Scottish Rugby

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Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith its Leinster brought "a huge performance" to end his side's title defence in the URC semi-finals.

"They are a quality outfit and, from the word go, I felt their urgency and they put pressure on us," he told BBC Scotland.

"On the day, we were not good enough, especially in the first half. We should have started better and then we wouldn't have had to chase the game and that led to more errors from our side."

Smith its that Leinster's kicking game proved the difference.

"I don't think the strategy was wrong, they are good at the aerial battle," he added.

"But I am really proud. We had a lot of boys unavailable this week. I must look at the big picture. It was a tough task to come here and win."

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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 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."

Glasgow fans, were you in Dublin or following the match elsewhere? Either way, we want your views.

What did you make of your side's display as they were overwhelmed by Leinster in the URC last four?

Send us your thoughts

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith believes his side have put their recent heavy European defeat against Leinster behind them as they return to Dublin to face the favourites in the URC semi-finals on Saturday.

Warriors were whitewashed 52-0 in their Champions Cup quarter-final but Smith has consigned that to history and says his side are peaking at the right time, as planned, despite being underdogs.

"I think that's something of the past," he said. "Different competition. We've learned from it and we've moved on.

"We've planned from the first day of pre-season how we want to look and how you want to shape up in the final [games].

"We've handled the season well. We've managed to get some of our players back from injury and we allowed them back into the environment at the right time and hopefully we're in a good place, now that we're going to the semi."

Smith knows his reigning champions face a stiff test to reach back-to-back finals, citing the players' mindset as key.

"It's everything and I think every game is about the mindset," he said.

"The difficulty is to maintain that for 39 weeks in the year. The mindset and approach and attitude in a final game is obviously the main ingredient.

"We've got to be on top of our game. They've got a world-class team, they've proven it in the Test match arena, they've proven it in this competition. It's a class outfit.

"It's going to be a tough challenge. The only way we're going to get better and keep on growing and progressing is if we challenge ourselves to be the best version of ourselves."

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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 Gregor.

Franco Smith's side travel to Dublin for Saturday's match seeking a first away win over Leinster in six years.

However, 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."

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Glasgow Warriors have made two changes from the side that beat Stormers in the URC quarter-finals for Saturday's semi-final against Leinster.

Fin Richardson replaces Murphy Walker as the starting tighthead prop, while Adam Hastings starts at fly-half with Tom Jordan shifting to 12 and Stafford McDowall dropping to the bench.

Scotland centre Huw Jones misses out again, as do forwards Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey and Zander Fagerson.

Ireland and Leinster full-back Hugo Keenan will miss the game having not been included in the matchday squad.

He is replaced by Jimmy O'Brien in the 15 shirt, while Tommy O'Brien starts on the right wing.

Dan Sheehan returns at hooker, with Ronan Kelleher dropping to the bench, while Scott Penny replaces the injured Josh van der Flier at open-side flanker.

Glasgow have lost their two previous trips to Dublin this term, having been thrashed 52-0 by Leinster in April in the Champions Cup and beaten 13-5 in the final match of the regular URC season.

Glasgow XV to face Leinster: McKay, Steyn, Tuipulotu, Jordan, Hastings, Horne; Bhatti, Hiddleston, Richardson, Samuel, Cummings, Ferrie, Darge, Venter.

Replacements: Matthews, Sutherland, Talakai, Williamson, Mann, Duncan, McDowall, Dobie.

BBC Sport Scotland's Andy Burke has been answering some of your Scottish rugby questions.

Ronald asked: I understand the need for more Scottish players at Glasgow but surely they still have to be competitive? I think letting a good player like Henco Venter leave is a poor decision.

Andy answered: First off, I agree. Venter's performance against Stormers only served to underline that letting him go is a big mistake.

The SRU are not best pleased at Venter's portrayal in the media this week that he was told he was surplus to requirements because of a new cap on foreign imports.

They insist Venter was in line to be offered a new deal, but not before the top players, such as Sione Tuipulotu, had been tied down, and that Brive swooped in with a lucrative offer before Glasgow had a chance to.

Who knows the precise timeline of events, but to the overarching point, the focus on promoting Scottish talent over foreign imports is a step in the right direction.

Rather than a cap on number of imports, deals for foreign players will have to meet a higher bar to be signed off. Most Glasgow fans would argue Venter has more than met the criteria with his performances in a Warriors shirt.

Ian asked: Marks out of 10, how did Edinburgh do this season? The performances over the last few weeks with a top-eight finish surely knocked the score up a notch or two?

Andy answered: I'm giving Edinburgh a 7/10, Ian.

