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September 23, 2016

Glasgow Warriors v Ulster

Posted by Editor on September 23, 2016 11:27 AM | No comments | Print | E-mail author

Ryan Wilson is Disco's Warrior to watch
Disco looks ahead to Glasgow's PRO12 meeting with Ulster at a sold-out Scotstoun Stadium.

You can read Disco's thoughts on Glasgow's pursuit of a second PRO12 title and European progress, as well as Scotland's international fortunes, at his excellent blog Top of the Moon.

KO 7.35 at Sold Out Scotstoun Stadium, Friday 23rd September

Live on BBC2 Scotland and BBC NI

Team Talk
Instinct suggests that the Warriors line-up has been weakened by injuries with the list of absentees doubling from where it was before the last home game against Scotstoun. However Glasgow can still call on no less than 18 full internationals for the matchday 23. The squad's depth may be being tested for the first time in this campaign but this is still a strong side. Ulster travel without Craig Gilroy, the Warriors' tormentor in chief last season (seriously the guy seemed to have been dipped in butter the way the tackles fell off him), but in his place comes the major attacking threat of Charles Piutau in his first away match for his new club.

Teams

Glasgow Warriors

15 Stuart Hogg

14 Leonardo Sarto
13 Mark Bennett
12 Alex Dunbar
11 Tommy Seymour

10 Finn Russell
9 Henry Pyrgos (Co-Captain)

1 Gordon Reid
2 Fraser Brown
3 Zander Fagerson
4 Greg Peterson
5 Jonny Gray (Co-Captain)
6 Tjiuee Uanivi
7 Lewis Wynne
8 Ryan Wilson

Substitutes

16 Pat MacArthur
17 Alex Allan
18 Sila Puafisi
19 Sam Thomson
20 Matt Fagerson
21 Ali Price
22 Nick Grigg
23 Rory Hughes

Ulster

15 Jared Payne

14 Louis Ludik
13 Darren Cave
12 Stuart McCloskey
11 Charles Piutau

10 Paddy Jackson
9 Ruan Pienaar

1 Andrew Warwick
2 Rob Herring (Captain)
3 Rodney Ah You
4 Alan O'Connor
5 Franco van der Merwe
6 Iain Henderson
7 Sean Reidy
8 Roger Wilson

Substitutes

16 Rory Best
17 Callum Black
18 Ross Kane
19 Pete Browne
20 Clive Ross
21 Paul Marshall
22 Stuart Olding
23 Rob Lyttle

Head to Head:
Back 3 - ADV Glasgow
Centres - ADV Glasgow
Half Backs - EVEN
Front Row - EVEN
Second Row - ADV Glasgow
Back Row - ADV Ulster
Subs - ADV Ulster

Glasgow Greetings:
A busy evening with first Warriors' starts for Tjiuee Uanivi and Lewis Wynne and potential debut appearances for Sam Thomson and Matt Fagerson. Sam and Matt will become the 8th and 9th Scottish Rugby Academy players to feature for Glasgow in the last year should they come off the bench. At 18 years and 69 days Zander's wee brother will be the 2nd youngest Warrior ever - beaten only by the remarkable John Barclay who was 18 years and 43 days when he played his very first match (credit to Moody Blue and gordon on the glasgowwarriors.com forum for that little nugget of information!) A certain Finn Russell should also get a very warm welcome as he returns to action at Scotstoun...

Matchday Milestones:
Sila Puafisi will play his 25th match for the Warriors, demonstrating remarkable consistency - he has only missed 3 games since he first featured against the Ospreys just under 11 months ago. Gordon Reid is winning the race to be the next Warrior Centurion - this will be his 98th appearance for Glasgow. The Scotstoun Express will be due a rest week in the next fortnight though so he will need to be patient a little longer before he gets to see his picture on Centurion Way!

Warriors One to Watch:
Two of the outstanding backlines in the league will clash on Friday night but while they should provide much of the entertainment and the highlight reel moments On Top Of The Moon suggests the back row battle should be worth keeping an eye on. Ryan Wilson will be the key man for Glasgow in this contest. With the rest of his unit (including replacement) only having 7 PRO12 appearances between them, Ryan's 89 games in this competition mark him out as the experienced head who will need to guide the rookies through the match.

Sometimes unfairly derided as a penalty magnet, his stats show he's conceded less than a penalty a game - one every 101 minutes - which is fairly typical for a Glasgow number 8 / flanker. His adaptability and work rate have been key to the balance in the Warriors' back row on so many occasions and he will need to be at his very best against Ulster. (Symmetry fans will also appreciate there being an R. Wilson at the back of both sides of the scrum for most of the evening...)

Toony's Track Record...

...against Ulster:

- League play - 5 wins, 3 losses. 2 Try BPs, 1 Losing BP. 23 points (58%)
- Playoffs - 1 win
- Champions Cup - 2 losses
- With just a single away win for each side in their 11 match-ups the advantage has definitely tended to lie with the home team in encounters over the past 4 years.

