Peter Murchie has told the Scotland players released back to Glasgow Warriors this week to grab their opportunity to impress Gregor Townsend on Saturday night.

The Glasgow coach confirmed that Kyle Steyn, Jamie Bhatti, Stafford McDowall, Jamie Dobie and Ross Thompson are all available for selection for the visit of the Dragons to Scotstoun this weekend. Steyn started against Wales and was due to play against France as well before he left the camp to be with his wife who had gone into labour with their child. He had been injured prior to the Six Nations with the win over Toulon his first game back and he’s been allowed to play for Glasgow this weekend to get more game time.

And he’s joined by Bhatti, who is likely to be the most frustrated that he’s not been involved in any of the two matches so far having been a regular in the match day 23 over recent years and Murchie admits it will have been tough for him but it’s part and parcel of professional rugby. Glasgow will get use of him this weekend and Murchie has provided insight into the 30-year-old’s thinking and is confident he will put his best foot forward for the URC clash at Scotstoun.

He said: “There’s guys in different boats. There’s some who aren’t playing who have been in match day 23 regularly and some who are less established and trying to force their way in. It’s part of the game. Guys come in who maybe didn’t expect to be in and form or injuries or whatever and you’ve just got to react in the right way. Things can change so quickly, especially in Jamie’s position. You can go from not in the match day squad to starting very quickly.

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“He’s eager. There’s disappointment there with everyone coming back who hasn’t been playing but it’s the ups and downs of professional rugby, you’ve got to keep persevering. The nature of release in the Six Nations is it’s normally guys who haven’t played a massive amount of rugby.

“Obviously it’s frustrating for those guys as always but they’re always really happy to get involved and have something to target. There’s always feedback in non-selection so it’s an opportunity to put that feedback into a game and they’re all in really good spirits.

“Everyone has had a break regardless whether it’s a Scotland guy or a non-Scotland guy. They’ve had a few weeks without games so we want to pick up where we left on and crack on with the league.”

Nine of Scotland’s starting XV against France came from Glasgow Warriors while it would have been 10 if Steyn was available. Murchie watched closely from the Murrayfield stands and admits he was gutted for the lads on the pitch with how it ended, and reckons it reminded him of the end to the game against Exeter earlier this year when Glasgow felt hard done by with a TMO call in the final minute.

He's been hugely impressed by Kyle Rowe, though, with the versatile back picking up his second and third cap by playing at full back against Wales and then on the wing against France after a late reshuffle to make up for Steyn’s absence. He hasn’t been released back for Saturday but Murchie has been delighted with his progress and reckons he’s an example to everyone that your chance can come out of the blue with Blair Kinghorn’s injury opening up an opportunity for him.

He said: “It’s a horrible way to end the game. We’ve gone through it ourselves pretty recently with Exeter and it brought back shades of that. It’s tough when a game ends like that and there’s a sense of what if but you have to move on fairly quickly because the result isn’t going to change but it’s a tough way for the game to end. Probably a sense of injustice I guess.

“Kyle played at 15 against Wales where he hasn’t played a massive amount and did a good job. He switched to wing at late notice and a position he’s more used to playing and he gave a good account of himself and showed his versatility which is always useful. He showed defensively aerial wise in terms of dealing with high balls, he showed attacking prowess in both the games. At the start of the Six Nations you’re probably thinking Blair is playing 15 because he’s been the incumbent for a couple of months now so things change and he’s done a good job and not done himself any harm that’s for sure.”