LACK of effort more than lack of skill or ability led to Glasgow Warriors' downfall in Llanelli last week, the full-back on the night has said.
Peter Murchie also vowed that any players given a chance to redeem themselves will take it on Sunday when Newport Gwent Dragons visit Scotstoun.
"We pride ourselves on working harder than anyone, no-one beats us for effort and we were not that happy with that area. There were a few 'effort errors', you can call them, where it is solely down to your effort, not your skill level," he said.
"Collectively - it is not indivudual - we did not live up to our expectations and there were a couple of other tactical things. There were a lot of things we have gone over and I am very confident we will bounce back on Sunday."
It means that there has to be a double drive for players like Murchie this weekend as they try to get over the loss and also make a case to the coaching team for keeping their spots for the big matches coming up next month, the double-headers against Toulouse and Edinburgh plus the repeat of last season's PRO12 semi-final when Glasgow defeated Munster at Scotstoun by a single point.
"There are probably a few who won't get an opportunity this week," he admitted. "When you don't play as well as you want to, you put it in the coach's hands and he may well want to make a few changes.
"Nobody can guarantee he will get another shot but if they do it is a massive opportunity and everyone who does will be desperate to right the wrongs and get the win. There are some really big games, Toulouse, Edinburgh, Munster as well. There are some great fixtures coming up, which is an incentive for everyone."
It is not just Glasgow who will reap the reward of the national players returning with confidence at a new high. Clubs like London Irish, who provided three of the squad to face Tonga, are in a similar position and already they have moved to make sure they hang on to Blair Cowan, man of the match in Kilmarnock, by signing him up to 2018.
The Glasgow players who featured heavily in Scotland's three games, and those who picked up knocks against New Zealand, will be given the weekend to recover. But Duncan Weir, Gordon Reid, Ryan Grant and Fraser Brown, all of whom were used sparingly off the bench, are likely to slot back into the club side.
The challenge for the likes of Murchie, who did not even make the training squad, is to use these games to force his way back into contention for club and country. "You have to be playing for Glasgow otherwise you are not going to be in the Scotland squad, it is as simple as that. You have to play well, achieve the goals with Glasgow where we are desperate to win something; the rest will come," he said. "The Scotland squad gets picked and you can't affect that but what you can affect are your performances on a week-by-week basis."
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