The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Intensity must not drop, says McArthur
Glasgow hooker calls for same again against Italian visitors
Pat MacArthur has booted out the notion that Treviso will be an easier scalp to capture than mighty Munster.
The Glasgow Warriors hooker issued his verdict as he stepped up preparations for the home-turf showdown with the Italians on Friday.
It will come just a week after the Warriors powered to a bonus-point triumph over the Euro giants from Limerick.
But streetwise MacArthur insisted he does not expect a drop in intensity.
He declared: “As a front row man, I can say that Treviso are always one of the toughest matches of the season. You know you will get confrontation and aggression – and you walk off knowing you have been in a contest.”
Treviso have shaken off their whipping boy tag with wins against Edinburgh and Ospreys.
MacArthur added: “These results didn’t come as a shock to me. They have been pushing the good teams over the past couple of years. The competition they are providing is great for the league.”
On a personal level, MacArthur is determined to prove to new Glasgow boss Dave Rennie that he should be No 1 in the queue for the No 2 jersey.
He said: “We now have a big and strong squad and whoever gets the chance to play in whatever position knows that a minimum standard has to be met.
“It’s brilliant to have such rivalry for a place. That’s the way Glasgow have progressed over the last few years.
“You are now looking at three Internationals in every position, all fighting for that one starting spot.”
On the Treviso challenge, MacArthur added: “After the final whistle against Munster the guys agreed we had set the minimum standard. There is a constant drive to improve, so we never relax after a game. We set that new minimum and we look to progress from that.”
Meanwhile Phil Burleigh is aiming to be the centre of attraction for Scotland boss Gregor Townsend.
The Edinburgh star now qualifies to wear the white thistle on his jersey after his three-year residency spell.
Now the Kiwi midfielder has set his sights on picking up his debut cap in the autumn Test series. Burleigh’s chances have soared after it was revealed that Glasgow centre Alex Dunbar has been ruled out of the Murrayfield clashes in the wake of surgery.
As he geared up for Friday’s Pro14 tussle with Leinster in Dublin, the Edinburgh ace said: “I was extremely proud to be called up to the national squad training session.
“But I have got a lot more to do – and my concentration is on Edinburgh. The three-year wait passed quickly and I was thrilled when Gregor got in touch.
“I have great-grandparents who were born and raised in Aberdeen and obviously went to New Zealand at some point, so I do have Scottish blood in me.”
Looking ahead to the Dublin trip, Burleigh stated: “It’s going to be another step up. We need to get these right against the good sides.”
The threeyear wait passed quickly and I was thrilled when Gregor got in touch. PHIL BURLEIGH