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BBC News
05-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Scotland hold on to beat Maori All Blacks in tour opener
Maori All Blacks: (12) 26Tries: Nock, Walker-Leawere, Eklund, Wrampling. Con: Reihana 2, (24) 29Tries: Paterson, Horne 2, Reed. Cons: Hastings 3 Pens: Hastings. Scotland held off a Maori All Blacks fightback at the death to hang on to a slender lead and win a nail-biting first game of their summer tour to New Hastings' first-half penalty proved to be crucial, with both sides scoring four tries and three penalties in Scots have not toured New Zealand in 25 years and, although this was a non-capped international, both sides played with typical Southern Hemisphere flair hosts enjoyed more possession, made more metres and re-arranged more ribs than their visitors, but Gregor Townsend's side were a little more clinical in attack and produced a huge defensive set at the last to clinch while the side was predominantly made up of Scotland's second-string, with stars like Jamie Ritchie, Rory Darge, Darcy Graham and Tom Jordan rested for the next two games against Fiji and Samoa, they had to produce their best to see off the Maoris. Although the next two games of Scotland's travels have taken on more importance due to world ranking points, the tourists might not face a sterner test than the one they had in northern New pace was set early and tries were traded quickly. Maori scrum-half Sam Nock scored in the opening minute before Harry Paterson dotted down an Ollie Smith grubber-kick that unlocked the hosts' blitz Horne scored after his box-kick caused chaos, but then Isaia Walker-Leawere hit back while the Scots were under pressure and replacement Alex Masibaka was sent to the going down to 14 men, it was the visitors who went in ahead at the break. Stafford McDowall's superb 50-22 kick got Scotland up the pitch and another Smith kick-through sent Arron Reed over the Maoris started the second-half in harum-scarum fashion, going down to 13 men when TK Howden and Bailyn Sullivan both committed yellow-card offences, but Scotland could only score five points in that 10-minute might have been the try of the day, though. Striking from deep, Rory Hutchinson released Reed with a cat-flap offload and the speedy winger found Horne in support for the scrum-half to score his soon as the Maoris were back to their full compliment, they went to wiping out the advantage the Scots had built. Captain Kurt Eklund scored from the back of a driving maul and then Gideon Wrampling went over in the corner after a superb Daniel Rona 50-22 put the hosts into a great was a three-point game and Scotland had the ball in their mitts in the 79th minute as they looked to see it out. It is never so simple with this team, Maoris won the turnover and launched phase after phase of attack. The Scots creaked, Cam Henderson was sent to the bin, the clock was deep in the red at the 85-minute having held out on their own line, they capitalised on a slack pass and the back-line piled into a ruck to win the ball back and secure a famous victory on the North Island. Line-ups Maori All Blacks: Z Sullivan, Forbes, B Sullivan, Wrampling, Rona; Reihana, Nock; Proffit, Eklund (c), Sykes-Martin, Shalfoon, Walker-Leaware, Howden, Brown, Devery, Rakete-Stones, Kumeroa, McWhannell, Delany, Hauiti-Parapara, Trask, Smith, Paterson, Hutchinson, McDowall (c), Reed, Hastings, Horne; McBeth, Harrison, Richardson, Sykes, Henderson, Bayliss, Onyeama-Christie, Turner, Hepburn, Hurd, Williamson, Brown, Masibaka, Burke, Nika Amashukeli (Georgia).
