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George Horne returns as Glasgow prepare for historic clash
By PA
Scotland scrum-half George Horne returns from injury as Glasgow bid to revive their Investec Champions Cup campaign in a first-ever meeting with Aviron Bayonnais on Friday.
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The 28-year-old missed last week’s demoralising defeat by Northampton in their opening group match, but is back for the match in France and will form a half-back pairing with Ross Thompson, who makes his first start of the season at stand-off.
Centre Sione Tuipulotu – one of 10 internationals in the starting XV – will captain the side in the ongoing absence of injured skipper Kyle Steyn, while George Turner starts at hooker and veteran lock Richie Gray drops to the bench. Back-rower Matt Fagerson misses out with a face injury.
Head coach Franco Smith expects a tough test in south-west France as his side, who made a strong start to the United Rugby Championship campaign, bid to bounce back from successive defeats.
“Bayonne will provide a strong test for us,” he told the Warriors website. “They dug deep to earn a draw with Munster last weekend and will want to put on a performance for their supporters in their first-ever home match in the Investec Champions Cup.
“As with all clubs, eight matches in a row leaves its mark on a squad, so it is important to keep the squad fresh while also putting out the team that we believe is best placed to challenge the opposition we face each week.
“We have spoken all season about this club being on a journey to become a great squad, and we have always known that squad depth will be important across both the URC and in Europe.
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“We are excited to see everyone contribute tomorrow night.”
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The writer here ignores the fact that, following on from not taking the penalty kick, the All Blacks did manage to score a try a few minutes later. Not directly from the penalty awarded, but it is speculation to say that had they opted to take the koi they would have won. Even if they kicked it, which was no guarantee, they would still be trailing and would have had to start again at half-way.
Go to commentsI would be surprised if Sales Opoku Fordjour and Northampton’s Tommy Freeman are not in the team, Anthony Watson is also one that could go on the wing. One thing I must say is that the front 3 will get destroyed against a team like South Africa.
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