WHEN the call goes up for the back three to head off and train in one part of the field while the half-backs practice somewhere else, where does Ruaridh Jackson go?

After all he spent most of last season at full-back for his club, but when the Scotland summer tour came around, found himself back at fly-half, the position he had occupied for most of his early years at Glasgow before he went off to flirt with English rugby.

"If they are splitting things into those segments, I will probably go with the back three initially and then try to stick my nose into a few of the half-backs situations," he suggested.

It could be important for him. As the World Cup approaches, Gregor Townsend, the Scotland head coach, has been making no secret of his hunt for players who play more than one position well enough to justify their places in the team in either role.

So for Jackson, establishing his credentials in both positions could be the key to a seat on the plane to Japan next year. Without a clear front runner for the No.10 shirt he could get his chance.

"I’ll be happy if I’m on the pitch, whether it’s at 10 or at full-back," was his version of it. "|Last year I wasn’t expecting to play as much at full-back but I really enjoyed it. It ended up as a pretty successful season for me with plenty of game time.

"I’m likely to be predominantly at full-back but I’ll hopefully get a few shots at No.10 as well. I feel pretty comfortable there and I’d like to put my name in the hat for that.

"I definitely see myself as a 10/15, which is good in a way because it gives them options. It’s nice that my time at fly-half has not been completely forgotten – the first 10 years of my career weren’t a complete waste."

After touring with Scotland over the summer, he is not being rushed back into action – he is on the bench for tomorrow's game against Harlequins in Perth and can expect about 30 to 40 minutes of action.

It is a game where he has every reason to full optimistic since Glasgow's home record against English sides is impressive. Having spent three seasons down there with Wasps and then Harlequins, tomorrow's opponents, he understands why.

"I still think there is probably a slight disrespect thing there," he suggested. "There is a general, ingrained feeling these guys have that they should come up and just win.

"There is probably more recognition, certainly of what the national team is doing, but on a club front, I think the guys expect to come up and win. That certainly shouldn’t be the case, Glasgow have proved that over a number of seasons.

"When an English team comes up, there is always a bit of added spice – we should raise our game a little bit. Hopefully we will do that this time as well."