Sione Tuipulotu was asked to captain Glasgow Warriors against the Bulls tonight at Scotstoun on the recommendation of injured skipper Kyle Steyn.
It is the first time the Australian-born centre, inset, has led the side, and his appointment to this role ahead of more experience candidates such as Fraser Brown, Scott Cummings and Sam Johnson provides further evidence that new head coach Franco Smith wants to put his own mark on the team he inherited from Danny Wilson at the start of August.
“Sione has been part of the leadership group from the start,” explained Smith.
“He’s shown through the way he has played, the way he communicates and the respect he has within the squad, that he’s the right man for the job.
“I involved the opinion of Kyle Steyn in this decision because I don’t know the guys that well yet, and he gave me a firm confirmation that Sione is the guy to lead us in this game.”
Smith added that the decision to drop Scotland and Lions scrum-half Ali Price after just one start, in last weekend’s loss away the Ospreys, is not a reflection on that player’s performance.
“George Horne pulled up last week with a stiff back which meant he couldn’t play, but he played really well the week before against Cardiff and merited another start,” he insisted.
“Ali has got to play a lot of rugby for Scotland going forward. I think that time in the saddle was important for him last week and he did his job well.”
Meanwhile, Tom Jordan, who made his professional debut against Benetton in round one of this URC campaign, is selected in the crucial stand-off slot for the fourth consecutive week, ahead of three internationalists in Argentinian Domingo Miotti (on the bench) and Scotland duo Ross Thompson and Duncan Weir (both released down to Super6).
“We feel this week that the Bulls will bring a physical
onslaught and he’s a very
strong defender in that
channel – he defends like a centre, which is where he has played a lot in the past,” Smith explained.
The other change in the backline sees fit against Josh McKay make his first Warriors appearance of the season at full-back, with Cole Forbes switching to right wing and Rufus McLean dropping out of the match-day squad.
The only change to the pack is at No.8, where Jack Dempsey drops out with a rib cartilage injury and is replaced by Matt Fagerson.
Meanwhile, Smith confirmed that he had made a case
for Duhan van der Merwe to join Glasgow following the
demise of Worcester Warriors but said he understood
why the Scotland and Lions winger had opted for
Edinburgh.
He added that talks are ongoing about the prospect of recruiting prop Rory Sutherland – another ex-Worcester player – despite the player being hotly tipped to spend the rest of this season at Ulster.
“We are definitely showing some interest, but I don’t want to entertain the conversation too much as it’s an ongoing process,” he said.
