Glasgow v Edinburgh: Teams
Glasgow have made five changes to the side demolished at Murrayfield as they seek revenge against Edinburgh.
Last Updated: 02/01/09 6:44pm
Glasgow have made five changes to the side demolished at Murrayfield as they seek revenge against Edinburgh at Firhill.
Head coach Sean Lineen calls on Fergus Thomson to make his second start of the season at hooker whilst Moray Low is promoted from the bench to partner Justin Va'a in the front-row.
In the back-row, James Eddie returns to first team action at blindside flank with Kelly Brown moving to number eight as a result. Elsewhere, the only change in the back division sees Scotland international Sam Pinder replace Colin Gregor.
The Warriors are facing an uphill task if they are to retain the David Lloyd 1872 Cup after their 39-6 defeat in the capital.
However, Lineen has played down the significance of the trophy by admitting that the Magners League is his main concern with his side among five teams within seven points of top spot.
"Last week's result was a sore one, but the players have responded well, have trained well, and are really up for this Friday's game," he said.
Fantastic support
"The 1872 Cup is great for Scottish bragging rights, but everyone knows that Magners League points are the main focus for both teams.
"Glasgow and Edinburgh are inside the top five and we want to improve on last year's finish (fifth) and a win on Friday is vital if we are to achieve that.
"It was great to get a big crowd at Murrayfield and I thank all the Glasgow fans who travelled through for their fantastic support. I hope to see them back at Firhill on Friday when the boys are keen to make amends for their performance last week."
Meanwhile, opposing head coach Andy Robinson has made four changes to his starting line-up for the 1872 Cup decider.
Flank Ross Rennie misses out after undergoing an exploratory operation on a knee injury on Tuesday.
Wing Mark Robertson, prop Geoff Cross, lock Matt Mustchin and flank Alan MacDonald are all called into the side for the eagerly anticipated return fixture between the two Scottish professional teams.
Robertson (calf) and Cross (ankle) both missed Boxing Day's bonus point win over the Warriors because of injury, but have recovered in time to play in the second leg.
Glasgow: 15 Bernardo Stortoni, 14 Hefin O'Hare, 13 Max Evans, 12 Graeme Morrison, 11 Thom Evans, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Sam Pinder, 8 Kelly Brown, 7 John Barclay, 6 James Eddie, 5 Alastair Kellock (c), 4 Tim Barker, 3 Moray Low, 2 Fergus Thomson, 1 Justin Va'a.
Replacements: 16 Dougie Hall, 17 Kevin Tkachuk, 18 Dan Turner, 19 Richie Vernon, 20 Colin Gregor, 21 Andrew Henderson, 22 Ruaridh Jackson.
Edinburgh: 15 Hugo Southwell, 14 Mark Robertson, 13 Ben Cairns, 12 Nick De Luca, 11 Simon Webster, 10 Phil Godman, 9 Mike Blair (c), 8 Allister Hogg, 7 Alan MacDonald, 6 Scott Newlands, 5 Jim Hamilton, 4 Matt Mustchin, 3 Geoff Cross, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements: 16 Andrew Kelly, 17 Gavin Kerr, 18 Ben Gissing, 19 Simon Cross, 20 Greig Laidlaw, 21 David Blair, 21 John Houston.