Glasgow Warriors: George Turner on the mend but it's too soon for Jack Dempsey

Latest injury news from Scotstoun ahead of the weekend visit of Benetton

George Turner has not played for Glasgow Warriors since returning from the Rugby World Cup. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

The likely return of Scotland hooker George Turner this weekend will give Glasgow Warriors a boost although the club have been coping pretty well without him.

Turner has not played since returning from the Rugby World Cup, with a stomach bug ruling him out of the last couple of games. Al Dickinson, Glasgow’s scrum coach, says the player is now fully recovered and desperate to be involved again.

“He’s back now and he’s been training,” said Dickinson. “He’s keen as, and George just loves playing. The sooner he gets back the better. It’s quite a good position to be in with players still to come back because it can be quite difficult in a World Cup year. We are in a good spot and it’s just about managing the boys so they can get game time.”

The Warriors face Benetton at Scotstoun on Saturday as they look to build on a promising start to the season. They are level on points with the Bulls and Leinster at the top of the table after winning three from four in the United Rugby Championship.

In the absence of Turner, hooker duties have been shared by Johnny Matthews and Angus Fraser who have each made two starts and two substitute appearances. Matthews, Glasgow’s leading try-scorer last season, has already weighed in with five for the current campaign, more than anyone else in the URC. Academy graduate Fraser, meanwhile, was voted Warrior of the month for October by the club’s fans and scored a try in the bonus point win over Leinster on the opening weekend.

Dickinson has welcomed the increased competition across the board. “We aren’t going to stick to the same team all season and there will be opportunities all the time,” he said. “It’s quite exciting as I like to see as many players getting as many minutes as they can.”

Despite the win over Ospreys last weekend, Dickinson has identified room for improvement, particularly at the lineout. “It wasn’t as clean as it needs to be, despite scoring maul tries,” he said. “Our scrum wasn’t as clean either and there are a few issues we need to fix there, especially against Treviso because theirs is very good.”

Saturday’s match is likely to come too soon for Jack Dempsey who is still nursing a wrist injury.