Glasgow Warriors plan for six more games as Franco Smith eyes two cup finals

Franco Smith manages to blend optimism with steely determination and when the Glasgow Warriors coach says he is planning for six more games this season, you wouldn’t bet against it.

Rory Darge returns to the Glasgow Warriors starting XV to face Connacht. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

Such a scenario would mean the Scotstoun club reaching the finals of both the European Challenge Cup and the United Rugby Championship, a tall order for sure but the fact that they have lost just one in 16 suggests they are in the sort of form that could culminate in a first piece of major silverware since they won the Pro12 in 2015. The Warriors host Connacht on Saturday evening in their final match of the regular URC season having already secured a home tie in the play-off quarter-finals. Smith has rung the changes again, chiefly in his pack where there are seven new starters. Allan Dell, Fraser Brown and Lucio Sordoni replace Jamie Bhatti, Johnny Matthews and Zander Fagerson in the front row, and Scott Cummings and Richie Gray come in for Lewis Bean and JP du Preez at lock. The front five who started last week’s narrow win over Scarlets are on the bench. Rory Darge takes over from Ryan Wilson at blindside flanker and Jack Dempsey returns at No 8, meaning Sione Vailanu moves to openside and Matt Fagerson drops to the bench. The sole change in the backs sees Jamie Dobie replace captain Kyle Steyn on the wing.

Smith said rotating the team would keep everyone fresh and on their toes going into the knockout matches. “We need everyone to be match fit, everyone to be injury free, everyone to be enthusiastic, even in training during the week,” said the coach. “I’ve done a lot of finals in my life, and I’ve used that experience to have enough depth in important moments. I owe that to the players and to the club to bring that experience. It’s knockout rugby from next week onwards.”

Glasgow face Scarlets in Wales next Saturday in the Challenge Cup semis but Smith also has one eye on the URC final. “In my mind there are six games still ahead,” he said. “Planning went into six weeks. In six weeks you can completely recondition, completely fall out of form. That is the reason why there is a plan in place going forward and to rotate the players. There is a plan and we started with that plan six weeks ago to make sure everybody is healthy, fit and well prepared as we pick up steam going into the next few weeks.”

In the absence of Steyn, Stafford McDowall will skipper the Warriors against Connacht. The result will not alter Glasgow’s fourth-place position in the URC table but Smith was at pains to stress that the game still mattered as they look to extend their unbeaten record at Scotstoun to 17 matches. “It’s got huge significance,” said the coach. “We don’t want to lose at home, we want to take momentum into the next weeks. We’re not taking our foot off the pedal. Winning is a habit that needs to be nurtured and grown every week. We still need to improve.”

Smith also reported good news on Glasgow’s lengthy injury list, with Sintu Manjezi, Seb Cancelliere, Sione Tuipulotu and George Turner all close to a return.

Glasgow Warriors v Connacht: URC, Scotstoun, Saturday 7.35pm. TV: live on Viaplay.

Glasgow Warriors: Huw Jones; Jamie Dobie, Stafford McDowall (c), Sam Johnson, Cole Forbes; Tom Jordan, Ali Price; Allan Dell, Fraser Brown, Lucio Sordoni, Scott Cummings, Richie Gray, Rory Darge, Sione Vailanu, Jack Dempsey. Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Jamie Bhatti, Zander Fagerson, JP du Preez, Lewis Bean, Matt Fagerson, George Horne, Domingo Miotti.

Connacht: Tiernan O’Halloran; John Porch, Tom Farrell, Cathal Forde, Byron Ralston; Jack Carty (c), Caolin Blade; Denis Buckley, Dylan Tierney-Martin, Finlay Bealham, Oisín Dowling, Niall Murray, Josh Murphy, Conor Oliver, Cian Prendergast. Replacements: Eoin de Buitléar, Peter Dooley, Sam Illo, Darragh Murray, Shamus Hurley-Langton, Kieran Marmion, Tom Daly, Shane Jennings.

Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR).