Warriors aiming to banish Italian pain

DANNY WILSON hopes today’s visit to Treviso will help exorcise the demons that still linger from Glasgow’s previous away match with Benetton. The Warriors were thumped 46-19 in April, a match Wilson still ranks as the ‘most painful’ of his Scotstoun tenure. It was a pivotal moment for both teams. The previously unfancied Benetton went on to win the Rainbow Cup while Glasgow held clearthe-air talks to try to get to the root of their malaise. It had the desired effect, with Warriors winning their remaining matches that season. Victory today would prove that hammering was a one-off and enhance their United Rugby Championship prospects against their pool rivals. ‘That day was the most painful I’ve experienced with Glasgow and is still in your mind when you go to Treviso,’ admitted Wilson. ‘We want to put that right with a much better performance. ‘At the time, there was a perfect storm going on. No excuses, we took responsibility for that. But the leadership group after that game were immense. Along with the coaching staff, they debriefed the approach to the game and how we turned up mentally. And we bounced back really quickly. ‘It was a telling moment as we didn’t lose a game from then on, including beating Leinster on the last game of the season.’ Meanwhile, Ross Thompson signed a new two-year deal during the week but Wilson revealed that the new Scotland fly-half had almost left the club. He said: ‘I had just stepped in the door, so didn’t really know Ross. But we had to make a decision on whether he was part of Glasgow Warriors moving forward or not. ‘He very quickly proved in training that, yes, he should be part of that future.’