. So you would expect the likes of Leinster and Toulouse – both of whom Glasgow have beaten at home this season – would be a different proposition were they to meet them at the business end of the URC or Champions Cup.

Warriors have already secured a home path in Europe and if they can do likewise in the URC then anything is possible, but I still think the latter trophy is more attainable.

A double is probably unrealistic, though I would be delighted to be proved wrong!

On the latest episode of the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast, Andy Burke and Tom English break down why Glasgow's depth is becoming one of the stories of the URC season.

At the other end of the spectrum, there's an in-depth look at the numbers, the lack of cohesion and the uneasy contract extensions at Edinburgh as their season continues to unravel.

Plus, why Mike Blair's remarkable move to join Dave Rennie's All Blacks set-up is a huge moment for a highly respected Scottish coach.

Listen and subscribe on BBC Sounds

Grant Young
Fan writer

The meeting of arguably the URC's best two sides - Glasgow and Leinster - did not disappoint.

Warriors came out on top in a hard-nosed dogfight, a proper club game played in the embers of the Six Nations.

Both teams were far from their best but Leinster had the usual star players wheeled into the line-up from the southern hemisphere to put fear into Warriors fans.

Alex Samuel - a deserved player of the match - was far from daunted, making 20-plus tackles as the hosts showed their mettle. Rumour has it RG Snyman is still having nightmares.

The game had everything. Quality tries, stern defences and the bubbling of niggle.

You won't find me arguing against any of the Warriors scores being contenders for try of the season let alone this game.

It clicked. Whether it was Ollie Smith, George Horne, Macenzzie Duncan or Kyle Rowe, each had a sparkle of Glasgow magic.

A tough schedule to end the regular season now awaits. Five top teams to face, including a double-header in South Africa and difficult test at Ulster.

Up first is the visit of Italian top dogs Bennetton, who are much improved year on year and will be full of Italy internationals brimming with confidence. The big question is who will Franco Smith add back into his playing pool?

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Edinburgh have failed to establish an identity as they battle to avoid another disappointing season, according to forwards coach Stevie Lawrie.

The capital side succumbed to a dismal 54-17 defeat to the Lions in Johannesburg last weekend, a loss which leaves them in 13th place in the URC table, 12 points off the play-off places with five matches of the regular season remaining.

Edinburgh have won just four of their 13 league matches this campaign.

"You need to produce a performance and game model that excites the players but also goes and applies pressure to the opposition," Lawrie said.

"One of the frustrations is we're not laying down a certain identity around how we're playing

"That's for us to fix. There's no excuses, there's no hiding place. It's a case of, at the minute, it's just not quite there."

Edinburgh take on second-place Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday, and Lawrie says even if they pull off a shock win in the fashion of their stunning Champions Cup victory over French giants Toulon earlier this season, it would not signal an end to the team's problems.

"I genuinely don't believe it's just going to be one performance, because I've seen that," Lawrie said.

"We've spoken about Toulon, we've seen it, and it didn't turn our season around, if we're completely honest. So it's about how we put that consistency over the piece.

"It's a case of having the firm conversations both ways. And you know what? There should be some bloody tough conversations going on at the minute, because it's not good.

"If you look at the performance we put in against the Stormers when we came back from the Lions last year, that was a record defeat for the Stormers on the road at that time.

"Seven days is a long time in rugby, so there's certainly no pity parties happening here."

Sandy Smith
Fan writer

Horror movies usually come with an 18 rating and warnings regarding content that may be upsetting.

Unfortunately sporting events aren't scripted and although I had little expectation Edinburgh would win at Lions on Saturday I wasn't expecting to have to revisit the trauma of our last visit to Johannesburg.

Another eight tries conceded and another lesson in running rugby at the hands of what has been up until now the weakest of the four South African sides in the URC.

The positives? Absolutely none.

The negatives? Too many to count.

The whole debacle can be summed up by Lions' try in the 54th minute that started with Magnus Bradbury prevaricating over the ball five metres from the hosts' try line.

They turned it over and then went the length of the pitch almost unchallenged. A foot in touch gave Edinburgh a lineout but we messed that up too and Lions picked up their sixth try a few seconds later.

