Scottish Rugby

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Jack Dempsey and Huw Jones will make their first appearances of the new URC campaign when Glasgow Warriors visit Cardiff on Friday night.

The Scotland pair are two of nine changes to the starting line-up for the club's first visit to Cardiff Arms Park in two years.

Jones has been troubled by a calf issue but is fit to resume his centre partnership with Sione Tuipulotu, who captains the side, while wing Facundo Cordero replaces Kyle Steyn.

Prop Rory Sutherland and lock Alex Samuel make their first starts of the season, while Tom Jordan reverts to fly-half after playing centre in last weekend's win over Benetton.

Patrick Schickerling could make his debut after being named among the replacements.

Cardiff have opened the season with two wins from two against Zebre and Scarlets.

Glasgow head coach Franco Smith said: "We were pleased to record our first win of the season last weekend. But we know that there are still plenty of areas in which we can improve.

"Cardiff have recruited well during the summer and have started the season strongly, a start they will be keen to continue in front of their home support.

"We also look forward to seeing Patrick pull on the Glasgow jersey for the first time this weekend – he has quickly bought into our environment and has trained well to earn his opportunity."

Glasgow Warriors: Rory Sutherland, Johnny Matthews, Sam Talakai, Alex Samuel, Scott Cummings, Gregor Brown, Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey, Jamie Dobie, Tom Jordan, Facundo Cordero, Sione Tuipulotu (c), Huw Jones, Kyle Rowe, Josh McKay.

Replacements: Gregor Hiddleston, Jamie Bhatti, Patrick Schickerling, Richie Gray, Max Williamson, Euan Ferrie, Ben Afshar, Duncan Weir.

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Scotland have made six personnel changes and one positional alteration for Saturday's second WXV2 match against Japan in South Africa (13:00 BST).

Meryl Smith moves from inside to outside centre as Lisa Thomson comes into the side and Emma Orr drops to the bench, while Rhona Lloyd replaces Coreen Grant on the wing.

Leah Bartlett takes over from the benched Anne Young at loosehead and Louise McMillan is in for Fiona McIntosh in the second row.

In the back row, Alex Stewart and Jade Konkel join captain Rachel Malcolm as Evie Gallagher drops to the bench and Rachel McLachlan misses out.

Lock Eva Donaldson comes into the squad as one of the replacements.

Bryan Easson's Scots opened their defence of the title with a 19-0 defeat of Italy on Saturday and will also face Australia in Cape Town.

"We’ve been really lucky with this group over the past two or three years, we’ve grown the depth of the squad and that's really pushing everybody to be better," said head coach Easson.

"We've got a strong bench. Knowing how we’ve played against Japan previously, knowing how tight it has been in the earlier stages of games, we know we've got some real talent to bring off the bench as well so it’s more of a tactical plan than a freshen up.

"It’s important that we are strategically smart in how we want to play the game. The playing conditions last week were akin to a Scottish winter's day, it's to be 32 degrees this weekend.

"It'll be easier to attack this weekend with a drier ball, it will be a fast game, but we are excited at how we are defending and have real confidence around how we are attacking."

Scotland: Chloe Rollie, Rhona Lloyd, Meryl Smith, Lisa Thomson, Francesca McGhie, Helen Nelson, Caity Mattinson; Leah Bartlett, Lana Skeldon, Christine Belisle, Louise McMillan, Sarah Bonar, Rachel Malcolm (captain), Alex Stewart, Jade Konkel.

Replacements: Elis Martin, Anne Young, Lisa Cockburn, Eva Donaldson, Evie Gallagher, Leia Brebner-Holden, Emma Orr, Lucia Scott.

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

After 17 consecutive victories, including an immortal Top 14 and Champions Cup double, Blair Kinghorn finally - shock, horror - lost a match with Toulouse at the weekend.

Bordeaux were the team that ended the run. “Despite 64% possession, Stade Toulouse hit a wall,” reported the rugby newspaper, Midi Olympique. They named four players as the “strongest bricks” in that wall. One of them was Jonny Gray.

When you see that Gray is top of the plaquages chart in the Top 14 you don’t need to speak the lingo to know what his ranking relates to. It’s tackles, of course. His bread and butter. He’s made 54 tackles in 255 minutes so far.

Gray’s return from a serious injury that saw him play no competitive rugby from early May 2023 to early September 2024 is an utter triumph. Only he will know how brutal the road to recovery really was - mentally and physically - but he’s not the type to talk about it. He’s a do-er, not a yapper.

