Ventisei 'puts his hand up' for more Glasgow action after sterling debut
Glasgow head coach Franco Smith poured praise on young centre Johnny Ventisei after his pro debut in the resounding win over Leinster at Scotstoun. The 20-year-old, who has captained Scotland at age-grade level, was thrown into the deep end against his opposite number, All Blacks star Reiko Ioane, but came through the test with flying colours. ""I was so keen to tell him [he was starting]," admitted Smith when speaking to Premier Sports.
"But I don't like to go back on my word so I made sure he settled in nicely on Monday. "He stepped up and did a very good job tonight for us, and put his hand up for more responsibility with us. "With Kerr Yule and Kerr Johnston, the age group of that centre group has now dropped quite a bit.
When the young guys play amongst a little more experienced players, they get an opportunity to be themselves. "We did it with Seb Stephen last year. He played Leinster after we lost against them in the quarter-finals [of the Champions Cup].
He stepped up. Maccenzie Duncan's first game was then, too. Sometimes the occasion demands it and when the players step up, it's fantastic.
" While Glasgow can never be written off at Scotstoun, the manner of their victory over a stacked Leinster side was still a surprise. "The boys worked hard," Smith said. "We were going to try and score as many tries as possible, but I didn't think we'd get to that many.