Jonny Gray to feature for Glasgow Warriors against Cheetahs

Scotland international Jonny Gray is set to make his first appearance for his club Glasgow Warriors this season when they take on Cheetahs at Toyota Stadium on Friday.

The 23-year-old suffered a wrist injury during Scotland's summer tour and is among the several changes made by head coach Dave Rennie from their 37-21 win over Benetton Treviso.

"It's great to have Jonny back. Obviously he is pretty excited, and he was keen to come back last week, but we wanted to make sure.

"It will be good to have his physicality on the park.

"He is hugely important, (with) his leadership - he's obviously a former captain - and from a lineout perspective as well.

"There's no doubt he is a bit of a talisman in this group and guys will follow him, so he has a big role in supporting Ryan (Wilson) as captain.

"He may not play 80 minutes but he will certainly be okay at altitude."

Glasgow Warriors are on a five-match winning streak this season and they will face Cheetahs for the first time with the South African regional side winning all of the three home games. Also, the challenge of playing at altitude will be a new experience for most of the Glasgow members but Rennie is confident that they will succeed in their challenge.

"I'm fortunate that the trainer and I have spent a lot of time in Africa.

"I think we've prepared really well. We've done a lot of work with the boys and a lot of work outside, so we're not concerned about the altitude."