The World Cup will also deprive the Warriors of Gordon Bulloch so the new coaching team have emphasised the need to find new leaders on the pitch.
The new Glasgow squad met for the first time yesterday for fitness testing at the Kelvin Hall before moving to the state-of-the-art Key To Life centre in Pollokshaws for their first full-scale pre-season workout under Sean Lineen and David McLean, their fitness adviser. The decision to use facilities in the city is no accident as the Warriors have a renewed determination to be closely identified with Glasgow's rugby community.
Lineen admitted it will take time to assess how the squad will develop with a dozen new players joining the club.
"It was a bit like the first day at school when we arrived at the Kelvin Hall with everyone standing up and saying who they were," he said with a laugh. "A really important part of the next few weeks is getting to know one another."
They have eight weeks to do that before facing Zurich Premiership side, Gloucester, in their first pre-season match on August 14.