Scottish Rugby

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Gregor Brown admits Glasgow Warriors aren't fully over their heartbreaking end to last season.

After topping the URC table in the regular season, Franco Smith's side squandered an 18-point lead to lose 22-21 at home to South Africa's Bulls in the semi-finals.

That mirrored a Champions Cup campaign in which they topped their group and enjoyed marquee wins over Saracens, Toulouse and Clermont before being stunned by Toulon at Scotstoun in the quarter-finals.

"It's kind of the cruel part of sport," said Glasgow and Scotland lock Brown.

"You put in so much work and there were so many great performances. When it does come down to the end, it just comes down to a play-off game. If they don't go your way, then it's sort of all that hard work - not out the window - but that's your run done."

Brown is keen to park last term's disappointment as he approaches the new campaign - Glasgow get under way on Saturday at Munster - with "excitement and energy".

"I don't think boys are probably fully over it," said. "I think that will actually only really come after the first couple of games when you can right a few wrongs in a Glasgow jersey.

"I think a lot of people probably felt they got that from some of the Test games in the summer. But ultimately, it does come down to doing it in a Glasgow jersey.

"We didn't come up with the goods at the end of the season. But If you go in all negative, thinking about what happened at the end, then it's not going to do anybody good."

Brown, who won the title with Glasgow in 20024 and become a British and Irish Lions international last summer, now finds himself a mentor to recent academy graduates.

The 25-year-old said: "I'm sort of middle-aged now for a rugby player which is kind of scary. But it's great seeing so many academy boys come through.

"I'm probably not the loudest in the squad. But I feel like I've got a good eye for detail and helping young lads."

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Scotland internationals Magnus Bradbury and Matt Currie will be Edinburgh's co-captains this season.

Back-row Bradbury, 31 returned to Edinburgh in 2024 after a two-year spell at Bristol Bears and skippered the club last season, a role he will now share with centre Currie, 25.

Sean Everitt's Edinburgh open their URC campaign away to Ulster on Friday (19:45 BST).

"Leading this club last season is right up there with the proudest moments of my career and I'm delighted to continue in the role alongside Matt," said Bradbury.

"Edinburgh is home for me. I grew up wanting to play for this club and I take a huge amount of pride in pulling on the jersey every week. That feeling never goes away.

"I know I'm one of the more experienced heads in the squad now and that comes with responsibility. We've got a young group, with some really exciting players coming through and I genuinely enjoy helping the next generation find their feet and push on.

"Matt is a great example of that. He's grown into a real leader in this group and the boys look up to him in the way he trains and the way he carries himself off the pitch. Between us, I think we can bring the best out of this squad."

Currie came through at Edinburgh and has made 72 appearances for his boyhood club.

"It's a massive honour to be named co-captain," he said. "When you look at the names who have led Edinburgh before, it's not something I take lightly.

"I've always looked up to Magnus and learned a huge amount from him, particularly in terms of leadership. The way he sets standards, both on and off the pitch, is something I've tried to take into my own game. I'm really looking forward to working alongside him to drive this group forward."

Everitt believes the pair "complement each other really well".

"Magnus is playing some of the best rugby of his career," said the head coach.

"He's been such a consistent performer for us and he drives us forward in so many ways. On the field it's his physicality and off it he holds players accountable and sets really high standards.

"Matt has the ability to be a Test starter for Scotland and he's been unlucky with injury at times. He's one of the most consistent players in our squad and the guys look up to him because he raises the standards around him every day. He'll be a great leader for this club."

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Injured Emma Wassell has been ruled out of the remaining three Tests of Scotland's WXV Global Series campaign, while Rachel Phillips will miss Saturday's visit of Australia (16:10 BST).

Centre Holly McIntyre, 23, replaces Phillips, who is observing concussion protocols.

Phillips and Wassell both started Saturday's 66-14 defeat at home by New Zealand and the opening 64-26 loss to Canada, which was also at the Hive Stadium.

Australia visit the Hive in the first of three successive meetings against the Scots, with the latter matches in Sydney (17 October) and Canberra (23 October).

The Wallaroos have lost in France and England so far in this year's WXV.

The BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast is back!

Andy Burke and Tom English chat with former Scotland captain Andy Nicol about a summer of uncertainty at Scottish Rugby following the unexpected departures of chief executive Alex Williamson and women's head coach Sione Fukofuka.

There's also a preview of the new URC season - with Glasgow and Edinburgh's prospects discussed - and an interview with Scotland's Meryl Smith as the game with Australia looms on Saturday.

Listen and subscribe on BBC Sounds

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Scotland prop Leah Bartlett is urging her team to make history at Hive Stadium on Saturday by registering a first-ever victory over Australia.

The Scots have suffered two heavy defeats to Canada and New Zealand in their opening two games of the WXV Global Series.

