Glasgow & Edinburgh ready to begin European campaigns

Glasgow were comprehensively beaten by Toulon in the final of last season's Challenge Cup

Glasgow and Edinburgh both kick off their European adventures on Friday, but they have swapped competitions from last season.

The Warriors got all the way to the final of the Challenge Cup before being blown away by Toulon when it mattered. Now, they are back at the top table, starting at home to Northampton, after a good URC campaign.

The roles have been reversed for Edinburgh. A successful Champions Cup group stage paved the way to the last 16 before they were beaten by Leicester Tigers. Now they must lick their wounds in the second tier, beginning with a trip to Clermont, after they tailed off badly following the departure of Mike Blair.

It is an exciting time for Glasgow, back rubbing shoulders with the elite. But what have they learned from their journey to Dublin last season?

"I think last year we fell short because we were our own worst enemies," head coach Franco Smith said. "We had our eyes on the prize, and that was basically the one thing that we tried to avoid.

"Don't look at the table, don't look at the opposition. Just keep on improving and getting our processes done well. That's the main thing this year. If we play a URC game or we play in the Champions Cup, it doesn't change.

"We need to grow so that we can handle the bigger occasions better. We have experienced a final now, we know what's needed. There is lot of motivation to be taken from that."

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Saints will not relish a visit to Scotstoun, the fortress Glasgow have built in the city's west end. That is followed by trips to Bayonne and Exeter and then, as the narrative would dictate, Toulon come to town in January.

There will be a milestone appearance for number eight Matt Fagerson in the opener. He becomes the 55th Warrior to reach a century of appearances, joining his brother Zander on the list.

"He's been brilliant," Smith said. "He's contributed on and off the field, through the way he trains, works and his dedication to the team. He's a leader.

"He shows the way to the young guys and he's diligent in his approach. He works very hard in preparation to allow him to be the best he can be.

"He's very loyal to the club and he's really played with his heart on his sleeve. We're really proud of him."

'Huge - and noisy - challenge' for Edinburgh

Edinburgh welcome back Hamish Watson for the trip to Clermont

Edinburgh travel to the heart of France to face Clermont, having picked up an away win over Castres last time. Can they repeat the trick?

"A lot of the players have played in France a lot anyway, so I don't think we can take too much from last year," said Edinburgh's attack coach Rob Chrystie.

"It's a new season, we're playing a bit differently with the ball, and I think we're far more resilient without the ball."

Excursions to France are always eye-opening, with hostile crowds and raucous atmospheres. Edinburgh have even been pumping that noise around the Hive Stadium during training in preparation.

"Going away to Clermont is an exciting prospect," Chrystie added. "It'll be a massive crowd, it will be noisy, it will be a little bit different. It's a huge challenge to go across there and it's something we're really looking forward to."

The team that travels includes rookies and riches of international experience. Cammy Scott makes his first professional start at fly-half with new poster boy Ben Healy rested. Harry Paterson makes just his fifth pro appearance on the wing.

Yet, two British and Irish Lions return in Hamish Watson and Duhan van der Merwe, both back from injury. Make no mistake, Edinburgh are not taking this lightly.

Edinburgh also kick off at 20:00 away to ASM Clermont Auvergne, with text updates on the BBC Sport website & app.

Glasgow Warriors: McKay, Cancelliere, Jones, McDowall (capt), Smith, Jordan, Kennedy; Bhatti, Matthews, Z Fagerson, Manjezi, Gray, Cummings, Darge, M Fagerson.

Replacements: Turner, Kebble, Sordoni, Williamson, Miller, Vailanu, Afshar, Thompson.

Edinburgh: Swiel, Paterson, Bennett, Dean, Van der Merwe, Scott, Vellacott (capt); Hislop, Ashman, Sebastian, Sykes, Hodgson, Crosbie, Watson, Mata.

Replacements: McBurney, Venter, Williams, Young, Boyle, Shiel, Currie, Goosen.