Latest news with #DarcyGraham
BBC News
3 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Edinburgh score first try against Bulls
Update: Date: 4 mins Title: Converted try Bulls 0-7 EDINBURGH Content: Wes Goosen The man with family from Pretoria scores in the corner! What a homecoming! Expansive rugby from Edinburgh, with Harry Paterson shining. They go right to left, and execute with accuracy. Speaking off, Ross Thompson bisects the posts with an inch-perfect kick from the touchline. What a start! Update: Date: 3 mins Title: Sin-bin Sebastian de Klerk (Bulls) Content: Bulls 0-0 Edinburgh It's a yellow card, according to referee Adam Jones. De Klerk is trying to charge Graham down, but his shoulder catches Darcy Graham flush on the chin. The crowd aren't happy, but it looks more clumsy than aggressive. Either way, it's contact to the head. Update: Date: 3 mins Title: Post Content: Bulls 0-0 Edinburgh A contentious early moment. Darcy Graham takes a shoulder to the chops as he kicks ahead. The Bulls field the ball, and aim at Edinburgh's right wing - where Graham is still strewn on the floor. Adam Jones chooses not to stop the play, but the ball eventually leaves the field organically. They're now having a look at this. Update: Date: 2 mins Title: Last time out at the Hive... Content: Bulls 0-0 Edinburgh It's not been too long since these two sides last met and Edinburgh sprung a surprise in the Challenge Cup quarters. Sean Everitt's side held off a second-half fightback to secure a home semi-final, after two tries from James Lang and a Magnus Bradbury score put the hosts 24-7 up at the break. Grant Gilchrist's try gave Edinburgh breathing space on the scoreboard before the Bulls came back strongly with a penalty try, one from Cameron Hanekom and a second from Kriel to set up a grandstand finish, but the hosts held on. The aggregate score between these sides so far this season? 50-50. Update: Date: 0 mins Title: Kick-off / First-half Content: Bulls 0-0 Edinburgh Adam Jones is the referee, resplendent in his purple and fluorescent green kit. Keaghan Johannes, the stand-in stand-off due to the absence of Johan Goosen, kicks us off. Update: Date: 12:29 BST Title: Statue awaiting if Everitt can scale URC mountain Content: Bulls v Edinburgh (12:30) Tom EnglishBBC Scotland's chief sports writer on Sportsound Jamie asked: What is success for Edinburgh in the play-offs? Is it crazy to think Edinburgh have a better chance at the title than Glasgow? Tom answered: I wouldn't say Edinburgh have a better chance. They have a really hard assignment away to Bulls on Saturday and if they win that then, on seeding, they'll be playing Sharks away in the semi-final and, again on seeding, Leinster away in the final. That's a brutal run. If they win the URC then forget the chat about Sean Everitt keeping his job, the only thing up for debate at that point will be where to put his statue. Update: Date: 12:27 BST Title: What happened last night? Content: Bulls v Edinburgh (12:30) Glasgow Warriors continued their defence of the URC title last night by putting the Stormers to the sword, thereby booking their place in the last four. Rory Darge, Kyle Rowe and Henco Venter crossed for first-half tries for the hosts, with a Seabelo Senatla try and eight points from the boot of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu keeping the Stormers within six points at the break. Senatla struck early in the second half for the South African side, but Glasgow responded with tries from George Horne and another from Rowe to ease home with a bit to spare. Warriors will face either Leinster or Scarlets, who meet in Dublin on Saturday, in next weekend's semi-final. Rory Darge dazzled after his Lions' disappointment Update: Date: 12:25 BST Title: Everitt wants Edinburgh to 'stay in the fight' Content: Bulls v Edinburgh (12:30) Edinburgh head coach Sean Everitt tells Premier Sports: "We're all excited, it's been a great week. We flew in on Wednesday and had a light couple of days. It's massive for the club, and for Scottish rugby. "It was really good [braai]. Jake did some chops and ribs, his wife made a lovely salad. We had a good evening." "We're always excited to play the Bulls. We played them five weeks ago and got the result, we'll take a lot of confidence out of that. It's a bigger challenge for us, but one we know we can win if we play well. "It's about being really good in the first 20 minutes. They've scored 29 tries here in the first 20 minutes this season. It's about staying in the fight, like Glasgow did last year." Update: Date: 12:22 BST Title: How did Edinburgh get here? Content: Bulls v Edinburgh (12:30) It's been an odd season for Edinburgh. For much of it, they flattered to deceive, struggling with the same problem that hamstrung them last year - inconsistency. It was immensely frustrating to watch, given the talent on show. Pierre Schoeman and Duhan van der Merwe will be a touring Lions, while Jamie Ritchie and Darcy Graham will be high-up on the standby list. Yet, they found a bit of momentum at the end of the season to defy the odds and book a place in the play-offs thanks to a triumphant win over Ulster. Sean Everitt has been under pressure at times, but he's got his side going at the right time. Can they continue this run and do the unthinkable? Pierre Schoeman celebrates with Darcy Graham Update: Date: 12:20 BST Title: Van der Merwe out, Ritchie starts Content: Bulls v Edinburgh (12:30 BST) Duhan van der Merwe is the big miss for Edinburgh, as