Adam Hastings welcomes another ‘nepo baby’ to Glasgow and relishes the competition

The fly-halves-with-famous-dads club has doubled in size since Lancaster’s arrival from Paris and the former Racing 92 man made a winning start as he helped the Warriors beat the Sharks 35-19.

Hastings knows the new boy is looking to keep hold of the jersey long term but is relishing the challenge as Glasgow look to build on their opening win when they face Benetton in Italy on Saturday.

Tom Jordan may have left Scotstoun for Bristol Bears but there remains plenty of talented stand-offs at a club where Hastings, Lancaster, Duncan Weir and young Matthew Urwin all vie for the No 10 role.

Competition at 10

“It’s always been good,” said Hastings, now in the second season of his second spell at Glasgow. “We’ve got good competition in the 10s, obviously with Duncy (Weir) as well and Matty Urwin coming through – he was brilliant in his Under-20s stuff last year. It’s been good, I’ve enjoyed getting to know Dan, he’s gelled really well. He said it himself, it was probably good the internationals being away [at the start of pre-season] so it meant he connected with the younger boys as well. The boys have taken to him; he’s a good lad.”

Lancaster came through a tough season in France. His father, Stuart Lancaster, was head coach of Racing when he signed Dan last summer from Ealing Trailfinders. Results were disappointing and Lancaster senior was shown the door in February with Racing 12th in the Top 14.

Dan stuck it out, playing a key role for the Parisian giants in the absence of the injured Owen Farrell, but he too took French leave at the end of the season. “They wanted to get rid of the Lancaster name,” he later reflected.

Being the son of a famous father is not always easy, especially if you follow them into the same profession, and accusations of nepotism are an easy stick to beat them with, as Hastings knows. The gifted stand-off long ago stepped out of illustrious dad Gavin’s shadow and won his 33rd and 34th Scotland caps on the recent Pacific tour.

Hastings steps up to senior role

But he couldn’t resist the “nepo baby” joke as he congratulated Lancaster on his Glasgow bow. “I had to! I couldn’t let him away with that,” smiled Hastings. “I get more abuse than him for that, so it’s about time he got some.

“But as I said, it’s been good to get to know him and he’s a proper good lad, so I’m glad he’s in the building with us.”

Hastings said it was the first time he had presented a jersey and that he now feels like one of the senior statesmen in the Glasgow squad.

“I’m nearly 29 now [it’s his birthday on Sunday], which is quite scary. I do kind of feel that way.Hopefully I’m just halfway through my career now and a lot more experienced now. It comes with different responsibilities I suppose, whether that’s voicing your opinion a bit more – I know you do that anyway as a 10 – but it’s maybe more important now. It just comes with a lot more things, but I’m enjoying it.”