Glasgow captain expects Dave Rennie to wield axe for second cup game

Glasgow co-captain Callum Gibbins says he won't be surprised if coach Dave Rennie wields the axe for the second 1872 Cup match at Scotstoun on Saturday, writes Duncan Smith.

The Warriors’ limp showing as they slumped to a comprehensive 23-7 defeat by Edinburgh has, just as 12 months ago, put a stick in the spokes of a strong start to the season.

Rennie has displayed a ruthless selection streak in the past, including last week as Gibbins’ co-skipper Ryan Wilson and fellow international Alex Dunbar were left out of the 23, and the Kiwi flanker conceded players could not complain if they paid for the weekend’s flop with their places.

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“I wouldn’t be surprised if there were a few changes next week. Rens picks his team on form,” said Gibbins.

Glasgow Warriors' Callum Gibbins, left, is tackled by 
Edinburgh winger Duhan van der Merwe. Picture: SNS/SRUGlasgow Warriors' Callum Gibbins, left, is tackled by 
Edinburgh winger Duhan van der Merwe. Picture: SNS/SRU
Glasgow Warriors' Callum Gibbins, left, is tackled by Edinburgh winger Duhan van der Merwe. Picture: SNS/SRU

“If you get a shot to perform, then you better make sure you go and perform. If not, then you’re probably out like poor old Wils was.”

Gibbins revealed that Adam Hastings was down in the dressing room after his two intercepted passes led to the decisive try double for Duhan van der Merwe.

“He’ll be alright, he’s a man. He’s a grown-up – he’ll look at his game and know where he went wrong,” said Gibbins. “We’ll help him along. I’ve got to look at my game, too. If someone wants to give me feedback, then I’ve got to look at that and take it onboard.

“Everyone was chatting to him in the changing room afterwards. He was disappointed, but we’ve all had games in the past where we didn’t play as well as we wanted to. That’s not just Adam – it applies across the board. A lot of the guys – myself included – didn’t play to our capabilities. If you can’t deal with the lows, then you shouldn’t be there to deal with the highs. So Adam will be alright.”

Gibbins spent ten minutes in the sin bin for deliberate offside as the game drifted away from Glasgow in the second half but was more disappointed in himself than Scots ref Mike Adamson.

“I was disappointed. When you’re running around that area [at the breakdown] and you run into some guy, it’s probably going to turn out the way it did,” said the openside. “I was disappointed
with where I was [on the field].”

Amidst the general downbeat mood, Gibbins didn’t feel it would be a problem to lift the squad for what is now a must-win at Scotstoun on Saturday afternoon if they are to stop Edinburgh retaining the 1872 Cup.

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“No, I don’t think so. You’ve always got to be up for every game you play in,” he said. “Especially after a loss like that, I don’t think it’ll take much to get the boys up for the next game.

“We’ll talk about the areas
we need to improve and it’s probably going to come down to us big boys up front. We need more dominance in that area and to sort out our set-piece. We’ll take a hard look at it and move on.”

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