Colin Gregor keen to make the most of a rare start at Firhill

Coach Sean Lineen has taken his chance to rest six front-line players and put Dan Parks on the bench after steering Glasgow to top spot in the Magners League with a largely settled outfit. With a number of captains among those in the stands tonight, Lineen has turned to one of his most skilful and experienced performers in Colin Gregor to skipper the team for the first time.

Gregor, who has led the Scotland sevens team on many occasions around the world, admitted he was surprised to be asked, but now determined to lead the side to a first victory over the Dragons this season.

"I am massively honoured and excited to be asked to captain the team," he said, "and it's a challenge I'm really looking forward to, especially with it being in the Heineken Cup. This is also a team that we've struggled against at times in the past so this is a chance to right some wrongs.

"But there is a lot of motivation for the guys, like me, stepping in to prove what we're capable of. Glasgow are on a good run just now as well and we've got to maintain that, against a team that has beaten us a couple of times this season already so there's the revenge there."

Glasgow lost 30-19 at Rodney Parade in the league and a second-half comeback was not enough to avoid a 22-14 defeat at the Dragons' ground a month later in the Heineken Cup. In the past that was almost a given as the Warriors struggled to overcome a Welsh region with similar resources and adeptly coached by Paul Turner. This season, however, the results are more glaring as no other team has beaten Glasgow twice.

It is ironic that the challenge has fallen to a revamped XV with players such as Gregor, Rob Dewey, Ruaridh Jackson, Fergus Thomson, Ed Kalman, Dan Turner and Callum Forrester all finally winning a rare opportunity, for varying reasons, to start a game this season.

Gregor has an option for another year on his contract, but he is aware that his time at Glasgow could end this summer and there are others for whom this rare opportunity is a crucial one to prove they should remain part of Glasgow's future.

"It is frustrating waiting for a chance," he acknowledged, "but when the team is winning it's difficult to go to the coaches and say 'you've got to pick me'. And at the same time you can accept to an extent that when the team's going well it's out of your hands and you can just do what you can when you get an opportunity, like this."

Gregor's own priority in the past two years at Glasgow has been to prove he is more than merely one of Scotland's most talented sevens players and versatile cover, and he insisted that he was keen to restate his conviction tonight to remaining in the world of XV-a-sides and "more than a bit-part player" at Glasgow.

His skills are such that he is equally adept at scrum-half and stand-off and his presence alongside Ruaridh Jackson should provide Glasgow with an attacking threat around the fringes, if the duo can quickly harness an understanding, against a skilful and diminutive Dragons duo of Shaun Connor and Danny Lee, the twice-capped All Black.

The Dragons start with Welsh caps Matthew Watkins and Gavin Thomas and Kiwis James Arlidge and Hoani Macdonald on the bench, but have a solid pack and believe that is where they can gain the upper hand tonight.

The ability of Thomson and Kalman to fill the boots of Dougie Hall and Moray Low in Glasgow's front row will be crucial to ensuring Glasgow cope with the big forward clash, and there is extra responsibility on young lock Richie Gray, with Dan Turner, to dominate an appetising lineout battle with Wales' tallest forward Luke Charteris and Rob Sidoli, without Kellock calling the shots.

Gregor added: "It is a case now of all of us taking this opportunity and making sure Glasgow win. Everyone getting a start this week knows this is an opportunity for themselves, and playing for contracts is the nature of the beast at this time, but we also need to make sure individuals don't focus too much on proving a point to the detriment of the team.

"The success of the team is the main thing. But I'm confident everyone recognises that. The way training has been and the nature of this squad is such that they know this is an opportunity for them, but winning is the key."