Rugby Archive

Fifteen down, three to go, and still Glasgow Hawks have their fate in their own hands as they pursue a swift return to the top tier of Scottish rugby.

Scotland`s interim head coach Scott Johnson has recalled Euan Murray and Alasdair Strokosch to his squad for this Saturday`s RBS 6 Nation clash with Wales.

F or those who might have wondered if his first-half score against England last month showed the full range of Sean Maitland's talents, there is a comprehensive tribute reel on YouTube that shows beyond all doubt that he can indeed run in tries from more than three yards out.

A blistering burst of tries midway through the second half took Glasgow to the top of the RaboDirect Pro12 table in record-breaking fashion at Scotstoun last night.

Mark Bennett has turned his loan move back to Glasgow from Clermont Auvergne into a permanent return after agreeing a one-year deal with the Scotstoun club.

MICHAEL BRADLEY'S final contribution to Scottish rugby could be to help Glasgow in their quest for a play-off place, but the outgoing Edinburgh head coach says motivation to beat Scarlets in Llanelli tonight – and perhaps another top-four contender in Ulster later this month – comes from closer to home.

As Edinburgh's hunt for a playmaker who can help them find a way to turn their fortunes around, the head coach of Glasgow Warriors wants them to look outside of Scotland for a solution.

He may have witnessed the beginnings of an attempted coup, but the previously undisputed leader of Glasgow Warriors liked what he saw as his second-in-command led them to a crucial victory at Scotstoun last weekend.

DESPITE seeing two of his fellow coaches declared surplus to requirements after a season of unmitigated disaster, Neil Back, the man in charge of the Edinburgh forwards, has expressed interest in succeeding Michael Bradley as the head coach.

On the face of it, the prospect of a repeat of Scotland's success in the ultimate Five Nations Championship hangs over the next few weeks.

Scotland prop Ryan Grant insists Greig Laidlaw's match-winning display against Ireland proves interim head coach Scott Johnson called it right when he switched the Edinburgh man back to scrum-half.

Scott Johnson reckons his men pulled off rugby's version of "rope-a-dope" and, while he believes his men are now title contenders, he admitted they were fortunate not to be knocked out in double quick time at Murrayfield yesterday.

They completely failed in most of what they set out to do but Scotland's players seemed to glean almost as much satisfaction from addressing that yesterday as they would have had it gone perfectly.

Given the altitude he achieves by the simple act of standing up, Richie Gray should be used to breathing thin air by now.