Need to Know: Glasgow v Treviso Match Preview

KO 7.35 at Scotstoun Stadium, Friday 28th October 2016
Buy tickets online
Live on BBC Alba

Team Talk
Outside of the front row, Simone Favaro is the only change to the rest of the side that started last week against Munster. It’s a very strong team but Glasgow fans should make the most of it as the Warriors’ Scotland contingent are unlikely to pull on the black and blue jersey until December! With Lewis Wynne not in the 23 for the first time this season, after Friday Sila Puafisi will be the only Warrior to have featured in every match of the campaign. Lewis’ absence also means this will be the first game of 2016/17 not to include a Scottish Rugby Academy player. Treviso make 8 changes from the team that played in the Challenge Cup last weekend and bring back Italian internationals Davide Giazzon, Edoardo Gori, Tomasso Allan and Angelo Esposito on the bench – which suggests they are taking this game more seriously than they did the junior European tournament.

Teams

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 – EVEN

Glasgow Greetings:
Brian Alainu’uese and LangiLangi Haupeakui should both make their Warriors’ debuts from the bench, becoming the 10th and 11th players to do so this season. Hugh Dan MacLennan is quietly weeping in a corner at the thought of it…

Once A Trevisan:
Crazy Simone returns to the starting line-up for the first time since Round 2, just in time to take on his old mates – which is likely to inspire him to fire into tackles like even more of a madman than usual.

Warriors One to Watch:
There really is only one player that OTOTM could possibly pick out for this particular fixture. Tommy Seymour has scored 8 tries in his last 4 appearances against Treviso and, especially in light of his flying start to the season, he must be looming large in the Italian side’s mind when it comes to their defensive setup. He won’t be wearing his lucky number 11 shirt though – can he break his scoring duck with 14 on his back?

Toony’s Track Record…
…against Treviso:

• 8 wins, no losses. 5 Try BPs. 37 points in total (92%)
• Only Zebre (38) have provided Gregor’s men with more points.
• Glasgow have missed out on a try BP on the last 2 occasions Treviso have come to Scotstoun – in fact the Warriors were lucky to come away with the win last time out after a fairly drab performance.

Last season’s match-up:

2
Clean breaks – equal lowest of the season for Glasgow (alongside the playoff semi-final against Connacht). The home side had plenty of possession and frequently burst through Treviso tackles (they missed 32) but a combination of the Italian’s scramble defence working hard and terrible handling by the Warriors contributed to Glasgow not being able to get clear. Precision handling will always trouble the Treviso and if Finn Russell et al are accurate with their passing they should be able to pick apart the opposing defence.

6
Points lead for Treviso at half-time. It was also the sixth time in the first 9 games of the season where Glasgow had gone in behind at the break. The game turned into a real grind and serves as a strong reminder of how hard Treviso can be to break down if their opponents don’t get out in front early and are unable to dictate the game.

46
Metres made by Adam Ashe. On a night when there were a lot of ineffective carries going on DJ Adam’s performance stood out as he trucked the ball up 18 times, consistently getting over the gainline, beating 4 defenders and scoring the match-winning try. A similarly muscular performance is required from some of the Glasgow forwards if Treviso are to be subdued.

Home and Away:
Glasgow last 6 in Pro 12 (H) – W W W W W L 
Treviso last 6 in Pro 12 (A) – L L L L L L

Officials:
Referee: David Wilkinson (IRFU, 46th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Sean Gallagher (IRFU), Kevin White (SRU)
Citing Commissioner: John Montgomery (SRU)
TMO: Kevin Beggs (IRFU)

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.

The last time Mr. Wilkinson refereed a Glasgow game was this same fixture in late November of last year. His penalty count is fairly average but he likes a card with 6 so far this season. He also issued 2 of the league’s 4 red cards last season. Given Glasgow’s issues with sin bins that might be an issue – but it may be more of a problem for the visitors. Mr. Wilkinson has sent off a Treviso player on 2 of the last 3 occasions he has refereed them and totals 12 cards to the Italian side across 10 games. Treviso have also twice had players red carded at Scotstoun – Manoa Vosawai in 2012/13 and Albert Anae in 2014/15. Discipline may prove to be a significant factor.