Glasgow Warriors have come on ‘leaps and bounds’ and shouldn’t be cowed by a Euro semi says Franco Smith

Glasgow Warriors have already lifted the Scottish-Italian Shield this season but have their sights set on bigger prizes. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

The coach says he has been preparing his squad for this type of game since the day he walked in the door at Scotstoun last summer. It may not have seemed that way when they lost four of their opening seven games - all away from home - but Glasgow’s form since has been nothing short of remarkable. He has also found a cure for their travel sickness, something that should come in handy against the Scarlets in Llanelli on Saturday evening.

One defeat in their last 17 matches is testament to the coach’s transformative impact and Smith insists his players can take the occasion in their stride as they bid to reach the final of the EPCR Challenge Cup. “We’ve said that as a group we’ve been training for the final, for the quarter-final, the semi-final, from the first day,” said Smith. “We have not changed the way we have approached this at all. I don’t think they need any other motivation - they just want to be the best they can be. They’ve come on leaps and bounds this season in preparation to play in these kinds of games. It’s going to be important for us to manage the emotion.”

It is likely to be a highly charged occasion at the Parc y Scarlets. The home side had sold 12,000 tickets by Friday morning and the stadium is likely to be close to its 14,800 capacity by the time the game kicks off at 5.30pm. Having missed out on the URC play-offs due to finishing a lowly 14th in the 16-team league, Europe is all the Scarlets have left and they have selected an experienced team to face Glasgow, particularly in the front row where Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, and Javan Sebastian will lock horns with Jamie Bhatti, George Turner, and Zander Fagerson. Smith has freshened up his side for the trip to Wales, making eight alterations to the team which edged past Connacht in the URC at Scotstoun last week. The inclusion of Bhatti, Turner and Fagerson are the only changes in the pack, the Scotland trio replacing Allan Dell, Fraser Brown and Lucio Sordoni. The second and back rows remain the same which means a landmark 100th appearance in Glasgow colours for Richie Gray who, in his second spell at the club and at the age of 33, is scaling new heights.

“Richie’s been fantastic,” said Smith. “He’s contributed in a lot of different ways, not just when he has played. He helps run the lineout and he’s a big part of our leadership group. He’s also been very adaptable. I’ve challenged him in a lot of different ways – and he’s always responded and adapted. That’s a really good quality to have. He brings a lot of calmness and experience to the team, which is always a big benefit.”

There are five changes in the backline, the most eye-catching being the return of Sebastian Cancelliere. The Argentina winger has scored nine tries in 13 matches for Glasgow this season but has not played since January after sustaining a knee injury. Smith said he had looked sharp in training this week and bringing him back was “an easy decision”. Cancelliere replaces Jamie Dobie on the right wing. Dobie hurt his knee in the Connacht game and will not feature in Wales. On the opposite flank, captain Kyle Steyn comes in for the injured Cole Forbes who Smith confirmed will leave the club at the end of the season along with lock Lewis Bean. Ollie Smith returns at full-back in place of Huw Jones who failed a head injury assessment against Connacht. Smith said Jones but could have played against Scarlets but he preferred to give him time off, with one eye on next weekend’s URC quarter-final against Munster. “Huw will use this week to reset a little bit and be fully fit for next week,” said the coach.

Two other talismans return to Glasgow’s starting XV with the inclusion of Sione Tuipulotu, who is preferred to Sam Johnson at outside centre, and George Horne, who starts at scrum-half ahead of Ali Price, who is on the bench. Tuipulotu has been missing recently with a shoulder injury and his blend of subtle skills and devastating power are likely to be vital against the Scarlets. Horne, recently crowned Glasgow’s player of the season, will look to maintain his excellent form, and also his accuracy from the tee in what is likely to be a tight encounter. The Warriors won 12-9 when the sides met in a league game at Scotstoun earlier this month and Glasgow have already drawn one game in the Challenge Cup this season - a pool match against Bath - and the same outcome would mean extra time of 10 minutes each way. If they still can’t be separated then the club that had scored the most tries would advance to the final. If they are still equal, then it will go to a penalty shoot-out, with three kickers from each team taking two kicks each.

It shouldn’t come to that. Glasgow’s lofty standing in the URC - they finished 10 places above Saturday’s opponents - suggests they have enough quality to beat the Scarlets but it will help if they can quieten down what is likely to be a boisterous home support with an early try. All roads lead to Dublin for the winners, with a place in the final on offer against either Toulon or Benetton who meet in the other semi, on Sunday.

Winger Sebastian Cancelliere has scored nine tries in 13 games for Glasgow Warriors this season and returns to the side after injury. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

Scarlets v Glasgow Warriors: EPCR Challange Cup semi-final, Saturday, 5:30pm, Parc y Scarlets. TV: live on BT Sport 3 & S4C.

Scarlets: 15. Johnny McNicholl; 14. Steff Evans, 13. Joe Roberts, 12. Johnny Williams, 11. Ryan Conbeer; 10. Sam Costelow, 9. Gareth Davies; 1. Wyn Jones, 2. Ken Owens, 3. Javan Sebastian, 4. Morgan Jones, 5. Sam Lousi, 6. Joshua Macleod (c), 7. Dan Davis, 8. Vaea Fifita.

Replacements: 16. Shaun Evans, 17. Kemsley Mathias, 18. Sam Wainwright, 19. Carwyn Tuipulotu, 20. Iestyn Rees, 21. Kieran Hardy, 22. Dan Jones, 23. Ioan Nicholas.

Glasgow Warriors: 15. Ollie Smith; 14. Sebastian Cancelliere, 13. Sione Tuipulotu, 12. Stafford McDowell, 11. Kyle Steyn (c); 10. Tom Jordan, 9. George Horne; 1. Jamie Bhatti, 2. George Turner, 3. Zander Fagerson, 4. Scott Cummings, 5. Richie Gray, 6. Rory Darge, 7. Sione Vailanu, 8. Jack Dempsey.

Replacements: 16. Johnny Matthews, 17. Nathan McBeth, 18. Simon Berghan, 19. JP du Preez, 20. Lewis Bean, 21. Matt Fagerson, 22. Ali Price, 23. Duncan Weir.