Wilson happy to win ugly but admits they need to raise game
THERE may be nothing better than winning in style, but if you cannot do that, winning ugly is the next best thing.
That is precisely what Glasgow did against Zebre on Saturday, beating the URC’s bottom club 17-6 to make it three wins out of four in the new league.
Given that their last trip to Italy – a demoralising defeat by Benetton – had seen them lose hideously, the match in Parma provided further evidence of how much the Warriors have improved over the last six months.
Having said that, as captain Ryan Wilson noted after the match at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, they are well aware that they will have to raise their game considerably if they are to have a chance of beating champions Leinster at Scotstoun on Friday. Although if they require any reminder that they are capable of doing so, they need look back no further than June, when they defeated the reigning champions 15-12 in the Rainbow Cup.
“We will obviously look at that game and use that,” Wilson said. “It’s a different group now, but it’s still one we have huge confidence in.
“We know Leinster will punish us if we play like we did against Zebre. So we need to make a few changes and make sure we adapt, because we know how tough they’ll be. We will have a few more boys coming back into the squad next week, so I’m sure the coaches will have a headache in terms of who they select.”
One headache for head coach Danny Wilson and his assistants could be whether to start with Zander Fagerson and Ali Price for their first action since the Lions tour or whether it would be better to have both on the bench.
By contrast, there will probably not be much debate about restoring Sam Johnson to inside centre after he was rested against Zebre. Johnson brings a composed equilibrium to the Warriors in both defence and attack that was conspicuously absent on Saturday, and that will certainly be needed against Leinster.
Kyle Steyn, who was also rested against Zebre, is likely to return on the wing. Santiago Cancelliere did little or nothing wrong on his debut, but Steyn’s knowledge of what is required at this level should be enough to see him restored to the starting line-up.
Australian international Jack Dempsey is also likely to play after missing out on the Zebre match through sickness, although Matt Fagerson looks set to miss out again as he is still ill, while Fraser Brown is expected to be sidelined for some time after injuring a knee in Italy.
Saturday’s result was a third consecutive win for the Warriors, and they are still fourth in the 16-team table behind Ulster
and Munster as well as Leinster. An early try by giant lock Lewis Bean and another after half-an-hour from centre Sione Tuipulotu helped the Scots to a 14-6 half-time lead, but after the break there was only one more score – a penalty from Duncan Weir to add to his two first-half conversions.
“It was a gritty win, but ultimately a win at the end of the day,” skipper Wilson continued. “A win’s a win. Championships aren’t won here in October. It’s further down the line. So we need to make sure we’re picking up these points along the way. We are doing that, even if they are ugly wins. As long as we’re still doing the job, then it all adds up at the end of the season.”
Wilson admitted he had worried at one point that a 17-match winning run against Zebre was about to end, and said the Italians deserved a lot of credit for the way they fought back from a poor start.
“In the back of your mind, you are aware of the record. It’s one of those ones: ‘When does the time come?’
“You never mention that during the week. We just focused and spoke about ourselves, but we did also look at Zebre a hell of a lot and we gave them a lot of credit. We know how dangerous they are. There will be a day when it comes and we lose over here. You never want to be in the team that loses.”
We know Leinster will punish us if we play like we did against Zebre. So we need to make a few changes