URC, Quarterfinals: Glasgow Warriors v Connacht - Teams and Prediction

PREVIEW: The final eight do battle this weekend to book a place in the United Rugby Championship semifinals as we kick off the action between Glasgow Warriors and Connacht at Scotstoun Stadium on Friday.

Franco Smith’s top-of-the-table Warriors had been the most consistent side in the tournament this season, with their only real blip coming in their tour to South Africa towards the latter part of the season when they were defeated by the Lions and Stormers, respectively.

Connacht, on the other hand, grew in leaps and bounds as the season progressed.

After an inconsistent start which included a defeat to the Dragons, Stuart Lancaster’s men stepped up to the plate when it mattered, winning seven of their final eight URC games, which included victories over heavyweights Glasgow, Ulster, Stormers and Munster, with their final league victory against Edinburgh sealing their play-off berth.

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The Warriors’ star winger, Kyle Rowe, expressed his excitement for the occasion and is hopeful that his team can build on the momentum they have built recently.

“This is what you train and play all year for,” Rowe said.

“All the boys are buzzing – there’s a great mood about the place, and everyone is raring to go on Friday night.”

“We’ve built a lot of confidence over the last two games,” said the winger.

“We were pleased with how we performed against Cardiff in front of a sold-out Scotstoun on Plaster It Purple night, and then to take that momentum over to Belfast and get the win against a good Ulster side was great.

“The aim now for us is to carry that momentum into this weekend against an in-form Connacht team this Friday night.”

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⚔️ vs 🦅 – Friday Night Lights ✨

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Glasgow Warriors head coach Smith praised Connacht and welcomed the return of Scott Cummings following a lengthy injury lay-off.

“Connacht will present a strong challenge tomorrow [Friday] evening.

“They have a well-drilled squad full of talent, and come here as one of the most in-form teams in the competition.

“We are pleased to welcome Scott [Cummings] back into our matchday 23 after his injury layoff – he has worked hard and worked closely with our medical and S&C [Strength and conditioning] teams to put himself in the best possible position ahead of his return.

“We know the difference that the Warrior Nation can make, and we look forward to hearing them get behind the team at Scotstoun as we kick off the play-offs tomorrow [Friday] night.”

Connacht head coach Stuart Lancaster stated that one part of their season goals had been achieved, and urged his side to make the most of the opportunity.

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“This is exactly where we wanted to be at the start of the season, so credit must go to all the players for what they’ve displayed in recent months to get us to this position.

“Now we have to go out there and seize the opportunity.

“Glasgow are a formidable opponent, especially away from home, with an array of talented players who are very well coached, but we are excited by the challenge ahead of us.”

*See the teams and prediction below!

Prediction

Rugby365: Glasgow Warriors by 12 points

Teams

Glasgow Warriors: 15 Josh McKay, 14 Kyle Steyn (captain), 13 Stafford McDowall, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Kyle Rowe, 10 Dan Lancaster, 9 George Horne, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Alex Samuel, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Johnny Matthews, 1 Patrick Schickerling
Replacements: 16 Gregor Hiddleston, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Sam Talakai, 19 Jare Oguntibeju, 20 Euan Ferrie, 21 Sione Vailanu, 22 Jack Oliver, 23 Ollie Smith

Connacht: 15 Sam Gilbert, 14 Shane Jennings, 13 John Devine, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Shayne Bolton, 10 Josh Ioane, 9 Ben Murphy, 8 Paul Boyle, 7 Shamus Hurley-Langton, 6 Cian Prendergast (captain), 5 Josh Murphy, 4 Darragh Murray, 3 Sam Illo, 2 Dylan Tierney-Martin, 1 Billy Bohan
Replacements: 16 Dave Heffernan, 17 Peter Dooley, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 Joe Joyce, 20 Sean O’Brien, 21 Matthew Devine, 22 Hugh Gavin, 23 Sean Naughton

Date: Friday, May 29
Venue: Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow
Kick-off: 19.45 BST (19.45 IST, 18.45 GMT)
Referee: Adam Jones (Wales)
Assistant referees: Ben Breakspear (Wales), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO: Aled Griffiths (Wales)