Rob Harley suffers in the sun as Glasgow Warriors fans buy season tickets in record numbers

Rob Harley is about to embark on his 12th campaign as a Glasgow Warriors player but pre-season doesn’t get any easier, especially when the sun is shining at Scotstoun.

Rob Harley says pre-season training with Glasgow Warriors has been 'brutal'. Picture: Ross MacDonald/SNS

Being of fair complexion, the forward suffers more than most but knows he needs to do the hard yards ahead of the first match, against Newcastle Falcons at home a week on Friday.

“Some of the sessions are brutal, you get put through the paces and the weather on days like these is absolutely terrible, [I’m] covered in sun cream,” he said this week.

Glasgow will complete their pre-season preparations with an away game against Worcester Warriors on September 10 and a training match the following weekend before the United Rugby Championship kicks off on September 24, although fixtures for the new competition have yet to be released.

With fans returning to Scotstoun there is a heightened sense of anticipation around the 2021-22 campaign and Glasgow have sold 4,540 season tickets, a club record.

The Warriors have been mixing things up in training by playing touch and American football which Harley says has helped with team bonding as the club integrates a raft of new signings.

“You get closer as a group, playing a lot of touch games, getting to use our skills, getting used to each other,” said the 31-year-old. “It is good to build connections heading towards games.

“After you come in, you are so much fitter, [but] I wouldn’t say you are ready for games as games are different animals. You always learn when you take the pitch for real. You can be prepared but a game is different.”

Danny Wilson has freshened up his coaching team for the new season by bringing in former Scotland prop Al Dickinson as scrum coach and enticing Nigel Carolan over from Connacht with a brief is to pep up the Warriors attack

“It is just another chance to work with new people and they have different ways and they emphasise different things and I try and pick up as much as I can,” added Harley. “It is good to have fresh sets of eyes and new ideas coming.”

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