Things are gradually returning to normal (if there is any such thing in the world of Scottish Rugby) and with the first two rounds of this season’s United Rugby Championship already in the books it’s time for a first detailed look at the ‘Official’ On Top Of The Moon Depth Chart for 2020/21.(For a look at last campaign’s Depth Chart click here.)
Here is the full OTOTM Depth Chart for Glasgow 2020/21 (right click and open in new tab for large version):
Main squad facts and figures
Squad size:
- As it stands there are 43 full-time pros in this year’s squad (including 2 players – Domingo Miotti and Josh McKay – who are yet to arrive at Scotstoun).
- There is currently 1 on loan player as well as 15 Scottish Rugby Academy stage 3.
- That compares to 44 + 1 + 14 at the start of last season.
- Overall the Warriors’ full-time squad averaged 44 players during 2020/21.
- The club also made liberal use of short-term loans and contracts to provide cover last season. TJ Ioane was in Glasgow for the full season with Lewis Bean, James Scott and Dylan Evans also involved for various periods. Robbie Fergusson spent much of the campaign with the Warriors before joining up with Team GB.
Age:
- The squad is marginally younger with the average age now standing at 26.8 compared to 26.9 last year.
- The average for the first team is 26.9 v 27.4.
- There are 9 players over the age of 30 at the start of the season. That’s slightly down from 10 last year.
- There are 9 players aged 23 and under at the start of the season (2020/21 – 10)
- Ryan Wilson is the oldest player in the squad at 32 years and 4 months. Hooker Fraser Brown is next in line at 32 years and 3 months.
- Jamie Dobie (20 years and 4 months) is the only player in the squad born in 2001 or later. Tom Lambert (20 years and 10 months) is next youngest.
Caps:
- There are 24 capped players (20 Scots and 4 others) with 551 Test caps among them.
- That’s a decrease from last season when there were 26 capped internationals in the main squad of 44 players (22 Scots and 4 others). That group had a combined 615 caps .
Appearances:
- The players have a total of 2,022 Warriors appearances behind them.
- They include 6 Warrior Centurions who account for almost half (949) of the previous matches played for the club.
- Two games into the season there are just 3 players in the main squad who have yet to make their Warriors’ debuts – Domingo Miotti, Sebastian Cancelliere and Josh McKay.
- Ali Price (97 appearances) and Nick Grigg (91) could well both reach Centurion status during the coming campaign.
Development:
- 16 (compared to 18 last year) of the main squad have progressed directly from the Scottish Rugby Academy or its predecessor, Elite Development Player contracts (37% of current full-time players – 41% last season).
- Of the remaining players:
- 6 came from Super Rugby;
- 6 from other PRO14 clubs (all from Edinburgh);
- 4 from the Gallagher Premiership;
- 1 from the Top 14
- And there were 10 ‘others’ (Heriots, Boroughmuir, Southern Knights, Hull, Nice, Brisbane City, Moseley, Yamaha Jubilo, Scotland 7s, Eastern Suburbs and Bay of Plenty).
- 11 of the players who came to Glasgow from other clubs were involved in the EDP or SRA systems at some stage in their career – so in total 63% of the current squad came through the senior development pathways (59% last season).
Not Scottish Qualified:
- Forwards – 3 of 24 players in the main squad are not eligible to play for Scotland (12% – the equivalent figure was 21% last season).
- Backs – 3 of 19 players are not Scots qualified (16% – compared to 10% in 2018/19).
- Total – 6 of 43 players (14%). Last season 7 of 44 (16%).
- Nationalities – 5 in total (2020/21 – 5)
- 37 players – Scottish (or Scottish-qualified).
- 3 players – Argentinian.
- 1 player each – Australian, English, New Zealander.
- For the first time since the 2011/12 season, there are no Fijian-born players in the squad.
Super 6:
There are three clubs in the Super 6 who are linked to Glasgow – Ayrshire Bulls, Boroughmuir Bears and Stirling County. The 15 Scottish Rugby Academy players included above are also allocated to one of these three sides.
The remaining players are noted below with one candidate in each position highlighted who might be considered as having the best chance of linking up with the Warriors at some stage this season. The other squad members are listed in alphabetical order within their positions. Players in capitals have previously played in a competitive match for either Glasgow or Edinburgh.
On Top Of The Moon 