Luck has not been on Adam Hastings’ side across two years of injury adversity, but he won’t be looking to reverse his fortunes by turning to a witch doctor as he attempts to showcase his unquestionable class after returning to Glasgow.
Hastings departed Scotstoun in 2021 to embrace a new challenge at Gloucester but he endured a nightmare spell with injury down south, including two serious knee injuries. After missing the World Cup, the 27-year-old impressed on his return to the Scotland fold in the summer following a two-year hiatus.
It’s been a hugely painstaking period for the fly-half in his dedicated attempts to overcome his injury woes with every avenue explored - except visiting a witch doctor.
Aiming to finally clear up that speculation, Hastings joked: “This is all b*******!
"Every time I turn up somewhere, someone is chatting about me seeing a witch doctor. I’ve been getting messages from people online saying ‘don’t do that mate, it’s really dangerous!’.
"All I said in an interview was that my sister had said, ‘do you want to go and see a witch doctor? I’ll book you in’ – laughing and joking. And then people have been like, ‘he went and saw a witch doctor’, as if it was some weird ceremony.
"I’m like 'no!' But if I have another injury…maybe! No, I’m going nowhere near that. I’ll stick to ice baths with my recovery instead of going to witch doctors.
“I’ve experimented with a lot of things. When I snapped my PCL (posterior cruciate ligament) again, I needed to get the swelling down, because it causes instability. I was going to see if I could play without getting it healed.
"That helped, but it wasn’t sustainable. My weight was dropping a ridiculous amount.
“I tried ice baths every morning for about six months, just little things around nutrition. Not drinking for extended periods was a big one – even having one or two was adding to how I’d feel coming in on a Monday morning. I think I’m in a good place now where I can find a balance with things.
"It’s more just really making sure I’m doing my rehab, switching on everything around it. It’s one of those things that if you do miss a session, you do feel it, so it’s important to stay on top of that. I feel like I’m in a good spot now. The physios here are doing a brilliant job in helping me as well.”
Glasgow return to Scotstoun on Friday night against Benetton for their first competitive game since winning the United Rugby Championship (URC) in South Africa last season, with a sold-out crowd expected.
It will be a special occasion for Hastings to run out amid familiar surroundings and the fly-half already feels at home.
“I’ve been saying to everyone that it feels like nothing has changed - it just seemed a bit smaller,” Hastings admitted.
“It sounds daft but driving to and from training, I remember roads being longer but it feels more condensed. It’s the same boys, some old faces and new faces but the coaching staff is different.
“I had lots of nostalgia driving back into the car park because I literally hadn’t been back in three seasons.
"There’s some good memories from here so it’s nice to be back in the building. We obviously had a pre-season hit against Connacht but it’s not quite the same as Friday night lights. I’m excited to get back playing in front of the fans again.”
It was far from an easy decision for Hastings to depart Gloucester and he wasn’t short of offers before deciding Glasgow was the best place for the next chapter in career.
On why he picked Glasgow, Hastings added: “There were a multitude of reasons, some that I’ll keep to myself but I just hadn’t managed to string a decent amount of performances together.
"I only managed to play eight games in my last two seasons at Gloucester and that was tough mentally.
"Speaking to Franco and how he put forward his plan, it made sense for me - I’m closer to my friends and family too.
It was an extremely difficult decision as Gloucester were brilliant with me during my time there. They were absolutely fantastic and I can’t say a bad word about them with the way they treated me.
"But sometimes you just have that feeling and it feels right to come back.
“It’s always been a really tight-knit club and you get that family vibe. Everybody is really close, especially off the field, and I noticed that straight away. I think winning changes people although obviously I’ve not won anything but you can feel that here with people’s confidence in everything. It’s really prominent and everybody backs each other.
"I felt it on Friday with the defensive effort and you feel the connection in everybody working for each other. It’s a pleasure to be back.”
Tom Jordan has developed brilliantly across the last twelve months and Smith started him at fly-half against Ulster. The New Zealand native will qualify to play for Scotland soon but Hastings is relishing the competition from his clubmate - and potentially international colleague.
“When I left, Tom hadn’t played much for Glasgow but he’s a different player now. He’s improved so much and he’s a great lad too. We really get on and it’s been cool seeing his improvement.
"Franco has developed lots of boys and it’s similar with Stafford McDowall. He was struggling to get games under Danny Wilson when I left but he’s now the main man.”
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