Adams Returns for Cardiff's URC Play-Off Push
Josh Adams, who started all five of Wales' matches in the 2026 Six Nations, will make his first appearance since the tournament as Cardiff aims to advance their United Rugby Championship (URC) play-off hopes with a match against Glasgow Warriors.
Cardiff, currently sixth in the URC standings, travel to face Glasgow, who are competing with the Stormers for the top position. The Blue and Blacks have secured at least a match point in all but one game this season and seek to strengthen their position within the top eight at Scotstoun Stadium.
Adams returns to the starting lineup after missing games due to a back spasm and head injury sustained following Wales' victory over Italy. Notably, he will start at outside centre for the first time since 2022. Additional changes include the inclusion of flanker James Botham and tight-head prop Keiron Assiratti, both returning to the side that defeated the Ospreys. Back-row forward Alex Mann remains sidelined.
United Rugby Championship: Glasgow v Cardiff
The match will be broadcast live on BBC Two Wales, BBC , and the website and app.
Cardiff holds a six-point advantage over Connacht, the only team outside the play-offs with a chance to break into the top eight. Connacht will host fifth-placed Munster on Saturday evening, and a loss could eliminate their chances of overtaking Cardiff.
Beyond securing a play-off spot, Cardiff's final regular-season home game against the Stormers carries additional significance. The team finishing eighth risks missing out on next season's Champions Cup if Ulster fails to qualify for the play-offs but wins the Challenge Cup.
Cardiff has considered these scenarios but remains focused on the immediate challenge in Glasgow.
"We discussed it as a team, it's really tough to do all the calculations about other teams," said Cardiff head coach Corniel van Zyl. "We feel it is still in our hands and we can control it, so it's back to the old cliche of this week being the most important and we will try to get as many points as we can."
Glasgow Warriors Aim to Pressure Stormers
Glasgow currently trail the Stormers by a single point and will seek a five-point victory to intensify the competition at the top of the table. The Stormers are scheduled to play Ulster on Friday night.
The Warriors also aim to rebound at Scotstoun following their first home defeat of the season, a loss to Toulon in the Champions Cup quarter-finals. A win would guarantee Glasgow at least one more home game in the play-offs, providing a fitting send-off for departing players Jack Dempsey, Johnny Matthews, Huw Jones, and Adam Hastings.
Fly-half Hastings, who is moving to Montpellier, is suspended for the final two regular-season games. Despite this, Glasgow has named a strong lineup to face Cardiff.
Van Zyl has a connection with Glasgow head coach Franco Smith, having played under and coached alongside him at the Cheetahs in South Africa.
"They are a great team who are well coached and just do a lot of the basic stuff really well," van Zyl said. "They know how to put you under pressure with a high ball-in-play time and a lot of possession. It's a challenge that we are braced for and we will have to be at our best."
Team Line-Ups
Glasgow: McKay; Steyn (capt), McDowall, Sione Tuipulotu, Rowe; Lancaster, Horne; Bhatti, Matthews, Z Fagerson, Miller, Samuel, M Fagerson, Darge, Dempsey.
Replacements: Hiddleston, Schickerling, Talakai, Oguntibeju, Duncan, Vailanu, Afshar, O Smith.
Cardiff: Winnett; Beetham, Adams, B Thomas, Bowen; Sheedy, Mulder; Barratt, Belcher (capt), Assiratti, McNally, Thornton, Botham, D Thomas, Basham.
Replacements: E Lloyd, Southworth, Wainwright, Nott, Lawrence, Bevan, Jennings, I Lloyd.
Assistants: Ru Campbell & David Sutherland (SRU)
