Doncaster Knights have confirmed the signing of former Scotland Under-20s hooker Corey Tait for the remainder of the season. The now 22-year-old, who is originally from Hawick and played for Selkirk in the Arnold Clark Men’s Premiership over the last two seasons, has made no secret of his desire to have another crack at the pro game following his release from the Scottish Rugby Academy in the summer 2024. He joins older brother Rhys (himself a former Scotland Under-20s captain) at the English Championship club, and has been signed as a direct replacement for George Roberts, who moved to Dragons earlier this month.
Andrew Davidson, the former Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh lock, ended his year on a positive note after helping his side, Mazda Skyactiv’s Hiroshima, to top spot in the six-team Japan Division Three. The 29-year-old, who moved to Japan last year, missed the first match of the season. But he wasted no time in making an impression in the second fixture, touching down after five minutes for his side’s opening try in a 57-7 win over a Kurita Water Gush Akishima side that included another ex-Edinburgh man in Piers Francis.
Dubai is set to host the Division 3 Challenger tournament which is now part of the World Sevens circuit. The competition on January 17th and 18th will feature teams from Madagascar, Belgium, Canada, Italy, Tonga, Hong Kong China, Samoa and Colombia. The women’s event includes Colombia, Samoa, Argentina, Poland, Thailand, Mexica, South Africa and Chechia. The winners will earn promotion to Division 2, which will be contested in February and March.
A Newcastle Red Bulls side with a strong Scottish accent came close to posting a first win of the season in the Gallagher Premiership away to Bristol Bears. The visitors led for almost an hour, with Scotland prop Murray McCallum and Under-20 cap Ollie Leatherbarrow among the scorers, while Oli Spencer bagged a double as Newcastle secured a four-try bonus point. However, they surrendered the initiative in the closing stages, going down 36-27 to remain rooted to the bottom of the table, while Bears – with Tom Jordan landing two conversions – moved up to second.
Alec Hepburn, the Scotland international prop currently playing with Scarlets, is reportedly a signing target for Edinburgh, according to Welsh media. Born in Australia, the 32-year-old has a Scottish father and has five caps to his name, having made his debut off the bench away to Wales in the 2024 Six Nations Championship. He played six games for England, for whom he qualified on residency grounds, between February and November 2018, before becoming eligible again to play for Scotland through the three-year internatioonal stand-down rule.
Siya Kolisi, who has twice led South Africa to world cup victories, has confirmed plans for a return to the club where he started his professional career. The back-rower will rejoin Stormers next summer. It is the latest twist in a career that has seen him move from Stormers to Sharks to Racing 92, back to Sharks, and now a second stint at Stormers, where he played from 2012 to 2020.
There were mixed fortunes for the Scottish scrum-halves playing in the French Top 14. Ali Price touched down for Montpellier, but despite his side outscoring their opponents by five tries to four, they lost 35-33 to second-placed Pau. Meanwhile, Ben White started for Toulon in the 31-16 win at home to a Perpignan side without Jamie Ritchie in its ranks. The visitors led 10-7 at half time before a second half rally from Toulon yielded a 31-16 victory, with White replaced by Baptiste Serin after 58 minutes. Elsewhere, Blair Kinghorn played the second half for the leaders, Toulouse, in a 60-14 trouncing of La Rochelle.