Match Preview | Cardiff Blues

• 27 Nov 2020

Glasgow Warriors Head Coach Danny Wilson will come up against his former employers for the first time on Sunday night, as the Scotstoun side travels to Wales to take on Cardiff Blues in round eight of the Guinness PRO14.

After
ultimately coming away with nothing from Monday’s spirited showing in defeat to
Munster at Scotstoun, the Warrior Nation will be looking for their team to
bounce back on the road this weekend.

With Cardiff
Arms Park still being decommissioned after its use as a COVID-19 field hospital
earlier this year, it will be the Dragons’ home of Rodney Parade that will play
host to both sides on Sunday evening.

The Warriors
can lay claim to a strong record against Cardiff Blues in recent seasons, but
know that the men from the Welsh capital will be in the mood to run the ball
when kick-off comes around.

Here’s how
the Blues look ahead of the match:

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Cardiff
form guide

Like the
Warriors, the Blues currently sit fourth in their conference after the first
seven rounds of the 2020/21 Guinness PRO14 season.

An opening
night win away to Zebre was followed up by a 29-7 victory over Connacht in
round two, Hallam Amos’s brace helping to make sure the result went Cardiff’s
way.

Despite an
eight-try thriller against Munster in round three ultimately going against them
before successive losses to Ulster and Edinburgh, victory over Benetton in
round six ultimately arrested the slide prior to a 40-5 defeat to Leinster last
time out.

Summer
departures

Blues fans
waved farewell to a trio of experienced figures over the summer months, as John
Mulvihill’s side lost a wealth of knowledge from the forward pack.

Veteran
number eight Nick Williams announced his retirement from rugby union in August,
after a successful four-year spell at Cardiff Arms Park.

James Down
and Macauley Cook also departed the Blues ahead of the new campaign, joining
Lokomotiv Penza and Jersey Reds respectively.

New
arrivals

Mulvihill
and his coaching team welcomed a brace of Welsh internationals to the setup
ahead of rugby’s return in August, with both signings bolstering the Blues
pack.

Highly-rated
loose-head prop Rhys Carre returned to Cardiff following a season at Saracens,
the 22-year-old having come through the ranks at the Blues academy.

Second-rower
Cory Hill also made a return to the capital region, having made 16 appearances
for the Blues before a seven-year stint at the Dragons.

Ones to
watch

Stopping
Owen Lane will be one of the highest priorities on Glasgow’s to-do list on
Sunday night, the flying winger posing a threat to defences across the league.
Boasting a strike rate of 19 tries in 43 Cardiff outings to date, Lane’s
combination of pace and power makes him one of the Blues’ main dangermen.

Like Lane,
Matthew Morgan’s pace and eye for a gap will mean that the Warriors defensive
line will have to be on top form on Sunday night. Still just 28, the full-back –
also capable of playing at fly-half – will look to spark counter attacks at any
available opportunity.

If Morgan
and Lane showcase Cardiff’s attacking threat, then Josh Turnbull is a prime example
of the defensive capabilities the Blues also possess. The flanker’s has missed
just one of his 86 attempted tackles so far this season, whilst also recording
five turnovers in his five appearances to date.

Previous
Encounters

It was the
Warriors who emerged victorious in the most recent clash between the two sides,
edging a closely-contested affair at Scotstoun last October.

Tries from
Callum Gibbins and Nick Frisby, as well seven points from the boot of Brandon
Thomson, were enough to seal a 17-13 win over the Blues in front of the Warrior
Nation.

Four points
was also the margin of victory for the Warriors on their last visit to Cardiff,
a ten-try thriller going Glasgow’s way 38-34 back in February 2019.

An Aled Summerhill
hat-trick for the Blues ultimately proved in vain, with Nick Grigg, Ali Price,
Pete Horne, Nick Frisby and Tevita Tameilau crossing for Glasgow.

Match
officials

Frank Murphy
will be the man in the middle on Sunday night, as the Irish referee takes
charge of his 39^th Guinness PRO14 match.

Ian Davies
and Mike English will be his assistants under the floodlights in Newport, as
well as TMO Rhys Thomas.

Broadcast
Information

The Warrior
Nation can watch the match live on Premier Sports 2 this Sunday evening, with
kick-off scheduled for 7.35pm at Rodney Parade.

You can also
follow all the action with our Live Match Centre on glasgowwarriors.org