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Franco Smith on what he expects from bruised Edinburgh

Galway , Ireland - 28 October 2023; Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith before the United Rugby Championship match between Connacht and Glasgow Warriors at The Sportsground in Galway. (Photo By Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile via Getty Images)
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Glasgow head coach Franco Smith expects to face an Edinburgh side out to rectify their Scotstoun errors when they clash again in the Scottish capital.

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Warriors claimed a 22-10 victory in last Friday’s home game as they consolidated their lead over their rivals in the United Rugby Championship – they sit second in the table – and opened up a sizeable advantage in their bid to retain the 1872 Cup.

United Rugby Championship

P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Leinster
8
7
1
0
33
2
Glasgow
8
6
2
0
30
3
Benetton
8
6
1
1
27
4
Bulls
8
5
3
0
26
5
Ulster
8
5
3
0
24
6
Munster
8
4
3
1
24
7
Edinburgh
8
5
3
0
22
8
Stormers
8
4
4
0
22
9
Ospreys
8
4
4
0
20
10
Connacht
8
4
4
0
20
11
Cardiff Rugby
8
3
4
1
20
12
Lions
7
3
4
0
19
13
Zebre
8
1
6
1
12
14
Scarlets
8
2
6
0
11
15
Sharks
7
1
6
0
7
16
Dragons RFC
8
1
7
0
6

Smith told glasgowwarriors.org: “We are expecting another tough encounter.

“While it is a big privilege for our players to play at Murrayfield, we expect Edinburgh to come out hard as they look to rectify their missed opportunities at Scotstoun last weekend as we know they still believe they can win this tie.

“We have prepared well for this challenge and will look to be the best version of ourselves tomorrow, as we keep working hard to make each other better.

“We know that we will have a strong travelling support inside Murrayfield and we want to put on a performance to finish the calendar year on a high.”

Smith has made three changes for the game, which will be played in front of more than 30,000 supporters.

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URC top try scorer Johnny Matthews returns to the front row, while Thomas Gordon comes into the back row to replace the injured Sione Vailanu, who has a knee problem.

Tom Jordan is installed at fly-half as George Turner and Ross Thompson drop to the bench alongside Greg Peterson, who is set to make his final appearance for the club before departing for San Diego Legion.

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By George! 1 hour ago
The All Blacks captain shouldn't need a rest after a sabbatical

I emphasise with him, being the child of Samoan immigrants myself, nonetheless we all start somewhere and in our similar cases, with some initial and temporary adversity, by the way it builds character. He is the prodigy of hard working parents I'm sure, just as would be Scooter’s parents. I'm not a farmer but I doubt it would be a holiday owning a farm or even running one. You borrow off the bank for plant and machinery or use land as collateral driving around in a vehicle you don't own, you own nothing the bank does until you finally pay your loans. In a nutshell that is how it works, basically big risk and reward, but I digress. I would suggest that after 16 years as a professional rugby player Ardie has done damn well for himself, it doesn't take much digging to get an estimate of his potential earnings, I can tell you he's far removed from those carless days of his youth that you point out. But I don't begrudge Ardie “making hay while the sun shines” because one's appetite grows in relation to their means and ofcourse he has a wife and family and business ventures to attend to. If I can use this analogy; There is a monumental task before them they are going to war and we need our leadership to set the tone and build the unity. The coach is the Admiral and he will be in the vanguard but the ship will put to sea without it's Captain who will be having a break after coming back from a Sabbatical; “a planned break from work or study, usually for rest with the expectation you'll return afterwards and resume where you left off.” Yeah? Nah!

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