Need to Know: Munster v Glasgow Match Preview

KO 6.00 at Thomond Park, Friday 2nd October
Live on Sky Sports

Team Talk
Glasgow can only call on 3 of the 23 players who were in the match day squad the last time these 2 teams met in the Pro 12 Grand Final (Harley, Fusaro and Yanuyanutawa). The Munster side features 11 of those on duty on the 30th of May.

Teams

Glasgow Greetings:
Gregor Hunter will take the number of Warriors debutants into double figures in only the 3rd match of the season. Hugh Blake and D’Arcy Rae both make their first starts for the club.

Once Were Warriors:
No ex-Glasgow players to report.

Matchday Milestones:
Hugh Blake will be the 75th player to start a match under coach Gregor Townsend.

Warriors One to Watch:
Scott Cummings. Another in a long line of exciting prospects the Glasgow faithful have been fortunate enough to see coming through in recent years, Scott has belied his tender years and fitted in with an attitude befitting a senior pro. His carrying will be essential for getting the away team on the front foot when they have the ball.

Head to Head:
Back 3 – ADV Munster
Centres – ADV Munster
Half Backs – EVEN
Front Row – ADV Munster
Second Row – ADV Munster
Back Row – EVEN

Toonie’s Track Record…
…against Munster:

• League play – 3 wins and 3 losses. 1 Try BP, 1 Losing BP. 14 points in total.
• Playoffs – 2 wins and no losses.
• Only Scarlets have given up fewer points to the Warriors.
• Glasgow have only taken points from one of their 3 trips to Munster – an excellent win in the 2013/14 season.

Last season’s match-up:

2
Munster tries directly from rolling mauls. Dan McFarland will need to have been working hard preparing the pack to counter this.

4
Minutes played by Alex Toolis – the sum total of his Warriors career.

9
Tackles missed by the 9/10/12 axis. This is an area that Munster will continually target so including the physicality of Grayson Hart at 9 makes sense. Glasgow need to pray for a big defensive performance from Fraser Lyle at 12.

12
Carries by the prop who must not be named – including a 15 yard burst for the team’s only try.

14
Total penalties – the equal lowest of the season. The ref was Nigel Owens. The ref on the other 2 occasions that only 14 penalties were awarded? Nigel Owens and erm… Nigel Owens.

Home and Away:
After losing 2 of their first 3 at home last season Munster have won 10 in a row in Limerick and Cork.

Glasgow had the 3rd best away record in the Pro 12 last season but have only won once in Munster in the last seven years. Given the number of absences and with only two of those six defeats having been by less than 7 points coming away with any points at all will be a fine achievement.

Officials:
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU, 9th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Nigel Correll, John Carvill (both IRFU)
Citing Commissioner: Tim Lowry (IRFU)
TMO: Marshall Kilgore (IRFU)

Another Warriors debut of a sort as Mr. Whitehouse takes charge of his first fixture involving Glasgow. His card count of 1.2 was below the league average of 1.3 last season and he has only issued 1 yellow so far this season in the opening 2 weekends.