Glasgow Warriors vs Connacht

GLASGOW WARRIORS TEAM TO PLAY CONNACHT AT FIRHILL IN THE RABODIRECT PRO12 AT FIRHILL ON SATURDAY 5 MAY (KICK-OFF 7.30PM)

15 Stuart Hogg

14 Federico Aramburu (CAPTAIN)
13 Alex Dunbar
12 Graeme Morrison
11 DTH van der Merwe

10 Duncan Weir
9 Henry Pyrgos

1 Jon Welsh
2 Dougie Hall
3 Moray Low
4 Tom Ryder
5 Richie Gray
6 Rob Harley
7 Chris Fusaro
8 John Barclay

SUBSTITUTES

16 Pat MacArthur
17 Mike Cusack
18 Ryan Grant
19 Al Kellock
20 Calum Forrester
21 Chris Cusiter
22 Ruaridh Jackson
23 Colin Shaw

Not considered for selection due to injury: Rob Dewey (shoulder), Rory Lamont (leg), Fergus Thomson (shoulder), Ryan Wilson (knee).

Shame that there's no place for Beattie for a final outing. Morrison at IC should adequately stifle any hints of creativity in the backline

Anyone else bored of the Barclay Experimentation?

This is one reason why lineen moving on is perhaps not all that bad.

Some big selection calls for one of Glasgow's biggest games of the season - Kellock and Cusiter on the bench!

Great to see DTH back - I like that guy.

Agreed on Beattie - got to be one of the most frustrating waste of talents I can remember. Here's hoping he gets back to his old form sometime soon.

I really don't understand why Beattie isn't starting if he's not injured. He's the best number 8 at the club and Barclay is just wasted in that position.

Why also have Forrester on the bench rather than Beattie? Such an average player.

Cusiter on the bench behind Pyrgos? Really? Pyrgos is going well, but surely he's not yet considered better than Cusiter.

Otherwise I like the team. Ryder in for Kellock is correct, and it's good to see Low and Welsh propping together. Also pleased that Hogg is at 15 with Dunbar at 13.

I reckon Glasgow will do the busines here. Glasgow by 10.

Glasgow ought to do the business on paper, but they might well need a bonus point win to overtake Munster and avoid Leinster in the semi-final

They'll likely have to beat Leinster at some point anyway. May as well knock them out in the semi rather than the final.

I have to say, I'm pretty excited for this one - my first ever Warriors game!!

The bench looks nice and solid - just the thing to turn the game up a notch if we need a bonus point.

Wither we win with our without a try bonus point it almost certainly makes no difference (unless Munster draw with try bp). If we win with a BP and Munster win without one, Munster take 3rd based on League wins. For us to take 3rd, we need Munster to take only 2 match points and at that point any win for us takes us 3rd.

As for the team, so bold decisions. It’s a strong bench, so hopefully we can keep the Pressure on Connacht for the full 80. Beattie must really be in the bad books!

Club are saying that the Advanced ticket sales are outside of the Derby matches the highest in the league we have ever had. So should be a decent crowd to say goodbye to Sean and Gary, to the leaving players and to Firhill.

funnyExiledScot wrote:They'll likely have to beat Leinster at some point anyway. May as well knock them out in the semi rather than the final.

Isn't the Rabo final after the HEC final? They should be knackered by then and easy pickings. Munster turned them over last season like that.

The Beattie mystery continues. I thought after Wilson's injury, Beattie would be featuring more in team selection.

I was hoping that we'd see Dunbar at 12 with DTH at 13, that has to be a centre partnership worth exploring, especially after Dunbars performances at 12 recently and the good shift DTH put in at 13 for Canada. Anyway, I still think this team will put on a great show for the last home game. Can't wait.

12 Graeme Morrison

More and more I'm thinking that his peak in 2010 is all we'll see of Beattie at that level. I hope I'm wrong but I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see him in a Scotland shirt again.

Scot Abroad wrote:12 Graeme Morrison

More and more I'm thinking that his peak in 2010 is all we'll see of Beattie at that level. I hope I'm wrong but I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see him in a Scotland shirt again.

Lucky we've found Denton, then!

God this is going to be an emotional night at Firhill. Take we will see Johnny Beattie on the pitch at some stage to wave goodbye to the Warriors faithful. There will be quite a few, well refreshed, coming from the 7s too so will be a raucous atmosphere. Be a laugh if either of the dimwit twins - Robinson or Townsend -turn up - 9000 people booing and whistling them. Weather sunny and cool here so shaping up for quite a day - go the Warriors

PS anyone know if Gary Mercer has secured a job yet ?

Are Glasgow fans unanimous in preferring to play the Ospreys in the semi compared to Leinster? Even with Leinster having one eye on the HC final the next week?

Not really, I'm not too bothered who we play. Either way the job is the same, its going to take 80 mins of us playing at our best if we want to get through.

The more I watch Dunbar play the more I think he should be Scotland's permanent 13

Excellent win for the Warriors over a gritty Connacht team: 27-3. Emotional scenes afterwards too

Well it wasn't pretty, but Glasgow got the job done at 'feisty Firhill'...

Dunbar very solid at o/c. Other good performances by Welsh, Low, Ryder, Harley, Fusaro and Barclay. DTH bang back on form too and Hogg was dangerous every time he got the ball. Freddy Aramburo another Argentine legend for the Warriors like bernie Stortoni - well done amigo enjoy your retirement.