That was looking like a 3 or a 4 a few short weeks ago, but when assessing a whole campaign the main criteria has to be where the team ended up. A URC quarter-final and a European semi-final probably exceeds where most expected Edinburgh to be this season.

Of course it could, and at points of the season definitely should, have been better, but the team has shown enough these past couple of months to suggest they're on the right track.

I think Sean Everitt has earned the right to go again next season. I know some Edinburgh fans still remain to be convinced.

Stuart asked: If injuries happen to any of the Lions do you expect any Scotland players to be called in as their replacements?

Andy answered: Tom Jordan. The man is playing some outstanding rugby. He looks bang in form and covers a multitude of positions.

If any 10,12, 13 or 15 goes down in the coming weeks, I'd like to think Jordan will be right there in Andy Farrell's thoughts to hop on a plane Down Under.

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Josh McKay is taking confidence from the commanding win over Stormers as Glasgow look to unseat top seeds Leinster on Saturday and reach the URC final.

Franco Smith's side head to Dublin to face the title favourites after keeping their defence of the trophy alive by bouncing back from three straight defeats with a 36-18 victory over Stormers at Scotstoun last weekend.

"That performance on Friday night was arguably one of the best of the team this season," said winger McKay.

"There's plenty we can take from that game, both on the good side and also what we can work on as well.

"We didn't build heaps of phases. Our discipline was a little bit poor and we'd probably like to have a little bit more ball.

"But it was definitely positive. We were able to put a few moves together and do enough to get the job done. It was a massive game in front of our home crowd."

McKay knows Leinster have "been the benchmark" in the URC this season but insists Warriors are capable of defying the odds.

"Leinster away is a big game. We see a lot of teams go over there and struggle. I guess it's a credit to what they've built over many years," he added.

"They've got a hugely deep squad and they show every year that they can go deep into these competitions.

"We know what's ahead of us. We just need to front up with the right mindset. That's huge. If we can turn up and be where we want to be physically, we respect what they bring and we know what they bring, but we've got to focus on ourselves."

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Glasgow and their URC semi-final opponents Leinster are well acquainted at this stage.

So, too, are Franco Smith and Jacques Nienaber, who first met in the 1990s, long before they emerged as two of South Africa's most respected coaches.

"I was his physiotherapist way back in 1998," recalled Leinster senior coach Nienaber.

"We didn't go to school together but we were in rival schools so I know him and his family quite well. I actually coached with him with the Cheetahs in 2006 and 2007 before he went to Italy.

"He was their attack coach while I was dipping my toes in defence. Franco is an incredible human, a good person and you can see how he is leading Glasgow and the quality they have produced in the past couple of seasons under his guidance and leadership.

"He is a wily character, he understands the game and gets the team to gel so it'll be a nice challenge for us."

Read more: Fatigue not an issue for Leinster

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Scotland head coach Bryan Easson says he will not close the door on international rugby for those players who miss out on his squad for the Women's Rugby World Cup.

Easson has named a 38-player training squad prior to the tournament in England this summer.

Among those to miss out was experienced lock Louise McMillan, who said in an Instagram post: "There was a slow dawning that despite injuries in my position, I wouldn't be recalled, confirming the painful truth that my journey with this coaching team was nearing its end. My World Cup dream, my professional contract, slipped from my grasp."

Easson says there will always be tough decisions on who to leave out of the World Cup squad, but that it need not signal an end of Test careers.

"These selections are very, very difficult," Easson told BBC Scotland.

"But to leave out players now actually shows the strength of Scotland women's rugby. So some players who do have a legacy, some players who do have given a lot to Scotland women's rugby over the years, will miss out and it's always tough.

"But the door's never closed for those players. It's just a moment in time, it's a selection that we have to make, it's a selection that we believe at this moment in time is right.

"No matter who they are, if they're playing well, they'll be the ones that are selected and that's how we have to push this team forward and that's how you get better performances on the field."

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Glasgow Warriors flanker Rory Darge and Edinburgh wing Darcy Graham have been named in the URC team of the season.

Scotland co-captain Darge has impressed in Glasgow's run to the URC semi-finals and scored his third try of the season in the quarter-final win over Stormers last weekend.

Fellow Scotland international Graham also makes the 'Elite XV' - which is determined by a media vote - after helping Edinburgh reach the play-offs for the first time in three years.

Graham scored six tries in 13 appearances and had the most clean breaks (23) of any player in the league.

The full URC 'Elite XV' is: Jamie Osborne (Leinster), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Tom Farrell (Munster), Andre Esterhuizen (Sharks), Blair Murray (Scarlets), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Craig Casey (Munster), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Wilco Louw (Bulls), RG Snyman (Leinster), Tadhg Beirne (Munster ), Jac Morgan (Ospreys), Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors), Cameron Hanekom (Bulls).

