Investec Champions Cup: Glasgow Warriors v Northampton Saints - team news
- Published
Matt Fagerson scored against Bath in last season's Challenge Cup
Investec Champions Cup Pool 3: Glasgow Warriors v Northampton Saints |
|---|
Venue: Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow Date: Friday, 8 December Kick-off: 20:00 BST |
Coverage: Live radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and BBC Radio Scotland plus live text commentary on the BBC Sport website & app. |
Number eight Matt Fagerson starts in one of seven Glasgow Warriors changes for their Investec Champions Cup opener against Northampton Saints on Friday.
Scotland centre Huw Jones has recovered from a toe injury and starts.
Among the other changes, lock Richie Gray returns after being rested for last week's league defeat by Munster.
England scrum-half Alex Mitchell returns to Northampton's starting line-up after scoring the decisive try in their win over Saracens last week.
Winger George Hendy is set to make his Champions Cup debut, with Ollie Sleightholme on the opposite side.
Flanker Courtney Lawes, who retired from international rugby after the World Cup, starts his fourth game this season, with full-back George Furbank captaining the side again.
The Warriors, who lost the Challenge Cup final last season, are back in the Champions Cup after finishing fourth in the URC last season.
They are second in the United Rugby Championship this season, while Northampton, who lost all four pool games in last season's Champions Cup, are only two points off top spot in the Premiership in fifth place.
With teams not playing sides from their own league, Glasgow will also play Bayonne, Challenge Cup winners Toulon and Exeter Chiefs in Pool Three, while the Saints will face the two French clubs and Munster.
Teams
Glasgow Warriors: McKay; Cancelliere, Jones, McDowall (capt), Smith; Jordan, Kennedy; Bhatti, Matthews, Fagerson, Manjezi, Gray, Cummings, Darge, Fagerson.
Replacements: Turner, Kebble, Sordoni, Williamson, Miller, Vailanu, Afshar, Thompson.
Northampton Saints: Furbank (capt); Sleightholme, Freeman, Dingwall, Hendy; Smith, Mitchell; Waller, Langdon, Hill, Lockett, Moon, Lawes, Scott-Young, Graham.
Replacements: R Smith, Haffar, Davison, Mayanavanua, Pearson, James, Litchfield, Seabrook.
Referee: Luc Ramos (Fra).