GLASGOW hooker George Turner has insisted that his longstanding friendship with some of his former Edinburgh team-mates will have no effect on his play when the teams meet at Scotstoun tomorrow evening.
With Fraser Brown out injured, the 28-year-old is set to start for the Warriors in the rearranged PRO14 match, which had to be postponed last Friday as the Scotstoun pitch was frozen. Turner spent five years at Edinburgh before heading west in 2018, but is adamant that any lingering affection for his old team can be parked for the duration.
“For example, Hamish Watson is godfather to my child and I’m godfather to his child, and a lot of people are really good mates as well,” he said. “But once you get on the pitch it’s the classic rugby thing: you beat each other up then after the whistle it’s back to normal and we’re fairly civilised people.
“I’m trying to do my job and if anyone is in front of me or running at me I’ll hit them as hard as they can no matter who they are. Just get on with my job, to be honest.”
As Brown is set to miss the Six Nations because of his neck injury, Turner’s job during the Championship looks likely to be understudy to Edinburgh captain Stuart McInally. Needless to say, however, he has every intention of putting as much pressure as possible on McInally in the fight for the No 2 jersey.
“I probably am viewed as second choice behind Stuart, but we really push to play,” added Turner, whose dozen caps to date have yet to include a Six Nations appearance, injury having ruled him out in the last two seasons. “I make him answer questions and he has to up his game. I’m not looking to be second choice - I want to start and get as much game time as possible.”
Meanwhile, Turner’s front-row colleague Oli Kebble is a doubt for tomorrow’s match after picking up a head knock in training yesterday. The loosehead prop last played in the Champions Cup game against Exeter a month ago.
The Warriors have played only once since that heavy defeat by the European champions, going down 10-7 to Edinburgh in the first 1872 Cup match of the season a fortnight ago. Head coach Danny Wilson will name his team for this second leg at noon today.
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