WITH A host of players absent either because of Scotland duty or through injury, Franco Smith has had to select a very different Glasgow side for this evening’s URC match against Benetton. But instead of feeling at all dispirited by the lengthy list of absentees, the Warriors head coach insisted last night that the need to test the depth of his squad would benefit the team in the longer run.
Ten Glasgow players are in Gregor Townsend’s squad of 23 for tomorrow’s Test match against Australia, while Richie Gray has been retained by the national coach and Scott Cummings broke a toe earlier this week while training with Scotland. In addition, eight others are currently on the treatment table.
Murphy Walker has been released by Scotland and will start at tighthead, but there is no denying that Smith has been confronted with a daunting list of unavailable players ahead of the final match before the URC takes a three-week break during the Autumn Nations Series. Yet, perhaps in part because he has served as Italy’s national coach so can see the situation from the other side of the fence, Smith is pretty sanguine about the difficult situation he faces.
