Venue: BT Murrayfield
Kick-off: 7.35pm
Fraser Brown will make his 100th appearance for Glasgow Warriors on Friday against Edinburgh in a reversal of last weekends fixture.
Edinburgh are nominally the home team which in practice mostly means a switch of dressing rooms and a sprinkling of supporters allowed into BT Murrayfield’s cavernous echoes this time around. It will be the first professional rugby fixture to host a crowd since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Edinburgh have made ten changes including the returns of Darcy Graham and Magnus Bradbury as Richard Cockerill tries to bring all his talent on stream quickly enough to have them fit and ready for a home semi-final in just a few weeks. Chris Dean will captain the side.
A possible nod to resting some players is a first start for young talent Nathan Chamberlain at standoff while Charlie Shiel swaps in for Nic Groom at scrum-half after an impressive cameo off the bench last weekend. Roan Frostwick. Matt Gordon and Marshall Sykes are all in line to make their Edinburgh debuts from the bench.
For Glasgow, with the 1872 Cup decided and the playoffs missed, this will be the last, essentially meaningless (aside from bragging rights going into Scotland camp) fixture in a very curious season on and off the pitch.
Danny Wilson has continued with Huw Jones at full back after his appearance there last time out where there were few glaring errors but nothing at Stuart Hogg levels of special. He will, of course, take time to adjust. Nick Grigg continues to fill his preferred 13 shirt despite at least one very silly penalty against Edinburgh.
With the new breakdown interpretations in place Glasgow missed a scrapper on the deck so Tom Gordon will bring his excellent mullet to the party, allowing Matt Fagerson to slip across to his own more familiar role at Number 8.
Iain will follow up with reaction from the coaches later.
Edinburgh: Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham, James Johnstone, Chris Dean (capt), Duhan van der Merwe, Nathan Chamberlain, Charlie Shiel; Pierre Schoeman, Mike Willemse, Simon Berghan, Nick Haining, Jamie Hodgson, Magnus Bradbury, Hamish Watson, Viliame Mata.
Replacements: Stuart McInally , Rory Sutherland, WP Nel, Marshall Sykes, Luke Crosbie, Roan Frostwick, Jaco van der Walt, Matt Gordon.
Glasgow: Huw Jones, Tommy Seymour, Nick Grigg, Stafford McDowall, Ratu Tagive, Adam Hastings, George Horne; Oli Kebble, Fraser Brown (capt), Zander Fagerson, Richie Gray, Scott Cummings, Ryan Wilson, Tom Gordon , Matt Fagerson.
Replacements: George Turner, Charlie Capps, Enrique Pieretto, Rob Harley, Chris Fusaro, Ali Price, Pete Horne, Robbie Nairn.
Glasgow Players Unavailable for selection: Alex Allan, Adam Ashe, Hamish Bain, Mesu Dolokoto, Sam Johnson, Leone Nakarawa, Adam Nicol, Aki Seiuli, Kyle Steyn, Jale Vakaloloma.
44 Responses
If Glasgow lose this one, against a team with so many rookies, they are in real trouble. The mention of going into Scotland camp reminded me that I watched Exeter v Bristol Bears this week, and Sam HC put in a very impressive performance for the top premiership club, including a brilliantly taken individual try. Right up there with Ali and George. Hope Gregor took notice.
I think that there is definitely room for Sam in the training squad especially as he seems to be in a bit of form.
I dont rate Ali Price , so I would give SHC a go anytime. But I hope SHC turns Townsend down and concentrates on nailing his place at Exeter. The worst thing for a guy on form , is being shoehorned , into , doing it, Townsend’s way.
What do you actually want? You think SHC is better than Price but you don’t want him playing for Scotland? Your goals are unclear, at best.
I dont rate Price , which I stated . SHC’s number 1 priority right now is securing game time at Exeter, not being distracted in a training squad. It is not Rocket Science is it !! It is just an opinion , not a goal.
