Glasgow Warriors Season Preview 2026/27

And so, after a long break, the club rugby season is soon to be back. I am very excited. Excited to see so many of my favourite rugby players back in action.

Looking back

Last season ended very disappointingly. And while losing in a URC semi-final and a European quarter-final is still a decent run, it feels like such a letdown given the height Glasgow reached. I was hungover on a Sunday morning in New Zealand, suddenly jumping up and down, screaming at the TV as I watched Glasgow with the comeback of all comebacks to beat Toulouse 28-21, having been 0-21 down at half-time. In that moment, it looked like no one would stop us. Pundits were suddenly predicting Glasgow to make the final. We even stopped the mighty Saracens from scoring a try a month later.

However, injuries before and during the Six Nations hit hard, and the team that came back afterwards could not cope. The Champions Cup run was over, but we still should have beaten the Bulls at Murrayfield. I guess it will feed motivation this season.

This season

Glasgow fans should expect similar results this season. Glasgow should be aiming to finish in the top 4 again, I think; given the players lost that the top spot will be harder to get this season. The Champions Cup depends on the draw; we could make the semis, but we could also face Bordeaux or Toulouse in the knockouts, which would be an acceptable way to end the campaign. As a minimum, we should be looking to get out of the groups. Matches against Pau and Leicester at home should be wins, while Sale away (not the Enya song) and Clermont will be tougher but still very much winnable fixtures.

The URC starts off with a big challenge for Glasgow. Three Irish teams make up the first three matches. Munster away up first is a big, big game. Not just because of the rivalry, but to get up and running with a win away from home against a Munster side who seem to already be having an injury crisis would be a statement and a win that other sides will struggle to get. Ulster and Connacht at home follow, and whilst both sides ended last season strongly, Glasgow should be comfortable dealing with them at Scotstoun.

The season is scheduled slightly differently this year, with the Champions Cup fixtures slotted in between league games, instead of the two match blocks I’d gotten used to. Which means the first game away to Sale is just the fourth game of the season. Benetton away and the Lions at home (thank god, winning in Johannesburg seems to be impossible) take us through to the November test window. To get through this period with six wins from six games is absolutely doable. But Glasgow typically have one loss early on in the season, so it would be unlikely.

I could keep rambling through the rest of the fixtures, but I think we’ll all get bored and I can save that for a post nearer to the time.

Starting XV going into the season

When I look at that team, I think it’s pretty damn strong. That’s part of the reason why I feel Glasgow can still expect to have a very good season. And that’s with some brilliant players not making the starting team. Players such as Kyle Rowe, Ollie Smith, Alex Samuel, Max Williamson, Alex Craig, Rory Sutherland and many more are unable to make my starting team and yet would be very comfortable starting in major knockout games. For Glasgow to not have a big drop-off this season, we need these players to be fit and firing for our big games. We also need the players lower down the pecking order to really step up once again. There are many younger players who, when they feature, really excite me. I want Franco to give them more of a chance.

The kids need to kick on

Seb Stephen and Tavi Tuipulotu at hooker. Alex Samuel and big Jare in the engine room. Euan Ferrie and Macenzzie Duncan in the back row. Ben Afshar and Jack Oliver at 9. Matt Urwin at 10. Johnny Ventisei and Kerr Yule in the centres. Kerr Johnston and Fergus Watson on the wings.

All these players (maybe not Tavi just yet) have shown flashes of real class for the Warriors. Ventisei shone up against 90-cap All Black Rieko Ioane and British and Irish Lion Robbie Henshaw on debut. Fergus Watson was Player-of-the-Match in his debut vs Benetton, scoring a try along the way. These players have got what it takes.

All apart from Ferrie (25) and Jare (24), are 23 and younger. These are players who will form a spine of the Warriors team in 5 years’ time. A good result for these guys would be more than just cameos off the bench, but successive starts in URC games. Sometimes we feel too reliant on our starting players, and suddenly we are in a crisis. But if these guys had more game time under their belts, we’d be in a much better spot should key players get injured.

Fuel for the fire

A couple of replies I received on BlueSky about how Glasgow will do.

I find the second one particularly funny, considering he’s an Edinburgh fan. At least we make the knockouts, mate.

Tactics

Franco hinted at the end of last season and also recently that Ollie Smith may be stepping in at fly-half from time to time. This points to a continuation in the way that Glasgow will attack. Wide, intricate short passing moves designed to split open defences, accompanied by contestable box kicks. Very little kicking for territory. Glasgow beat the most defenders of any team in the URC last year and have been doing so since Franco took over. This running style of game is not going anywhere and will once again be a joy to watch this season.

Glasgow had the third-best tackle completion rate out of all teams in Europe last season, and we can expect this to continue. However, Glasgow were one of the worst teams at turning missed tackles into tries and breaks for the opposition, with 35% of our missed tackles resulting in a break of a try.

In the set piece, Glasgow will be strong. Glasgow were the second-best team in the world last season at 22 exits (95% success) and sixth best at maul per try. This should come as no surprise, as the rolling maul has become a proper weapon for Glasgow to rely on. Last season, Glasgow scored every 7 mauls. Glasgow had the sixth-best lineout in the world with 90.3%. The scrum was solid on our own ball with a 91% win rate, but when Zander Fagerson is off the pitch, this number surely drops.

No changes in the coaching staff this season mean we can expect continuity and improvement. We already kick more than we did in Franco’s first season, which has helped us in games when we have found it harder to break down the opposition defence. Franco’s vision is so clear, and when players get their chance in the team, they so often slot in perfectly.

Final Words

As I write this, Glasgow will be playing Bath tonight in the final preseason game. This will give a good opportunity to see a bunch of young players in action, the likes of Tavi Tuipulotu, Matt Urwin, Ventisei, Kuenzle and Watson. It will be a great warm-up against one of the best sides in Europe. Any analysis of this game will come in my Munster preview next week!

Please do leave a comment down below if you’ve enjoyed, or have anything to add or feedback to give.