Ulster V Glasgow

Gregor Hunter will make his first start for Glasgow Warriors in Friday night’s GUINNESS PRO12 match against Ulster at the Kingspan Stadium.

Hunter signed for the Warriors in the summer of 2014 and following an ACL injury, he recovered to go on and win the Melrose 7s last year, as well as making his Warriors debut coming off the bench against Munster earlier this season.

Glasgow didn’t have a game last week with the RBS 6 Nations beginning and the Warriors have five Scotland players in the squad for the game in Belfast.

Peter Murchie starts at full-back, while Rory Hughes starts on the left wing following his try against Ospreys. On the opposite wing is Lee Jones.

Glenn Bryce and Sam Johnson start at centre, with Johnson starting his fourth consecutive game.

Gregor Hunter and Ali Price make up the half-back pairing.

In the front-row, Ryan Grant, Pat MacArthur and Sila Puafisi will pack down.

Greg Peterson and Leone Nakarawa pair up in the second-row with Number 8 Ryan Wilson captaining the team for the second game in-a-row.

Simone Favaro and Rob Harley are the named flankers.

Alex Allan, Josh Strauss, Chris Fusaro and Peter Horne have all returned from Scotland duty and are selected on the bench along with James Malcolm, D’arcy Rae, Grayson Hart and Taqele Naiyaravoro.

Head coach Gregor Townsend said: “We’re heading to the Kingspan Stadium expecting a tough match against one of the strongest teams in the league, who are currently top of the GUINNESS PRO12.

“We played well in Wales against Ospreys for around 60-65 minutes, but we’ll need an 80 minute performance tomorrow night to come away with a positive result. I’m looking forward to seeing this group of players front up in what is a big game for the club.

“Gregor Hunter has worked really hard in training this season and has been playing regularly for Glasgow Hawks, so we're expecting him to play well in a Warriors shirt tomorrow night.”

Glasgow Warriors team to play Ulster, GUINNESS PRO12, Kingspan Stadium, Friday 12 February (kick-off 7.30pm) – live on Sky Sports:  
15. Peter Murchie
14. Lee Jones
13. Glenn Bryce
12. Sam Johnson
11. Rory Hughes
10. Gregor Hunter
9. Ali Price

1. Ryan Grant
2. Pat MacArthur
3. Sila Puafisi
4. Greg Peterson
5. Leone Nakarawa
6. Rob Harley
7. Simone Favaro
8. Ryan Wilson (Captain)

Replacements

16. James Malcolm
17. Alex Allan
18. D’arcy Rae
19. Josh Strauss
20. Chris Fusaro
21. Grayson Hart
22. Peter Horne
23. Taqele Naiyaravoro

Not available due to injury: Adam Ashe (shoulder), Mike Blair (concussion), Fraser Brown (ankle), Kevin Bryce (shoulder), Alex Dunbar (posterior thigh), Tyrone Holmes (foot), Henry Pyrgos (wrist), Fergus Scott (shoulder) and Richie Vernon (shoulder).


Ulster team and replacements to play Glasgow Warriors, Guinness PRO12, Kingspan Stadium, Friday 12th February, 7.30pm:

(15-9): S Olding, C Gilroy, D Cave, S McCloskey, J Stockdale, S Windsor, R Pienaar;
(1-8): C Black, R Herring (capt), R Lutton, A O'Connor, F van der Merwe, R Diack, S Reidy, N Williams;

Replacements (16-23): J Andrew, K McCall, B Ross, C Henry, R Wilson, P Marshall, P Jackson, S Arnold.

Why, oh why, is Grant starting? Allen could do with some starts and real minutes. Instead Grant will be awful in the scrum for 40 before being taken off to avoid a yellow. He will struggle to find a club next season and he will get nowhere near the money he is getting presently. Other than that, it is a decent mobile pack.

If Glasgow can survive the scrums, the backline still won't be able to do much with it.

Good to see Horne is making his way back. Gilroy is going to look at the bench at 60, see Big T coming on and ask what he did to deserve this.

Oh and thank you to RDW for setting up the thread

Copy and paste from the Glasgow website...

Why is Josh Strauss on the bench?? I'd have him in the Scotland 23 and yet Glasgow have stuck with Ryan Wilson as their fearless leader and put him on the bench.

Strauss seems to have gone from people's champion and a shoe-in for the Scotland XV to warming the Glasgow bench during the 6 Nations.