It wasn't the only time they did that as the 653 metres they made with ball in hand will testify to.

Meanwhile Edinburgh attempted 73 tackles and only completed 43. That is an unacceptable statistic.

If you want to talk about efficiency of attack then Lions had only 39% possession in the entire match and yet scored eight tries. Edinburgh with the bigger portion just looked clueless.

It hurts to write this stuff. After the game I was angry. I was angry during it and my face would have frightened off lions and tigers and bears (oh my) but in the stand Sean Everitt was vapid and expressionless.

Can you imagine Richard Cockerill's reaction to such a display?

This is prima facie evidence there is no progress being made by this team under this management group. A group that starts with our managing director.

Two almost identical defeats at the same location against the same opposition two years apart and the prospect of a worst-ever finish since the URC started is looming on a very dark horizon.

We had a goal to make the top eight. It's hardly the stuff of sporting legend yet we are failing to do even that.

If we want to change this from a horror movie to a Mighty Ducks type underdogs sporting drama some big changes are required.

Sandy Smith can be found at the Burgh Watch, external

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Johnnie Beattie believes former Scotland team-mate Mike Blair "could find his way back" to coaching in his homeland after his stint working with New Zealand.

Blair, 44, will be part of former Glasgow Warriors head coach Dave Rennie's backroom team with the All Blacks, the pair having worked together at Glasgow.

Former Scotland captain Blair also worked with current national head coach Gregor Townsend, was later Edinburgh head coach and has latterly been Kobe Steelers attack coach for Rennie in Japan.

"He might find his way back," Beattie told BBC Radio Scotland.

"Scotland is quite a small, closed group - there's two professional teams and the national side. If you're not involved there then there's not much opportunity.

"Mike has come through the system, he's been a product of Scottish rugby. He's now coaching the All Blacks but coaching is not something that lasts five or six or seven years.

"There's a strong chance that sometime in the future, Mike could find his way back into the system in Scottish rugby, hopefully in a head coach capacity with Glasgow, Edinburgh or Scotland. So, hopefully, we see him back here soon."

Scrum-half Blair won his 85 Scotland caps between 2002 and 2012, while back-rower Beattie played 38 international matches from 2006-15. Blair captained Scotland teams Beattie played in.

"For a Scot to be associated with a sporting brand, not even a rugby brand like the All Blacks, I think they're the most successful sporting brand of the last 60, 70, 80 years, so it's wonderful to see," Beattie said.

"Dave knows him really well. You've got to think in coaching groups there has to be utmost trust, reliance on the people around you and that's why he's gone for Mike.

"Mike also as a player and a coach has a really good reputation for innovation, creativity and that's what the All Blacks are looking to re-inject into their style of play, which has become maybe over the last two, three seasons a little bit readable.

"The boys loved him at Edinburgh. Mike just wanted to coach. He just wanted to be a hands-on attack coach."

Do you have any burning questions for our rugby experts after a superb win for URC leaders Glasgow against Leinster and a disappointing result in Johannesburg for Edinburgh?

Send in your questions via this link and a selection will be answered by our experts and published on this page later in the week.

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Glasgow centre Johnny Ventisei - who made his senior debut in Saturday's win over Leinster - has signed his first professional contract with the club.

The 20-year-old played a part in two of Glasgow's six tries at the weekend, having previously captained Scotland Under-20s.

He credited head coach Franco Smith for giving him the belief to break into the starting XV and also spoke about what it is like working with Glasgow's senior centres, including Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu.

"I'm over the moon," Ventisei told Glasgow's club media.

"To be able to sign my first pro contract with my boyhood club is beyond special - it's a real dream come true.

"It's been a surreal week to be honest. When Franco told me I was going to be starting against Leinster, I couldn't believe it.

"It's been unbelievable to learn from the group of centres here. For me, I think we've got three of the best centres in the world in Stafford [McDowall], Sione [Tuipulotu] and Huw [Jones], so to be able to watch them and see how they operate at the highest level is a priceless opportunity for me and the other young guys here.

