Latest news with #ColinGregor
BBC News
17-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Listen to latest episode of BBC Scotland Rugby Pod
The latest episode of the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast is now O'Neill is joined by former Scotland 7s international Colin Gregor and BBC Scotland's chief sports writer, Tom talk British and Irish Lions selection, with Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones all picked to start Saturday's first Test against Australia, Scotland's defeat by Fiji and their upcoming Test against and listen to the episode in full.
BBC News
17-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Scotland must beat Samoa 'in emphatic fashion'
Summer Test: Samoa v Scotland Venue: Eden Park, Auckland Date: Friday, 18 July Time: 08:35 BSTCoverage: Watch on BBC iPlayer, video coverage and live text updates on the BBC Sport website & app Scotland must beat Samoa in "emphatic fashion" if they are to salvage their summer tour, according to former Glasgow Warriors scrum-half Colin Townsend's side beat the Maori All Blacks 29-26 in the first game of their trip before being soundly beaten by Fiji in Suva last was a punishing match in terms of the result, the collisions and also world ranking points. Scotland's hopes of a favourable draw for the 2027 World Cup took a significant spoke earlier this week about finishing on a high and Gregor says they not only have to win but win in style."Win, first and foremost," he told the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast. "And in emphatic fashion."The damage has been done to the world rankings, the impact on the World Cup, these sort of things." Gregor says it is also an opportunity for certain players to push themselves to the front of the queue for opportunities in the autumn."It's now about looking at where can they make some improvements?" he said. "And then looking a bit bigger picture, where are the potential combinations? "Where are the potential guys that are really going to step up and say 'right, when called upon, I'm going to be in the mix for a starting position, or at least a squad position."A second defeat for Scotland is "not worth thinking about" and Gregor warned that Samoa have the ability to hurt Scotland if the tourists fall below their best level."You're back in Auckland, playing Samoa, who don't offer the same threats as Fiji but who still have enough quality to make it uncomfortable if you get it wrong," he said."The vultures are always circling, but coming back from this tour, you'd hope you'd get a couple of good wins and unity has grown in the squad."Two losses is not worth thinking about." Samoa playing first game of 2025 Townsend has made five changes to his starting line-up following the defeat by Tom Jordan and back row Jamie Ritchie picked up injuries in Suva, Cameron Redpath also misses out, lock Marshall Sykes drops to the bench, while wing Darcy Graham has been called up by the British and Irish prop Rory Sutherland and hooker Ewan Ashman start before they head to Australia to swell the depleted Lions Steyn moves from left to right wing as Arron Reed comes in at 11, while Rory Hutchinson and Stafford McDowall make up a new centre Brown comes into the second row and Andy Onyeama-Christie takes over at blind-side who pulled out of their 2024 northern hemisphere tour due to near-bankruptcy, are playing their first competitive match this have also had to relinquish home advantage after the western grandstands of Apia Park were condemned for urgent demolition, although they should have a significant vocal support in Auckland - a city with an estimated 135,000 Samoan they lost heavily to Japan and Fiji last year, Samoa also defeated Tonga, United States, Spain and top-tier Italy to sit between Wales and Japan at 13th in the World Rugby rankings - six spots behind the the Scots have only lost twice and won 10 of their meetings, including 34-0 at their most recent at the 2019 World Cup, Samoa's last victory came during the previous Lions tour of Australia.
BBC News
07-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Leinster 37-19 Glasgow Warriors: What the pundits said
Former Glasgow Warriors back Colin Gregor on BBC Radio Scotland: "Glasgow couldn't get any foothold in the game."The downpour shifted the dynamics. Catch and pass takes longer with a wet ball and Leinster adapted better."The old failings of Glasgow is when they don't have the ball, they try to force something, but they didn't have the accuracy they needed."Former Scotland captain John Barclay on Premier Sports: "Glasgow couldn't get their attacking shape all day and were absorbing pressure."They didn't have enough physicality and were well beaten."Former Leinster fly-half Ian Madigan on Premier Sports: "It's not the prettiest part of the game, but Leinster's kicking was so good and Glasgow couldn't respond. "There are kickers all over the Leinster team while the Warriors didn't seem to have a plan B."
BBC News
06-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Warriors must 'stay in the fight' against Leinster
Glasgow Warriors must "stay in the fight" and use the pressure of the occasion to overcome Leinster in the URC semi-finals, according to the club's former scrum-half Colin Smith's side travel to Dublin for Saturday's match seeking a first away win over Leinster in six Gregor believes there is a mental fragility to Leinster that could benefit defending champions Glasgow."They seem to have a bit of a wobble at the latter stages," Gregor told BBC Scotland. "Three European Cup finals they lost, they lost at home this season in the semi-final of the European Cup, and at home last season in the URC semi-final."There's question marks around the mental resilience, their decision-making under pressure. Maybe they are missing the experience Johnny Sexton provided for a number of years. They had a bit of a wobble, but got through last week in the quarter-finals against Scarlets."For Glasgow, it's about staying in the fight and making it really difficult for Leinster. Keep the game as close as possible and see if that home crowd get on the backs of the Leinster players who are desperate for a victory. The longer they go without it, the more the pressure builds."Glasgow can take real heart from how they dispatched Stormers last week, but also last season when they went over to Munster in the semi-finals."Smith is a very astute coach. He'll have the team ready to go. He'll know what he's doing with picking Adam Hastings and having six forwards on the bench."
BBC News
26-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Stack of evidence against Everitt is mounting'
After another Edinburgh defeat, the future of head coach Sean Everitt is a hot topic on this week's episode of the BBC Scotland Rugby Burke and Colin Gregor also look back at wins for Scotland in the Women's Six Nations and Glasgow in the we hear from Scotland flanker Rachel McLachlan before the game with France this and subscribe on BBC Sounds
