RYAN WILSON'S transformation from Glasgow Warriors bad boy to genuine role model was complete yesterday when he was named captain for the season ahead.
"You dig into anybody's closet and you will find skeletons," said Dave Rennie, the head coach as he announced the appointment at the Guinness PRO14 launch in Dublin yesterday.
"I am just judging on what I have seen in the last 12 months. I have been in three times prior to this and he is an impressive man. He will have a lot of support from other senior leaders – there are some really good men in that group too. I have no issues around his suitability."
Rennie had hinted last week that he was thinking of promoting the Scotland back row to the top job, so it should not have come as much of a shock to Wilson, who takes over from joint captains Jonny Gray and Henry Pyrgos, when he was taken to one side after the club's warm-up game last weekend and offered the job.
"I said I would love to do it; it would be an honour. I was chuffed to bits," said Ryan. "I am comfortable doing it on the pitch. I enjoy doing it, it brings a bit more out of me. It's a bit of pressure and I enjoy that.
"Dave [Rennie] spoke to me – one of the things he likes is that he thinks I have something about me and can also have a laugh. He does not want anyone too serious. When I step over that white line, whether it is the training field or games, I have a good switch. I can turn into rugby mode and get serious. Being able to do the two is a good thing for a captain."
Though he has captained Glasgow before in one-off games – and at one stage had a remarkable winning streak – and has led Scotland A, it is only recently that he has emerged as a candidate for the full-time job.
That was partly because of events during Hallowe'en 2014 when he was involved in a fight in a kebab shop. After being found guilty of assault and fined the following spring, he was also suspended from club duties until two games before the end of the season and from the international squad until midway through the 2015 World Cup warm-ups.
Wilson put the incident to one side and matured from it, playing brilliantly for Glasgow in the victorious PRO12 final and forcing his way into the World Cup squad, playing in all the important matches. His appointment indicates that his rehabilitation is now complete.
"The club has become a huge part of my life, my family's life," he said. "We have been here seven years now, all three of my babies were born in Glasgow, we see it as home now. So to become captain of the club is massive.
"I have developed as a leader – you do with age, I suppose though I am not that old, 28. I have been at the club for a long time and have seen its ups and downs. I have seen a lot at the club, know the boys well and get on with everyone. I am looking forward to the opportunity."
Perhaps the best example of the commitment that has seen him take over as club leader came last week. Having been away on holiday with Scotland team-mate John Barclay, he still set a personal best on the fitness tests that greeted his return.
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