The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Returning Weir proud of rival
Duncan Weir was “hugely proud” of Peter Horne for the way he backed up Finn Russell against France but is determined to prove Vern Cotter is right to prefer him for the final game in Dublin.
The Glasgow Warrior will win his 23rd cap in the key playmaking role against Ireland after being recalled despite Horne’s seamless performance for 75 minutes as a replacement for Russell, who was concussed by “friendly fire” – team-mate John Barclay’s boot – inside the first five minutes of the 29-18 win over the French.
At a push Russell could have been ready for the Aviva Stadium but in the current climate no risks are being taken with concussion as the 23-year-old has been unable to train under the return-toplay protocols.
Instead Weir, dropped from the bench after Cardiff but having played twice for the Warriors since, gets the call and Horne returns to cover the bench.
Weir said he wasn’t concerned from a personal point of view with how well his Glasgow team-mate played on Sunday.
“I was just hugely proud of Horney’s performance,” he said. “A guy who has not played the whole tournament at 10 steps up and shows how natural a ball player he is.
“I enjoyed seeing him run the attack. Being a playmaker at 12 he is always chatting and orchestrating play anyway.
“It is tough on him not being selected this week but clearly it is an opportunity for me. It is a huge honour getting back into the side and one I am looking forward to.
“I have been here training so I know the calls and the structures they have in place so it is not being thrown in to the deep end as I have been in camp throughout the championship.”
Weir has led Glasgow to wins over Munster and Cardiff in the PRO12 in recent weeks, scoring one solo 40-yard sprint through the defence against the Irish side which hinted at how his game has developed away from being typecast as “the kicking option” at 10.
“In my younger days I might have been trying to link a little more than that,” he said. “But what you try to do is read what’s in front of you, and I saw a soft defence on that occasion and went for it.”