Smith out to harness ‘ special energy’ at Bath
Despite injury list and players resting, Glasgow Warriors coach insists side is not weakened
GEORGE HORNE and Sione Tuipulotu are among those rested, Richie Gray drops to the bench, and Zander Fagerson is one of a dozen players listed as unavailable because of injury. Glasgow’s starting line- up to face Bath in the Challenge Cup Pool A match today is very different from the one which began last week’s league win over Zebre – but last night head coach Franco Smith insisted he had not selected a weakened side for the match at the Recreation Ground.
True enough, some of the 11 players who come into the 15 are seasoned internationals, the all- Scotland front row of Jamie Bhatti ( inset), George Turner and Simon Berghan being a case in point. And behind the scrum Huw Jones, set to make his second debut for the Warriors after finally overcoming a back injury, could hardly be called inexperienced either.
But that 15 also includes two debutants, back- row forwards Jack Mann and Cameron Neild, while replacement hooker Angus Fraser could also be making his first start for the Warriors. And, although players need a break from time to time and Tuipulotu, for one, has got through a power of work for both club and country over the past six weeks, it is nonetheless surely a risk to make so many wholesale changes for the trip to the West Country, especially just a week after Glasgow won their first match away from home in eight months.
From Smith’s point of view, however, this selection is about deepening the experience of his squad, and ensuring that what he called the “special energy” of some of the new boys is given a chance to make itself felt. “It’s not a weaker team,” he said. “Absolutely not. I want to make that clear.
“I went for enthusiasm, creativity on the road. I think these guys are going to bring some special energy, some bundled- up energy.
“The whole idea of giving them this chance of playing is to have an extra ingredient that’s a little bit different. They have been working just as hard, they’re producing the same numbers in the gym and on the training field, and now we’ve got that ingredient of enthusiasm, I hope it will be that extra energiser that maybe we need on the road.
“I think the Glasgow supporters and Glasgow people got too used to just one group of players playing. That’s not what it’s about. Everyone in the squad must compete for us to become a great club. To become a great team you must have a very good squad.
“This is still absolutely an experienced team: Lewis Bean, JP du Preez and Jamie Bhatti have all been involved this season.
“You can’t say these are secondchoice players. George Turner and Simon Berghan are both experienced and chomping at the bit. And we have Richie Gray coming off the bench to add value.
“It’s going to be interpreted that it’s a less experienced side. But there’s talent and experience that this group of players have this week that we would have lacked if we just kept the same players in the team at all times.”
Bhatti is alongside Turner and Berghan in an all- international front row – a combination that will be vital this afternoon in the fight to maintain some sort of parity up front. And if the visiting pack do manage to secure some promising
possession, Smith will look to Scotland centre Jones
“Huw trained really well as he came back from injury,” Smith said. “He’s been running some good lines and is in very good physical condition. So I’m really excited to see what he can add to the squad’s performance.”
Bath have named a strong line- up, including Scotland internationals Cameron Redpath, Josh Bayliss and D’Arcy Rae.
Ex- Glasgow prop Rae lines up opposite Bhatti, who played for Bath in the first half of last year before rejoining the Warriors.
The 12 Glasgow players listed as unavailable because of injury are: Scott Cummings ( foot), Rory Darge ( ankle), Allan Dell ( calf), Jack Dempsey ( groin), Zander Fagerson ( hamstring), Cole Forbes ( neck) Thomas Gordon ( calf), Sam Johnson ( jaw), Oli Kebble ( shoulder), Enrique Pieretto ( chest), Alex Samuel ( back) and Ross Thompson ( ankle).