MIKE Blair believes Glasgow Warriors are in the ideal form to go on and retain their PRO12 title - an achievement he thinks would be even greater than winning it last year. While many Scottish players and teams traditionally prefer to be labelled as underdogs, the scrum-half was happy yesterday to declare that his team are favourites to win the title later this month.

“The only thing more impressive than winning the league is winning it back to back,” said Blair, who recently announced his retirement from playing but will stay with the Warriors as a coach next season. “I believe at the moment we’re favourites to win.

“I think the way that we’ve played the last nine games has put us in that position. If we beat Connacht away from home [on Saturday] we have a home semi-final - I think we’ve put ourselves in a great position.”

The Warriors have won all nine of those games, taking themselves from the lower half of the table to the very top. They are already guaranteed a play-off place, and if they win at Connacht they will finish the regular season on top and play at Scotstoun a fortnight later against which ever team finishes fourth. The final is at Murrayfield on Saturday 28 May.

“I think the make-up of the team we’ve got means confidence plays an absolutely huge part in our success,” Blair added. “Look at guys like Finn Russell and Stuart Hogg - when they’re confident they think they’re going to win the game and they have the talent to be able to do that.

“I think it’s a great tag to be favourites. We have quality players throughout, playing at the top of their game, and it’s a tag we want to embrace.”

Blair believes that the key to the Warriors’ success lies not just in gifted individuals such as Russell and Hogg, but also in the spirit of the whole squad - a quality he was struck by when he arrived at Scotstoun at the start of the season. “I was so impressed with the environment I came into,” he said.

“That started when 21 players were away at the World Cup. That was a very difficult period for the club. The make-up of our squad - there was one old guy in me, some guys on temporary contracts, some guys looking for game time to get contracts, some club players coming through. The desire and attitude in that three-month period was just brilliant. It was a joy to be part of and it just drives you on.”

Blair was speaking after it was announced that he and Calum Forrester, the head coach of Ayr, are the recipients of this year’s John Macphail Coaching Scholarship. The two will leave early next month for Canterbury in New Zealand, where they will spend time working with the Crusaders.

Blair, who has so far been specialising in working with the Warriors’ other scrum-halves, explained that his attitude towards rugby had always suited him for a future in coaching. “I’ve always been . . . . the nice word would be studious, the not so nice word would be geek. I love watching rugby and working out what teams are trying to do and how they’re trying to do it.

“I’ve done elements of coaching throughout my career. When Gregor [Townsend, Glasgow’s head coach] was with Scotland he asked me to do a bit. Working under him is absolutely why I decided to come back to Glasgow.”

Connacht’s injury worries have begun to clear ahead of Saturday’s showdown, with both winger Matt Healy, the league’s top scorer, and centre Bundee Aki having been declared available for selection after missing out on previous games. Utility back Craig Ronaldson will resume training with the squad later in the week, so may be involved, and winger Danie Poolman is now back doing light running, although Saturday’s match will come too soon for him. Props Denis Buckley and Nathan White are continuing their rehabilitation and will not play against Glasgow.

Meanwhile, former Warriors back Ruaridh Jackson is on the move from Wasps to Harlequins. The 28-year-old, who has 28 Scotland caps, Wasps when he left Scotstoun two years ago. The length of his new contract has not been disclosed.

“I’m extremely excited to be starting a new challenge with Harlequins,” Jackson said. “After speaking to John Kingston and Conor O’Shea [the incoming and departing directors of rugby at Harlequins] I could see how great a club it is.”

Kingston, who will begin in his new post when O’Shea moves to take charge of the Italian national team, believes that the versatile Jackson will be a valuable addition to his squad. “His style fits the way we play perfectly and he will provide excellent competition,” he said. “We are looking forward to adding his expertise next season.”

Edinburgh have signed tighthead prop Nick Beavon from Melrose on a one-year contract. The 29-year-old will provide back-up both for Scotland tighthead WP Nel and for Kevin Bryce, whose move from Glasgow to Murrayfield, and from hooker to tighthead, was announced last week. A self-employed joiner, Beavon has been training part-time with Edinburgh since January.