Rennieraringtogoas ChampionsCupawaits
Warriors are set to pit their wits against Europe’s elite sides
GLASGOW head coach Dave Rennie is relishing the opportunity to test his side against the best in Europe as the European Champions Cup kicks off this evening.
Warriors head to Exeter to face the Chiefs as they l ook to continue a stunning start to life under Rennie which has seen them win all six of their Guinness PRO14 matches.
The New Zealander has made just two changes to the side that overcame altitude to beat Cheetahs in Bloemfontein last week, and is excited about the start of the new competition.
He told the club website: “It’s a fantastic competition and one we’re looking forward to getting stuck in to. We want to test ourselves against the best teams and Exeter are exactly that.
“We played well in patches in South Africa and dealing with the conditions the way we did will benefit our fitness in the long run. We’ve had a good week of training back at Scotstoun and are raring to go.
“Naming a settled squad will help with consistency. Combinations are beginning to click and we’re prepared for a physical match-up in a hostile environment.”
The nature of the chastening encounter with Saracens which ended their l ast European campaign could have left scars as Warriors set out in this season’s Champions Cup once again facing up against the current English champions.
But dwelling on such considerations would have been to waste time they do not have.
The unblemished start under Rennie has been in spite of having arguably the most demanding schedule of the Pro14 clubs, not least with a South African trip that was fraught with difficulties because of the unavailability of Bloemfontein hotels i nto the bargain.
“Look, it was pretty tough and more how things worked out,” Rennie acknowledged. “The night after the game we jumped in the bus and arrived in Jo’burg at 4.30am and most of the guys had stayed up the whole trip, so in terms of recovery we were a bit behind.
“They slept pretty well in the plane and we got a fair bit of work done during the day and round the review and got a bit of clarity over what will be important this weekend.
“We gave them Monday off and a bit of recovery Tuesday, so I think it was the right decision. We haven’t even talked about Saracens last year. There’s so many new players who weren’t part of that experience, so it hasn’t been talked about at all.
“We focus more on what we’ve done over the last six weeks and what we have to do better and the fact the intensity will go up a couple of notches against an impressive Exeter side and we’re excited by that.”