Al Dickinson believes loose-head prop Jamie Bhatti can push his way past fan favourite Pierre Schoeman and 2021 British and Irish Lion Rory Sutherland into the Scotland team this Six Nations.
Bhatti has been in fine form for Warriors with Dickinson – his scrum coach at club level who played 58 games at prop for Scotland – full of praise for the 29-year-old’s attitude and work ethic.
“Jamie is one of those guys who hasn’t come the normal route,” said Dickinson of the former slaughterhouse worker who signed his first academy contract with Warriors aged 23. “He was at Glasgow, then went to Edinburgh and things didn’t work out, so went down south for a bit, then came back.
“Every time he plays, he is like a big diesel engine, he just keeps going. And he’s playing regularly for Glasgow at the moment, which is what he needs. We’ve seen this season that he just keeps getting better.
“Pierre Schoeman played pretty well at the weekend and he’s the man in possession of that No.1 jersey, but Jamie has been an absolute rock for Glasgow this season, so he will be pushing him all the way. He’s a humble man, he doesn’t expect to be Scotland’s first pick, he knows he’s got to work hard to get there. He’s been a great model to the other
players this year – especially some of the younger guys. Hopefully, he gets a crack at the Six Nations.
“And it is a good dilemma for the Scotland coaching team to have. All those guys have to play well because they know that if they don’t then they won’t get picked. That competition drives the standards, and Jamie has really grabbed the bull by the horns.”
Glasgow play the Dragons away in the URC on Saturday, when they will look to bounce back after a disappointing draw against Bath in the Challenge Cup last Friday night.
“This weekend is about getting our processes right, not just the result,” concluded Dickinson. “If we make sure that we do better at the things we didn’t do well against Bath, then I’m sure the win will come.”
Meanwhile, Edinburgh’s Marshall Sykes says he is hoping that Sharks name their strongest team for Saturday’s clash at the DAM Health Stadium, which would give him an opportunity to go head-to-head against Eben Etzebeth – who is arguably the best second-row in the world.
“Everyone wants to play against the best, so, for me, Etzebeth is the sort of guy you want to be challenging yourself against,” he said. “The bigger picture with Scotland is that if they see you hold your own against a guy like that then it reflects well. No one wants an easy path to something – it is all about testing yourself and pushing hard to get better every time you play.”
