Gregor Townsend looked back on Glasgow’s nerve-jangling defeat by Pro12 pacesetters Leinster and admitted he wrestled with a cocktail of emotions when the final whistle sounded on a 28-25 defeat.
The Warriors had produced one of their most powerful displays of the campaign in Dublin but tarnished their efforts by giving away a spate of penalties at crucial moments.
And the coach declared: “We’ve gone up against the champions and really put them under pressure, scoring some great tries.
“So it is very disappointing to come away without the win. It was a cracking game with two very good sides going at each other for 80 minutes in difficult conditions.
“I am very proud of the players, the way they took the initiative in attack and really took the game to Leinster. I was especially pleased how we defended with real effort going in and some big tackles being made.”
Despite the scoreline, the weekend was not as disastrous as it might have been with fellow play-off challengers Ospreys and Munster losing as well.
And Townsend added: “We’ve got to learn how to make the most of our opportunities but I was very pleased with the performance and it sets us up well with eight games remaining, six of which are at home.”
A try by centre Noel Reid had given the hosts the early momentum, but the response of the Warriors was quick and lethal.
Ruaridh Jackson broke down the middle after a series of well-controlled phases, dashed into the danger zone and released Richie Vernon with a perfectly weighed pass.
Finn Russell calmly added the extras to level the contest. Glasgow should have bagged a second try midway through the half when Tommy Seymour embarked on a powerful charge.
He had Niko Matawalu on the overlap, but opted to go on his own and was blocked a couple of paces short. Warriors refused to panic, however and they recycled patiently to send Vernon over to complete his double.
Leinster piled on the pressure in the build up to the interval. And following concerted mauling and pick-and-drive play it was winger Darragh Fanning who squeezed over in the corner.
Glasgow looked more urgent after the restart and they seized back the momentum with a cheeky try by Matawalu from point-blank range. Back stormed Leinster and Ian Madigan converted a Rhys Ruddock effort to set up a tense finale.
Finn Russell capped an assured kicking display by cutting the gap to three with four minutes left.