Glasgow Warriors’ latest player comes full circle and has tattoo to prove it

The young scrum-half finally made his Glasgow Warriors debut on Friday night when he replaced George Horne in the 70th minute of the 36-19 victory over Connacht.

It was a special moment for the 21-year-old and a proud one for his family in Australia who were up early to watch Reidy’s big moment. They’ve all had to be patient.

Having been an unused substitute for Glasgow’s first two games of the season, Reidy was originally left out of the match-day squad for the Connacht game by coach Franco Smith. But when Kyle Rowe pulled out through illness, George Horne was promoted to the starting line-up, opening up a space for a scrum-half on the bench. Step forward, Reidy.

A club with exceptional scrum-half pedigree

“It's been a long two weeks, but I'm just eternally grateful for the opportunity that Franco and the club have given me,” he said. “It's obviously a club with a rich history and, to be a part of it, I'm incredibly proud. Just to be out there and play for the club is incredible.”

With Horne and Jamie Dobie in their ranks, as well as Ben Afshar and Jack Oliver, the Warriors are a club with an exceptional scrum-half pedigree and Reidy is keen to learn as much as possible.

“Oh, 100 per cent,” he said. “Having George and Dobie out there, and even Jack and Ben, they give me the confidence each week to prepare and progress as a player.

“It's about learning new skills from them, being a sponge in that environment and adapting my game a little bit.

“I'm just really fortunate to have them here. Learning from them is incredible, and having class players around you is awesome for your development as a player.”

Born in Aberdeen where his father Damien was the successful coach of Aberdeen Grammar, Reidy junior was brought up mainly in Australia. He came through the ranks at Northern Suburbs on Sydney's Lower North Shore but had a yen to return to Scotland. He joined Glasgow Hawks and played for them in the Scottish Premiership, catching the eye of Smith and his coaching team.

He trained with the Warriors squad last season and is now part of the club's senior academy squad.

Always been a dream of mine to come back and play in Scotland

“I left [Scotland] when I was about two and a half years old and, from a young age, all I wanted to do was play rugby,” he said. “I've always wanted to come back and play in Scotland. My family spent seven years here in my early days, so I wanted to come back and experience the sort of life they had here.

“It was always a dream of mine to come back and play in Scotland.”

And the tattoo?

“I got that earlier this year. I got a matching one with my sister.

“Scotland is quite special to our family, especially my sisters, because they grew up here and spent quite a long time in Scotland. Yeah, it's a special place.”

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