Glasgow Warriors finished the GUINNESS PRO12 regular season top of the pile for the first time in their history but head coach Gregor Townsend admits it will count for nothing if they lose on Friday night. Last year’s losing finalists are in the play-offs for the fourth straight year and boast the only 100 per cent home record in this year’s competition. Indeed the Warriors have won their last 19 games at Scotstoun in the PRO12, while they beat Ulster 32-10 last time out in what turned out to be a prelude to Friday’s fixture. Townsend has made two changes to the side that started that game, with Henry Pyrgos coming in at scrum-half and Niko Matawalu moving to the right wing in place of Sean Lamont. In the pack Fraser Brown recovers from a hamstring injury and replaces Dougie Hall at hooker – and the coach is hoping his crop can repeat their heroics from six days earlier. “The consistency to qualify for the play-offs shows the effort the players put in every day,” said Townsend. “To get in the play-offs for a fourth year in a row was great and to actually move up the table in those four years is a real bonus but ultimately it’s about winnings semis and winning finals. “That is what people remember and that is what we strive for, not where we finish in the league. We have done the first part of the job but we will have to up our performance over the next two games. “We've had some epic battles with Ulster over the last few seasons and they'll be eager to reverse the scoreline from last week. “We expect to be playing in front of another sell-out crowd at Scotstoun for a place in another final and everyone at the club is really looking forward to the match.” Ulster also have a proud recent record in the competition, reaching the play-offs for third year on the trot and reaching the final two years ago. Their head-to-head record with the Warriors does not make for inspiring reading, Ulster recording just one victory in their last five against the Scotstoun outfit. However, they have won their two previous knockout games in Glasgow – back in 2002 and 2003 respectively – and will be hoping to complete a long-awaited hat-trick. Head coach Neil Doak has shuffled his pack, making 11 changes to the side that lost last weekend, with ten internationals returning to the starting XV. Captain Rory Best is at hooker, with Callum Black and Ricky Lutton either side of him, while Dan Tuohy returns to partner Lewis Stevenson in the second row. Chris Henry is joined in the back row by fellow internationals Iain Henderson and Roger Wilson. Louis Ludik keeps his place at full-back, Tommy Bowe and Craig Gilroy return on the wings and Jared Payne and Darren Cave link up in midfield, while Paddy Jackson starts at fly-half and Ruan Pienaar is his half-back partner. And Gilroy – joint top try scorer in the competition through 22 rounds – admits, despite the returning cavalry, that Glasgow’s back row is a cause for serious concern. “The guys like (Stuart) Hogg, Matawalu, (Tommy) Seymour, (Peter) Horne and (Richie) Vernon – even Finn Russell at ten – are extremely good broken-field runners and I thought up until the first half we dealt with that pretty well last weekend,” he said. “I was feeling pretty confident at half time and then you saw how deadly they can be in the second half. We need to be on our toes defensively and take absolutely everything we can get in attack.” Follow us on Facebook, join the conversation on Twitter, sign up to our YouTube channel for extensive match highlights and sign up for our newsletter for regular updates on the GUINNESS PRO12 Note: This game will also see the HawkEye System in operation again, as part of trials with Sky Sports and World Rugby At Scotstoun, 7.45pm. Live on Sky Sports, BBC Alba, BBC NI and TG4 Referee: George Clancy (IRFU, 73rd competition game) Assistant Referees: John Lacey, Dudley Phillips (both IRFU) Citing Commissioner: Gwyn Bowden (WRU) TMO: Seamus Flannery (IRFU)
