Need to Know: DHL Stormers v Glasgow Warriors, United Rugby Championship match preview 2021/22

KO 5.30 BST (6.30 local time) at DHK Stadium
Friday 22nd April 2022
Live on Premier Sports 1

• The Stormers will be the 57th different side that Glasgow have played against in the professional era.
• The South African side will also be the 30th team that Rob Harley has played against during his Warriors’ career.
• Kyle Steyn may move to outside centre later in the game where he could face off against Ruhan Nel – the man who wore the Griquas’ number 13 jersey the season before Kyle made his breakthrough for the team from the Northern Cape and took over that position.
• Steyn and Nel also went head to head in the centres in a Currie Cup game in September 2018 between Griquas and Western Province. The WP backline that day also featured Herschel Jantjies and Damian Willemse.
• Junior Pokomela (for Cheetahs) and Brok Harris (for Dragons) have both previously scored tries against Glasgow.
• Giant lock, Kiran McDonald is the Warrior to Watch.

Teams

Head to Head:

Back 3 – EVEN
Centres – ADV Glasgow
Half Backs – EVEN
Front Row – ADV Stormers
Second Row – ADV Glasgow
Back Row – EVEN
Subs – ADV Stormers

Glasgow Greetings:

A first start in the 6 shirt for Ally Miller means that, in his first season with the Warriors, he has completed the set in the back row with starts at blindside, openside (v Scarlets) and number 8 (v Zebre).

Once A Warrior Former Stormer:

A little over a year ago, Glasgow had three ex-Stormers players on their books – Huw Jones, Oli Kebble and Brandon Thomson. Oli is the only one still around to take on his old club in Cape Town.

At kick off it will have been 4 years, 9 months and 2 days since the big prop’s last appearance for the Stormers, an 11 – 17 loss against the Chiefs at Newlands Stadium in the playoffs of the 2017 edition of Super Rugby.

There might not be too many familiar faces for Oli on the opposition side with a fairly hefty turnover in players. The Stormers lineup from that game was:

1. JC van Rensburg (current club – Grenoble)
2. Bongo Mbonambi (Sharks)
3. Frans Malherbe (STORMERS)
4. Eben Etzebeth (Toulon)
5. Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz)
6. Siya Kolisi (Sharks)
7. Rynhard Elstadt (Toulouse)
8. Nizaam Carr (Wasps)
9. Dewaldt Duvenage (Benetton)
10. Damien Willemse (STORMERS)
11. Dillyn Leyds (La Rochelle)
12. Damien de Allende (Munster)
13. EW Viljoen (Lions)
14. Cheslin Kolbe (Toulon)
15. SP Marais (Yokohama Canon Eagles)
16. Ramone Samuels (Retired)
17. Oli Kebble (Glasgow)
18. Wilco Louw (Harlequins)
19. Chris van Zyl (Retired)
20. Sikhumbuzo Notshe (Sharks)
21. Justin Phillips (Chambery)
22. Juan de Jongh (STORMERS)
23. Seabelo Senatla (STORMERS)

Matchday Milestones:

Richie Gray will start his 17th game of 2021/22 in what is his 14th season as a pro. The only campaign he started more games was back in 2013/14 when he managed 21 starts in his first season with Castres.

Warrior to Watch:

One of the more unusual stats for Glasgow’s in last season’s PRO14 related to clean breaks. The club’s top 5 performers were:

• 12 – Nick Grigg
• 12 – Huw Jones
• 8 – Rufus McLean
• 7 – Kiran McDonald
• 7 – Ratu Tagive

One of these things is not like the others! 6 foot 9 inch lock, Kiran McDonald loves a gallop into the wide open spaces. Chuck in his propensity for a lineout steal and some might suggest he’s the spiritual successor to the way a young Richie Gray used to play.

Kiran maybe hasn’t got the same bulk as the elder Gray but that has meant the younger man has been able to expand his repertoire and play in the oversized blindside flanker role that seems to be heavily in favour with some coaches right now.

That flexibility may have helped bring the lanky lock to Wasps’ attention and unfortunately he will leave the Warriors at the end of the current campaign. There’s still plenty of work for Kiran to do in the coming weeks though – especially with all the other URC contenders having powerful packs and strong setpieces to counter.

Glasgow away to South African sides in the PRO14/URC era:

• 2 wins
• 2 losses
• 3 try BPs
• 11 points out of a possible 20 (55%)

Officials:

Referee: Andy Brace (IRFU, 76th league game)
AR1: AJ Jacobs (SARU)
AR2: Griffin Colby (SARU)
TMO: Marcus van der Westhuizen (SARU)

Mr Brace’s record for 2021/22:

Matches – 13
Average penalty count – 20.7 per game
Home side penalties conceded percentage – 53.9%
Average card count – 1.3 per game
Penalties per card – 15.8

When the Warriors tackle the Stormers it will be one week short of six years to the day that Mr Brace took charge of his first ever Glasgow game (the 10-try romp against Zebre when Leone Nakarawa scored a hat-trick). These days the Irish whistler is in the very top tier of refs and recently picked up an appointment for one of this season’s Champions Cup quarter-finals.

While he has matured as the man in the middle he has yet to move onto the low penalty count route of the league’s previous generation of top officials. On average he’s dishing out 25-30% more pens than arch game managers like Nigel Owens and George Clancy used to do.

That’s just how rugby is right now and Glasgow need to focus on taking advantage when decisions do go their way.

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Additional ref stats from: https://www.cardiffrfcfans.com/analysis/referee_heads.php?countryID=3