Glasgow head coach Franco Smith has allayed injury concerns over four of his international stars, insisting they will all be back in action soon.  

Jack Dempsey, Huw Jones, Scott Cummings and new signing Rory Sutherland will all sit out the trip to Belfast as the Warriors kick-off the defence of their United Rugby Championship (URC) title.  

Dempsey has a back problem, while Jones is nursing a calf injury and Cummings is returning from the foot injury that kept him out of Scotland’s win over Uruguay in the summer.  

“I'm very proud to say that none of them is long-term,” Smith declared after naming his team to face Ulster.  

“The long-term injuries are JP Du Preez, Sione Vailanu and Ollie Smith. The rest of the guys are all recoverable. 

“It's about introducing them at the right stage now in the next six weeks. 

“They are all being managed. Most of them trained on Friday morning with the non-23 training group.” 

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That Sutherland, who joined from Oyonnax in the summer, is out with a groin injury may give some cause for concern given the Scotland prop’s history of injuries in that particular area. 

Likewise fellow Scotland cap Murphy Walker, who missed much of last season with a neck injury and is out again with a similar problem and could be out for up to 12 weeks.  

The Warriors boss said there is no cause for immediate concern around either.  

“Murphy's the same type of injury in the same area,” he revealed.  

“Suz is just a reoccurrence. We don't want to fatigue that, we don't want it to go into being an injury.  

“We just took him out of selection this week because of the way I wanted to manage the squad that I picked for the first game. 

Rory Sutherland will miss the trip to former side Ulster with a groin injuryRory Sutherland will miss the trip to former side Ulster with a groin injury (Image: SNS) “I already picked [the team] two weeks ago and he was not going to be involved.  

“This was just to manage him as well, so that we can get him fit and ready at the right time, so that his performance can roll into a Scotland performance.” 

Smith has handed a debut to one-time Wallabies prop Sam Talakai, who starts at tighthead, while Tom Jordan is preferred to Adam Hastings at fly-half.  

The Warriors head coach explained those decisions.  

On Talakai, he said: "It was important for us to get Sam on board and get him aligned with what we are doing. 

“He's going to play an important role for us during the season. so there's no better time to start than now.” 

The 32-year-old, who has played 100 games of Super Rugby, has settled in well at Scotstoun since arriving last month, Smith said.  

“He has worked really hard to adapt to what the ask is here, so we're excited to see him,” he added.  

And on handing Jordan the number 10 jersey, Smith said he felt it was fairer on Hastings to keep him in reserve this week.  

He added: “Tom has done a great job. Why would we discard him as a fly half? Not at all. Adam's come in to replace Ross Thompson as well to add value. 

“Adam will, at the right time, get his opportunity to start. 

Adam Hastings in action during Glasgow's pre-season defeat to ConnachtAdam Hastings in action during Glasgow's pre-season defeat to Connacht (Image: SNS)

“We're going to blend him in and make sure that there's no extra pressure on him to perform. There's enough expectation around the team."  

A memorial service for Hastings’ aunt Jenny, the wife of former Scotland star Scott Hastings, is due to take place in Edinburgh on Sunday after her death earlier this month.   

The Warriors boss continued: “I know he's got some family obligations over the weekend. 

“No extra stress is going to be placed on him. We just want him to contribute and not feel any pressure to perform.  

Smith praised the former Gloucester fly-half for the way he has coped with the family tragedy.  

The Warriors boss said: “He has been very professional. He has worked hard. There was no hindrance in the way he approached every day.”