Wilson backs Gray for the Six Nations
GLASGOW Warriors head coach Danny Wilson believes that Richie Gray is ready to push his way into Scotland’s match-day squad for the first time in almost three years, when the national side kick-off their 2021 Six Nations campaign with a trip to Twickenham to take on England on February 6.
The 6ft 10ins second-row has been in the international wilderness since the end of the 2018 Six Nations due to a combination of injury and unavailability for family reasons.
A big driver in his decision to return to Warriors last summer, following eight years playing in England and France, was to put himself back in the frame to earn his 66th Scotland cap.
Gray had to withdraw from Scotland’s Autumn Test schedule due to a concussion, leaving him a frustrated bystander as his brother, Jonny, and Warriors team-mate, Scott Cummings, further cemented their places in the national engine-room.
However, Wilson believes that two towering performances from Gray for Warriors in the recent 1872 Cup double-header against Edinburgh showed that the 31-year-old is still a formidable force capable of being an important contributor to the national cause.
“I am really pleased for Richie because he was a couple of months out with concussion and it can take players a while to get back from that, but he hit the ground running,” said Wilson. “I think he had the carrot in his mind that because he is back in Scotland he wants to play for Scotland, so he knew the derbies were an important chance for him to improve his chance of being selected – and he had two really good games.”