The DHL Stormers were rocked by the red card that led to Damian Willemse being suspended but it looks like the Cape team has had fewer disruption heading into Friday night’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship quarterfinal than the Glasgow Warriors have had.
We already knew earlier in the week that the champions would be without a smattering of Scotland internationals, such as Zander Ferguson, for the clash between the 2022 and 2024 champions at the Scotstoun, but coach Franco Smith’s team announcement on Thursday showed that their injury problems run quite a lot deeper than that.
Two star players who will be missing from the clash from the home team’s point of view are the Scotland and Wallaby capped No 8 Jack Dempsey, as well as their influential centre Huw Jones.
The former Stormers player and member of the British and Irish Lions squad that will tour Australia is out with an Achilles heel problem and him not being there will rob Glasgow of one of their biggest strengths, that being the Scotland midfield partnership of Jones and Sione Tuipoluto.
Tuipoluto had been out since January with the injury that forced him to miss the entirety of Scotland’s Six Nations campaign before he made an impressive return in the final URC league match against Leinster in Dublin two weeks ago.
Tuipoluto will remain a massive threat to the Stormers, who will remember how they repeatedly cut their defences in the loss they suffered to the Scottish team in Stellenbosch last October.
However, without Jones alongside him he will be less of a threat and Glasgow a bit more predictable on attack than they would otherwise have been.
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Here is your Glasgow Warriors team to take on the DHL Stormers at Scotstoun tomorrow night in the BKT URC Quarter Finals!
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DOBSON NOT UNDERESTIMATING OPPOSITION
Other players who have played for Scotland who will be missing from the Scotland line-up on Friday are loose-forward Matt Fagerson, flyhalf Duncan Weir and lock/flank Gregor Brown.
Additional players out injured are Namibian born Patrick Schickerling, Ally Miller and Duncan Munn, so the home coach has had to dig quite deep into his reserves for this game.
Some players are coming back into the Glasgow system for this game, including former Sharks loose-forward Henco Venter, who will effectively be Dempsey’s replacement at No 8 against the Stormers.
The injuries do appear to have tilted the balance slightly heading into the quarterfinal, for while the Stormers are without Springboks Frans Malherbe, Ben-Jason Dixon and Deon Fourie, all of whom have been out for a while with injury, they all have effective replacements who have fired in the last few weeks.
That doesn’t mean though that Stormers coach John Dobson will for one second be underestimating his opponents.
“They are without players but then so are we and it is the case for most teams in the competition when you get to this point,” said Dobson.
“We could point to the absence of Frans, BJ and Deon. Glasgow have impressive depth and we have a high regard for the ability they have within their ranks. We think Tom Jordan is special and will bring out the best in the centres. I know it sounds unsporting but it is a bit of a relief for us that Huw Jones is not playing because while we are very fond of him, he has hurt us in the past.
“We remember well what Tuipoluto did to us in Stellenbosch and he is a massive threat. Kyle Row on one wing is a very fine player who has also hurt us in the past, and Kyle Steyn is also a good player.
“Glasgow must get credit for the way they fought against Leinster in Dublin two weeks ago. They had suffered quite a few defeats in a row and yet they got off the canvas and gave Leinster a really tough game. We know it is going to be a tough game for us and we know that every time we have made plans for Glasgow in the past it hasn’t worked and they’ve hurt us. That’s how good they are.”
HISTORY HEAVILY FAVOURS THE HOSTS
The record between the two teams bears out what Dobson says, with Glasgow having won four of the five meetings.
The only time the Stormers have won was the only time they played them at DHL Stadium - back in the inaugural URC season.
The other Stormers home defeat was at Danie Craven Stadium in that aforementioned match six months ago.
While the Stormers have struggled against his team, and lost 27-10 in last year’s final at Friday’s venue and as comprehensively more recently in Stellenbosch, Glasgow coach Smith is well aware of their capabilities.
“The Stormers will pose one of the most dangerous attacking threats in the competition tomorrow night, and we know that we must be at our best to meet the challenge they will bring,” said Smith on the Glasgow Warriors website.
“They have the ability to hurt any team with ball in hand, mixing a physical forward pack with a backline that can spark something from anywhere. We know how special an atmosphere Scotstoun can provide on nights like these, and we know the Warrior Nation will make themselves heard tomorrow night.”
Glasgow Warriors team: Josh McKay, Kyle Rowe, Stafford McDowall, Sione Tuipulotu, Kyle Steyn (captain), Tom Jordan, George Horne, Henco Venter, Rory Darge, Euean Ferrie, Scott Cummings, Alex Samuel, Murphy Walker, Gregor Hiddleston, Jamie Bhatti.
Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Nathan McBeth, Sam Talakai, Max Williamson, Jack Mann, Macenzzie Duncan, Jamie Dobie, Adam Hastings.