As peripheral a figure as Brandon Thomson has cut within the Glasgow Warriors set-up since he was first recruited two years ago, the attitude the player expressed on accepting an extension of his contract goes some way towards explaining why it was offered.
The 23-year-old Scottish-qualified South African first arrived at Scotstoun at this stage of the 2016-17 season as cover and did well enough at that stage to be invited back on a an initial two-year deal, yet he has, to date, made only eight starts, 18 appearances in all, almost half of which have involved playing less than a quarter of a match.
With clubmates Adam Hastings and Pete Horne both in contention for Scotland duty this weekend, trust in Thomson’s capacity to help steer Glasgow through what will be another tricky period until the end of this Six Nations has, however, been reaffirmed by the new deal he has now signed and he is determined to justify his coaches’ faith.
“In the back of every player's mind is the question of 'will I get game time?' and it comes down to yourself, are you willing to push yourself?” is his reaction to the limited game time he has had.
“Are you willing to work hard enough? I am… I am really looking forward to next season. We love pushing each other in the position and whoever gets the jersey at the weekend will be happy.”
A raw-looking player when he arrived, he has embraced the opportunity to learn his trade.
“I am very pleased, it has been great, I believe my rugby has grown a lot since being here due to the coaches, conditions which test you and force you to improve week-in, week-out,” said Thomson.
“Things are slowly starting to fall into place and there’s still a lot to be worked on, but I am happy with the way the last couple of months have gone and I hope to build on that.
“A lot is to do with (head coach) Dave Rennie helping out on little things, little things that you may not be aware of.”
There is a natural reticence when it comes to specifics, but he believes his skill levels are improving, not least his kicking, both out of hands and at the posts.
“Goal kicking in this competition can do a lot in the game so if you are not on point you are going to hear about it, you have to work at it,” he said.
Thomson looks set to get his latest opportunity when Glasgow play host to Connacht on Friday evening in a match that could go close to ensuring their involvement in this season’s Pro14 play-offs since the Irish province currently trails them by nine points in occupying third place in the table. That, in turn, would allowing Glasgow to key in on their pursuit of Conference A leaders Munster and the end of campaign top spot which brings with it a home semi-final in the knockout stages.
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