Well done Glasgow! Hopefully lots of fans make it over to Dublin.

For anyone looking at how to get there - I can recommend the Belfast route if it is cheaper. Fly to Belfast then get the bus to the city centre (10 quid return). Walk to the train station (10 mins) to get the train to Dublin (25 quid return - just over 2 hours) and Dublin Connolly train station is right in the centre.

If there's an early flight to Belfast you'll get into Dublin early afternoon!

Great result. Glasgow have been superb in the league this season. Extremely consistent.

Best of luck in Dublin.

bsando wrote:The more I watch Dunbar play the more I think he should be Scotland's permanent 13

Given Andy Robinson is our head coach, I doubt he'll even make the plane to Australia. I hope Townsend plays Dunbar at 12 next season, as persisting with Morrison is just throwing good money after bad. We'll probably end up with Sean Lamont and Morrison 'vying' for 12, though. I think most people agree Hogg should be left at 15 but Dunbar and Hogg in the centres have looked pretty good against Cardiff, although that may well just have been Cardiff making them look good.

Cryptoyourisan wrote:

bsando wrote:The more I watch Dunbar play the more I think he should be Scotland's permanent 13

Given Andy Robinson is our head coach, I doubt he'll even make the plane to Australia. I hope Townsend plays Dunbar at 12 next season, as persisting with Morrison is just throwing good money after bad. We'll probably end up with Sean Lamont and Morrison 'vying' for 12, though. I think most people agree Hogg should be left at 15 but Dunbar and Hogg in the centres have looked pretty good against Cardiff, although that may well just have been Cardiff making them look good.

I would argue that Townsend can leave Hogg at 15, with the Lamont brothers on the wings, move DTH inside to 13 with Dunbar at 12 - I like the look of that backline

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:

Cryptoyourisan wrote:

bsando wrote:The more I watch Dunbar play the more I think he should be Scotland's permanent 13

Given Andy Robinson is our head coach, I doubt he'll even make the plane to Australia. I hope Townsend plays Dunbar at 12 next season, as persisting with Morrison is just throwing good money after bad. We'll probably end up with Sean Lamont and Morrison 'vying' for 12, though. I think most people agree Hogg should be left at 15 but Dunbar and Hogg in the centres have looked pretty good against Cardiff, although that may well just have been Cardiff making them look good.

I would argue that Townsend can leave Hogg at 15, with the Lamont brothers on the wings, move DTH inside to 13 with Dunbar at 12 - I like the look of that backline

The issue with that is that Glasgow don't score enough tries (two TBPs all season) and I doubt the Lamonts will change that. I think we need DTH on the wing because he is and has been, by far and away, our best finisher in the post-Thom Evans era. We're also losing Freddie, Lemi and Shaw so could be thin on the ground for wingers during the international windows.

I can see a case for Sean Lamont moving in to outside centre, as it's not that uncommon for bulkier wingers to do that in the latter stages of their careers. My concern with that would be his defence is pretty terrible. If Rory continues his injury pattern, we'll be lucky to get 10 games out of him next season.

The only problem is that Glasgow are left with Nathan, Horne, Murchie and Seymour as alternatives at any outside back position

I rate Seymour quite highly actually. If Glasgow start to open up next season I think he's actually a good finisher.

I suspect we'll see Dunbar at 13 and Morrison at 12, with DTH and Sean Lamont on the wings and Hogg at 15. Rory Lamont will share his brothers jersey and provide cover for Hogg, Seymour will rotate with DTH and Nathan and Murchie provide cover for the centres.

That's actually a pretty decent bunch of options. Townsend has no excuses now. Glasgow should be competing to make the play-offs again next season.

Aye guys the only problem being that Townsend is a snivelling little yes man for Robinson - the reason he is getting parachuted in in place of Lineen - who stood up to the Bath dimwit. Therefore Townsend will do as he is told by Mr Bean and the other numpties at the SRU. Expect Weir to play FB and Hogg SH etc etc etc.

No, next year Jackson will be playing 10, what you're forgetting is that Jackson is a long lost child of Andy Robinson's and therefore, despite having any real skill to speak of, he will be picked ahead of anyone. I suspect that Townsend is his godfather...

Thinking of wandering across to this game, because I enjoyed the Edinburgh game so much, and my time in Dublin. Hope some of you Glasgow guys are there too.

Going to try to get there sinner - RDW's advice seems sound !

123456789 wrote:No, next year Jackson will be playing 10, what you're forgetting is that Jackson is a long lost child of Andy Robinson's and therefore, despite having any real skill to speak of, he will be picked ahead of anyone. I suspect that Townsend is his godfather...

Weir deserves to start ahead of Jackson at the moment, but let's not get too silly about Jackson. He's a fine prospect, and a good runner with ball in hand. Glasgow are lucky to have two good options at 10.

Jackson is a very positive player, plays with his head up and has a good turn of pace. For a long time us Scots fans would have cut off our arms to have a player of his ability at 10. Yes, he isn't as solid as Weir and isn't as dependable a goal kicker, but is perhaps a touch more mercurial.

Jackson vs Weir has a touch of Hodge vs Townsend about it. Perhaps why it appears that Gregor favours Jackson.

Come next season we'll see. I just hope fans don't go top hard on players just because the coaches pick them. It's not Jackson's fault, and he does have skill.