Gordon Wood set to follow in father Keith’s footsteps by playing for Munster

URC: Glasgow Warriors v Munster, 7.35pm, Scotstoun, RTÉ2

The URC champions for the past two seasons will battle it out at Scotstoun this Friday evening (7.35pm) but with players not yet back from the Six Nations and the usual cluster of midseason injuries in both camps, Glasgow Warriors and Munster will field very much understrength sides.

But it will be a momentous day for the Wood family when Gordon Wood will become a third generation Munster player, following in the footsteps of dad Keith and grandfather Gordon, in playing for the province.

The promising centre, one of four academy players in the matchday squad, will start on the bench but should get a run in a side which shows nine changes from that turned over by Edinburgh in Cork last time out.

The Munster pack were bullied by the visitors that night and interim head coach Ian Costello knows they will need to get that area sorted out in Glasgow if they are to prevent a second successive loss to a Scottish side.

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Munster, who have won 23 of the 40 previous meetings with Glasgow Warriors with one draw, are boosted by the return of loosehead Jeremy Loughman who has been out for almost five months with a hip injury.

Winger Andrew Smith, signed on loan recently from Connacht where the Irish Sevens player struggled for game-time, will make his debut in a backline which sees academy player Ben O’Connor at fullback for his 11th appearance. The other academy players in the squad, replacement hooker Danny Sheahan and backrower Ruadhán Quinn, are set for their second and 16th appearances for the senior side.

Hooker Diarmuid Barron returns to the starting 15 and will skipper the side with Tony Butler and Paddy Patterson forming a new halfback partnership. Sean O’Brien comes in on the right wing.

There are five changes up front with Stephen Archer joining Barron and Loughman in a new frontrow, while Alex Kendellen and Gavin Coombes come into the backrow.

“We know we didn’t get things right against Edinburgh, we probably didn’t show up in the first half, so rectifying that is a huge aspect we want to get right this week,” said Coombes.

“The last few years there have been a few huge games between Munster and Glasgow. It is always close and it is always a tight game and it’s definitely one that both teams don’t want to lose. There is a huge rivalry, even going back further. It is a big thing and definitely something we have spoken about.”

Munster go into the weekend in fifth place on 33 points, nine points adrift of the champions who are second to Leinster in the table. Munster are just four points above ninth-placed Connacht who they will play in MacHale Park in Castlebar on Saturday week.

Glasgow Warriors: K Rowe; S Cancelliere, O Smith, S McDowall, K Steyn (capt); A Hastings, G Horne; J Bhatti, J Matthews, P Schickerling; J Oguntibeju, A Samuel; E Ferrie, S Vailanu, J Mann. Replacements: G Stewart, N McBeth, S Talakai, JP du Preez, G Brown, M Fagerson, B Ashfar D Weir.

Munster: B O’Connor; S O’Brien, T Farrell, A Nankivell, A Smith; T Butler, P Patterson; J Loughman, D Barron (capt), S Archer; F Wycherley, T Ahern; A Kendellen, J Hodnett. G Coombes. Replacements: D Sheahan, J Wycherley, J Ryan, B Gleeson, R Quinn, E Coughlan, G Wood, R Scannell.