Glasgow and Edinburgh: Ongoing Banter Thread 17 - Almost Legal

[Hazel Sapling]

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Glasgow Warriors & Edinburgh

The Histories:

Guiness Pro 12
Edinburgh Rugby
Glasgow Warriors

Edinburgh Rugby Highlights 2016/2017
Glasgow Warriors Pro 12 Highlights 2016/2017  

[jimbopip]

Gee, if memory serves me well Hen was the tall, lanky son with the toothbrush tache. I seem to recall on episode where he had to choose between girlfriends and he rejected the one his mother favoured, "she comes from a good family and they have one of them new semi-detached houses" for a lassie who lived in a tenement. The punchline was that when they were "winching in the back close" she could stand three stairs up and their heads would be level, thus making osculation easier.

Only on here can we go from GoT to novels currently being read to back close winching in three easy steps. (see what I did there)

p.s. on the subject of novels; Anthony Beevor edited Vasily Grossman: The War Diaries, which is superb and made me seek out Grossman's novel Life And Fate which is something everyone should read, it is utterly brilliant.

[RDW]

Gregor Townsend will be announcing a Scotland squad tomorrow for a pre-season training camp next week.

This is something we haven't done before (a Scotland camp during pre-season) but if Eddie Jones can do it then why can't we!

I'm not sure if we'll get access to the Exiles though as it isn't an official international window.

[BigGee]

Gee, if memory serves me well Hen was the tall, lanky son with the toothbrush tache. I seem to recall on episode where he had to choose between girlfriends and he rejected the one his mother favoured, "she comes from a good family and they have one of them new semi-detached houses" for a lassie who lived in a tenement. The punchline was that when they were "winching in the back close" she could stand three stairs up and their heads would be level, thus making osculation easier.

Maybe not gay then, or is he just in denial?

We could discuss the moral dilemmas of Hen Broon's sexuality all day!

[George Carlin]

I think I will, respectfully, disagree with RDW there.

George Martin is that rare creature in today's "instant celebrity-zero talent" culture; he actually has crafted his talent over decades. He has served a long apprenticeship working on TV shows such as The Twilight Zone (and from the 60's a childhood favourite of mine "The Time Tunnel") as well as writing short stories and novels.
Perhaps the true measure of what he has achieved is that people who usually have no time at all for the Fantasy genre (all that dragons and dwarves Poopie!!!) love GoT. He is very like Stephen King in the sense that his storytelling is so captivating that you accept things you normally reject out of hand. However, and this is purely my own response, where S King goes, "normal, normal, mundane, normal oh look there's a monster! and by the way let's forget all about character or emotional consistency because LOOK A MONSTER" GoT is full of credible characters whose motivation is "real" and psychologically convincing. Personally I think the books are better than the TV, and better than Tolkien, and a good place to start. I wouldn't dive in with series 5: I stumbled on episode one-series one recently and there is a scene with six of the main characters where their destinies are spelt out except you only know this in retrospect, when you watch it the first time it's just an interesting scene.
I seem to be rambling here GC; don't think of it as Dungeons and Dragons with added nudity...think Sopranos with dragons and witches.

This might save you the trouble of investing time and being disappointed.. You know a lot of writers talk about the book just coming to them? Think John Milton who argued that he hadn't written Paradise Lost, it was dictated to him by The Holy Ghost. Or Paul McCartney who wakened up humming the melody to Yesterday and refused to record it because he hadn't written it. George Martin said he had the idea of a short story but as he wrote it it began to spread in terms of geographical setting. So to keep a track he thought he'd sketch a quick map,
"When I drew a map I knew I was lost."
If you get that you'll love the books.

Epic, James. Epic.

[MacKnocked-on]

Gee, if memory serves me well Hen was the tall, lanky son with the toothbrush tache. I seem to recall on episode where he had to choose between girlfriends and he rejected the one his mother favoured, "she comes from a good family and they have one of them new semi-detached houses" for a lassie who lived in a tenement. The punchline was that when they were "winching in the back close" she could stand three stairs up and their heads would be level, thus making osculation easier.

