Glasgow Warriors v Ospreys, Scotstoun, Friday 19 April, 19:35 hrs

First topic message reminder :

Oh well after the disaster on Friday in Llanelli we need a huge performance from The Warriors against a tough team. Do Jackson and Pyrgos carry the can for Friday or does Toonie stick to his guns - how is that for a mixed metaphor ?

My team :-
Hogg
Maitland
DTH

Matawalu
Weir
Horne
Dunbar

Grant
MacArthur
Welsh

Swinson
Kellock
Strauss
Barclay
Wilson

Bench: Low, Hall, Harley, Slamont, Pyrgos, Reid, Ryder, Jackson

Not too happy with the backs selection, but I think I read somewhere the pitch is expected to be very soft following recent rain, so that probably has something to do with it. Predicting Weir to kick for territory a lot, hence the inclusion of Kellock for his line-out skills. Don't think there will be much between the teams, with home advantage I'll predict a narrow Glasgow win, say 18-15. Ospreys really have a chance to dominate the scrums though after last week's performance and with Cusack and Welsh still missing, if there are a lot of scrums Ospreys to win.

Not sure where we are going to get 4 tries out of that backline.

However, following the Scarlets game where we got hee-haw I think that Toonie is just desperate to get something by way of pointage because that has to go down as one of the most conservative Glasgow teams ever. If it goes jubblies up and the pack gets biatchslapped around, then Harley and Bluto will come on but I am staggered that neither Welsh nor Cusack is fit enough to play. Grant by himself will do fine with Jones but he's going to need some help so Low needs to pony up and find his 2010 form in a hurry.

I've seen stronger Ospreys teams too but that's not the point. Not having DTH there is criminal as he's a genuine game breaker (albeit not on his best form).

I think that this may be Morrison's last home game for Glasgow but sentiment is no way to choose a team that still has hopes of a home semi. That said, Morrison has been grabbing his chances reasonably well when he has played, so never say never. Perhaps he has been saving his blinding pace, superb offloading, great footballing and into-contact acceleration for this one game in his entire career and it transpires that he is, in fact, Tim Horan in disguise.

Getting Graeme Morrison and Tim Horan into the same sentence.

Superb effort GC!

tatterd wrote:11-15 looks a bit schitt for the O's

Yeh maybe. Our injury free backline is quite scary imo. Fuss, Dirksen, Beck, Bishop, Walker. Shame KF is off next season. I see Glasgow winning this one but optimistic-ish for a sneaky win by a couple of points..

funnyExiledScot wrote:Getting Graeme Morrison and Tim Horan into the same sentence.

Superb effort GC!

I've got a million of them - e.g. "Dan Carter has more talent in his winkle than Piers Francis has in his entire body".

George Carlin wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:Getting Graeme Morrison and Tim Horan into the same sentence.

Superb effort GC!

I've got a million of them - e.g. "Dan Carter has more talent in his winkle than Piers Francis has in his entire body".

Well its 9 changes from last week ,which was kinda expected. A few very fortunate to stay e.g. Kellock, Low even Pat MacArthur. Still Morri back - strange one. He has played very well this year it should be said so maybe a last hurrah from the G-dog.

WARRIORS - WHATEVER IT TAKES

Just when I was thinking I was being overly cynical suggesting Glasgow were being sentimental over their team selection re Morrison, The Scotsman then says this:

"Townsend insisted that the decision to have a special commemorative badge stitched on the jerseys for tomorrow night’s match against the Ospreys, a crucial fixture in Glasgow’s bid for a third play-off spot in four years, was a decision made simply to honour the decade of commitment by Morrison to the Warriors"

Commemorative badges for Morrison! how could he NOT be selected if they were planning this ahead of time. Good to know sentiment isn't clouding judgements

Could they not have used him on the bench!!? That way he could come on with the game either won or lost.....rather than playing such a key role in the outcome.

You never know, maybe the massive respect the players have for Morrison with inspire a great performance. I live in hope.

