Franco Smith has revealed Huw Jones will be out for the foreseeable future after picking up a hand injury in Scotland’s Six Nations defeat to Ireland.
The Glasgow Warriors centre was pictured in a cast earlier this week and becomes the latest player to join the Scotstoun club’s injury list.
Jones had to have surgery on his hand and it’s now been confirmed as an injury to his ring finger, leaving Smith unsure of exactly how long he will be out for.
The centre won’t be returning any time soon but Smith will be hoping he can still have an impact on the season but the nature of the problem means no timescale can be put onto it and they’ll just have to take it week by week.
He said: “We’re not sure how long he’ll be out for yet. It’s something that can heal more rapidly than one thinks but he won’t be available for the foreseeable future.
“He got injured during the match against Ireland, just before half-time apparently. It’s his ring finger on his right hand. It’s always difficult [to gauge how long he’ll be out for] as it’s a different injury from an arm or a leg. We’ll just have to take it week by week.”
Glasgow have made four changes to their squad with Jack Dempsey, Matt Fagerson and Kyle Steyn back from the Scotland squad and Duncan Weir in for a start at fly-half.
READ MORE: Glasgow Warriors team to face Cardiff confirmed ahead of game
It means an unchanged front row with Nathan McBeth and Luca Sordoni starting at tighthead and loosehead while Johnny Matthews plays at hooker.
The second row sees Max Williamson and Alex Samuel continue in there while Fagerson and Dempsey come into the back row alongside Euan Ferrie, who plays on the blindside.
Weir adds some extra experience at fly-half while his half back partner is Jamie Dobie, who starts his third game in a row. The first of those came on the wing but he’s now held onto the number nine jersey he wore in Italy during the win over Benetton.
Stafford McDowall and Tom Jordan start at centre while Kyle Steyn comes in on the wing with Sebastian Cancelliere and Josh McKay completing the team.
Dempsey hasn’t played much for Warriors this season because of injury but he’s straight back in despite playing regularly for Scotland throughout the Six Nations.
Smith is delighted to have him back and admits he is desperate to have an impact on their season having missed so much of it through injury.
He added: “He’s very excited to be out there and keen to contribute to the Glasgow cause. He hasn’t played much this season, maybe just two games.
“Jack, Kyle and Stafford are the three guys that started for Scotland last weekend and it was important for us over the next few weeks to blend our boys back in so we have almost everyone available for selection for the round of 16 tie coming up.
“We’re not projecting ahead too far but we’ve got an opportunity to blend back in the guys who haven’t been in our environment for a while along with the guys who have been on the fringes with Scotland or on the bench like Matt Fagerson and George Horne.
“It’s good to have the first bunch of boys back in. We’ve got a patient plan for them so we’ll see how it looks going forward. The other Scotland guys who aren’t involved have had a week off recovering.
“It’s always a bit stop-start during the Six Nations but from our perspective but also for Scotland. There’s a long period of the season still left looking ahead so it’s important for us to get back our rhythm as quickly as possible and get an understanding of what needs to be done next.”
Glasgow can go to the top of the table for at least 24 hours with bonus point win over Cardiff but Smith is refusing to think too far ahead and all the focus is on the next couple of weeks.
He added: “We don’t look at the table too much. We’ll just try to be as good as we can be from the first minute otherwise we will look perspective. Any bonus point win is important for us but Cardiff will be a team coming here with a mission themselves.
“The target on our back just gets bigger and bigger as we go forward. We’ll have a tough fight and that’s where our focus sits. The rest will take care of itself.
“There’s always a plan. When you climb a mountain, you don’t just present the mountain. You find a route up the mountain. We have our challenges and this week and next week is there to lead us into the round of 16 (against Harlequins) in the EPCR.
“We will see this as an opportunity to get the team aligned and prepared as well as being the best version of ourselves every week. We see the next three as a block and our first objective is to get this one under our belts.”
Glasgow team to face Cardiff: J McKay, S Cancelliere, S McDowall, T Jordan, K Steyn, D Weir, J Dobie, N McBeth, J Matthews, L Sordoni, M Williamson, A Samuel, E Ferrie, M Fagerson, J Dempsey
Replacements: G Hiddleston, A Dell, O Kebble, S Manjezi, A Miller, H Venter, G Horne, D Mann
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