Ruaridh Jackson ready to fill Stuart Hogg void for Scotland

Ruaridh Jackson insists he's ready to fill the void left by Glasgow Warriors team-mate Stuart Hogg if the superstar full-back is unable to recover in time for the Six Nations.

Hogg has been out since suffering a hip injury in November, which forced him to pull out of Scotland’s triumph over Australia in the Autumn Tests.

Jackson had initially been left out of the matchday squad, but got his chance thanks to Hogg’s misfortune and came off the bench as Scotland hammered the visitors 53-24. He then flew down to Wales the following day to help Glasgow defeat Ospreys.

Ruaridh Jackson has been in fine form for Glasgow Warriors this season. Picture: SNS

Edinburgh Rugby boss Richard Cockerill recently touted Blair Kinghorn as a possible Hogg replacement should he remain out for the start of the Six Nations, but Jackson hopes Scotland coach Gregor Townsend will keep faith with him.

He told the Daily Mail: “Fair enough, [Cockerill] will be bigging up his own players, but if Hogg is still injured, I’m hoping I can be pushing for a Scotland jersey and be in Gregor’s mind for the Six Nations.”

The 29-year-old has been a near ever-present for Glasgow this season, featuring in 12 of 13 fixtures in the Pro14 as well as four matches in the club’s Champions Cup campaign.

Such consistency of selection was not something he envisioned when he signed a one-year deal in the summer, but it has allowed the 32-cap international to get back to his best and Jackson is understandably keen to extend his stay beyond 2018.

Ruaridh Jackson has been in fine form for Glasgow Warriors this season. Picture: SNS

He added: “I signed a last-minute contract with Glasgow in the summer and I certainly didn’t expect to play in every game apart from one at this stage of the season, but that’s fine by me.

“Some players may like a rest but I’ve had barren times in my career, so it’s nice to be on the pitch a lot. I’m not going to complain about playing the game I love for the club I love.

“My contract is up this summer and I’m hoping to stay at Glasgow. The way things are building here with the new coaches, and the fact I’ve been playing a lot, has made it a very good season for me so far and I’d like to keep going.”