Turner ready to get stuck in on URC return

• 26 Nov 2021

A fully fit and firing George Turner is ready to hit the ground running this weekend on his return to United Rugby Championship action, as Glasgow Warriors go in search of a potentially crucial victory over a Scottish-Italian Shield rival.

The Scotland hooker returns to the starting XV for tomorrow afternoon’s trip to Treviso, as Danny Wilson’s men go head-to-head with Benetton at the Stadio Comunale di Monigo.

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With the international window now in the rear-view mirror, Turner is champing at the bit to take to the field in Glasgow colours once more.

“I’m really looking forward to getting back out there,” the 29-year-old told glasgowwarriors.org.

“I didn’t play as much as I wanted to during the Autumn Nations Series due to injury, so I can’t wait to get stuck into this block and getting a few games under my belt.

“It was a really positive camp for us [Scotland] overall, I’d say. To get three wins from four is obviously really pleasing, but the good thing for us is that we know there are still a lot of things that we can do better. That’s a big thing for us as we look to push on as a squad.

“To be able to welcome the new caps like Rufus [McLean], Ross [Thompson], Jamie [Dobie] and Sione [Tuipulotu] was also great, they fully deserved their opportunities.”

Turner is all too aware of what lies in store for his side tomorrow afternoon, however; with the Leoni having carried on their Rainbow Cup-winning form at the start of the 2021/22 campaign, the hooker knows the Warriors will need to be on top form.

The former Macphail Scholarship recipient is confident his side have the quality to get the job done, highlighting the feel-good atmosphere around Scotstoun with the full squad now back in the building.

“The squad is in a really good place, I’d say,” said Turner.

“The young boys that have come through in the last year or so have had a massive influence and taken their chances well, and they’ve really shown up well every time they pull on the Glasgow jersey.

“We’ve also got guys who have so much experience and so much knowledge bringing it all together, which makes it a great environment to play in. It’s a real team effort and we’re looking to show that on the pitch.

“We know Benetton are a good team, who have some seriously dangerous players in their squad. We won’t be taking them lightly in the slightest – we want to play to our strengths and to our game plan, put in a good performance and come away with a good win.”

Tomorrow’s match kick-starts one of the busiest spells of the season for the Scotstoun side, with the return of the Heineken Champions Cup and the festive double-header with Edinburgh amongst the fixtures on the horizon in the next 10 weeks.

For Turner and company, though, there is only one task on the agenda for this weekend.

“It’s going to be a massive block for us,” he said.

“With the two European matches and the two 1872 Cup games, these are some of the biggest games of the season for us as a club. We know how important our depth is going to be and we know we’ll need to be on top form to get the results we want.

“First and foremost, though, it all starts with Benetton this weekend. That’s our focus and we want to start the block in the right way.”

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