Nine changes to Warriors side for Ulster visit

Glasgow Warriors Head Coach Dave Rennie has made nine changes to his starting line-up for The Famous Grouse Pre-Season Challenge against Ulster at Scotstoun tomorrow – the club’s final warm-up fixture ahead of the 2019/20 Guinness PRO14 campaign.

A 30-man squad has been selected, including 12 players who did not feature in Belfast last weekend.

There are now fewer than 250 tickets remaining for the game, which is included in the Season Ticket Membership and these tickets can be purchased HERE.

Fresh from his first start in a Warriors shirt six days ago, hooker Johnny Matthews retains his place in the front row alongside Oli Kebble, whilst D’arcy Rae is promoted to start at tighthead prop.

Andrew Davidson comes into the second row alongside last week’s captain Tim Swinson, with Rob Harley and Chris Fusaro bringing a combined total of 376 Warriors appearances to a back row completed by Adam Ashe at Number Eight. Fusaro will captain the side this
weekend.

For the second week running Brandon Thomson starts at fly-half and Nick Frisby comes into the line-up at scrum-half.

Last season’s Land Rover Young Player of the Season Stafford McDowall starts alongside Huw Jones in midfield, in what will be Jones’ first Glasgow Warriors appearance since returning from the Scotland set-up.

Glenn Bryce retains his place at full-back, as Rory Hughes and Kyle Steyn start on the wings to complete the starting XV.

Fresh from coming off the bench for Scotland against Georgia at BT Murrayfield last weekend, Grant Stewart is named amongst the replacements alongside fellow returnee Matt Fagerson.

Charlie Capps and Gavin Lowe could be the latest to make their first appearances in a Glasgow shirt, after both were named amongst the substitutes for Saturday’s clash.

Bruce Flockhart joins fellow former Highland RFC product Paddy Kelly on the bench, with Jamie Dobie making it a trio of Inverness natives in the Warriors squad. Dobie, 18, is in line to make his first appearance at Scotstoun.

Ruaridh Jackson, Callum Gibbins, Sean Kennedy and Alex Allan provide an experienced edge to the bench, with Adam Nicol, Kiran McDonald, Tom Gordon, Nick Grigg and Ratu Tagive – all starters at the Kingspan Stadium – rounding off the replacements.

Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that back-rower Jale Vakaloloma is set for a spell on the sidelines, having successfully undergone shoulder surgery at BMI Ross Hall Hospital.

The Fijian, who arrived at Scotstoun this summer from Brisbane City in Australia’s National Rugby Championship, will be out for up to four months following the procedure.

The club will be working closely with Jale over the coming months on his rehabilitation and wish him all the best in his recovery.

Speaking ahead of the match, Dave Rennie said: “We’ve been working hard on our defensive structures, our line-speed and so on, but we know we have to be better all around the park this weekend.

“We had a lot of new players and combinations out there who will be better for the experience.

“Scotstoun is a fantastic place to play rugby. The crowd is really engaged with the game and are always incredibly vocal – the boys love playing here.”

Glasgow Warriors team to face Ulster in The Famous Grouse Pre-Season Challenge,
Scotstoun Stadium, Saturday 14 September, kick-off 2.30pm:

1. Oli Kebble
2. Johnny Matthews
3. D’arcy Rae
4. Andrew Davidson
5. Tim Swinson
6. Rob Harley
7. Chris Fusaro (c)
8. Adam Ashe

9. Nick Frisby
10. Brandon Thomson
11. Rory Hughes
12. Stafford McDowall
13. Huw Jones
14. Kyle Steyn
15. Glenn Bryce

Replacements
Grant Stewart, Alex Allan, Adam Nicol, Kiran McDonald, Bruce Flockhart, Sean Kennedy, Paddy Kelly, Ruaridh Jackson, Charlie Capps, Callum Gibbins, Matt Fagerson, Jamie Dobie, Nick Grigg, Ratu Tagive, Gavin Lowe.