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England the only team not represented in official Six Nations team of the Championship
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URC leaders Glasgow dealt major setback with damaging injury list from Six Nations
By Bryn Palmer
Scotland wing Kyle Steyn is likely to miss at least Glasgow’s next few games, including their European Champions Cup last-16 tie against the Bulls after returning from international duty with a stress fracture of his foot.
The Warriors captain started Scotland’s final Six Nations game against Ireland in Dublin last Saturday despite suffering a deep cut to his leg trying to prevent Antoine Dupont scoring a try for France the previous week.
But Steyn, who scored three tries and beat more defenders (a Championship joint-record 26) than anyone during a fine personal campaign, picked up a foot issue against Ireland that could keep him sidelined for the next month.
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After home URC games against Leinster on Saturday and Benetton next Saturday, Glasgow host the Bulls in the Champions Cup on April 4, with a potential home quarter-final the following week if they prevail against the South African province.
“He’s got a little stress fracture,” revealed Warriors head coach Franco Smith. “That will keep him in a boot for three weeks and then we will try and bring him back. We can’t put a specific time frame on it. It’s always difficult with those things. Unfortunately, he’ll be missing some of the games now.
“There was an open wound going into that (Ireland) game after he fell on Dupont’s leg the week before and got cut. But this one is maybe a little bit of something that happened in the week leading up to it or obviously in the Ireland game.”
Steyn is one of four players short-listed for the Six Nations Player of the Championship award after establishing himself as a first-choice pick for Scotland despite competition from the likes of Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe.
“I’m super proud of him and the way he’s gone about his business,” Smith said. “He dealt well with the disappointment of not being selected for the Lions tour last year. I think he had his hopes up for that.
“Since then, he’s made the international arena his own. He knew the hard work we put in here and the way we coach and develop players is going to assist him in doing that. I’m really proud of him and his diligence and hard work and belief, but also the mental toughness he’s shown that makes him the leader that we want.”
As well as Steyn, Smith will also have to do without two more frontline Scotland players as he approaches the business end of the season with Glasgow top of the URC and with home advantage heading into the European knockout stages.
Versatile wing/scrum-half Jamie Dobie was already unlikely to play again this season after undergoing shoulder surgery following Scotland’s Calcutta Cup victory over England.
Lock/flanker Gregor Brown, meanwhile, is not expected to return from the hamstring injury he suffered in Scotland’s win over France until June, which means he is only likely to feature again in the domestic campaign if Glasgow make the URC semi-finals.
Fellow lock Scott Cummings, who suffered a calf injury in the same game, is facing four-to-six weeks out and could return after the Champions Cup last-16 and quarter-final stages in time for Glasgow’s two-match trip to South Africa in the URC in mid-April.
There was further disappointment for Glasgow fans this week when it was confirmed Scotland No.8 Jack Dempsey will end his five-year spell at Scotstoun this summer and take up a four-year deal with a Japan League One club, believed to be Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo.
Smith revealed that despite starting talks over a new deal with Dempsey, who turns 32 next month, back in August, ultimately the player’s decision came down to finances.
“We love Jack and I’m really proud of him, but when people play well, somebody else with a bigger chequebook comes along,” Smith said. “It’s happened my whole coaching career and I’ve learned how to deal with it from a personal aspect.
“We’re super proud that we had shares in Jack’s future and obviously in his inheritance. It happens basically because he doesn’t go there necessarily for the rugby side of things – that goes without saying too much.
“But he’s contributed a lot here, he’s an excellent player for us and he’s done so well for Scotland. We couldn’t stand in his way with the offer that he received. It was too big for us to match and that is the primary reason.”
Smith said Warriors fans could anticipate announcements soon on replacements for Dempsey, plus fellow Scotland internationals Huw Jones (Toulon), Adam Hastings (Montpellier) and Jamie Bhatti (Bath), who are also leaving at the end of the season.
At least “one or two” of the incomers will be foreign players, despite Scottish Rugby’s policy of largely prioritising the recruitment of Scotland-qualified players.
“We still have to balance the squad out for next season,” Smith added. “What I can say is that in the broader picture, we would like to maintain the quality of the programme we have. The players that we’re going to bring in are going to be there to sustain that.
“I believe, like I said from the start, coaching beats the budget. We will try and keep on working hard with the quality of the people that we have.”
Smith has handed former Scotland Under-20s captain Johnny Ventisei his senior debut at centre against Leinster on Saturday, with Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones among eight Scotland frontliners – including Rory Darge, Zander and Matt Fagerson, Dempsey and Max Williamson, plus the injured Steyn – absent after their Six Nations exertions.
But 11 other players involved in Scotland’s Six Nations squad return, although only three of the Warriors starting XV – scrum-half George Horne, wing Kyle Rowe and lock Alex Craig – were involved against Ireland last Saturday, all off the bench.
A fourth who featured in Dublin, prop Rory Sutherland, is among the replacements, as is fly-half Adam Hastings after recovering from an injury sustained on Scotland duty.
Hooker Gregor Hiddleston, plus props Patrick Schickerling and a fit-again Fin Richardson, make up a new front row, while Tongan flanker Sione Vailanu starts his first game of the season, after outings off the bench in Warriors’ last two games.
The 31-year-old returned this time last year from 15 months on the sidelines with a serious knee injury to play seven games at the end of last season, but continued to struggle with the after-effects of his injury until January.
“We have slowly but surely introduced him back to rugby,” Smith added. “When we brought him back last season, there was more hope to it than he was physically able to do. He still had a lot of pain and he just couldn’t get rid of that.
“But this time around, he feels pain-free. So hopefully tomorrow he gets a chance to step up again. Desperate is not the right word, but he’s determined to show that he’s back to his old form.”
Glasgow XV: 15. J McKay, 14. K Rowe, 13. J Ventisei, 12. S McDowall, 11. O Smith, 10. D Lancaster, 9 G Horne; 1. P Schickerling, 2. G Hiddleston, 3. F Richardson, 4. A Craig, 5. A Samuel, 6. E Ferrie, 7. S Vailanu, 8. M Duncan.
Replacements: S Stephen, R Sutherland, S Talakai, J Oguntibeju, A Fraser, A Miller, J Oliver, A Hastings.
