SIX wins out of six games in the Guinness PRO14; two defeats from two in the European Champions Cup.
It's grim reading for the Glasgow Warriors coaches who had hoped to build on their PRO14 success in the bigger tournament, but Jon Humphreys, the forwards coach, has promised there will be no hangover when the side return to league action tomorrow.
With the club having already signed up Nick Grigg, the centre who made his Scotland debut in the summer and is back in Gregor Townsend's squad for next month's Tests, they are building nicely but need to get back to winning ways in a hurry.
"We started this season pretty well but there were certain parts we always felt needed improving. We came up against two really good teams in Europe and it’s made us understand what we need to get better at to be successful," was Humphreys' analysis.
"We need to hold on to the ball a bit more, create more pressure, not allow teams to get as much into the game as they have. It’s something we’ve reviewed and hopefully is something we’ll start making progress in.
‘We want to do that on the weekend regardless of who it’s against. It’s great to get back into the league but we can’t afford any hangovers."
The Southern Kings should offer Glasgow one of their more straightforward games of the season, the visitors having yet to win a match since joining the PRO14 as one of the two South African franchises. They arrived in Scotland yesterday, leaving themselves little time to adjust from the Port Elizabeth summer to the Scottish autumn.
Despite that, Humphreys is not expecting too many players to be given time off, apart from those who are running into the protocol that orders the clubs to rest players after five consecutive games.
"It’s been a big learning curve for quite a few of those boys who haven’t played at that level," he said of the European campaign. "We knew before there were elements of our game that needed improvement in and that has refocused our attention towards them.
"We need to get to where we want be to by March, when everything kicks in and hopefully we'll be really strong then.
"We’ve always been pretty honest with our assessments. We don’t let whether we win or lose affect how we review the game. We’ve been tough on each other after games though you probably don’t understand the level [in Europe] until you play in it. It was a great learning experience."
As for Grigg, he is still pinching himself every time he recalls how what started off as a bit of a jolly – in his own words "a chance of a free trip to Scotland to play a little rugby" – has worked out so well. It has earned him a professional contract, a cap and, maybe, the chance to fulfil a dream and face his fellow New Zealanders. Given all that, jumping at the two-year contract extension was one the easier decisions he has made in his life.
The Wellington-born centre came to play for Stirling County, but knew there was a chance to go further since Gregor Townsend, then the Glasgow coach, had been instrumental in securing his invitation.
"A couple of years later, my goals and aspirations have hit the roof," he said. "As long as I keep working hard I’m sure I can achieve them. Obviously I believed in myself to get to this level.
"My grandad is from Ayr so I have that heritage behind me. I guess I wasn’t really thinking about actually playing for Scotland at the time I came over but after the first pro year and Gregor [Townsend] giving me the chance to go on the summer tour, it’s been awesome."
The highlight would undoubtedly be if he could win selection in the squad to face New Zealand and some of the players he grew up playing with and against in the Wellington age-grade and development system.
"I’ve been to to watch a few games at BT Murrayfield, so I know that the atmosphere is amazing. Just hearing the national anthem from the crowd’s perspective is awesome, so I’d really love to get in amongst it," he enthused.
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