Huwipulotu

13:00, 17th October, Sale

Time for Europe!

A bit earlier than we are used to, but European rugby is upon us! Glasgow need to put the hurt of the quarter-final loss to Toulon behind them and kick on again this season in Europe. After promising so much in the groups last season, I hope they can go again. Two big names are back from injury, and this could be Glasgow’s strongest 23 so far this season.

Return of the King

Kyle Steyn is back! The Glasgow captain is fit again and will bring his usual excellence out wide. Glasgow are fortunate to have other very good wingers available to them, but Steyn is clearly the pick of the bunch and a crucial player in big matches. Good timing for Scotland too, with Darcy Graham also returning this week for Edinburgh. Alongside Steyn, Zander Fagerson also returns from injury. Zander was arguably the best tighthead in the world in 2024 and 2025, but since his injury before the Lions tour, he hasn’t quite looked back to his best. Hopefully he has recovered and trained enough now to show that class again; he’s always going to be an important player for Glasgow and Scotland.

Steyn scored a brilliant try in this fixture last season; here it is to jog your memory. Hopefully he does something similar this weekend.

Alex Craig gets a first run out this season in the second row. Craig was injured for the end of last season but impressed greatly, not just as a good lineout operator but also as a strong ball carrier. Ruwald Van der Merwe makes his debut! With Matt Fagerson taking a knock last week, we finally get to see what the big South African can do. It looks like a well-balanced back row, with Euan Ferrie also getting his first appearance this season at 6, which I believe is his best position. On the whole, the pack is very strong. Seb Stephen and McBeth, alongside Zander in the front row, are powerful and should be dominant in the scrum. Cummings, Craig and Ruwald are all strong ball carriers, and so Glasgow should be able to generate quick ball off of dominant carries.

Moving to the backs, there isn’t too much change from what we’ve seen so far. McDowall is back in at 13 and Rowe at fullback. Josh McKay gets a week off, but Rowe is very capable at 15, even though I think he’s best used on the wing. McKay has qualities that Rowe lacks, something I’ll be touching on more in an upcoming blog post about McKay and Scotland. Overall, it’s a strong backline that isn’t far off full strength.

The bench is also strong. Hiddleston, Schickerling and Talakai will take no steps back at scrum time and will bring big impact in the loose. Hiddleston will probably be annoyed he doesn’t get another shot at a hat-trick this week; I think he’ll bring a lot of energy and power. Jare and Gregor Brown will be able to come on and empty the tank in the second half, with Ally Miller also on the bench; I’d expect they’d both go to second row, rather than Brown coming on at 6. Callum Reidy once again is on the bench; he looked good in his 10 or so minutes last week. Hopefully, Glasgow have a big enough lead, and he is trusted to come on again. There’s been lots of talk around Ollie Smith being an option at 10 recently. Some reports say he’s trained all week at 10, so I’d imagine he’ll come on for Lancaster. However, he’s played 13, both wings and fullback, so he’s a great utility option if anyone goes down injured too.

Sale

Sale have also put out a strong team. It would be easy to look at their results this season and say they aren’t a threat. A loss at home to Bristol and a tight victory over Quins don’t scare me; their win over Saracens, however, was a good result. Realistically, in the Champions Cup any team at home can put up a good game, especially one with names in it like this. Their front row is made up of experienced test players. Tom Curry is on the bench, with twin brother Ben starting alongside the vastly experienced Courtney Lawes and explosive Fijian power of Canakaivata.

Their backline is just as strong. All apart from Ma’asi White have been capped for either England or Scotland. And Ma’asi White himself is a great player too, having been hailed as the next Tuilagi (half of all English centres are given this label). Ford will, of course, be running the show for Sale. If Glasgow can win the aerial battle and slow down Sale’s ball, that will be a good enough route to stop Sale from getting too many points.

Gameplan

Glasgow will need to stick to their strengths. Use the driving maul to apply pressure and keep their flowing wide attack moving. Getting into a kicking battle is what Ford, Carpenter and Roebuck want. I doubt Glasgow will give them that. Once again, I ask that Glasgow can keep 15 on the pitch for the full 80. There have been far too many yellows so far this season. And a team with the brains of Ford handling their attack will find a way to exploit a team with 14.

Glasgow’s selection is more similar to last week than previous in terms of starting the strongest side rather than putting the firepower on the bench. As I said before, this is Glasgow’s strongest 23 this season, and so they should be aiming to be ahead or level at half-time and then pull away once the bench comes on.

Key Battles

1. Zander Fagerson vs Nicky Smith – The scrum will always be an important battle to win. Zander and Smith have faced each other many times. But the occasion that I remember best was Glasgow vs Leicester in 2025. Glasgow won 43-19 that day, and Zander absolutely outplayed Smith at scrum time. Hoping for more of the same this week.
2. Steyn vs Roebuck – Both wingers are very strong in the air. Whilst both are wearing 14, I’d imagine Steyn and Dobie may swap, with Dobie on the right and Steyn on the left. Steyn will need to be at his best under the high ball to stop Roebuck from fielding attacking kicks from both Ford and Warr.
3. Tuipulotu vs Ma’asi White – Two powerhouse centres. Sione will need to be at the top of his defensive game to make sure Sale doesn’t get too much go forward when running it through the backs. And likewise, Ma’asi White will need to contain Sione. The Glasgow 12 will no doubt bring out all of his tricks.

Prediction

I think Sale will annoyingly bring their A game. However, Glasgow should be too good for them. It was tight last season at half-time, with Sale starting fast. I think it will be similar again, and Glasgow will pull away in the second half. I think it will end 19 – 28 to Glasgow.