Sione Tuipulotu set to return for Glasgow 'way ahead' of schedule

03/25/2025 06:00 PM

NIGEL CAROLAN has revealed Sione Tuipulotu is set to return for Glasgow Warriors "way ahead" of schedule thanks to his diligence and professionalism.

The Scotland captain missed the entirety of the Six Nations after sustaining a pectoral muscle in training just prior to the tournament starting.

National team head coach Gregor Townsend had predicted at that time – late January – that Tuipulotu would likely be sidelined for "four to five months", a timeline that would have seen him miss the rest of the regular season and put in jeopardy his chances of making the British and Irish Lions tour of his homeland, Australia.

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Carolan, though, suggested the centre could now return in the coming weeks due to the way he has thrown himself into his rehabilitation programme.

And that could see Tuipulotu play an integral role as Warriors step up the defence of their URC title while also looking to advance their Champions Cup aspirations, too.

The attack coach said: "I think Glasgow Warriors fans will be delighted to hear that he’s back on the field. He’s back training. And he hasn’t lost any of his energy or any of his skill. But again, it’s just about building that up. It’s definitely not an injury that can be rushed back.

“But from where it started, it was months and now it’s weeks. So, I think his return date is definitely getting closer. I think (when it happened) he felt sorry for himself for the first couple of days. It was a massive blow, not only to him but to Scotland and to Glasgow Warriors, especially in a British and Irish Lions year.

"It was a lot to deal with. But I have to say, the way he’s addressed his rehab and his recovery has been equally as professional as how he prepares for games. He’s so diligent.

"He put hours into every day. So, it’s to be expected that he will be back way ahead of what was his predicted return date because of how diligent and professional he’s been."

Tuipulotu will be an interested spectator once again this weekend as Warriors welcome the Lions to Scotstoun on Saturday evening.

Matt Fagerson has been given the weekend off but his brother Zander plus others like Tom Jordan, Rory Darge and Jamie Dobie could come back into contention after being rested last weekend.

Others who are nursing minor injuries – like Ollie Smith and Huw Jones – might not be risked.

Carolan added: "It's the usual balancing act, isn’t it? So, those who were in last week are off this week and vice versa.

"Huw Jones is back in the building but he’s still just recovering from a tight Achilles. So, we’re just managing that quite conservatively at the moment and Jack Dempsey came back with a hamstring injury as well. So, that needs to be looked after over the next couple of weeks.

"Ollie Smith got a bang on his shoulder (against Munster last weekend). It's quite low grade so he may miss this weekend but thankfully it’s not long-term. It’s great that in the absence of Sione, Tom Jordan and Huw Jones that Ollie got some exposure at 13 for us and just carried us through those last three or four games when we were without guys like that."

Leinster continue to lead the way at the top of the URC table but were finally beaten at the weekend by the play-off chasing Bulls. Carolan wasn't sure whether that was a good result for Glasgow or not but admitted it will give others hope that his fellow Irishmen aren't invincible.

He added: "Would it have suited us if the Bulls had been beaten? I don’t really know. But I think the fact that Leinster have lost their first game of the season maybe shows that it’s not an impossible task (to beat them).

"We hope that we can face them in a couple of weeks in the Champions Cup quarter-finals. And I think the fact that they’ve lost as well might maybe sew a little seed of 'okay, they’re not unbeatable'. It's something we know that, if we can bring our A game and if we’ve got our strongest squad available, we could ask some really good questions there."

Glasgow are set to lose one coach in defence specialist Pete Murchie at the end of the season but Carolan has no similar plans of also exiting from Scotstoun.

He added: "We love it at the Glasgow Warriors. It’s home now. For me, as long as there’s a challenge, there’s growth (then he’ll stay). If I felt that I was getting too comfortable here, I’d need to look for another challenge.

"But with the players that we have and the environment here, it challenges me every day. I feel that I’m still getting better as a coach. There’s still more to give.

"I don’t see myself moving anywhere. It would have to be something with more to offer than Glasgow Warriors. And I can’t put a name on where that would be right now."

– Glasgow Warriors will be supporting Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity at Scotstoun this Saturday as the Emirates Lions are the visitors for the fifth annual Plaster It Purple fixture. To find out more and to donate, click HERE.

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