Hastings returns from injury for Ospreys clash
Scotland international Adam Hastings will make his return from injury when Glasgow host Ospreys in the URC on Saturday.The versatile back fractured his jaw playing against Scarlets in the autumn, and has missed the Six Nations as a result.Hastings, 28, is named at full-back with Duncan Weir captaining the side from fly-half. Ben Afshar returns to the team at scrum-half, while Ollie Smith partners Duncan Munn in the centres.Jare Oguntibeju - who signed his first professional contract with the club this week - starts in the second row, and JP du Preez could make his first appearance in 650 days having been selected among the replacements.Defending champions Glasgow are second in the URC table, 10 points behind league-leaders Leinster.Glasgow side to face Ospreys: Hastings, Cancelliere, Smith, Munn, Cordero, Weir, Afshar; Schickerling, Stewart, Richardson, Oguntibeju, Samuel, Ferrie, Venter, Mann.Replacements: Matthews, McBeth, Talakai, Du Preez, Miller, Fraser, Kennedy, Johnston.
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Scotsman
6 hours ago
- Scotsman
Finn Russell explains kicking tweak after Calcutta Cup agony as Bath bid to scratch 29-year itch
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Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Russell, who missed three from three in the agonising Six Nations defeat, tweaked his technique for Scotland's next game against Wales and hasn't looked back. Finn Russell has already helped Bath win the European Challenge Cup this season, beating Lyon in the final in Cardiff. | Getty Images He kicked 17 points as Bath clinched their first European title in 17 years with a 37-12 win over Lyon in last month's Challenge Cup final in Cardiff. Now Leicester Tigers must be overcome if the West Country side are to reclaim the English championship crown they last won in 1996. It is a pivotal moment for both player and club. Bath paid top dollar to bring Russell to the Rec in 2023 and he and head coach Johann van Graan have set about restoring the famous institution's preeminence in the English game. It's easy to forget that Bath finished bottom of the Premiership as recently as 2022. Van Graan arrived at the Rec from Munster that summer but it was the signing of Russell from Racing 92 a year later that helped turn them into title challengers. They reached last season's Premiership final but were beaten by Northampton Saints after which Russell apparently told van Graan: 'We'll just have to do it next year now.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad They go into Saturday's game as odds-on favourites and Russell is relishing a return to the stadium which has witnessed some of the most extreme highs and lows of his career. 'I know the other side of playing at Twickenham – usually when I am there, it is 70-odd thousand fans against me,' said the fly-half. 'But it is always special playing in that stadium and hopefully our fans can make as much noise as possible.' Finn Russell looks dejected during the Guinness Six Nations 2025 match between England and Scotland at the Allianz Twickenham Stadium on February 22, 2025. | Getty Images Last year's 25-21 loss to Northampton can be placed in the debit side along with the recent England-Scotland game and the 2017 Calcutta Cup match which saw the hosts pulverise the Scots 61-21. But Russell also knows what it's like to lift the trophy at English rugby's HQ. He masterminded the stunning comeback which saw the visitors come from 0-31 behind to draw 38-38 in 2019, a result which saw Scotland retain the Calcutta Cup. He also pulled the strings as Scotland prevailed 11-6 in 2021, their first win at Twickenham in 38 years, and again in 2023 as Gregor Townsend's side triumphed 29-23. Russell will relish the big stage and have no qualms about assuming kicking duties once more after rediscovering his touch via a back-to-basics readjustment. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I kicked well in the last two finals,' he said. 'I started kicking off the deck instead of putting it on the tee for the warm-up. I feel that gets me in a better position kicking the ball and makes me more kind of relaxed and more natural. 'That's something I changed in the Six Nations after the England game, I did it before going into the Wales game, I think it was. I'll do that again this weekend and hopefully it'll be the same outcome.' Russell was 100 per cent off the tee against Wales, converting all five of Scotland's tries in the 35-29 win, and the good form has continued since. He now finds himself on the brink of a first league championship since he helped Glasgow Warriors win the Pro12 ten years ago. 'I came here to win things,' he said. 'I think as a group we're going in the right direction to, hopefully, achieving something special. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We've almost got back to where we want to be but, hopefully, we can go one step further. I love big games and playing in front of a sold-out Twickenham will be brilliant for us.' Russell is one of three Scotland internationals in Bath's match-day 23. Cameron Redpath, who missed the Challenge Cup final through injury, will start at inside centre and back-row forward Josh Bayliss has been named on the bench. Cameron Henderson is flying the Saltire for Leicester and victory at Twickenham would be especially sweet for the lock who missed a year of rugby after rupturing his anterior cruciate ligament last season. Cameron Redpath, right, will be outside Finn Russell as Bath take on Leicester Tigers in the Gallagher Premiership final. | Getty Images Bath finished top of the Premiership at the end of the regular season, 11 points ahead of second-placed Leicester, and this weekend's final has a whiff of nostalgia about it. The two clubs dominated the English top flight in its early years, winning 12 of the first 15 titles between 1988 and 2002. Leicester have continued to vie for top honours, clinching the league in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2022 to take their tally to 11 but you have to go back 29 years for Bath's last success. For van Graan, it's time to cast aside the weight of history. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scotland lock Cameron Henderson helps Leicester Tigers beat Sale Sharks in the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Semi Final | Getty Images 'When I joined Bath, you look at the history, the tradition, you read up on the club, and you see that this club at a time was was incredibly successful, specifically through the 1980s and the 90s,' the South African coach said. 'One thing that we all did together is we respect our history, but we started the club at zero in our minds on July 11, 2022. 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7 hours ago
- BBC News
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Scotsman
8 hours ago
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What TV channel is Leinster v Bulls on? How to watch URC final
New name on trophy as rival coaches feel the pressure Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The short history of the BKT United Rugby Championship has produced three different winners and a fourth name will be added to the roll of honour in Dublin on Saturday evening as Leinster and the Bulls contest the final. The South African side are hoping it will be a case of third time lucky after they fell at the final hurdle in 2022 - losing to the Stormers - and last season, when Glasgow Warriors defeated them in their own backyard. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Leinster are through to the final for the first time after losing in the semis three years in a row and are most people's favourites to lift the hulking silverware at Croke Park and end a trophy drought which has lasted since 2021 when they won the Guinness Pro14. Leinster captain Jack Conan and Vodacom Bulls skipper Ruan Nortjé with the BKT URC Trophy at Croke Park. | ©INPHO/Ben Brady A 40,000-plus attendance is expected at the GAA citadel in Dublin, a decent enough crowd given supporters have only had a week's notice and the obvious limitations on travelling fans. Jake White, the Bulls' World Cup-winning coach, is under pressure to deliver after last season's shock home loss to Glasgow but was diplomacy personified as he talked up Leinster at the pre-match press conference at Croke Park. 'Leinster are the benchmark, not just in the URC but in club rugby all over the world,' White said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Leinster, who dethroned Glasgow in last weekend's semi-final, also have to deal with the weight of expectation and Leo Cullen bit back at reporters. 'I think the way some of the questions are leading me it's like whoever loses is a failure in this game,' Cullen said. 'So they are two good teams going at it. If you lose in a final, are you classified as a failure?' What TV channel is the URC final? The match will be broadcast live on Premier Sports, with the subscription TV station offering two different options to viewers.
