SCOTLAND fly-half Dan Parks will return for Glasgow in tomorrow night's Heineken Cup clash with Toulouse.
Fit-again Parks is one of six players recalled by head coach Sean Lineen for the Firhill clash following Saturday's opening Pool Five defeat at Newport Gwent Dragons.
Winger Thom Evans also returns from injury against three-time Heineken Cup winne
rs Toulouse, who secured a last-gasp victory over Bath on Sunday.
Prop forwards Kevin Tkachuk and Ed Kalman are promoted from the bench, while Dan Turner is given the nod at lock and Richie Vernon makes his first competitive start of the season in the back row.
Kelly Brown, however, has paid the price for his Heineken Cup moment of madness as the Scotland breakaway forward was dropped from the squad following his pivotal sin- binning at Rodney Parade.
Glasgow had cruised into a ten-point lead over the Dragons last weekend, only for the hosts to hit back with an 11-point volley while Brown was off the pitch following his yellow card.
Lineen has also dropped both props Justin Va'a and Moray Low, along with lock Opeta Palepoi and the coach voiced his dissatisfaction over the performance in Wales. A performance, he believes, that cannot afford to be repeated if the Warriors are to seriously challenge a highly athletic Toulouse side.
"Some parts of our game last weekend were not good at all, and unless we front up at Firhill, Toulouse will destroy us," said the Glasgow coach.
"Kelly was honest enough to admit that his performance level has not been up to its usual level.
"In the case of Moray, there is a touch of second-season syndrome in that opponents now know what he can do, so they target him.
"We know what has been going wrong and we know what to do about it – we just haven't been doing it.
"Toulouse have athletes throughout their side and we will have to cut out the mistakes if we want to compete."
Despite his anger over the weekend's performance, Lineen has been pleased with how his Glasgow players have reacted in training.
"I've been really impressed with the players' attitude this week," he said.
"They let themselves down last weekend and they're doing everything they can to rectify that result.
"We've only had two home games so far this season and the last against the Scarlets was probably the best I've seen since I became involved with Glasgow.
"The players need to rediscover that form this week and show their class."
Glasgow cannot afford defeat if they are to maintain realistic hopes of qualifying for the last eight.
The coach also laughed off the notion that Toulouse would be a softer touch if former All Blacks scrum-half Byron Kelleher was to be banned at a disciplinary hearing in Dublin today where he faces a charge of stamping.
"That is their problem," said Lineen with a smile. "Anyway, they have such a strong squad that any one of another 20 guys could wear their No9 jersey. No matter who we are facing, we have to be more physical. We need to get back the intensity."
Lineen will also hope his young call-ups are able to cope with the occasion as the likes of 21-year-old flanker Vernon are thrown into the deep end against some of the greats of the world game at Firhill.
Vernon himself admits he is desperate to test his skills against the French side while admitting the gulf between Scottish club rugby and the Heineken Cup will be a huge one to contend with.
He said: "It doesn't come much bigger or better than playing against Toulouse in the Heineken Cup. When I was a youngster, I watched the likes of Fabien Pelous and Byron Kelleher on TV and they were giants of the world game. To be on the same pitch as them will be a dream.
"My last start was at Millbrae for Ayr v West of Scotland, so this will be a massive step up."
Lineen revealed that Samoan internationalist Va'a would have been on the Glasgow bench, but he has flown home to New Zealand following the sudden death of his mother.
Glasgow: B Stortoni; L Fa'atau, M Evans, G Morrison, T Evans; D Parks, M McMillan; K Tkachuk, D Hall, E Kalman, D Turner, A Kellock (capt), R Vernon, J Barclay, J Beattie.
Subs (from): M Low, P McArthur, T Barker, S Swindall, K Brown, C Gregor, R Jackson, H O'Hare, A Henderson.
The full article contains 770 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
