Glasgow star Stu ready to go thewholeHogg

STUART Hogg looks likely to make his long-awaited return to action this weekend when Glasgow Warriors play Exeter Chiefs looking for their first win in this year’s European Champions Cup.

It would be perfect timing for both him and Gregor Townsend, the Scotland coach, giving him the chance to dust the cobwebs off after two months out ahead of the NatWest 6 Nations.

According to Jason O’Halloran, the Warriors attack coach, Hogg is among a group of key players hoping to be involved in Sunday’s game, with Tommy Seymour, Leonardo Sarto and even Alex Dunbar also looking to return. Ryan Wilson, however, is unlikely to be ready.

Hogg has been running with the team all week and according to the coach, his enthusiasm is already having an affect after the demoralising 55-19 defeat to Leinster last weekend.

“He’s been a menace,” said O’Halloran. “He was narking at me three weeks ago: ‘I’m good to go’ and I’m saying, ‘That’s not what the physios say’. I love that attitude, you want guys who are keen to get on the field as quickly as possible. Even watching training, he brings a bit of zest and zeal to others around him, which is crucial given the disappointing result last week.

“He ran really well, we are really pleased with that. We have not done a lot of contact work yet, so we do a bit and also see how the foot/hip bear up after he did a lot of running on a pretty firm surface. How he recovers and gets through contact will be key for selection.”

“Unless he turns up really stiff tomorrow or bangs his shoulder and gets a bit sore in contact I would imagine he will be fit.”

HOGG himself has been raring to go since the start of the month but has been held back by a niggling foot problem. It all means that Glasgow are hoping to field a stronger side at home against Exeter than they did in the final European away match in Dublin with, as O’Halloran pointed out, a number of established combinations being restored to action.

There will also be a second run-out for George Turner, the hooker currently on loan from Edinburgh, who will become an official Glasgow player from the summer after signing a two-year deal to stay with the club that revived his career after five years of complete frustration in the east.

“Since I’ve been here it has been ideal, I just want to stay here and develop further,” Turner said after admitting that it had been a tough decision to leave his home city and gamble on life in the west.

“It has been quite a strange experience because it all changes at once.

“It is a very different experience being involved every week, doing all the analysis and reviewing the game for other players, and the development of my game has just really taken off.

“The best way to learn and get better is to play, so to get so much more professional rugby under my belt has been huge.”