Huge risk for Townsend if this goes wrong and I suppose if Barcs plays out his skin for a contract maybe it will work for Morrison.

21st Century Schizoid Man wrote:Huge risk for Townsend if this goes wrong and I suppose if Barcs plays out his skin for a contract maybe it will work for Morrison.

who's would want to sign a 31 year old centre who centre, not playing for his country, it's not as if he ever set the world alight?
I don't think he should have started I see no advantages of him playing 12 than Dunbar, I'm still fairly confident of a win mind you

numbers, I think Morrison has decided to retire from rugby and go back to Uni. What I meant was the occasion/circumstances may inspire him. In his cameos this season esp this year he has played rather well. Ferocious tackler with a very limited passing game he can bish bash bosh up the centre as we all know. Conditions drying nicely for tomorrow though.

WARRIORS - WHATEVER IT TAKES

10 point margin to the ospreys, thank got webb is on the bench out of the way

21st Century Schizoid Man wrote:numbers, I think Morrison has decided to retire from rugby and go back to Uni. What I meant was the occasion/circumstances may inspire him. In his cameos this season esp this year he has played rather well. Ferocious tackler with a very limited passing game he can bish bash bosh up the centre as we all know. Conditions drying nicely for tomorrow though.

WARRIORS - WHATEVER IT TAKES

Fair enough but as some have said above, put him on the bench, stick him on in the last twenty minutes when his defence and experienced would be key and he'd receive the acclaim he deserves from the fans individually.

Yeah agreed - but he does change the tactical game from last week too !

WARRIORS - WHATEVER IT TAKES

Ciao Juve, (I'm keeping this up till I go somewhere else and pick up another vernacular greeting so get used to it) there seem to be five or six different debates here.
Toonie has gone for a brick wall of a back line. After last week this is understandable, actually if you remember the first 40 v Munster it is understandable. But notice with Hornee, DTH and Henry allowing Niko to play on the wing (Maitland to 15, Hogg at 13 and Dunbar at 12) we have not abandoned our attacking flair just put it on hold till the time is right.
Secondly, I am glad to see a fuss being made of G-Dog. He deserves it. As Jim Telfer said there are two types of rugby player; the honest ones and all the rest. Graham Morrison has always been 100% honest in a Glasgow jersey. I think he is in to stop us falling behind early and being in a position to win the game in the second half. I don't think he'll let us down.
The pack: will our front five live with theirs? Well, most people have AWJ and Ianto as possible Lions well ahead of Kellock. Tomorrow night could be a defining moment in his career. If he can boss the lineouts and dominate in the loose we will win and he might be getting an antipodean suntan. If he doesn't it will put immense pressure on the front row to secure us some possesion.
Then there's the possible last sighting of John Barclay as a home player. Harley and Bluto will provide all the bulk and nastiness we need in the back row but Barclay will need to own the breakdown one more time if we are to prosper. I believe, oh lord do I believe.
I don't think Toonie is being unduly negative, or just plain stupid, in his selection. The pack have started slowly recently and we have struggled to get attacking ball. So we start with a solid defence. We have lots of options on the bench- lots of game changers.

[b]WARRIORS-WHATEVER IT TAKES

I'm really undecided about Morrison - I groan every time he comes on the pitch (thankfully rather rare now) because he typifies the style of play I can't stand (mindless, toothless crashball until we knock on), and also reminds me of the time when he was Scotland's only option at 12. Seriously, in 2009 he was IT.

However, I can't shake the impact he had on me when he came off the bench against Northampton. No two ways about it, he was really good. What has frustrated me about Morrison is that his consistency lies in failing to live up to his occasional good performance - against England in 2008, he basically nullified England's attack on his own. And yet he has failed to live up to that example.