Maybe not gay then, or is he just in denial?

We could discuss the moral dilemmas of Hen Broon's sexuality all day!

I don't think a company like DC Thomson would even admit the existence of homosexuals would they? Not known as being socially progressive.

[tigertattie]

loved Oor wullie and the Broons.

Pretty sure that Maggie Broon was my first crush!

[EWT Spoons]

With Edinburgh & Glasgow playing this weekend, does anyone know what the deal is with international players & also the players who were involved in the u20 WC?

I would be surprised if the international players were involved much if at all, as they are only just back in training (I believe), but not sure if that also extends to the u20 players.

Just trying to work out what sort of team to expect on Friday for the Edinburgh vs Sale game.

[RDW]

The under 20s players were back at pre-season not long after the rest of the squad started, so they will likely be involved.

The internationalists came several weeks later, but from memory last season a number of our Scotland players played in pre-season so it is maybe seen as a way of building fitness. I reckon something like

1 Dickinson/McCallum (no idea if Dickinson is fit)
2 McInally
3 Berghan
4 Bresler
5 Gilchrist
6 Miller
7 Ritchie
8 CDP

9 SHC
10 Weir
11 VDM
12 Burleigh
13 Freaun
14 Brown
15 Bryce

[EWT Spoons]

Probably not far off the team I would expect to see either, but possibly Bradbury ahead of Miller.

Also maybe Sutherland depending on what LHs we have fit. Not sure if McCallum is going to be a TH or LH but I think we signed some lad from Bath as well so he might be more likely to start at LH than McCallum.

[RDW]

Forgot about Sutherland - no idea about his fitness either! Having one of him or Dickinson fit from the start of the season would be a big boost - ideally both.

Would have no problems with Bradbury at 6 but would like to see what Miller can do at this level - I'm not sure he's really big enough but may be proven wrong.

I also don't know where McCallum will end up but I hope he decides on one and sticks too it - if he tries to be both he'll end up being good at neither.

[lostinwales]

Gee, if memory serves me well Hen was the tall, lanky son with the toothbrush tache. I seem to recall on episode where he had to choose between girlfriends and he rejected the one his mother favoured, "she comes from a good family and they have one of them new semi-detached houses" for a lassie who lived in a tenement. The punchline was that when they were "winching in the back close" she could stand three stairs up and their heads would be level, thus making osculation easier.

Only on here can we go from GoT to novels currently being read to back close winching in three easy steps. (see what I did there)

p.s. on the subject of novels; Anthony Beevor edited Vasily Grossman: The War Diaries, which is superb and made me seek out Grossman's novel Life And Fate which is something everyone should read, it is utterly brilliant.

Seconded. Powerful and sometimes very disturbing stuff. Not done Life and Fate yet though

[EWT Spoons]

Forgot about Sutherland - no idea about his fitness either! Having one of him or Dickinson fit from the start of the season would be a big boost - ideally both.

Would have no problems with Bradbury at 6 but would like to see what Miller can do at this level - I'm not sure he's really big enough but may be proven wrong.

I also don't know where McCallum will end up but I hope he decides on one and sticks too it - if he tries to be both he'll end up being good at neither.

Easy to forget about him given he’s been out injured for so long. It’s still amazes me the depth we have at LH when everyone is fit. Dickinson who was and probably still is 1st choice for Scotland, and had he been fit could have easily toured with the lions (or at least gone instead of Dell). Sutherland who prior to his injuries looked actually better than Dickinson (just as good in the scrum etc, but better in the loose) and now Dell who is a B&I Lion. Sadly though last year most of them were injured at the same time.

I suppose given it’s friendly, I would be keen to see both Miller & Bradbury involved at some point, with one of them on the bench. Also would like to see Graham involved at some stage.

I think McCallum would be best served at TH, given the abundance of riches at LH. But yeah totally agree that trying to do both doesn’t really work.

[MacKnocked-on]

Not sure if it's been mentioned on here but I notice Fraser Lyle has signed for London Scottish, good move for him and seems to be combining playing with working in the City through Paul Burnell's company from what I gather.

