Rugby Archive

Mike Blair, the Scotland scrum-half, has confirmed he has joined French Pro2 club Brive from Edinburgh.

Given they seem intent on causing his career to stall, you might have expected Netani Talei, the Fijian captain, to be a touch resentful towards the young, impertinent back rows at Edinburgh who made it so hard for him to win a starting place in his club team.

Against a backdrop of increasingly noisy sabre-rattling by those English and French sides who have demanded sweeping changes to the tournament's format, yesterday's draw for the pool stages of next season's Heineken Cup threw up a clutch of fascinating ties in which Scotland's two representatives will renew their acquaintances with foes from campaigns past.

THE long wait is over and Dutchman Tim Visser has finally qualified to play for Scotland.

HE may not be captain any more, but there is no doubt that Alastair Kellock is making his presence felt on the Scotland tour.

HE is as Dutch as the tulips of Amsterdam and had to learn the words to Flower of Scotland on the flight over but if Tim Visser is not the latest and proudest Scotland international by this time next week, it will be the shock of the tour.

Winger Julian Savea celebrated a spectacular first Test appearance with a hat-trick of tries as New Zealand beat Ireland at Eden Park in Auckland.

Morne Steyn and Jean de Villiers touched down as a second-half South African barrage broke England's resistance in the first Test in Durban.

Greig Oliver ran the whole gamut of emotions from his temporary base in Cape Town last week and reflected on the peripatetic nature of modern rugby.

Scotland under-20s came desperately close to causing a major upset in round two of the IRB Junior World Championship in losing to France, the Pool C second seeds, by a single point at the University of Western Cape in Cape Town yesterday.

Test debutant Mike Harris has defended Australia's tactics in their defeat by Scotland, insisting a more expansive game-plan "was not an option" in the wet and windy conditions.

MARK McKENZIE, the former Scotland A stand-off, has been appointed St Aloysius College's new director of rugby.

IT is all about kicks and courage.