It's long ago and far away since the late Brian Gilbert once remarked about Glasgow rugby players:
"When the going gets tough, our guys go skiing." Nowadays, as the city's representatives strive to capitalise on the momentum generated by the Warriors, one detects a sense of old templates being torn up and the emergence of new attitudes.
At the moment, there might only be one club, Glasgow Hawks, from the west of the country in the highest echelon of the RBS Premiership, but that won't be the case indefinitely if the redoubtable fellows at GHA maintain their early-season form while the nights draw in.
Steel runs through their core, from the vast international experience accrued by 53-times-capped centre Andy Henderson to their forwards coach Jon Welsh and assistant mentor Peter Jericevich, all of whom are augmenting the ambitions of head coach Craig Sorbie. GHA used to sup at the top table and were renowned for their hospitality and camaraderie on and off the pitch. But sometimes their generosity extended to lavishing gifts on opponents. No more. Henceforth, the cookie jar is shut.
Last Saturday offered an illustration of the fresh resolve which exists within their ranks when they travelled to Aberdeen Grammar and gained a hard-fought 23-18 success, which maintained their 100% record in the tournament: an achievement which is all the more impressive when you consider that their previous scalps were Watsonians and Stew-Mel. This second tier might develop into a sustained dogfight as winter approaches, but Henderson's approach sums up why GHA are on the front foot in the early stages.
"Last season was a pretty miserable one for us and everybody was determined not to go through that experience again, which explains why people such as Peter and Jon have joined us," said the former Test centre. "We have new faces, the guys are doing gym work whenever they're not at training, and there is a realisation that we have to be as professional as possible to return to the Premiership. Nobody is getting carried away, but the lads showed their mettle in Aberdeen in a match they might have lost 12 months ago. They had a big pack and made life hard for us, but we got the victory we needed. And these away wins are going to be precious, on the evidence of results in the championship so far."
Henderson's roots are dear to his heart. He was educated in Lenzie and subsequently turned out for West of Scotland, the Hawks and the Warriors, consistently transcending the travails which afflicted Scottish rugby during one of its most troubled periods. But, as a pragmatic fellow, he is staying grounded. Yes, he has noticed a sense of rebirth and renewed buzz at the GHA, but don't even ask him whether he thinks he will be capable of competing in the Premiership next year. "Small steps" is his mantra. And he is 34.
"I'm still enjoying my rugby, but I'm not kidding myself. Life doesn't get easier as the years roll by and your body starts to deteriorate," said Henderson. "The wins keep you invigorated and that is one of the reasons why it [the 2013-14 campaign] was difficult. We lost too many matches and it started to take its toll. I don't know why it is, but you also seem to be more prone to injuries when you are struggling.
"We are doing well at the moment and that builds confidence. So, of course our aim is to gain a place in the top division and there is no doubt we have started okay. But, as to what I am planning in the future, I think this might be my last season. After all, come 2015. I will have qualified for the Seniors circuit! And rugby has been good to me."
Henderson hasn't treated the game too shabbily either.
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Howe of Fife have been one of the most progressive clubs in their homeland for years and they are still surging forward at the summit of the Scottish Championship A League. Last Saturday, they demolished hapless Greenock Wanderers by the small matter of 108-0.
TALKING POINT
Plenty Scottish club coaches have talked about the difficulty of eking out away triumphs. But all the winners of the most recent Premiership fixtures gained their successes on the road. Could the days of stadiums being fortresses be vanishing?
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article