After facing the teams ranked two and three in the world, Dave Butcher's side now have a chance to go up against the Wallaroos, ranked one spot below them. Scotland will then head to Australia for a further two meetings between the sides.

"We're chasing a few firsts," Bartlett told BBC Scotland. "First win against Australia and then obviously out in Australia as well, looking forward to the challenge of two Test matches out in Australia and hopefully going for a clean sweep.

"It would do a huge amount for us confidence-wise, being able to express ourselves the way that we want to be able to.

"We have had such difficult opposition that have nullified our attack a little bit. I'm not saying that Australia aren't in the slightest there. They're an exceptionally good outfit.

"We've obviously got some incredible attacking threats on our team, which we have seen glimpses of that in the last couple of games. Hopefully we'll start seeing that a bit more often than not."

David Currie
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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It could be November before former Scotland captain Jamie Ritchie makes his Glasgow Warriors debut as the 30-year-old flanker recovers from injury.

The former Edinburgh stalwart signed from French club Perpignan in the summer but will remain on the sidelines for the opening months of the URC season which starts this weekend.

As Warriors prepare to visit Munster on Saturday, attack coach Nigel Carolan told BBC Sport Scotland that an ankle problem and subsequent complications with an Achilles tendon are keeping Ritchie out of action.

"He's working his way back," said Carolan. "Hopefully he'll be back before the November break, but he's on target for then. He might be a little bit sooner.

"It's difficult when you join a club and he just wants to contribute on the field. At the moment, it's just in meetings, sitting back and trying to learn how we do things. It's tough for him because he just wants to let go."

Three other Scotland internationals will also miss the curtain raiser at Thormond Park since club captain Kyle Steyn, Zander Fagerson, and Alex Samuel all picked up knocks on the national team's summer tour of Argentina.

Carolan explained there was "no rush to force them back" and predicted the trio would be "integrated in the next few weeks".

Warriors finished top of the URC last season but were knocked out of the play-offs at the semi-final stage by the Bulls at Murrayfield.

Franco Smith's side also fell short at the knockout stage in the European Champions Cup, their impressive campaign ending in a 22-19 home quarter-final defeat by Toulon.

"When we look back on those games, it's not what we do, it's how we do it," said Carolan. "The focus now is not waiting until next June until we address those things.

"It's all small things. It's skill execution, it's a kick, it's a chase, it's a pass, it's a bit of work in contact. It's not the bigger part of our game, it's small parts of our game that we just didn't execute.

"In parts of those games we were brilliant, absolutely brilliant, we just were unable to maintain that at the back end when it really mattered."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Meryl Smith says Scotland do not feel any added pressure to deliver a victory over Australia in the WXV Global Series on Saturday after heavy defeats to Canada and New Zealand.

The Scots were outgunned by the sides ranked two and three in the world but now face the team who sit one spot below them.

"We're not too worried about the pressure and the expectation," Smith told the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast.

"I think the last couple of games were definitely about our performance, focusing on ourselves, and we're still looking at that going forward and we want to make sure we put our best version of ourselves forward.

"If we do that we will expect the results to come. I think we're in a really good position but we're still building, we're still moving forward and the team we are now is very different to that of a year ago, two years ago when we played them last.

"It's definitely a game that we're targeting, we won't shy away from that.

"The previous two games were about seeing where we are, what we need to work on and developing our performance as a team. Now we're looking to chase that outcome and get the result this weekend. I think we're in a good position."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Evie Gallagher says Scotland must believe they belong amongst the world's best if they are to compete against the top international sides.

The number eight scored both of Scotland's tries against New Zealand but the Black Ferns were a class apart as they ran in 10 tries for a 66-14 victory at Hive Stadium.

It was a second straight defeat for the Scots in the WXV Global Series following last weekend's defeat to Canada.

Having faced the sides ranked two and three in the world, Gallagher has urged her team to show more belief in themselves as they prepare to face Australia next Saturday.

"We can punch well above our weight," she told BBC Scotland.

"I think it's doing it as a team and backing up small wins with small wins.

"I think we can be guilty of holding back a little bit because of the big names that we're going up against right now, but I think it's trust that we have those skill sets, we have the physicality, we just need to back it and trust that we can go again and again and again.

"Look, we're not shying away from the fact that we want a result against Australia, but they put in a fight against England the other week, so we know what they're going to bring.

"They're a very impressive side, but we want to take all the positives from these last two weeks and really put up a strong fight against them next week."

Andy Burke
BBC Scotland at Hive Stadium

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Scotland interim head coach Dave Butcher admitted New Zealand had been "awesome" in their 66-14 win at Hive Stadium.

The Black Ferns ran in 10 tries as they inflicted the Scots' second defeat out of two in the WXV Global Series.

"First of all, New Zealand were awesome," Butcher told BBC Scotland. "They're the best team in the world at the minute.