My overall reflections on the starting 23 is:-
i) I'm actually happy with the back three - particularly dropping DTH. Other than an excellent strike run against Munster, he has been out of sorts since Christmas and, despite his class, hasn't justified his consistent place in the starting XV. I would have preferred Tennessee Tam in place of Lamont, but Schlong will at least be solid.

ii) See above re Morrison. This pick might just be vindicated if Morrison and Harley ensure that Ospreys attack ball doesn't get beyond the midfield. I'm pleased to see Dunbar back - I love his offloading game, particularly when married to a centre partner that is looking for the pass out of the tackle. He is Morrison with skill, pace and good hands. I understand the calls for Bennett (even if you're taking the p!ss, I take your point... ) but this isn't the game for expansive glitz, at least not in the first 60 minutes. We need 4 points more than we need to risk going for 5.

iii) Jackson was awful last week. Let's not muck about with this. We have to be serious enough, even at the sharp end of the season, to reward a poor performance with dropping. It's a principle we often call for and we can't chicken out now. Also, Weir is far better at attacking play than we give him credit for, so I wouldn't say that picking him is any kind of cop out.

iv) I'm happy with the back row - excellent balance, all three are in form, and they bring the exact combination of skills that we need for this one, particularly if it turns into a mud fight.

v) I'll lay my nuts on the table (there's an image you really, really need) and say that I'm happy Big Al has been retained. You don't go into a crucial match without your captain, and if the weather is poor (it looks lovely on Friday, but the pitch could still be mighty soggy) you want someone to command the lineout. Swinson has been good whenever he has been on the pitch in the last four or five matches, so picking him is a no brainer.

vi) The front row is something of a 'might have been' - yes, we all wish Coo and Angela were fit. They aren't. I can't deny that my first response when looking at the Os' front row was to shudder, so we probably will get beasted in the scrum - our handling has to be top notch and we have to get on the good side of Mr Rolland. It can be done, in stark contrast to Clownshoes who is still smarting from me calling him 'feckin woman' from the stands three years ago. (He still remembers).

Overall, I'm worried, but more about specific unknowns - can our front row get on Rolland's good side? Can our midfield squeeze the Os into kicking to our back three? Can the players show some actual bloody hunger, rather than expecting someone else to change the game?

If Glasgow answer 'yes' to two of these three questions, we'll win by 10. If they don't, we'll lose by five and need a good result at Connacht and a favour from Leinster to secure us a 4th place spot.

Manky-Flanker wrote:Just when I was thinking I was being overly cynical suggesting Glasgow were being sentimental over their team selection re Morrison, The Scotsman then says this:

"Townsend insisted that the decision to have a special commemorative badge stitched on the jerseys for tomorrow night’s match against the Ospreys, a crucial fixture in Glasgow’s bid for a third play-off spot in four years, was a decision made simply to honour the decade of commitment by Morrison to the Warriors"

Commemorative badges for Morrison! how could he NOT be selected if they were planning this ahead of time. Good to know sentiment isn't clouding judgements

I'll be interested to see this badge. Quite a feat of needlework to depict a pale, balding Scot slowing into contact and getting turned over.

All joking aside, he has been a great club servant and that should be applauded. He just represents the lean years when we had the least talented midfield I've seen in all of my 35 years watching the national side.

Once again I’m going to add very little to this thread other than COME ON THE WEEDGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Carry on.

It makes me feel pretty old that Morrison may be retiring from rugby. I used to have to play against him at school level and he was as onedinensional then as he is now, unfortunately he was also the same size so was unstoppable! After our umpteenth 70 odd point defeat to his side it was some consolation to see pictures of him crying when his team were knocked out the Scottish cup semi final. All the same and despite his limitations he has been a great servant to Glasgow and Scotland and I wish him the best for tonight's game and the future. Nervous but looking forward to this one, ultimately the win will rely on our pack getting parity with theirs.

The Morrison badge reminds me of the first badge I ever won, which my Mum kindly stitched onto a rug at home. It was for swimming 20 metres.

Seriously though, great footsoldier for Scotland and Glasgow. Tireless worker. Not a great player, but certainly able to pull out the odd big performance here and there, and was pretty effective for Glasgow on many occasions down the years.

Squeaky bum time peeps. Need some huge performances from the fat lads pse !

