The influential forward suffered a bicep injury in the win over England at Murrayfield and it was initially feared that he would require surgery. 

On Thursday, after naming his team to face Wales, Gregor Townsend admitted a final decision hadn’t been made with surgery potentially leaving Dempsey with months on the sidelines. 

Good news, however, has emerged from the Glasgow Warriors camp as the decision has been made that the 31-year-old won’t go under the knife. 

Warriors coach Forrest has revealed that Dempsey could return within ‘weeks’, which could feasibly make him available for the Triple Crown decider. 

Read more:

“Jack’s going down the non-surgical route,” confirmed Forrest. “So, that’s probably a more conservative approach just in terms of the nature of an injury he had and there was a decision to be made there. 

“So, best case scenario, he could be back in a matter of weeks for us, which obviously, that would be huge. But, same with any injury, there are no guarantees he’s going to go down that route just now. And then obviously, it just depends on how he responds with his rehab.”

Scotland Rugby News understands that the likelihood of Dempsey recovering to face Dublin in Ireland is minimal but Forrest admits he can’t fully be ruled out.

Scott Forrest. (Image: Stuart Wallace / Shutterstock)

Pressed on whether Dempsey could feature against Ireland, Forrest replied: “That’s not really one I’m in a position to answer. I think with the nature of the tendon injury on his bicep, people react in different ways. 

Obviously, the fact that he doesn’t need to get surgery on this, because it’s at the top of the bicep, not the bottom, then that’s a positive. But ultimately, it really just depends how he reacts over the next week to 10 days to determine how quickly he’ll be back. 

Read more:

“If he’s back for Ireland, that would be probably one of the quickest recoveries, but like I say, everyone responds in different ways. I’m not going to stand here and be able to say a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ but you can’t rule him out altogether.

“I think any sort of chance is probably enough of a chance for Jack just to push on and focus on that.”

Meanwhile, Forrest also confirmed Glasgow will get several players back from the Scotland squad for the trip to Galway on Saturday as the United Rugby Championship (URC) leaders face Connacht.

Kyle Rowe, Stafford McDowall and Ollie Smith will all return behind the scrum, though they will have to do without Adam Hastings, who has not been released.

Up front, Gregor Hiddleston and Alex Craig will also return to Warriors duty after being part of the wider Six Nations squad.