LS have also signed SQ stand off Basil Spence from Oxford Uni, he's 6'5 and 110kgs and apparently pretty swift, literally the polar opposite to Duncan Weir.

[George Carlin]

The moral of the story is surely that the east coast is better at producing short, fat, angry people.

And that's not the worst of the girls I dated.

[EWT Spoons]

Strauss is in the Sale squad to take on Edinburgh on Friday

[21st Century Schizoid Man]

Just watched the Dave 'Renzo' Rennie * interview on Warriors TV and he said there will be a lot of kids playing the Stains on Saturday. Also Tommy Seymour will not feature until Round 4 or 5.

* Nickname courtesy of Liela Masaga

[RDW]

He definitely looks like he'll take over from Stern Vern in the grumpy scary coach stakes!

Apparently he's 'exicited to be in Glasgow' and this is the picture they put with it...

[George Carlin]

He definitely looks like he'll take over from Stern Vern in the grumpy scary coach stakes!

Apparently he's 'exicited to be in Glasgow' and this is the picture they put with it...

He's got such a great face, though. Like that chemistry teacher you were always terrified of.

[RDW]

He makes Vern Cotter look as excitable as Louie Spence by comparison!

[BigGee]

You get the feeling that training is not going to be a bundle of laughs in either Glasgow or Edinburgh this year!

[tigertattie]

He definitely looks like he'll take over from Stern Vern in the grumpy scary coach stakes!

Apparently he's 'exicited to be in Glasgow' and this is the picture they put with it...

He's got such a great face, though. Like that chemistry teacher you were always terrified of.

did you see the report on reporting Scotland last night? (I know GC won't have)

as they were taking the picture above, the photographer says "smile" and Rennie replied "this is me smiling"

[RDW]

Head Coach Gregor Townsend will take a 41-man Scotland squad into a two-day camp in St Andrews this Sunday.

The national squad will begin the 2017/18 season against Samoa at BT Murrayfield this November, the only match for which tickets are still available in the Autumn Tests, after the New Zealand and Australia matches sold out early last month (July).

Among the group are seven uncapped players, five of whom have developed through the BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy.

Back-row Matt Fagerson – an academy player aligned to Glasgow Warriors – and Edinburgh Rugby wing Darcy Graham recently helped Scotland U20 to a highest-ever finish of fifth in the World Rugby Under 20 Championship in June.

They are joined by fellow academy graduates back-row Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh Rugby), lock Scott Cummings and prop Jamie Bhatti (both Glasgow Warriors), as well as Edinburgh Rugby pair Phil Burleigh (centre) and Anton Bresler (lock), who are available to represent Scotland on residency grounds this autumn.

The squad also welcomes the return of five players from the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, three of whom missed the entirety of Scotland’s summer tour – Greig Laidlaw (Clermont Auvergne), Lions’ top try-scorer Tommy Seymour and Stuart Hogg (both Glasgow Warriors).

Hogg is part of a group of six injured players – which includes Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Allan Dell (Edinburgh Rugby), David Denton (Worcester Warriors), Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors) and Rob Harley (Glasgow Warriors) – who have also been invited to attend the camp.

Injured Toulouse lock Richie Gray (back) has been excused from travelling to St Andrews in order to aid his recovery with his club.

Scotland Head Coach Gregor Townsend, said: “This camp is an opportunity to bring the players together who are foremost in our thoughts for the Autumn Tests.

“It’s an important step in our preparations for what will be three very tough test matches. The timing of our get-together, halfway between our last game and when we will meet up again at the end of October, gives us the ideal opportunity to work with players before they begin competitive rugby with their clubs.

“At the moment we have an excellent pool of players from which to choose and we are looking forward to working with this squad next week. There are also a number of players that haven’t been invited to St Andrews that we will be tracking closely to see if they can play their way into our squad for the November internationals.”

He added: “It was great for rugby in this country to see our players emerge from the Lions’ tour with a lot of credit, while the Scotland U20 team had a fantastic junior World Cup.

