Latest news with #Masibaka
Edinburgh Reporter
4 days ago
- Sport
- Edinburgh Reporter
Rory Darge named as Scotland captain for Skyscanner Pacific Tour
Gregor Townsend has named his Scotland squad for the 2025 Skyscanner Pacific Tour. Rory Darge has been selected as captain for the matches against Māori All Blacks, Fiji and Samoa. Darge has co-captained Scotland along with Finn Russell in the last two Guinness Six Nations championships. He will lead a squad of 36 players with a number of familiar faces returning to the group. Andy Onyeama-Christie has been selected after overcoming an ankle injury sustained in October 2024. He made his return for Saracens in March. Hooker George Turner also comes back into the fold after missing the last year of international rugby following his move to Kobelco Kobe Steelers in Japan. He has since signed for Harlequins next year and will aim to add to his 45 caps amassed thus far. There are three uncapped players named in the squad in the shape of stand-off Fergus Burke, back-row Alexander Masibaka and tighthead prop Fin Richardson. Burke and Masibaka were both included in the Guinness Six Nations squad, when they trained regularly with the team, and Richardson has national team experience having travelled out to Chile and Uruguay on last year's summer tour. There are eight Glasgow Warriors backs named, following their exit in the United Rugby Championship play-offs over the weekend. Toulon's Ben White is chosen for his second summer tour and Arron Reed has been rewarded with a call-up after making his debut for Scotland last July. Edinburgh Rugby's Darcy Graham, Harry Paterson and Matt Currie have been called up along with Bath's Cameron Redpath, who has sights set on the Premiership final this weekend alongside Leicester. From the two finalists, Bath's Josh Bayliss and Tigers' Cameron Henderson will also tour with the squad. After missing out on the Guinness Six Nations, Max Williamson is back in the squad after impressing against South Africa in the autumn. Alec Hepburn, Nathan McBeth and Rory Sutherland will compete for the loosehead position while Will Hurd and Elliot Millar Mills join Richardson as the tighthead options. Hookers Patrick Harrison and Ewan Ashman have been familiar figures in the squad over the last year, Harrison being one of seven players in the squad who made their debuts on the Skyscanner Americas tour last year, and they join Turner as hooking options. Marshall Sykes made his Guinness Six Nations debut in March against France and he continues in the squad where he's joined by fellow second rows Max Williamson, Gregor Brown, Henderson and the experienced Grant Gilchrist. In the back row, Matt Fagerson has been selected as he continues his recovery from injury, along with Jamie Ritchie, Ben Muncaster, Darge, Bayliss, Onyeama-Christie and Masibaka. The tour kicks off with a match against the Māori All Blacks on Saturday 5 July, and will be the first time the sides have met since 2000, when the hosts edged a narrow encounter 18-15 in New Plymouth. It will be just the third match between the Māori and Scotland with the other game coming at Murrayfield in Edinburgh in 1998. The tourists will then take on Fiji, with the match marking Scotland's first game on Fijian soil since 2017. Scotland's last match against Fiji took place in November 2024 when the home side ran out 57-17 winners, with Darcy Graham scoring four tries. The tour will finish on Friday 18 July when Scotland take on Samoa. The last time the two sides played against each other was six years ago, when Scotland won 34-0 during the 2019 Rugby World Cup. The match will take place in Auckland, New Zealand, at the historic Eden Park Skyscanner Pacific Tour: Fixtures Māori All Blacks v Scotland – Semenoff Stadium, Whangārei Saturday 5 July 2025, kick-off 3.35pm (local time, Saturday 5 July, kick-off 4.35am BST) – Live on Sky Sports. Fiji v Scotland – HFC Bank Stadium, Suva Saturday 12 July 2025, kick-off 3pm (local time, Saturday 12 July 2025, kick-off 4am BST). Samoa v Scotland – Eden Park, Auckland Friday 18 July 2025, kick-off 8.05pm (local time, Friday 18 July 2025, kick-off 9.05am BST) Broadcast details for the Fiji and Samoa games are still to be confirmed. Skyscanner Pacific Tour Squad Backs (15) Fergus Burke – Saracens (uncapped), Matt Currie – Edinburgh Rugby (4), Jamie Dobie – Glasgow Warriors (12), Darcy Graham – Edinburgh Rugby (46), Adam Hastings – Glasgow Warriors (32), George Horne – Glasgow Warriors (36), Tom Jordan – Glasgow Warriors (8), Cameron Redpath – Bath Rugby (140 Stafford McDowall – Glasgow Warriors (13), Harry Paterson – Edinburgh Rugby (3), Arron Reed – Sale Sharks (3), Kyle Rowe – Glasgow Warriors (12), Ollie Smith – Glasgow Warriors (9), Kyle Steyn – Glasgow Warriors (23), Ben White – Toulon (29) Forwards (21) Ewan Ashman – Edinburgh Rugby (27), Josh Bayliss – Bath Rugby (10), Gregor Brown – Glasgow Warriors (9), Matt Fagerson – Glasgow Warriors (55), Rory Darge – CAPTAIN – Glasgow Warriors (30), Grant Gilchrist – Edinburgh Rugby (80), Patrick Harrison – Edinburgh Rugby (3), Cameron Henderson – Leicester Tigers (1), Alec Hepburn – Scarlets (4), Will Hurd – Leicester Tigers (8), Alexander Masibaka –Soyaux Angoulême XV Charente (uncapped), Nathan McBeth – Glasgow Warriors (2), Elliot Millar Mills – Northampton Saints (7), Ben Muncaster – Edinburgh Rugby (2), Andy Onyeama-Christie – Saracens (8), Fin Richardson – Glasgow Warriors (uncapped), Jamie Ritchie – Edinburgh Rugby (59), Rory Sutherland – Glasgow Warriors (41), Marshall Sykes – Edinburgh Rugby (2), George Turner – Kobelco Kobe Steelers (45), Max Williamson – Glasgow Warriors (6) Like this: Like Related
