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The 'special' moment Scotland rookie Ben White will never forget

By PA
(Photo by Ross MacDonald/SNS Group via Getty Images)

Calcutta Cup hero Ben White is desperate to create more good times for Scotland fans as Gregor Townsend’s side look to bounce back from an opening defeat in Argentina. White came on for the final 14 minutes of Scotland’s first Test defeat by the Pumas in Jujuy on Saturday, just before Emiliano Boffelli’s penalty sealed a 26-18 victory.

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The scrum-half is on his first Scotland tour and is looking to provide the same type of impact as his international debut when he claimed a try during a brief first-half appearance in the 20-17 win over England in February.

White was on the field for twelve first-half minutes while Ali Price was assessed for a head knock, before coming back on later in the game at BT Murrayfield, and the memory of the reaction to his try and the victory is still spurring him on during his first Scotland tour.

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Garbisi The Great & Montpellier’s Maiden Title | Le French Rugby Podcast | Episode 36

Good things come to those who wait… we’re joined by Montpellier hero Paolo Garbisi after a whirlwind of a week involving some epic celebrations and a long drive to join up with Italy ahead of their upcoming internationals! We discuss what it’s like to win a first ever Top 14 title for Montpellier in his first season with the club, what the celebrations were like, how he could’ve ended up in England, the influence of Zach Mercer, keeping Handre Pollard out of the team, the emotional scenes in Cardiff in March, potentially partnering his brother in the halfbacks for Italy, what next for the Azzurri and much more. Plus, there’s some massive transfer news surrounding a France international, we look ahead to France’s series with Japan and pick our MEATER Moment of the Week…
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“It was a moment that I will never forget,” the London Irish player said in a video interview on the Scottish Rugby Union’s Twitter account. “Genuinely, I can just close my eyes now and picture the whole place erupting. It was special, it meant a lot to me and my family.

“It was amazing and the messages I got after from Scottish people and fans, just how happy they were, it was amazing. 

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“The main thing for me is that every time now that I pull on the shirt, I want to do everything I can to make sure that I give those people who want us to do so well the same. I want to make sure I do everything I can to give the nation that joy that they had that day. I know how much it means to people and how much it means to me.

“Every time is a complete honour and something I will never take for granted. I will love every minute and just want to do well every minute and I will give my all. It was an incredible moment and it has just made me want more and want to do better and make sure we get more results like that in the future.”

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Scotland will have to improve on their first-half display when they take on Argentina in the second game of a three-match series on Saturday. Blair Kinghorn hit two penalties but Scotland struggled to make inroads with ball in hand and conceded two tries late in the half to leave them facing an uphill struggle after the break.

White said: “It’s a bit frustrating in terms of the fact that we probably didn’t get across what we wanted to do or how we trained. So in that respect, it was a bit frustrating not to show the way we wanted to play and the tempo that we wanted to play at.

“Credit to Argentina, they were good in areas and they came alive with counter-attack ball that we gave them. So we know what they are going to bring but we need to outwork them, both physically and, also, when we have the ball, play at a higher tempo than them.

“That’s the main thing going into the weekend, to play at a higher tempo and to run them about. As a squad, we have some brilliant players here and a real close connection, so as a group we are more than capable enough to go and beat them at the weekend.

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“We just need to make sure we are constantly on it and focused for 80 minutes and put together a performance we can all be proud of. We have reviewed ourselves pretty harshly and we want to correct the wrongs that we did at the weekend and make sure that, this weekend, we take it to 1-1.”

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j
john 9 minutes ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 2 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

13 Go to comments
T
Trevor 4 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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B
Bull Shark 8 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

29 Go to comments
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