Former Ireland international Bernard Jackman - a European Cup winner with Leinster and now top Irish pundit - s Tom English and Andy Burke on this week's BBC Scotland Rugby podcast to preview Glasgow's URC semi-final in Dublin on Saturday.

There's also a look back at Edinburgh's season-ending play-off defeat and analysis of the reconstruction going on in Scottish Rugby.

Listen and subscribe on BBC Sounds

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Nigel Carolan is urging cool heads and a "ruthless" streak as Glasgow Warriors bid to defy the odds against Leinster in the URC semi-final in Dublin on Saturday.

Defending champions Glasgow made a strong start to the play-offs with a 36-18 home win over Stormers last weekend, but haven't won away to Leinster since 2019.

"We scored some cracking tries [against Stormers] even though we didn't have a massive amount of the ball. What it did show is that when we did get chances, we were pretty ruthless," said Glasgow assistant coach Carolan.

"It's what you need this time of the season as you approach the quarter and semi-finals.

"Every opportunity counts and it's important that you take those chances when they come about.

"The thing about Leinster, they really limit the chances that you do get. So, whatever we can create, it's important that we're nice and cool.

"Our mindset has got to be ruthless, but also nice and calm and composed, so we can execute them."

Carolan insists Glasgow are unburdened by the 52-0 shellacking they suffered against Leinster in Dublin in the Champions Cup last month.

"It's history now," he added. "Look, we've played them since [losing 13-5 in the final game of the URC regular season], so I think what we turned up with the last time we played them is a bit more us.

"I think what we saw on Friday night against the Stormers was more us again. We're building nicely, we've definitely got a bit of the mojo back from where we were.

"It's important that we got into this weekend on the back of a good performance last Friday and there's a lot of confidence we can take from it."

Sandy Smith
Fan writer

Edinburgh have played 26 games this season in all competitions. In 12 of those we have conceded a total of 16 tries in the 10-minute period following half-time.

It is more than we concede in any other part of our matches. Over the season it has arguably cost Edinburgh at least two league wins. On Saturday it cost us a chance of a semi-final.

The score Bulls got in the 51st minute and the fact they failed to cross the line again in the remainder of the match makes it hard to see past that 40-51 minute period as being decisive.

Early in the game the broadcasters showed a graphic that told us Bulls forwards were 57kg heavier than Edinburgh. That weight certainly showed at scrum time and as weird as might seem when you score five tries it felt like a rearguard action for much of the 80 minutes.

In a lot of ways our three games against Bulls this season typify what progress there has been.

Game 1. I described Edinburgh as asthmatic and wasteful. Only one try.

Game 2. A much improved and focused win. We looked like a team.

Game 3. A five-try thriller where we just fell short on power.

Depending on your viewpoint the progress is there. A semi-final and a quarter-final allied to a try count we have only sured once in our history is balanced out by the fact we won fewer games in the league than we did last year.

There are no trophies. That's not new and if that's your reason for ing Edinburgh, then to paraphrase Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca, you've been misinformed.

But there is now a team you can be proud of. A team who are putting their bodies on the line for their long-suffering ers. A team that finally looks like it wants to live up to the 'on paper' reputation that seems to follow them about.

We have some departures that could hurt, Jamie Ritchie probably chiefly among those, but we have recruited well and I'm excited to see them make their mark alongside some of the young players who are stepping up.

I'm already looking forward to next season as long as we continue playing as if we have a chip on our shoulders as opposed to a silver spoon in our mouths.

Sandy Smith can be found at The Burgh Watch, external

Grant Young
Fan writer

Glasgow's swagger has returned.

On a night where several players made their final home appearance, a sense of pride, emotion and determination was in the air at Scotostoun as the Warriors swept into the semis with an 18-point win against Stormers.

Glasgow produced some of their best attacking rugby in weeks. Player of the game went to Rory Darge but it genuinely could have been one of about 10 of Franco Smith's men.

The lynchpin of the Glasgow turnaround has been the returning Sione Tuipulotu, who makes his team-mates better.

Stormers were left chasing their tail with so many missed tackles but the attacking verve of Glasgow was a joy on the eye.

Now a third trip to Dublin in two months awaits. Leinster are the number one seeds for a reason and boast a squad many teams could only dream of, but can Glasgow upset the odds?

The injury list may be shrinking but we are still without Zander Fagerson and Jack Dempsey, two players that can make a difference.

The Leinster pack can be dominant and it's probably been a weakness in recent games for Warriors.

The squad will need to believe to get over the line for a trip to the grand final. Can they counter the press defence of Leinster? Time will tell. Come on Glasgow!