Peter Horne’s fortunes transformed after injury

Peter Horne gets on the ball in training as he prepares to face Canada. Picture: SNS

Tomorrow, the former Howe of Fife player will be starting his first Test in a Scotland shirt when Vern Cotter’s team take on Canada in Toronto.

“First and foremost the aim was to get back playing for Glasgow and get some form together for the end of the season,” said Horne from the team hotel in Toronto’s suburbs.

“I knew time was going to be limited. I guess that with it being such a big tour there was always an outside chance that I might get a go but with a couple of boys getting injured it has come a bit quicker than I might have thought.

“It is always nice to start because you have more time to impose yourself on the game,” he added.

“It is a totally different game coming off the bench because a lot of the time you are filling in and are not sure where you are going to play.”

Horne is just one of the cogs in a Glasgow midfield that should, in theory, know each other pretty well.

The trio of Finn Russell, Horne and Sean Lamont has something for everyone: the calm Russell brings, the intelligence of Horne and the more physical attributes of the veteran Lamont.

“It is great,” replies Horne when asked if he enjoys playing with Lamont. “He always keeps me right at 13.

“He does a lot of grafting for me and it is always good. You know what you get. He keeps me right in defence and in attack he runs good lines and he is a good ball carrier.”

The little midfielder declares himself equally happy with finding Russell inside him, and he insists that the pair work as one after teaming up for Glasgow at least three times.

“We work well together,” says Horne. “A lot of the time we’ll have a little chat and come up with the starter play we want to run and he kind of takes control of that first and second phase and after that I become his eyes.

“He’s brilliant to play with. He’s got a great pass off both hands and he always finds you.”