Alex Allan ahead of Ryan Grant is also odd given form this season.

Pretty weak team. Can't see Glasgow getting anything from this.

RDW_Scotland wrote:Copy and paste from the Glasgow website...

If copying and pasting wasn't considered "work" us lawyers would be in a lot of trouble!!

RDW_Scotland wrote:Copy and paste from the Glasgow website...

More than I did

I'm assuming it is because Strauss has been with Scotland all week

RDW_Scotland wrote:I'm assuming it is because Strauss has been with Scotland all week

Had Strauss been stuck down a mineshaft all week, he'd still be a better player than Ryan Wilson.

funnyExiledScot wrote:Why is Josh Strauss on the bench?? I'd have him in the Scotland 23 and yet Glasgow have stuck with Ryan Wilson as their fearless leader and put him on the bench.

Strauss seems to have gone from people's champion and a shoe-in for the Scotland XV to warming the Glasgow bench during the 6 Nations.

Alex Allan ahead of Ryan Grant is also odd given form this season.

Pretty weak team. Can't see Glasgow getting anything from this.

I dunno. it is actually not a bad team considering who is away. The backs are a bit of an unknown quantity but let the kids have their chance and we can see what they have to offer, hopefully they will take their opportunities. It is still a pretty big and physical pack, Wilson probably had his best game of the season last time out.

Strauss has been lacking fitness and form this season and he has also been away with Scotland all week. He will have been sent back to Glasgow to find his game and if he does expect him to be pushing for Denton's place. We actually have a pretty decent bench and if we can stay in the game could come strong at the end. Ulster won't be at full strength either, so this game could be close.

No denying that!

Is it a worry that if Strauss continues to not get picked for Scotland he'll bugger off and chase the money at the nearest available opportunity?

I wouldn't blame him...

RDW_Scotland wrote:No denying that!

Is it a worry that if Strauss continues to not get picked for Scotland he'll bugger off and chase the money at the nearest available opportunity?

I wouldn't blame him...

He may well do that anyway to be fair, he will have given 5 good years by then and you would not begrudge him a payday. He seems very settled in Glasgow though and he is clearly no mercenary or would be gone already. He will pick up more Scotland caps, but the competition is going to grow even more next year when Du Prez qualifies.

Ulster team and replacements to play Glasgow Warriors, Guinness PRO12, Kingspan Stadium, Friday 12th February, 7.30pm:

(15-9): S Olding, C Gilroy, D Cave, S McCloskey, J Stockdale, S Windsor, R Pienaar;
(1-8): C Black, R Herring (capt), R Lutton, A O'Connor, F van der Merwe, R Diack, S Reidy, N Williams;

Replacements (16-23): J Andrew, K McCall, B Ross, C Henry, R Wilson, P Marshall, P Jackson, S Arnold.

Sam Windsor at 10. He's terrible. He has a nice running game but can't kick out of hand for love nor money. We can only hope he's only on for 40 minutes before Paddy Jackson comes on at halftime. Rest of the back line looks good but Pienaar has some serious babysitting to do.

funnyExiledScot wrote:

RDW_Scotland wrote:I'm assuming it is because Strauss has been with Scotland all week

Had Strauss been stuck down a mineshaft all week, he'd still be a better player than Ryan Wilson.

Truer words have never been spoken. The non inclusion of Strauss in the Glasgow starting lineup (and Scotland while you are at it) is bewildering to say the least.

Thought your Glasgow man Peterson looked good against Ospreys, first time I'd seen him. Is he a recent acquisition?

Signed this season and played for USA in the world cup.

I think he's been a very good signing for Glasgow and I'd him well ahead of Tim Swinson in the pecking order!

RDW_Scotland wrote:18. D’arcy Rae

And this years "gayest name for a tight head prop" award goes to.........

Ffs it's even rhyming slang.

RDW_Scotland wrote:Signed this season and played for USA in the world cup.

I think he's been a very good signing for Glasgow and I'd him well ahead of Tim Swinson in the pecking order!

When is Swinson signed to? He might be a good candidate to move on with Cummings and Davidson coming through or will Swinson be kept just in case Naka bolts?

I think they'll hang onto Swinson. Good solid club player. He's perfectly able to perform at Pro12 level, he just isn't an international lock.

