Tour Manager Gerald Davies today announced his first British and Irish Lions XV to face the Royal XV in Rustenburg on Saturday, with Mike Blair handed the starting scrum-half berth in a team including tour captain Paul O’Connell. The other Scots are left out (Euan Murray is being rested). Blair’s half back partner will be [...]

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After punching above their weight in reaching the semi final of the IRB World Sevens at Twickers last week, the Scotland Sevens squad move on to Murrayfield this week hoping for a repeat of the good performance on home turf. Having watched Scotland throw away a winnable match against Kenya I went out thinking “oh [...]

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This just in from the Lions: Scotland hooker Ross Ford was today announced by British & Irish Lions Tour Manager, Gerald Davies, as the tour replacement for the injured Irish hooker Jerry Flannery. Davies said, “Munster hooker Jerry Flannery tore ligaments in his left elbow in training on Wednesday that unfortunately ruled him out of [...]

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Replacements on tour for Jerry Flannery and Leigh Halfpenny will be announced later today – watch this space! Jim Telfer has tipped Ross Ford as the ideal man for the job, while former Lions hooker Keith Wood has gone for Rory Best. Meanwhile Chris Paterson’s name has appeared out of nowhere since Halfpenny was pulled [...]

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Here is the Magners League Dream Team as officially announced. Surprisingly despite Thom Evans being the top try scorer in the league and Edinburgh finishing second, there is no Scottish representation in the team. Still, they were probably all drinking cider when they made the list, weren’t they? The Magners League Dream Team 2008/09 1. [...]

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If you are interested (and why not?!) you can find some picture galleries of the Lions in training (except for Euan Murray, Harry Ellis and the Leinster boys) below: Irish Rugby Nachfoto Or alternatively go straight to the source and view all of them at Getty Images.

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Or three, perhaps. More players have joined Tomas O’Leary and Tom Shanklin on the list of Lions casualties, and the tour has not even started. Alan Quinlan’s ban for gouging was upheld, so he will not tour to South Africa. Non-surprise of the year is that Tom Croft will replace him, offering something different in [...]

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Cardiff 14 – 36 Edinburgh Edinburgh put together a solid performance in defence coupled with some excellent counter-attacking rugby to snatch a record second place finish in the Magners League with an away victory in the last match to be played at Cardiff Arms Park. A few decisions from Irish ref Simon McDowell that were [...]

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In form Northampton Saints centre Joe Ansbro has been called up to the Scotland A Team squad to play in the IRB Nations Cup. Ansbro, born in Glasgow, but eligible to play for England too, will be representing the fair nation of Scotland for the first time. And you never know, with Max Evans out [...]

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Troubled Glasgow fly-half Dan Parks may have played his last game for Glasgow after recent troubles – a meeting with the SRU next week should clear up as to whether or not his contract will be renewed or any disciplinary action will be taken. Meanwhile Glasgow trundle on with a visit from Connacht to finish [...]

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