“We welcome Darcy Graham and Matt Fagerson – two of the stand-out performers in that tournament – into this group. They have both been impressive in pre-season with their respective clubs and they now have an opportunity to get to work alongside the leading players in Scotland and also get a sense of how things operate at test level.”

Looking ahead to the Autumn Tests, Townsend added: “It’s a really exciting series of games, especially as two of the games have already sold out, months in advance.

“The players are really looking forward to playing at BT Murrayfield in front of capacity crowds.”

Scotland squad for 2017 August camp:

BACKS

Phil Burleigh (Edinburgh Rugby) – uncapped
Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors) – 26 caps
Darcy Graham (Edinburgh Rugby) – uncapped
Nick Grigg (Glasgow Warriors) – 1 cap
Pete Horne (Glasgow Warriors) – 25 caps
Rory Hughes (Glasgow Warriors) – 4 caps
Huw Jones (Stormers) – 8 caps
Lee Jones (Glasgow Warriors) – 5 caps
Greig Laidlaw (Clermont Auvergne) – 58 caps
Sean Maitland (Saracens) – 28 caps
Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors) – 8 caps
Henry Pyrgos (Glasgow Warriors) – 24 caps
Finn Russell (Glasgow Warriors) – 29 caps
Tommy Seymour (Glasgow Warriors) – 36 caps
Duncan Taylor (Saracens) – 21 caps
Greig Tonks (London Irish) – 8 caps
Tim Visser (Harlequins) – 33 caps
FORWARDS
John Barclay (Scarlets) – 63 caps
Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors) – uncapped
Magnus Bradbury (Edinburgh Rugby) – 2 caps
Anton Bresler (Edinburgh Rugby) – uncapped
Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors) – uncapped
Matt Fagerson (BT Sport Academy aligned to Glasgow Warriors) – uncapped
Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors) – 12 caps
Ross Ford (Edinburgh Rugby) – 110 caps
Grant Gilchrist (Edinburgh Rugby) – 16 caps
John Hardie (Edinburgh Rugby) – 16 caps
Stuart McInally (Edinburgh Rugby) – 9 caps
Willem Nel (Edinburgh Rugby) – 18 caps
Gordon Reid (London Irish) – 27 caps
Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh Rugby) – uncapped
Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors) – 32 caps
Ben Toolis (Edinburgh Rugby) – 4 caps
Hamish Watson (Edinburgh Rugby) – 12 caps
Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors) – 30 caps

Injured players invited to camp: Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Allan Dell (Edinburgh Rugby), David Denton (Worcester Warriors), Jonny Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Rob Harley (Glasgow Warriors), Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors)

Not considered through injury: Mark Bennett (Edinburgh Rugby), Alasdair Dickinson (Edinburgh Rugby), Richie Gray (Toulouse), Rory Sutherland (Edinburgh)

Scotland 2017 Autumn Tests
Saturday 11 November – Scotland v Samoa, BT Murrayfield Stadium (kick-off 2.30pm)
Saturday 18 November – Scotland v New Zealand, BT Murrayfield Stadium (kick-off 5.15pm)
Saturday 25 November – Scotland v Australia, BT Murrayfield Stadium (kick-off 2.30pm)

[BigGee]

Well you will always get a few surprises with Toonie, that is never going to change!

Don't think any of us expected to see Fargerson M, Graham, Bressler or Burleigh or Ritchie in the squad. That is not to say they don't deserve it though, even if they are mainly there for the experience.

It does not look like Dickinson and Sutherland are anywhere near being ready for the start of the season unfortunately. They really must have been bad injuries. You wonder when and in the case of Dickinson, who is not getting any younger, if he is ever likely to be back.

The squad convenes on sunday, so some of them could still play in the weekend warm up games on Friday and Saturday. To be honest, if none of them play, we will really struggle to get any sort of a team out and it could be a bit embarrassing.

[MacKnocked-on]

No Hoyland, Darcy Graham must be going great guns in pre season training. Will Weir ever get a recall I wonder?

