Connacht Rugby v Glasgow Warriors, 3 September

         
Connacht Rugby v Glasgow Warriors
Saturday 3 September 2016
KO: 17:15
The Sportsground

Live on Sky Sports

Referee: Ian Davies (WRU, 49th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Sean Brickell (WRU), Eddie Hagan-O’Connell (IRFU)
Citing Commissioner: Peter Ferguson (IRFU)
TMO: Jon Mason (WRU)

Connacht Rugby

15 Cian Kelleher
14 Niyi Adeolokun
13 Eoin Griffin
12 Bundee Aki
11 Matt Healy
10 Jack Carty
9 Caolin Blade

1 Denis Buckley
2 Tom McCartney
3 Finlay Bealham
4 Ultan Dillane
5 Danny Qualter
6 Eoin McKeon
7 Nepia Fox-Matamua
8 John Muldoon (captain)

16 Dave Heffernan
17 Ronan Loughney
18 JP Cooney
19 Lewis Stevenson
20 James Connolly
21 Kieran Marmion
22 Shane O’Leary
23 Peter Robb

Glasgow Warriors

15. Stuart Hogg
14. Leonardo Sarto
13. Alex Dunbar
12. Sam Johnson
11. Tommy Seymour
10. Peter Horne
9. Henry Pyrgos (Co-captain)

1. Gordon Reid
2. Pat MacArthur
3. Zander Fagerson
4. Tim Swinson
5. Jonny Gray (Co-captain)
6. Rob Harley
7. Simone Favaro
8. Ryan Wilson

16. Corey Flynn
17. Ryan Grant
18. Sila Puafisi
19. Tjiuee Uanivi
20. Lewis Wynne
21. Ali Price
22. Rory Clegg
23. Sean Lamont

Seems that the website doesn't hold last year's stats any more, so these match day threads are going to be shorter and less interesting this year.

Pleased to see it's live on Sky.

Anyone want to hazard a guess at what Toonie will start the season with??

I think we need to put as close to a full strength team out as possible in the first 4 weeks or so, given the fixture list.

Assuming none of those who played on Wednesday will start, I would hope to see something like:


15. Hogg
14. Seymour
13. Bennett
12. Dunbar
11. Sarto
10. Horne
9. Pyrgos
8. Ashe
7. Favaro
6. Strauss
5. Gray
4. Peterson
3. Fagerson
2. Brown
1. Reid

16. Grant
17. Malcolm
18. Puafisi
19. Uanivi
20. Harley
21. Price
22. Grigg
23. Lamont

I have probably forgotten half of our players and new signings in the off-season, however.

That's pretty much what I'd go for Senlac, though I note that on Instagram Bennett says he's coming back from holiday today, and will start training on Monday. I guess that was inevitable, as his summer commitments ran the latest of anyone in the squad.

To be frank, I'd give up a trip to Galway for an extra few days in Rio as well!

You could play Lamont at 13 instead, for a laugh.

Is Richie Vernon still broken?

Had forgotten about Big Richie V. Could stick him straight in at 13 quite handily.

Have to say I'm very keen to see more of Grigg though. Been very impressed with what I've seen so far.

Just realised I have no replacement back-up at 10 in that team though if Horne gets crocked, so probably have to replace Grigg with Shulte.

Team should be announced soon anyway...

Gregor Townsend has named the Glasgow Warriors team to play the defending champions Connacht in Galway tomorrow evening (kick-off 5.15pm – live on Sky Sports 1).Leonardo Sarto scoring against Harlequins

It is the third consecutive time the Warriors have faced Connacht in competitive action following two games at the Sportsground at the end of last season.

Sean Lamont could become the latest Glasgow centurion from the bench, while Ryan Grant will make his 100th PRO12 appearance if he comes on.

Scotland trio Stuart Hogg, Tommy Seymour and Jonny Gray return to the starting line-up after missing the Warriors pre-season fixtures.

Italian international Leonardo Sarto will make his competitive debut for the club on the right wing, while Alex Dunbar and Sam Johnson link up in midlfield.

Peter Horne starts at stand-off and co-captain Henry Pyrgos will wear the Number 9 jersey.

Scotland internationals Gordon Reid, Pat MacArthur and Zander Fagerson are named in the front-row, while Tim Swinson will partner co-captain Jonny Gray in the engine room. Rob Harley, Simone Favaro and Ryan Wilson make up the back-row.

Former All Black hooker Corey Flynn, Namibian international second-row Tjiuee Uanivi and BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy Stage 3 backrower Lewis Wynne could all make their debuts from the bench.

