MINDSET CHANGE IS KEY FOR GRIGG
NICK GRIGG believes a change in mindset has been key to Glasgow Warriors’ promising start to the new season. Victory over the Lions at Scotstoun on Saturday made it two wins from their first three games for Danny Wilson’s side in the United Rugby Championship. Scotland prop Jamie Bhatti scored the only try of the game in the second minute, with the Warriors grinding it out thereafter in a hard-fought contest. And Grigg insists the good form they showed over the closing weeks of last season — including in the Rainbow Cup — has carried over into the new campaign. Warriors won four games on the bounce at the end of last term, including two victories over Edinburgh and one against Leinster. For Scotland centre Grigg, they are riding a wave of confidence in these early weeks of the new campaign. ‘I guess the end of last season, we were on a bit of a roll, so the mindset throughout the club was different,’ he said. ‘We had a lot of energy going into games — we were winning and it just kind of progressed from there. ‘Coming into the new season, we just rolled on from that high from last season. ‘We’ve got a few new faces in and they’re contributing well.’
At 29 years of age, Grigg was the oldest member of the Warriors backline at the weekend. Over the course of the season, his experience should be invaluable in guiding young, up-and-coming talents like Rufus McLean, Ross Thompson and Cole Forbes. He may well be the old timer, but it’s a role Grigg is clearly enjoying. ‘This is my seventh year at Glasgow now, so I’m starting to get grey hairs,’ he said with a smile. ‘You’ve got to communicate a lot more than I used to on the field. And you feel like you’re obliged to help other people out. ‘But it’s a benefit, to be honest. You feel quite confident when you’re chatting to people — and I guess you’re just more experienced in the game. ‘Rufus is really quick and Ross seems to know his way around the field — he’s leading the guys well. ‘We’ve got Duncan [Weir] back as well, who’s also helping out with the experience he has, and it’s flowing quite well at the moment.’