URC: Glasgow v Connacht: Gregor Hiddleston joins list of wounded Warriors
01/24/2025 03:00 PM
GREGOR HIDDLESTON is facing up to two months out of action with an ankle injury he suffered during Glasgow Warriors’s defeat to Harlequins last weekend, with his unavailability this weekend handing 18-year-old academy prospect Joe Roberts an opportunity to make his professional debut against Connacht at Scotstoun on Sunday if he is deployed off the bench.
"He [Hiddleston] left the field against Harlequins. It's a syndesmosis injury [a tear in the ligaments that connect the tibia and fibula]. We will determine this week if surgery is required, but it’s usually around about a six to eight week injury,” explained head coach Franco Smith.
Meanwhile, Smith insisted that he won’t look to recruit extra cover in the back-five of his scrum despite a glut of injuries (and unavailabilities due to international commitments) leaving him with just one specialist second-row in Alex Samuel at his disposal this weekend and three hookers named on the bench.
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"No, it’s not a concern,” Smith stated. "I think both JP du Preez and Jare Oguntibeju are a couple of weeks away from returning. No, definitely not necessary to bring anybody in. Alex Samuel and Euan Ferrie played basically the whole game against Harlequins in that position. We’ve now, for a period, made use of ‘flocks’, as I call them – ‘flank-locks’ – and if they produce in the set-piece what we want, then their ability around the park is a benefit. Hard work has gone into the set-piece for us from that perspective, whilst we wait for these boys to recover.
"Now, with Scott Cummings being injured as well, and Max Williamson, both of them have had fractures. It’s not like it’s a muscle injury, it’s fractures. But both Jare and JP are looking good, and we’ll hopefully see them in the next couple of weeks being back for selection."
Smith added that Cummings will see a specialist this coming Tuesday to make a final decision on whether an operation will be required on his fractured forearm, but explained that: "Whatever is decided, even if it’s operated on, it will not prolong the recovery period, the recovery timeframe is exactly the same.
While the squad is being stretched in some key areas, the return of Ollie Smith (after 13 months out of action with an ACL knee injury) – playing outside centre rather than full-back – and Nathan McBeth (after three months out with an MCL knee injury ) covering loose-head from the bench, has added depth in those positions, with Smith able to rest Jamie Bhatti this week rather than press him into action after he was released by the Scotland camp for this match.
"Obviously, Ollie’s been knocking on the door for quite a while now. He’s been rugby ready for about a month,” said Smith. “Unfortunately, the type of games we played didn’t allow us to just chuck him in and play for the sake of introducing him. There were some important games. So, this is the ideal opportunity for him.
"At Glasgow Warriors, you don’t have the luxury to have a preferred position, you have to be able to adapt and play different roles,” the coach added. "Ollie’s one of those guys. He can play wing and full-back. He’s played centre for us and, going forward, we might see him more often there, you never know. But, obviously, we’re also a little bit forced into that situation with the guys not being available through the Scotland selection and injury.
"[Nathan’s return] allows us to give Jamie Bhatti a weekend off,” continued Smith. “Jamie has been involved literally with every game since the end of last year due to his commitments to Scotland and then being released back to us, so Nathan’s return comes at a very good time.
"I think he’s also eager to prove his worth and put up his hand for selection in the Six Nations as he’s been very close to Scotland selection before. It’s very good to have that bit of energy coming back."
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