Match Preview | Munster (A)
24 Sep 2026A brand-new season gets underway for Glasgow Warriors in Limerick this weekend, as Franco Smith’s squad heads to Thomond Park for a clash with Munster to kick-off the 2026/27 campaign.
Having topped the BKT URC standings during the regular season in 2025/26 before being edged out in the semi-finals, Saturday evening marks a new slate, not only for the Warriors but for all 16 teams in a competition already leaving its mark as one of the hardest to win in world rugby.
First up for Smith’s men is a Munster side aiming to hit the ground running, having bowed out at the quarter-final stage last season.
Here’s how the match is shaping up ahead of this weekend:
Team News
Jamie Dobie is set to make his 100th appearance for Glasgow Warriors this Saturday, after Head Coach Franco Smith selected the Inverness native on the wing for tomorrow evening’s clash.
There are also potential debuts for Callum Reidy and Bayley Kuenzle after the pair were named amongst the replacements, whilst Gregor Hiddleston is in line for his 50th outing in Glasgow colours in a side captained by Stafford McDowall.
Munster field a debutant of their own in the front row, with former Newcastle tight-head Kieran Brookes making his first competitive outing for the Irish province.
South African international Marnus van der Merwe could also make his Munster debut off the bench, with JJ Hanrahan recovering from a pre-season injury to be named at fly-half.
Last visit to Thomond Park
Glasgow’s last visit to Limerick won’t be one the Warrior Nation will forget in a hurry, to say the least.
Against the backdrop of a sunny afternoon in June 2024, the Warriors produced a famous display to earn a 17-10 victory over the men in red – at the time, the defending BKT URC champions – to progress to the 2024 Grand Final.
A breakaway score from captain Kyle Steyn and a sensational counter-attacking try from Sebastian Cancelliere secured Glasgow’s passage to the final, Tom Jordan gleefully booting the ball into the stand to delight the travelling Warrior Nation.
Pre-Season Form
Both sides come into the match having tested themselves against English opposition in pre-season, the Warriors having faced both Newcastle Red Bulls and Bath in preparation for this weekend’s clash.
Next-generation talents including the aforementioned Reidy, Guy Rogers and Ottavio Tuipulotu took their chances to show what they can do, as the Warriors developed their young talents against high-quality opposition.
Meanwhile, Munster enjoyed a stern test against Leicester Tigers in Cork, fielding two different teams across the two halves of the match.
Whilst ultimately edged out 32-24, a four-try display from the men in red showed that they will be an attacking force to be reckoned with tomorrow evening.
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What They Said
Jamie Dobie: “Everyone’s been itching to get out there. It’s been a bit of a shorter pre-season for us having come back from tour so it doesn’t feel like we’ve been slogging away for too long.
“You have to be ready to go away to somewhere like Munster away. We’ve had some great pre-season training and I feel like we’re as ready as we’ve ever been for the first game of a new season.
“It’ll be a special moment for myself and hopefully some of my family will be out there with me. It’s wild to think I’ve been able to reach 100 games for such a special club. I remember first coming into the environment and being involved for my first match away in South Africa against the Cheetahs – Franco was actually coaching the Cheetahs, so to reach the milestone with him coaching us here is really cool.”
How to watch
The match is live on Premier Sports 1 from 5.10pm tomorrow, with kick-off scheduled for 5.30pm.
You can also follow all the action in our Live Match Centre here at glasgowwarriors.org.
