A first GUINNESS PRO14 final appearance since 2013 is the target for Ulster as they look to upset the odds against Conference A winners Glasgow Warriors. It is the same opposition and venue as the 2015 semi-final which was won 16-14 by the Scots thanks to Finn Russell’s late touchline conversion.
GUINNESS PRO14 SEMI-FINAL: Friday, May 17
GLASGOW WARRIORS (1st, Con A) v ULSTER (2nd, Con B), Scotstoun Stadium, 7.35pm (live Premier Sports 1/eir Sport 1/BBC Radio Ulster/RTÉ 2fm/BBC Radio Scotland/DAZN/SuperSport 8/deferred TG4)
Team News: The Ulster team has been finalised for their much-anticipated GUINNESS PRO14 semi-final against hosts Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun Stadium tonight.
Retiring centre Darren Cave, who received the Vodafone Medal for Excellence at Wednesday’s Zurich Irish Rugby Players Awards, is named among the replacements. If called upon during the sold-out clash, the 32-year-old will move level with Andrew Trimble at the top of the province’s all-time appearances list (229).
There is also a milestone for Nick Timoney, who starts in the back row on the occasion of his 50th Ulster appearance. The two personnel changes from the quarter-final win over Connacht see Jacob Stockdale and Louis Ludik return to the back-three having recovered from their respective hamstring and knee injuries.
Abbey Insurance Academy flyer Robert Baloucoune completes the back-three, while Stuart McCloskey, who picked up the Bank of Ireland Ulster Player of the Year and Supporters’ Player of the Year awards last week, combines with Luke Marshall in midfield, and Billy Burns and John Cooney continue together at half-back.
The pack is unchanged from the Connacht game, with Rory Best captaining the side from the front row where he is joined by Eric O’Sullivan and Ross Kane. Iain Henderson and Kieran Treadwell feature again in the second row, backed up by loose forwards Timoney, Jordi Murphy and Marcell Coetzee.
Michael Lowry, who started against Connacht, is the only new face on the bench. Rob Herring, Andrew Warwick, Tom O’Toole, Alan O’Connor and Sean Reidy will provide cover for the forwards, and 20-year-old starlet Lowry joins David Shanahan and Cave as the back-line cover.
Lowry, the newly-announced Abbey Insurance Academy Player of the Year, said: “We’re really excited as it’s a second chance for us (after losing to Leinster in Europe). The PRO14 quarter-final against Connacht was a second chance already, and this is another chance for us to prove that we’re a very good team and can go on and win the competition.
“It’s going to be tough work as Glasgow are a great side with threats all across the park, but we’re really hungry for it now. We can learn from the last game (the recent 30-7 loss to Glasgow in Scotstoun), but it’ll bring us motivation as well.
“Going from the Champions Cup quarter-final against Leinster into that game mightn’t have helped with the boys being a bit fatigued and whatnot, but I think there’s an extra bit of buzz around us now. It’s going to be a tough test for sure, but it’s one we can overcome.”
Meanwhile, winger DTH van der Merwe returns to Glasgow’s starting XV for this sold-out play-off encounter. The Canadian international, who was ruled out for the remainder of the season following shoulder surgery in February, has recovered four weeks ahead of schedule.
Co-captain Callum Gibbins returns to lead the side having not played since suffering a head injury against Saracens in March. Stuart Hogg will play his final game at Scotstoun before moving to Exeter Chiefs next season – he joins van der Merwe and fellow club centurion Tommy Seymour in the back-three.
Sam Johnson and the South African-born Kyle Steyn start together in midfield for the fourth consecutive game, while Adam Hastings, the recent recipient of the PRO14’s Energia Next-Gen Star of the Season award, combines again at half-back with fellow Scotland international Ali Price.
Rob Harley and Matt Fagerson join New Zealander Gibbins in the back row, and the ever-influential Jonny Gray returns from illness to start alongside Scott Cummings in the engine room. Jamie Bhatti and Zander Fagerson pack down either side of Fraser Brown in an all-Scotland international front row.
Prop Oli Kebble returns to full fitness to be named in the matchday 23, and 22-year-old flanker Tom Gordon, the man-of-the-match in Glasgow’s 34-10 derby win over Edinburgh last time out, is also named on the replacements bench.
GLASGOW WARRIORS: Stuart Hogg; Tommy Seymour, Kyle Steyn, Sam Johnson, DTH van der Merwe; Adam Hastings, Ali Price; Jamie Bhatti, Fraser Brown, Zander Fagerson, Scott Cummings, Jonny Gray, Rob Harley, Callum Gibbins (capt), Matt Fagerson.
Replacements: Grant Stewart, Oli Kebble, D’Arcy Rae, Ryan Wilson, Tom Gordon, George Horne, Pete Horne, Huw Jones.
ULSTER: Jacob Stockdale; Robert Baloucoune, Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Louis Ludik; Billy Burns, John Cooney; Eric O’Sullivan, Rory Best (capt), Ross Kane, Iain Henderson, Kieran Treadwell, Nick Timoney, Jordi Murphy, Marcell Coetzee.
Replacements: Rob Herring, Andrew Warwick, Tom O’Toole, Alan O’Connor, Sean Reidy, David Shanahan, Michael Lowry, Darren Cave.
