International front-row forwards Zander Fagerson and George Turner return after lengthy lay-offs to beef up the Glasgow Warriors pack for their meeting with Cardiff Blues.

Turner has been out for around two months after he had to undergo ankle surgery, while Fagerson absence dates back five months since he suffered a broken leg, yet head coach Dave Rennie expects the tighthead prop to be in contention for an immediate international recall, saying: “it has been disappointing not to have him, for him not to play and for him to miss out on the early Six Nations stuff but he is now ready to go. We might only have him for a week but we are very excited to have him on the field.”

Pete Horne is meantime preferred to Adam Hastings at stand off with Rennie explaining that he was keen to reward young Stafford McDowall for some fine performances by keeping him alongside Nick Grigg in midfield and that: “You want to have your best players on the field.”