Scotland

Scotland star Hogg closes on return with Six Nations looming

The full-back has won the Player of the Tournament award in the past two seasons, and has been a cause for concern since injuring himself in the warm-up of the emphatic 53-24 beating of Australia in November.

However, Hogg is confident that he will be back on the pitch before Scotland's Six Nations opener against Wales on February 3.

Speaking to BBC Radio 5 live, he said: "Hopefully I'll be back on the pitch in the next couple of weeks and ready to rock and roll again.

"We're getting there now.

Wallabies fall in rankings

Ireland, who beat Argentina 28-19 at the weekend, have pushed the Wallabies down to fourth place after Michael Cheika's side were thumped 53-24 by the Scots.

The defeat was Australia's biggest-ever loss to Scotland at Murrayfield, with the home team given a huge advantage after Wallabies prop Sekope Kepu was sent off just before halftime for a shoulder charge to the head.

It was Australia's second-straight defeat after going down to England 30-6 the week before.

Scrappy All Blacks hang on to beat Scotland

The All Blacks outscored their hosts three tries to two in Edinburgh on Sunday (NZ time) but were scrappy at times and were given a tough test by a side who are still to beat them in 33 meetings.

There was last-ditch hope for Scotland when Stuart Hogg broke free with just seconds remaining but first five-eighth Barrett arrived in cover to push the fullback into touch only a few metres from the line.

A try would have sealed at least a draw for the home, which they have only acheived once against the All Blacks, a 0-0 stalemate in 1964.

One change to All Blacks fifteen

Codie Taylor starts at hooker for the injured Dane Coles, with Nathan Harris going onto the bench.

Loosie Liam Squire comes onto the bench replacing Scott Barrett.

All Blacks Head Coach Steve Hansen said: "This Test against Scotland will be an opportunity for this group of players to take on the challenge of raising the bar on the performance which was set down by their teammates on Tuesday (against the French Selection).

Scotland weakened further

Prop WP Nel (arm fracture) and lock Tim Swinson (hand) will miss the remainder of 2017, which also includes a test against Australia on November 25, after picking up injuries in the 44-38 victory over Samoa on Saturday.

Flanker Rob Harley, who injured his knee in training last week, will also not feature again this year.

Newcastle Falcons prop Jon Welsh has been added to the squad as cover and could play his first test in more than two years having last appeared in the 2015 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal loss to Australia at Twickenham.

Kidwell pleased with Kiwis win

Having drawn last year's Four Nations clash with the Bravehearts, David Kidwell's troops hit the ground running in Christchurch and were near-untouchable.

They ran in 14 tries to one, with Peta Hiku and Te Maire Martin scoring hat-tricks.

Taumalolo runs riot in big Tonga win

The team that was the talk of the World Cup prior to the tournament kicked off due to the high-profile inclusions of Jason Taumalolo and Andrew Fifita wasted no time to show that what is on paper will transfer to the field, Michael Jennings scoring the opening four-pointer of his first half hat-trick inside the first three minutes.

Tonga live up to hype with convincing win against Scotland

 Scotland was blown away by the might of Tonga’s compelling first outing, conceding 38 points in the first half as they were simply unable to cope with the constant vigour of the Mate Ma’a players.

The 9,216 fans were treated to a powerful pre-game war cry from Tonga, which followed an emotional rendition of their national anthem.

The entertainment ensued from the get-go as Scotland almost regained their own kick-off, sending players squaring off against each other just seconds into the game.

Tonga credentials on show against Scotland

Fifita and Taumalolo. They're the names that will be the focus after their landmark pre-tournament defections from Australia and New Zealand respectively.

The sheer athletic ability the two possess, coupled with the the unpredictable and somewhat underrated brilliance of Michael Jennings, mean that Tonga's first outing will be viewed as a building block for international rugby league. 

The two hulking forwards will be the driving forces for Tonga, enabling their formidable backline to unleash their attacking potency. 

Hannah Gadsby named joint winner of Comedy Award

The comedian's show Nanette was declared joint winner of the Best Comedy Award with that of British stand-up John Robins' The Darkness of Robins.

It has been a record-breaking year for Gadsby after taking out the Best Comedy Performer at the Helpmann Awards, the Barry Award for Best Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the award for Best Comedy at the Adelaide Fringe Festival.