Duncan Weir given a chance to cement place

Jackson suffered a hamstring tear in the opening minutes of Scotland’s final World Cup match against England and, while he had initially hoped to be fit to resume for his club last week, he has had to accept the injury has not healed sufficiently for him to start against Aironi tomorrow either.

A great battle for the Glasgow reins was brewing last season until Weir was injured playing for Scotland A in November and ruled out for three months. The 20-year-old grasped the opportunity to develop his game with Jackson in New Zealand and has a little extra bonus now with the Heineken Cup only a week away. Ironically, it was against Bath, Glasgow’s opening opponents next weekend, that Jackson launched himself on to the professional stage.

Glasgow coach Sean Lineen said: “Ruaridh is not quite 100 per cent. He would have been starting but his hamstring is not quite there yet. He’s not far away, but hamstring injures are dangerous ones.

“He’s working hard to get back and he wants to get playing. The physios are doing a lot of work on his hamstring and his back.

“But I’m delighted with the way Duncan is playing. He’s developing all the time. He made a couple of breaks last week, so he’s adding that to his game. His game understanding is getting better and his kicking game is outstanding.

“He’s fronting up, which is great for a young lad. It can be intimidating for a young lad to have to boss the forwards and run the game. But he’s a student of the game.

“Duncan’s still young and he’s learning and this is only his second year. He’s still developing physically, but his fitness is much better so he’s staying in the game longer and is involved a lot more and not taking rests. He’s becoming a professional player. I’m delighted with the way he’s going because he has a fantastic attitude.”

He acknowledged that next week’s selection could be tough if Weir performs well in Aironi, where Glasgow just sneaked a 17-16 win last season.

As to whether it is realistic to expect him to contend with Jackson for a place in Scotland’s RBS Six Nations squad, Lineen was keen to avoid placing too much expectation on the youngster’s shoulders.

“Possibly,” he said. “At the moment I’m just delighted we’ve got Ruaridh and Duncan. They’re different players, but they’re both class acts and they push each other. It’s great to have two young and ambitious guys like that.

“It’s a great predicament to be in, to have these two players and Scott Wight there as well. They will all get game time through the season. We do want Duncan and Ruaridh to be involved with Scotland [this season], but Duncan first needs to keep playing consistently for Glasgow.”

Lineen told the players his XVs for last week and this ahead of time so that they all had a focus for the two weeks prior to the start of the Heineken Cup, and a clear opportunity to prove themselves worthy of launching the Warriors into that tournament with the home game against Bath a week on Sunday.

Skipper Al Kellock and prop Ryan Grant had been due to feature against the Ospreys but were struggling with calf and knee knocks respectively, so return this week, as does Johnnie Beattie at No 8 for the fast-improving Ryan Wilson.

It is a good test of the strength in depth of the Glasgow squad with Lineen already missing front rows Jon Welsh (ankle), Moray Low (calf) and Fergus Thomson (shoulder), flanker Calum Forrester (knee) and wing DTH van der Merwe (shoulder), as well as Jackson. But the changes are also to ensure fringe players are match fit and confident.

“We have a 13-game stretch and no player can play 13 in a row,” said Lineen. “You have to look at peaking at certain times. We’re also looking ahead to that window of five games in the Six Nations, where we struggle because we lose too many players.

“It’s about looking at how long the season is and at guys coming back from the World Cup, developing strength in depth in the squad and making sure players get a run. At the same time, it’s got to be competitive. We’ve got the Heineken Cup coming up and we’re integrating players back in. We thought long and hard about it. I won’t do it [make wholesale changes] all the time, but it gives them the sense that we trust every player. But look at Johnnie Beattie, James Eddie and John Barclay – that’s not a bad back row. It’s not a bad second row or front row either.”

Lineen is hoping Beattie will rise to the pressure of having to play for his place with Glasgow and Scotland. “This a massive game for Johnnie Beattie,” Lineen said. “We all know what Johnnie can do but he hasn’t done it for a while and he knows that. We’re all working really hard with him to get the best out of him.

“Ryan Wilson has played exceptionally well and it’s for Johnnie to respond now. He has to do everything a little bit quicker. The way we play is made for a guy like Johnnie Beattie and he has trained really well – he wants the ball, wants to make tackles. He’s been animated and leading discussions, which is what we want to see from him.

“He was bound to be disappointed at not being involved in the World Cup but I think he knew that he wouldn’t be involved because he wasn’t playing well enough. Now, it’s all about being back in Glasgow and playing as well as he can – as well as we know he can – when he gets the opportunity. “He’s got to do it. First and foremost it’s about himself. He’s only one of 15 players, but he needs to perform well.”