Milestone birthdays can sometimes be met with a sense of trepidation, but not for Doddie Weir, who will celebrate his 50th birthday on Saturday.  It is a milestone that must have seemed far in the distance when he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease – which has an average life expectancy of between one and five years – shortly before Christmas in 2016. Doddie is fighting the disease more now, by how own admission, but is still able to get up and down the stairs at his home unaided. Unsurprisingly, he’s still enjoying life and has a positive outlook, not least when it comes to his cel ..read more

Glasgow Warriors have today (Monday) completed the signing of Scotland U20 internationalist Rufus McLean. The versatile back can play right across the back three, and signs his first professional deal, graduating from the the FOSROC Scottish Rugby Academy. McLean played in four of Scotland’s U20 Six Nations games, scoring three tries. The 20-year-old, current Strathclyde Sport Scholar, has shone throughout Scottish age-grade rugby representing Scotland at U16, U17, U18 and U20 levels and being named in the 12-man Team GB U18 7s squad that took part in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games Qualifying Ev ..read more

Milestone birthdays can sometimes be met with a sense of trepidation, but not for Doddie Weir, who will celebrate his 50th birthday on Saturday. It is a milestone that must have seemed far in the distance when he was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease – which has an average life expectancy of between one and five years – shortly before Christmas in 2016. Doddie is fighting the disease more now, by how own admission, but is still able to get up and down the stairs at his home unaided. Unsurprisingly, he’s still enjoying life and has a positive outlook, not least when it comes to his celebrati ..read more

When he hangs up his boots in years to come, the 2019/20 season was not one that Ross Bundy will look back on with many fond memories, but the former Scotland age-grade internationalist is on the move this summer and looking forward to a new chapter in his rugby career with Narbonne. At Stirling County, Bundy struggled for game-time in FOSROC Super6 and that led him to Darlington Mowden Park, where fellow Scot Garry Law helped arrange a loan deal until the end of the season. The back-five forward was beginning to rediscover his best form, only for COVID-19 to bring the season to a premature co ..read more

Edinburgh Head Coach Richard Cockerill has dismissed any notion that FOSROC Super6 is not up to the required standard to develop players of the future. Scotland prop Gordon Reid said recently the semi professional league is not good enough for young front row players, but Cockerill insisted on a Zoom call with the media this afternoon (Friday) that he does not believe that to be the case, while adding that he’ll look to the league for a Scottish qualified stand-off to fill the void left in his squad by Jono Lance’s signing falling through. “I’ve seen a bit of criticism of Super6 over the last ..read more

Week three of Super Rugby Aotearoa is nearly upon us, with table-topping Blues, unbeaten so far, set to welcome the Highlanders, and the Crusaders facing Warren Gatland’s Chiefs. Again, SCRUM has picked the brains of Stirling County’s Caleb Korteweg and Watsonians’ Morgan Inness after the pair correctly backed the Blues and Crusaders to win last weekend. With the duo level at 2-2 in the race to find a winner, here’s what they had to say about this weekend’s games. Blues vs Highlanders Caleb: I think the Blues will win against the Highlanders, they’ve built good momentum and have named an uncha ..read more

Richard Cockerill is keen to stay at Edinburgh beyond the end of his current contract, which expires at the end of the 2020/21 season. The former Leicester Tigers and Toulon boss has taken the club on leaps and bounds since he took over, with a place in the Guinness PRO14 semi-finals within reach for the truncated 2019/20 season. And Cockerill said today (Friday) that he’s keen to speak to the Scottish Rugby hierarchy about a new deal. “I’m out of contract next May and if the Union want me to stay on then I am very open to that, I have never alluded to anything different. “We’ve got a good gro ..read more

Former Scotland captain Bryan Redpath believes the current number nines, Ali Price and George Horne, could force their way into the British and Irish Lions squad next summer. The Glasgow Warriors pair were in good form prior to the COVIID-19 shutdown, and Redpath believes if they can pick up where they left off when rugby returns in August, they could come into full view of Lions Head Coach Warren Gatland. “They are both very talented. “It’s a great time for them to be coming through – Conor Murray will be finishing up soon, England have got two ageing scrum-halves in Ben Youngs and Conor Murr ..read more

London Scottish have today (Friday) completed the signings of three new players to bolster their prop contingent. Harry Morley, Curtis Reynolds and Jake Ellwood will all move to London Scottish, from Jersey Reds, Pontypridd and Ealing Trailfinders, respectively. Reynolds is also Scottish-qualified, and is looking forward to representing the club when the 2020/21 Greene King IPA Championship season does get started. “Having family in London and the local area, plus also being Scottish qualified just makes me even more excited and privileged to pull on the jersey. “I’m looking forward to fi ..read more

Edinburgh have continued to strengthen their squad for the upcoming campaign with the signing of hooker Sam Kitchen, subject to medical. Kitchen, 26, joins the club from Ayrshire Bulls in a partnership deal with the FOSROC Super6 side. The Australian-born hooker joined the Bulls from Sydney side Northern Suburbs in September 2019 and finished as the FOSROC Super6 top try-scorer with eight scores in his debut season at Millbrae. On penning a partnership deal, Kitchen, said: “I’m honoured to have the opportunity to sign with Edinburgh Rugby. “It’s been an incredible journey and I look forward to ..read more