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'You’ve got to ask the boss man about that': Fit-again Luke Crosbie

By PA
Scotland's Luke Crosbie goes off injured during the Guinness Six Nations 2024 match between Wales and Scotland at Principality Stadium on February 3, 2024 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Ian Cook - CameraSport via Getty Images)

Luke Crosbie is aiming to re-establish himself in Scotland’s back row as he continues riding the “rollercoaster” of being a professional rugby player.

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The 27-year-old Edinburgh flanker has begun each of the last two Six Nations championships in the starting XV but has been unable to fully assert himself as a first choice in Gregor Townsend’s side due to a combination of intense competition for places and untimely injuries.

While the form of Glasgow back-row trio Jack Dempsey, Matt Fagerson and Rory Darge in particular has been a clear factor in Crosbie seemingly slipping down the pecking order, he also has reason to curse the impact of a shoulder injury sustained against Wales in Cardiff that ended his participation in the Six Nations and allowed others to stake their claim.

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The 20-min red card explained by referee Karl Dickson

Referee Karl Dickson explains the 20-min red card system that is in place during the Autumn Nations Series.

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The 20-min red card explained by referee Karl Dickson

Referee Karl Dickson explains the 20-min red card system that is in place during the Autumn Nations Series.

“It’s a rollercoaster,” said Crosbie, who has won 11 caps since his debut three years ago. “One minute you’re starting against Wales and the next minute you’re having to get your missus to help put your socks on. That’s part of the sport. It was tough.

“You ride the emotion on the day. As well as it being pretty painful, taking painkillers to get through it, you’ve got the emotion of it, working so hard to be starting for Scotland – ‘right, this is what I’ve worked for’ and wanting to put on a good performance to play the next week.

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“And then all of a sudden, one knock and your whole mindset and thought process leading up to the Six Nations completely changes. That’s it.

“I’ve come back better from that. Now I’m just really focused on getting back out there, playing with a thistle on my chest and running out at Murrayfield again.”

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After his Six Nations frustration, Crosbie returned to the Scotland fold for the summer tour of the Americas but his progress was halted again by a neck injury that restricted him to just one United Rugby Championship start for Edinburgh ahead of this month’s Autumn Series.

Having played no part in the opening two Tests against Fiji and South Africa, Crosbie is expected to be involved as Townsend shuffles his pack for the visit of Portugal this Saturday. A shoulder injury sustained by Dempsey could pave the way for Crosbie to play his way into contention for the Australia match the following weekend.

“You’ve got to ask the boss man about that,” he said when asked if he felt a door could open for him over the next couple of games. “I’m just focused on doing my thing. Whatever happens, if I get a chance, I’ll grab it with both hands and get out there and not waste any opportunity I’ve got.

“Irrelevant of what game it is, everyone just wants to keep playing for Scotland.

“You’ll find that if it’s the start of the campaign against Fiji, you want to play well because you want to play at Murrayfield the next week. If you play against South Africa, you want to play well because you want to play again for Scotland the next week. Once you’ve done it once, it doesn’t matter.

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“I’ve been working hard since coming back fit. I’m just waiting for that green light to go out there and do my thing and get back in the mix.”

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J
JW 3 hours ago
'Passionate reunion of France and New Zealand shows Fabien Galthie is wrong to rest his stars'

Ok, managed to read the full article..

... New Zealand’s has only 14 and the professional season is all over within four months. In France, club governance is the responsibility of an independent organisation [the Ligue Nationale de Rugby or LNR] which is entirely separate from the host union [the Fédération Française de Rugby or FFR]. Down south New Zealand Rugby runs the provincial and the national game.

That is the National Provincial Championship, a competition of 14 representative union based teams run through the SH international window and only semi professional (paid only during it's running). It is run by NZR and goes for two and a half months.


Super Rugby is a competition involving 12 fully professional teams, of which 5 are of New Zealand eligibility, and another joint administered team of Pacific Island eligibility, with NZR involvement. It was a 18 week competition this year, so involved (randomly chosen I believe) extra return fixtures (2 or 3 home and away derbys), and is run by Super Rugby Pacific's own independent Board (or organisation). The teams may or may not be independently run and owned (note, this does not necessarily mean what you think of as 'privately owned').


LNR was setup by FFR and the French Government to administer the professional game in France. In New Zealand, the Players Association and Super Rugby franchises agreed last month to not setup their own governance structure for professional rugby and re-aligned themselves with New Zealand Rugby. They had been proposing to do something like the English model, I'm not sure how closely that would have been aligned to the French system but it did not sound like it would have French union executive representation on it like the LNR does.

In the shaky isles the professional pyramid tapers to a point with the almighty All Blacks. In France the feeling for country is no more important than the sense of fierce local identity spawned at myriad clubs concentrated in the southwest. Progress is achieved by a nonchalant shrug and the wide sweep of nuanced negotiation, rather than driven from the top by a single intense focus.

Yes, it is pretty much a 'representative' selection system at every level, but these union's are having to fight for their existence against the regime that is NZR, and are currently going through their own battle, just as France has recently as I understand it. A single focus, ala the French game, might not be the best outcome for rugby as a whole.


For pure theatre, it is a wonderful article so far. I prefer 'Ntamack New Zealand 2022' though.

The young Crusader still struggles to solve the puzzle posed by the shorter, more compact tight-heads at this level but he had no problem at all with Colombe.

It was interesting to listen to Manny during an interview on Maul or Nothing, he citied that after a bit of banter with the All Black's he no longer wanted one of their jersey's after the game. One of those talks was an eye to eye chat with Tamaiti Williams, there appear to be nothing between the lock and prop, just a lot of give and take. I thought TW angled in and caused Taylor to pop a few times, and that NZ were lucky to be rewarded.

f you have a forward of 6ft 8ins and 145kg, and he is not at all disturbed by a dysfunctional set-piece, you are in business.

He talked about the clarity of the leadership that helped alleviate any need for anxiety at the predicaments unfolding before him. The same cannot be said for New Zealand when they had 5 minutes left to retrieve a match winning penalty, I don't believe. Did the team in black have much of a plan at any point in the game? I don't really call an autonomous 10 vehicle they had as innovative. I think Razor needs to go back to the dealer and get a new game driver on that one.

Vaa’i is no match for his power on the ground. Even in reverse, Meafou is like a tractor motoring backwards in low gear, trampling all in its path.

Vaa'i actually stops him in his tracks. He gets what could have been a dubious 'tackle' on him?

A high-level offence will often try to identify and exploit big forwards who can be slower to reload, and therefore vulnerable to two quick plays run at them consecutively.

Yes he was just standing on his haunches wasn't he? He mentioned that in the interview, saying that not only did you just get up and back into the line to find the opposition was already set and running at you they also hit harder than anything he'd experienced in the Top 14. He was referring to New Zealands ultra-physical, burst-based Super style of course, which he was more than a bit surprised about. I don't blame him for being caught out.


He still sent the obstruction back to the repair yard though!

What wouldn’t the New Zealand rugby public give to see the likes of Mauvaka and Meafou up front..

Common now Nick, don't go there! Meafou showed his Toulouse shirt and promptly got his citizenship, New Zealand can't have him, surely?!?


As I have said before with these subjects, really enjoy your enthusiasm for their contribution on the field and I'd love to see more of their shapes running out for Vern Cotter and the like styled teams.

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