Bordeaux have toppled the champions and lead the Top 14 table on points difference. Welcome back, big fella.

Later this month Gregor Townsend will name his squad for the four-Test autumn series. Even though he won’t be eligible for one of the Tests because it’s outside the Test window, Gray is going to win his first cap in 18 months at some point in November.

Which begs the question, who else might be in Townsend’s squad. In a series of columns in the coming weeks we’ll examine the options position-by-position and we’re starting with the engine room.

Townsend has 10 players to think about. Actually, make that seven because Sam Skinner, Glen Young and Leicester’s Cameron Henderson still haven’t been seen this season following injury.

Jonny Gray is in the best form of the lot and his brother, Richie, will be with him, as long as he’s not thinking of doing anything silly like retiring from Test rugby before Townsend’s announcement. He’s 35, but he’s still a hugely valuable player. Scotland need him to go again.

Grant Gilchrist will be another pick, which makes three. The last time Townsend selected a squad for autumn Tests - outside of World Cup year - was 2022 and he went with an overall total of 40 with five locks.

That leaves Scott Cummings, Max Williamson, Alex Craig and Ewan Johnson competing for two slots. Johnson was on the summer tour but he’s started his season with two yellow cards in two starts for Oyonnax in the second division in France.

Johnson is a long-shot. Craig was brilliant for the Scarlets last season but Williamson is hard to overlook. He started both of Glasgow’s opening games in the URC and is getting better and better under Franco Smith’s coaching and with Richie Gray as a mentor.

So, the top five - Gray Jnr, Gray Snr, Cummings, Gilchrist and Williamson. Townsend might see it differently, but there’s a lot of different talents in that crew. Gray’s return will be a sight to warm the heart on those cold but thrilling November days to come.

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Grant Young
Fan writer

Glasgow did what all good URC teams do in their game against Benetton at the weekend - win important home games.

After a close defeat to Ulster there was no better way for Glasgow to bounce back than taking a five-point win at home to extend our home winning streak.

The question is how good are the Warriors? We have still to see a number of key individuals in the matchday line-up, still to see some new members of the squad put into the 23 and even then, will any displace last years champions?

Glasgow were still pretty wasteful against the Italian side on Friday and some may argue required the intervention of the referee to reduce Benetton to 14 and then to 13 players to truly take control.

Glasgow then were able to show their full skillset with the ever impressive Kyle Steyn and hardworking Euan Ferrie getting deserved tries.

Franco Smith's side now face a daunting trip to Cardiff. An undefeated start to the season sees the Blues riding towards the top of the standings - an unfamiliar sight for many Cardiff fans of recent years.

Numerous questions will be asked of Glasgow. Will we see the likes of Jack Dempsey and George Horne return to the matchday squad? Will we see Adam Hastings or Tom Jordan at 10? Or will the clinical URC champions finally make an appearance? Only time will tell.

Sandy Smith
Edinburgh fan columnist

A tough start was what we were promised and it's what we got. In spades.

It's still in progress though and can possibly be mitigated in the next week or two but the chance was there against the Bulls to blow that tough start into the weeds and our attempt to do so was asthmatic.

I wrote two words repeatedly when reviewing the game. Wasteful and lineout. I also stamped my feet a lot. And swore. A lot.

Bulls will not play as badly as that again this season and despite Paul Hill and the rest of the pack giving us an excellent scrum platform from which to attack, ours was more blunt than a dinner with Emily, Anthony and James.

How many phases of one out attacks do you go through before the realisation sinks in that it's not working? Too many seems to be the answer.

Our lineout malfunctioned repeatedly in the red zone. It's not all down to the hooker, but despite our difficulties last season it did feel like there came a point where Ewan Ashman, who is fantastic around the park, had formed a strong working relationship with his jumpers.

That relationship has broken down somehow and I have no doubt we require a specialist line-out coach. Either that or find some hookers who didn't start their careers as wing forwards or centres.

You can argue that we were hampered by firstly pre-match injuries to players who may have otherwise started. Then add to that early in match injuries to Mark Bennett and Dave Cherry.

However, Bulls were similarly affected and still found the juice to get the job done. Our glasses seem a little empty.

• You can read more of Sandy's work on his site The Burgh Watch., external

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

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There's an argument to be made that Glasgow Warriors have the kind of depth in the centres that most Test nations would envy.

Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones have been so lethal together that their partnership has its own moniker - Huwipulotu - while Stafford McDowall co-captained Scotland over the summer.