NZ Herald
05-07-2025
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Māori All Blacks v Scotland: Live updates from the clash in Whangārei
Follow the action as the Māori All Blacks take on Scotland in Whangārei. Match preview The Māori All Blacks will host Scotland in Whangārei this afternoon looking to back up a strong performance against the Japan XV last weekend. After trailing at halftime in Tokyo, the Māori All Blacks flew home to win 50-23 and start their campaign in style. The side return home to face a Scotland side looking to bring some fresh faces into the international arena, with three uncapped players named in their matchday squad including former Crusaders No 10 Fergus Burke. Only six of the Scotland 23 have made 10 or more appearances for the nation, including first five-eighths Adam Hastings (32) and captain Stafford McDowall (13). The Māori All Blacks have made two changes to their starting side from last weekend's win, with Antonio Shalfoon making his debut at lock with Laghlan McWhannell moving to the bench and Daniel Rona starting on the left wing. The only other change on the bench sees Corey Evans replace Xavi Taele as back line cover. 'Japan tested us with fast-paced rugby in hot conditions, and I was proud of the way the team came out in that second half in particular. They made quick decisions, and you could see the cohesion get better and better as the game went on,' head coach Ross Filipo said. 'We know Scotland have their own style, so we are now firmly looking forward. Scotland are physical, and the team is ready for that. We are focused on working collectively to balance our natural instincts with smart decision-making.' Māori All Blacks side to take on Scotland: 1. Jared Proffit 2. Kurt Eklund 3. Kershawl Sykes-Martin 4. Antonio Shalfoon 5. Isaia Walker-Leawere 6. Te Kamaka Howden 7. Jahrome Brown 8. Cullen Grace 9. Sam Nock 10. Rivez Reihana 11. Daniel Rona 12. Gideon Wrampling 13. Bailyn Sullivan 14. Cole Forbes 15. Zarn Sullivan. Bench: 16. Jacob Devery 17. Pouri Rakete-Stones 18. Benet Kumeroa 19. Laghlan McWhannell 20. Caleb Delany 21. Kemara Hauiti-Parapara 22. Kaleb Trask 23. Corey Evans. Scotland: 1. Nathan McBeth 2. Patrick Harrison 3. Fin Richardson 4. Marshall Sykes 5. Cameron Henderson 6. Josh Bayliss 7. Andy Onyeama-Christie 8. Ben Muncaster 9. George Horne 10. Adam Hastings 11. Arron Reed 12. Stafford McDowall (c), 13. Rory Hutchinson 14. Harry Paterson 15. Ollie Smith. Bench: 16. George Turner 17. Alec Hepburn 18. Will Hurd 19. Max Williamson 20. Gregor Brown 21. Alexander Masibaka 22. Fergus Burke 23. Jamie Dobie.
Irish Times
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Leinster class shines through in bruising URC semi-final that proved familiarity breeds contempt
URC semi-final: Leinster 37 Glasgow Warriors 19 There were reminders aplenty of the dominance exerted by Ireland and Leinster over their Scottish counterparts for much of the professional era. This United Rugby Championship semi-final had echoes of Ireland dismantling and eliminating Scotland in the World Cup at the Stade de France, both in the scale of the victory and the undercurrent of hostility bubbling between the two sides. Watching Adam Hastings grappling with, and sneering at James Lowe toward the end of the first half – by which point Leinster were almost out of sight – brought to mind some of the scuffles that day in Paris as well. Once again, it made you wonder why some Scottish players seem so intent on riling their Irish opposition. Two late converted tries were of modest consolation to the Warriors and merely distorted the scoreline. Such was Leinster's command of the physical exchanges that this was much closer to the 52-0 rout in the Champions Cup quarter-final two months ago than the hard-earned 13-5 win in a dead-rubber three weeks ago. After all, Leinster had two tries ruled out in the first half for crossing and a forward pass, and Jordie Barrett also couldn't ground the ball over the line. Furthermore, Sam Prendergast left behind 11 points off the tee by missing four conversions and a penalty. READ MORE They say familiarity breeds contempt and it's evident that this ultra-focused and ruthless upgrade on Leinster's previous two displays was a backhanded compliment to Glasgow in dethroning the champions. It was evident, right from the start, that Leinster were in the mood 'When you play a team you play quite frequently, and that gives it back to you in spades, there is that motivation to do your best,' admitted Jack Conan afterwards. 'We spoke just about being physical and dominant and we were for the majority and that is really pleasing. We'll use this as another stepping stone for next week.' Equally as revealing was Jamison Gibson-Park when he told an array of ex-players-turned-pundits on Premier Sports: 'I suppose it was the ideal opponent for us in the semi-finals. We've a bit of history with Glasgow. We've had some ding-dong battles with them over the years.' Dan Sheehan celebrates with Jamison Gibson-Park after scoring Leinster's first try against Glasgow Warriors. