After a much narrower loss to France than previous encounters had suggested, Scotland head coach Bryan Easson looks to continue the upward trend for the visit of undoubted tournament favourites and current table-toppers, England. In front of a sold out 7,774 fans at Hive Stadium – the second attendance record in as many home games – skipper Rachel Malcolm will once again lead the side, while for the Red Roses there is a change at captain with Zoe Aldcroft taking the armband and regular skipper Marlie Packer on the bench. Elsewhere Chloe Rollie and Lana Skeldon return to the starting XV with th ..read more

Craig and Rory cosy up to chat about Scotland’s narrow 5-15 loss to France in the Women’s Six Nations, as well as the latest news from the pro game. The post Podcast: Episode 289 – Scotland vs France appeared first on Scottish Rugby Blog ..read more

Scotland fought until the end but France got the better of them in a close match which was an encouraging sign for where this Scotland team may be. Here are some talking points from a valiant performance. Defence impresses again Scotland were unable to match their extraordinary 97% tackle completion rate from the week before, but their defence was once again excellent. In previous years, line breaks were kryptonite to this Scotland team, frequently conceding a try if the attackers got in behind the main line. France did manage seven linebreaks through their fast offloading game. In response, h ..read more

France were heavy favourites to end Scotland’s unbeaten streak, having demolished them 55-0 last year, but the Scots’ newfound confidence along with their defensive excellence made the job much tougher this year. Scotland’s only try came from Elis Martin who was excellent on her first international start. Apart from this, Scotland didn’t really look like scoring, and didn’t often threaten to break through France’s defensive line. France threw offloads left right and centre and crossed the game line with most of their carries, but their slew of handling errors allowed the Scottish defence to ke ..read more

John is back, joined by Craig and Iain to look at Wales v Scotland in the Women’s 6 Nations, talk about some thorny issues with club selections and look back at the career of WP Nel. We broadcast the podcast live and you can watch and join in on the night. You can also choose to watch or listen back afterwards by one of our video or podcast channels: YouTube – www.youtube.com/scottishrugbyblog Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-scottish-rugby-podcast/id1195370479?mt=2 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3gmKpRaLw8kBYDXpkmLnim All other podcast apps: https ..read more

Scotland Women’s Head Coach Bryan Easson has shown confidence in the team that made history last weekend as they return home to the Hive Stadium to face France with just two adjustments to the starting XV. After coming on for Sarah Bonar in the win against Wales, McMillan will start in the second row alongside Emma Wassell. Also enforced by injury to starting hooker Lana Skeldon, Elis Martin makes her first start for Scotland. She will pack down with Leah Bartlett and Christine Belisle in the front row. The backline remains unchanged from last weekend’s history-making clash with Wales, as Cait ..read more

Scotland overturned a run of narrow defeats against Wales to come away with a first win in Cardiff since 2004 and seven test victories in a row for the first time in their history. Here are some talking points from the match. Professionalism and confidence make a difference After defeat to France in Round 3 last year, Scotland were 11th in the world rankings, roughly the same position they had been for years. Now, 15 months into professional contracts, they sit at their highest-ever rank of 6th. In this fixture last year, it looked like Wales’ might be pulling ahead having moved earlier to con ..read more

Scotland start their tournament in Wales where they have never won. Can they keep their WXV2 form rolling into this tournament? Where it all go wrong/right? Wales: Jenny Hesketh, Jasmine Joyce, Hannah Jones, Kerin Lake, Nel Metcalfe, Lleucu George, Keira Bevan; Gwenllian Pyrs, Kelsey Jones, Sisilia Tuipulotu, Natalia John, Abbie Fleming, Alisha Butchers, Alex Callender, Bethan Lewis. Replacements: Carys Phillips, Abbey Constable, Donna Rose, Georgia Evans, Kate Williams, Sian Jones, Niamh Terry, Carys Cox. Scotland: Meryl Smith, Rhona Lloyd, Emma Orr, Lisa Thomson, Coreen Grant ..read more

Jonny is joined by Craig, Iain and Rory to review how the Men’s and Under-20’s Six Nations went for Scotland, as well as looking forward to the upcoming Women’s 6 Nations tournament and rounding up the latest Scottish rugby news. We broadcast the podcast live and you can watch and join in on the night. You can also choose to watch or listen back afterwards by one of our video or podcast channels: YouTube – www.youtube.com/scottishrugbyblog Apple Podcasts: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-scottish-rugby-podcast/id1195370479?mt=2 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3gmKpRaL ..read more

Scotland play their final game of the tournament away in Dublin. Did Scotland manage to win a first Triple Crown since 1990? Where it all go wrong/right? Give us your thoughts on the game. Please put your post-game discussion points on this post – bearing in mind our Comment Policy. Please keep it on topic for the discussion of the actual Ireland game itself and not immediately posting your team for next year. The post Six Nations 2024: Ireland v Scotland Discussion Post appeared first on Scottish Rugby Blog ..read more