Scotland trio leave Glasgow Warriors 'excited' as cult hero prepares to join special club

Glasgow Warriors ought to make light work of dealing with this particular bunch of docile Dragons but Franco Smith can always call upon his latest centurion should matters prove trickier than expected. The Newport franchise arrive at Scotstoun having finally snapped an 18-game losing streak with a draw against the Sharks last weekend but, eyeing up potentially more winnable Welsh derbies in the weeks ahead, have made 12 changes for the trip north, a tacit acknowledgement perhaps of how formidable Warriors are at home. Franco Smith has his own personnel issues to contend with too, although there was better news on Zander Fagerson, Jack Dempsey and Rory Darge, all of whom should get the chance to prove their fitness ahead of Scotland’s forthcoming Autumn Nations series. None of the trio are available for club duty this weekend, while Kyle Rowe and Matt Fagerson also both rotate out, even if the latter is officially listed as being burdened by an ankle injury. “I think if this was a semi-final, quarter-final or a final (he could play) but he (Fagerson) was going to be rested anyway this week,” explained Smith. “All the Scottish players that have a chance to play in the Autumn series will be involved in four out of the five games that we play to make sure we give them enough time to be fully fit, but also enough time to reset them before they go into the Test series.” As recently as last weekend it seemed unlikely that any of Darge (knee), Dempsey (groin) or Zander Fagerson (also knee) would be involved in Scotland’s four-match series that begins with the visit of the United States on November 1 but Smith now seems bullish about their collective prospects. “I'm excited,” added the South African. “All three of them have made big improvements this week. Big steps forward. With Jack, I have just watched him run out there. He looks in good form and might be available for selection next week. We'll obviously wait for the final clearance around that on Monday or Tuesday. “Zander also has been training well. He's done his RTP (return to play) skills and running work. He's progressing very nicely. Rory is out of his brace and he's been pain-free. That leads to progression from an RTP perspective. “So, some big steps forward. And a compliment to the medical team and the S&C staff that worked really hard this week to make sure those boys get a fair chance of being selected for Scotland in the Autumn series.” More pressing for Smith, however, is the opportunity for his Glasgow side to bounce back from last week’s loss to Benetton. There is a rare spot on the bench for Murphy Walker, the prop who without bad luck would have no luck at all, and a debut for Alex Craig, the Scotland second-rower snapped up from Scarlets in the summer. “I’m looking forward to seeing him play,” added Smith of Craig. “We tried to get him here last year and it didn't work out. He’s trained really hard to get back into shape after his injury leading into the first part of the pre-season so we're excited to add him to the Warrior family. “He's a set-piece driven player. His breakdown work is really good, whether it be carrying or cleaning. Sometimes that's what a No 4 lock brings you. I don't want to call it an old-school lock, but he's a hard worker, no-nonsense type of player. He'll bring some grunt that we expect from that position in our team.” Should Glasgow enjoy a far more comfortable evening than was the case in Treviso last week, then the home crowd ought to be in fine fettle by the time Johnny Matthews emerges from the bench to make his 100th club appearance. Matthews’ face has never really fitted on the international scene – just two Scotland caps – but he remains a cherished figure at Scotstoun. “People like players that score tries,” explained Smith of Matthews’ enduring popularity. “He doesn’t disappoint from that perspective. He's a try-scoring machine for the club. He did really well at the back of the maul for us when he was the top try-scorer in the competition. “To get 100 games for any player is a massive compliment. But to do it at one club is an extremely good achievement. The thing that stands out is that Johnny is a good person and he's also a good influence on the group. I'm very proud of him.”