Referee: John Lacey (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Andrew Brace, George Clancy (both Ireland)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Glasgow Warriors to win: 1/4; Draw: 18/1; Ulster to win: 11/4
Pre-Match Quotes: Dan McFarland (Ulster) –
It’s exciting. It’s what you want to be doing. We could be on our sun loungers now, but we’re playing play-off rugby, which is brilliant. The processes we went through (for Leinster and Connacht) we’re very happy with. We felt the preparation for that (Connacht) game went very well.
“The improvements we need to make are in and around our precision and the way that we go about that but that sits within the process itself as opposed to being a change in process. When the season comes to an end, we’ll have a look at those processes as well and see whether there’s anything we can tweak around that but I’d be very happy with the way the process works.
“Glasgow (haven’t played since the end of April) but they won’t be undercooked. Dave Rennie is a championship-winning coach with a lot of experience and last year in his first year in charge, they did so well out of the blocks.
“They ended up not playing as well as they had previously in the season and then suffered in the semi-final (against the Scarlets), but Dave Rennie is a championship-winning coach and he won’t make that mistake again. From reading everything that they’re talking about, they’ll definitely not be undercooked.”
Dave Rennie (Glasgow Warriors) –
We’re in a much better place than we were twelve months ago and have trained with a real edge during this three-week break. DTH (van der Merwe) is back earlier than we expected which is a big boost. His power as well as his experience of knockout rugby will be invaluable on Friday night.
“We know Ulster will be a completely different animal to the side we faced here last month and we’re going to have to play better than we did that day to get the result. We’re all determined to a be a part of a Glasgow final and know we’re going to have to play our best rugby of the season to get there.”
Top Scorers – 2018/19 GUINNESS PRO14: Glasgow Warriors – Points: Adam Hastings 116; Tries: George Horne 8; Ulster – Points: John Cooney 98; Tries: Rob Herring 7
2018/19 TEAM FORM: Glasgow Warriors – Played 21, Won 16, Lost 5; W 27-26 v Connacht (away), W 25-10 v Munster (home), W 52-24 v Toyota Cheetahs (away), L 38-28 v Isuzu Southern Kings (away), W 29-13 v Dragons (home), Won 36-8 v Zebre (home), L 25-24 v Munster (away), W 29-20 v Ospreys (away), W 40-15 v Cardiff Blues (home), W 29-20 v Scarlets (home), L 23-7 v Edinburgh (away), L 16-8 v Edinburgh (home), L 20-17 v Benetton Rugby (away), W 9-3 v Ospreys (home), W 38-34 v Cardiff Blues (away), W 43-17 v Connacht (home), W 42-10 v Zebre (away), W 35-17 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), W 30-7 v Ulster (home), W 39-24 v Leinster (away), W 34-10 v Edinburgh (home)
Ulster – Played 22, Won 14, Drawn 2, Lost 6; W 15-13 v Scarlets (home), W 30-29 v Edinburgh (home), W 28-7 v Isuzu Southern Kings (away), D 39-39 v Toyota Cheetahs (away), L 64-7 v Munster (away), L 22-15 v Connacht (home), W 36-18 v Dragons (home), W 15-10 v Benetton Rugby (away), L 29-12 v Scarlets (away), W 16-12 v Cardiff Blues (home), W 19-12 v Munster (home), L 21-12 v Connacht (away), L 40-7 v Leinster (away), D 17-17 v Benetton Rugby (home), W 8-0 v Ospreys (away), W 54-7 v Zebre (home), W 28-15 v Dragons (away), W 33-19 v Isuzu Southern Kings (home), L 30-7 v Glasgow Warriors (away), W 29-7 v Edinburgh (away), W 14-13 v Leinster (home), W 21-13 v Connacht (home)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Friday, February 12, 2016 – Ulster 13 Glasgow Warriors 10, Kingspan Stadium
Friday, March 25, 2016 – Glasgow Warriors 27 Ulster 17, Scotstoun Stadium
Friday, September 23, 2016 – Glasgow Warriors 17 Ulster 22, Scotstoun Stadium
Saturday, February 18, 2017 – Ulster 37 Glasgow Warriors 17, Kingspan Stadium
Saturday, April 21, 2018 – Ulster 36 Glasgow Warriors 15, Kingspan Stadium
Friday, April 5, 2019 – Glasgow Warriors 30 Ulster 7, Scotstoun Stadium
MATCH FACTS:
– This is Glasgow Warriors’ seventh semi-final in the last eight years although they have only reached two finals, in 2014 and 2015, qualifying for those deciders with home wins over Munster and Ulster respectively
– Glasgow have won their last eight GUINNESS PRO14 matches since their defeat to Benetton Rugby in Treviso on January 5
– The Warriors’ only Championship defeat at Scotstoun Stadium since last season’s semi-final was to Edinburgh on December 29
– Ulster are playing in their first semi-final since 2016, while the only time they have reached the final in seven previous semi-final attempts was when they beat the Scarlets in Belfast in 2013
– Ulster have been defeated only once in the PRO14 since round 13: 30-7 to Glasgow at Scotstoun on April 5
– Ulster have won on three of their last five visits to Scotland
– Glasgow’s home victory over Ulster in round 19 ended a run of three successive defeats to the province
– Ulster have won just once at Scotstoun in the PRO14: 22-17 in September 2016