Glasgow's Gregor a Munster 'maestro'
Fri, 03 Oct 2008 11:23
Last weekend's replacement try-scorer, Colin Gregor, will get a starting No.10 berth for the Glasgow Warriors when they head to Thomond Park on Saturday for their Magners League match against Munster.
The starting line-up remains largely unchanged from the Warriors' 34-20 victory over Llanelli Scarlets last weekend though a squad rotation sees Graeme Morrison make way for Andrew Henderson at inside centre, while the injured Dan Parks (knee) is replaced by Colin Gregor.
The squad will be 'welcomed' to a packed Thomond Park which, at capacity, will hold some 25,000 vocal fans.
"It's always interesting to see how both sets of players and the referee react when the crowd get the noise levels up - it's going to be a full house, it's going to be unbelievably noisy, so they have got to make sure they're switched on," said Warriors head coach, Sean Lineen.
"If Munster get some momentum they are very difficult to beat, they have quality players and they are very strong so we have to make sure we look after the ball, tackle hard and make sure we're not intimidated.
"Contact is going to be a big area for us. They had a game against Leinster on Sunday that was a real gladiatorial battle and Munster finally wore them down in about the 74th minute. We've got to go right to the end, right to the final whistle, and we've got to front up."
Fronting up is exactly what is needed to overcome the formidable European Champions however despite the omission of the experienced Parks and Morrison, Lineen is happy his replacements are up to scratch.
"Andrew's an international 12 and is champing at the bit to play, I'd be a fool not to rotate the squad and give the guy a chance," said Lineen.
"Graeme played very well against the Scarlets last week and now it's up to Andy to show us what he's got; and what better place to do it - he's played in front of big crowds before so it's a chance for him to make his mark on the game.
"Dan could play if we were really desperate but we have options that allow us to leave him out. Colin Gregor's done well against Munster in the past, he's a skilled footballer and I like the way he plays. If he gets the support from the players around him and he manages to make good decisions under real pressure then I think he could have a cracking game," he added.
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Bernardo Stortoni, 14 Lome Fa'atau, 13 Max Evans, 12 Andrew Henderson, 11 Thom Evans, 10 Colin Gregor, 9 Mark McMillan, 8 John Beattie, 7 John Barclay, 6 Kelly Brown, 5 Alastair Kellock (captain), 4 Opeta Palepoi, 3 Moray Low, 2 Dougie Hall, 1 Justin Va'a.
Replacements: 17 Ed Kalman, 16 Kevin Tkachuk, 18 Tim Barker, 19 Stevie Swindall, 20 Ruaridh Jackson, 21 Graeme Morrison, 22 Hefin O'Hare.
Date: Saturday, October 4
Venue: Thomond Park, Limerick
Kick-off: 19.00 (18.00 GMT)
Referee: Andrew Small (England)
Touch judges: David Keane (Ireland), Richard Kerr (Ireland)
TMO: Brian Fitzgerald (Ireland)
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