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho It was evident, right from the start, that Leinster were in the mood. Prendergast's hanging kick-off led to Tommy O'Brien leading the charge as Henco Venter was engulfed. He conceded a penalty for not releasing. Cue a kick to the corner, a lineout maul and a patient power play which culminated in the first of another brace by Dan Sheehan, thus taking his tally to 14 for the season. When Leinster are 'on it' like they were here, to quote Conan, it serves to demonstrate how under-par their display was a week beforehand against the Scarlets. It also makes the performance against Northampton in the Champions Cup semi-final harder to understand, particularly the lack of urgency and intensity in defence. As well as dominating on the ground, rarely has a team so reigned supreme in the air as Leinster did here. Franco Smith must regret restoring Hastings's kicking game to outhalf and seeking to target a fired-up Lowe in the air. Even so, the gulf in class was so pronounced that it probably didn't make a huge difference to the outcome. Tacit admittance of this came at half-time when Hastings was withdrawn and the departing Tom Jordan shifted back to outhalf, from where he had orchestrated the commanding quarter-final win over the Stormers. While four of the six tries were down to the pack's dominance and power plays, a couple were a product of the highly-skilled, high-tempo rugby they are capable of producing when also in the mood. The counterattack to set up an overload on the blindside of the recycle was nicely worked. The crowd witnessed quick hands by Prendergast, Barrett and Jimmy O'Brien before Lowe's one-handed offload sent Jamie Osborne through to finish along the touchline. That made it 15-5 and was vintage Leinster. So too was the bout of continuity initiated by Lowe's high take and carry, and support play by Ryan Baird which culminated in Tommy O'Brien keeping the ball alive for Ciarán Frawley to finish. 'We always want to play at pace,' said Conan, although there seemed to be a much more concerted effort to do so in this match than in that pedestrian quarter-final against the Scarlets. Leinster's Ryan Baird, who was outstanding throughout, offloads the ball. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho 'If you look at our athletes, the players, we have pace across the board. We want to stretch teams, we want to put them under pressure, we want to play quick from rucks.' Nor was this a pre-ordained tactic, as such. 'It was just the way the game developed. It started fast, we had the ball a lot. Sometimes you can get sucked into kick-battles and stuff like that and you are trying to play territory or whatever. 'But that wasn't the case today. We rolled up our sleeves and got to work and got the bit of pace which suits us.' The energy brought by the less exposed players this season, such as Tom Clarkson, Baird, Osborne and the O'Briens, underlined that going deep into a season requires going deep into a squad. In his fifth successive 80-minute outing, the outstanding Baird never let up, invariably leading Leinster's hungry kick-chase, even when first to a long restart in the 79th minute. Watched by Andy Farrell, the thought occurred that such a rare talent should really be a Lion. SCORING SEQUENCE – 3 mins: Sheehan try, Prendergast con, 7-0; 5: Horne try, 7-5; 23: Prendergast pen, 10-5; 28: Osborne try, 15-5; 33: Clarkson try, 20-5; ( half-time 20-5 ); 41: Sheehan try, 25-5; 54: Osborne try, Prendergast con, 32-5; 58: Frawley try, 37-5; 72: Dobie try, Jordan con, 37-12; 79: Tuipulotu try, Jordan con, 37-19. LEINSTER: Jimmy O'Brien; Tommy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Thomas Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Ryan Baird, Scott Penny, Jack Conan (capt). Replacements: Rónan Kelleher for Sheehan, RG Snyman for Ryan (both 55 mins); Rabah Slimani for Clarkson, Ciarán Frawley for Barrett (both 56); Jack Boyle for Porter (59); Ross Byrne for Prendergast (61); Max Deegan for Conan (64); Luke McGrath for Gibson-Park (70 mins). GLASGOW WARRIORS: Josh McKay; Kyle Steyn (capt), Sione Tuipulotu, Tom Jordan, Kyle Rowe; Adam Hastings, George Horne; Jamie Bhatti, Gregor Hiddleston, Fin Richardson; Alex Samuel, Scott Cummings; Euan Ferrie, Rory Darge, Henco Venter. Replacements: Stafford McDowall for Hastings (h-t); Johnny Matthews for Hiddleston, Rory Sutherland for Bhatti, Sam Talakai for Richardson, Max Williamson for Samuel (all 45 mins); Jamie Dobie for Horne (52); Macenzzie Duncan for Venter (59), Jack Mann for Ferrie (73). Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR).
