Big shot

But just as Cusack and his likes began forming an orderly queue for the knacker's yard, the laws were tweaked, the scrum regained its central place in the power struggle of a game, and the fat-bottomed boys were back in fashion.

What's that line from Iolanthe about doing nothing in particular and doing it very well? It doesn't quite apply to a top-class tighthead, but the list of duties on the application form is not exactly extensive. Granted, no one is going to complain if you can run the 100m in 11sec dead while spinning the ball on one finger, but that is not really what you are there for. For a tighthead, the bread and butter (or, for Carl Hayman, the £350,000 salary) is the scrum.

Which is the one thing in particular that Cusack does very well. And his performance for Glasgow against Cardiff last weekend was a stunning demonstration of his power. Campese Ma'afu, the Blues' starting loosehead, is a substantial lump at just over 18st, but Cusack, at a more substantial 20-plus stones, put him in all sorts of bother, winning the stream of penalties that were the foundation of Glasgow's 18-3 win.

It was Glasgow's fourth victory on the trot and the performance was all the more remarkable as the club had already lost two Test tightheads, Moray Low and Ed Kalman, in the first few weeks of the season. Timely, too, with today's Heineken Cup trip to Northampton to look forward to, because Franklin's Gardens is not the sort of place you want to pitch up at with a misfiring scrum.

Time was when Northampton were known for a Rolls-Royce backline and a pack that was cobbled together from scrapyard leftovers. It would be pushing it to say the situation has been reversed, but the balance of power has unquestionably swung towards the forwards. Glasgow are not going to win today by bullying the Saints' pack out of the game, but if they can establish some sort of foothold in the scrum, then they might just have the makings of earning victory in other parts of the field.

"It'll be a fantastic contest," said Cusack. "They've got an awesome scrum and will obviously be looking to target us, but it's a great opportunity to pitch ourselves against one of the best teams in Europe. They're pretty much all internationals. It's Soane Tonga'uiha, the Tongan cap, on the loosehead usually, Dylan Hartley of England at hooker and Brian Mujati of South Africa. They've got loads of caps and experience so it'll be awesome to see where we are against them. That's how you get there, isn't it?"

Yorkshireman (and proud of it) Cusack came to Glasgow by way of Leeds and Doncaster, helped on his way by Massimo Cuttitta, the Scotland scrimmaging coach who had worked with him at Doncaster. The man-of-the-match award he picked up against Cardiff last weekend was the first of his career, a useful boost before his return to a Franklin's Gardens ground where he once played for England U21.

"It's a great ground," he enthused. "They've got loads of supporters and it'll probably be a full house on Sunday so it will be a great atmosphere there, with a great big pitch to play on as well."

Had the prospect of European rugby been part of the attraction of coming to Scotland? "Yeah, it was. I played in it with Leeds and it's a massive thing for every rugby player, to play in the Heineken Cup. So to get that opportunity again has been amazing, and the games I've played in it have been great."

Well, great in parts. The dispassionate assessment of Glasgow is that they have had some good passages, showing glimpses of form and potential, but have yet to put a complete performance together. Against Zebre, just over a fortnight ago, their first quarter was a rugby horror show, albeit delivered by a team in which a number of players were making their debuts.

They have also struggled with an absurdly long injury list for such an early stage of the season, while it would be pushing it to say that any of their recent signings have yet set the Scotstoun heather alight.

In fairness, coach Gregor Townsend has not tried to put a gloss on any of this, happy to highlight the shortcomings of his side before anyone else gets a chance. His team hold third place in the RaboDirect PRO12 table, but that lofty position owes as much, if not more, to the erratic form of other sides than anything Glasgow have done. Still, being ugly winners is a heck of a lot better than being elegant losers, and there is a suspicion that they are just a couple of clicks away from getting all the parts of their game to line up.

The loss of Duncan Weir, out for six weeks with a knee problem, is grievous. Ruaridh Jackson has shown flashes of his international class recently, but when Weir is fit and firing then Glasgow always have a plan B. As it is, they will go into today's game with only two backs on the replacements' bench. To some extent, that reflects the kind of game Townsend expects Northampton to play, but you suspect he would have had three there if he was more comfortable with his fly-half options.

Jackson was actually born in Northampton, but Townsend's ties to the place are stronger. In 1995, fresh out of university and with a handful of caps to his name, he moved to the East Midlands club and slotted into one of the best backlines English rugby has seen. Two years later, four of them, Townsend included, were in the Lions squad who travelled to South Africa and won a momentous Test series.

"I certainly have very happy memories of being there," said Townsend. "The first season I was there, our attack was unbelievable. Everything we did seemed to come off. But in the two years after that, we didn't reach our potential, which was always the question mark against Northampton.

"When I was involved, the type of game being played was more fluid. Northampton had that reputation at the time. Now, when you talk about them, you talk about their tough edge. We're going up against one of the best packs, and a very strong defensive side, but they can play rugby too."

As can Glasgow. As must Glasgow. Realistically, a bonus point in defeat would represent a decent result in a ferociously difficult group, but the sights must be set higher. Just don't expect the tighthead to weave past three defenders as he sprints over for the winning try.