[RDW]

From the sound of it the gathering will be more of a pre-season 'admin' session than full on training, to use the same phrase as Eddie Jones. Setting goals for the season, going through gameplan etc.

Not surprised about the call up of the likes of Bresler, Burleigh etc - currently they're no where near the squad but they could forseeably play this season so might as well get them involved now.

The fact that Dickinson and Sutherland aren't even invited to the squad suggests they're still out for a long time, which is also a worry for Edinburgh.

How has Denton injured himself again??

[Anglobraveheart]

Any ideas why Strauss, M Scott, SHC, Tonks, Ashe and R Jackson have been left out?
All bar Ashe and SHC were involved over the summer weren't they?
I thought at first that Strauss, Scott and Tonks may have been left out as they are now anglos, but there are plenty others in the squad. Curious.

[BigGee]

Any ideas why Strauss, M Scott, SHC, Tonks, Ashe and R Jackson have been left out?
All bar Ashe and SHC were involved over the summer weren't they?
I thought at first that Strauss, Scott and Tonks may have been left out as they are now anglos, but there are plenty others in the squad. Curious.

SHC, Ashe and Jacko probably because they are not considered good enough at this point. None of them have really set the heather on fire recently and Jacko only toured because of unavailability this summer.

Strauss and Scott may not be allowed release by their clubs, it is not an official window and probably relies on the club's goodwill.

Tonks is in the squad, Toonie does seem to rate him. It will be interesting to see if he gets much/any game time with LI this season in the AP.

[RDW]

Head Coach Richard Cockerill has named his first Edinburgh team as the capital club prepares to take on Sale Sharks in their opening friendly match of pre-season at Meggetland tomorrow night (Friday 18 August, kick-off 7.35pm).

New signing Darryl Marfo starts in the front row whilst Scotland U20 back Darcy Graham makes his debut on the wing. The squad is further bolstered on the bench by a selection of players from the BT Sport Academy and Scotland 7s squad.

Speaking to edinburghrugby.org, Cockerill said: “We’ve been working hard for the last nine weeks so it’ll be great to get out on the field and fire some live bullets for the first time. It’s been a really good pre-season so it’ll be interesting to see where we’re at.

“Sale obviously had a good win against Castres last weekend and it’ll be stiff opposition with the squad that they’re bringing and the players they’ve signed. The Premiership is a very physical league so they’ll have a really strong set-piece. Sale play a good brand of rugby and they’re very good with ball in hand.

“We know that they’re going to be very strong and that they’re going to be coming up expecting to win, so it’ll be a good mental test for us. We need to put a marker down around our physicality and our mentality around how we want to play.

“We’ve got to start putting our bodies on the line and seeing where the team is at.”

Tickets for the friendly match against Sale Sharks are available to purchase online here. Season Ticket Members can enjoy the match as part of their package – more information on Season Ticket Memberships can be found here.

Edinburgh team to play Sale Sharks in a pre-season friendly on Friday 18 August at Meggetland (kick-off 7.35pm)

15 Glenn Bryce

14 Darcy Graham
13 Chris Dean
12 Phil Burleigh
11 Jason Harries

10 Duncan Weir
9 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne

1 Darryl Marfo
2 Stuart McInally
3 Simon Berghan
4 Anton Bresler
5 Grant Gilchrist
6 Jamie Ritchie
7 John Hardie
8 Cornell Du Preez

Substitutes: Jason Baggott**, Tom Brown, Lewis Carmichael, Neil Cochrane, Luke Crosbie**, Ross Dunbar**, Jamie Farndale*, Cammy Fenton**, Dougie Fife*, Nathan Fowles, Hugh Fraser, Callum Hunter-Hill, James Johnstone*, Blair Kinghorn, Murray McCallum, Fraser McKenzie, Ally Miller, Junior Rasolea

* Scotland 7s player
** BT Sport Academy player

[RDW]

Dickinson out until December. There are a few injuries in the squad - we're definitely looking light at LH!

Following today’s announcement of the Edinburgh squad to play Sale Sharks in a pre-season friendly at Meggetland on Friday 18 August (kick-off 7.35pm), Edinburgh Rugby continues to manage a number of players back from injury.

