Japan

Vern Cotter has made five changes to Scotland line-up from their final RBS Six Nations game for the first Test against Japan on Saturday.

Day three of the 2016 World Rugby U20 Championship at the AJ Bell Stadium saw both Argentina and England confirm their places in the tournament semi-finals writes Lewis Hughes. However a narrow victory for New Zealand over Wales was ultimately not enough to secure the All Blacks’ progression into the next round, with wins across the city for Ireland and South Africa completing the top-four seeding for Monday’s knockout games.

After 35 minutes of Japan’s 2016 World Rugby U20 Championship, it was all sunshine and roses for the Baby Blossoms.

Edinburgh prop Alasdair Dickinson believes Scotland will suffer in the upcoming tour of Japan, if they take the Brave Blossoms lightly.

England have displaced South Africa from the third position in the World Rugby Rankings after their historic 39-28 victory over Australia in Brisbane last weekend.

Round Two of the 2016 World Rugby U20s at the AJ Bell Stadium followed a little more closely to the script than Round One writes Lewis Hughes, although a statement victory in the day’s final game from Argentina will have raised more than a few eyebrows around opposition camps.

Richie Gray is set to join up with the Scotland squad in Japan and could play a part in Saturday’s first Test.

John Barclay, the Scottish flanker has admitted that his side is wary of the challenge to re-set their body clocks in just five days after touch down in Tokyo ahead of their Test double header with the Brave Blossoms.

It’s that time of year again when the northern hemisphere’s finest travel south of the equator (or staying above it in the case of Scotland) to do battle with the best of the southern hemisphere and, more often than not, take quite the beating.

Scotland wing Tommy Seymour is expecting Stormers centre Huw Jones to come good in the upcoming tour of Japan despite the 22-year-old maintaining a low profile in the squad.

On the opening day of the World Rugby U20 Championship there were thrills, spills and high drama writes Chris Heal as he looks back at the action from first round of games at the Manchester City Academy Stadium.

Scotland wing Damien Hoyland admitted that his exclusion from the 2015 World Cup has motivated him to become an even better player.

Scotland wing Sean Lamont has urged his team to take the upcoming Test series against Japan seriously in order to avoid a tougher group in the 2019 World Cup.

We wrap up our recent previews of the World Rugby U20 Championship by examining Pool C, after looking at both Pools A and B over the last few days.

Scotland stand-off Finn Russell will miss Scotland's summer tour to Japan as he continues his stay in hospital recovering from a head injury.

Scotland have included seasoned centre Sean Lamont as a replacement for their injured winger Tim Visser for the tour of Japan which is scheduled to begin in June.

Scotland have added centre Matt Scott to the squad for the upcoming Japan tour as a replacement for Alex Dunbar, who was ruled out for the remainder of the season owing to a knee injury.

Scotland head coach Vern Cotter on Monday unveiled a "tight" 27-man squad for Japan tour scheduled this summer.

A concise roundup of this week's Super Rugby action.

In the build-up to the 2016 Super Rugby season, one story, above all others, painted a troubling picture for the future of southern hemisphere rugby.