Ruaridh Jackson shifts from young pretender to wise old head

RUARIDH Jackson wore a wry smile yesterday when he was asked what it was like being the "auld heid" of Glasgow's new stand-off stable after being handed the No10 jersey for the opening Magners League match against Leinster at Firhill tomorrow night.

Jackson only turned 22 in February and, having dislocated a shoulder in the act of scoring in the opening match last season, just a minute after coming on for Dan Parks against Munster, he is only now looking forward to a 25th league appearance. Ordinarily, those statistics might suggest a player needing to feel his way into the new season, but with Parks now in Wales and budget restrictions as tight as ever around the Scottish pro teams, Jackson has been handed the reins and asked to set the tone for Glasgow.

Heightening the pressure further is the presence of Duncan Weir, at 19 a talented all-rounder from Glasgow Hawks who is responding well to a stiff pre-season training regime and showing in friendly outings the Glaswegian "gallusness" that says he is ready and willing to step in if Jackson does not produce the goods.

"It means a lot (to get the jersey]," Jackson said. "There's been a lot of faith placed in me and I have big boots to fill, but now that I've got it I want to perform well and keep hold of it. It was probably a good thing that I didn't have a summer tour and got a good pre-season under my belt as I'm feeling fit and sharp again.

"And I have learned a lot from last year. A lot can happen in the space of a few minutes, as I discovered (against Munster], and then I came back and tried to force things, didn't play my own game and ended up putting too much pressure on myself. But that's in the past now and hopefully I can move on in the right way.

"It is funny that I've been trying to learn off Dan and now suddenly I'm the older guy, so there's definitely a new dynamic and a different pressure. It's a bit weird having someone younger now, but Duncan is pushing me on, playing well, and that's forcing me to keep challenging myself and working on my strengths and weaknesses, so that will improve me."

Having worked hard on his goal-kicking, changing aspects under the tutelage of Duncan Hodge, the Scotland kicking coach, he added: "I'm looking for a good season for me and Glasgow. It's a young team, but it's exciting and I think we've shown in the last two games that we have a lot of promise."