Pre-Season Diaries | Tom Jordan | Week Three

• 14 Sep 2023
• Features

Stepping up the intensity and catch-ups over coffee - TJ brings you up to speed on pre-season at Scotstoun...

This week’s been another step up in terms of physicality and intensity, for sure. Everyone’s really lifting their standards and boys are flying – we’re performing pretty well under fatigue, and everyone’s looking forward to getting more minutes under their belt. We’ve got a week off next week, so everyone’s looking to put themselves and the team in the best position possible for that break and then come back in firing ahead of the week of Zebre.

We’ve changed up the setup here this season a bit, so we’ve now got a hub upstairs with the coffee machine, a few beanbags and chairs, just to get everyone together to chill and relax before moving onto the next thing. We’ve also got a PlayStation up there too, although today was the first time I’ve seen it being used! It’s always good to get a bit of downtime, and there’s been a fair bit of chat flying around too! It’s been a great addition this year and everyone’s enjoying each other’s company.

Some boys have got quite into the old latte art, there’s a fair few of them getting stuck into that – some questionable efforts so far, too! I wouldn’t know, really, but there are definitely a few self-proclaimed baristas in there!

There are definitely a few boys that have been lighting it up on the field so far – Jamie Dobie is certainly one of them. He’s looking really quick on the ball and around the field, and he’s come back from Scotland camp in superb shape. He’s definitely one to keep an eye on as we start the season.

It’s great news that Franco [Smith] has extended his contract, too. The difference he’s made in just a single season is clear for everyone to see – everyone’s already up to speed on our systems and the way we want to play, even the three new guys in Henco [Venter], Kyle [Rowe] and Logan [Trotter]. We’re already pushing ourselves past where we reached last pre-season, because we’re starting from a starting point much further forward.

Everyday you can see how passionate Franco is about rugby and this club, and about making everyone the best version of themselves they can be. When you’ve got someone like him leading the club, that can only be a good thing, and I’m excited for the next couple of seasons.