Gray dreaming of Dublin as perfect send-off for Gregor

GLASGOW WARRIORS co-captain Jonny Gray is desperate for his first-ever game at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin to be the Guinness Pro12 final so that he can help head coach Gregor Townsend go out on a high. Gray, who has played in every other Six Nations away ground, visited the Aviva for the first time last Tuesday for the launch of the new league season and left thinking there would be no better setting for Townsend’s last club game in charge before he takes over at Scotland.

‘The Aviva is a fantastic stadium, really impressive,’ said the Glasgow and Scotland second row. ‘This is the first time I have seen it. I have never played here before but I would love to and it would be terrific to come back here in May with the team for the Pro12 final.

‘In Gregor’s final year, it would be great to finish off here, in such a magnificent stadium, and win a trophy before he goes. Everybody at the club is buzzing going into the new season and wants to help him go out on a high.

‘Everybody is very proud for Gregor being named Scotland coach and we all owe him a lot. On a personal level, he has improved me a lot as a player. It is not just that. He has also set goals and there have been times when we came off after winning games and have been disappointed with the way we have played, so he has driven up standards for all of us and will continue to do so in his final year at the club.’

Gray believes his dream of making the Pro12 final next May can become a reality after the disappointment of losing at the semi-final stage to Connacht in Galway last season. Ironically, Glasgow’s first fixture of the Pro12 is once again away against Connacht, who went on to win the play-off final against Leinster.

‘It is good to get the announcement that Gregor is going to Scotland out of the way as it means everybody can now park it and focus only on Glasgow doing well,’ said the 22-year-old (right). ‘All our focus is now on Connacht but we know it is going to be very tough. We lost the last two games out there and that hurt, especially the semi-final loss. ‘We were unlucky with Finn (Russell) and Zander (Fagerson) picking up early injuries but you can’t control that sort of thing. We came in the Sunday after that game and the hurt was obvious. Young guys in the academy, big Al Kellock, there was hurt throughout the club and not just with the players and coaching staff. ‘We have a chance to make early amends and we will go across to Galway ready for them, feeling refreshed and backing ourselves to get a result. We can’t wait.’ As well as being co-captain, there will be huge pressure on Gray to take even more charge at the line-out after Leone Nakarawa had the final year of his contract bought out by big-spending Racing 92 of Paris. Greg Peterson, Tim Swinson, Scott Cummings and new signing Tjiuee Uanivi are all candidates to join him in the second row but losing world-class Nakarawa, who won an Olympic Sevens Gold medal with Fiji, is a big blow to Glasgow and Gray, who had a great understanding with him. ‘Leone is one of the best players I have ever played with,’ said 25-time capped Gray. ‘Some of the stuff he would do, you would just look at him with awe and it was sad to see him go. ‘In saying that, the guys that have come in like Tjiuee Uanivi have done really well. He is very fast and athletic, and a good ball carrier who can do a good job for us this season.’ Townsend agreed with Gray that his team could not have been handed a tougher first few fixtures for the start of the Pro12 season. ‘The fixture list has given us Connacht away, Leinster at home, Cardiff away and Ulster at home, a really tough start to the season for the players,’ he said. ‘There is huge motivation going back to face Connacht in Galway where we lost in the last game of last season. We’ll be playing the champions and we both play attacking rugby. It should be a cracking game.’