To add to Franco Smith's headache, Kiwi-born back Tom Jordan can play there too. The 26-year-old spent most of last season in the number 10 shirt, but with the arrival of Adam Hastings in the summer, he may be forced to 12.

Against Benetton, it was Tuipulotu and Jordan who were given the nod in midfield and the former certainly enjoyed himself.

"I loved it," Tuipulotu said. "I’ve known Tom now since he’s been in the Glasgow environment - two years - and I can’t tell you the growth that he’s had since he’s been at the club.

"I can’t speak highly enough of Tom. He’s obviously one of my best mates at the club, but his work ethic gives me peace of mind when I play with someone like that because I know they’ve put in the work."

Jordan isn't the only 'TJ' in Tuipulotu's life these days. Just a few weeks prior to lifting the URC title, the Scotland star welcomed his first child into the world - named Tu'uhefohe Junior, after Sione's father.

"My partner, Lara, has been an absolute rock," Tuipulotu said. "She gave birth to TJ in the Munster week. Then obviously I was away at Munster, away at Bulls, then on the summer tour. It kind of felt like I came back and he was two months old. I missed out on so much.

"I don't really know how she did it by herself. She's one of my biggest motivators.

"It's been such a blessing. That six weeks that I had off after the summer, I couldn't really go anywhere because TJ couldn't get a passport yet. I just stayed in Glasgow for my whole holidays. I got into routine and I had the time to go for walks with my son and bond with him. It was honestly the best holiday ever."

After Scotland's started their WXV 2 campaign with a solid win over Italy in South Africa, we asked you for your opinion on the 19-0 victory.

Here's what you ahd to say...

Raury: Played well, just a little more care required when playing in the rain. Need to not go for white line fever when close and use the backs - but they must concentrate when passing. Overall, a good victory in poor weather.

Jamie: Amazing result considering the weather and determined defence. Great to back up the past few performances and further cement their fifth place world ranking.

Dazla: Think they could've played the weather better by using shorter pop passing. They got over the top very well, though. A good hard game, I enjoyed watching.

After Edinburgh's narrow defeat in South Africa, Glasgow's thumping win over Benetton, and Scotland's encouraging start at the WXV 2 tournament, are there any questions you would like to put to Tom English and Andy Burke?

Send them in via this link, external and they will be answered either on this week's Radio Scotland Rugby Podcast or in written form on this very page.

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

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It was back in early May that the news broke of second Tuipulotu arriving in Scotland. Mosese was to join Edinburgh in the URC, and also join his older brother Sione by moving to the land of their grandmother's birth.

Scotland star Sione isn't done with his recruitment drive though. There's another brother - Ottavio - who plays for Australia's Under-20s side and the Waratahs.

"I really want my littlest brother to come over next," the Glasgow centre said, "so then we can just be three brothers in Scotland and lock up here for a bit.

“I believe in all my brothers. Genuinely, I think if my littlest brother came over here, he might end up being better than me and my brother. He's 20, he's a forward, a hooker.

"He had two knee reconstructions before he was 18. He had a really rough run with injuries but he's really dedicated to his rugby.

"I don't make any decisions for him but if it was up to me, he would do one year there and then come over. Try and get as much rugby under his belt in Sydney and then come over."

It's not just Sione trying to convince the littlest Tuipulotu to venture to the Northern Hemisphere.

"Sess [Mosese] had been selling him that. We had a group FaceTime the other day and Sess was like, ‘Bro, it's not what you think. I got to Edinburgh and it's like Harry Potter here, bro. I should have come ages ago’.

"Sess was trying to sell him the dream massively, but I can understand. when you're on Bondi beach, you feel like your life's pretty good. But I'm hoping to see him sooner rather than later."

Mosese's arrival over the summer was a surprise in some quarters, with the youngster tipped to pull on the gold of the Wallabies.

Now, he has been heralded as the answer to Edinburgh's problems in the centres, but after a promising start against Leinster he missed the trip to the Bulls with a hamstring problem.

"He's loving it," Sione confessed. "I said how much of a good experience that'll be for him to jump off the plane and join a new group and then your first game be against what everyone thinks is the benchmark.

"I told him his first game against Leinster is probably better than my first game against Leinster and told him to manage his expectations. I know he wants to hit the ground running and stuff like that, but it's a long season and I've got full belief in my brother that he will start to turn the screw very soon."

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Having reached her 50th cap for Scotland, captain Rachel Malcolm has "never felt more loved" by her team-mates and family who made the trip to South Africa to watch her reach the milestone.

