FIRST start under the new coach and you win the man-of-the-match award. It is hard to see how things could have gone much better for George Horne, the 22-year-old Glasgow Warriors scrum-half as he led the way in Friday’s seven-try demolition
of the Southern Kings that leaves the side 12 points clear of Munster in their Guinness PRO14 conference.
Not that he was getting carried away. He has watched older brother Peter perform for both Glasgow and Scotland enough times to realise that every player is only as good as his next game – the last one is now a footnote in history.
“It took a while to get going, but when we got a hold of the ball and kept it, we looked dangerous,” he said after the Warriors’ 43-13 win. “I am just delighted to get the win and the bonus point.
“This is a really important time for the club. In the next month and when the Six Nations comes round, this is the group that will play a lot of rugby for us. The international guys have put us in a great place. We need to step up and not lean on the excuse that we will be missing players. We have to step up and maintain this lead in the league.
“A lot of guys were given a shot. This was a good opportunity and a lot of guys put a good foot forward for the rest of the season.”
Horne undoubtedly was one of those who did his bit to suggest that Glasgow can cope when their small army of international players disappear for weeks on end, first during the November internationals and then during the RBS 6 Nations Championship.
He was quick to form a solid partnership with Adam Hastings at half-back and though it was not error free, neither were they the worst offenders.
The problem for Horne is that he is third choice at the moment with Ali Price and Henry Pyrgos both fit and both already in the Scotland set-up. As long as all three are available, his chances are going to come only during the international windows, so he knows he has to grab them when they come – just as he did against the Kings.
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