I was a bit worried earlier in the week but in the end quite happy with that Ulster team (especially considering it's 6 nations time) despite the obvious worries at out-half. Being able to bring people like McCall, Henry or Jackson off the bench is a tremendous luxury. I've total respect for the rugby Glasgow are capable of playing but I'm fairly optimistic about tonight's match.

scrummy wrote:I was a bit worried earlier in the week but in the end quite happy with that Ulster team (especially considering it's 6 nations time) despite the obvious worries at out-half. Being able to bring people like McCall, Henry or Jackson off the bench is a tremendous luxury. I've total respect for the rugby Glasgow are capable of playing but I'm fairly optimistic about tonight's match.

Translation: Ulster are going to tear past Glasgow and get revenge for the playoffs

Unfortunately I see Ulster winning with no bonus points either way.

I think it will much tighter than that, Hazel. For me, home advantage may just give us the edge, but too close to call.

I think if Ulster are winning when Paddy Jackson comes off the bench we will win. If we're not, anyones guess.

Of course this is a crucial, crucial game- can't allow any rays of light for Glasgow. Winning at Ravenhill would give them massive confidence and be a boost for them to make a late charge for the playoffs. We must beat them and deny them a losing bonus point.

Room for both Ulster and Glasgow in the playoffs but would rather a team like Connacht or the Scarlets or both makes it as Glasgow, Leinster, Munster and Ospreys are all dangerous animals in the knockout games even when they aren't consistent in the league.

Cave is to wear the player mic this evening. I wish they would drop that nonsense. Players have enough pressure without these gimmicks.

Munchkin wrote:Cave is to wear the player mic this evening. I wish they would drop that nonsense. Players have enough pressure without these gimmicks.

Im not sure what pressure it puts on them

Watching their P&Qs for a start. Concern before they actually get on the field that they may say something for which they will be ridiculed? The extra distraction with having to fitted up when they will be working on their focus. That sort of thing.......

The player mic is just a really pointless feature though. I mean- have you ever gleaned anything interesting from it? Ever?

Remember McCloskey having it against Scarlets. It really was pointless, and you just knew the media were hoping for something to poke fun at. Novelty value and nothing more.

From some of the ones I've heard before they don't seem to mind their P and Qs and the broadcaster has to bleep out the odd word but its usually a two minute clip you end up with from an 80 plus minute game, its just a gimmick that makes it look like more insight is being given into the game

Does the player mic thing only happen when Sky is involved?

It is a BS gimmick whoever thought it up, utterly meaningless, like Dave Kearney.

Yeah it's a Sky 'innovation'.

They did the player mic with an Aussie in rugby league. It was quite amusing and think he had a good laugh over it. Really need to put it on a niggly guy. I imagine it would be interesting on Hartley or Pienaar. Scrum halves in general are a gobby lot so maybe just give it to them and a talkative forward on occasion.

What is going on with Tommy Bowe? Are Ireland playing D Kearney ahead of him?

Only just realised Mitrea is refereeing the game. Happy with that.

Hazel Sapling wrote:They did the player mic with an Aussie in rugby league. It was quite amusing and think he had a good laugh over it. Really need to put it on a niggly guy. I imagine it would be interesting on Hartley or Pienaar. Scrum halves in general are a gobby lot so maybe just give it to them and a talkative forward on occasion.

What is going on with Tommy Bowe? Are Ireland playing D Kearney ahead of him?

Bowe is still in rehab, I think.

P.s recovering from injury

Bowe believes he will be back in April

Ooch, not one for Pineer's scrapebook!

McCloskey seems a bit overeager/frustrated tonight.

Gilroy and Olding are having a field day so far!

Good game of rugby this. Sam Johnson looks some player.

That was a knock on!

Yep, definitely a knock-on.

Hunter isn't doing too badly bad he needs to keep the ball in hand, his kicking will lose us this game.

Quick tap and a knock on, love it!

Oh dear.

Aye, a wee bit embarrassing i'd imagine.

Glasgow will feel pretty pleased with that first half - all Ulster yet nothing to show for it.

The longer Glasgow stay in this game, the better their chances. I actually quite like our bench. Horne will come on for Hunter early in the second half and Strauss will bring some serious carrying.

Its been a good game so far and the Glasgow youngsters are showing up well. Anyone's game to win!

Craig Gilroy is on fire tonight!

Time to go to the Bench Gregor

Glasgow killing Ulster in the scrum