Tough last-16 European fixtures for Glasgow Warriors and Edinburgh
- Published
Glasgow Warriors beat two French sides in the group stage and lost to two English teams
European rugby reaches the knockout phase this weekend and both Scottish clubs face difficult matches as they bid for quarter-final places.
Glasgow Warriors visit Harlequins in the Champions Cup (Friday, 20:00 BST), while Edinburgh host Bayonne in the Challenge Cup (Saturday, 20:00).
While Glasgow are riding high in the United Rugby Championship they face the more daunting task in what will be their first competitive meeting with the Londoners, having already lost to English sides Northampton and Exeter this season.
Harlequins are fourth in the Premiership following last weekend's home win against Bath and have taken the scalps of Racing 92 and Ulster so far in Europe.
Edinburgh sit seven rungs below second-placed Glasgow in the URC after back-to-back defeats in South Africa but home advantage may prove fruitful against opponents who do not travel well.
Bayonne, already beaten at home by Glasgow in the top-tier competition, occupy 10th spot in the French Top 14.
Tuipulotu makes speedy recovery
Warriors, who have 10 wins from 13 URC outings, are boosted by the return of powerful centre Sione Tuipulotu.
The 27-year-old injured his knee in Scotland's Six Nations win over England and has made a quicker than anticipated recovery.
Captain Kyle Steyn is back on the right wing, taking over from Sebastian Cancelliere, as Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey and Johnny Matthews return to the pack after sitting out a comfortable 45-3 win at Scarlets.
"The focus is on us and not what Harlequins are doing," said head coach Franco Smith.
"We obviously know what they are capable of and we expect them to be on top of their game in a home game in the European Cup. So for us, having Sione's experience will help."
Gilchrist reinstated, with Crosbie fit again
Edinburgh welcome back Grant Gilchrist, who missed the disappointing trip to South Africa for personal reasons, and the Scotland lock co-captains along with scrum-half Ben Vellacott.
Luan de Bruin makes his first start of the season at loosehead prop and centre Mark Bennett returns from concussion protocols.
Back row Luke Crosbie is ready for a place among the replacements after injuring his shoulder in Scotland's win over Wales two months ago.
Prop Mikey Jones, 21, is set to make his debut from the bench.
"We're getting into the business end of the campaign, so the games come thick and fast, but this is where we want to be as a club, competing for places in the final stages of Europe and the URC," said head coach Sean Everitt.
"We know Bayonne are a top side with threats across the park. We've spoken about their pack and the physicality they bring, so we'll need to be ready from the first whistle."
Bayonne were hammered at home by Toulon last weekend and have not won on the road in any competition since November 2022, although they did manage a Champions Cup draw at Munster in December.
*There will be live text coverage on both matches on the BBC Sport website & app.
How the teams line up
Glasgow Warriors: J McKay; K Steyn (capt), S McDowall, S Tuipulotu, K Rowe; T Jordan, G Horne; N McBeth, J Matthews, Z Fagerson, M Williamson, S Cummings, M Fagerson, R Darge, J Dempsey.
Replacements: G Hiddleston, O Kebble, L Sordoni, S Manjezi, A Miller, H Venter, J Dobie, D Weir.
Edinburgh: W Goosen; J Henry, M Bennett, M Currie, D van der Merwe; B Healy, B Vellacott (co-capt); L de Bruin, E Ashman, WP Nel, S Skinner, G Gilchrist (co-capt), J Ritchie, H Watson, V Mata.
Replacements: D Cherry, M Jones, D Rae, J Hodgson, L Crosbie, A Price, J Lang, C Dean.