How Glasgow Warriors are protecting players from expectations as injury is revealed and hooker is lauded

Success increases expectations and defeat by Ulster in Belfast was not the start to the campaign most Glasgow Warriors supporters foresaw.

Franco Smith felt his side performed well last week, claiming it was the best they had played in a season-opening game in his time as coach. The Warriors were eventually undone by an 85th-minute try from Dave Shanahan and left the Kingspan with only a losing bonus point for a lung-busting defensive effort which included over 300 tackles. They will strive to be on the front foot more on Friday when they welcome Benetton to Scotstoun in what is Glasgow’s first competitive home game since being crowned URC champions.

They have not lost a regular season URC fixture at the ground since Smith took over in summer 2022 but the coach is wary of piling too much pressure on players who are probably still coming to terms with their new-found champion status. Everyone will be gunning for Glasgow this season and their own fans will be looking for them to kick on. There has been a modest increase in season ticket sales, a four per cent uplift taking the figure up to 4,050, but Smith wants to protect the players from external pressure.

Glasgow Warriors' Gregor Hiddleston has impressed coach Franco Smith, particularly with his tackling. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

“It is important to play well, and it is important to have our people coming out to watch and support us, and we appreciate that,” he said. “But our biggest challenge is to handle expectation. We played really well last week, probably the best first game of the season that I’ve been involved with. Yes, there were errors, but when you think how these guys applied themselves without any pre-season rugby, they really did play well and we could just as easily have come home with the win.

“I do not want the expectation to win this competition, and be this and be that, and not to lose our home record … it is all pressure on pressure. So, we would rather focus on what we need to do: what are the processes we want to follow, what we are going to do in certain areas of the play, and we want to see progression this week.

“Last week was about patience. We want to patient with each other. We are not going to start off where we want to finish. There are going to be mistakes, and we’ve got to just be patient and build.

“This week the team is more about progression. We want to see the next step, we want to see better execution despite the tough competition we are going to face.

“So, I do not want to allow the expectation of ‘must-win’ or ‘we haven’t lost at home for a long time’ to influence or bother the mind. We must concentrate on the process to become a great team again at the back end of the season.”

Glasgow timed it to perfection last season, saving their best for last as they beat Munster and the Bulls away from home in the semi and final. But they also enjoyed a rip-roaring start, beating an admittedly understrength Leinster team at home in the opening game.

Smith says he is using the early URC games of this campaign as an extended pre-season to allow those players who toured with Scotland in the summer a proper rest period. He has made six personnel changes for the visit of Benetton, the most eye-catching of which is a first start for Adam Hastings since his return to the club after three years with Gloucester. The stand-off’s inclusion sees Tom Jordan move from 10 to 12, covering the absence of Stafford McDowall, who suffered a calf injury against Ulster.

“I don't want to call it a tear - it's a small calf problem that can be resolved in the next two to three weeks,” said Smith, who is already without Huw Jones who also has a calf issue and is yet to feature this season

McDowall was not the only one to come a cropper in Belfast. Sebastian Cancelliere sustained a hairline fracture to his foot and Smith said it was “touch and go” as to whether the winger will recover in time to join the squad when they travel to South Africa next month to play the Sharks and Stormers.

“Unfortunately, they stepped on him and there is a little hair fracture in the middle of his foot,” said Smith. “It is linear so nothing is broken specifically but unfortunately it is going to keep him out for the foreseeable future. It will be three to four weeks. It will be touch and go if he is able to tour to South Africa.”

Cancelliere’s absence opens the door for Kyle Rowe to start. There are four changes to the pack. Euan Ferrie is called up at six in a reshuffled back row as Matt Fagerson moves to No 8 and Henco Venter drops out. An all-new front row sees Nathan McBeth, Gregor Hiddleston and Zander Fagerson replace Jamie Bhatti, Johnny Matthews and Sam Talakai, with the latter two named as replacements.

Hiddleston starts after a colossal effort off the bench against Ulster in which he made 27 tackles in 20 minutes. The hooker from Dumfries only signed his first full-time deal in February but has made a big impression and Smith enthused about the 22-year-old’s potential.

“I predict a huge future for the guy, I think he’s going to become really, really good,” said the coach. “Those tackle stats prove how much he cares and how much he wants to improve and we’re looking forward to seeing what he brings to the group this week.”

Glasgow Warriors v Benetton (URC, Scotstoun, Friday, 7.35pm)

Glasgow Warriors: Josh McKay; Kyle Steyn (capt), Sione Tuipulotu, Tom Jordan, Kyle Rowe; Adam Hastings, Jamie Dobie; Nathan McBeth, Gregor Hiddleston, Zander Fagerson, Max Williamson, Richie Gray, Euan Ferrie, Rory Darge, Matt Fagerson. Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Rory Sutherland, Sam Talakai, Alex Samuel, Scott Cummings, Gregor Brown, George Horne, Duncan Weir.

Benetton: Matt Gallagher; Louis Lynagh, Malakai Fekitoa, Marco Zanon, Onisi Ratave; Jacob Umaga, Andy Uren; Mirco Spagnolo, Siua Maile, Simone Ferrari, Scott Scrafton, Eli Snyman (CAPT), Alessandro Izekor, Manuel Zuliani, Sebastian Negri. Replacements: Marco Manfredi, Aminu Destiny, Riccardo Genovese, Riccardo Favretto, Toa Halafihi, Alessandro Garbisi, Leonardo Marin, Paolo Odogwu.

Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU).