GLASGOW WARRIORS will be hoping that home comforts can help initiate a much-needed change in fortunes on Friday night when they host Cardiff at Scotstoun looking to bring to an end a run of six losses on the bounce in competitive matches.
Since beating Parma 40-12 at their home ground on April 1, Warriors have managed just one win on the road against Newcastle Falcons in last season’s Challenge Cup two weeks later, and they have increasingly struggled to be competitive let alone look like they have a chance of winning.
They suffered a painful 76-14 play-off loss away to Leinster in their final match of the last United Rugby Championship season, costing Danny Wilson his job as head coach, and then kicked off the 2022-23 campaign under new boss Franco Smith with a 33-11 loss at Benetton last Friday night.
It is a desperate situation, and this weekend they are up against a Cardiff side who secured a confidence boosting 20-13 win over Munster in their opening match of the season, having been bolstered over the summer by the recruitment of British and Irish Lions Taulupe Faletau from Bath and Liam Williams from Scarlets, as well as Wales flanker Thomas Young from Wasps.
However, veteran stand-off Duncan Weir – who was given just six minutes off the bench against Benetton but is expected to start against Cardiff – insists that the players remain confident that they can collectively recapture the sort of form which made them such a compelling proposition just a few seasons ago.
“We’ve had a good review of that Benetton game and we were disappointed as a team in being a bit slow to get off the floor and get set into position, both sides of the ball,” he said.
“That Benetton side were stuffy up front and made it hard for us to get any real momentum or flow in the game which is credit to them – but I think we can definitely up our work-rate to get set in a position where we can pull the trigger and get the ball moving.
“We want to bring back the old Glasgow way of playing and move the ball around, but to do that we need to work harder off the ball.
He added: “I think we have to start games playing with real intensity, but we kind of felt our way through the first half versus Benetton and didn’t put them under any pressure.
“In the second half, with the score-line the way it was, we started to play a little bit more and hopefully we can start the game at Scotstoun on Friday in a similar vein.
“We have the right mentality in terms of staying connected as a group – we are a tight-knit bunch – and we have got the makings of a good side here that can do well this season.
“It is just a shame we didn’t get off to the best of starts on Friday, but it is a huge occasion being back at Scotstoun this weekend. It is April since we were last there, and I love playing at home – all the boys are the same.
“Hopefully we have a full stadium, and I’m sure we will be able to put smiles on a few faces with the way we perform.”
