Heineken, Pool 4, Round 3: Glasgow Warriors v Castres Olympique

Friday 7th December 2012, KO 19:35
Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referee Martin Fox (England)
Assistant Referee Paul Dix (England)
Fourth Official Andy Ireland (Scotland)
Assessor Les Peard (Wales)
Citing Commissioner Shaun Gallagher (Ireland)

Teams:
Glasgow
15. Peter Murchie

14. Tommy Seymour
13. Stuart Hogg
12. Peter Horne

11. DTH van der Merwe

10. Scott Wight

9. Henry Pyrgos

8. Josh Strauss
7. John Barclay
6. Rob Harley

5. Al Kellock (capt)
4. Tim Swinson
3. Mike Cusack
2. Dougie Hall
1. Ryan Grant

SUBS

16. Pat Macarthur
17. Moray Low

18. Gordon Reid

19. Tom Ryder

20. Ryan WIlson
21. Niko Matawalu
22. Duncan Weir
23. Sean Maitland

Castres
15 Romain Martial
14 Marcel Garvey
13 Seremaia Bai
12 Rémi Lamerat
11 Maxwell Evans ()
10 Pierre Bernard
9 Rory Kockott

1 Yannick Forestier
2 Mathieu Bonello
3 Karena Wihongi
4 Matthias Rolland
5 Christophe Samson
6 Ibrahim Diarra
7 Jannie Bornman
8 Antonie Claassen

16 Marc-Antoine Rallier
17 Mihaïta Lazar
18 Anton Peikrishvili
19 Pedrie Wannenburg
20 Yannick Caballero
21 Thomas Sanchou
22 Paul Bonnefond
23 Daniel Kirkpatrick

HC Form:
Glasgow
19/10/12 Glasgow 8 - 19 Ulster
14/10/12 Saints 24 - 15 Glasgow
21/1/12 Bath 23 - 18 Glasgow

Castres
19/10/12 Castres 21 - 16 Saints
12/10/12 Ulster 41 - 17 Castres
21/1/12 Castres 13 - 16 Scarlets

Waffle:

Glasgow only have a 25 percent success rate against French opponents, winning six, drawing two and losing 16 of their games against French clubs in the Heineken Cup.

Castres have not done much better but their last outing saw them record a 21-16 victory over Northampton Saints to end their four-match losing streak in the tournament. Castres are currently 4th in the Top 14 tucked just behind Clermont. They're coming into the match on reasonable form, having beaten Mont-de-Marsan and Bordeaux away from home and edging Perpignan at home in a match that was a 74 point belter - the winning streak is 5 or 6 matches for them now.

• Against French opposition, Glasgow have a 25% win rate. They have won six, lost 16 and drawn twice against French sides in the Heineken Cup.
• Glasgow have failed to win any of their last five Heineken Cup matches, losing four and drawing one.
• Glasgow have a goal kicking success rate of 43%, lower than any other team in the tournament this season.
• Castres have suffered defeat in nine of their last 11 Heineken Cup matches, but ended a four-match losing streak with a win over Northampton in round two of the pool stages.

What is worrying from a Warrior's perspective is that Castres have developed an excellent attacking back line with Rory Cocket to the fore at 9, to go with their mighty pack.
If Glasgow defend with the same lack of accuracy and urgency as they displayed against Munster then they could very easily lose this one.

Max Evans has been played at 12 by Castres and he hasnt looked out of place in the Top14. I wonder where he will play on Friday night?

Please not another defensive performance like that shambles on Saturday, being outpaced by a wing forward and number 8 is embarassing.

Not to mention no more dropping off basic tackles

Warriors twitter just posted "We will have a good but of news tomorrow #staytuned". Maitland being added to the HC squad and in line for a debut?

I didn't think you could add players until after round 4 urss for serious injury?

Scot Abroad wrote:Warriors twitter just posted "We will have a good but of news tomorrow #staytuned". Maitland being added to the HC squad and in line for a debut?

Or Bennett, or both, or Cusiter's back or all of them.
I'm hoping for:
15. Hogg
14. Maitland
13. Bennett
12. Dunbar
11. Van Der Merew
10. Weir
9. Cusiter
8. Strauss
7. Fusaro
6. Harley
5. Ryder
4. Kellock
3. Low
2. MacArthur
1. Grant

16. Reid
17. Hall
18. Cusack
19. Swinson
20. Barclay
21. Matawulu
21. Wight
22. Horne
23. Sean Lamont

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:I didn't think you could add players until after round 4 urss for serious injury?

