Glasgow Warriors back semi-finals heroes for United Rugby Championship final showdown with Bulls
Kyle Steyn in action for Glasgow Warriors in the United Rugby Championship in 2024.
Glasgow Warriors have named an unchanged starting XV for the United Rugby Championship final clash with the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday.
The Warriors, who beat Munster in the semi-finals last weekend, will run out in front of a sold-out crowd of over 52,000 in Pretoria, which will mostly be home supporters.
Franco Smith’s Glasgow outfit go into the showdown as underdogs and will have to weather the Bulls‘ power and altitude of Pretoria if they are to pick up a famous victory.
Team news
Zander Fagerson starts at tighthead having played every minute of the URC play-offs so far, Jamie Bhatti and Johnny Matthews joining the consistent prop in the front-row.
Scott Cummings and Richie Gray continue their partnership in the engine room, the pair having caused havoc at the lineout for Munster at Thomond Park last time out.
In the back-row, Matt Fagerson starts on the blindside, as Rory Darge and Jack Dempsey, who reaches a half-century of appearances in a Glasgow shirt, make it an all-international pack once again.
Behind the scrum, George Horne starts at scrum-half, with Tom Jordan pulling on the number 10 jersey for his 50th appearance for the club after an all-action performance in Limerick last Saturday.
Sione Tuipulotu continues at inside centre after his Player of the Match-winning performance in the semi-final, linking up with Huw Jones in the midfield for the fourth successive fixture.
Kyle Steyn will lead the team from the wing, as Sebastian Cancelliere – another to have touched down on his most recent visit to Loftus Versfeld – and Josh McKay complete the back-three.
The only two alterations to the matchday 23 come amongst the replacements, one of which sees Nathan McBeth return to the squad after completing his return to play protocols following a head injury sustained against the Stormers.
George Turner and Oli Kebble join McBeth in their final outing for Glasgow Warriors before moving on to pastures new this summer, the pair bringing over 200 appearances worth of experience to proceedings off the bench.
Max Williamson and Euan Ferrie are each selected for their first taste of a Grand Final in Glasgow colours, as Henco Venter completes a six-two split of forwards and backs amongst the replacements.
Duncan Weir is the only other change to the matchday squad, as the fly-half – the only survivor from the 2015 title-winning squad – joins Jamie Dobie as the backline cover for the clash.
Glasgow team
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Josh McKay, 14 Sebastian Cancelliere, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 Kyle Steyn (c), 10 Tom Jordan, 9 George Horne, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge, 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Richie Gray, 4 Scott Cummings, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Johnny Matthews, 1 Jamie Bhatti
Replacements: 16 George Turner, 17 Nathan McBeth, 18 Oli Kebble, 19 Max Williamson, 20 Euan Ferrie, 21 Henco Venter, 22 Jamie Dobie, 23 Duncan Weir
Date: Saturday, June 22
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 18:00 local (17:00 BST, 16:00 GMT)
Referee: Andrea Piardi (Italy)
Assistant Referees: Frank Murphy (Ireland), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)
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