Darge hopes to catch Townsend’s attention

GLASGOW WARRIORS flanker Rory Darge is preparing for the biggest game of his rugby career against La Rochelle in the Heineken Champions Cup — but he isn’t the only member of his family with sporting ability.

His brother Arron is a talented young centre-half with Hearts, currently on-loan to Gala Fairydean, who is also capturing attention.

The Scotland age-grade international is highly rated by Hearts head coach Robbie Neilson, who expects him to make a breakthrough to the first team before long.

‘Arron’s been at Hearts since he was 16 and is 19 in April,’ said the Glasgow Warriors openside flanker. ‘He’s on loan at Gala Fairydean and getting some adult football. He’s a centre-back and enjoying it.’

‘My dad played football and a lot of the rest of the family were footballers but I was never really that interested.

‘I played very little when I was young. Boxing and swimming were the two other sports that interested me, as well as rugby. I stopped boxing when I was about 15 and just focused on rugby from then.’

Today it is Rory’s moment in the spotlight as he starts against last year’s losing Heineken Champions Cup finalists in France. The match is being looked on as the one when Darge — who missed out on his first Scotland cap in the four Autumn Tests because of an ankle injury — can make his mark at the Scotstoun club and push his case further to be part of Gregor Townsend’s Six Nations squad.

After a lack of game time at Edinburgh under Richard Cockerill, he left there at the end of last season to move along the M8 to Scotstoun and has never looked back.

He has become one of the best No 7s in Scottish rugby and, although he has British and Irish Lion Hamish Watson of Edinburgh ahead of him in the pecking order, he has the talent to become his Six Nations understudy.

The 21-year-old from North Berwick, who has started nine of the 10 games he has played for Glasgow, knows the importance of the match against La Rochelle to his career.

‘This is probably the biggest game of my career,’ he said. ‘It’s my European debut, I’ve never played in this competition, so I’m excited about that. Also, it’s La Rochelle away, so it doesn’t get much tougher.

‘The biggest game before this one was probably my first start for Glasgow which was Edinburgh away in May. It was against my old club, so it meant a lot to me, going back to Murrayfield two months after leaving.

‘I honestly don’t know what to expect against La Rochelle as I’ve never played in a game like this before. I’m just looking to do what I can on the pitch, get all my bits right and work hard for the team.

‘There are some massive units in their team but as well as being a big side they’ve got a skilful, sharp nine and 10 in Tawera KerrBarlow and Ihaia West. They have a bit of everything but we just have to go there and put our game on them and see where that takes us.’

Bad luck and injury have denied Darge a first Scotland cap up until now, but after his lack of game time at Edinburgh, he is delighted to have seen his career firmly back on track under Danny Wilson at Glasgow, which is why he is looking forward to the future.

‘I was in the Scotland squad for the summer games called off due to covid and an injury put me out of the November Tests, so it’s been tough, obviously,’ he said.

‘We got to the stage of my first involvement. It was the day when the Scotland A game against a good England A team at Welford Road was called off due to Covid.

‘In saying that, nobody’s entitled to be playing international rugby and I obviously got myself to a point where the coaches were going to give me an opportunity so it was exciting and I’m not too gutted now.

‘It’s not got me down too much as nine months ago or so I wasn’t playing much for Edinburgh. I am delighted to be playing for Glasgow Warriors as much as I am and to be facing La Rochelle away in the top club competition in Europe is exciting.’

Darge revealed that a lot of pre-match chat had centred round Glasgow’s Heineken Champions Cup win over La Rochelle in France two years ago when they won 27-24 which was achieved with many of the players picked for the game tomorrow.

The Warriors team that day included Ali Price, Kyle Steyn, Zander Fagerson, Sam Johnson, Matt Fagerson and Scott Cummings, all of whom have been passing on their experiences of what it is like playing there to newcomers such as Darge.

‘There has been a lot of talk about that win in 2019 as it was so recent,’ said Darge. ‘There are guys involved with us who experienced going to La Rochelle and winning, that experience is hugely valuable.

‘These are guys who are starting for us and who are going to have a massive impact on the game.’