I think you're allowed to add one if you choose.

And if he's awesome.

Scot Abroad wrote:Warriors twitter just posted "We will have a good but of news tomorrow #staytuned". Maitland being added to the HC squad and in line for a debut?

OR:
1. They've got a shirt sponsor.
2. Toonie has tied his shoelaces without help.
3. Rory Lamont has resumed full fitness but upon hearing the news fell off the treatment table and broke a leg.
4. They won't play like a bunch of donkeys three games in a row.
5. Andy Robinson has been signed as forwards coach.
6. The Messiah
7. Mike Cusack ate R. Jackson in weak moment.
8. Niko Matawalu has just found out he has Scottish grandparents.

I like the look of that team numbers!

George Carlin wrote:

Scot Abroad wrote:Warriors twitter just posted "We will have a good but of news tomorrow #staytuned". Maitland being added to the HC squad and in line for a debut?

OR:
1. They've got a shirt sponsor.
2. Toonie has tied his shoelaces without help.
3. Rory Lamont has resumed full fitness but upon hearing the news fell off the treatment table and broke a leg.
4. They won't play like a bunch of donkeys three games in a row.
5. Andy Robinson has been signed as forwards coach.
6. The Messiah
7. Mike Cusack ate R. Jackson in weak moment.
8. Niko Matawalu has just found out he has Scottish grandparents.

This one certainly isn't true because we all know Toonie has velcro on his shoes.

Superb, GC & ScotAbroad

Perhaps the Weegies have been doing Edinburgh tackling drills, hence the weak tackling against Munster.

Edinburgh tackling drills consist of :

Step 1
Standing in a line like preperation for a rush defence set up.

Step 2
When the ball is released the defence charge up.

Step 3 (3 choices here a, b & c)

Step 3 (a)
When the ball is passed to your opposite number you drift out of formation, pretend to buy a dummy and fall down like a melon leaving a wide open gap for the person you should have nailed to canter through.

Step 3(b)
The outside centre (most often Nick De Luca) will rush up faster than his team mates and attempt an intercept pass that no centre with even half a brain would be tempted to pass for, the inside centre then falls down like a melon leaving a wide open gap for the person you should have nailed to canter through.

Step 3 (c)
When the ball is spun out to the wing, the intimidating brick shoite house of a Dutch Winger deficates in his shorts, purposefully gets himself into a position where he can't tackle his opposite number. Said winger then falls down like a melon leaving a wide open gap for the person you should have nailed to canter through, all the while hoping either Tonks or Brown at full back will have him covered.

That sound like the Glasgow tackling drills that Bradley suggested to them?

This game is important for confidence and for getting a settled XV sorted now what the AIs are done.

In terms of the Competition it does not mean much. I can see us sending a 2nd XV to France for the return game with such a short turnaround before the 1872 game.

Mike Cusack has just signed a three-year contract extension - so it really was BIG news.

Dorothy_Mantooth wrote:This game is important for confidence and for getting a settled XV sorted now what the AIs are done.

In terms of the Competition it does not mean much. I can see us sending a 2nd XV to France for the return game with such a short turnaround before the 1872 game.

Nah - you should really be prioritising performance in the HC. Send a second string out for the 1872 games.......please.....

IanBru wrote:Mike Cusack has just signed a three-year contract extension - so it really was BIG news.

I knew that the thing about Toonie tying his laces without help couldn't be true.

Perhaps the extension is a reward for eating Jackson in one gulp.

Usually you just get a t-shirt, but Glasgow were clearly impressed.

George Carlin wrote:

IanBru wrote:Mike Cusack has just signed a three-year contract extension - so it really was BIG news.

I knew that the thing about Toonie tying his laces without help couldn't be true.

funnyExiledScot wrote:Perhaps the extension is a reward for eating Jackson in one gulp.

Usually you just get a t-shirt, but Glasgow were clearly impressed.

Some serious mental images there...

...dear God help me.

