Glasgow duo ready for Lions pair

DAVID FERGUSON


ANDY Henderson and Graeme Morrison will tomorrow renew a partnership which Glasgow supporters believe could be the answer to Scotland's midfield questions.

For those who might doubt such confidence, the match-up with British and Irish Lions duo Gordon D'Arcy and Shane Horgan when Leinster arrive at Hughenden, in a Heineken Cup clash expected to knock the loser out of contention for the quarter-finals, should provide some answers.


Henderson has played against both Irishmen before, with Glasgow and Scotland, and having hit some good form lately is looking forward to the battle.

"It should be a good game. I have played with Graeme many times before and we know each other's games. You are confident you can give him the ball and he'll take it up and make the hard yards. Gordon D'Arcy and Shane Horgan are both outstanding players, which means Brian O'Driscoll's absence doesn't really weaken them.

"But this is a home game for us and if we have ambitions of progressing we must not slip up. There are still another four games to go in the section after this one, but there's no escaping the fact that whoever loses [tomorrow] will be all but out of it."

Morrison added: "I had a try disallowed last week in Bourgoin and if it had been given, and I believe it should have been, I think we'd have won that game. We have got so much talent in our team that if we can get our basics right and keep the penalty count down we'll be a good side."

Leinster have made no changes to the back-line which lost 22-19 to Bath last week, but the return of Lions lock Malcolm O'Kelly and Will Green, the ex-Wasps prop, should boost the pack.

Glasgow: (v Leinster at Hughenden, tomorrow, 1pm): G Staniforth; H O' Hare, G Morrison, A Henderson, R Lamont; D Parks (capt), G Beveridge; K Tkachuk, S Lawson, L Harrison, T Barker, C Hamilton, P Dearlove, J Beattie, J Barclay. Subs: F Thomson, S Corsar, G Hayter, D Turner, S Pinder, C Gregor, C Shaw.

Leinster: G Dempsey; K Lewis, G D'Arcy, S Horgan, R Kearney; F Contepomi (capt), B O'Riordan; R Corrigan, B Jackman, W Green, B Williams, M O'Kelly, C Potts J Heaslip, K Gleeson. Subs: B Blaney, E Byrne, B Gissing, C Jowitt, B O'Meara, E Hickey, J Hepworth.

This article was posted on 29-Oct-2005, 09:19 by Hugh Barrow.