On the face of it club captain Ryan Wilson’s response to the observations made by Jason O’Halloran could be interpreted as a perfect example of what the Glasgow Warriors’ assistant coach had been talking about when saying the mindset of Scottish players was 20 years behind that of the sport’s leading country.

O’Halloran had suggested that the principal difficulty lay in their receptiveness to and readiness to process constructive criticism, but when Wilson was invited to respond to an observation that had by no means been prised out of the New Zealander, his immediate response seemed to be to shoot the messenger.

“It’s a tough one. I don’t read too much into what you guys believe it or not,” he replied dismissively.

However, when asked if he reads much into what his assistant coach says, he replied: “Yeah, I do, but he speaks to us and listen, he’s a good bloke and I’m mentally strong so I’m all right and I think most of the boys are, so we’re all good on that point.”

Set against those comments it seems valid to remind ourselves that O’Halloran’s words were: “Sometimes Scottish boys can see any sort of constructive feedback as ‘you are having a go at me.’ That is a big issue and dictates the way you coach and the way you give feedback or constructive criticism. That continues to be a balance for us as Kiwi coaches.

“Kiwi boys, you just give it to them and they either take it, take it on board and do the things you asked them to do to improve, or there are four others waiting and the sheer competition means they will lose out. They are probably a little more motivated at times.”

Those observations having been made as the team’s management sought a different outcome from the club’s previous road trip, only to see them falter badly again in suffering a bonus point defeat, they did not immediately have their desired effect, but in that context it is also worth pointing out that O’Halloran’s fellow Kiwi Dave Rennie, the club’s head coach, could hardly have made his confidence in their captain more clear yesterday in welcoming the new deal that has been agreed to keep Wilson at Scotstoun for at least another two years.

“He’s a good man Ryan. He’s impressive. He loves this club. The boys love him. He’s tough. He’s willing to prod guys in the chest. He’s demanding but he cares about the men and prepared to put an arm around them and help them get through stuff,” said.

“He’s got a really good way about him and it’s important to have those people who are prepared to put the work in on the field but know there’s an important role to play off it.”

It may be, then, that there is middle ground to be found in terms of the required psyche, taking into account different backgrounds and cultures, but for all that, as Wilson pointed out, his infirmity meant he was not in a position to offer immediate feedback to his colleagues following their latest defeat, he has a major role to play in ensuring that they react the right way ahead of the trip along the M8.

“I enjoyed the sun, the one day of sun in Glasgow. I was actually sat outside watching it from a distance. My wee man was more angry than me I think. He loves watching the rugby,” he laughed.

“It’s hard when you’re not involved because you know that feeling when you’re coming back and there’s people that weren’t there and there’s people from the outside having a poke and having a dig.

“Then again, we’re all accountable and we know that we can do that to each other, so a bit of both. I think there’s needs to be some learning there and some people getting a good kick up the arse as they say. But we’re in a place and like I said, no better game than the 1872 Cup this weekend to sort things out.”

In reflecting upon his first year as club captain he makes it clear that he has confidence in the other senior players around him, not least another New Zealander, Callum Gibbins, who has regularly led the side in his absence, while he urges the less experienced squad members to maintain confidence in the methods that got them into the play-offs as they finalise their preparations for them.

Given all that is at stake and the latest opportunity to play in pressurised environments, the next few weeks may tell us more about the Warriors’ mental strength and what, if anything, requires to be done about it.