GLENN BRYCE knows all too well how vital confidence is in the world of top-class rugby.

The 28-year-old has been through the mill in the past few years, with a move from Glasgow Warriors to Edinburgh three seasons ago not working out in the way he hoped, which resulted in a dip in form and a significant knock to his confidence.

However, Scotland 7s came calling last season, which worked wonders for Bryce’s game, before Glasgow Warriors stepped in to re-sign the full-back. 
The Alloa man appears to have made the transition from 7s to 15s seamlessly, but he admits playing for 80 minutes again has taken a bit of getting used to.

“The year I had with the sevens was great,” he said. 

“I love playing with the ball in the hand and I trust myself on the field. The big difference between 7s and 15s I’ve found is the mental side of things – focusing for 80 minutes. With 7s, the game is done in 14 minutes so it was more about getting used to going for 80 minutes again. 

“You need to get really well prepared in the warm-up and get right up for the game. And then I like to try to get some early touches in the 15s game and stay focused for the entire match.”

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Warriors have had something of a shaky start to this season’s Pro14. Their campaign opened with losses to Cheetahs and Scarlets before a win over Cardiff Blues a fortnight ago got last season’s runner’s-up back to winning ways. 

Dave Rennie has made a number of changes to the starting line-up to take on Dragons at Rodney Parade this evening, with Niko Matawalu returning, as well as Kyle Steyn and Oli Kebble coming in to join Bryce in the starting fifteen. And Bryce is confident that he and his teammates can build on that win in their last outing.

“We’re excited to get back on the field – we’re feeling refreshed and we want to build on the win we got against Cardiff. This league is all about momentum so we went to get another win,” he said.

The Cardiff win was a good starting point for us and for me personally, today is another opportunity to showcase what I can do.”

Bryce has started the season well, including being awarded man-of-the-match in one of Warriors’ pre-season matches against Ulster. With Scotland’s World Cup contingent back in the fray now, competition for places will be intense but Bryce is confident that he can make his mark, as well as help his team to climb the Pro14 league table.

“Things didn’t go as well as I hoped at Edinburgh but I’m using everything that’s happened in the past to push me on,” he said. 

“I’m a positive guy and I like to showcase what I can do. I’m 28 now and I know the score so it’s just about believing in yourself and putting all that hard work into the game.

“We definitely want to be back up the right end of the table. It’s a long competition but I have confidence that come the end of the season, we’ll be up there. The boys coming back from the RWC will be keen to get back in and get some wins under their belts.

“We got that win last time out and while it might not have been the prettiest, we still got there. And we’ve gone over in meetings the little details – if we get them right, we’ll hopefully get another win today. It’s small margins and with boys coming back in to bolster the squad, we’re feeling good about the games coming up.”

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Clyde Travel Management is the Official Travel Partner of Glasgow Warriors, and has extended its partnership with the club into its seventh year.

Glenn Bryce was speaking at the launch of the renewal at Glasgow Airport ahead of Glasgow Warriors’ trip to face the Dragons in the Guinness PRO14.