Going into this round with the season now well and truly under way unless you were on the Lions tour – we’re still waiting for our lads to stick the boot in like Sean O’Brien did this week – and Glasgow are 3 wins from 3 games, but so are Munster.
A draw aside, that’s likely to change on Friday night, as last season’s bogey team come to visit Scotstoun.
The encounters between the two teams last season were often tetchy affairs at best and volatile at worst – StandingLegGate anyone? – so it is perhaps fitting that Glasgow’s, um, coolest head Ryan Wilson returns to captain the side that squeaked past Cardiff. The front row that has started all of Glasgow’s games so far reforms again this weekend, while new cult favourite Callum Gibbins will be itching to take on that Munster pack.
In the backs Finn Russell resumes his Scotland pairing with Ali Price while Ruaridh Jackson continues to be quietly effective at full back. Pete Horne replaces Alex Dunbar at inside centre as he picked up a knee knock in Wales – word from Rennie was that could keep him out for a while.
There’s a welcome return from injury for Rob Harley on the bench and Sam Johnson and Leo Sarto also return to add late impetus should it be required.
While Edinburgh are perhaps dreading encounters with some of the league’s big beasts, Glasgow are probably relishing this one in order to see how far they have progressed in their development, especially against a team who turned them over four times home and away last season.
As for Munster there are plenty of the names that stifled the Warriors down so effectively last season present, but they too are missing their Lions save for 2013 model Simon Zebo.
Without Keith Earls or Conor Murray to wind up, where will the Warrior Nation turn their attention next?
Glasgow: R Jackson, L Jones, N Grigg, P Horne, R Hughes, F Russell, A Price; J Bhatti, G Turner, Z Fagerson, T Swinson, S Cummings, R Wilson (capt), C Gibbins, A Ashe.
Replacements: P MacArthur, A Allan, D Rae, B Alainu’uese, R Harley, H Pyrgos, S Johnson, L Sarto.
Munster: A Conway, D Sweetnam, C Farrell, R Scannell, A Wootton, T Bleyendaal (capt), D Williams; L O’Connor, R Marshall, S Archer, J Kleyn, B Holland, S O’Connor, T O’Donnell, J O’Donoghue.
Replacements: N Scannell, D Kilcoyne, J Ryan, F Wycherley, R Copeland, J Hart, J Taute, S Zebo.
Glasgow’s unavailable players: Adam Hastings (thigh), Lelia Masaga (calf), Tommy Seymour (thigh), Fraser Brown (ankle), Alex Dunbar (knee), Jonny Gray (wrist), Stuart Hogg (shoulder), Oli Kebble (foot), Paddy Kelly (ankle), Ratu Tagive (achilles), Richie Vernon (achilles) and Samuela Vunisa (knee).
Referee: Nigel Owens
Scotstoun Stadium, Friday 22 September, live on BBC Two Scotland (kick-off 7.35pm)