Bullscot
Top of the table England host fifth placed Italy at Twickenham in the RBS Six Nations Championship on Sunday. This is part of the fifth round of fixtures of this year’s Championship. The match is scheduled to kick off at 17.00 South African Time.
Scotland assistant coaches Stevie Scott and Duncan Hodge were appointed on Wednesday as interim coaches of Edinburgh Rugby. Incumbent head and assistant coaches Michael Bradley and Neil Back have left their posts with immediate effect having agreed terms to bring their contracts to an early end – Bradley’s was due to expire this May, and Back the following season.
Jonathan Sexton has been ruled out of Ireland’s Six Nations clash against France on Saturday while Paddy Jackson is also a fitness concern.
Wales have made three changes to the team that beat Italy with former captain Sam Warburton returning to the starting line up.
As well as Warburton returning to the starting line up Bath prop Paul James and Ospreys second rower Alun Wyn Jones are also named in the starting line up.
Duncan Weir, the 21-year-old Glasgow Warriors stand-off, will make his first start for Scotland in Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations Championship match against Wales at Murrayfield.
Bath second row Dominic Day admits that it is win at all costs when they welcome West Country rivals Gloucester to the Rec on Friday. Day and co will be itching to return to winning ways after their run of six straight victories in all competitions came to an end with their narrow 23-25 defeat at Northampton Saints.
Round 17 of the Pro12 kicks off with five games on Friday, with both contenders for the top spot in action.
Leaders Ulster, who have been at the top since round five, welcome Benetton Treviso to Ravenhill whilst Glasgow Warriors host Cardiff Blues at Scotstoun.
Here we are midweek already and looking forward to the coming weekend’s rugby. Most of the attention up north is due to be focussed on the RaboDirect Pro12 and the Aviva Premiership as there is yet another break in the RBS 6 Nations tournament. Last weekend’s rugby may now be a distant memory but felt it would be interesting to share the views of two former international players of the action between Scotland and Ireland.
There was good news for clubs on both sides of the Central Belt as the services of two valuable loose forwards were announced. Glasgow Warriors have managed to secure the services of prodigal son Richie Vernon once more while Roddy Grant has extended his contract with Edinburgh Rugby.
With just seven rounds left in the regular season of the PRO12, the race is really on for a top four finish, and qualification for the play-offs. In the pick of the games this weekend first plays second when leaders Ulster travel to face Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun on Friday night.
Harlequins will look to cement their place at the top of the Premiership standings when they visit Salford City Stadium on Friday. Up against the troubled and bottom-placed Sale Sharks, defending champion Quins are expected to collect a full-house five points.
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Leicester prop Martin Castrogiovanni will lead Italy in the absence of banned number eight Sergio Parisse for Saturday’s Six Nations game with Wales. Stade Francais’ Parisse is out of the tournament after being suspended for 30 days for insulting a match referee.
South Africa-born flanker Antonie Claassen is on the bench for France who travel to Twickenham to tackle England in the Six Nations this Saturday. Francois Trinh-Duc returns at fly-half as another change for France who make seven personnel changes, plus one positional, to their side.
England have brought back Manu Tuilagi, Courtney Lawes and Dylan Hartley for Saturday’s crunch Six Nations clash with France at Twickenham.
Geoff Cross, the 30-year-old Edinburgh Rugby prop, returns to the Scotland starting line-up for Sunday’s RBS 6 Nations Championship meeting with Ireland at Murrayfield.
Sam Warburton and Alun Wyn Jones are set to make their Wales returns off the bench when they take on Italy in the Six Nations in Rome on Saturday.
This weekend sees a return to action in the 2013 RBS 6 Nations Championship with the third round of games to be played, following a week’s break. Two matches will be played on Saturday, one in Rome and the other in London. The third and final match of the weekend takes place on Sunday in Edinburgh.
As pointed out by Scrumdown, one of our knowledgeable contributors, yesterday Saracens played their first Premiership game at their new home ground, the Allianz Park, in Barnet Copthall. The match was played on an artificial surface and although it is the second game that has been played there it was the first one that they played in front of ten thousand people which is a capacity crowd for the stadium.
With a pause in the international matches, the Pro12 takes centre stage again this weekend with games in Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
First up on Friday night table toppers Ulster welcome Zebre to Ravenhill. The leaders will be keen to get back to their winning ways having suffered only their second defeat in this season’s campaign at the hands of Ospreys last week.
Edinburgh Rugby are beginning the search today for a new coaching team to steer the club from the 2013/14 season.
Defence coach Billy McGinty today resigned from his post, while the club confirmed that head coach Michael Bradley will not have his contract renewed at the end of this season.
With an exciting weekend of Premiership rugby the focus seems to be on the clash between table-topping Harlequins and fourth placed London Wasps.
While most of the attention up north should be on the internationals with this being weekend two of the 2013 RBS 6 Nations let us not forget that we also have round fourteen of the RaboDirect Pro12 competition to look forward to.
The Ireland team to play England in the RBS 6 Nations Championship on Sunday has been named with Ireland head coach Declan Kidney naming an unchanged side from the one that beat Wales in Cardiff last week.
Billy Twelvetrees has kept his place in England’s starting XV for Sunday’s match against Ireland in Dublin, while James Haskell makes his first start in the Six Nations since 2011.
Wales have made three changes to their starting line-up for their RBS 6 Nations clash against France with Ryan Jones returning to lead the side.
Italy coach Jacques Brunel made only one change from the side that started in the 23-18 triumph over France last week for the Azzurri’s second Six Nations challenge against Scotland on Saturday.
Gonzalo Canale, who plays club rugby for La Rochelle in France, replaces Alberto Sgarbi at inside centre after the latter picked up an injury knock.
France on Thursday announced two changes as they prepare to take on Grand Slam champions Wales in Saturday’s Six Nations showdown in Paris.
Robert Harley, the 22-year-old Glasgow Warriors forward, will make his first start at Murrayfield and in the RBS 6 Nations Championship, in the Scotland team to play Italy on Saturday.
The first weekend of Six Nations 2013 has come and gone with two of the results as expected by many as Ireland and England claimed victories over Wales and Scotland respectively. The final match of the weekend saw Italy score what was seen as a surprise victory over France in Rome.
The intensity of the games took their toll though with various injuries incurred by the teams. We bring some of the news from the various squads regarding the injuries and player availability.
Ireland held off a stirring second-half Wales comeback to launch their Six Nations campaign with a thrilling win and condemn the champions to an eighth successive Test defeat.
Let’s start with the good news.
Scotland, a disorganised and calamity-prone shambles against Tonga in November, rejoined the international community with a display that was impressive in parts, effective in critical areas and well organised throughout.
And the bad news? They were up against England. New England. England on fire.
Francesco Minto will make his RBS 6 Nations debut for Italy after being named in head coach Jacques Brunel’s starting XV for their opening clash with France at the Stadio Olimpico.
Thierry Dusautoir will make his long-awaited return to France’s starting line-up after being named in the side to face Italy on Sunday.
Wales interim head coach Rob Howley has named Dragons second rower Andrew Coombs to make his debut in the Wales starting team to face Ireland on Saturday.
Coombs will partner Ospreys’ Ian Evans in the second row who returns from injury to start the fixture.