Need to Know: Glasgow v Treviso Match Preview

KO 7.35 at Scotstoun Stadium, Friday 27th November
Buy tickets online
No TV coverage so get yourself along to Scotstoun!

Team Talk
There are 9 changes to the Glasgow starting XV that lost out to Northampton, with only Jonny Gray and Rob Harley remaining from last week’s pack. Treviso switch their half backs with the Luke McLean at 10 experiment being ditched and veteran Kiwi scrum half, Chris Smylie in at 9 to provide some direction.

Teams

Glasgow Greetings:
Shalva Mamukashvili makes his first start after debuting of the bench last Saturday.

Matchday Milestones:
Centurion status for Ryan Grant (celebrated here) and Chris Fusaro (celebrated here) and both men should be rightly proud of making it to 100 games for the Warriors. I actually only make it 99 appearances for Fuzzy but that’s another story…Gordon Reid will be playing his 75th match for Glasgow and Rob Harley runs out for the 125th time in his career at the club. Finn Russell only needs 5 more points to bring up 250 scored.

Warriors One to Watch:
Alex Dunbar. It may be a lot to expect from a player in just his second match in 9 months but Alex’s 60 minutes against the Dragons showed that he’d lost none of his class and the match fitness should come back pretty quickly. He’s the player who balances the Glasgow backline – the cool head and organiser in defence and the outlet for both Russell and Bennett in attack if nothing is on. A strong 50 or 60 minutes on Friday will go a long way to helping the side get back to winning ways.

Head to Head:
Back 3 – ADV Glasgow
Centres – ADV Glasgow
Half Backs – ADV Glasgow
Front Row – ADV Treviso
Second Row – ADV Glasgow
Back Row – ADV Glasgow
Subs – ADV Glasgow (although Gori is the one player most likely to have a significant impact on the game.)

Toony’s Track Record…
…against Treviso:

• 6 wins, no losses. 4 Try BPs. 28 points in total.
• Only Zebre have provided Gregor’s men with as many points – Glasgow have an identical record against both Italian sides.
• The aggregate winning margin for the 2 fixtures each season has decreased from 45 in 2012/13 to 25 in 2014/15. Glasgow will be keen to ensure Treviso do not continue to get closer to causing an upset.

Last season’s match-up:

5
Differential in penalties awarded – 15 to the Warriors, 5 to Treviso – equal biggest margin of the season. Even the small number of offences Glasgow did commit were completely unnecessary and just allowed a Treviso side with no real attacking threat to stay in the game.

21
Turnovers conceded (including knock ons, forward passes etc.) by Glasgow – second highest of the season (the highest was in a gale at Scotstoun against the Scarlets). This was the second factor that allowed Treviso to stay in a game that should have been over by half time. The Warriors will need to protect the ball much more effectively when they are in possession if they want to avoid being drawn into another dogfight.

57
Percentage of kicks made by Glasgow – factor number three that contributed to Treviso being only 2 points behind with less than 15 minutes to play. The Italian side will give up scoring opportunities and it’s essential that as many of these as possible are taken early on to ease the pressure and put the game to bed.

20
Total carries by Leone Nakarawa and Josh Strauss – almost as many as the rest of the pack combined. With neither player starting on Friday it will be crucial that Adam Ashe continues his early season form as a primary carrier and the remaining forwards realise they need to provide more options than when Glasgow’s dominant carriers are starting.

62
Percentage of scrums won on their own ball by Treviso – the worst by any of Glasgow’s opponents last season. For all that the Italian national side place great emphasis on their scrummaging prowess the asset-stripping of Treviso has left the cupboard relatively bare in the front row. This should be an opportunity for the Glasgow pack to try and impose themselves.

Home and Away:
The Warriors have won 3 on the bounce at Scotstoun since losing their season opener against Scarlets. They haven’t lost at home to Italian opposition since Treviso stunned them at Firhill on the men from the Veneto region’s first ever trip to Scotland in the Pro 12.

Other than local derbies with Zebre, Treviso have not won away from home in the Pro 12 for over 2 1/2 years. They have yet to win a game this season, continuing a losing streak from last season that now extends to 14 games. Glasgow still need to be wary however – the Italians took bonus points at Thomond Park and Dave Parade and pushed league leaders Connacht hard early on at the Sportsground before the Irish side pulled away in the second half.

Officials:
Referee: David Wilkinson (IRFU, 35th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Lloyd Linton, Graeme Wells (both SRU)
Citing Commissioner: David Kirk (SRU)
TMO: none – so plan on making an earlier train than usual!

Glasgow have been refereed by Mr. Wilkinson twice in the last couple of seasons. His penalty count is bang on the average for Warriors’ matches but his card count is more than double that of a typical ref. He’s more willing to sin bin players for professional fouls and violent conduct and will also go to his pocket quicker for repeated infringements than the vast majority of officials. Glasgow need to keep their noses clean and press Treviso into committing the kind of fouls that will see them playing short handed.