It will not necessarily be the last time Ryan Wilson appears at Scotstoun in a Glasgow Warriors jersey before he leaves the club in the summer, but the possibility that it could be ensured that the veteran back-rower was afforded a lengthy standing ovation from the 6,815 crowd as he made his way from the pitch after 45 minutes of Friday evening’s gritty 12-9 victory over Scarlets.
Head coach Franco Smith explained afterwards that it had always been his intention to replace the 33-year-old before the end of the match so the Warriors faithful could pay tribute to one of the club’s greatest servants – second only to Rob Harley in terms of appearances – but he moved the departure time forward when fraying tempers raised the prospect of a yellow-card – which seemed kind of appropriate for a character who has always played on the edge when it comes to testing referees’ patience during his 13-year stint at Scotstoun.
Friday’s win means Warriors now have at least two more home games to play in this campaign – next week’s URC dead rubber against Connacht and their play-off quarter-final, likely to be against either Munster or the Sharks on the first weekend in May – but competition for places is so intense in the back row that Wilson’s involvement in either of those games is far from guaranteed.
With that in mind, Smith decided to make this game his unofficial send-off, with Wilson accompanied by his kids as he led the team out, and then having his family in the changing room afterwards as tributes were paid.
“It was good. He had his family there – wife and kids – and a few close friends,” explained Warriors’ stand-off Tom Jordan. “Wilson is Wilson, and you could tell that he really appreciated the week we’ve had. We’ve done a few little things apprec-iating his commitment to the club.
“It’s not his last game, hopefully, we’ve still got a handful of games to go, but it was good to celebrate him tonight and get the win for him. It was awesome.
“I think his situation was the underlying factor in that performance. Everyone wanted to give it their all for him. We’re all motivated by different things, but Wilson was at the forefront of that as a collective.
“What everyone says about him is 100 per cent spot on. The minute anyone new comes into the squad, he takes them under his arm and shows them round. He’s just a great guy who makes everyone laugh.
“He’ll do anything for you, really – just ask and he’ll be there – so he’ll be really hard to replace, but we all wish him the best with whatever his next chapter is.”
It is not clear where Wilson will be next season, although he stated at the start of the campaign that he is not quite ready to hang up his boots.
“He’s obviously a class player,” said Jordan. “He had an unfortunate knee injury which kept him out for a while this season, and the back-row competition is really strong at the moment, but he is a really good line-out option, and that experience means he is a great player to have in your team at any point, and especially at this part of the season.
“You’d take him into battle at any time. He’s always got your back, he’s a solid defender and attacker.”
With the win in the bag and more than £16,000 raised on the night for the Warriors’ charity partners – the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity – Friday was a success for the club, even if the monsoon weather conditions meant their usually expansive brand of rugby had to be curtailed.
“I checked the weather forecast before setting off for the match and it was supposed to be sunny the whole night, so when it started sleeting it was a bit of surprise,” admitted Jordan.
“The playbook goes out the window a bit in that situation. You just have to stay patient and wait for their errors to come.
“Overall, we’re really pleased with the win there, because a lot of this week was about Wilson so to get a result for him and his family, and to also raise so much money on the night for a great cause, that makes it that little bit more special.”