"Franco and the coaches have been superb, as well. From the minute we all got here and came into the academy a couple of years ago, he's been so good with us and making it feel like a unified squad - there's no real line between academy and senior squad, it feels like we're all one group.

"The confidence the coaches have shown in me is amazing and I'm determined to repay that faith."

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Glasgow head coach Franco Smith poured praise on young centre Johnny Ventisei after his pro debut in the resounding win over Leinster at Scotstoun.

The 20-year-old, who has captained Scotland at age-grade level, was thrown into the deep end against his opposite number, All Blacks star Reiko Ioane, but came through the test with flying colours.

""I was so keen to tell him [he was starting]," admitted Smith when speaking to Premier Sports. "But I don't like to go back on my word so I made sure he settled in nicely on Monday.

"He stepped up and did a very good job tonight for us, and put his hand up for more responsibility with us.

"With Kerr Yule and Kerr Johnston, the age group of that centre group has now dropped quite a bit. When the young guys play amongst a little more experienced players, they get an opportunity to be themselves.

"We did it with Seb Stephen last year. He played Leinster after we lost against them in the quarter-finals [of the Champions Cup]. He stepped up. Maccenzie Duncan's first game was then, too. Sometimes the occasion demands it and when the players step up, it's fantastic."

While Glasgow can never be written off at Scotstoun, the manner of their victory over a stacked Leinster side was still a surprise.

"The boys worked hard," Smith said. "We were going to try and score as many tries as possible, but I didn't think we'd get to that many. Some good attack from our side, managing to hold the ball.

"I'm really glad we made full use of the cards they have. I'm not oblivious of that fact, but still I thought we played really well.

"It's the way we train, the way we try and develop the game. The game is going that way. If you look at the Six Nations now, there's a lot of tries scored. It's what's demanded of the game now.

"That is the one ingredient that brings the enthusiasm to club rugby. I'm really proud of the boys."

Rugby fans, we asked for your opinions on the results for the two pro Scottish clubs in URC action yesterday. Edinburgh lost to the Lions in Johannesburg, while Glasgow beat Leinster at Scotstoun. Here's what you had to say...

EDINBURGH

Chris: Is there any credible plan for fixing the myriad of issues with this Edinburgh team that doesn't start with the words 'sack Sean Everitt'?

Jennifer: When Everitt was given a new contract five months ago, I thought we were in for another two years of mediocrity. It turns out mediocrity is something we need to aspire to.

There has to be a change, it's an absolute insult expecting us to pay to watch this level of performance when Glasgow are along the M8 absolutely smashing it. It's not like we don't have talented players, we just seem incapable of using them effectively.

James: Edinburgh's last two results highlight the madness of Everitt's contract extension. The SRU need to explain what they saw in him that made them believe he's the right man to progress Edinburgh and what the plan is to turn the club round.

At the home match v Ulster a huge proportion of the fans left before the end of the match. They charge a lot for tickets and the fans deserve better. If the fans stop coming to games, the club dies.

GLASGOW

Ben: I was nervous when I saw the teams, but boy did we step up, some of the young guns in particular. Johnny Ventisei was outstanding on debut and Alex Samuel had arguably his best game yet for Glasgow. The most impressive aspect was the third quarter when it was all Leinster, but we looked so comfortable in defence. Should be an exciting end to the season over the next few months!

Bob: Great night for the Warriors. Stuck to their usual game plan and defended very well, made the two yellow cards pay. A great lift for everyone at the club at an important part of the season.

Chris: Full credit to Ventisei, just 20-years-old but making a proper impact. Credit has to go to McDowall, too. He is the glue that keeps it all together. Brilliant from Glasgow, they should fear no one.

Brian: Great win for Glasgow; really clinical when Leinster went down to 13 men. Good resilience in the second half and then turned the screw at the end to stop them getting anything from the game.

Contrasting fortunes for Scotland's two pro sides in Saturday's URC action.

Edinburgh were on the end of another humbling scoreline out in Johannesburg against the Lions, while Glasgow turned over Leinster in a real statement win at Scotstoun.

Let us know your thoughts here.