IT HAS been a case of so far, so familiar from Glasgow in this season’s United Rugby Championship. Shapeless and apparently dispirited in week one, when they lost 33-11 to Benetton in Treviso, they bounced back in style last week at Scotstoun, beating Cardiff 52-24 in a performance that offered a few glimpses of their old attacking play at its best.

The pattern of those two games is pretty similar to what the Warriors went through in their two seasons under Danny Wilson, with a poor away performance often being followed by a rediscovery at home of something approximating to their best form. And it is a pattern which Franco Smith, Wilson’s replacement as head coach, is desperate to ditch as quickly as possible.

Ahead of his team’s game against the Ospreys in Swansea today, Smith made that desire abundantly clear by urging his team to focus less on where they are playing and who they are playing against, and more on getting the best out of themselves. “Sometimes there’s too much emphasis on where we’re playing and who we’re playing against,” the South African said. “I think the emphasis from now is absolutely on what we do, how we can get better.

“I think the players set the standard the week before [against Cardiff]. So we must not be affected by who the game is against and where it’s taking place.”

Having said that, Smith knows full well that his team cannot afford to ignore completely the threat posed by a strong Ospreys side. Yes, Glasgow will probably only head home with four or more points if they are able to concentrate to some extent on their own virtues, but they will also have to nullify their opponents’ strengths.

A home team that would have been formidable enough with the likes of George North on the wing and Alun Wyn Jones and Adam Beard together in the second row has been significantly strengthened this week by the return of three other Wales internationals: Gareth Anscombe at stand-off, Owen Watkin at centre and Jac Morgan in the back row. Granted, Morgan takes over from the rested Justin Tipuric, whose absence could be keenly felt by the Ospreys, but it is a strong-looking side nevertheless, particularly up front.

Smith has gone for a six-two split on the bench again, and although he insisted that his selection was more to do with the expected conditions than the home team’s strengths, those additional half-dozen forwards will have vital contributions to make if the Warriors are to win. “It’s the third game in a row we’ve gone six-two,” he explained. “That’s the way I like to do things, but it depends from game to game.

“It’s got nothing to do with what they [the Ospreys] bring - we don’t expect them to be different from what they were last week. With a bit of rain in the air the forwards will be an important part of the game. It will not necessarily always be a six-two split: it will depend on the opposition and the conditions.”

The Ospreys, who lost 27-28 at home to the Lions last week and drew 23-23 at the Scarlets on the opening weekend of the season, are captained by scrum-half Rhys Webb, whose opposite number Ali Price takes over the Warriors’ captaincy in his first start of the season. The return of Price for George Horne, who is rested after a slight injury in training, is one of five changes by Smith from the team that began the Cardiff game.

Another two are in the back division, where Rufus McLean replaces injured club captain Kyle Steyn on the left wing and Sam Johnson takes over from Stafford McDowall in midfield. In the pack, meanwhile, the other newcomers are both in the back row, where Tom Gordon and Gregor Brown replace Rory Darge and Matt Fagerson respectively. Darge suffered an ankle injury in last week's 52-24 win over Cardiff that will keep him out of action for several months, while Fagerson took a rib knock in midweek.

Meanwhile, Smith refused to comment on speculation that Glasgow are ready to make a move for Worcester’s Scotland prop Rory Sutherland, who has also been linked with a return to Edinburgh.

Glasgow Warriors (v Ospreys at Swansea.com Stadium, today 3.05pm): C Forbes; S Cancelliere, S Tuipulotu, S Johnson, R McLean; T Jordan, A Price (captain); J Bhatti, F Brown, Z Fagerson, S Cummings, R Gray, G Brown, T Gordon, J Dempsey. Substitutes: G Turner, O Kebble, S Berghan, JP du Preez, S Manjezi, R Wilson, S Kennedy, D Miotti.

Ospreys: M Nagy; G North, O Watkin, M Collins, K Giles; G Anscombe, R Webb (captain); N Smith, S Baldwin, T Francis, A Beard, AW Jones, D Lydiate, J Morgan, E Roots. Substitutes: D Lake, R Henry, T Botha, R Davies, W Griffiths, RM Williams, J Walsh, L Morgan.