Glasgow Warriors ‘horse trade’ with Scotland boss Gregor Townsend after gastric bug rips through camp in South Africa

Glasgow Warriors have had to “horse trade” with Gregor Townsend as they seek to raise enough fit players to face the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Glasgow centre Sam Johnson suffered a broken jaw against the Cell C Sharks in Durban. (Photo by David Gibson/Fotosport/Shutterstock)

A gastric bug has ripped through the camp in South Africa and, coupled with a horrendous injury list, it has left the tourists severely depleted for the match at Ellis Park. Townsend has summoned a handful of Glasgow players home to begin preparations for the autumn Test series which begins a week on Saturday against Australia at Murrayfield. But Glasgow have to had to ask the national coach if they can hang on to some of their big hitters such is the toll taken on the squad.

The Warriors’ tour to South Africa has been beset by problems. Franco Smith, the club’s head coach, was unable to travel because his work visa was not processed in time. The team then lost their opening fixture 40-12 to the Sharks in Durban, a game in which four players went off with head knocks, centre Sam Johnson sustained a broken jaw and flanker Thomas Gordon tore his calf. Meanwhile, the number of players affected by gastroenteritis has reached the teens.

The better news for Smith is that his visa has now been confirmed but the club are unsure if he should travel. Getting him to Johannesburg in time represents a significant logistical problem and they are also concerned about introducing him into an environment where so many players have been laid low. “We’ve got a reasonable amount of infection within the group so the last thing we want to do is bring somebody in who could then prolong that,” said Al Kellock, the Glasgow Warriors managing director.

Glasgow Warriors attack coach Nigel Carolan has taken charge in Franco Smith's absence. (Picture: Craig Williamson - SNS Group)

Nigel Carolan, the club’s attack coach who has taken the reins in Smith’s absence, said they had reached out to Townsend who will name his Scotland squad on Wednesday afternoon. “We’ve needed to hang on to one or two, then there are some who need more game times, so it is a balancing act,” said Carolan. “So horse trading is a fair way to describe what’s going on at the moment.”

Jack Dempsey, the No 8, is one of the players affected by the bug and is also nursing a rib injury but is expected to be part of the Scotland squad after making the decision to switch allegiance from Australia. Tom Jordan, Fraser Brown, George Horne and Richie Gray all left the field on Saturday with head injuries, while Max Williamson is also working through the return to play protocols. “The game at the weekend wasn’t kind to us from an injury point of view – five HIAs, a broken jaw and a torn calf muscle, so it was significant in the context of what we’d normally get in a game,” added Carolan.

Johnson’s injury was particularly nasty. “You are talking maybe two to three months out for something like that,” said Carolan. “This is the third time he’s done it, so he knows the road which is ahead of him. It is very unfortunate for him because I thought he was going really well at the moment.”

The coach hopes the effects of the gastro bug will lessen as match-day approaches. “Since last week a significant number of the squad have had some form of it, we’re into the teens in terms of the number infected so it’s been disruptive and challenging but we’re working our way through it.”