Glasgow Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend said: “Our players have worked extremely hard over pre-season and we’re looking forward to going back to the Sportsground tomorrow night.

Connacht are the champions and I’m sure they will be full of confidence playing at home again. They played some outstanding rugby last season and they will be formidable opponents for us.

"We have an experienced group heading to Ireland, one which will be full of determination to do much better than on our previous visit. It should be a fascinating contest."

Glasgow Warriors team to play Connacht at the Sportsground, Saturday 3 September (kick-off 5.15pm):
15. Stuart Hogg
14. Leonardo Sarto
13. Alex Dunbar
12. Sam Johnson
11. Tommy Seymour
10. Peter Horne
9. Henry Pyrgos (Co-captain)

1. Gordon Reid
2. Pat MacArthur
3. Zander Fagerson
4. Tim Swinson
5. Jonny Gray (Co-captain)
6. Rob Harley
7. Simone Favaro
8. Ryan Wilson

Replacements

16. Corey Flynn
17. Ryan Grant
18. Sila Puafisi
19. Tjiuee Uanivi
20. Lewis Wynne
21. Ali Price
22. Rory Clegg
23. Sean Lamont

Strong Glasgow team, albeit several players severely lacking in match fitness.

Will be good to see Sam Jonson get a bit of a run - he didn't play much last season but looked promising when he did.

It's a good Glasgow XV (albeit some question marks over the front row), but the bench is a bit of an unknown quantity (Lamont aside as we know all about him).

Tough assignment first up.

Decent team out for the Warriors. They have recruited well and still have strength in depth, but something tells me they will not be as competitive as they have been this season.

Neither that front row or back row will particularly scare many teams, for example.

Yea, the first few games without Nakawara will be interesting.

Without his breaks and offloads who is going to step up and provide the quick attack ball that Toonie's team need?

If the answer is no-one then surely a new game plan will be required if the weege are to remain competitive in this league.

OP updated.

Tom English wrote a nice piece about the Irish teams and I agree that Connacht may struggle to defend their title. You cannot lose your club captain and boiler room mainstay (Muldowney), first choice 10 (Squinty MacGinty) and Irish talisman nailed on centre (Henshaw) and show no effects. Add to that the fact that Schmidt will take a larger number of their players at crucial points in the season and the playing field between Lam and all of the other coaches looks an awful lot flatter.

The Connacht team which won the final and the team posted above has 7 different players.

From a soapdodger perspective, the first 15 looks very good indeed - add Russell and Bennett back in their usual positions and I think that backline is as good as any in the league.

Still makes my head fall off to see Corey Flynn's name on the subs bench. I am hoping to hell that Ryan Grant will have taken a long hard look at himself in the off season, realised he's lucky to command a pay cheque where bears no correlation to the lack of value he contributed last season and realise that unless he starts to look more (or even at all) like a B&I Lion then he's looking at a huge demotion when his contract ends this season.

Uanivi will already be fed up with people asking him to what extent he can do what Naka did (not really a fair question when no other lock in world rugby can) - I hope that he just settles and plays his natural game. He could be great. In Gregor Peter John Townsend we trust.

Muldoon is club captain, and he's still there!

RDW_Scotland wrote:Muldoon is club captain, and he's still there!

Actually yes, Muldowney wasn't the captain - he was bloody influential though.

Slightly off-topic gents, but one for George C.

I have just returned from Ayr, which produces more World Class players per head of population than Auckland or Bloemfontein. While there I nipped into a cornershop for a newspaper. As I was paying my eyes fell on the shelves of cheap non-branded booze behind the counter. All the usual suspects were there: Macktavishes Genuine Skotch Whiskee, Vladimir's Potato Vodka and so on when there it was half bottles od Buckfast.

I have spent far too much time pondering; just how desperate does a person have to be to buy a half bottle of Buckie? I'm pretty sure the full bottle was retailing at 97p.

Well Jimbo, I'm no expert on backwards, indigenous populations, but I believe those toothless yokels call that 'breakfast'.

No, no Eejit old boy. Breakfast must be deep fried. I believe the Buckie is known as a starter in the more salubrious parts of Ayr.

jimbopip wrote:Slightly off-topic gents, but one for George C.

I have just returned from Ayr, which produces more World Class players per head of population than Auckland or Bloemfontein. While there I nipped into a cornershop for a newspaper. As I was paying my eyes fell on the shelves of cheap non-branded booze behind the counter. All the usual suspects were there: Macktavishes Genuine Skotch Whiskee, Vladimir's Potato Vodka and so on when there it was half bottles od Buckfast.

