Glasgow look to keep Pro12 title challenge alive

Head coach Gregor Townsend is only in his first season at the helm, but building on the work of predecessor Sean Lineen, alongside Shade Munro and now Matt Taylor, and with key summer signings proving their worth, his side have put themselves firmly in the frame for their best crack yet at the championship.

In 2010 and 2012 they reached the play-off semi-finals but just, so had to play the Ospreys in Swansea and Leinster in Dublin to reach the final. At that stage of the season, with all teams at full complement, beating the top two Celtic league sides at home is among the stiffest challenges facing a Scottish side. Overcoming them at home is a different ball game, and should Glasgow beat Munster at Scotstoun tonight they would all but secure their play-off spot and push themselves back into pole position for a home semi-final with three games left.

“We haven’t talked too much about [finishing in] the top two,” insisted Townsend. “We are currently sitting in second and first [Leinster] and third [Ulster] play against each other [in Dublin] on Saturday.

“Mathematically, I’m sure Munster will still be in the frame if we were to beat them, but if we win it might knock them out of the running for the top four so it’s a massive game. We have an opportunity to still be in the top two and perhaps go top this weekend, and then attack the last few games with more confidence.”

Ulster’s defeat at Edinburgh last weekend proved a major bonus and were Ulster to bounce back from that and beat Leinster tomorrow Glasgow could again claim top spot if they emerge victorious tonight.

The Ospreys and Scarlets, closest to the final berth at present, are away from home to Welsh rivals tomorrow, but should Glasgow lose tonight they would probably be looking for help from others to smooth their passage into the top two. Townsend was not hiding from the fact that their failure to beat a shadow Leinster side was a big opportunity missed.

“That was the term we used going into the game and after the game,” he said. “It was an opportunity missed, to stay first, to close out the game when we were leading and to score a try at the end when we were on their line.

“But you never know how the games will go. There are teams out there who want to finish the season on a high, but we’re preparing for every team around us to win their games and we’ll have to win more. Whether that’s two, three or four games, each one is an opportunity to win. If we want to be in the top two I’d imagine we have to win all our games.”

While Munster have named a largely full-strength side, Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray the only notable absentee, Glasgow have made six changes to the side that lost in Dublin. Some, Townsend said, were due to his desire to ensure opportunities for players in positions where rivals were very close, such as at stand-off where Ruaridh Jackson replaces Duncan Weir, and other calls were made to strengthen the side in areas that were below-par in Dublin.

Scotland trio Stuart Hogg, Sean Maitland and Sean Lamont all join Jackson in returning to the back division, while Jon Welsh is back in his new tighthead role, Pat MacArthur replaces Dougie Hall at hooker and Ryan Wilson reclaims the No 8 jersey.

Welsh was the latest player to sign a new deal this week and he spoke passionately about how he was confident that his desire to win titles could be realised in his home city, with the Warriors top weightlifter committed now to anchoring the Warriors scrum.

“I’ve been looking to make the move for the last year or so,” he explained of the switch across the front row. “Obviously I can still play loosehead but I’d like to focus more on the tighthead.

“I just think I’m better suited for it. Being in the professional set-up and learning more about scrummaging, the technical side and the ‘dark arts’, there is more onus on the tighthead; he is the cornerstone of the scrum.

“If we’re dominant in scrums the loosehead might get the pat on the back for being disruptive but that doesn’t happen without the tighthead being absolutely solid. I enjoy my strength work and put a big focus on that, and I think I can put it to better use at tighthead.”

He has been back in action for two months after a shoulder dislocation ruined his first half of the season, and, in front of an expected 6,000 sell-out crowd – with an 800-seater stand in behind the west end posts – is eager to take the battle to an experienced Munster front five featuring Dave Kilcoyne at loosehead, and Springbok BJ Botha at tighthead with British and Irish Lions veterans Donncha O’Callaghan and Paul O’Connell at second row.

“This is a massive game,” he added. “We know that they’re going to come at us, 100 miles per hour at the start. They’re fighting to get into the play-offs as well, but the boys are ready to go out there and perform. We’ve got ambitions this season and we’re making them happen.

“We’ve played in two semi-finals now and both away... and while the main thing is making the top four we’ll do everything we can to get into the top two because that is going to be key to winning this title.”

Teams for Glasgow v Munster at Scotstoun (8.05pm)

Glasgow

15 S Hogg

14 S Maitland

13 S Lamont

12 P Horne

11 D van der Merwe

10 R Jackson

9 N Matawalu

1 R Grant

2 P MacArthur

3 J Welsh

4 T Swinson

5 A Kellock (capt)

6 J Strauss

7 J Barclay

8 R Wilson

Subs

16 D Hall

17 O Fainga’anuku

18 M Low

19 T Ryder

20 R Harley

21 H Pyrgos

22 D Weir

23 M Bennett

Munster

15 F Jones

14 D Howlett

13 C Laulala

12 J Downey

11 J Murphy

10 R O’Gara

9 D Williams

1 D Kilcoyne

2 M Sherry

3 BJ Botha

4 D O’Callaghan

5 P O’Connell

6 P Butler

7 T O’Donnell

8 J Coughlan

Subs

16 D Varley

17 W du Preez

18 S Archer

19 B Holland

20 N Ronan

21 C Sheridan

22 I Keatley

23 I Dineen