Sidelined this week with short-term niggles are Damian Hoyland (groin), Robbie Fruean (knee), Kevin Bryce (knee) and Magnus Bradbury (knee).

Prop Alasdair Dickinson continues on a course of rehab from a foot injury suffered last season. During the rehabilitation period, a shoulder issue was discovered and it was deemed appropriate to resolve that with surgery to allow a smooth transition back to rugby around December time.

Wing Duhan van der Merwe (hip) and centre Mark Bennett (knee) are also scheduled to return before the new year.

Props Allan Dell (back) and Rory Sutherland (groin) face less of a wait and are expected to return in October and November respectively. Meanwhile, following his performances for Fiji in the summer internationals, Bill Mata is expected to return to the capital at the start of the season once his visa has been renewed.

[BigGee]

Dickinson should come back like a new man, they have practically rebuilt him, should rename him Steve Austin!

[RDW]

On the plus side it looks like Bennett will be back a lot sooner then expected. I had written him off for the whole season!

[Anglobraveheart]

Cheers guys, dunno how I got Tonks blindness.
WRT the ones not released, you would have thought that would have been worth a mention for clarity. But maybe I'm reading something that isn't there.

[BigGee]

Some tweets from Mark Palmer suggesting that neither Strauss nor Scott were left out because of their clubs, they are all obliged to release them for training weekends like this. It does seem that he did not pick them.

We probably should not read to much into this, he know what the two of them can do and likely wanted to have a closer look at some other players, mainly Burleigh instead of Scott, who is likely about 4th choice now anyway if everyone available.

As no-one else really seems to be stepping up, Strauss still remains our best ball carrying back row forward by some margin and likely will do for the foreseeable unless either Denton or CDP re-discover some mojo.

CDP really seems to have fallen out of sight and no-one has expressed any surprise at his omission. We thought he was going to be a great addition but definitely went backwards last year, though fitness undoubtedly played a part in that. Hopefully he has had a decent and full pre-season this year and can get himself back in the frame.

[tigertattie]

I'm still hopeful that Cockers can fix CDP. Hodge utterly ruined CDP last year and should be made to do the walk of atonement for his crimes!

[RDW]

Richie Gray is having back surgery so is likely to be out for the next 3 months. Bresler's chances of a Scotland cap have increased!

[EWT Spoons]

Richie Gray is having back surgery so is likely to be out for the next 3 months. Bresler's chances of a Scotland cap have increased!

Still think his chances are incredibly slim, J.Gray, Toolis, Swinson, Gilchrist (rightly or wrongly) & Cummings are all likely ahead of him.

[21st Century Schizoid Man]

If Gilchrist is a better option than Bresler then we better get worried about the fitness of the others

[RDW]

Spoons - potentially, but of those Jonny is the only established international (maybe Swinson) and you never know how things could go with injury. Cummings is also incredibly green.

I'm not saying I'd cap Bresler over Cummings but it may happen! We've not had a good enforcer lock since Hines.

[EWT Spoons]

Potentially, but of those Jonny is the only established international (maybe Swinson) and you never know how things could go with injury. Cummings is also incredibly green.

I'm not saying I'd cap Bresler over Cummings but it may happen! We've not had a good enforcer lock since Hines.

I think Toolis showed he is more than capable during the summer tests so hopefully has pushed himself into contention ahead all but the Grays. Cummings is incredibly green but Toonie worked with him closely as Glasgow and that probably gives him the upper-hand. Same with Swinson.

Not sure on Gilco but he's been rated by most coaches he's played under so clearly he's got something about him.

I agree Bresler could be the enforcer type, but I think there are other players who offer more currently, or are closer to Toonie.

[RDW]

I just think everyone is going to be given a clean slate for the new season and form will play a big part in selection. Remember Jonny is out injured just now so may be a doubt for the AIs - if he is then we're looking at a very inexperienced lock combo so the Bresler/Toolis combo may be preferred for their club partnership. There are plenty of options certainly.