Official Twitter feed has the team as:

15 Murchie
14 Seymour
13 Hogg
12 Horne
11 DTH
10 Wight
9 Pyrgos
8 Strauss
7 Barclay
6 Harley
5 Kellock (Capt)
4 Swinson
3 Cusack
2 Hall
1 Grant

SUBS:
MacArthur,
Low,
Reid,
Ryder,
Wilson,
Matawalu,
Weir,
Maitland

Looking good, wight deserves a start, Maitland nominated as extra player

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:Looking good, wight deserves a start, Maitland nominated as extra player

Yes he is added to the squad in place of MacDonald (Injury Replacememt) and McArthur is added for the Young Hooker Brown.

Pretty much as expected from Glasgow.

Is Dunbar injured? Still prefer Hogg at 15 and Dunbar at 13, but Murchie probably deserves to start on form this season.

Pleased for Scott Wight. Not a bad player at all, and signs that Toonie is starting to base his selections on what he's seen, rather than reputation.

Dunbar is still out with that ankle injury.

I agree it's good for Wighty, although I'm still not sure why Duncy started ahead of him last week...

Maitland to be unleashed from the bench...

Also why does this one have to be on the same time as the Ulster one!!!! Bloody Sky...

Maitland's inclusion is great and thank god Toonie has realised that Wight deserves his chance to start. I prefer Hogg at 15 though as he wasn't too effective in defence last week, Dunbar is much more solid. I suspect when he's back from injury he'll go back into 13 and Hogg will move to 15. Back 3 of Maitland Hogg and DTH for the 1872, yes please

Have updated the OP to reflect the teams.

Good lord - young 'Maxwell' on the wing there.

He deserves to be bullied for that.

2 questions

1. is pyrgos really better than matawalu ?
2. is low still not yet fully fit ?

funnyExiledScot wrote:He deserves to be bullied for that.

Agreed. Max sounds quite cool.
Add another syllable and you're half way to being named after a jar of low rent coffee.

alive555 wrote:2 questions

1. is pyrgos really better than matawalu ?
2. is low still not yet fully fit ?

1. No. Nicko put in the best performance I have seen in a long while from a Glasgow back and has been rewarded by being dropped.

2. Yes, Cusack deserves to start.

Kockott is their danger man by a mile - if Henry is getting creamed then we have to get Niko on sharpish.

Yes, i would have Matawalu starting too.

Pyrgos hasn't done anything of note in Cork to deserve a starting place.

VinceWLB wrote:Yes, i would have Matawalu starting too.

Pyrgos hasn't done anything of note in Cork to deserve a starting place.

Lineen was "encouraged" to pick Jackson last season, so who knows who actually picked Pygros over Matawalu for this game.

Henry seems keen to play the game at pace, and his decision-making and box-kicking have gotten much better - but he let's himself down with his passing, I feel. Half the time the first receiver is picking the ball up off his shoe laces and the other half he needs a step-ladder to get close to it. Sean Kennedy has looked pretty useful when he's played, altho he's a little short of experience (i.e. in the world of fES he's not played the 5 million club games that entitles you to a shot at an international cap! )

AsLong,

Think your correct I think he has improve but when just trying to hard maybe his passing lets him down, felt sorry for weir with some of the balls he was getting.

Agree about Wight getting a start but should have been last week with Weir coming on later but not sure it would have made any difference to the result.

Would have liked to have seen Matawalu and Weir together this week not sure with the overall performance why both not on from the start but could be fireworks when they come on?

With all the rain today could be an interesting contest.

Listen I having nothing against Henry but the fact that most people agree he has a problem with passing, it's a bit of an issue for an internationally capped Scrum Half.

True, Dot, very true - he is not the Messiah!

Maxwell is out of tonight's game.

Champagne glasses in Glasgow breathe a sigh of relief

Btw I cannot find a link to tonights game anywhere online - although they may not have been posted up yet - so if anyone happens to find a link closer to the time would they mind messaging me it? CHEERS!

Glasgow 3-0 Castre. Castre missed two kicks at goal.

Glasgow 6-3, Castre offside constantly according to the commentators

Tramptastic wrote:Btw I cannot find a link to tonights game anywhere online - although they may not have been posted up yet - so if anyone happens to find a link closer to the time would they mind messaging me it? CHEERS!

Sorry trampy, it's not on tv, coverage on BBC Scotland or online via the Glasgow Warriors twitter account.

aye, had a look on the ERC website and it wasnt listed as being televised!

6-6 half time!

From the warriors twitter it sounds like the game is all over the place with noone in control. Glasgow seem to have gone backwards in recent weeks.

6-9 down with 5 to go

urine poor