I’M HOME & I WANT TO STAY HERE
Bhatti so glad to be back with Warriors
JAMIE BHATTI knows from bitter experience predicting what the future holds in professional sport is pointless.
But he is determined to do everything he can to ensure his Glasgow return is a happy homecoming.
The loosehead prop was a late bloomer, making his pro debut for Warriors as a 23-year-old in 2016.
He quickly progressed to the senior Scotland side, earning the first of his 18 caps against Samoa just a year later.
While his international career was taking off, Bhatti found himself being squeezed out at Warriors, leading to a switch along the M8 to Edinburgh in the summer of 2019.
Unfortunately it didn’t work out in the capital either and after one-and-ahalf unhappy seasons under Richard Cockerill – during which time he managed just four starts – Bhatti was on the move again to Bath.
But when Danny Wilson floated a return north to Scotstoun this summer, he jumped at the chance.
Bhatti, now 28, said: “I played 10 times down in Bath and I definitely developed my scrummaging and stuff, working with the coaches down there.
“The experience of playing in the Premiership and playing the top teams, it was good for me.
“A change of scenery as well is always good. I’m glad I got that experience and now I’m keen to bring it back up here.
“Glasgow is home for me, so it would be easy to sit here and say I would love to be at Glasgow for the rest of my career.
“But ultimately that is not my decision. I can’t offer myself a contract, although I wish I could.
“All I can do is try to give the best version of myself again and we will see what happens.
“It has been a tough couple of years with things not working at Edinburgh.
“But I am comfortable here and the more I play, the more confident I will get.
“I am just looking forward to enjoying my rugby and having fun with it again.”
Bhatti missed both preseason games with an ankle injury but returned in time to come off the bench last Friday in the opening match of this United Rugby Championship campaign.
The curtain-raiser ended in a 35-29 defeat by Ulster but Bhatti believes the team can bounce back when they host the Sharks tomorrow.
It will be their first match against any of the four South African teams who have joined the league this term.
He said: “They are big men, so it will be a physical game. They will be tough to break down.
“But that’s good for us because we have a big pack as well, we’ve a good scrum, good lineout and good drive.
“We would back ourselves against anyone.”
It comes as club-mate Sebastian Cancelliere found himself one of eight members of the Argentina squad to be banned from the remainder of the Rugby Championship after breaking Covid rules.
The 28-year-old winger, a summer signing, took part in an unauthorised sightseeing tour in Australia, crossing state lines from Queensland to New South Wales in the process.
Cancelliere misses his team’s final match against Australia tomorrow and is due to fly to Glasgow after the Championship.