Sean Everitt makes just one change to his capital side. Jamie Ritchie, who will join Perpignan this summer, starts at blindside flanker as Ben Muncaster drops to the bench from the team that beat Ulster to clinch a play-off spot. Scotland wing Van der Merwe, who has been sidelined since March with ankle ligament damage, has resumed training and is with the squad in South Africa. But Everitt said: "He's probably still a few days away from being ready to return to full match action. We're managing his return carefully to ensure he's fully prepared when he does step back onto the field." Update: Date: 12:18 BST Title: TEAM NEWS from Pretoria Content: Bulls v Edinburgh (12:30) Bulls: Le Roux, Moodie, Kriel, Vorster, De Klerk; Johannes, Papier; Wessels, Grobbelaar, Louw, Wiese, Van Heerden, Coetzee, Nortje (c), Hanekom. Replacements: A Van der Merwe, Matanzima, Smith, Kirsten, Van Staden, Burger, Gans, Williams. Edinburgh: Goosen, Graham, Currie, Lang, Paterson, Thompson, Price, Schoeman, Ashman, Rae, Sykes, Skinner, Ritchie, Watson, Bradbury (c). Replacements: Harrison, Venter, Sebastian, McConnell, Muncaster, McAlpine, Healy, Bennett. Update: Date: 12:15 BST Title: Welcome to Loftus! Content: Bulls v Edinburgh (12:30 BST) Edinburgh's season has come down to this. Win, and it's a place in the semi-finals. Lose, and it's all over. It's a place that we Scottish rugby fans know well, given Glasgow's heroics last year. But can Edinburgh repeat the feat and pull off a heist at altitude?
The Citizen
26-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
URC quarter-final: Six Edinburgh players the Bulls should watch out for
Several players will stand out as Edinburgh unleash their full strength chasing a maiden win at Loftus. Edinburgh's Darcy Graham scored three tries against Ulster in their last game, on 16 May. Picture: Calum Chittleburgh/SNS Group via Getty Images The Bulls have set up another exciting quarter-final against Edinburgh after going down against them in the Challenge Cup last month. The teams clash at Loftus this time, and in the United Rugby Championship, after they finished second and seventh on the table, respectively. Historically, the Bulls have won both of their home games against the Scottish side, while Edinburgh have won all three of theirs. But anything can happen in a knockout. Here are six of the biggest individual threats the Bulls will face in their game against Edinburgh on Saturday, at 1.30pm. Darcy Graham The nimble-footed winger has dazzled on the pitch this season. He has 21 clean breaks to his name, just two behind the leader, despite missing six games in the tournament. The Scottish international also has six tries to his name, the joint-best in the team, and has beaten the fourth-most defenders in the tournament (55). The flyer has gained a whopping 698 metres in the tournament, highlighting him as one of the biggest threats at Loftus. Duhan van der Merwe Another star Scottish international winger, Van der Merwe has missed half of Edinburgh's season due to injury. His form before the ankle injury in March saw him score four tries and beat 31 defenders in nine matches, also making the third-most metres for the side. He's tipped to be available soon and will want to build on that record, especially in a bid to justify his British & Irish Lions selection. Edinburgh's Duhan van der Merwe was tipped to return from injury, possibly by the end of the month. Picture: Mark Scates/SNS Group via Getty Images Ross Thompson The team's leading points scorer with 110 points to his name (fourth in the tournament). The 26-year-old flyhalf has played all 18 URC games for Edinburgh, starting in all but two. His kicking success rate is a decent 74% as he shares goal-kicking duties with Ben Healy (35 points at 78%). But Thompson will want to improve on that as he duplicates what made him a success for Glasgow and Scotland before this season. Edinburgh's Ross Thompson kicks the ball during their URC match against the Sharks. Picture: Calum Chittleburgh/SNS Group via Getty Images Pierre Schoeman The former Bulls man has had a good season at Edinburgh, driving the scrum at loosehead prop and securing six tries in the URC. He's a go-to man in the team with 124 carries and will be tipped to lead in the set-piece and attack. He will want to show why he was picked to tour with the British and Irish Lions to Australia. Hamish Watson The English-born Scottish international has been formidable in both attack and defence at openside flanker for Edinburgh. The veteran leads the team's tackles with 177 and has made 106 carries despite missing four games. He's experienced and dependable and will be keeping things together for the Scottish side. Edinburgh's Hamish Watson will bring his experience to bear in attack and defence. Picture: Ross Parker/SNS Group via Getty Images Ben Muncaster The young, upcoming Scottish back-row player has also been good on both sides of the ball. He's earned six tries while making 161 tackles and will be a handful in attack and defence again. Will come up against a powerful Bulls loose trio and will be out to show what he's made of against a few Springbok players. Special mentions must go to South African-born Wes Goosen who hasn't scored any tries in the URC yet but gained 767 metres and beaten 39 defenders, and Matt Currie, who scored five tries and completed 11 offloads. They are threatening players who are not in quite as good form as their counterparts in the same positions, who have been mentioned.
