Scotland stand-off returns to action as clue given over Six Nations availability - but too soon for Steyn

Adam Hastings is on course to feature for Glasgow Warriors in their home match against the Ospreys this Saturday.

The Scotland international stand-off has recovered from the fractured jaw he suffered in the win over the Scarlets at the end of November when he was on the wrong end of a heavy, but legitimate, hit from the Welsh side’s No. 8 Vaea Fifita.

Hastings, 28, required surgery and was omitted from Gregor Townsend’s Six Nations squad as a result of the injury. He is now back in training and likely to be included in this weekend’s match at Scotstoun. It’s good news for both club and country, with the 31-times capped Hastings now having the chance to play himself into contention for the latter stages of the Six Nations.

George Horne has not been released to play for Glasgow Warriors this week. | PA

He is likely to be joined in the Warriors match-day squad by JP du Preez, the Glasgow second-row forward who has not played for over 18 months due to a serious knee injury which saw the giant South African lock rupture his anterior cruciate ligament. There was further good news on the injury front, with Sione Vailanu close to a return, although Saturday’s game might come too early for the back-rower who has also been out long term with a knee issue.

“Adam's cleared all of his return to play,” said Nigel Carolan, the Glasgow assistant coach. “Which position he might feature in is to be determined. Also JP will hopefully make his first appearance in 18 months. We hope to have him involved for the weekend as well.

“Sione Vailanu is back training fully and is very close to returning. I think this weekend might be just one game too tight for him. Again, it's not to be rushed. He's had quite a serious injury with his knee. He's been out a long time so we want to make sure that when he does come back it's in his best interest and he's fully fit and comfortable with how he can show up.”

Adam Hastings back in training for Glasgow Warriors during a session at Scotstoun. | SNS Group

It wasn’t all positive on the injury front, however. Josh McKay, the Glasgow full-back, hurt his ankle in the 45-20 win over the Dragons a week past Sunday and has undergone surgery which is likely to keep him out for up to eight weeks.

“I think we'll see him before the end of the season,” said Carolan. “But we've got Ollie Smith back and starting to integrate into the squad. I know he's playing 13 at the moment but he's on the field, he's getting minutes and it's great for him again just to get another perspective and I think he's going to be another good option for us at full-back while Josh is in recovery.”

Glasgow expect to have a handful of Scotland players available to them this weekend but not George Horne, which could be a sign that the scrum-half is in the frame for the Six Nations match against Wales at Murrayfield a week on Saturday. Horne came off the bench in Scotland’s opening game of the championship against Italy but it was club-mate Jamie Dobie who was reserve scrum-half in the subsequent games against Ireland and England.

Carolan expects that forwards Jack Mann, Euan Ferrie and Jamie Bhatti will all be released from the national squad to play for Glasgow against the Ospreys, and he believes the absence of Horne and/or Dobie offers Ben Afshar an opportunity to step up.

“I think he could do with the game time,” Carolan said of the 21-year-old. “I thought he finished out the game at the Dragons tremendously. Whatever hand we're dealt from Scotland, we'll deal with it and it provides an opportunity to the next batch of Warriors coming through.”

JP du Preez has been out for 18 months with a serious knee injury. | SNS Group

This Saturday’s match against the Ospreys will come too soon for club captain Kyle Steyn who has been out since injuring his knee in the win over Racing 92 in the Champions Cup on January 10.

“He hasn't integrated back into team training yet,” said Carolan. “He's just managing his recovery and his rehab so he's at the latter stages of that and hopefully I think it's the Munster game [on March 21] we'll be looking at.”

Whether Steyn could play for the national side before then remains to be seen. The game against Wales will almost certainly be too early for the winger. Scotland will finish their campaign against France in Paris on March 15. The likely return of Darcy Graham and the form of Duhan van der Merwe and Kyle Rowe, who both impressed in the defeat by England on Saturday, suggests Steyn may not be rushed back.

Carolan was particularly impressed by Rowe’s performance at Twickenham.

“Kyle really is a bag of tricks,” said the Warriors attack coach. “He's one of the coolest and calmest players I've ever worked with. He does not get too fluffed ever, no matter what the occasion is. He's so calm, he's so in the moment.”