"It's great learning for this group in terms of how we want to play, but not just how we want to play, but tactically how we need to beat the best in the world and compete with the best in the world.

"You simply just can't give a team like New Zealand an easy ball and they'll just keep it and keep it until they score. That's definitely learning for us and we'll look at that, but we'll also really look at the positive pieces and where we've grown from last week."

Evie Gallagher scored both of Scotland's tries in the first half but the hosts could not register in the second period, though did restrict New Zealand for an extended spell.

"I'm immensely proud of how the girls fought back after that first 10 minutes of the second half, when we legitimately could have folded," added Butcher.

"To come back and play 20 minutes of that game and really stand tall with them, we're really proud of them for that."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Rhona Lloyd says there are positives to take from Scotland's 64-26 WXV defeat to Canada, but admits they were too easy to play against as the visitors ran in 10 tries.

Lloyd was among the try-scorers as the Scots ran in four of their own, and the experienced winger believes there were opportunities missed that would have made the final scoreboard much closer.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game, they were second in the world for a reason," Lloyd told BBC Scotland.

"But I think there's bits of that game I'm so proud of. I think there was patches of that game where we went toe-to-toe, but then there was patches that I think were too soft and too easy to score against.

"I think our attack and breakdown wasn't good enough. There were phases in defence that we definitely could have held them up for longer, but this feels a bit like a new chapter and a new era for us, and I think there was a lot of positives for this being the first step in that.

"It was frustrating the opportunities that I feel like we left out there. I need to watch it back, but it felt like, although I'm proud we scored four tries, I think there's another four that should have been scored that we didn't give the last pass away. We weren't brave enough.

"There's a lot to reflect on, so yes, really frustrated. But bits to be proud of."

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Interim head coach Dave Butcher: "Canada are a top three side in the world consistently for a reason.

"They're very cohesive. They've been together for a long time and very well coached. So, yes, we absolutely knew what was coming down the pipe at us.

"I think for us, we were disappointed in the scoreline, but the endeavour we showed and the identity we were trying to create came out in small patches.

"I think now it's up to us to make those small patches into longer patches, to put consistent pressure on people.I really want to reward the endeavour that the team showed.

"We can't make as many unforced errors,but I love the endeavour that they showed and you could see the identity we tried to create coming through."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Fly-half Helen Nelson says Scotland will not allow the unexpected departure of head coach Sione Fukofuka to negatively impact their performances in the WXV Series.

Fukofuka departed last month citing a desire to be closer to his family in Australia, only to be announced as the new Australia head coach a little over a week later.

Scottish Rugby expressed surprise at Fukofuka's Wallaroos appointment having released him on compassionate grounds, but Nelson said the players have moved on quickly under interim head coach Dave Butcher as they prepare to face Canada in their WXV opener on Saturday.

"By the time that we came into camp, they'd done a lot of work behind the scenes to make sure that we were in a good place and that actually for players, it was pretty seamless, the transition," Nelson told BBC Scotland.

"I think the vibe Dave set and the ethos about camp has been really, really good and we've worked hard the last few weeks.

"We're in a good place now in terms of how we want to play. We've got a strong identity, defensively and attack, and we want to go and test that."

The last meeting between the sides was a 40-19 victory for Canada in the pool stage of last year's Rugby World Cup.

Despite the final scoreline, Scotland competed well against a side who went on to reach the final, and Nelson hopes they can do so again at Hive Stadium on Saturday.

"I think the Canadians thrive in kind of unpredictable play, that's how they want to be," she said.

"So we've prepared ourselves as best we can for that. I think the nature of them is you don't really know what's coming. That game at the World Cup, I really enjoyed.

"I think we went toe to toe with them at times and it's now just putting in that 80-minute performance."

Elise Brand
BBC Sport Scotland

Wing Shona Campbell has played down the effect of Scotland's recent coaching upheaval and says the team are used to just getting on with their jobs.

Saturday's WXV opener against Canada will be the first match under interim head coach Dave Butcher, following Sione Fukofuka's surprise departure at the beginning of August.

After facing the Canadians, Scotland have Tests against New Zealand and Australia.

"Dave's amazing. Everyone really, really likes him," Campbell said.

"I think the group's very used to just getting on next job kind of thing. And everyone's just bought into what Dave's trying to do here.

"And everyone's just focused on our little community, our little bubble and building that. So that's been the focus for us."

On the prospect of taking on last year's beaten World Cup finalists this weekend, Campbell said: "You want to play against the best and challenge yourself against the best, so having that opportunity is really exciting."

Canada beat Scotland 40-19 in the World Cup group stages, but Campbell says the side will take confidence from that performance.

"I think there's a level of confidence that can be taken out of that, being able to perform against the best," she said.

"But it's a very different squad. It's a very different cycle. And we're just trying to see it as a new opportunity."