Scotland stars propelling Glasgow Warriors to top of BKT URC standings

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - NOVEMBER 03: Scott Cummings during a BKT URC match between Glasgow Warriors and DHL Stormers at Scotstoun Stadium, on November 03, 2023, in Scotstoun, Scotland. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

A squad packed full of Scotland stars has impressed from the opening whistle of the 2023/24 campaign, with no fewer than 24 Warriors having pulled on the famous dark blue jersey during their respective careers to date.

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18 of those 24 international standouts have featured for Scotland within the 2023/24 season, scoring a combined 17 tries in 131 appearances for the national squad.

Of those 18, Scott Cummings has been an ever-present in Gregor Townsend’s matchday squads, featuring in all 13 of Scotland’s Test matches since the summer of 2023.

The big second-rower has been part of a standout squad effort from Franco Smith’s playing group to date, spearheaded by their international contingent; Glasgow’s Scotland cohort have made a combined 250 appearances for their club in all competitions this season, notching 51 tries and contributing 377 points scored.

In the URC alone, Scottish caps account for 138 of the 240 starts made by Glasgow players on league duty. On the scoring side, they’ve been responsible for 303 of the Warriors’ points tally of 460, including 41 of the 68 tries bagged by the club through Round 16 of the 2023/24 campaign.

It should come as no surprise to find Johnny Matthews atop the combined try-scoring charts for club and country, the hooker’s debut score against Romania at the Rugby World Cup last autumn adding to his URC-leading tally of 13 tries in Glasgow colours. Glasgow skipper Kyle Steyn has his club-mate in his sights, however, recording nine tries – five for Scotland and four for Glasgow, all coming in his club’s last three league outings – across the season to date.

Whilst Steyn may be club captain, it’s squad-mate and fellow Scotland cap Stafford McDowall that has led the Warriors on the most occasions this season. Indeed, the centre is the only Warrior to start every single one of their 16 URC matches, missing just eight minutes of league action so far this season. The midfielder has skippered the side in half of those games, along with grabbing four tries and three Player of the Match awards in a landmark season for the centre.

With the race for the playoffs intensifying, it promises to be a conclusion to the season that the Warrior Nation – and Scotland supporters – will not want to miss.