'It is tough but it's not': Glasgow explain big Bulls call as Scotland star ditched

Glasgow’s side to face the Bulls in what should be a bruising last-16 encounter in the European Champions Cup on Saturday contains five fully rested and recharged Scotland front-liners for the first time since the Six Nations.

But if the return of the Fagerson brothers Zander and Matt, plus Rory Darge and Jack Dempsey, was expected, and the swifter-than-expected recovery of skipper Kyle Steyn a major bonus, the name on the No.13 jersey may have raised a few eyebrows.

Stafford McDowall is preferred to Lions centre Huw Jones, who started all three Tests in the series win over Australia last summer, as Sione Tuipulotu’s midfield partner.

McDowall has missed out on some of the biggest occasions since Franco Smith arrived at Scotstoun in the summer of 2022 – benched for the 2023 European Challenge Cup final against Toulon and last season’s URC semi-final against Leinster; missing out altogether on all three knockout games in Glasgow’s run to the URC title in 2024.

But the 28-year-old has played – and started – more games for Glasgow than either Tuipulotu or Jones in all four seasons under Smith.

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While some of that has been down to the other two being more heavily involved with Scotland, and both having injury-enforced periods on the sidelines (Jones missed the opening months of the 2022-23 campaign and didn’t appear until January in the current one), it also reflects the consistent excellence, durability and leadership of McDowall.

“I can’t remember when Stafford’s had a bad game for us,” said Smith. “He’s always played well. I think from an international perspective, the ‘Huwipulotu’ combination is very well known and very well respected.

“Stafford’s missed out on some of those opportunities even if he played well, just because I agree, the other two are also playing well.

“He just has a different skill-set and he’s contributed so much in a different role as a leader in this environment. I felt for this specific game, it was important to convert some of those qualities into a good performance.”

McDowall, who has captained Scotland in three of his six Test starts among 16 caps in all, was a member of their Six Nations squad but didn’t feature in any of the match-day 23s.

He led Glasgow to an important URC win over Munster a week before the championship started and also played against Connacht in the one ‘down’ week during the Six Nations. A week after it finished, he played a leading role in a thumping 38-17 win over Leinster.

Tuipulotu and Jones were reunited for last week’s URC victory over Benetton, which kept Warriors four points clear at the top, but their usual telepathy was missing and Jones looked unusually out-of-sorts before being replaced before the hour.

Asked about how big a call it was to omit Jones – who is joining Toulon this summer – against the Bulls, Smith said: “It is tough but it is not, you know. I think Stafford’s been playing really, really well and Huw is just coming back into our environment.

“I just felt Stafford has contributed a lot during the Six Nations here for us as well and this allows Huw to get more back on par with what we are doing. But it is more about Stafford playing really well and also to have that extra left foot (kicking option) in this game was always going to be important.”

While tactical considerations were clearly a factor in forecast wet and windy conditions where Warriors will need to win the territorial battle, McDowall’s 6ft 4in, 16st 3lb (103kg) frame will also come in handy against the overtly physical Pretoria outfit.

But Glasgow will have to do without lock Alex Craig, who won his first Scotland cap since November 2024 as a replacement in their final Six Nations game against Ireland.

The abrasive 28-year-old, who has featured in 16 games since joining Warriors from Scarlets last summer, has torn a tendon in his foot and will miss the rest of the season, as well as Scotland’s Nations Championship fixtures against Argentina, South Africa and Fiji this summer.

“Alex Craig is our first casualty,” Smith said. “He won’t be able to play again this season. He’ll be back only for round two of URC 26-27. He ripped a tendon at the bottom of his foot underneath his big toe. He actually thought his boot had ripped but he changed the boot and the pain didn’t go away.

“Obviously it’s a blow for us. He’s going to get operated on Monday and hopefully we’ll get the recovery process going as quickly as possible.”

Craig joins fellow Scotland locks Scott Cummings (calf) and Gregor Brown (hamstring) on the sidelines. Cummings could return in a couple of weeks, although Brown was originally not expected back until June, ruling him out until the URC knock-out stages.

“Everything in rugby happens for a reason,” added a philosophical Smith. “We’re going to get Gregor and Scott back at the time when we need them most. They are progressing well, both of them. Hopefully we can survive a couple of games more without them and they will be able to take the baton over when we need it most.”

Bulls were the last team to win – 26-19 – at Scotstoun last April, once Glasgow had already secured a home play-off. But Warriors beat the South African heavyweights 21-12 in the URC in October, albeit the Bulls are the only side to have denied them a four-try bonus-point in 10 home matches this season.

If the rivalry between the sides has intensified since Warriors upset the Bulls in Pretoria to win the 2024 URC final, Smith insisted that rare Scotstoun defeat nearly a year ago – only a fourth in his four years in charge – had not been mentioned in their preparation.

“No, not as much as they would have spoken about us beating them in that final,” he added. “It’s not what happens in our environment. It’s about what needs to be done. This is about knockout rugby and delivering the best version of ourselves that we can.

“They’ve brought 14 Springboks on tour. They’re finding form, they’re determined. It’s a quality team. Like us, they’ve got really good players. It’s going to be a tough encounter and it should be like that.”