Zebre v Glasgow Warriors

Zebre v Glasgow Warriors
Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
Parma

ko 15.30 (UK time)

Live on BBC Alba

15. Ruaridh Jackson (128)

14. Lee Jones (67)

13. Huw Jones (3)

12. Nick Grigg (33)

11. Niko Matawalu (86)

10. Finn Russell (74)

9. George Horne (11)



1. Alex Allan (64)

2. Pat MacArthur (164)

3. Siua Halanukonuka (6)

4. Greg Peterson (24)

5. Jonny Gray (81)

6. Rob Harley (172) CAPTAIN

7. Chris Fusaro (131)

8. Matt Fagerson (15)


Replacements:



16. James Malcolm (21)

17. Oli Kebble (3)

18. D’Arcy Rae (34)

19. Kiran McDonald (6)

20. Adam Ashe (47)

21. Henry Pyrgos (136)

22. Peter Horne (129)

23. Brandon Thomson (5)



Unavailable players: Brian Alainu’uise (knee), Fraser Brown (head) Scott Cummings (hand), Alex Dunbar (knee), Zander Fagerson (foot), Callum Gibbins (achillies), Stuart Hogg (hip), Rory Hughes (shoulder), Sam Johnson (jaw), Lelia Masaga (knee), Leo Sarto (shoulder), Tommy Seymour (foot) Tim Swinson (hand) Ratu Tagive (Achilles), George Turner (suspension) and Ryan Wilson (ankle).



A pretty strong team all in all, especially with the injury list, which seems to be growing by the week.

Good to see Adam Ashe back though, hope he can make a good impression and maybe come back into Scotland reckoning.

Slightly disappointed not to see Adam Hastings get a run out, at least from the bench. Surely he will need some game time prior to the 6N window when he will be needed.

Rennie clearly wants a performance this week to get the season rolling again and with that team against Zebre, he really aught to get it.

Just seen more on the injury news

Gibbins has had an op on the Achilles, out for 12 weeks.

Zander and Scott Cummings out for up to 8 weeks with foot and hand injuries respectively.

Who the hell are we going to play at TH in the 6Ns?

BigGee wrote:Just seen more on the injury news

Gibbins has had an op on the Achilles, out for 12 weeks.

Zander and Scott Cummings out for up to 8 weeks with foot and hand injuries respectively.

Who the hell are we going to play at TH in the 6Ns?

Surely to goodness Welsh needs to get a shout now?

BigGee wrote:Just seen more on the injury news

Gibbins has had an op on the Achilles, out for 12 weeks.

Zander and Scott Cummings out for up to 8 weeks with foot and hand injuries respectively.

Who the hell are we going to play at TH in the 6Ns?

Richie V is almost 100% fit.

One unintended consequence of the Conference system may well be that a home semi becomes a guarantee of a place in the final.
Under the old system it was almost unheard of for a team to win an away semi. This new format means that 2v3 in each conference means another tough match at the end of the season, while the top ranked team are having a week off, before an away semi.
The way things stand today that would mean Cheetahs winning in Thomond Park before travelling to Scotstoun and then having to be fit and firing for the final. In the other half it would mean Ulster needing to win in Llanelli then going to the RDS before meeting Glasgow in the final. If the teams that finish top don't meet in the final I'll buy all the posters here a drink and Bru will serve them wearing his Jeremy Corbyn T-Shirt.

I think Glasgow need 5 wins to top the Conference.
Zebra home and away.
Dragons away.
Cheetahs home, but we'll be 6N depleted while they will be at full strength.
Connacht home.
Should do it, but the last two are possible losses.

It's not impossible for us to lose the other four fixtures;
Munster away
Ulster away
Scarlets away
Luvvies away.  

Tonight's game is crucial. But then the 6N period will be too. A lot will be riding on Hastings, Thompson, Peterson and whoever we end up with as second choice front rows.  Allan, Bhatti, Rae, Turner all likely to be called up.
We really need 5 points tonight, nothing from the next two games except NO INJURIES and then we try to pick up a couple of wins during the 6 Nations.

