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The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Jamie Ritchie & Rory Darge react to British & Irish Lions snub
Both Edinburgh's Ritchie and Glasgow Warriors' Rory Darge were not included in the squad for the tour of Australia as eight Scots made the cut. Scott Cummings, Zander Fagerson and Pierre Schoeman are the Scottish representatives among a 21-strong selection of forwards for the Lions. Huw Jones, Blair Kinghorn, Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu and Duhan van der Merwe feature in the 17-man backs selection. The eight-man Scotland inclusion matches the number of Scots involved in the last tour in 2021, and is one shy of the all-time record from 1989. Ritchie and Darge were overlooked but neither player required support after the decision with the experience to be used as motivation moving forward as both men remain satisfied with their efforts even if they were not selected. 'Personally, I feel like I'd done all I could in terms of how I performed and stuff, so I was comfortable with that," said Ricthie on the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast. 'At the end of the day, it's down to someone's opinion and decision-making and what they feel they need in their squad. At that point, it's outside of my control. For 2021, I feel like I was further away than I was this year, but I was more upset then. Read more: 'I'm a bit more mature now in terms of how I react to these things. Obviously, it would have been nice to have that moment, but I'm comfortable with the performances that I've put in to put myself in the mix. I said this to my wife because she was quite upset when we watched it together. 'I said to her, if you look at the position we were in a year ago after Six Nations, where it hadn't gone the way I wanted to in terms of selection and missing out on the captaincy and humming and hawing about whether or not I was going to go on the summer tour, if we'd said we'd be sitting here at the Lions announcement day, feeling like we were in with a real shout and then disappointed when it didn't happen, we would absolutely have taken it. 'That's the perspective that I'm taking on at the moment. I felt like I did all I could. The call didn't come, and that's OK.' Ritchie discussed the thinking behind selections with Lions and Scotland coach John Dalziel but has not had any official word over making a standby list for the tour. 'I know how much I put into this game and how much I put into preparing and going out and playing and putting my body through, so why should other people get to experience that?' said Darge. 'And I'm not saying that from a negative point of view, it's purely a positive point of view. 'I was delighted for the guys that are involved and it just was a bit of a motivator for me, really, and something to aspire to. 'You have to have that initial bit where you are gutted and you're like, 'why can't I be involved in that?' But then, really quickly you're able to be like, that's something to aspire to, that's something to hopefully one day be a part of.'
BBC News
30-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Listen: Edinburgh 'on cusp of breakthrough'?
This week's BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast sees Andy Burke and Tom English at the Hive Stadium in Edinburgh to speak to club veteran Grant Gilchrist before the Challenge Cup semi-final with Bath on and Tom also look back on Scotland's Women's Six Nations victory against Ireland, Glasgow's URC defeat by the Bulls, and ponder whether Finn Russell will get a Lions and subscribe on BBC Sounds
BBC News
25-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Scotland must find their inner 'dog' in vital finale
Emma Wassell says Scotland have "wrongs to right" in their "vital" final game of the Women's Six Nations against Ireland on suffered a damaging loss at home to Italy in round three, Bryan Easson's side have only one win from four having targeted three victories this now host an improving Ireland who had a seismic win over New Zealand last year. The Irish have won two from four in a tournament that is especially important given the World Cup takes place in England in Wassell, whose return to rugby is progressing following operations to remove a tumour in her chest last autumn, has called on her team-mates to find their inner-dog against the Irish."You can't really coach bringing out the dog," the 30-year-old told the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast. "Sometimes you need something that can bring that out and individual players just need to find what it is."This game is vital. Ultimately, you could see us bottom of the table [if results go against them] and that's the honest truth of it."The disappointing and unexpected loss to Italy in Edinburgh was the day Scotland's campaign went off track, Wassell added: "I don't think it was really us out there. It felt quite flat. Why that is, I don't think we're 100% sure. Verbally, no one was complacent, but mentally, have we almost assumed that we would win that game? It's hard to really pinpoint it."Everyone knew it wasn't good enough. I think we have a few wrongs to right. Sometimes before a game it's very easy to go into your shell and I think we need players to express themselves out there."I know the capabilities of this squad. So, yes, fans may be frustrated, but it's really hard and the players feel it more than ever."
BBC News
16-04-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Listen to latest episode of BBC's Scottish Rugby Podcast
Tom English and Andy Burke discuss contrasting fortunes for Edinburgh and Glasgow in Europe, plus disappointment for Scotland in the Women's Six to the latest episode of the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast.
BBC News
27-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Edinburgh woes and where is Nucifora?
BBC Scotland rugby reporter Andy Burke has been answering some of your asked: When is someone going to read the riot act to these Edinburgh players? Time for coaching/player overhaul to sort this shambles. Slash the wage bill and give more Under-20s a chance??Andy answered: If I had a pound for every time we have had to discuss Edinburgh's infuriating inconsistency, either online or on air, I would be a very wealthy man.I have no idea what it will take to get these Edinburgh players to perform to their potential on a weekly basis. Crucially, Sean Everitt does not, after almost two years in the job, seem any closer to solving the puzzle Richard Cockerill first arrived in 2017, reading the riot act was exactly what he did and exactly what was required. I always recall Simon Bergan telling us how Cockerill had toughened him up a Englishman's combative style was only ever going to have a limited shelf life, but it seems the current squad are once again at that point that they need an authoritative figure to come in and sort them your point about fielding more U20s, I think Edinburgh should – and will – move on some older players whose best days are behind them, but the youngsters replacing them need to be of the required standard or else you are simply putting out lambs to the Douglas looks ready now, he's a special talent and should play a prominent role between now and the end of the asked: In December the SRU announced the appointment of David Nucifora with great fanfare given by the media yet we've heard nothing since other than his impending absence with the Lions. Known as a man of action, and in light of Edinburgh's dire form, Franco Smith's uncertain future and Scotland's poor Six Nations, when will we see the first signs of his influence?Andy answered: The Nucifora situation is an interesting one. When we spoke to new SRU chief executive Alex Williamson on the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast at the end of January, he said he could not see any downsides to Nucifora going off on tour with the Lions. I'm not so sure about we are with Scotland coming off an underwhelming Six Nations and many people questioning whether Gregor Townsend is still the right man to take the national team forward, Sean Everitt looking more and more like a lame duck at Edinburgh, and Franco Smith seemingly itching for his next is uncertainty surrounding the three top jobs in Scottish rugby right now and the man tasked with overseeing it all presumably has his head in all things Lions.A post-tournament review is standard after every Six Nations and it will be interesting to see what, if anything, comes from this it is radio silence and business as normal, there will be a sense that Nucifora's priorities are not where they need to be from a Scottish rugby perspective.
