Glasgow Warriors’ ability to replace departing stars is a concern for John Barclay

Glasgow Warriors haven’t had their troubles to seek this season and John Barclay admits he is concerned about his former club.

Former Scotland captain John Barclay will be on duty for Premier Sports when Edinburgh host Glasgow Warriors on January 2.

Huw Jones is the latest big name to be linked with a move away from Scotstoun and, with Adam Hastings’ departure already confirmed, there is a growing sense of dread amongst some of their supporters.

One piece of good news is that Duncan Weir is reportedly in talks to return and Barclay believes the stand-off would be a welcome addition to the Warriors roster.

But the loss of Hastings and potentially Jones will be keenly felt by a club stripped of major talents such as Finn Russell, Stuart Hogg and Jonny Gray in recent seasons.

Duncan Weir is back in the Scotland squad and has been linked with a return to Glasgow Warriors. Picture: Ross Parker/SNS

“I’m concerned,” said Barclay. “I won’t be if the guys are replaced. But I have to say so far Glasgow haven’t replaced some of their stars who have gone on to do great things. There’s hope rather than expectation for Glasgow now given the landscape with Covid and the financial implications. That’s hard to manage.”

Glasgow reached the Pro14 final as recently as 2019 but they have struggled in this season’s competition, losing six of their first eight fixtures. Europe has been even tougher, with holders Exeter Chiefs beating them 42-0 in the Heineken Champions Cup before Lyon were handed a 28-0 win over the Warriors due to a Covid cancellation for which Glasgow were blameless.

It was another body-blow in a season full of them for Warriors who have had to contend without their Scotland players and with a long injury list.

“If the fans are worried then I fully understand that,” said Barclay, who will join Chris Paterson to cover Glasgow’s 1872 Cup clash with Edinburgh for Premier Sports on January 2.

“You can’t blame guys for wanting to go if they’ve been offered more money and want to experience different challenges. The guys who have left Scottish clubs have gone to some quality teams and played some great rugby.

“With my Scotland hat on that’s great to see. But if I were a Glasgow fan I’m seeing guys leaving who you hope will be replaced. They need to find a solution to replace the guys who are leaving but they’re often the most expensive ones: full-backs, stand-offs, even second rows.”

The lure of the Premiership has snared Hastings, who has agreed to join Gloucester, while Jones has been linked with London Irish. Weir could buck the trend and return to his hometown club in the summer after three years at Worcester.

If the deal is done, Barclay thinks Glasgow will be getting a better player than the one who left in 2016, initially to join Edinburgh before heading south.

“I know Duncan was disappointed to leave Glasgow - he didn’t want to go. But his game has evolved from playing in a different league, playing against different players, some of them world class.

“That's the thing about leaving, you get to bring back these experiences. But he’s a Glasgow boy and his passion will be to play for Glasgow.”

John Barclay will join Chris Paterson, Jim Hamilton, Dougie Vipond, Rory Hamilton and Jenny Drummond to cover Glasgow’s 1872 Cup clash with Edinburgh at BT Murrayfield on January 2 on Premier Sports 1 from 2.30pm. Visit www.premiersports.com for more information

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