Six Nations: In Edinburgh with Itoje & Gregor's gamble
Rugby Union Weekly
BBC
4.6 • 5.3K Ratings
🗓️ 13 February 2026
⏱️ 50 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Chris has made it to Edinburgh to find Tom English and Andy Burke to analyse the Scotland team for the Calcutta Cup. There is no Edinburgh player in the starting XV since 1998! So, it means there is no place for Duhan van der Merwe again. Is it a gamble to leave out the record try scorer in the Calcutta Cup in the Six Nations era? Can Gregor Townsend survive another defeat, or would it be the final straw for the Scottish rugby public? We also pick through some bold selection calls from Ireland boss Andy Farrell as they welcome Italy to the Aviva on Saturday. Chris heads to the England team hotel to catch up with captain Maro Itoje as he prepares to win his 99th cap after a tough few weeks on a personal level. He shares how his faith has helped him deal with the loss of his mother. He speaks candidly about the huge influence she had on all aspects of his life and how much the reaction of the Twickenham crowd meant to him after coming off the bench last week.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio Podcasts. |
| 0:05.6 | Oh, hello. You have chosen a BBC podcast, but before you listen to it, we thought you might like our podcast too. |
| 0:12.1 | You might. You might. It is called Sightraught with me, Nick Grimshaw. |
| 0:15.2 | And me, Annie Mack. And we talk about the week in music. |
| 0:18.2 | All the news, all the cultural happenings in the UK and beyond. |
| 0:22.2 | And great guests. |
| 0:23.3 | And it's on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:24.7 | Yes, where you can also enjoy lots of playlists, music mixes and live radio. |
| 0:29.9 | Everything from my six music breakfast show to Radio 3 Unwind. |
| 0:34.5 | But obviously start with our podcast, sidetrack. |
| 0:36.3 | Obviously. |
| 0:36.7 | Obviously. |
| 0:38.2 | So if you like music, listen on BBC Sans. |
| 0:40.8 | Five Lives, Rugby Union Weekly. |
| 0:46.0 | Okay, Rugby Union Weekly, Edinburgh. |
| 0:48.6 | It is 20 to 5 on Thursday. |
| 0:51.6 | And we are precisely almost to the minute, |
| 0:54.1 | 40 hours away from the Calcutta Cup, Scotland against England. |
| 0:57.6 | Two huge games this weekend, loads to get at. |
| 1:00.8 | But as I mentioned, we're in Edinburgh and no better men to chat to when we're here. |
| 1:06.3 | Tom English and Andy Burke of NationSpot, BBC Scotland and just general fame. |
| 1:12.1 | That would be correct. |
... |
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