Glasgow Warriors | Flu bug delays team announcement
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September 30, 2009

Flu bug delays team announcement

Posted by Editor on September 30, 2009 03:52 PM | No comments | Print | E-mail author

DTH van der Merwe is in Glasgow's 24-man squad
Glasgow Warriors have been forced into delaying their team announcement for Saturday’s Magners League clash with Cardiff Blues due to a flu bug that has affected the squad.

Warriors head coach Sean Lineen today named a 24-man squad instead.

More than 20 players have been infected by the bug over the past week but Sean remains confident that preparations have remained as intense as ever.

“It’s been a challenging week for the players who have come down with the bug,” he said, “but I have been very impressed by how they have gone about their business.

“Both sides will be eager to win on Saturday, especially with Europe the following week. We have to go down there, to Cardiff’s new stadium, with the belief that we can get a result.”

Named for the first time in a Warriors squad, is summer signing DTH van der Merwe who joined straight from his impressive outings for Canada as he helped guide them to a place in the 2011 Rugby World Cup finals.

Having been ruled out of action since his arrival in Glasgow, Sean is excited about the prospect of seeing van der Merwe donning a Warriors jersey for the first time.

Sean continued: “DTH had some bad luck with a dead leg and the flu but he has been looking really sharp and I’m excited about seeing him in action soon after looking pretty impressive over the summer with Canada.”

Glasgow Warriors’ 24-man squad to play Cardiff Blues in the Magners League at Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday (ko 6.30pm)

Forwards: John Barclay, Tim Barker, Johnnie Beattie, Kelly Brown, Calum Forrester, Dougie Hall, Alastair Kellock, Moray Low, Pat MacArthur, Kevin Tkachuk, Dan Turner, Richie Vernon, Jon Welsh

Backs: Chris Cusiter, Rob Dewey, Thom Evans, Colin Gregor, Dave McCall, DTH van der Merwe, Graeme Morrison, Hefin O'Hare, Dan Parks, Bernardo Stortoni, Colin Shaw

On the European front, Sean thinks Glasgow's Pool 2 opener against Olympique Biarritz at Firhill on Saturday week is the key to his side's hopes of making the knock-out stages of the Heineken Cup for the first time.

Sean said in the Evening Times: "The Heineken Cup is the best club competition in the world and we want to go as far as we can in it.

"To do that we must win our home games, and with our first fixture in Pool 2 being at home, there is even more pressure on us to win.

"We are under no illusions as to how tough that will be but we beat them at Firhill a couple of seasons back and we beat Toulouse in France last season so we have not done too badly against then French."

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