Need to Know: Leinster v Glasgow Warriors, United Rugby Championship match preview 2022/23

KO 3.15 at the RDS
Saturday 26th November 2022
Live on Premier Sports 1

• This is the youngest (average age 26.6) and least experienced (previous Glasgow caps 721) Warriors’ 23 selected so far during 2022/23.
• Leinster’s matchday squad has a younger average age (25.7) but have made over 600 more appearances than their visitors (1,329 previous Leinster games).
• Weighing in at 926kg, this is the second-heaviest Glasgow starting pack this season. That’s in no small part due to the fact that the back row weighs exactly the same as the front row – 347kg!
• The last time these sides clashed at the RDS in a regular season fixture was back in February 2021. Just 12 of the 46 players involved that day return. There are only 6 Leinstermen and 10 Warriors who featured in the most recent meeting of these teams, a little under six months ago.
• Newly minted Scotland cap, Murphy Walker is this week’s Warrior to Watch.

Teams

(players in CAPITALS are full internationals; figures in brackets are previous appearances for Leinster / Glasgow Warriors)

Head to Head:

Back 3 – ADV Glasgow

Centres – EVEN

Half Backs – ADV Leinster

Front Row – EVEN

Second Row – ADV Leinster

Back Row – ADV Leinster

Subs – ADV Glasgow

Warrior to Watch:

Murphy Walker certainly seemed to enjoy his month away with the Scotland squad. Making his debut against Fiji, the tighthead was part of a dominant Scottish scrum that helped finally kill off the game as a contest late on in the second half. The sequence at the setpiece after Murphy took to the pitch was:

• Penalty to Scotland
• Penalty to Scotland
• Penalty to Scotland
• Try scored direct from back of scrum
• Penalty advantage

Not a bad start to life as an international prop! It has been a timely arrival as well with the number 3 jersey having an excellent incumbent but a distinct lack of depth heading into 2023 and an RWC in France. Murphy will be looking to get his head down now and get a much game time as possible for Glasgow – this is after all just his fourth start for the club and only his third at tighthead.

The best way for props to learn their trade is at the coalface. An outing against the experienced Ed Byrne will add to the young Scot’s experience as he looks to push his way up the Depth Chart and more consistent appearances in the Warriors’ matchday squads.

Glasgow away to Leinster in the URC/PRO14/12:

• 2 wins
• 1 draw
• 6 losses
• 2 try BPs
• 4 losing BPs
• 16 points out of a possible 45 (36%)
• The Warriors have also lost 4 playoff matches in Dublin during this time.

Highlights from most recent meeting with Leinster in Dublin:

Nope. Not a chance.

Officials:

Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen (SARU, 13th league game)
AR1: Keane Davison (IRFU)
AR2: Andy Fogarty (IRFU)
TMO: AJ Jacobs (SARU)

Mr van der Westhuizen’s record for 2021/22:

Matches – 7
Average penalty count – 22.4 per game
Home side penalties conceded percentage – 42.6%
Average card count – 2.3 per game
Penalties per card – 9.8

A ref with a heavy duty card count and who tends to strongly favour the home side – this could be a perfect storm for a Glasgow side still struggling to find an away win! They only have one previous encounter with the South African ref to go on – almost a year ago to the day away to Benetton.

Mr van der Westhuizen and his compatriot Mr Jacobs will have a busy weekend – they also take charge of the Ulster v Zebre game, although with their roles reversed.

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Additional ref stats from: https://www.cardiffrfcfans.com/analysis/referee_heads.php?countryID=9