You never know, Gilchrist may be reborn under Cockerill and force himself into the reckoning! If he can't do it now under Cockerill, having had a full pre-season under his belt, then he probably never will.

[RDW]

Dave Rennie has named a youthful Glasgow side for his first game in charge of the Warriors, as they travel to Stirling to take on Northampton Saints in a pre-season fixture.Adam Hastings will start at stand-off tomorrow

With an average age of just 22 in the starting XV, Rennie has named an extended squad of 28 players, seven of whom will be pulling on a Warriors jersey for the first time.

New signing Adam Hastings starts at fly-half and BT Sport Scottish Rugby Academy winger Robbie Nairn will be hoping to continue his form from the U20 World Rugby Championship as he makes his Glasgow debut.

Nairn is joined in the back-three by Italy international Leonardo Sarto while Rory Hughes starts at full-back, after touring with Scotland this summer.

Sam Johnson and Paddy Kelly combine in the midfield, while George Horne starts alongside Hastings at scrum-half.

Adam Ashe returns to Bridgehaugh to captain the side from Number 8 and is joined in the backrow by Matt Fagerson and Matt Smith.

Greg Peterson and Scott Cummings start together in the second-row and Jamie Bhatti, James Malcolm and D’arcy Rae complete the starting XV.

On the bench Grant Stewart, Hamilton Burr, George Stokes, Charlie Shiel and Stafford McDowell could all play for Glasgow for the first time.

Uncapped pair Kiran MacDonald and Robert Beattie both played in the Warriors pre-season game against Canada ‘A’ at Bridgehaugh last year and are once again involved.

Alex Allan, Chris Fusaro and Lee Jones will look to bring their combined wealth of experience off the bench as Adam Nicol, Brian Alainu’uese and Lewis Wynne complete the matchday squad.

More than 2,000 tickets have already been sold for the game, but tickets are still available from glasgowwarriors.org and from Bridgehaugh on Saturday.

Glasgow Warriors Head Coach Dave Rennie said: "I signed twelve months ago, so it’s great to be here and get the chance to finally see the boys in action this weekend.

"It’s great to take the game to Bridgehaugh. I want to make sure that we interact with people right across our region and show that we’re more than just a Glasgow side.

"These boys have been working really hard for the last couple of months, so it’s a good opportunity for them.

“We’re treating this game like a trial and it’s a chance for the younger guys to make a bit of a statement.

"We did a fitness test on Monday and 17 of the boys recorded personal bests, so I can’t speak highly enough of how hard everyone has worked.

"Northampton will ask some serious questions of us, but that’s what we need."

Glasgow Warriors team to play Northampton Saints at Bridgehaugh Park in Stirling, Saturday 19 August, (kick-off 2pm). You can follow the action on Twitter @GlasgowWarriors and extended highlights will be available on Warriors TV over the weekend. Glasgow Warriors appearances in brackets:
15. Rory Hughes (32)

14. Leonardo Sarto (8)

13. Paddy Kelly (1)

12. Sam Johnson (24)

11. Robbie Nairn (0)

10. Adam Hastings (0)

9. George Horne (3)



1. Jamie Bhatti (6)

2. James Malcolm (18)

3. D’arcy Rae (24)

4. Greg Peterson (21)

5. Scott Cummings (17)

6. Matt Fagerson (9)

7. Matt Smith (3)

8. Adam Ashe (39) CAPTAIN



Replacements



16. Alex Allan (51)

17. Grant Stewart (0)

18. Adam Nicol (1)

19. Brian Alainu’uese (16)

20. Kiran McDonald (0)

21. George Stokes (0)

22. Hamilton Burr (0)

23. Chris Fusaro (126)

24. Lewis Wynne (15)

25. Charlie Shiel (0)

26. Stafford McDowell (0)

27. Lee Jones (54)

28. Robert Beattie (0)

[BigGee]

Well here is the Glasgow team to play Saints on Saturday.

