Dempsey returns for Harlequins clash

Jack Dempsey will make his first Glasgow Warriors appearance since October in tomorrow night’s clash with Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop, as Franco Smith’s men look to continue their pursuit of a place amongst the top seeds for the knockout stages of the Investec Champions Cup.

Already assured of a home tie in the last-16, the Warriors know that they must better Toulon’s result against Sale Sharks in order to give themselves the best possible chance of topping Pool Four, which would also guarantee home advantage in the quarter-finals should they progress that far.

An unchanged front-row means that British and Irish Lions duo Rory Sutherland and Zander Fagerson continue as the props, with Johnny Matthews – a try-scorer against Harlequins in last season’s round-of-16 encounter – lining up at hooker.

Euan Ferrie comes into the second-row to make his first start since October after returning from injury last weekend, lining up alongside Scott Cummings in the engine room.

Dempsey’s return sees the Scotland international pack down at number eight in an otherwise unchanged back-row, meaning Matt Fagerson and Rory Darge once again line up on the flanks of the scrum.

Jamie Dobie comes in to start at scrum-half after his try-scoring performance off the bench last Friday night, joining Tom Jordan in the half-backs for the trip to the Stoop.

Stafford McDowall returns from suspension to captain the side from inside centre, as the Stewartry product comes in to form a midfield combination with Huw Jones.

The only alteration to the back-three sees Kyle Rowe replace Kyle Steyn on the wing, with the Scotland flyer linking up with Sebastian Cancelliere and Josh McKay as the outside-backs.

Henco Venter returns to a Glasgow Warriors matchday 23 for the first time since last month’s visit to Toulon after being named amongst the replacements, the back-rower having completed his return to play protocols following a head injury.

Ben Afshar is another set to make his first outing for Smith’s men since the trip to France, as the scrum-half joins Duncan Weir as the two backs selected on the bench for tomorrow’s match.

Jamie Bhatti and Sam Talakai are once more named as the cover at prop, with Gregor Hiddleston completing the front-row replacements.

Gregor Brown rotates to the bench after starting each of Glasgow’s last three matches, whilst Alex Samuel continues in the number 19 jersey to round out the matchday 23.

Speaking following selection, Head Coach Smith told glasgowwarriors.org: “We know that Harlequins will pose probably our toughest test of the pool stage tomorrow night.

“They have proved against the Stormers that they are an incredibly difficult team to beat at home, so we need to continue our own progress and focus on our own performance.

“They also have a proud record in front of their home supporters, and we look forward to the challenge that awaits us tomorrow night.”

Glasgow Warriors team to face Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop, Saturday 18 January, kick-off 8pm. You can follow the match on our Live Match Centre at glasgowwarriors.org, or watch live on Premier Sports.

1 Rory Sutherland (9)
2 Johnny Matthews (84)
3 Zander Fagerson (159)
4 Euan Ferrie (25)
5 Scott Cummings (136)
6 Matt Fagerson (122)
7 Rory Darge (57)
8 Jack Dempsey (54)

9 Jamie Dobie (79)
10 Tom Jordan (61)
11 Kyle Rowe (27)
12 Stafford McDowall (C) (83)
13 Huw Jones (78)
14 Sebastian Cancelliere (47)
15 Josh McKay (58)

Replacements

16 Gregor Hiddleston (20)
17 Jamie Bhatti (114)
18 Sam Talakai (10)
19 Alex Samuel (26)
20 Gregor Brown (29)
21 Henco Venter (28)
22 Ben Afshar (12)
23 Duncan Weir (157)

Unavailable for selection: Adam Hastings (face), George Horne (head), JP du Preez (knee), Jare Oguntibeju (knee), Kyle Steyn (knee), Sione Vailanu (knee), Murphy Walker (neck), Max Williamson (hand).