Daily Mail
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
We weren't good enough, admits Warriors coach Franco after reigning champions are blown away by Leinster
Leinster 37 Glasgow 19 GLASGOW WARRIORS boss Franco Smith admitted his team were nowhere near good enough after they were blown away by Leinster in the URC semi-finals. Leinster ran in six tries in a dominant performance to bring Glasgow's reign as champions to a brutal end in Dublin. The Irish side scored 30 unanswered points at one stage to race clear as the Warriors sank without a trace at the Aviva. In particular, Smith was left to rue a slow start which had seen his team chasing the game and, ultimately, making too many unforced errors. 'Ultimately, we weren't good enough on the day, especially in the first half,' admitted the Glasgow head coach. 'I felt we should have started the game much better. 'It was a huge performance from Leinster. They started so quickly and we were chasing things from there, which is so hard. That just led to more errors from our side. 'They did a job on us in the first 20 or 25 minutes, where we had to make about 100 tackles. Leinster are a quality outfit, but we could have been better. 'They kept the error and penalty count down while we didn't. They put us on the back foot and it was an uphill battle from there.' Smith had started the match with two fly-halves on the pitch, as Adam Hastings started at 10 and Tom Jordan at 12 in an effort to match Leinster's kicking game. But it didn't work. Glasgow lost the aerial battle and Hastings was taken off at half-time, as Leinster dominated. Insisting that it was not the wrong approach, Smith said: 'I don't think the strategy was wrong. I think that's the right way to play against Leinster. We just didn't compete well enough in the aerial battle.' Despite the heavy defeat, Smith insisted he was proud of the efforts from his players in a title defence which fell short at the semi-final stage. 'I am really proud of our boys for our title defence this season,' he added. 'We must see it in context. We've had a lot of guys injured and not available for selection. You have to look at the big picture. 'We had to be extraordinarily good and they would have had to be average at least and that didn't happen.' Meanwhile, Leinster forward Ryan Baird, who was named man of the match, said: 'We want to win this tournament. Simple as that. We needed to turn up, no excuses and we did that. 'Glasgow are a great team full of Lions players and we never took them for granted. We were physical and energetic which is just as pleasing as the scores we got.'
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Glasgow make two changes for Leinster semi-final
Glasgow Warriors have made two changes from the side that beat Stormers in the URC quarter-finals for Saturday's semi-final against Leinster. Fin Richardson replaces Murphy Walker as the starting tighthead prop, while Adam Hastings starts at fly-half with Tom Jordan shifting to 12 and Stafford McDowall dropping to the bench. Advertisement Scotland centre Huw Jones misses out again, as do forwards Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey and Zander Fagerson. Ireland and Leinster full-back Hugo Keenan will miss the game having not been included in the matchday squad. He is replaced by Jimmy O'Brien in the 15 shirt, while Tommy O'Brien starts on the right wing.. Dan Sheehan returns at hooker, with Ronan Kelleher dropping to the bench, while Scott Penny replaces the injured Josh van der Flier at open-side flanker. Glasgow have lost on their past two trips to Dublin, having been thrashed 52-0 by Leinster in April in the Champions Cup and beaten 13-5 in the final match of the regular URC season. Advertisement Glasgow XV to face Leinster: McKay, Steyn, Tuipulotu, Jordan, Hastings, Horne; Bhatti, Hiddleston, Richardson, Samuel, Cummings, Ferrie, Darge, Venter. Replacements: Matthews, Sutherland, Talakai, Williamson, Mann, Duncan, McDowall, Dobie.
