FRIDAY-NIGHT action returns to Scotstoun tomorrow for the first time since the final game of last season, when Leinster were the visitors in the Rainbow Cup. The Irish team are again the visitors four months on, on United Rugby Championship duty this time, and Glasgow winger Kyle Steyn, for one, would be very happy with the same outcome.
The Warriors ended their season on a high in that match in early June, with Steyn scoring their second try in a 15-12 victory that was secured by a Ross Thompson penalty. It was a battling performance by the home side, and the winger is sure something very similar will be needed tomorrow night if his team are to beat the PRO14 champions again.
“Mentally you just have to be there,” Steyn said when asked what it would take to get the better of Leinster. “It’s going to be a tough match - it’s going to be an 80-minute match - and you have to be at your best for all 80 minutes.
“They like to think that they’ll outlast and outwork you and be able to break you down, so it’s about fronting up first and foremost on both sides of the ball with physicality, and then just taking your chances when they come.”
Since taking two bonus points from their defeat by Ulster in their opening game, the Warriors have won three matches in a row - at home to the Sharks then the Lions, and most recently away to Zebre. The squad know they will need to up their game against Leinster, but Steyn, who was rested for last weekend’s trip to Parma, believes that the good start to the season has given them something to build on as they look forward to tomorrow night.
“We can’t be unhappy with three from four, even though in some of the games we should have put the foot on the throat a bit more or a bit earlier. Going into a game like Leinster that gives us good momentum and a lot of confidence.
“These are the kind of games that you want to play in - against teams at the top of the table with a winning history like they do. We beat them here in April and we didn’t have fans. This is our first league Friday-night game and I think all the boys are buzzing to see Scotstoun on a Friday night.
“The game is close to a sell-out already and it will be awesome to see the stadium full. On top of that, we’ve got our ‘Plaster Scotstoun Purple’ campaign this week and it would be great to do our little bit for the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity and help raise some awareness for the kids and the staff and all the families that are involved with the hospital.”
Once the Leinster game is out of the way, Steyn will turn his attention to international duties, with the aim of adding to the one Scotland cap he had to date. He trained with the home-based national squad this week, was named in Gregor Townsend’s full squad for the Autumn Nations Series yesterday, and is understandably eager to see action over the following four weekends.
“It was good just to get back in and see a lot of the boys we hadn’t seen for a while - the Edinburgh boys, for example,” he said of Monday’s training session. “It was good to touch base with them and with all the coaches.
“It’s just so exciting being back at Murrayfield. The South Africa game and now the Australia game too are both sold out, so it’s an exciting time.
“My one cap so far was against France in the 2020 Six Nations - it was the last time there were fans at Murrayfield for a Scotland game. It was just an awesome day - we didn’t get any rain, we were at home, there was a full stadium - it was brilliant. I would absolutely love to get some more of that this autumn.”
Glasgow Warriors are encouraging supporters to Plaster Scotstoun Purple for this Friday night’s clash with Leinster, as the club shows its support for Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity.
To donate, search for ‘Plaster Scotstoun Purple’ on JustGiving.com.
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