GEORGE TURNER celebrates his 30th birthday in October, but the hooker says that the slow start to his professional career means that he still feels he still has a lot to do in order to reach his playing peak, and he is now looking forward to achieving that goal at Glasgow Warriors after signing a contract extension with the club (for the standard undisclosed period of time) yesterday. 

Born and raised in Edinburgh, Turner started his professional career in the capital, but was criminally underused over a period of four seasons between the ages 21 and 25, during which time he made just one start and 13 bench appearances. Then Warriors swooped in to offer him a lifeline in July 2017, initially on a season-long loan deal, and then as fully contracted member of the squad. 

Turner never looked back, quickly establishing himself as a key man in the Warriors set-up through his abrasive carrying and tackling, leading to his international debut just a few months after his inter-city switch, against Samoa in November 2017. 

He scored a hat-trick for Scotland off the bench against Canada the following summer and is now generally regarded as the nation’s first choice hooker ahead of clubmate Fraser Brown and Edinburgh’s Stuart McInally. 

Turner is quick to highlight that choosing to stay put at Glasgow does not reflect a lack of ambition, rather an understanding that it is the right place for him to make the best of himself as a player.

“I was injured at the start of the year and had the Six Nations was coming up, so I wasn’t even really thinking about contracts or anything like that,” he explained. “Then Glasgow came in first to make me a great offer, and you get a bit of chat from other clubs, but nothing really happened.  

“Ultimately, I wanted to stay here, so it was a pretty straightforward decision. My rugby kind of kicked off when I moved to Glasgow. I’ve still got things to do rugby-wise – to develop and get even better – and I think it’s best to do that here at Glasgow.  

“I can still work on the physical side, to keep the speed up and get stronger in the gym, but I’ve also been focusing massively on the set-piece for the last while,” he continued. “So, that’s improved, but I still feel like I can up my game there. 

“There are so many skills in rugby, especially for a hooker, and you’ve got to try to be good at everything. I want to try and maybe bring a step to my game. I’ve never really stepped anyone, I usually just run straight into them and it’s getting a bit sore now! Maybe I’ll try and develop a step. 

“It’s good when you feel like you’ve worked your way up at a club, and I feel like I’ve still got more to give and, as I say, I think this is the place that will allow me to push on and develop. 

“The club is in a great place – we’ve got some great young boys coming through, we’ve made some exciting signings in recent years and there are even more to come. It’s a great time to be a Glasgow Warrior. We have a massive eight weeks ahead of us and we’re all looking to keep pushing forward.” 

First up for Warriors in their push for glory on two fronts is Newcastle Falcons away in the European Challenge Cup’s round of 16 on Friday night, followed by a United Rugby Championship double-header against the Stormers and the Bulls during the following fortnight. 

“We were fortunate to get last weekend off, so some of the Scotland players got a rest after a really tough Six Nations,” added Turner. “It’s good to refresh and recharge the mind, and now we want to push on and focus on the end of the season.

“We want to push on in Europe and we also need to get points in South Africa to put ourselves in the frame for a home draw in the league play-offs, then Edinburgh at the end of the season will be a massive game.” 

Glasgow head coach Danny Wilson welcomed the re-signing of Turner.  “George has really hit his stride in the last year. He’s been outstanding for both us and Scotland. He’s a dynamic and physical attacker and equally, in defence, he puts his body on the line and provides plenty of big collisions. We’re all looking forward to continuing to work with him and seeing him develop here in a Warriors jersey.”