Glasgow Warriors head coach Danny Wilson says that the two players in his squad who have been selected to tour with the British and Irish Lions this summer– tight-head prop Zander Fagerson and scrum-half Ali Price – have earned the right to be part of the conversation about how much game-time they will get during the remainder of this Rainbow Cup campaign.
It was confirmed yesterday that after this Saturday's away match against Edinburgh, Warriors will play Dragons away on 29th May and Leinster at home on 4th June in their remaining games of the season. They could also qualify for the Rainbow Cup Final on 19th June, but nobody seems particularly interested in that.
“I've had a conversation with them both,” explained Wilson. “They have a view on what they want to play and need to play to go into such a big thing. Some players will want more rugby because they want to stay on top of their match fitness, while some players will want less because they want to stay on top of the conditioning.
“Both players have earned the right to manage the games going forward. I won’t go into any more detail of what has been said about that, but they are heavily involved in making decisions in what they want to do going forward for the last three games.
“It is a conversation and a meeting in the middle. It is not the conversation you would have with other players. They have earned the right. We have three games which, to be brutally honest, don't have a lot riding on them. If those games did have things riding on them then they would understand that their day job has to have priority.
“For the 1872 Cup last weekend, they both had to be selected and had to empty themselves out in it because it was a massive game for the club, and they both did that. So, I'm very sympathetic and understanding about sitting down and planning their next three games and making agreements, so that's what we've done.
“The key is that they have a good understanding of what they need. Some players will say that they want to play all three games because they want to roll into it feeling as sharp and match fit as possible, others might see it differently and feel they would be better served by coming out of the firing line.”
Warriors will enter these final three matches of the ‘regular’ season with a bounce in their collective step after a convincing win over Edinburgh last Friday night. Wilson has promised that while he plans to mix things up during the remainder of the campaign, he is not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
“We will now look at this competition as an opportunity to still play combinations to win games, but also combinations to look at some people, and make appropriate changes where necessary,” he explained. “It’s about making the right decision for the squad for this game, and not looking for wholesale change for the sake of it.” “For example, Stafford McDowall at 12 hasn’t played for a long, long time. He got his chance at the weekend and went well, so I think it is important that he gets an opportunity to go again. Meanwhile, youngster Cole Forbes is a doubt for Saturday. “He took a bit of a bang in the Edinburgh game so we have looked after him at the start of this week to see how it unfolds, but he is definitely one for the future,” said Wilson.
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