Head-to-head battles assessed as Glasgow host Scarlets

Kevin Millar previews the game.

• Friday, November 29
• 7.35pm at Scotstoun Stadium
• Live on Premier Sports 2

• Of the 46 players who featured the last time Scarlets visited Scotstoun in April 2023, just eight return for this game, three for the home side and five for the visitors.
• Glasgow are looking for their fourth consecutive win over Scarlets (in all competitions, at all venues), something they haven’t managed since 2008-2010.
• Between injuries and rest protocols, the Warriors are missing 20 players, 18 of whom are capped internationals.
• There are only two URC sides that Glasgow have never collected a try bonus point against in a league match at Scotstoun. One is the Lions, who have only visited once so far, the other is Scarlets who have played nine regular season games at Scotstoun.
• Johnny Matthews (79) has more previous appearances for Glasgow than the rest of the starting forwards combined (77).
• Duncan Weir (152) has more previous appearances for Glasgow than the rest of the bench combined (103).
• The seven starting backs (433) have more previous appearances for Glasgow than the other 16 players in the matchday squad combined (411).

Teak tough flanker, Henco Venter, is the Warrior to Watch.

The teams

Glasgow vs Scarlets teams (Image: Kevin Millar) (players in CAPITALS are full capped internationals, numbers in brackets are previous appearances for Glasgow / Scarlets)

Head to Heads

Glasgow vs Scarlets head-to-heads (Image: Kevin Millar)

Glasgow Greetings

There are a trio of players in line for their debuts – Fin Richardson, Jare Oguntibeju and Macenzzie Duncan.

Eight years have elapsed since the most recent occasion that three Warriors’ players made their first appearances for the club in the same game at Scotstoun.

On November 25, 2016, Adam Nicol, George Horne and Paddy Kelly all came off the bench against Ospreys.

Oguntibeju will be the first academy player to start on debut for Glasgow since Scott Cummings, coincidentally also against Scarlets at Scotstoun, back in September 2015. He didn’t turn out too badly for the Warriors.

Jare Oguntibeju is one of three debutants in the Glasgow Warriors squad (Image: SNS) There are also first outings of the season for Ally Miller and Jack Mann. Miller has had to wait since April this year for a run out for the first team while Mann has suffered through an injury impacted 721 days since his only other game for Glasgow, away to Bath in December 2022.

With those five fresh faces in the 23, it should take the number of players used up to 40 so far in this campaign.

Matchday Milestones

More than 17 seasons have passed since the last time Glasgow had neither one of the Gray brothers in their full-time or senior academy squads.

In total, 463 games have been played since the Warriors were a Gray-free zone.

That last match in the BG (Before Gray) era featured Dan Parks at 10, Al Kellock as skipper (in his first season with the club) alongside Warriors centurions, Donnie Macfadyen and Graeme Beveridge.

Warrior to Watch

Henco Venter has been doing the professional rugby thing for a very long time. This is the South African back row’s 14th season as a pro and he will have seen it all during his time in the game.

That’s one of the reasons he is currently here in Scotland with Glasgow – Franco Smith was looking for a solid veteran to bring the nuts and bolts to the squad. Not simply in a playing sense but also setting an example to the swathes of young players who are training at Scotstoun every season.

Henco Venter is a key man for Glasgow, particularly when the international stars are given a rest (Image: SNS)

His 21 minutes in last season's Grand Final showcased the perfect execution of upping the physicality for the crucial final quarter. He made 12 tackles during his time on the pitch (his rate of 0.57 tackles per minute was higher than anyone else who played that day) and monstered several of his countrymen with massive hits.

For these games in and around the international window, that stoic brutality will be important but equally essential will be the composure and leadership that he brings to a very inexperienced pack.

Current form

Glasgow vs Scarlets - form guide (Image: Kevin Millar)

Three away fixtures without defeat is the Scarlets’ best run in the league since they managed four victories on the bounce in 2017.

Glasgow at home to Scarlets in the PRO12/PRO14/URC era:

• Five wins
• Four losses
• Three losing bonus points
• 23 points out of a possible 45 (51%)
• Scarlets also won a PRO14 semi-final at Scotstoun in 2017/18, while the Warriors took maximum points from a Champions Cup encounter in 2015/16.
• The only other opposition sides to manage five wins at Scotstoun are Leinster and Munster.

Previous league match-up v Scarlets at Scotstoun

• Referee: Fillippo Russo (FIR, 3rd league game)
• Assistants: Sam Grove-White and Ru Campbell (both SRU)
• TMO: Matteo Liperini (FIR)

As seems to currently also be the case in the international game, the URC are pushing on the next generation of referees.

That means plenty of fresh faces taking charge and for the third time already this season, Glasgow will be dealing with a brand new man in the middle.

On this occasion, it’s an Italian official – the 16th from that nation to take charge of a Warriors’ fixture during the professional era, dating back more than 28 years to Claudio Giacomel who oversaw a Challenge Cup game against Agen at Hughenden in 1996.