Pro teams’ victories only add to chance of Six Nations success
It is a long, tortuous journey from make-weights to title contenders. Glasgow’s trip has taken them the best part of a decade, since Al Kellock moved from one end of the M8 to the other back in 2006 and kick-started the Warriors slow rise in rugby’s rankings.
Thosewhofollowleicester Tigers will know that the reverse trip is an awful lot quicker and a lot less enjoyable.
It is just four years since Leicester won the Aviva Premiership final but on Saturday, against a Glasgow team that finally hit their straps, the toothless Tigers resembled relegation fodder rather than the perennial champions of old.
“I feel a tremendous pride,” said an elated Gregor Townsend after the match. “I felt it at the beginning of the game, just seeing so many supporters. To see the number who came down today and hear the noise they created was amazing.
“Last week, I was pleased with how we played. It fills me with a lot of pride that we can punch above our weight at pro level.”
Glasgow must travel to Saracens at the beginning of April to play their quarter-final and Townsend was asked just how far his side could go after winning on the road against both Racing and Leicester.
“We’ll give it a good crack,” was his answer. “Any team that plays us will know that we are a real threat. We have played some excellent rugby, in five of the six games we played really well and we got through a really tough group. Last week [against Munster] was a Test match quality game that could have been won by either team.
“We beat Racing twice this year. The disappointments we’ve had in big games over the past few years, but also the ones we’ve won, mean we are a better team than we were a year ago.
“The players are a year older and they have collective experience. We’ve not been in a quarter-final before but we have been in a few play-off games in the Pro12. This is a new chapter and we will just see what happens.”
Not only was the coach pleased for Glasgow but he talked up Edinburgh’s win and subsequent qualification in the Challenge Cup.
With one eye on his next appointment, Townsend was quizzed as to whether the success of two Scottish pro teams might feed into the fortunes of the national squad in the upcoming Six Nations.
“Whynot?”heanswered. “You’ve got players standing up and playing really well who are going to be involved with Scotland.
“They are doing well with Edinburgh and Glasgow. There’s no better time to do that than two weeks before the Six Nations starts.”