Last season's match-up:

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1 - Number of Glasgow players paying attention when Ulster took a quick lineout for Stuart McCloskey to score - and Finn Russell wasn't close enough to intervene. This was most assuredly not one of the Warriors' finer moments last season as experienced players switched off allowing Ulster to extend their lead. Glasgow have to be aware of every opportunity (in defence and attack) if they are to win what could prove to be a key game in this season's PRO12.

6 - Minutes of rugby Finn Russell has played in the month prior to taking on Ulster - he finished the game with 14 points, 2 tries created and the Man of the Match award. Can lightning strike twice? Can the Finnocent One again shake off his lack of game time and be Glasgow's most influential player?

171 - Passes made by Glasgow - one of their highest totals of the season and considerably more than Ulster's 119. Until the last 20 minutes there was plenty of effort but little penetration against a stoic defence. By contrast Ulster saw far less of the ball but consistently made ground for the first 60 minutes. The Warriors need to find the space in or behind the Ulster defensive line and find a way to shut down their dangerous strike runners if they want to continue their fine home form.

Home and Away:
Glasgow last 5 (H) - W W W W W
Ulster last 5 (A) - L W W L W

Officials:
Referee: Ian Davies (WRU, 51st competition game)
Assistant Referees: Sean Brickell (WRU), Cammy Rudkin (both SRU)
Citing Commissioner: Douglas Hunter (SRU)
TMO: Gareth Simmonds (WRU)

It may be just the 4th game of the campaign but Glasgow have already been refereed by Mr Davies this season - and this will be his 6th Warriors' match in the last 12 months. Every one of the previous 5 fixtures have seen a Glasgow player carded by the Welsh whistler. It is a point that has been laboured many a time and oft at OTOTM but in a game between sides as closely matched as these two it is absolutely essential that the Warriors avoid playing short-handed or they will present Ulster with a significant advantage.

Previous Matches with Ulster
Saturday November 25 2023
Glasgow Warriors 33 20 Ulster Match Report
Saturday October 7 2023
Ulster 19 14 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Friday February 17 2023
Glasgow Warriors 17 11 Ulster Match Report
Friday September 24 2021
Ulster 35 29 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Friday February 19 2021
Glasgow Warriors 13 19 Ulster Match Report
Monday November 9 2020
Ulster 40 15 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Saturday September 14 2019
Glasgow Warriors 36 33 Ulster Match Report
Saturday September 7 2019
Ulster 50 19 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Friday May 8 2020
Ulster P P Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Friday March 27 2020
Glasgow Warriors P P Ulster Match Report
Friday May 17 2019
Glasgow Warriors 50 20 Ulster Match Report
Friday April 5 2019
Glasgow Warriors 30 7 Ulster Match Report
Saturday April 21 2018
Ulster 36 15 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Friday March 2 2018
Ulster P P Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Saturday February 18 2017
Ulster 37 17 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Friday September 23 2016
Glasgow Warriors 17 22 Ulster Match Report
Friday March 25 2016
Glasgow Warriors 27 17 Ulster Match Report
Friday February 12 2016
Ulster 13 10 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Friday May 22 2015
Glasgow Warriors 16 14 Ulster Match Report
Saturday May 16 2015
Glasgow Warriors 32 10 Ulster Match Report
Saturday October 11 2014
Ulster 29 9 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Friday April 18 2014
Glasgow Warriors 27 9 Ulster Match Report
Friday September 13 2013
Ulster 12 13 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Friday February 22 2013
Glasgow Warriors 20 14 Ulster Match Report
Friday January 11 2013
Ulster 23 6 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Friday October 19 2012
Glasgow Warriors 8 19 Ulster Match Report
Friday August 31 2012
Ulster 18 10 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Friday November 25 2011
Glasgow Warriors 17 9 Ulster Match Report
Friday September 2 2011
Ulster 28 14 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Friday March 25 2011
Glasgow Warriors 19 22 Ulster Match Report
Friday October 1 2010
Ulster 19 17 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Friday April 16 2010
Glasgow Warriors 25 18 Ulster Match Report
Friday December 4 2009
Ulster 13 25 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Friday April 17 2009
Glasgow Warriors 19 20 Ulster Match Report
Saturday March 7 2009
Ulster 12 0 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Saturday May 3 2008
Ulster 24 35 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Friday November 2 2007
Glasgow Warriors 25 6 Ulster Match Report
Friday April 27 2007
Ulster 10 24 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Saturday January 6 2007
Glasgow Warriors 8 19 Ulster Match Report
Saturday April 15 2006
Glasgow Warriors 18 27 Ulster Match Report
Saturday January 7 2006
Ulster 25 23 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Friday March 4 2005
Ulster 30 3 Glasgow Warriors Match Report
Saturday October 16 2004
Glasgow Warriors 34 20 Ulster Match Report
Friday February 20 2004
Glasgow Warriors 27 25 Ulster Match Report
Friday November 14 2003
Glasgow Warriors 13 20 Ulster Match Report
Friday September 12 2003
Ulster 33 6 Glasgow Warriors Match Report