So how do a team missing so many of their big names manage to put in their best performance of the season, as Glasgow did in their 22-19 win over Bath on Saturday?
This was, after all, supposedly a weakened Warriors side, with key players such as George Horne, Sione Tuipulotu and a host of others rested. And a dozen others were on the injury list, including Sam Johnson, Rory Darge and Zander Fagerson.
Yet they took the game to Bath in the opening minutes, and, although they had to defend to the death, they had the chances to wrap up the victory some time before Duncan Weir’s late penalty regained them a lead they would not relinquish.
According to Huw Jones, who marked his long-awaited second debut in the Challenge Cup Pool A game by scoring one of Glasgow’s three tries, the key to success for his squad was not to think of themselves as in any way a second-string selection.
“It’s easy to get drawn into the ‘Oh well, we’re the second team’,” said the Scotland centre, whose return to the team after a season with Harlequins had been delayed by a back injury.
“But no-one believed that. You could see with everyone there that there is a first-team squad: we’re all there to pitch in and compete, and drive the team forward.
“I think that was the biggest thing. The guys on their debuts weren’t nervous. They didn’t seem like they were not sure about being there, because we trained and trained and trained, and they know their roles. They’re physical, they’re fit, they know exactly what they have to do, so they were able to just step in and play really well.
“So I was super-proud of everyone today, but especially the younger guys and the guys playing their first games.”
Lewis Bean and George Turner were the Warriors’ other try-scorers, and Domingo Miotti chipped in with two conversions before Weir sealed the victory with a late penalty.
And, despite his long absence, Jones, on his 50th appearance, showed no sign of rustiness as he helped take the game to Bath – a quality for which he credited the training regime at Scotstoun.
“We train at quite a high intensity, so it does replicate the games quite well,” the 28-year-old said. “So actually I felt quite good out there.
“I’ve been training for three or four weeks; that’s always a nice thing, to get a few weeks’ training under your belt before you get into games. It felt like a mini pre-season for me.”
Asked what had changed since his first spell at Glasgow, Jones said: “I’d say the training intensity has gone up, the skill quality has gone up. I think the level that we train at now, you can see it transferring into games.
“Obviously we haven’t put together a full 80 minutes, but you can see bits that we’re doing in training coming out in the games that are really good. I think if we just keep doing that we’re on a sort of journey and we’re just going to keep getting better and better. That’s the main thing I’ve seen coming back.”
As to why he opted to return after just a year with Harlequins, the answer was simple. “Well, I had an offer and I accepted it. The story is I was meant to go to France” – a deal with Bayonne fell through after they were relegated from the Top 14 – “and then Quins picked me up last minute.
“They took a punt on me, but with the salary cap they couldn’t keep me. Luckily Glasgow came in and I’m glad to be back.
“It’s not like going to a new club. I was just coming back after a year. It felt like I was never away. So that was all good, and yeah, I’m just glad to be out playing again.”
Out playing again for Glasgow, and perhaps for Scotland too before too long. But, asked if it was permissible to talk about the Six Nations Championship after one game back, Jones suggested it was premature.
“Probably not,” he concluded. “I’ll try and get another game for Glasgow first.”