If you don’t know what you want to be achieved, what’s the worth of your opinions? I mean do you want Scotland to succeed? SHC? Exeter? Cotter?
Goals are worthless if they are not personal and owned. This is a place for opinion not goals. It is most likely Sam will fall away , he always does. Unfortunately you don’t earn your money playing for Scotland (nice as it is) you earn it by looking after your club in my opinion and the rest is a bonus.
I hate to say it, but Harris had a very good run for Glaster last week. He has gone right uphill since his move to the Premiership. Maybe others need to take note and get their agents on the job.
Harris was playing in the premiership well before his Scotland call up.
Harris was an average player at Newcastle, they got relegated.
Exeter and Bristol second strings in fairness.
That Bristol side did not seem 2nd string to me.
yeah, fair point just Exeter – had misremembered
Gloucester haven’t played Exeter since the restart? Are you sure you were watching the right Chris Harris?
Forwards for Glasgow look more solid this week for sure, but there’s something about that backline that just doesn’t seem to work for me. I’m happy to be proven wrong but Tagive and Seymour aren’t at the same level as VD Merve and Graham when it comes to pace and flair…
It’s basically the same pack?????
Missing the mighty Harley, missing him already. The bench is no place for a double centurion.
Huw Jones is not a Full back, there is no comparisson between a genuine teamplayer, playing out of position and Stuart Hogg , who was never special when it came to tackling . Just saying I dont agree with comparing them and who ever followed Hogg was going to be a low light. It really is the last act of humiliation for Huw Jones in my opinion . Go south Huw , better weather, real ale and a fresh start.
Fully concur with you
No I disagree, Huw just needs minutes on the pitch and the ball in his hands and he will rediscover himself and hopefully return to 13. I was impressed with most of his positional play and solidity under the high ball last week. better than for example Jordan Larmour who is already a recognised international full back. His kicking looked fine too just needs to get familiarity to improve his decision making. I don#t think townsend will really mind using him at 13 for Scotland while playing 15 for glasgow. Also being able to cover centre and a back 3 position makes him a much better bench option for Scotland.
Undoubted talent, who from the outside has done everything right. Came to Glasgow stayed when had the chance to leave, fell out of favour NOT for performances, but injuries following extended break through season and then consistently behind less talented 13s, dice loaded against him at international level in warm up games, misses World Cup. No opportunities, even when came back just pre-Covid was winning player of the month. Now shunted to full back. He has been utterly wasted and it’s plain as day. Great example of how fickle, yet bull-headed and short sighted Scotland / Glasgow coaching has been for last cycle. Get out now, be selfish and stop listening to them.
Obviously Grigg is ahead of Huw in the pecking order …. :-(
Grigg looked overweight and undertalented on Friday.
Do you think it is possible us fans simply overrate Jones? Yes he has had some very good moments in a Scotland jersey but to build a successful career he needs to show it week in week out for his club. I know you will just say “he is not getting the chance” but surely if he was visibly better than Grigg in training he would be getting these chances? Rennie, Toony and now Wilson can’t ALL be picking Grigg over him because they don’t like the guy. I trust their combined judgement.
It is an undoubted shame due to the potential he displayed when he first burst onto the scene and I am not sure what is next for him. The only teams he would start for in the prem are the bottom three so that wouldn’t do his international aspirations much. I think his only option is to become Glasgow’s obvious first choice 13 and build from there.
Scotty , You are , very eloquently , saying that a Currie Cup winner who drags serveral Engishmen over the line to score is overrated by fans. I think right now , he is not performing, no question. However I do not believe we can be overrating him.
I’m more pointing out that it’s a possibility. As fans we only see one side and I find it hard to believe that his past three coaches separately haven’t selected him at 13 for any other reason than they think someone else can do a better job there. Admittedly, he has played every minute (bar a dubious yellow card) under Wilson’s short tenure so the jury is out on how he rates him/where he will play him.