BBC News
20-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Why we love hat-trick hero Graham'
A wee while back I welcomed you all to the inaugural meeting of the Wes Goosen Appreciation Society. If you didn't attend it might just have been because you were at the regular weekly meeting of the 'We love Darcy Graham' week's gathering was at the Hive when Graham became only the second player in Edinburgh's professional history to score a trio of has plenty of time to top the list as the player he is tied with is the retired Tim Visser. Graham is already the only player to have scored four tries in a match for did something else for the first time too as he got his first yellow card in Edinburgh colours. This is a bit of a surprise as he literally and figuratively plays on the first Edinburgh try came on his debut, against London Irish in December 2017 in the Challenge Cup. I was there and remember the try like it was yesterday as it still typifies his playing were attacking down the left and Phil Burleigh knocked through a grubber. It took a wicked bounce into the air just before the try line over the head of the Irish defender. Graham leapt like a salmon and caught the ball before diving over the defender to score in the were winning 31-10 at the time. There was no requirement for him to put himself in such danger but I don't think it even crossed his mind. His focus was laser Cockerill, prior to the match when asked about giving his debut to the former sevens man, said he "doesn't back away from any contest" and that "I think there's a big future for him".Cockers got that spot on. He seemed to have an eye for a winger!Graham was my player of the match against Ulster last weekend although there were several candidates in what was an outstanding display by biggest win against Ulster in terms of tries scored, margin and points total. More importantly the victory came at a moment when it was basically boom or bust for our top-eight hopes and when faced with that scenario last season against Benetton we folded like a cheap suit. That in itself is progress.A tougher test awaits away to Bulls in the play-offs but we have earned the right to take Smith can be found at The Burgh Watch, external
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'That's what happens when we get it right'
Magnus Bradbury, Edinburgh's captain against Ulster on Friday night, spoke about his team's "tunnel vision" and "steely focus" in the critical win that took them into the URC knockouts as well as securing a place in the Champions Cup next season. Bradbury scored two of Edinburgh's seven tries in a powerhouse performance that also featured a hat-trick from Darcy Graham and an all-action display from Hamish Watson that conjured up memories of the flanker at his Test match best. "That's what happens when you get it right," said Bradbury, who is in fine form having fallen out of the international picture in recent times. Bradbury's inconsistency has held him back over the years, something he's at a loss to explain now that he's firing on all cylinders. "Mate, if I could tell you what it was, I'd answer a lot of questions for coaches. I'm playing well now because I'm just enjoying my rugby. "I'm enjoying being back here at Edinburgh. I'm enjoying coming to work each day. I wake up in the morning, and I can't wait to come and see the boys. I can't wait to come and improve. We talk about, it's a cliche and I hate to say it, but that 1% better every day." The back-row praised the veteran Watson for his outstanding finish to the season. "He's always been quality in my eyes," Bradbury added. "I think there's a bit of a stereotype around, once you reach a certain age. You're rubbish, essentially. I think that's unfair in this day and age. "There's a lot of top-flight rugby players that are over 30 still playing brilliant rugby. And I think Mish is an example of that. With Mish you know what you're getting each week. "I love playing with these guys. That's a big reason I came back. I love playing with Mish. I love playing with Jamie [Ritchie]. I love playing with [Ben] Muncaster."
BBC News
18-05-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'That's what happens when we get it right'
Magnus Bradbury, Edinburgh's captain against Ulster on Friday night, spoke about his team's "tunnel vision" and "steely focus" in the critical win that took them into the URC knockouts as well as securing a place in the Champions Cup next scored two of Edinburgh's seven tries in a powerhouse performance that also featured a hat-trick from Darcy Graham and an all-action display from Hamish Watson that conjured up memories of the flanker at his Test match best."That's what happens when you get it right," said Bradbury, who is in fine form having fallen out of the international picture in recent times. Bradbury's inconsistency has held him back over the years, something he's at a loss to explain now that he's firing on all cylinders. "Mate, if I could tell you what it was, I'd answer a lot of questions for coaches. I'm playing well now because I'm just enjoying my rugby. "I'm enjoying being back here at Edinburgh. I'm enjoying coming to work each day. I wake up in the morning, and I can't wait to come and see the boys. I can't wait to come and improve. We talk about, it's a cliche and I hate to say it, but that 1% better every day."The back-row praised the veteran Watson for his outstanding finish to the season. "He's always been quality in my eyes," Bradbury added. "I think there's a bit of a stereotype around, once you reach a certain age. You're rubbish, essentially. I think that's unfair in this day and age."There's a lot of top-flight rugby players that are over 30 still playing brilliant rugby. And I think Mish is an example of that. With Mish you know what you're getting each week."I love playing with these guys. That's a big reason I came back. I love playing with Mish. I love playing with Jamie [Ritchie]. I love playing with [Ben] Muncaster."
