Gregor Townsend wants Glasgow Warriors’ departing players to say goodbye to Scotstoun by booking a spot in the Guinness PRO12 semi-finals for the fifth successive season. With two players retiring and another ten leaving at the end of the season, they all could be playing their last Warriors match on home turf. Should Townsend’s side beat Zebre in the Friday night fixture they will keep alive their chances of retaining their Guinness PRO12 title and maintain the pressure on second-place Connacht in the hunt for a home semi-final. Warriors come into the fixture on an eight-game winning streak in the league but Townsend is wary of a Zebre side targeting a European place of their own. He said: “We’ve had a good few weeks on and off the field and we’re looking forward to being back at Scotstoun for our final regular season home match. “Zebre are challenging Treviso for a place in next season's Champions Cup and they'll be coming here looking for a result to get them over the line, so we'll have to be at our best to deliver a positive result. “It'll be a particularly special and emotional night with the likes of James Eddie and Mike Blair having announced their retirements, while a number of players could be making their final appearances in a Warriors shirt at Scotstoun. “The contribution of our Fijian players has definitely formed some special memories here over the last few years and I'm sure our supporters will give them and our other leavers a great reception." Townsend has named Rob Harley as his captain for their last regular season home game with Glenn Bryce coming in to replace Stuart Hogg at full-back and Lee Jones makes way for Sean Lamont on the left wing. The head coach also fields an all-new front row with Jerry Yanuyanutawa, Pat MacArthur and D’arcy Rae all starting. Zebre go into Round 21 on a nine-game losing run but three points ahead of Italian rivals Benetton Treviso in the hunt for a Champions Cup spot. The two sides met earlier this month in Italy with Townsend’s men winning 43-14 and Zebre head coach Gianluca Guidi has made several changes since the defeat. Back-rower Jean Cook will miss the game after travelling home to South Africa due to serious family problems but No.8 Andries van Schalkwyk provides a boost with his return from injury and earning a place on the bench. Zebre team manager Andrea De Rossi said: “We’re preparing for our final away game of the season, and one of the most difficult against the current champions. “We are expecting a stadium full of people who have waited over a week to cheer on a Warriors team that needs a win to guarantee a play-off spot. “In our team, we’ll be missing (Johan) Meyer and Cook is out for family reasons – which means we’ll have an all-Italian back row who have to prove themselves against an experienced Scottish back row. “The returning (Luke) Burgess and (Gonzalo) Garcia give us some quality and experience in the backline where we are missing (Leonardo) Sarto and (Dion) Berryman. “It’s pleasing to have Van Schalkwyk back, who we thought had been ruled out for the season with injury – and will give us a lot from a technical point of view but also in the changing room for the last two games of the Championship.” At Scotstoun Stadium, 7.35pm. Live on BBC ALBA Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU, 11th competition game) Assistant Referees: Graeme Wells, Bob Nevins (both SRU) Citing Commissioner: Paul Minto (SRU) TMO: Neil Paterson (SRU)
