Glasgow Warriors won't abandon principles on 'green car park' in bid to reach semi-finals

A season that has burned brightly and promised much could fizzle out for Glasgow Warriors on Friday evening but head coach Franco Smith has vowed to stick to his principles against on-form Connacht in the quarter-finals of the United Rugby Championship at Scotstoun.

Glasgow have already lost one last-eight tie at home and the shock defeat by Toulon last month in the European Champions Cup means the URC represents their last shot at glory.

Smith’s side are renowned for their commitment to attacking rugby and will nearly always go for tries rather than three easy points on offer from penalties. But would the coach be minded to take a more pragmatic approach against the Irish visitors given the do-or-die nature of the contest? A resounding no, was the answer.

Scott Cummings is back in the Glasgow Warriors team for the first time since January. | SNS Group

“This is going to be the 16th play-off game that we've played [in Smith’s four years in charge] and we’ve been, percentage-wise, mostly successful [winning nine, losing six], so it is about sticking to our brand,” said Smith.

Rugby is changing

“I think rugby's changing. If you look at the high-scoring Test match rugby in the Six Nations: there were over 90 points in the last game between France and England. That's the way the game's going to grow and develop. So we might take three, but the other team will take seven and we'll lose and we'll go away from our DNA. We're going to use our way of playing rugby to make sure that what's worked for us up to now keeps working.”

With that in mind, it’s perhaps not surprising that Smith has stuck with the same backline for the third game in a row. It means Dan Lancaster continues at stand-off and will come up against his dad, Stuart, the wily ex-England coach who has masterminded Connacht’s second-half-of-the-season revival. Lancaster senior took over in Galway last summer and while wins were hard to come by in the opening weeks, his Connacht side have won eight of their last nine in the URC.

Stuart Lancaster presumably knows all of his son’s strengths and weaknesses but Smith believes he is the right man for the occasion. Dan Lancaster is preferred to Adam Hastings, who was available again after a two-game ban, with Smith citing continuity as a big factor.

Glasgow Warriors' Dan Lancaster will be up against his father, Connacht coach, Stuart. | SNS Group

“With Dan there, we've scored 11 tries in the last two games and he did really well and stepped up for more responsibility,” said the Warriors coach.

Hastings is not part of the matchday 23, with Ollie Smith on the bench providing cover at 10.

Too soon for Dobie

The other big selection call sees Scott Cummings return after a long-term calf injury. It will be the lock’s first match since helping Scotland beat France in the Six Nations on March 7 and his first Glasgow outing since an appearance off the bench in the home win over Zebre on January 24.

The availability of the vastly experienced Cummings is a big boost for the Warriors but the match has come just too soon for scrum-half/wing Jamie Dobie who is still recovering from the shoulder injury he sustained in the Calcutta Cup on February 14.

Smith suggested Dobie was very close to making it and it sounds as if he would be available should Glasgow make it through against Connacht. If they do, they will face either the Bulls or Munster in the semi-finals the following Saturday, probably at Murrayfield.

Aside from Cummings, who replaces the injured Gregor Brown, Smith has made three other changes to his pack. Patrick Schickerling takes over from Nathan McBeth at loosehead, and there are also two changes in the back row, with Matt Fagerson returning as blindside flanker in place of Ally Miller and Rory Darge in at openside for Macenzzie Duncan.

Farewell to the Scotstoun pitch

Regardless of the result, it will be the final game at Scotstoun for Johnny Matthews, Jack Dempsey and Sione Vailanu who are all moving on at the end of the season. So too are Hastings, Huw Jones and Jamie Bhatti. none of whom is involved on Friday.

It is also the final fling for Scotstoun’s artificial pitch which is being ripped up and replaced. Loved by the home team but hated by opponents, Smith admitted he would be sad to see it go. “We call it the green car park,” he smiled, in reference to the well-worn surface which suits Glasgow's fast-paced style.

It will be the end of Glasgow’s season if they don’t win and Smith is acutely aware that the hard work they put in to secure top spot in the URC will count for nothing when the action gets underway on Friday.

Having won all their Champions Cup pool games, the loss to Toulon was a bitter pill to swallow. Similarly, having finished the regular URC season in first place, Smith knows his team must make the most of the home advantage that is their reward.

Prepping for a penalty shoot-out

“We did all the hard work to put ourselves (in this position) and give ourselves opportunities,” he said. “I think the supporters and everybody would be disappointed if we don't get it done.”

Recent matches between Glasgow and Connacht have been close, with the margin of victory in the sides' last four URC games being two, eight, three and five points. If the teams are tied at Scotstoun, there will be extra time of 10 minutes each way. If the scores are still level, then the club that has scored the most tries will be deemed the winner. But if they are also equal on tries, the match will go to a penalty shoot-out.

Smith says he is prepared for all eventualities. “We prep for everything,” he said. “We've got four kickers on our team and I must make sure they’re there at the same time on the pitch. But I hope that we play with such passion from the start that that doesn't come into the frame.”

Scotstoun teams for URC quarter-final (Friday, 7.45pm)

Glasgow Warriors: Josh McKay; Kyle Steyn (capt), Stafford McDowall, Sione Tuipulotu, Kyle Rowe; Dan Lancaster, George Horne; Patrick Schickerling, Johnny Matthews, Zander Fagerson, Scott Cummings, Alex Samuel, Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge, Jack Dempsey. Replacements: Gregor Hiddleston, Rory Sutherland, Sam Talakai, Jare Oguntibeju, Euan Ferrie, Sione Vailanu, Jack Oliver, Ollie Smith.

Connacht Rugby: Sam Gilbert; Shane Jennings, John Devine, Bundee Aki, Shayne Bolton; Josh Ioane, Ben Murphy; Billy Bohan, Dylan Tierney-Martin, Sam Illo, Darragh Murray, Josh Murphy, Cian Prendergast (capt), Shamus Hurley-Langton, Paul Boyle. Replacements: Dave Heffernan, Peter Dooley, Finlay Bealham, Joe Joyce, Sean O’Brien, Matthew Devine, Hugh Gavin, Sean Naughton.