Rugby Archive

Scotland's forthcoming tour is perhaps being billed as an early opportunity for many players to catch the eye but, for Steve Lawrie, getting to South Africa has been a circuitous, arduous and treacherous road.

Scotland will head to South Africa this summer seeking to identify a new species of player capable of winning regularly at Test level after nine uncapped players were named in the 31 tour party.

Scotland interim head coach Scott Johnson has named nine uncapped players in a 31-man squad for next month's international tournament in South Africa.

Glasgow Warriors have been given a "massive boost" ahead of Saturday's RaboDirect Pro12 semi-final against Leinster in Dublin, with the decision of Niko Matawalu to extend his stay at the club.

Fijian scrum-half Niko Matawalu has extended his contract with Glasgow Warriors until May 2015, the club announced today.

As SRU officials yesterday declared that a new Scotland head coach has been appointed but cannot be named, all indications pointed towards either Ewen McKenzie, the Queensland Reds head coach, or Wayne Smith, the former All Blacks supremo.

AND so it is another trip to Dublin for Glasgow, for a repeat of last season's Rabo-Direct Pro12 semi-final in the Irish capital.

You need to be a tough cookie to play rugby.

Howe of Fife go into their own sevens tournament today leading the way in the Legacy Sevens Series after the first two events.

Mark Dodson, the Scottish Rugby Union's chief executive, was quite right in saying yesterday that it is vital for the organisation to have an influential director of rugby in overall charge of the sport's development.

GLASGOW did their bit in Galway last night but in the end it was not enough.

Scott Johnson is to vacate his position as Scotland interim head coach to take up a new role as the Scottish Rugby Union's director of rugby.

GREG TONKS' first season in Edinburgh has brought regime change in the boardroom and the dressing-room while they have won only six matches out of 27, yet he is entitled to look back on it with a degree of satisfaction.

Steve Scott, Edinburgh's caretaker coach, dropped a clear hint yesterday that he expects to be involved on a more permanent basis next season as news that Ally Dickinson, the Scotland prop, would be joining the team next season prompted him to say he was "looking forward to working with him again".