"Nelly (Helen Nelson) stepped up and said a few lovely words about me but passed the cap to my dad who is my biggest inspiration, role model, support and constant," said Malcolm after the Scots' 19-0 WXV2 win over Italy in Cape Town.

"Since I was 11 years old and travelling for hockey, he's never not been on a touchline or sideline and he's travelled all over the world and I feel super fortunate to have his, my mum's and family's support."

The back-rower, 33, got a surprise when she made her way on to the pitch.

"Running out first and seeing a massive banner with my face on it was not something I expected but it's just them to a tee," she said.

"They've always got my back and they've picked me up more times than I can count.

"Today is far more for them than it is for me because I absolutely wouldn't be here or have 50 caps without them."

We asked for your thoughts after a win for Glasgow against Benetton, and a defeat for Edinburgh away to Bulls in the URC.

Here's a taste of what you had to say:

EDINBURGH

David: Sometimes Edinburgh are simply frightened to win. They get into a scoring position and then simply forget how to convert. They are a bit like Scotland and sometimes Glasgow in that they have not yet worked out how to travel those last five meters. Unlike Glasgow they haven't figured out how to score the long range tries like Scotland and Glasgow.

Graham: Same old story with Edinburgh, with what few opportunities the backs had they managed to butcher, Darcy Graham should have been under the posts but ran the wrong lines, Duhan van der Merwe should be taught a side step and the pack just don't have that vital grunt to get over the line. Grant Gilchrist has had his day. The worry is that there were probably five starters for Scotland's team there.

Ian: Competitive in the forwards, but backs lacked any killer instinct or cutting edge, it continues to be the difference between Edinburgh and other teams.

GLASGOW

Keith: A good result much aided by Benneton’s indiscipline. However, some of that indiscipline was in part due to Glasgow pressure and commitment.

Anthony: Ever since his first match at Scotstoun I thought Kyle Steyn would become a really good player. I was wrong. He is excellent in every facet of his game and leads by example. Unfortunately, I feel he'll miss out on Lions selection because he's not a flashy big name in the eyes of those outside Scotland. However, he's a URC championship winner.

Peter: Great win, but there’s definitely areas to work on, line out needs a tweak but there were lots of positives. Only seven penalties and two of those in the first two minutes. The attack looked menacing and they were only a couple of inches away from having 60 points on the board.

Stuart: Warriors, for the second week, looked the better side on the field, with a better outcome. It was the first match this season in cold conditions and may have contributed to the handling errors. Misfires by both hookers on throws at lineouts near the oppositions line. We left a load of scores on the field. Benneton looked decent until the red card.

Ben: I thought 90% of the performance was great, and it’s hard to complain about a six try win! But we could still be more clinical. After the red card the game was never in danger which was a shame as Benneton did look good at times, but last week showed what happens when you don’t take your chances. Better teams will punish you for it.

Gordy: We left a lot of points out there. They will need to be clinical going forward, they lost their own throw in four times on the five meter line, but five points in the bag against potential banana skin of an opponent. A six out of 10 performance.

Scotland kicked off their WXV2 title defence with a 19-0 win over Italy in Cape Town.

What did you make of their performance? Who impressed you? Send us your thoughts here., external

It wasn't meant to be for Edinburgh in Pretoria as they suffered a 22-16 defeat to Bulls.

Sean Everitt's side were the architects of their own destruction as they failed to capitalise on key moments throughout the game.

What did you make of the contest? How do they come back from this? Let us know your thoughts here, external.

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Edinburgh captain Grant Gilchrist on Premier Sports: "We'll dust ourselves off.

"It feels like a missed opportunity; we're absolutely gutted. We put ourselves in positions to win the game but a lot of moments to look back on. We were five metres from their line and then conceded a 95 metre try.

"We will dust ourselves down and keep striving for what is right for us. It hurts because we put ourselves in a position to win but we weren't quite good enough in the key moments in the last 20 to make it happen."

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Scotland head coach Bryan Easson:

"It was a difficult game. The weather meant we had to exit and look after the game well. Defensively we were solid, so I'm really pleased.

"There's a couple of things out there we'll have a look at. We've got two games left, we'll learn from that and take the little positives.

"We're one from one and that's what we came for today."

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Scotland captain Rachel Malcolm:

"It was a super physical game. Italy really made us work for it, especially in the first half.

"Those conditions probably favoured us a bit. I said to the girls it was a bit like one of the back pitches at Murrayfield.

"We did an outstanding job of managing the game in the second half and keeping Italy pinned in."