George Horne returns as Glasgow prepare for historic clash

Scotland scrum-half George Horne returns from injury as Glasgow bid to revive their Investec Champions Cup campaign in a first-ever meeting with Aviron Bayonnais on Friday.

The 28-year-old missed last week’s demoralising defeat by Northampton in their opening group match, but is back for the match in France and will form a half-back pairing with Ross Thompson, who makes his first start of the season at stand-off.

Centre Sione Tuipulotu – one of 10 internationals in the starting XV – will captain the side in the ongoing absence of injured skipper Kyle Steyn, while George Turner starts at hooker and veteran lock Richie Gray drops to the bench. Back-rower Matt Fagerson misses out with a face injury.

Head coach Franco Smith expects a tough test in south-west France as his side, who made a strong start to the United Rugby Championship campaign, bid to bounce back from successive defeats.

“Bayonne will provide a strong test for us,” he told the Warriors website. “They dug deep to earn a draw with Munster last weekend and will want to put on a performance for their supporters in their first-ever home match in the Investec Champions Cup.

“As with all clubs, eight matches in a row leaves its mark on a squad, so it is important to keep the squad fresh while also putting out the team that we believe is best placed to challenge the opposition we face each week.

“We have spoken all season about this club being on a journey to become a great squad, and we have always known that squad depth will be important across both the URC and in Europe.

“We are excited to see everyone contribute tomorrow night.”

Investec Champions Cup

Pool 1

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Bordeaux

1

1

0

0

5

2

Bristol

1

1

0

0

5

3

Bulls

1

1

0

0

4

4

Lyon

1

0

1

0

2

5

Saracens

1

0

1

0

0

6

Connacht

1

0

1

0

0

Pool 2

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Toulouse

1

1

0

0

5

2

Bath

1

1

0

0

5

3

Harlequins

1

1

0

0

5

4

Racing 92

1

0

1

0

2

5

Ulster

1

0

1

0

0

6

Cardiff Rugby

1

0

1

0

0

Pool 3

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Northampton

1

1

0

0

4

2

Exeter Chiefs

1

1

0

0

4

3

Bayonne

1

0

0

1

2

4

Munster

1

0

0

1

2

5

Toulon

1

0

1

0

1

6

Glasgow

1

0

1

0

0

Pool 4

P

W

L

D

PF

PA

PD

BP T

BP-7

BP

Total

1

Leicester

1

1

0

0

5

2

Sale

1

1

0

0

4

3

Leinster

1

1

0

0

4

4

La Rochelle

1

0

1

0

1

5

Stormers

1

0

1

0

0

6

Stade Francais

1

0

1

0

0