Rugby Archive

Richie Gray will find out today whether he has any chance of taking part in this summer's British & Irish Lions tour of Australia after he was stretchered from the Murrayfield pitch on Saturday with a torn hamstring.

The referee's pock-marking of Saturday's match with constant interventions was the main talking point for most but Scotland's players knew they had only themselves to blame for returning to losing ways after back-to-back championship wins.

Let us rewind the Six Nations clock for a minute.

Mike Catt admitted it is "incredible" that England are even being talked of in the context of winning a Grand Slam just 13 months after head coach Stuart Lancaster began his rebuilding project.

A try by Matt Coupar eight minutes from the end of the RBS Premiership clash between Edinburgh Accies and Stirling County at Raeburn Place gave Accies a 13-10 win and threw the battle to avoid the play-off spot into the melting pot while ensuring Boroughmuir are relegated.

Scotland coach Scott Johnson picked his words carefully, and most carefully of all when he said he did not want to criticise yesterday's match referee Craig Joubert.

Wales kept alive their hopes of retaining the RBS 6 Nations title by winning a frustrating penalty-fest at cold and windy Murrayfield.

Scotland must beat Wales today if their long-awaited back-to-back RBS 6 Nations wins over Italy and Ireland are not to be dismissed as a fluke, according to the team's most experienced player.

Scotland's good progress this season was brought to a shuddering halt last night by a Wales side that dominated almost every aspect of the game to run in six tries and set themselves up for a grand slam decider with England.

Only a perfect Scotland performance will be good enough to secure a third successive RBS 6 Nations win, centre Dark Blues Sean Lamont has claimed.

Wales and Scotland may only have an outside chance of lifting the RBS 6 Nations trophy next weekend but, as the race for British & Irish Lions places, as well as the title, intensifies, rarely has there been more at stake for both sides ahead of tomorrow's match at Murrayfield.

Rearguard action may have set up Scotland's first back-to-back RBS 6 Nations wins in 12 years but their captain does not believe they can rely on it in their bid to make history by winning a third match in succession.

Having your hairstyle commended by Scott Johnson must be a bit like having your literary talents praised by Jeffrey Archer, but if Ryan Wilson can overcome his embarrassment at that, then he might like to focus on a few other things the Scotland coach had to say about him yesterday.

For the first time in almost two years, Sam Warburton will start an RBS 6 Nations Test match and not be Wales captain.