Match Preview | Dragons

After a rest weekend following back-to-back bonus-point victories over Edinburgh, the Warriors will be looking to continue the form that has seen them rise to fourth in the standings and hunting down leaders Benetton.

With Rodney Parade undergoing work on its pitch ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, Cardiff City Stadium will play host to Glasgow Warriors for the first time since October 2011, when tries from James Eddie, Colin Gregor, Stuart Hogg and Tommy Seymour gave the visitors a 34-13 victory over then-tenants Cardiff Blues.

Wilson’s men will also be in no doubt as to the strength of opponent lying in wait on Saturday night, with the Dragons having claimed victory on the two previous meetings with Glasgow Warriors this season.

Here’s how the Welsh outfit is shaping up ahead of the clash:

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Dragons form guide

Dean Ryan’s men currently sit eighth in the Rainbow Cup standings, having taken seven points from their three matches to date in the competition.

A thrilling 52-32 victory over Scarlets in round one saw the Dragons make the perfect start in the tournament, as Jonah Holmes and Aaron Wainwright each crossed for two of the Newport-based side’s seven tries at Rodney Parade.

An agonising 17-16 defeat to Cardiff Blues meant that Ryan’s men were unable to back up their opening weekend win, in a match that saw both sides finish with 14 men after a pair of red cards.

It was then the turn of the Ospreys to have too much for the Dragons last time out, despite another double from Holmes contributing to a third successive bonus-point.

New arrivals

With the two teams having met most recently at the end of March, there hasn’t been too much upheaval in the Dragons squad in the intervening period.

In a similar vein to the Warriors, 2020/21 has been a season that has seen a number of young stars step up and make their mark in the Dragons setup, including highly-rated second-rower Ben Carter and centre Aneurin Owen.

Argentinian international scrum-half Gonzalo Bertranou has also been a key man for the Dragons since arriving earlier this year, with the number nine having agreed a contract extension with the Welsh side in recent weeks.

Previous Encounters

It’s the Dragons who hold the bragging rights from the 2020/21 campaign to date, having emerged victorious from both meetings so far this season.

Brandon Thomson’s agonising missed conversion in injury-time saw the Dragons take a 23-22 victory at Scotstoun back in December, despite the Warriors outscoring their visitors three tries to two.

It was a similar story at the Principality Stadium back in March, as Rufus McLean’s world-class effort was ultimately in vain in a 26-17 Dragons win.

Match officials

Irishman Chris Busby will be the man in the middle on Saturday evening, as he takes charge of his ninth competition match.

Ben Whitehouse and Craig Evans will be his assistants, with Dan Jones on hand as the Television Match Official if and when required at Cardiff City Stadium.

Broadcast Information

The match is live on Premier Sports 1 this Saturday night, with kick-off scheduled for 7.35pm.

You can also follow the game in our Live Match Centre – go to glasgowwarriors.org approximately an hour before kick-off for all the build-up and action as it happens.