Glasgow Warriors v Ospreys Friday 25th January

Glasgow Warriors v Ospreys
Friday 25th January
Scotstoun Stadium
Glasgow

KO 19.35
Live on Premier Sports

Last league game before the 6N and a bit of a break for both teams, both teams will be giving up a host of players to the international squads and so it will be a big test of their respective depths.

Glasgow still on a bit of a mini slump, having slipped off the top of the league and need this home win to get their season back on track. They did very well in the away fixture, which was also played in the international window and will be hoping that their squad players will play as well this time as they did back in November.

Hopefully the Glasgow squad will be bolstered by a few players coming back from the Scotland squad as well. Ospreys may not be so lucky, as Gatland has proved a lot stingier about releasing players over the years.

Hard to pick a side on form for this one really, as neither have been playing particularly well in the last few games and both will be severely disrupted by the call ups. You have probably got to fancy Glasgow at home though.

My stab at the Glasgow team:

1. Keeble
2. Bryce
3. Nuke
4. Cummings
5. Harley - I think he ill be released
6. Smith
7. Fusaro
8. Tamilau
9. Frisbee
10. Thompson
11. DTH
12. McDowell
13. Grigg - I think he will be released
14. Niko
15. Jacko

Subs

Allen/Bhatti - I think we will get one of them back
Smith
Nicol/Du Plessis
McDonald
Gordon - I think Flockhart is injured
Price/Horne G - whichever one is not likely to play for Scotland next week
Kelly
Nairn

Glasgow Warriors (v Ospreys at Scotstoun Stadium, tomorrow 1.00pm, live on BT Sport): Ruaridh Jackson; Lee Jones, Nick Grigg, Stafford McDowall, Niko Matawalu; Brandon Thomson, Nick Frisby; Alex Allan, Kevin Bryce, Siua Halanukonuka, Tim Swinson, Scott Cummings, Rob Harley (C), Matt Smith, Adam Ashe. Subs: Robbie Smith, Jamie Bhatti, D’Arcy Rae, Tevita Tameilau, Thomas Gordon, Robbie Nairn, Alex Dunbar, Rory Hughes.

Injured players: Fraser Brown (knee), Matt Fagerson (shoulder), Zander Fagerson (ankle), Bruce Flockhart (ankle), Chris Fusaro (neck), Callum Gibbins (ankle/knee), Oli Kebble (illness), George Turner (ankle), DTH van der Merwe (hip).

Not a bad looking Glasgow team for an international window, Toonie has given us more players back than we imagined we might get and it probably gives us a few clues as to who might play for Scotland next weekend.

Swinson and Harley both look like they have slipped down the second row pecking order, which is kind of how we all saw it.

Ashe is back as well, so it looks as if Wilson may be fit and ahead of him, mind you a decent game by him could swing it.

Both LHs return, but both could probably do with some game time. Rae is back as well, but probably only likely to play if there were any injuries. Grigg as well, but Jones was always going to be ahead of him, Dunbar is another who needs to get through a game without getting injured again.

For Glasgow, Frisbee and Thompson get another start and we will get to see Robbie Smith off the bench as well as Thomas Gordon, a partnership player with Currie, maybe he can put his hand up for a contract next season.

No half backs on the bench at all, so you would imagine Jacko and Niko will step up if they have to.

and the Ospreys



15 Dan Evans

14 Hanno Dirksen

13 Johnny Kotze

12 Cory Allen

11 Luke Morgan

10 Sam Davies (Capt)

9 Tom Habberfield



1 Gareth Thomas

2 Scott Baldwin

3 Tom Botha

4 Lloyd Ashley

5 James King

6 Olly Cracknell

7 Sam Cross

8 Rob McCusker



REPLACEMENTS

16 Scott Otten

17 Rowan Jenkins

18 Gheorghe Gajion

19 Will Griffiths

20 Will Jones

21 Matthew Aubrey

22 Luke Price

23 Tiaan Thomas-Wheeler



Gheorghe Gajion and Will Griffiths make their Guinness PRO14 debuts if they come off the bench



The following players were unavailable for selection due to international duty:

Adam Beard, Aled Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, George North, Nicky Smith, Justin Tipuric, Owen Watkin and Scott Williams



The following players were unavailable for selection due to injury:

Dan Baker – Knee; Bradley Davies – Knee; Ma’afu Fia – Achilles; Keelan Giles - Hamstring; James Hook – Illness; Rhodri Jones - Shoulder; Lesley Klim – Hamstring; Dan Lydiate – Elbow; Joe Thomas – Nose; Kieran Williams - Groin



Ospreys Head Coach, Allen Clarke, said:

"It’s very tight in the Conference with just seven points separating the top four. The next six weeks will go a long way to determining play-off positions and we want to ensure we're in the mix after this period.

"Our focus as a club from day one was to re-establish our credibility in the PRO14 in search of Champions Cup qualification for 19/20. As such, selection throughout the season has been strategic with the Six Nations period in mind.

“Glasgow away is a real challenge but we believe we've built up enough experience and confidence to put up a fight. It's not just the progression of the younger players that has been pleasing; it's also the progression of more experienced players such as Gareth Thomas, Scott Baldwin, Lloyd Ashley, James King, Olly Cracknell, Rob McCusker, Sam Davies, Cory Allen, Hanno Dirksen and Luke Morgan. They've really stepped up in terms of performance & leadership.

“With Ulster and Munster at home to follow, and then Connacht away, before the end of the Six Nations, this is a challenging but exciting period and an opportunity for the boys selected to make a real individual and team statement.”



Forthcoming Fixtures

Fri 15 Feb – 7.35pm – Ospreys v Ulster – Morganstone Brewery Field

Fri 22 Feb – 7.35pm – Ospreys v Munster – Liberty Stadium

Sat 2 Mar – 2.45pm – Connacht v Ospreys, Sportsground

Sat 23 Mar – 3.00pm – Ospreys v Dragons – Liberty Stadium










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You know what?

Harley-Ashe-Smith has the making of a very good back row. Certainly in the destructive, physical sense, and both Smith and Ashe have a decent turn of pace.

Also we could end up with Nairn-McDowall-Dunbar-Hughes in the backs, which would be big and abrasive if nothing else.

Pretty good team as it goes. Could really use the five points as the baddies in red are away to then Dragons tomorrow.

This game's rubbish

Feck me Glasgow are rubbish tonight

RDW wrote:This game's rubbish

RDW wrote:Feck me Glasgow are rubbish tonight

Remember to take the rubbish out.

Fair play to us. We're trying our very best to lose this game.

That was some turnover from Niko!

That was bloody awful. Niko went from hero to villain with an absolutely brainless yellow card. Other than that, couple of debuts and Brandon Thomson had a good game. Also top of the league again until tomorrow.

A nervy night following on Twitter!

Is it worth watching?

BigGee wrote:A nervy night following on Twitter!

Is it worth watching?

Watch Graham Norton instead mate.

Well the prize for the dummist player of the season goes to the Ospreys 6 - what the hell was he thinking!

The conditions were terrible but Glasgow were truly abysmal - they got the win though.

Sorry, Glasgow were rubbish (just for you Eejit)

I guess we just take the points and move on.

Not very encouraging though

On the bright side....we won. Thompson is beginning to look the part, McDowall is becoming a cult figure, Niko is full on Niko.

Welcome to the dark side; Ashe failed to make any inroads, the scrum failed to dominate, Frisby is not half the 9 Henners is.

With Rozza and Nairn playing and Lee Jones fit again maybe we might see MadMadMata at 9 over the 6N period. I think Thompsom might enjoy playing outside a 9 who made time and space for him.


What chance the Dragoons might do us a favour today?

Any news on Lee Jones? Looked like he picked up another ankle injury.

jimbopip wrote:On the bright side....we won. Thompson is beginning to look the part, McDowall is becoming a cult figure, Niko is full on Niko.

Welcome to the dark side; Ashe failed to make any inroads, the scrum failed to dominate, Frisby is not half the 9 Henners is.

With Rozza and Nairn playing and Lee Jones fit again maybe we might see MadMadMata at 9 over the 6N period. I think Thompsom might enjoy playing outside a 9 who made time and space for him.


What chance the Dragoons might do us  a favour today?

It’s a wet and miserable day today in Newport (no different to any other day then, expect it’s dry occasionally)! Might be a day for the forwards, which means we might struggle.

Thanks for the thread Biggee.

We got the W which after 3 x defeats on the bounce was the key thing.

We still seem to be terribly inconsistent during the test windows which has to be a real worry.

George Carlin wrote:Thanks for the thread Biggee.

We got the W which after 3 x defeats on the bounce was the key thing.

We still seem to be terribly inconsistent during the test windows which has to be a real worry.

We seem to be inconsistent in that we were good in the autumn and poor in the 6N window, which was exactly what happened last year and then the wheels fell off the wagon.

WE do really struggle to play our game when the weather is poor and we need to develop a strategy for that, as the weather is not likely to improve for a while!