Representing the British and Irish Lions is viewed as the pinnacle in rugby for Northern Hemisphere players and Rory Sutherland is convinced that some of his Glasgow Warriors can emulate his achievements.
The Lions travel to Australia next summer and Andy Farrell has already been observing potential candidates with the upcoming Autumn internationals a major platform for hopefuls to showcase their talents.
Glasgow’s incredible URC triumph last season has raised the profile of several star performers with Sione Tuipulotu and Zander Fagerson arguably the two Warriors with the best chance of becoming Lions.
Fagerson was part of the Lions’ last tour of South Africa in 2021 when fellow prop Sutherland started the first test against the Springboks after a late elevation to the starting XV.
Asked whether members of the Glasgow squad could become Lions, Sutherland replied: “Yeah, absolutely. I think there's a lot of really good talent in the squad. When I first came into Glasgow, I was training with a younger group of players just to sort of get up to speed with the plays, the calls, the language at Glasgow.
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“And training with even those younger boys, you can see there's a lot of really good up-and-coming talent. And then obviously training alongside the senior boys. Yeah, a lot of extremely skilled players. Boys that are, you know, holding very high regard.”
South Africa holds a special place in Sutherland’s heart after earning his maiden Lions Test cap in the 22-17 win against the Springboks in Cape Town.
The Scotland international is back in South Africa for Glasgow’s URC double header and he shared his memories with his new team-mates after joining the Warriors in the summer.
“They're amazing,” Sutherland admitted of his Lions memories. “Actually, when I came into Glasgow, we had to stand up in front of the players and do something called ‘about me’. And we talk about our history as a player and our highlights, the way through our rugby careers and how we got to where we are. Talking about it sort of refreshes your memory.
“And it's made me think about it a lot. It was a fantastic experience and something that I never thought would have been achievable for me. So, not to look back now and know that that's something that I've done. I'm extremely proud of that.”
The 30-year-old’s spell at Worcester was cut short by their liquidation and he joined Ulster on a short-term deal before moving to Oyonnax in France but he’s delighted to be back home.
“It was disruptive,” Sutherland admitted of moving clubs. "No one could ever have imagined that what happened at Worcester would have happened - it's obviously an unfortunate thing.
"It was a great club, amazing facilities. Me, the wife and the kids loved living there for the year and a bit that we stayed there. We settled in nicely and really enjoyed it, so it was a shame that it all folded.
"But it was great to then go over and play for Ulster. A great club, a lot of history in Ireland. A lot of good players, good coaches. and it was a great set-up So, I have been around the past couple of years, but it's been good life experience and rugby experience - it's only a good thing.
"I’ve been away from the family for two or three years now, and travelling back and forth. I'm happy and settling in nicely.”
Sutherland had agreed to join Glasgow before they won the URC title against the Bulls in June. It provided reassurance that moving to Scotstoun was the right decision and he’s determined to win silverware with the Warriors.
“Oh, that was brilliant,” Sutherland said of Glasgow’s URC win. “Obviously, when I was at Edinburgh, I think Glasgow had generally had better success than Edinburgh had in the league over the years.
"Knowing I was coming into a side that is doing really well, it's an exciting prospect. And now being involved in their environment, I can see why.
"Obviously I wasn't a part of winning the league last season but it's been nice coming into an environment where the boys have won. Everybody's obviously extremely happy about that.
"But I think the goal now and the thing that Franco's driving is, how do we back that up? We can't become complacent and knock off on stuff. I think it's time for us now to take it up another level again.”
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