It couldn’t have gone much better for Glasgow Warriors on the penultimate weekend of the Guinness PRO12 regular season, but nothing has really changed, points out Duncan Weir.
The stand-off marked his final regular season game for the club before he moves to Edinburgh next season by prompting the Warriors to a record 70-10 win over Zebre, beating Tommy Hayes’ old club record of nine conversions in a match, and getting a farewell try himself with Glasgow’s tenth of the night.
Connacht’s unexpected loss in Treviso, also on Friday, allowed Glasgow to go top of the PRO12 and they stayed there when Leinster were felled 30-6 by Ulster in Belfast the following day.
It’s an astonishing turn of events as the Warriors were as low as ninth in the PRO12 table at the end of January, in the midst of a run where they won just once – admittedly over future European Champions Cup finalists Racing 92 – in a seven game spell.
Yet while the current nine game winning streak – another club record – that has taken them to the top of the pile has the team and supporters flush with confidence and momentum, the date at Galway’s Sportsground with Connacht on Saturday remains the key.
As Weir pointed out, despite the weekend’s various machinations the Warriors still need to beat the season’s surprise package to be sure of a precious semi-final date back at Scotstoun.
“Galway’s a tough place to go,” said Weir. “They have a terrific home record over there this season and have turned over all the top sides at home.
“The track’s a bit bumpy and the wind howls up there sometimes, but the rugby Connacht are playing is good, positive stuff, and they’re keeping the ball for long periods of time.
“They’ve always been a tough side at the breakdown so we’ll need to be at the top of our game to come away with a result.”
The nine-game winning run and the latest avalanche of points over hapless Zebre – the Warriors have scored a penalty kick short of 200 points in their last four games – will mean nothing if Glasgow don’t get the result in Galway, added Weir.
“It’s absolutely crucial,” said Weir. “You saw against Zebre how the guys were doing everything to thank the fans, who have been outstanding and selling out the stadium most weeks this season.
“It’s been great for the club that players like playing here so much. Gregor (Townsend) said before the game that we have won 28 out of the last 29 fixtures here in the league so that home advantage is crucial at the semi-final stage.
“We all know history shows that all the home teams in the PRO12 semi-finals have won in the past, so it will be a massive factor.”
For Weir, one more date at Scotstoun and the prospect of a final to follow at BT Murrayfield are tempting, but he kept his emotions in check last week and is keeping all the focus on Galway.
“Once I knew I was starting this week I was trying my hardest not to get worked up,” he admitted. “I’m a Glasgow boy who has always supported the club, who went down to Hughenden and Firhill when I was younger.
“It was tough to keep things in check and probably it’ll be harder at the next couple of games as well. I hope we come back here for a home semi-final so that we repay the fans and have that home advantage too.
“We know what we’re trying to achieve, and the level of performances we’ve had means we have a good level of momentum coming into these crucial games.
“But we can’t get caught up in looking too far ahead and thinking about Murrayfield because we still need to focus on doing the business next week, how we beat Connacht, one of the most improved sides in the league.
“They’re going to throw the kitchen sink at us because it’s going to be their first sniff at the semi-final stage, so they’ll come all guns blazing for that home semi as well.”