15. Rory Hughes (32)

14. Leonardo Sarto (8)

13. Paddy Kelly (1)

12. Sam Johnson (24)

11. Robbie Nairn (0)

10. Adam Hastings (0)

9. George Horne (3)



1. Jamie Bhatti (6)

2. James Malcolm (18)

3. D’arcy Rae (24)

4. Greg Peterson (21)

5. Scott Cummings (17)

6. Matt Fagerson (9)

7. Matt Smith (3)

8. Adam Ashe (39) CAPTAIN



Replacements



16. Alex Allan (51)

17. Grant Stewart (0)

18. Adam Nicol (1)

19. Brian Alainu’uese (16)

20. Kiran McDonald (0)

21. George Stokes (0)

22. Hamilton Burr (0)

23. Chris Fusaro (126)

24. Lewis Wynne (15)

25. Charlie Shiel (0)

26. Stafford McDowell (0)

27. Lee Jones (54)

28. Robert Beattie (0)

While I am very excited to see how these young kids get on, it is going to be a tough old 80 mins I suspect. The average age of the squad is 22 apparently!

Rennie is saying that they need to look upon it as a trial and it is the chance to show what they can do. 17 of them broke personal records in Monday's fitness testing apparently, so I don't imagine they are going to run out of gas!

[BigGee]

RDW beats me to the send button again!

[RDW]

Beat you by 6 minutes - it wasn't even close!

[BigGee]

And here is the Saints team, looks pretty strong!

SAINTS TEAM TO PLAY GLASGOW
Pre-season 2017/18
Bridgehaugh Park
Saturday, August 19th, 2017
Kick off 2pm

15 Ben Foden (capt)
14 Jamie Elliott
13 Ahsee Tuala
12 Luther Burrell
11 Tom Collins
10 Piers Francis
9 Nic Groom
1 Campese Ma'afu
2 Charlie Clare
3 Jamal Ford-Robinson
4 David Ribbans
5 James Craig
6 Jamie Gibson
7 Lewis Ludlam
8 Mitch Eadie

Replacements
Forwards - Dylan Hartley, Alex Waller, Kieran Brookes, Paul Hill, Michael Paterson, Reece Marshall, Christian Day, Ben Nutley, Teimana Harrison
Backs - Alex Mitchell, James Grayson, Rory Hutchinson, Tom Stephenson, Juan Pablo Estelles, George Furbank, Harry Mallinder

[RDW]

Piers Francis going for redemption!

Mitch Eadie starting at 8 too. Hutchison off the bench!

[BigGee]

Lets hope that Piers Francis still has the Edinburgh Hex on him seeing as he is not all that far away!

Very strong replacements and Saints have already had one run out this season already. I can see us struggling in the second half.

[MacKnocked-on]

Piers Francis going for redemption!

Mitch Eadie starting at 8 too. Hutchison off the bench!

Not the strongest Glasgow team but I wonder if a big game from Eadie & Hutchison would tempt Toonie to add them to the weekend squad gathering as they're up here anyway? If Eadie can hold down a backrow spot for Saints then he'll surely figure in the squad soon enough.

[21st Century Schizoid Man]

I make Leo Sarto, on his return from injury, the only first choice in the Warriors starting 15 with Big Brian in the 30 that makes possibly 2. Might be a long day tbh !

[BigGee]

Hutchinson is a young and decent player but he has got some competition in the centres for Scotland now and probably needs to nail down a starting place for Saints before any international call ups will be coming his way. We will watch his career with interest though.

You do feel that there may be a vacancy in the back row though. Strauss not being picked and Ryan Wilson probably not really the answer at No.8 despite all of his endeavour. None of the touted players, Denton, Ashe, CDP have really taken the chance to make it their own position over the years.

Maybe Eadie deserves a shot, but to be fair we have not really seen much of what he can do outside the championship yet. He certainly looked good at that level, but did not stand out in a struggling Bristol team last year. The move to Saints is a good one for him and will provide the answer as to whether or not he can step up.

They had better all watch out though as Fargerson M is coming up fast on the rails and seem to be both in a hurry and no great respecters of reputations. You don't get the feeling that Toonie would not blood any player just because of his age. If he is good enough, he is old enough!

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