I have spent far too much time pondering; just how desperate does a person have to be to buy a half bottle of Buckie? I'm pretty sure the full bottle was retailing at 97p.

Jim, despite its undoubtedly educational content, I am not convinced that your monthly subscription to 'Nuts and Sluts' magazine can really be described as 'a newspaper'. When I was a boy, we referred to the half bottle of Bucky as 'the breakfast bottle'. Or one which no self-respecting businessman would fail to have in his briefcase/car for those moments of self loathing when you realise that you have given up on life, but are surprisingly comfortable with the fact.

Good half Glasgow, bit if Gloucester have taught us anything it is that it's an 80 minute game!

I was having kittens after that Ryan Wilson tackle, no quibbles with the yellow and it was probably the right call.

Going to be a close game this half, the bench may be the difference.

Unable to watch this, but we're 5-20 up?

Is it all terribly sexy from us? Or are we really digging in?

Anyone looking particularly World Class/Fijian?

Pretty good from Glasgow so far - backs looking slick, forwards giving a stable platform and strong defence!

Bonus point in the bag.

Glasgow running riot!

Eesh, this is hard to watch. Glasgow look really strong, rode the pressure Connacht put on in the first half in the scrum, its just one way traffic. Glasgow are just that bit cannier as well, better game management, line speed and slowing the ball down.

Glasgow very good. Connacht absolute merde with Aki the chief spreader.

Lacklustre, sloppy, poor passing, and Blade ain't up to scratch at scrummie.

Sarto as well settling right in, absolutely deadly that back three.

Pot Hale wrote:Glasgow very good.  Connacht absolute merde with Aki the chief spreader.  

Lacklustre, sloppy, poor passing, and Blade ain't up to scratch at scrummie.  

Carty either to be honest, and Kelleher really lacking quality.

I was just join to say two extremely contradictory things;

1) Commentators talking about the Lions is really annoying
2) Tommy Seymour; Lions bolter?

Of course if its Gatland there's no point in bringing players who thrive in a fast, unstructured game. Or watching the Lions, for that matter!

Connacht have been very disappointing

Marshes wrote:

Pot Hale wrote:Glasgow very good.  Connacht absolute merde with Aki the chief spreader.  

Lacklustre, sloppy, poor passing, and Blade ain't up to scratch at scrummie.  

Carty either to be honest, and Kelleher really lacking quality.

Commentators said Connacht only had one warm-up game, thats really unprofessional if true. Ulster are only starting to get it together after four games. No way can you play one game and go straight into a big game like this.

Glasgow incredibly impressive given almost all the other teams are still gelling at this stage. They look slick and seasoned.

Jeez. A fifth try. At home. Shocking start.

Why did Connacht have only one warm-up game? Were they cancelled? Not planned?

I take back what I said about it being a close second half!

Glasgow must be thinking what might have been

Connacht realising that defending a title is not going to be easy. I agree that they look off the pace and are missing the pre season games they missed

Seymour really is very good under the high ball - as good as any NH winger and his strike rate for Scotland is pretty good (13 tries in 29 caps), given how poor the team as a whole has often been.

So obviously he'll get ignored in favour of Simon Zebo or someone who once did a fancy thing on television 3 seasons ago.

Schlong is on, the syphillis ridden old love monkey.

Lam does not look clever after this start.

The team looks disjointed, rusty and ill-prepared.

The passing is inexcrable.

Ok - have lost interest in this. Walkover by Glasgow.

Pot Hale wrote:Why did Connacht have only one warm-up game?  Were they cancelled?  Not planned?

The last 2 got called off. Bad luck

Ouch, this is a massacre!

Jeez, if Connacht weren't already having a bad day they've let Lamont score a try!

Happenings of the match.

First half

First half of the second half

Second half of the second half

Barnes making a mess in his trousers over Stuart Hogg

Only watched the last 27 minutes, but that seemed an unexpectedly controlled performance.

Connacht lost once at home all year last season.

That was very impressive, we have not always been fast starters.

Any doubts as to whether Glasgow are still hungry can be put to bed!

Hogg's player mic confirming he's a gobshoite!

RDW_Scotland wrote:Hogg's player mic confirming he's a gobshoite!

You can't expect too much from these Borderers:

Ouch, sounds like a resounding win from Glasgow - should be a good season for them succeeded by more when Rennie comes in. Was last year a one off for Connacht? Have they not replaced the players lost? Early days yet but the signals aren't good, same goes for Welsh teams.