Munster’s run in is a bit kinder than ours but they are misfiring somewhat at the moment and still have a realistic chance of qualifying for the next round of Champions cup. It would be a collapse of truly Scottish proportions if we managed to bugger it up.

Gosh, imagine if finishing first or second depended on beating the luvvies at the library. We might need separate threads for a bit!

The thing to bear in mind also is that we currently have one or two returning from injury - Kebble, Ashe, Fagerson jnr.
A load to return from injury short term/loss of form/suspension - Brown?, Dunbar, Hogg, Seymour, Swinson, Turner, Wilson.
Then a raft more in 2 - 3 months.
My point is that there is the potential for us to rally at the tail end of the season (as we did in the Championship winning year) with a load of quality players champing at the bit, eager and mended as other squads are starting to tire.
In a way it is a blessing that we are now out of Europe, as the volume of injuries would have left us very weak anyway.
I think consolidation this season, squadbuilding and strengthening as a unit, securing the league again, will be a great stepping stone to having another crack at Europe next year.
we need the squad to grow as a unit together over time, and only then will they have the experience together to properly have a go at Europe.
We learned from the heartbreak of losing to Munster in the PRO12 four years ago to become champions the following year.
There should be enough experience and quality in the and players around from those years, to use it as a basis of dealing with the European disappointment this season ready for next.

That was a good try for Zebre. They're moving the ball around well.

You never see Rhuridh Jackson and Biggles in the same room

Given how empty this stadium is, how empty Myreside was last night and how empty the South African Stadiums always[i] are what percentage of Pro14 seats are filled?

Just going from the TV pictures, it looked very cold and overcast in Parma. In know Oscar Wilde defined marrying for the second time as a triumph of hope over experience but he had nothing on the female Glasgow supporter shown just before kick off. She was sitting there and I swear I could hear her thoughts, "I'm in Italy and it is sunny and I will look glam, so I am not removing these sunglasses. Even if no-one else in Parma has any on I am looking glam. I am".

Mind you, the fella with her looked slightly less well prepared for the weather with the kilt and blue knees ensemble. What exactly is Italian for hypothermia?

As for the game? 5 points, job done. had another good game.

20 points ahead of Munster. 18 ahead of Cheetahs. I can't see Cheetahs getting top spot, and they'll be very lucky to get second. I think we've made the play-offs (unofficially) but need to win all our home games to keep Munster at bay.

I would actually say that there was a noticeably bigger crowd in Parma today than there was when I was there two years ago. They seemed to be getting behind their team as well. It is small steps, but hopefully in the right direction for them.

Having said that Glasgow won without ever really having to get out of second gear. They seemed to be able to score whenever they put their mind to it. We have been clinical this year in taking the five points whenever it has been on offer. Hopefully that will get us the home semi when the time comes.

Georgie Horne got the MoM again and played well, he must be in Toonie's mind now surely. Grigg was more worthy of it for me though, always made yards and tackled very well also.

Good to see Adam Ashe get a decent run out. He played well as well after such a long break.

All in all a good day's work though. There will be tougher games to come with a more depleted squad.

jimbopip wrote:Just going from the TV pictures, it looked very cold and overcast in Parma. In know Oscar Wilde defined marrying for the second time as a triumph of hope over experience but he had nothing on the female Glasgow supporter shown just before kick off. She was sitting there and I swear I could hear her thoughts, "I'm in Italy and it is sunny and I will look glam, so I am not removing these sunglasses. Even if no-one else in Parma has any on I am looking glam. I am".

Mind you, the fella with her looked slightly less well prepared for the weather with the kilt and blue knees ensemble. What exactly is Italian for hypothermia?

As for the game? 5 points, job done. had another good game.

20 points ahead of Munster. 18 ahead of Cheetahs. I can't see Cheetahs getting top spot, and they'll be very lucky to get second. I think we've made the play-offs (unofficially) but need to win all our home games to keep Munster at bay.

Ah Mr Jeem,

you spotted Signorina Schiz in her sunnies and my blue knees. It was cold but sunny until the lights went out. Lot of us there couple of hundred we counted . Bloody great weekend but suffering for it. I can now tell you about Cassini's Median Line too !