Scotland's two-for-one option can be autumn Test asset but focus on Glasgow for now

He started Saturday night’s big win over the Ospreys at scrum-half and finished it on the wing. In between he turned in the sort of performance that is sure to make him one of the first names in Gregor Townsend’s notepad when he this week names his Scotland squad for the autumn internationals.

Dobie was excellent at Brewery Field, scoring a try in each half from nine before reverting to the wing when Ben Afshar came off the bench to replace Kyle Rowe.

The 23-year-old from Inverness is a coach’s dream and it was no surprise that Glasgow boss Franco Smith described him afterwards as “a stalwart”.

Not been pigeonholed

His two tries nicely encapsulated his talents. The first was all about strength and determination as he plunged over from close range. The second showcased his awareness and pace as Dobie spotted a gap in the Welsh defence and sped to the line.

The player still sees himself primarily as a scrum-half but is happy to play on the wing as required and said that Townsend had never pigeonholed him in one position or the other.

“I guess he's played me at both,” said Dobie. “He's never quite said it as literally as he prefers me in either position.

“Scrum-half is still my primary position and the main focus. But it's been clear to both Franco and Gregor that I'm an option to play both now. And Gregor has said that in the past.

“So I guess the way the squad works and the way rotation works at Glasgow, I'm potentially going to play a fair bit at nine and a fair bit on the wing. I did last season, certainly. And then probably again this season.

Bulls up next

“So it's something which Franco and Gregor are definitely aware of and they've said that they're comfortable playing me in either position.

“I guess for me personally, I still see myself at scrum-half predominantly and the added bonus of being able to play on the wing. But Gregor has not quite said it as literally that he prefers me in one or the other.”

Scotland kick off their autumn campaign a week on Saturday against the USA at Murrayfield and will pick a side composed of home-based players only as the game falls outside the designated international window. It means first choice scrum-half, Ben White of Toulon, is set to miss out, leaving Dobie to vie for the No 9 jersey with George Horne, his Glasgow team-mate.

Horne was rested at the weekend as the Warriors thumped the Ospreys 42-17 to make it three wins from four in the URC this season. It was the second week in a row that they had put 40-plus points on a Welsh side but they are likely to face a far stiffer test on Friday when old foes the Bulls come to Scotstoun for the final match before the international break.

Dobie said his focus for now was the match with the South Africans after which he will think about Scotland.

“There’s no point thinking about what might happen in November if you're not performing for Glasgow first,” he said. “So yeah, I've not given it [the Scotland squad] a whole lot of thought.

“All my focus has just been on performing as best I can for Glasgow, whether it's at scrum-half or on the wing. And then hopefully selection from there will happen this week.”