McDONALD HAS WARRIOR SPIRIT
GLASGOW LOCK DESPERATE TO MAKE HIS MARK
IT IS all about momentum for Kiran McDonald as he tries to use his first real run of games in a Glasgow Warriors shirt to make sure the return of the Rugby World Cup squad does not end his involvement in the side.
As a lock, he knows the performances Jonny Gray and Scott Cummings put in during their time in Japan have put them in pole position to wear the jerseys for most of the big matches but then he also looks at Cummings, in particular, and sees reassurance that chances will come if he deserves them.
“It’s been good to get a run of games,” McDonald said. “We got a win last time out, so we’ve got a nice bit of momentum heading into this weekend. Personally, it’s just about keeping my momentum going and, hopefully, getting another start.
“Young guys don’t get forgotten about at this club. If you’re training well and performing well, then the coaches will look at you more seriously every week.
“Scotty [Cummings] is a role model to me, I’ve known him for a fair few years now. If I can get into the same position as him in that short space of time, that would be amazing.”
What is important for McDonald is to see proof that a player will be given the chance to go from the fringes to a pivotal role if he puts in the work and performs in games.
Cummings, after all, was struggling to get into the first XV at the start of this year, got his chance when rivals were away in the Six Nations, grabbed it with both hands to keep the starting spot in all the big end-of-season matches and used that as a platform to win his first Scotland cap.
That, in turn, led to a spot in the World Cup squad where Cummings ended out playing a part in all four of Scotland’s matches – one of nine players who didn’t miss a game. For McDonald, the key thing was that his rival’s rise proved the mantra about rewarding performance, not reputation, was true.
The issue for McDonald has never been a lack of ability but his tendency to pick up knocks every time it looked as though he was about to get going.
“I joined the academy at Glasgow but was unfortunate with a couple of injuries and didn’t get re-contracted, so I made a move down south,” he recalled.
“I was playing with Hull RFC down there and I was then lucky enough to sign a pro deal here after a only couple of months. I got a call from my agent to sign my first professional deal here at Glasgow.”
That was almost two years ago but it has been far from smooth for him since then.
“I had a run in the team at one point last season and then unfortunately picked up a hand injury,” he added.
This season, however, has seen him get that coveted run of games and his performance against Cardiff Blues a couple of weekends ago, which brought the crowd to their feet in appreciation when he came off, showed what he is capable of. Now the job is to keep playing like that, starting this weekend against the Dragons.
“It’s such an amazing feeling to come off and the crowd are right there in front of you waiting for you,” he recalled. “The Dragons this week are a tough outfit. They always bring a lot of line speed and they’re really physical around the contact area and lineout. We need to have a quality set-piece and hold on to the ball.”