TOWNSEND HAS EYES ON PRO12 GLORY:

THEY boast a new emotional maturity fired in the flames of adversity, the white heat of success and, to be frank, the seared-in memory of being overwhelmed by occasion and circumstance.

On a day when feelings are certain to run high, how Glasgow Warriors cope with both sentiment and the very real challenge of a slightly retro Munster side will determine a great deal.

Preparing to lead the team into their second consecutive Pro12 Final i n Belfast this evening, head coach Gregor Townsend acknowledges the tiny mental mistakes made ahead of last year’s loss to Leinster in Dublin.

And it’s not only the players who slipped up, it seems, Townsend explaining: ‘We had some great training sessions leading up to the final last year. But I believe we weren’t ready for it. The occasion itself affected maybe some of the decision-making.

‘I include the coach as well as the players in that. But I firmly believe we’ll be ready for the game this time.

‘We’ve changed a little bit. I think there was so much emotion after last year’s semi-final. Reaching our first final, it was such a great night against Munster in the semi. There was a lot going on about how many supporters would be out there. There was a great build-up to the day and it was obviously nice to have the feeling of getting to a final.

‘But we’ve really put that to the side this week. It’s been about preparing, knowing the opposition, knowing our plan and sticking to that in times of challenge during the game.

‘I’m very confident we’ll see a much more focused team. We didn’t get the build-up right, I know that. And I learned a lot from that.

‘The occasion … I was as much to do with that as the supporters. Maybe we built it up too much, talking about the achievement and what it would mean to win a final, rather than just treating it as another game.

‘We’ve shown this year, when we’ve prepared well and trained well, that we’ve been consistent in our performances.

‘Yes, it will take an extra effort to win a final. But you can’t think too much beyond that. You have to think about what will win us the game.

‘There are a couple of things we added in last year, the night before the game — we won’t be doing that this year.

‘What I have seen from this group is that they have learned from previous experiences. The way they came back to beat Ulster last weekend showed they can take a bit of adversity and challenge, yet still work out a way to win.

‘We’ve gone away and won in France this year, from missing out the year before. So I have seen people in this group i n similar situations, figuring out a way to win. That will be the way to go on Saturday.’

Josh Strauss (right) will captain the Warriors, with club skipper Al Kellock only making the bench in his l ast- ever appearance for Glasgow.

Kellock is one of a number of players leaving the club, adding an obvious dash of emotion to the occasion.

South African back-row Strauss, who sees similarities between this squad and the Lions team with whom he won the Currie Cup just before moving to Glasgow, admitted: ‘It is in the back of our minds and everyone knows how much t his means t o Al and everyone else who is leaving. ‘We know what it means to them, so to get the win would be so much sweeter. It gives it so much more meaning.

‘Al is very much the captain still, he does most of the talking. No one sees him as being on the bench; his presence is t hat of t he captain and it doesn’t matter what number is on his back. We all know and follow what he does. ‘Every team is very different. When I was back in South Africa, we had a good mix of experience and youth — and I think we have that at Glasgow this year.

‘We have guys who are having their last games in Glasgow Warriors colours, but we also have young guys who have come through this season and been absolutely brilliant — Finn Russell, Adam Ashe, etc.

‘ The mix i s brilliant and the leadership is definitely there. We couldn’t ask for a better leader than Al Kellock. All the pieces are there. It is just up to us to put them together.

‘Last year? On the day, we might have not fired. We were in the game for large parts of it, but at the end we just threw it away. But that’s an experience we’ve learned from. You learn to play the 80 minutes instead of firing too soon and tapering off.’

If Glasgow are confident of being psychologically ready, the rugby problem facing them this evening can’t be discounted.

Townsend looks at Munster and sees a team rediscovering their natural devilment.

‘They have gone back to the traditional way Munster played two or three years ago — whereas two seasons before they’d gone more wide to wide — and it has been effective for them,’ said the former Scotland and Lions stand-off.

‘They’ve only lost one game since New Year’s Day. They’ve got a game plan that’s based on winning the gain line. Now a lot of teams do have that, but they go about it in the most direct and uncompromising way.’

Stopping Munster, half the battle in creating the space for Glasgow’s own game to flourish, requires absolute concentration. And, as any neuroscientist will testify, thinking actually does use a fair amount of energy.

When the Warriors take to the field at Kingspan later today, then, they can’t afford to burn up reserves on excitement, tension, nerves or any other name you might give to those bats doing barrel rolls in the small intestine.

Been there, done that, came up short as a result. If they really have learned the lessons of last year, there is no reason why Glasgow can’t rise to this challenge. And spend Saturday night being toasted the length of Belfast’s famous Golden Mile by the thousands of travelling Scottish fans.