Thompson and McLean to make first starts

Glasgow Warriors duo Ross Thompson and Rufus McLean will make their first starts for the club tomorrow night, as Danny Wilson makes four changes to his starting XV for the visit of Edinburgh to Scotstoun.

It will be a
debut appearance in a Glasgow jersey for Scotland U20 star McLean, whilst Thompson
is selected at fly-half after impressing in his cameo off the bench last
weekend.

Oli Kebble’s
return to full fitness sees the Scotland prop come into the lineup at
loose-head, joining George Turner and Zander Fagerson in an otherwise unchanged
front row.

The towering
duo of Richie Gray and Scott Cummings continue in the second row, the former
having led the Guinness PRO14 with four lineout steals in last weekend’s clash
at BT Murrayfield.

Ryan Wilson
once again captains the side from the blindside flank, as Tom Gordon and Matt
Fagerson round out the pack.

Thompson’s
first run out at Scotstoun will see him partner Ali Price in the half-backs, with
the scrum-half the player with the most club appearances in the Warriors
back-line.

Robbie
Fergusson comes into the midfield in place of Sam Johnson, the Scotland 7s
captain resuming his centre partnership with Nick Grigg.

The back
three sees McLean and Lee Jones start on the wings, with Huw Jones getting the
nod once more at full-back.

Aki Seiuli
rotates to the bench after starting last weekend, as the prop joins Johnny
Matthews and Enrique Pieretto as the front-row cover.

Fresh from
scoring his first try for the club last time out, Lewis Bean is once again
named in the number 19 jersey, whilst TJ Ioane continues in the matchday 23 for
the eighth successive fixture.

Jamie Dobie
and Brandon Thomson will cover the half-back positions, with Glenn Bryce completing
the Warriors squad.

Speaking to
glasgowwarriors.org, Head Coach Wilson said: “We wanted to give an opportunity
to a few boys we think deserve their shot based on their efforts in training
over the last couple of weeks.

“We’re
excited to see how Ross [Thompson] goes at fly-half and for Rufus [McLean] to
get his first run out for the club – he’s a young man with an impressive
skillset and electric pace.

“At the same
time, though, it’s all about continuing to gel and grow as a squad.

“We’ve
worked on a few things we learned from last week, and we’re excited to get back
out at Scostoun on Friday night.”

Glasgow
Warriors team to face Edinburgh in the Guinness PRO14, Friday 8 January,
kick-off 7.35pm, live on Premier Sports 1. You can follow the action in our
Live Match Centre at glasgowwarriors.org.

1. Oli
Kebble (52)
2. George Turner (55)
3. Zander Fagerson (96)
4. Richie Gray (52)
5. Scott Cummings (74)
6. Ryan Wilson (C) (180)
7. Tom Gordon (26)
8. Matt Fagerson (67)

9. Ali Price
(92)
10. Ross Thompson (1)
11. Rufus McLean (0)
12. Robbie Fergusson (6)
13. Nick Grigg (80)
14. Lee Jones (86)
15. Huw Jones (44)

Replacements

16. Johnny
Matthews (6)
17. Aki Seiuli (21)
18. Enrique Pieretto (9)
19. Lewis Bean (5)
20. TJ Ioane (8)
21. Jamie Dobie (14)
22. Brandon Thomson (31)
23. Glenn Bryce (33)

Unavailable for selection: Alex Allan, Fraser Brown, Rob Harley, Adam Hastings, George Horne, Pete Horne, Sam Johnson, Sean Kennedy, Kiran McDonald, Niko Matawalu, Leone Nakarawa, Tommy Seymour, Kyle Steyn