Finally before i head oot for a shandy and a Mr Singh's well done Morri the G-Dog and thanks for all your efforts no matter what happens tonight

WARRIORS - WHATEVER IT TAKES

Best of luck Warriors! Do us proud.

Schiz, have a shandy for me. Emote big love from the stand to G-Dog and Barcs. (see what I did there). They have done Glasgow and Scotland proud.
John Barclay when we see your like again? Three snapshots; Barclay exploding through the Welsh defense to open the scoring at the Mllenium, Roddy Grant getting ideas above his station and Barclay giving him a lesson in the subtleties and a skelp round the ear, and of course that 50 metre interception try against Munster. I was there for each of them and the memories have brightened many a Saturday evening in cold Essex clubhouses after we've been tonked again.
If we've got our noses in front with 20 to go our bench looks exciting and can open the game up, also Ofa against a tiring front row!Then again if we are not too far behind it could look light the charge of the Light Brigade, because it will be all or nothing.
I predict an emotional roller-coaster, why not have a sweepstake on when the first tears are shed? When it's your turn to buy a round does not count!

My heart wants Glasgow to win but my head wants the Os.

Just behave yourselves and no bonus points lads.

Will do Jimbo. Beautiful evening here - warm and sunny. Still not too confident though. Have we shot our bolt ? Peaked too soon ? Fecked it all up big time ?
Biggest crowd of the season awaits. The silly laddies are all assembling with the North Stand Massif !

Should also echo your thoughts re Barcs - tremendous 7 - looks like he is off to West Wales ! His 150th tonight and G-Dog's 175th. A rousing send off awaits them both from the Warm West End of Glasgow

WARRIORS - WHATEVER IT TAKES

This is going to be a cracker!!!

Looks like the weeeegies have shored up their defence with Morrison alongside Dunbar and Schlong on the wing, I am glad DHT isn't playing as he hasn't impressed me in 2013. I hope Jackson starts to get some consistency as when he is good he can be damn damn good.

Best of luck to both teams, like them both, but tonight I will have to support our brothers-in-arms

Come on Warriors!

Weir gets a start. Lets see what he can do.

Was hoping that Jackson would start, but Weir will control the game.

Warriors - whatever it takes

Hope all the v2ers at the game have a great time, esp c21st and Mrs Schiz, Dot, UiG, Bru - Alba now tuned in

I realised about twenty minutes ago that I left my season ticket at work.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDGE.

Think it's fair to say I'd rather watch this game on Alba - a commentary I don't understand - than on Scrum V!

Awh no Ianbru!

Evenin' All. UP THE O'S!!!

Late change for the O's - Habberfield not fit enough so Ross Jones is in for him.

Feeling a bit robbed there. Could so have been a try but for Rolland calling it back for Harley's supposed 'lazy' run which didn't interfere with play...

The "G-Dog" badge looks like it's been stuck on quickly with a pritt stick

I'm a bad girl...I'm not really watching the O's game....more listening whilst watching Team Bowe so excuse my lack of updates...

Just switch to Ulster full time already Cari. It's gonna happen sooner or later...

What a try! Perfect way for Barclay to mark his 150th game!

Think the final pass was forward

Two very kickable positions, come Duncan grrrrr

I thought there were 2 forward passes there - looks like not grounded anyway

Awww, I thought he got it on the 2nd attempt, gat defence by the Ospreys there

Looked a clear forward pass or two, great tackle.

That's better

Ryan Grant YA BEAUT!!

Ryan Grant for the Lions!

Rowland is past it he can't keep up with play

Not too shiny from Mr Weir.

glamorganalun wrote:Rowland is past it he can't keep up with play

There was a premier league ref over 50 last weekend in England, I don't think refs really get past it. Mind you there were two blatant forward passes in the lead up to the try, not that I'm complaining

I really hope Hibbard's injury isn't serious, he's the best hooker in Europe and has suffered terribly with injuries. I hope he's back in time for the Lions, he deserves to tour as much as any other player.