Glasgow Warriors explain their snowball plan as Scotland players kept in cold storage

They are doing everything in their power to make sure as many of those matches are played at home, although that could mean Murrayfield if they go as deep in the Champions Cup and United Rugby Championship as they hope.

Their home path in the former competition is already secure. They are also on course to stay local in the URC play-offs but must overcome five more hurdles in the regular league season, starting on Friday against Benetton at Scotstoun.

Head coach Franco Smith is taking a measured approach to reintroducing his Scotland players to the team, mindful of how long this campaign could be. If his Warriors team emulates the class of 2024 and goes all the way in the URC, then they will still be playing in mid-June.

Key players kept in cold storage

Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones, who both played every match for the national team in the Six Nations, return for the Benetton game, reestablish a midfield partnership that has been pivotal to Glasgow’s recent successes and has flourished also for Scotland and the Lions.

But Smith has opted to keep another key part of his team in cold storage, for another week at least. The back-row trio of Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge and Jack Dempsey will not be involved on Friday and are likely to have their first post-Six Nations outing the following week when the focus switches to the Champions Cup and the round of 16 tie with the Bulls at Scotstoun.

If Glasgow can overcome their old foes they will face either Toulon or the Stormers in the quarter-finals a week later, again at Scotstoun before heading to South Africa for two more rounds of URC action. It’s a testing schedule but one Smith is prepared for and which he expects to “snowball”.

“There's still a bunch of players that we want to reset and have ready for when it's their turn,” he explained. “We want to have that enthusiasm and that eagerness to keep on growing the snowball. Therefore, another week of a little bit of a physical reset and preparation would have served them more than just playing their part again.”

Zander Ferguson is another who has been kept back since the Six Nations, while the likes of Kyle Steyn, Nathan McBeth and Rory Sutherland are nursing minor injuries but should return for the bigger challenges that lie ahead. Scott Cummings and Jamie Dobie, Gregor Brown are out for longer but should all see action before the season’s out.

The quest for home advantage

Glasgow burnished their URC credentials last week with a convincing win over Leinster, their nemesis from last season. From that team, Smith has felt able to rest George Horne, Stafford McDowall, Kyle Rowe and Gregor Hiddleston for Friday’s game. The latter’s absence is compensated by the return of Johnny Matthews for his first game of 2026 following a neck injury.

Benetton beat the Warriors in Treviso back in early October but have been less effective on the road and have only one away win to their name in the URC this season and that was against Italian neighbours Zebre.

Not that Glasgow can afford to be complacent. They’ve won nine from nine at home in all competitions and another victory on Friday is non-negotiable if they want to hold on to top spot in the URC. Remaining at the summit for the rest of the season would give them home advantage throughout the play-offs all the way to the final if they make it that far.

They are currently four points clear of second-placed Stormers who they will meet in Cape Town on April 25, seven days after facing the Lions in Johannesburg.

The two games in South Africa look, on paper, to be the most stringent tests remaining of Glasgow’s league season. They will round off the regular URC campaign at home to Cardiff and away to Ulster.

The Champions Cup semi-final falls between the South African double-header and the final two league games and, if Glasgow make it that far, they will likely play the tie at Murrayfield as Scotstoun is deemed too small to stage a semi. The final of the European showpiece will be held at Athletic Bilbao’s San Mames on May 23.

Murrayfield could also be the venue for a potential URC semi-final (and final) should Glasgow qualify and have home advantage. Scotstoun will be out of commission by then due to being a host venue for the Commonwealth Games athletics.

By that stage, the Warriors will hope to be chasing double gold.