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Scotland call up player from second tier in France
Australia-born number eight Alex Masibaka, who plays for Angouleme in the second tier of French rugby, has received a shock call-up to Scotland's Six Nations squad. The unheralded forward replaces Josh Bayliss, who is expected to miss the tournament after being added to the growing list of unavailable players when he was injured playing for Bath on Sunday. The 23-year-old - with a mother from Paisley and a father from Fiji - was born in Perth and played briefly for Western Force before being signed by French club Montpellier in 2022. The Top 14 side loaned him the following campaign to Pro D2 side Angouleme, where he has remained this season. Masibaka, who is 6ft 1in and 18st, has scored 12 tries in 30 games for the club in south-west France, where he plays with former England winger Jonny May. Scotland's management have been tracking him since 2021 and want a closer look at his power and ball-carrying game. Their interest in Masibaka grew with the injury to Bayliss, who was so impressive in the autumn Tests. Head coach Gregor Townsend has Jack Dempsey and Jack Mann as his number eights in the squad but was limited in his other options when looking for a replacement for Bayliss. Saracens' Burke in Scotland's Six Nations squad Scotland 'have to cope with injuries' - Townsend Scottish Rugby - hopes and dreams for 2025 Magnus Bradbury is serving a suspension and the impressive Ben Muncaster is injured, while the other eligible players in that position are raw youngsters. Bayliss' withdrawal means Townsend has now lost for the entire tournament four of the original squad he named on 15 January - Sione Tuipulotu, Dylan Richardson, Scott Cummings and now Bayliss. Before he named that squad he was already without Kyle Steyn, Adam Hastings, Max Williamson, Andy Onyeama-Christie and Muncaster. The majority of those nine players would either be certainties for the starting XV or likely to be in the matchday squad. There is also a concern over Jonny Gray, who has only played three games since the end of October and none since the middle of December. The lock was expected to make his comeback on Saturday against Lyon but Bordeaux deemed him unfit to play. He may recover in time to face Italy on Saturday, but there has to be a concern about his sharpness for the intensity of the Six Nations after being out for so long. Townsend is likely to draft in cover at second row in what is an increasingly challenging preamble to his eighth Six Nations as coach. Scottish Rugby Union
BBC News
27-01-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Scotland call up player from second tier in France
Australia-born number eight Alex Masibaka, who plays for Angouleme in the second tier of French rugby, has received a shock call-up to Scotland's Six Nations unheralded forward replaces Josh Bayliss, who is expected to miss the tournament after being added to the growing list of unavailable players when he was injured playing for Bath on 23-year-old - with a mother from Paisley and a father from Fiji - was born in Perth and played briefly for Western Force before being signed by Montpellier in Pro 14 club loaned him the following campaign to French Pro D2 side Angouleme, where he has remained this season. Masibaka, who is 6ft 1in and 18st, has scored 12 tries in 30 games for the club in south-west management have been tracking him since 2021 and want a closer look at his power and ball-carrying interest in Masibaka grew with the injury to Bayliss, who was so impressive in the autumn Tests. Head coach Gregor Townsend has Jack Dempsey and Jack Mann as his number eights in the squad but was limited in his other options when looking for a replacement for Bayliss. Magnus Bradbury is serving a suspension, the impressive Ben Muncaster is injured while the other eligible players in that position are raw withdrawal means Townsend has now lost for the entire tournament four of the original squad he named on 15 January - Sione Tuipulotu, Dylan Richardson, Scott Cummings and now Bayliss. Before he named that squad he was already without Kyle Steyn, Adam Hastings, Max Williamson, Andy Christie and Muncaster. The majority of those nine players would be either certainties for the starting XV or likely to be in the matchday is also a concern over Jonny Gray, who has only played three games since the end of October and none since the middle of lock was expected to make his comeback on Saturday against Lyon but Bordeaux deemed him unfit to play. He may recover in time to face Italy on Saturday, but there has to be a concern about his sharpness for the intensity of the Six Nations after being out for so is likely to draft in cover at second row in what is an increasingly challenging preamble to his eighth Six Nations as coach.
