Preview: Dragons v Glasgow
Dragons head coach Paul Turner insists their Heineken Cup clash against Glasgow Warriors on Sunday is not a dead rubber.
Dragons head coach Paul Turner insists their Heineken Cup clash against Glasgow Warriors on Sunday is not a dead rubber.
With neither side able to qualify for the knockout stages of the Heineken Cup or reach the Amlin Challenge Cup, there is little for either side to play for.
However Turner claims that neither side will be taking it easy at Rodney Parade – with his Dragons determined to build on their battling display against defending champions Toulouse last time out.
“The players should be very proud of their performance against Toulouse last weekend,” said Turner.
“It was a little bit backs-against-the-wall, but I was pleased with how we muscled up. We frustrated Toulouse – they expected to beat us easily but that wasn't the case. It's important to back up that performance this weekend.
“There's no such thing as a dead rubber in rugby really, not even if it's a friendly. I wasn't surprised by Glasgow's win over Wasps – they're always capable of winning at home and it was a very strong performance.
“Their nine played well, the pack and Kellock in particular were superb. They have a good set-piece and are well-coached. Their ten is playing better and they were without some major players in Morrison, Barclay and Evans, although the last two may be back for our game.”
The Warriors have made two changes for the trip to Rodney Parade, with DTH van der Merwe and Jon Welsh coming into the side.
Canada winger van der Merwe replaces Hefin O'Hare while Welsh gets the nod ahead of Ryan Grant at loosehead.
And Glasgow coach Sean Lineen believes the Dragons will be looking to throw down a marker ahead of the Magners League clash.
“We always look forward to going down to Newport. It's a great atmosphere and the crowd are fantastic, you really want to play in that kind of environment,” said Lineen.
“The players enjoy it, especially if you can silence the crowd which is pretty difficult – that's their 16th man down there.
“The Dragons will be looking to get a win before we play them in the Magners League in a month's time so both teams have reasons to win this game.”
The teams:
Dragons: 15 Will Harries, 14 Adam Hughes, 13 Tom Riley, 12 Ashley Smith, 11 Aled Brew, 10 Jason Tovey, 9 Wayne Evans, 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Gavin Thomas, 6 Danny Lydiate, 5 Rob Sidoli, 4 Luke Charteris, 3 Ben Castle, 2 Thomas Willis (c), 1 Phil Price.Replacements: 16 Steve Jones, 17 Gethin Robinson, 18 Pat Palmer, 19 Scott Morgan, 20 Lewis Evans, 21 James Leadbeater, 22 Pat Leach, 23 Mathew Jones.
Glasgow: 15 Bernardo Stortoni, 14 Colin Shaw, 13 Federico Aramburu, 12 Peter Murchie, 11 DTH van der Merwe, 10 Ruaridh Jackson, 9 Colin Gregor, 8 Ryan Wilson, 7 Richie Vernon, 6 Robert Harley, 5 Alastair Kellock (c), 4 Aly Muldowney, 3 Moray Low, 2 Dougie Hall, 1 Jon Welsh.
Replacements: 16 Fergus Thomson, 17 Ryan Grant, 18 Kevin Tkachuk, 19 Paul Burke, 20 Chris Fusaro, 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Peter Horne, 23 Hefin O'Hare
Date: Sunday, January 23
Kick-off: 15:00
Venue: Adams Park
Referee: Greg Garner (England)
Assistant referees: Tim Wigglesworth (England), Llyr Apgeraint-Roberts (England)