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Scotland change 13 and name Finn Russell as skipper versus France

(Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

Gregor Townsend has shaken up his Scotland team, making 13 changes for this Saturday’s Summer Nations Series clash with France following last weekend’s fixture with Italy.

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The Scots were 25-13 winners in that Rugby World Cup build-up opener versus the Azzurri and the two players from that starting XV retained to face the French in game two at Scottish Gas Murrayfield are two-try winger Darcy Graham and back-rower Matt Fagerson, who switches from No8 to blindside on this occasion.

Finn Russell is named as skipper, the fly-half partnering Ben White at half-back, with Sione Tuipulotu chosen as vice-captain and renewing his midfield partnership with Huw Jones. In the pack, Fagerson lines up alongside Hamish Watson and Jack Dempsey in the back row.

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The Bunker explained in rugby

Elsewhere, Richie Gray and Grant Gilchrist, another vice-captain, are paired in the second row, while the front row will consist of Ewan Ashman alongside Pierre Schoeman and Zander Fagerson.

Rory Darge, who led Scotland to their Italy win, is one of five forwards named in the replacements. Dave Cherry, Jamie Bhatti, WP Nel and Scott Cummings are the other pack options, with backs George Horne, Cameron Redpath and Ollie Smith completing the matchday 23.

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Scotland (vs France, Saturday – 3:15pm)
15. Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh Rugby) 44 caps
14. Darcy Graham (Edinburgh Rugby) 34 caps
13. Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors) 36 caps
12. Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors, vice-captain) – 16 caps
11. Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby) 28 caps
10. Finn Russell (Bath Rugby, captain) – 69 caps
9. Ben White (Toulon) 14 caps
1. Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby) 21 caps
2. Ewan Ashman (Edinburgh Rugby) 7 caps
3. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) 58 caps
4. Richie Gray (Glasgow Warriors) 73 caps
5. Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh Rugby, vice-captain) – 62 caps
6. Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) 34 caps
7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh Rugby) 57 caps
8. Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors) 9 caps

Replacements:
16. Dave Cherry (Edinburgh Rugby) 8 caps
17. Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors) 30 caps
18. WP Nel (Edinburgh Rugby) 54 caps
19. Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors) 26 caps
20. Rory Darge (Glasgow Warriors) 8 caps
21. George Horne (Glasgow Warriors) 20 caps
22. Cameron Redpath (Bath Rugby) 6 caps
23. Ollie Smith (Glasgow Warriors) 4 caps

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Rebeccakirby 3 minutes ago
Peato Mauvaka cops ban for headbutt on Scotland star

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33 Go to comments
M
Mzilikazi 8 hours ago
'Ulster, though no one wants to admit it, isn't much more than a development province right now.'

“I was wondering if the AIL had clubs that were on the tipping point of wanting to become pro, how close could they get to a current Ulster etc”.


The Irish structure has always been the International team at the top, then the four provinces, then the clubs below that. Before the pro era in each province there were senior clubs playing each other, and that was pretty much “ring fenced”…no relegation or promotion. Then below that a series of junior leagues. The top players in the international scene played in the Five Nations(before Italy came in), and against the touring All Blacks or Springboks initially, then later Australia and Argentina came in. Actually I would need to go back and check the history of the teams coming onto the scene ie other than the Ab’s and Boks.


Those International players would only play for their province three times each year in the Inter Pro games, with the Bok, AB etc games only in tour years. Rest of the time, every single Int. player played club rugby every weekend.


Pro era dawned, and the four provinces became the sole pro teams, feeding up to the Int. team. There is no prospect as far as I can see of any AIL team ever becoming professional. Deepete, or someone living in Ireland would know more than I do, but what happens is fringe and academy players can play in the AIL, giving them game time they would not get otherwise. Top International players would rarely play at AIL level.


I think in Australia the tyranny of distance inhibits an AIL type structure. Ireland is tiny, good rail and road sytems, and it is easy to play in Cork, Limerick, Dublin, any where, weekend after weekend. Imagine an All Australian league, and travelling from Townsville for a game in Margaret River, etc. etc.


“I actually had the tables up and had no idea who was who lol”. Neither do I in some cases. A lot of new clubs since I played/lived in Ireland…I have to check who some are !!


Good discussion here JW. Have enjoyed it.

