Stafford McDowall is covering back-row from the bench for Glasgow Warriors against Leinster on Saturday night. Image: © Craig Watson –
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FRANCO SMITH has confirmed that centre Stafford McDowall has been selected to provide back-row cover from the Glasgow Warriors bench in tomorrow night’s final outing of the URC regular season against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
This left-field selection is in keeping with Smith’s often stated selection philosophy that the number a player has on his back is irrelevant compared to the value of getting the best 15 men for the job at hand on the field at the same time.
We have previously seen hookers Angus Fraser and Gregor Hiddleston pressed into action in the Warriors back-row, while Jamie Dobie has started as many games on the wing as he has in his primary position of scrum-half this season, but this is his boldest selection curveball yet – and demonstrates just how stretched the squad is in that area of the park with Gregor Brown (knee), Jack Dempsey (hamstring), Matt Fagerson (ankle), Jack Mann (pec), Ally Miller (back), Henco Venter (suspension) and Angus Fraser (head) all unavailable, while Sione Vailanu needs to rest a number of niggles following seven games in eight weeks since returning from a long-term lay-off.
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It also indicates that the courage of his convictions has not been shaken by a recent dip in form by Glasgow Warriors, which has seen them end up stumbling towards the end line of a season which began to falter after their 52-0 drubbing to Leinster in Dublin at the quarter-final stage of the EPCR Champions Cup five weeks ago.
“Yes, he [McDowall] is going to cover the back-row. We have trained him there for the last couple of months and you’ve seen him jump in the line-out now and then, so he can play there if needed. It allows us to get the best players out on the pitch, so it’s not necessarily the first thing we would like to do, but we might see him doing that role if needed,” explained Smith, before confirming that this is a move to add an extra dimension to McDowall’s game rather than the start of a positional switch.
“I’m not going to give you a headline there! He’s a centre. I had to remind him this week quite a bit, ‘you’re a centre’, because he really enjoyed the change of scene in our unit sessions. But no, we’re making sure that if we have a yellow-card or something happens going forward then we have some of these players doubling up, so that we are not disrupted if something like that happens. Y
“Yellow and red cards are part of the game – that has bitten us before in a quarter – so to make sure that a lot of players can cross traditional borders is important in our preparation going forward. We do not want to be caught out. He’s a classic example of somebody that can convert and do that top of the row for us.”
Smith has also offered two novices in hooker Seb Stephen and flanker Macenzzie Duncan a chance to go toe-to-toe with a home side containing seven British & Irish Lions, knowing that they have nothing really to lose and a chance to make a name for themselves. He has made similar calls in the past, notably with Mann excelling when he was thrown in at the deep end against Bath at The Rec the start of the 2022-23 Champions Cup campaign and Hiddleston doing liekwise against Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park a year later.
“We said from the start we’re going to bring people through this season and obviously this week is important but Seb has shown a lot of improvement in the last four months since he’s joined us. He’s a quality rugby player and he’s going to play for the Warriors for a lot of games going forward.
“Like I did with Gregor Hiddleston last year when introducing him against Exeter in the European Cup, I think there’s no better place. There’s enough very good players in the team around him and will support him mentally. I believe that’s how young players must be brought through. The outcome of the game shouldn’t depend on them and they must be honest with how they deal with the experience. I hope that this will be a start to his career.
While Smith acknowledged that his hand had been forced in the Duncan selection by that long list of back-row unavailabilities, he did stress that after three previous selections as a replacement – coming off the bench for 16 minutes against bottom of the table Dragons in mi-February – the time has come for the former Cleveden RFC and Bristol Bears Academy prospect has earned his chance to start. “We’re looking forward to seeing him,” said the coach.
“I’m pleased and excited. We’re all excited about going back out there. You can just think how he’s going to struggle to sleep tonight. Looking forward to tomorrow.
“But every game in this competition is tough and hard like that. There would never be a right opportunity to introduce young players. It takes bravery from the group to introduce these boys.
“I think the next 160 minutes, hopefully the next 320 minutes, are going to be very important for us. I’m excited about what they’re going to bring.”
Smith added that Max Williamson‘s absence this weekend with a shoulder injury is precautionary, and he should be available for the play-offs in a fortnight’s time.
“We want to make sure that next week we have a good prep-session,” he said. “We want everybody to be fresh and eager and ready. When in doubt, you’re out was basically my mind.
“I didn’t go around putting it that way but there’s a month of rugby still left. It’s the 16th May today and it finishes on the 14th of June. There’s a lot of things that can still happen if you’re involved in every game.So, one or two are precaution. “
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URC: Leinster v Glasgow: Sione Tuipulpotu returns as Seb Stephen handed debut