As he prepares for the visit of one of the leading teams in French and European rugby Sean Lineen has called on his Glasgow Warriors team to replicate the spirit shown last weekend, not by them but by opponents Connacht.

The Warriors head coach was deeply disappointed by the defeat at the hands of the bottom-placed Magners League side but said the Irish province showed what needed to be done to overturn the odds when facing more vaunted opponents.

"Our players didn't realise what passion Connacht would bring to the game last week. It was not a day for rugby with a storm coming in directly off the Atlantic, but it was just down to them wanting it more," he said.

"That's what we have to do this weekend and we do know we can beat French opposition because our home and away wins over Narbonne were crucial in getting us to the knockout stages of the European Challenge Cup last season.

"However Biarritz are a very proposition different from Narbonne. They haven't played anything like as well as they can in Europe down the years and yet they've still been to one final and another semi-final.

"They also showed that they can win away from home again last weekend. Again it wasn't a stylish performance but winning at Bayonne was an impressive result because any away win in the French Championship is a good one."

Sunday's visitors Biarritz could be forgiven if they were a bit more intimidated about this trip than when making the relatively short one across France last weekend because the Warriors have lost one game in Glasgow in this calendar year and that was in way back in January.

Yet Lineen expressed the view before the tournament began that Scottish teams are regarded with some contempt around Europe and he still holds to that, saying: "I wouldn't think Biarritz will be worried about us because they'll look at the performances in Europe of the Scottish pro teams as a whole and where we are in the European order. We've still got to change that and matches like this one are an opportunity to do it."

That assessment might sound almost paranoid if was not so accurate. The Warriors should draw confidence from being back at Firhill where they have still to taste defeat since making it their permanent home at the beginning of this season. After all, in order to have a strong chance of reaching the knockout stages they would probably have to beat Biarritz home and away.

Yet as well as the club's own experience in Europe with those home and away wins against Narbonne last season they have a number of players in their squad from the Border Reivers squad that came close to producing the biggest shock in Heineken Cup history in Biarritz last season.

Among those players was Kelly Brown, the senior member of the Warriors' outstanding back-row unit and his coach said that in the absence of Al Kellock, the club captain, with an elbow injury suffered last week, the flanker is to be given additional responsibility against the French side.

"We're making Dan Parks captain, a role he has performed well in before and as the most experienced forward Andy Newman will lead what is still a very young pack, but I'm also looking for Kelly to take a lead because he has quickly become a very influential figure in the squad," said Lineen.

"It is very useful for us that he was part of the Borders side that did so well against them last season and although the Borders were well beaten by Biarritz at home they actually won a lot of possession in that match too. They just couldn't get across the line, but if we can get that amount of ball we would back ourselves to score points."

It was in December last season that Lineen called for the extra effort from his side which produced four victories in four matches and saw the Warriors generate the momentum that took them into the Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

That set them on course to finish the season as the top Scottish side in the Magners League when they followed those defeats of Narbonne with derby victories over both Edinburgh and the Borders.