IF you want to see a glimpse of the way a team shapes up in a few years' time, take a look at the players they field during the international windows.
That is the time when clubs are forced to experiment and the players who can handle the pressure can start building up their game time.
Back in November, it was Stafford McDowall who hit the highlights for Glasgow Warriors; now, wing Robbie Nairn is hoping that encouraging performances in the club's last three games, including his first tries for the club, can propel him into the limelight as well.
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If he makes it, he has got there by coming the long way round, signing for the Harlequins Academy in London straight out of school before getting a chance to shift to the Glasgow academy a year and a half ago, winning a full-time contract last summer.
"I’m loving it, it was good to come back and be closer to family, but I want to kick on now and have a bit more of an impact on the professional scene," he said in a break from preparations for tomorrow's clash with the Cheetahs at Scotstoun.
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"I had two years in the academy at Harlequins – I went from being a big fish in a small pond to being a small fish in a big pond. I was a bit out my depth when I first went down. I found it quite difficult, it was definitely a learning curve for me as a person."
He certainly as all the physical attributes to go all the way, a former shot-putter and sprinter who turned to rugby at 14 when invited to a training session at Currie, he has the size and speed to make his mark. Now it is about all about skill and learning.
"‘I’ve got a lot of rugby-specific things that I’m working on with the coaches," he added. "It’s just about getting game-time to show the improvements you’re making. You can do it all week in training. But all the fans see is the game on a Friday or a Saturday. You need minutes on the pitch."
With Lee Jones and DTH van der Merwe currently on the injured list the competition is fierce but not as strong as it could be. "I feel I have a lot more to give, there’s a lot more than I’ve still to show the fans. I can still display more a bit more of my skill and athleticism," he added.
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