Opinion
Nations Championship
Johnnie Beattie: 'Mike Blair is the Scot who made the All Blacks attack great again'
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Contributors
Johnnie Beattie
A barnstorming number eight, Johnnie Beattie won 38 caps for Scotland, following in the footsteps of his father John. He spent eight years with hometown club Glasgow Warriors, before fulfilling a deep-rooted childhood dream to play in France, where he represented Montpellier, Castres and Bayonne before retiring last year.Johnnie is now immersed in rugby media as a pundit with BT Sport, Amazon Prime, BBC, ITV and several French broadcast outlets, as well as drawing on his entertaining and enlightening experiences in his playing career to co-host Le French Rugby Podcast with Benjamin Kayser.
14 Articles
Latest
Gallagher Premiership
Johnnie Beattie: 'Nothing terrifies a player like pre-season day one'
4
73 days ago
Investec Champions Cup
Johnnie Beattie: 'How Bordeaux-Begles built a European juggernaut'
14
177 days ago
Six Nations
Johnnie Beattie: How can Scotland end 16-year Dublin drought?
19
247 days ago
Six Nations
Johnnie Beattie: 'A day of reckoning looms for underpowered Scotland'
3
262 days ago
Opinion
Johnnie Beattie: 'The Calcutta Cup showdown will decide Gregor Townsend's future, or whether it's time for Franco Smith'
Dogged by Scotland's brain fades, poor results and constant Red Bull speculation, this may be do or die for the long-serving coach…
Jamie Lyall
10 Feb 2026, 22:00
9
Opinion
Johnnie Beattie: How Scotland can beat the All Blacks - without their most important player
As Scotland search for a first victory over New Zealand, the former back-row breaks down the strategy required for a long-awaited …
Johnnie Beattie
07 Nov 2025, 0:23
10
Beattie: 'Genge obliterated Ireland's scrum. He bossed Tadhg Furlong'
To the neutral, ‘Le Crunch’ has always been the jewel in the Six Nations crown. A mighty collision of English power and French…
Johnnie Beattie
14 Mar 2022, 11:00
5
Beattie: Facing Galthie's total war 'was and is my worst nightmare'
For much of the past decade, some France players I count as good friends have treated international duty as a poisoned chalice.
Johnnie Beattie
14 Feb 2022, 8:39
1
Johnnie Beattie: 'Toothless, blunt, brittle' - Eddie Jones was completely outcoached
Watching Murrayfield boil as Scotland outboxed the English heavyweight on Saturday, the question that kept leaping out at me was w…
Johnnie Beattie
07 Feb 2022, 11:33
5
Analysis
Johnnie Beattie: 'Tears streamed down my face. Every time.'
Johnnie Beattie explains why England will miss Owen Farrell, the set-piece could hurt France, and this Six Nations will be the tig…
Johnnie Beattie
03 Feb 2022, 7:07
Opinion
Allez les Bleus: How France went from meek to magnificent
Posted missing for a generation, French rugby is back. This is how they bossed the All Blacks.
Johnnie Beattie
23 Nov 2021, 12:57
Heaven and hell
Should Israel Folau be given a route back into professional rugby union? And how many others share his religious beliefs?
Johnnie Beattie
02 Feb 2021, 6:44
French withdrawal
France is no longer a haven for foreign players. Its shifting tides that could redefine world rugby.
Johnnie Beattie
11 Jan 2021, 8:21
