Franco Smith was only half joking when he suggested that he was tempted to name George Horne on the right wing for Glasgow Warriors ahead of tonight’s crucial URC clash against Munster at Thomond Park, which would mean he would have three scrum-halves in his starting line-up with Ali Price in the traditional No.9 slot as well as Jamie Dobie on the right wing.
The point the head coach was trying to make was that he does not see handing 21-year-old Dobie the No.11 jersey as a gamble, rather an opportunity to make a virtue out of a necessity.
“If I had played George Horne on the other side too it would have been perfect!” the South African quipped.
“But Jamie is a good rugby player who adds a lot of value regardless of where we play him in the back line.
“Sebastian Cancelliere is still in the process of recovery [from his knee injury], it was important to also give Kyle Steyn a little bit of time away after starting all five matches in the Six Nations, and Josh McKay is also injured, so we are beginning to get short of options on the wing, and we know that Jamie is a good enough player to adapt.
“But I also like to purposely move the No.9s to the wing so that if something happens to the guy that comes on you still have a quality scrum-half on the field. That’s why George Horne is often moved to the wing in the second part of games. I did the same when I was at Cheetahs and Benetton in the past.
“Jamie has proven he’s a real threat when he’s moved there mid-game in the past, and the main benefit of it is that it gives you another good passing option from wide which liberates your No.9
a little bit and gives you an extra edge around the park. This is a good opportunity to see that happening.”
While club captain Steyn has been given the weekend off, not all of Smith’s Scotland stars are being wrapped in cotton wool.
The Fagerson brothers – Zander and Matt – both start in the Warriors pack tonight despite being two of the national team’s hardest working players during the Six Nations.
“Zander hasn’t played much rugby in the last year due to injury, and having now played four games for Scotland he’s getting back into form,” said Smith. “In the management plan of the players
for the next two weeks it’s important we get the balance between in-form players and those finding form.
“Matt didn’t start the last game against Italy and got 30 minutes at the end of that match, so he is ready to go again.
“They will have a little bit of time away before the end of the season, but their character forms a big part of the pack’s quality so it’s good to have them ready and keen to contribute this weekend.”
The Fagersons are two of nine Scotland squad members who have been brought straight back into Glasgow’s match-day 23 for this match.
Hooker Fraser Brown, second-row Scott Cummings, flanker Rory Darge, Price, centre Stafford McDowall and full-back Ollie Smith all start, while Horne is on the bench as replacement scrum-half.
Warriors are fourth in the URC table which means a home draw in the play-off quarter-finals if they do not lose any ground in the three remaining games of the regular season, and Munster are two just two points behind in fifth.
“This Munster game away from home is the first in a series of ‘cup finals’ we’re going to face,” added Smith. “Like us, they’re competing to have a home quarter-final but have to travel to South Africa after this, so this is their last regular season game at home and that will be a big motivation for them.
“It’s important to find our feet after a bit of a break during the Six Nations window. We’re one of the teams in the competition that is most affected by the number of players away so to gel everyone back into our framework is going to be very important in the next couple of weeks.”
Glasgow Warriors (Thomond Park, 5.15pm): O Smith; C Forbes, S McDowall, S Johnson, J Dobie; D Miotti, A Price; N McBeth, F Brown, Z Fagerson, J Du Preez, S Cummings, M Fagerson, R Darge, S Vailanu.Substitutes: J Matthews, A Dell, L Sordoni, L Bean, A Samuel, G Brown, T Gordon, G Horne, T Jordan.
Munster: M Haley; C Nash, M Fekitoa, J Crowley, S Daly; J Carbery, P Patterson; D Kilcoyne, D Barron, R Salanoa, Jean Kleyn, F Wycherley, J O’Donoghue J Hodnett, G Coombes. Substitutes: S Buckley, J Wycherley, S Archer, R Snyman, A Kendellen, C Casey, R Scannell, S Zebo.
