Confident Henry Pyrgos last night insisted he is totally unflustered about the return of Scotland and Glasgow scrum-half rival Chris Cusiter.
The latter made his comeback last weekend after being sidelined with a shoulder problem for almost a year.
And during that time Pyrgos capitalised by playing a huge part in the Warriors’ superb run in the Pro12 and earned a regular place in the national squad. Now he is ready to stave off the fresh threat of Cusiter and Fijian cult hero Niko Matawalu.
Pyrgos will find out today if he will be in the No9 starting slot for the league opener against Cardiff Blues at Murrayfield.
And he claimed he will be focusing on his own performance during the campaign instead of worrying about what Cusiter and Matawalu are doing.
Pyrgos declared: “The fact that Chris is back in a shake-up doesn’t really change my outlook.
“He and Niko are very, very good players so it is up to me to do all I can when I get my opportunities. On a personal level, last season was amazing for me, but being an internationalist doesn’t count for anything if you don’t keep on performing.
“The status is great for family and friends. But there are so many scrum halves around and anything can happen.”
Pyrgos added: “When you arrive at a club filled with Test players it can all be very daunting, but now I am in my fourth season and I think I am becoming more of a leader in the squad.
“I have also become more vocal on the pitch, which is important.”
Blues boss Phil Davies is set to pick a batch of newly-capped Wales stars at Scotstoun Bradley Davies, Lloyd Williams, Rhys Patchell and Harry Robinson.
But lock Lou Reed, former skipper Andries Pretorius will be missing through injury and Lions Leigh Halfpenny and Alex Cuthbert are still being rested.