With the opening night of the RaboDirect PRO12 season now just over a week away, Glasgow Warriors head coach Sean Lineen has given another batch of players the chance to nail a spot in his starting line-up by naming a remodelled team to face Sale Sharks at Edgeley Park tomorrow night (kick-off 7.45pm).
It’s the Warriors last warm-up match before the competitive action begins with a trip to face Ulster at Ravenhill on Friday 2 September (kick-off 7.05pm, live on BBC ALBA), and Lineen’s side shows just six survivors from the 17-7 win over Newcastle Falcons at Firhill a fortnight ago.
In the backs, Troy Nathan and Henry Pyrgos retain their places at inside centre and scrum-half respectively, while, up front, hooker Pat MacArthur, locks Tom Ryder and Nick Campbell, and openside flanker Chris Fusaro also stay in the team.
Coming into the backline are full-back Stuart Hogg, who stepped off the bench to score a cracking try against the Falcons, wingers Federico Aramburu and Dave McCall, outside centre Peter Horne and stand-off Duncan Weir.
In the pack, meanwhile, former Doncaster Knights tight-head prop Mike Cusack makes a first Warriors appearance and Rory Pitman a first start since joining on loan from Ospreys.
There are also starting berths for Ryan Grant and Rob Harley, who both featured in the Falcons triumph and this week returned to the Warriors fold after being part of the wider Scotland Rugby World Cup squad this summer.
Harley, who excelled in his first season as a professional last year, is to captain the side at Edgeley Park.
Lineen told www.glasgowwarriors.org that the accolade was well deserved. He said: “Rob’s a fantastic talent and character who we’re delighted to have back with us.
“It’s a sign of his ambition and desire to progress in the game that he’s disappointed not to be going to the Rugby World Cup, but he’s hungry to do well for the Warriors and I’ve every confidence he’ll hit the ground running.
“It’s also great to have Ryan Grant back in the team, and with a big scrummaging unit like Mike Cusack on the other side, I like the look of our front row.
“It was always our intention to give as many guys as possible a chance to impress between the Newcastle and Sale games, and that’s exactly what we’re doing by making a few changes for tomorrow.
“We showed excellent fitness and resilience to push on in the Falcons match and ultimately win it, and I’m looking forward to seeing us build on that at Edgeley Park.
“It’s going to be another very worthwhile runout ahead of the RaboDirect PRO12 beginning at Ulster next Friday. There will be no margin for error that night, so we’re looking for a slick performance tomorrow to set us up for Belfast.”
Harley told www.glasgowwarriors.org: “It’s a massive honour to have the chance to captain the side tomorrow night.
“I love playing for Glasgow and take a great pride in pulling on that jersey. The extra responsibility of being captain is something I’ll relish, and it’s great to be able to call on the support of the core of experienced players that we have at the club even with a good number of guys away with Scotland.
“I’ve learned a lot from being part of the wider Scotland squad all summer, and I’m looking forward to putting that into practice with Glasgow over the coming weeks and months.”

GLASGOW WARRIORS TEAM TO PLAY SALE SHARKS AT EDGELEY PARK, STOCKPORT ON FRIDAY 26 AUGUST (KICK-OFF 7.45pm)
15 Stuart Hogg
14 Federico Aramburu
13 Peter Horne
12 Troy Nathan
11 Dave McCall
10 Duncan Weir
9 Henry Pyrgos
1 Ryan Grant
2 Pat MacArthur
3 Mike Cusack
4 Tom Ryder
5 Nick Campbell
6 Rob Harley (CAPTAIN)
7 Chris Fusaro
8 Rory Pitman
SUBSTITUTES
16 Finlay Gillies
17 Ed Kalman
18 Jon Welsh
19 Gordon Reid
20 Colin Gregor
21 Scott Wight
22 Tommy Seymour
23 Colin Shaw
Other substitutes: James Eddie, Ryan Wilson, Rob Dewey.

This article was posted on 25-Aug-2011, 09:49 by Hugh Barrow.