Warriors at the Centre of Attention

Warriors at the Centre of Attention

Warriors at the Centre of Attention.

The term “embarrassment of riches” is often used when describing a squad that has plenty of quality players capable of playing in a particular position but in the case of Glasgow’s midfield, the statement is never truer.

Glasgow have 5 international centres, 2 potential centres (both capped by Scotland) a Scottish World 7s Series internationalist and 2 others, 1 of which was invited to train with the national side! Peter Horne and Richie Vernon were the Pro12 Final winning partnership in 2014/15 and since then have been joined by Sam Johnson, Fraser Lyle and Nick Grigg. In the event of an injury crisis, he can switch Finn Russell and Sean Lamont to centre.

That is a serious amount of talent and probably the best headache a coach could have. Each player offers something slightly different depending on the circumstances and it’s testament to the Warriors coaches that they have become interchangeable and the loss of one player is minimised by those waiting in the wings to replace him. On paper and very often on the field, the strongest pairing is that of Alex Dunbar and Mark Bennett and the partnership they have formed is one of the most effective in the Pro12 and they are the two players I want to focus on.

Dunbar, born in Dumfries and raised on the pitches of Annan and Selkirk as a youth is a big ball carrying 13 and can usually be found at the breakdown scrapping for the ball, often coming away with it. But there is more to his game than this. He can cut a devastating line and defensively, he marshals Glasgow’s back division superbly.


Bennett on the other hand, is a Cumnock boy who was snapped up by Clermont Auvergne after an impressive season with Ayr and his first Warriors debut. Injury curtailed his chances at Clermont and he returned to Scotland and Glasgow, taking his opportunity with both hands and becoming one of the stand out players in the Warriors squad. Phenomenal pace and a very sharp rugby brain, honed on the World 7s Series, give him the edge over many competitors.

Both were instrumental in the run to the 2013/14 Pro 12 final, Dunbar being named in the team of the year, and then again in the run to the 2014/15 Final. Sadly, both players suffered season-ending injuries which saw them miss the showpiece in Belfast.


So good was Bennett in 2015 that he was nominated alongside Nehe Milner-Skudder and Vasil Lobzhanidze, losing out to the All Black and in 2016 he was representing Great Britain in Rio, picking up silver after a fantastic run to the final.

Dunbar on the other hand has probably his most difficult couple of years in a Warriors shirt. Preparing for the Calcutta Cup clash in 2015, Dunbar tore knee ligaments that signalled the end of his season and, despite a monumental effort from the player and the Scotland and Glasgow physios, it ultimately cost him his place in the World Cup squad. He then picked up a succession of minor niggles and injuries that curtailed the amount of appearances he could make in a Warriors shirt.

Back now to full fitness, he’s recaptured the form that made him such an important player for the Warriors and Scotland and hopefully, he will remain fit and manage to get to the World Cup in Japan in 2019.

Their partnership is so good that it is often replicated in the dark blue of the national side with Vern Cotter often pairing them up to run his midfield.

As the clock counts down towards the end of the Townsend era and we await the arrival of Dave Rennie, the future for these two, and many other players is still up in the air but if Rennie has watched any footage of Glasgow since Dunbar and Bennett signed, then he’s sure to want to keep two of Scottish Rugby’s star players.

Latest News