IT IS so long since Glasgow Warriors have had a vacancy for club captain that few can remember how the audition process goes.

The Al Kellock era has seen them grow from whipping boys to potential champions, but Shade Munro, the forwards coach, is the only one of the backroom staff who can remember what it was like before Kellock arrived and how he was picked - and he is also off at the end of this campaign.

Whisper it, but this afternoon may just provide a glimpse of the answer, and if it does, you can expect the nine-year Kellock reign will be followed by one at least as long and, possibly, even longer and more fruitful.

What those at the Galway Sportsground will see is Jonny Gray leading the side out for the first time and it could be a look at the future.

He is only 21, but there are some ways in which age does not matter and this seems to be one.

He has been groomed for the role since he was in age-group rugby, leading teams all through the ranks, and already he has taken over from far older and more experienced players, including his older brother Richie and the 61 caps of Jim Hamilton, in running the Scotland line-out.

More than that, he started taking over the leadership during Glasgow games earlier this season and, during the Six Nations, began doing the same with Scotland, finishing as on-field captain in every one of the five matches. So really it is no surprise that he has at last been handed the reins from the start of this week.

"He is quiet with the group, but he leads by example better than, or as well as, any player I have seen," explained coach Gregor Townsend.

"He gets involved in the game well. He already calls line outs so he is in a strong leadership position. He calls line outs for Scotland successfully and is calling for us, which means he is talking to the nines and tens to see what they are looking for.

"I remember watching Scotland in France, I think he was captain when Greig [Laidlaw] had gone off, and he was the one encouraging the players at the end to defend five yards from the line and really get the emotion out. He is still a young man, he still has a lot of developing to do as a player, as a person, but the fundamentals are in place.

"He is knowledgeable, he does his prep, the others respect him highly and he is very good at the points he wants to put across. Above all he leads by example in how he plays."

It is not as though the game in Connacht is a pressure-free runabout. Connacht are still in pole position in their three-way battle with the Scarlets and Edinburgh for the final Champions Cup place, but defeat could drop them out of not only the automatic place but the chance of a back-door entry through play-offs.

They have everything to play for, conditions are likely to act as a leveller, on their own patch they are a serious challenge and in Robbie Henshaw, the centre, they have arguably Ireland's discovery of the season.

"We know what an important game this is, every year we take this game really seriously, we regard them really highly," Townsend said. "We know what a big game this is for the club; we have three games left and we have to be in a position where we look to win our remaining games to get potentially a home semi final.

"The players had a week off last week but came in a day early this week and that has helped because Connacht have a lot of threats - a good scrum, a good line out drive, they score a lot of tries from that. Pat Lam [the Connacht coach] encourages them to move the ball. They pass the ball just about as much as us and Leinster. It is going to be a big challenge playing over there in the noise and the weather conditions

Connacht: A good mixture of experience and youth as Pat Lam, the head coach, starts to look ahead to next season with three changes from the side that lost to Ulster in their last outing. Jack Carty, who was a late call-off, is restored at fly half in an otherwise unchanged back division. Up front Ultan Dillane is promoted from the academy side to start while Eoin McKeon comes into the back row.