AL KELLOCK refused to be disappointed despite Glasgow Warriors allowing Exeter Chiefs to leave Scotstoun with a potentially decisive Heineken Cup bonus point.
The Aviva Premiership side nudged themselves to the summit of Pool 2 despite slipping to a 20-16 defeat yesterday, Dave Ewers' late try stripping a layer of the sheen from Warriors' hard-earned first victory in this season's competition.
The defeat of group favourites Toulon by Cardiff Blues on Saturday has ensured that the four teams are separated by just one point after two matches, with each having won once. Consequently it appears destined to be one of the tightest sections in the tournament, so it was perhaps little wonder that the Devon men cherished their bonus point in the same manner as Glasgow did the one they earned in France last weekend.
However, while Kellock conceded there was dismay at allowing Exeter to leave with the bonus point, the Warriors captain was intent on accentuating the positives.
"It is still very much about what we do," he insisted. "It's at the back of your mind that it might cost you but it can stay there because it's about what we do and the No.1 aspect of that game was to win and make sure we go into the back-to-back games against Cardiff in a good position."
That sentiment was echoed by Gregor Townsend. The coach was understandably pleased with the outcome but he was encouraged, too, by the resilience and persistence of his side in dreadful conditions. "Make no mistake, they are a very solid team and when you're trailing at half-time in weather like that, you need character and skill to get back into it," he said.
"We've got five points from two games, which is tremendous, especially with where we were after 35 minutes last weekend. It shows that we're in the tournament ahead of two very important games with Cardiff. Last year, I sat here and said we're still in the tournament but no team has ever got through after losing their first two games so we're in a much better place."
Perhaps the greatest surprise after the opening two matches is that Exeter sit atop this fiercely competitive section.
Rob Baxter, their head coach, was sanguine about his side's defeat and realistic about what awaits his men in their own double-header against Toulon.
"I think Glasgow just controlled the ball better at crucial times," he said. "But we have to look at the bigger picture: we're in a group with the holders, and we've just played the team top of the Rabo, and we're hanging on in there at the top so we've got to understand that this was a very valuable point. This group will be about denying other people points as well as picking them up yourself."
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