33 Go to comments
R
Rebeccakirby 9 hours ago
'France may leave top players at home but will still be serious contenders in New Zealand'

Months earlier, I’d sunk $156,000 into what I thought was a golden opportunity, an online cryptocurrency investment promising sky-high returns. The website was sleek, the testimonials glowing, and the numbers kept climbing. But when I tried to withdraw my profits, the platform froze. Emails went unanswered, support chats died, and my “investment” vanished into the digital ether. I’d been scammed, and the sting of it burned deep.Desperate, I stumbled across Alpha Spy Nest while scouring the web for help. Their site/reviews didn’t promise miracles, just results, specialists in tracking down lost funds from online scams. Skeptical but out of options, I reached out. The process started with a simple form: I detailed the scam, uploaded screenshots of transactions, and shared the wallet addresses I’d sent my crypto to. Within hours, they confirmed they’d take my case.What followed was like watching a high-stakes chess game unfold, though I only saw the moves, not the players. Alpha Spy Nest dove into the blockchain, tracing my funds through a maze of wallets designed to obscure their path. They explained how scammers often use mixers to launder crypto, but certain patterns like timing and wallet clustering, could still betray them. I didn’t understand half of it, but their confidence kept me hopeful. Hours later, they updated me: my money had landed in an exchange account tied to the scam network. They’d identified it through a mix of on-chain analysis and intel from sources I’d never grasp. After 24 hours, i got a message, my funds were frozen in the scammer’s account pending review. Alpha Spy Nest had apparently flagged it just in time.  After some back-and-forth, the exchange with the help of Alpha Spy Nest reversed the transactions, and $145,000 of my original $156,000 hit my wallet. The rest, they said, was likely gone forever, siphoned off early. I never met anyone from Alpha Spy Nest, never heard a voice or saw a face. Yet, their methodical precision pulled me back from the brink. My money wasn’t fully restored, but the recovery felt like a win, a lifeline from a faceless ally in a world of digital shadows. If you find yourself in the same situation, you can also reach out to them via: Email: Alphaspynest@mail.com, whatsapp: ‪+15132924878‬, telegram: https://t.me/Alphaspynest,

44 Go to comments
R
Rebeccakirby 9 hours ago
Fin Smith: Northampton Saints face battle to keep England star

Months earlier, I’d sunk $156,000 into what I thought was a golden opportunity, an online cryptocurrency investment promising sky-high returns. The website was sleek, the testimonials glowing, and the numbers kept climbing. But when I tried to withdraw my profits, the platform froze. Emails went unanswered, support chats died, and my “investment” vanished into the digital ether. I’d been scammed, and the sting of it burned deep.Desperate, I stumbled across Alpha Spy Nest while scouring the web for help. Their site/reviews didn’t promise miracles, just results, specialists in tracking down lost funds from online scams. Skeptical but out of options, I reached out. The process started with a simple form: I detailed the scam, uploaded screenshots of transactions, and shared the wallet addresses I’d sent my crypto to. Within hours, they confirmed they’d take my case.What followed was like watching a high-stakes chess game unfold, though I only saw the moves, not the players. Alpha Spy Nest dove into the blockchain, tracing my funds through a maze of wallets designed to obscure their path. They explained how scammers often use mixers to launder crypto, but certain patterns like timing and wallet clustering, could still betray them. I didn’t understand half of it, but their confidence kept me hopeful. Hours later, they updated me: my money had landed in an exchange account tied to the scam network. They’d identified it through a mix of on-chain analysis and intel from sources I’d never grasp. After 24 hours, i got a message, my funds were frozen in the scammer’s account pending review. Alpha Spy Nest had apparently flagged it just in time.  After some back-and-forth, the exchange with the help of Alpha Spy Nest reversed the transactions, and $145,000 of my original $156,000 hit my wallet. The rest, they said, was likely gone forever, siphoned off early. I never met anyone from Alpha Spy Nest, never heard a voice or saw a face. Yet, their methodical precision pulled me back from the brink. My money wasn’t fully restored, but the recovery felt like a win, a lifeline from a faceless ally in a world of digital shadows. If you find yourself in the same situation, you can also reach out to them via: Email: Alphaspynest@mail.com, whatsapp: ‪+15132924878‬, telegram: https://t.me/Alphaspynest,

9 Go to comments
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