John Barclay is widely regarded as one of the best openside flankers in world rugby, and brings real class and consistency to the Glasgow back row. Another of the Warriors to be selected for the 2011 Rugby World Cup, he is set to be a standout for both club and country for years to come.

Barclay was signed as an apprentice by Glasgow Warriors at the age of 17 in summer 2004, and in October that year, less than a month after his 18th birthday, he was included in the extended squad for Scotland’s autumn Tests.

That was even before he had made his Glasgow debut, which followed in November that year, when he made a replacement appearance in the victory against Borders: it was only two days too late for him to claim the record of the youngest player to appear in a Celtic League match.

Barclay had two seasons as an apprentice with Glasgow before he signed a full contract. In the second of those seasons, 2005-2006, he played in 17 matches, starting in all six of Warriors’ Heineken Cup pool matches, and in season 2006-2007 he played in all 27 of Glasgow’s games, starting in 25.

The only uncapped member of Scotland’s original 2007 Rugby World Cup squad, he made his Scotland debut in the 2007 Rugby World Cup match against New Zealand at Murrayfield the day before his 21st birthday. Even in defeat in that match he produced clear indications as openside flanker that a long international career lay ahead for him.

His Six Nations Championship debut followed in the opening match of the 2008 tournament against France at Murrayfield. Also that year he played in the Cardiff game against Wales as well as the second Test win against Argentina in Buenos Aires and the November internationals against New Zealand, South Africa, and Canada, scoring his first Scotland try in the last of those matches, the 41-0 win at Pittodrie, Aberdeen. He scored his second at the Millennium Stadium against Wales in the second 2010 RBS 6 Nations fixture.

John made a considerable impact playing in the back-row for Scotland under-18 in the 2004 Four Home Unions' tournament, and he played for Scottish Thistles on the European seven-a-side circuit tournament in Budapest in 2003.

John played in all five of Scotland’s matches in the 2005 IRB Under 19 World Championship in Durban, South Africa, captaining the team in the opening game against England and scoring the vital try in the win against Romania. His under-21 international debut was in Falkirk against France in February 2006, and a week later he played against the Welsh at Newport.

Because of injury early in that game he missed the Falkirk match against England, but he returned to play in the away wins against Ireland and Italy. He then played in all five matches in the under-21 world championship in France, scoring a try against Georgia. Later that year he made his Scotland A debut as a replacement against Australia A at McDiarmid Park, and in February 2007, also at that Perth ground, he again made a substitute appearance when Scotland A beat their Italian counterparts.

He then played in all three of Scotland A’s games in the 2007 Churchill Cup in England, making his first start in the 13-9 win against the USA at Henley. That was followed by his selection as one of five uncapped players in Scotland’s squad for World Cup preparation.

John helped Dollar Academy to an impressive 27-14 win against Dundee High School in the Bell Lawrie White Scottish Schools Cup final at Murrayfield in 2004, and since then he has been awarded several accolades including the Macphail Rugby Scholarship and the Daily Record Sporting Heroes of the Future.

Honours: Scotland, Scotland A, Scotland U21, Scotland U19, Scotland U18