Lions prop encourages ambitious Scottish players to leave Scotland

Former British and Irish Lions prop Peter Wright believes Scotland’s best players need to leave the country if they want to win trophies at club level. Wright was speaking after both Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors continued their recent poor runs of form by making losing starts to their Heineken Champions Cup campaigns.

Edinburgh suffered a 13-8 defeat at home to La Rochelle while reigning champions Exeter Chiefs hammered Glasgow 42-0.

The two Scottish sides have struggled for form this season, winning just two games each in the Guinness Pro14.

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And Wright says that if Scottish players want to taste success, they need to think beyond Edinburgh and Glasgow.

“I think it’s all down to what ambition they have,” Wright told the BBC.

“If their ambition is solely to play professional rugby, then they may well just stay at Glasgow [or Edinburgh].

“But if they want to be successful and win trophies, then, with all due respect to Edinburgh and Glasgow, they’re going to have to leave.”

A number of high-profile Scottish players have moved on from the two clubs in recent years, including Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg.

“If you’re ambitious, you want to finish your career as a domestic and European champion,” Wright continued.

“The guys with ambition will be looking at their agents and saying: ‘Try and get me in that Exeter team or across to France because I want to win a trophy.’

“We’ve got a group of players but the strength in depth is poor. I think that was proven with Edinburgh on Saturday and Glasgow on Sunday.

“The problem is we think we’re going forward, but other teams and nations are going forward quicker.”