Until we see Jones string 6/7 matches together in the 13 jersey, we can’t fully decide how good he is.
I think people do over rate Huw Jones, His attacking ability is world class, his tackle technique as a 13 however is at best mediocre club standard.
We have overrated some Glasgow favourites for years . Compared to some his defense is as solid as the great wall of China. BTW Jones try scoring ratio is better than most in a Scottish jersey. I think this stint at Fullback is because Glasgow are all out of options, nowt to do with who is the best 13. Grigg is not capable of playing 13 , perhaps it is just about who is agile enough to cover.
Whoops I mean Grigg cannot play 15.
Buddy, you have hit upon a bugbear of mine of teams playing supposedly “versatile” players out of position. Fair enough in a short-term injury crisis or other squad emergency, but not as plan A.
If Glasgow’s preferred line-up is Grigg, two wingers and a full back, they should release Jones and contract a fullback or winger/fullback with the freed-up money.
If they actually want Jones to play at centre, then he needs to play at centre – in this case possibly Grigg needs to go elsewhere…
And finally if they want a utility back to cover everything north of 12 then I don’t think Huw Jones is the answer…
It’s not going to help Huw’s international career either if all his game time is at 15, it’s a ready-made excuse not to select him with Hogg, Kinghorn, Maitland and possibly even Hastings both ahead of him as fullback options!
Better balance to Glasgow backrow.
If Edinburgh can get quick ball they can score points
Huw Jones is a magnificent rugby player, he was virtually unplayable not that long ago, injuries & poor management have knocked him at Glasgow. Jones had trouble with the world’s best centre (Jon Davies) but most centres had trouble with Davies. As stated above Jones needs minutes on the pitch.
Grigg is a bighearted trier but not in Jones’s class as a OC
Not sure what good playing Jones at FB does really. He won’t get a look in there at international level and we don’t have an abundance of great outside centres anyway, surely it’s time for Glasgow to give the likes of rufus McLean a go and stop trying to plug gaps.
Glasgow vs Edin – what a dire game. Both sides need to give the game some width. Too many players not getting their hands on the ball.
Yep. Not helped by some odd refereeing. Or by Edinburgh choosing to ignore their fly half…
Glasgow deserved their victory, looked way more up for it than Edinburgh. Stand outs for me were the Glasgow front row, Cummings, McDowell and Gordon.
Zander Fagerson has been putting his hand up as the best tight-head in Europe this year. He’s been immense.
yeah I agree on this, last week he was solid against a fresh Sutherland first half then a fresh schoeman second half, I haven#t seen this weeks game but it sounded like he owned schoeman again. He also has the biggest engine of any tighthead in UK and ireland which would be very vauable playing at altitude in SA. I think people should be taking up his lions chances much more.
That game was terrible. 700 unlucky fans…
At least the 700 unlucky fans didn’t have to put up with Al Kellock’s inane wittering throughout the entire game.
I don’t mind Jim Hamilton though … some insight and nice balance of humour …
I am concerned that we will see many more turgid games of rugby in the coming year. Indeed it has often been a tactic, even at International level, to make the game ponderous and boring. Rugby should be entertaining and can only achieve that by being fast and skilful, so any tactic, rule or ploy, needs to be removed from the game. Let’s start by replacing scrum penalties (apart from a professional foul) with a free kick, and to be really radical, abolish the rolling maul inside the 22.
First choice Glasgow side now ?
1. Kebble
2. Brown (c)
3. Fagerson
4. Cummings
5. Gray
6. Nakarawa
7. Gordon
8. Fagerson
9. Price
10. Hastings
11. Seymour
12. Johnson
13. Steyn
14. Tagive
15. Jones
16. Turner
17. Seiuli
18. Pieretto
19. Harley
20. Wilson
21. Horne
22. Horne
23. Mcdowall
South Africa to potentially replace Japan in the Eight Nations. Gulp.