Rugby Union

Skipper Stuart Hogg will be the first name on the Scotland team-sheet for the Italy match despite a couple of high-profile blunders in the past two games but 23-year-old Blair Kinghorn says he is “gunning” for the captain’s No 15 jersey.

Scotland Grand Slam hero Sean Lineen has paid a warm and emotional tribute to his former All Black father, Terry, who died this week at the age of 84.

Scotland will look to turn their Six Nations campaign around with their third game.

Until “something changes” Finn Russell will not play a part in what remains of Scotland’s Six Nations campaign.

The final of the FOSROC Super6 tournament will be held at Scotstoun, Scottish Rugby has announced.

Watson’s confident Scots have the edge but will not be making the mistake of underestimating the hosts in Rome, writes Iain Morrison

He glowered at the ball like a B-movie baddie would his cowering rival, like a sadistic headmaster from equally long ago would the classroom irritant.

Next time the meteorologists are looking for a name beginning with D for harsh weather conditions, maybe they will consider Duhan – for Storm Duhan van der Merwe was every bit as strong as Storm Dennis in Llanelli.

Conditions at Murrayfield were so appalling last week that it is tempting to say there is nothing to have been learned from the match. It certainly wasn’t a normal game of rugby. One might say that England just deserved their victory because they defended well and made fewer handling errors, and leave it there.

Glasgow needed a bonus-point win to give their play-off prospects a boost, and they got there in comfort in the end – but only after a profligate 
first-half performance that saw them throw away a 14-point lead.

With Willem Nel in the front row, Grant Gilchrist at lock and Nick Haining in the back row, Edinburgh have been able to name a strong team for today’s Pro14 match at Scarlets despite the absence of eight members of the 
Scotland squad.

There isn’t too much that has fallen into place for Scotland in the Six Nations but at least the set scrum has impressed. In the opening round in Dublin, Scotland won two straight arm penalties against an Ireland eight anchored by two British Lions props. And if things were a little less clear cut against England at least there was no capitulation as France’s forwards had done seven days earlier.

Scotland sextet return for trip to Wales

Sometimes you learn as much from not playing as you do from being out there in the thick of things. Damien Hoyland, for one, is convinced that he has learned valuable lessons from the times when he has been sidelined from rugby – and unfortunately for the Edinburgh player, those spells have been lengthy.

A gap weekend in the Six Nations will give Gregor Townsend and his Scotland squad a brief but much-needed chance to recover and recalibrate after a bruising period in which they have not only lost their first two matches in the championship, but also star player Finn Russell following an internal dispute which has turned into a very embarrassing public spat. As a result, attention will be diverted this weekend towards the pro teams and their push to make the Pro14 play-offs.

Wales expect Dan Biggar to face France in the Guinness Six Nations despite the outside-half having suffered a third head injury this season.

Anthony Watson’s participation in the remainder of England’s Guinness Six Nations campaign is uncertain after he was ruled out of the round three fixture against Ireland.

Leone Nakarawa will pull on a Glasgow kit in a Guiness PRO14 clash for the first time since sealing his Scotstoun return when Warriors host Zebre on Friday night.