Well, it’s certainly been a season of thrills and spills this year.

We started the campaign full of optimism with the likes of Scotland ‘A’ scrum-half Mark McMillan and lock Tim Barker returning to the club following time elsewhere along with the addition of some really exciting Scottish talent and those youngsters – such as Ruaridh Jackson, Calum Forrester and Richie Gray - have certainly lived up to the expectation.

Our pre-season preparations took us to France to get our young players up-to-speed and train with the sun on our backs.

Victories over both Castres and Beziers in the XV Challenge Vaquerin saw us bring home the enormous trophy and it was a nice start to the season.

Two further pre-season games against Bristol and Gloucester gave us the tests we needed before the first game away to Dragons.

Our inconsistency has cost us dear this year having been unable to string together two wins at any point. However, we have undoubtedly shown flashes of our potential, none more-so than when we achieved the greatest result in Scottish rugby this year by beating Toulouse whilst on Heineken Cup duty in France.

I’d also like to recognise those that made their international debuts this season. Max Evans took to the field during the Autumn Test against Canada at Pittodrie and he and his brother have gone on to become the most potent threats in Scotland’s arsenal over the RBS 6 Nations. I’m delighted they’ll both be Warriors for the next few years at least.

Moray Low also got a taste of international rugby during a baptism of fire at the Stade de France in Paris.

Nine other Warriors added to their international tallies over the course of the season. John Barclay, Kelly Brown, Thom Evans, Dougie Hall, Al Kellock and Graeme Morrison all featured for Scotland whilst Bernie Stortoni, Kevin Tkachuk and Justin Va’a all contributed to their respective countries’ campaigns.

With world class talent in our squad, it’s only right that we continue to invest in facilities and I’m delighted Firhill will be our home for the next five years. I just hope we can reinstate it as our fortress in the coming season.

We will also move all our training activity to Scotstoun from next summer. This multi-million pound redevelopment is fantastic for the Warriors as we continue to strive for improvement and strengthen our links in the community.

Speaking of our community work, the squad has undertaken approximately 1,100 community appearances over the course of the season. Our Champion Warriors scheme is also continuing to flourish and I feel that the great work the club does in the community is reflected on another rise in attendances at Firhill this year.

Due to the hard work of both Scottish pro-teams, we have seen a rise in attendances of around 45% and that is great news for professional rugby in this country. Now the hard work must continue to ensure this trend continues and I look forward to the club having a lot more visibility to the public at Scotstoun.

I’d like to thank all the supporters for their passion and commitment to the Warriors. You support both home and away is very much appreciated and it gives everyone a great lift when we see Glasgow fans at airports and towns when we’re away from home.

The noise from the Jackie Husband stand is also absolutely brilliant and you mustn’t forget how important you are as our 16th man. I’d also urge as many of you as possible to take advantage of our new season ticket offer as it’s the most economical way to be a Warrior next season.

Looking ahead to next season, I wish all those that may be leaving the club the very best of luck and welcome our British & Irish Lion Chris Cusiter to the squad.

I’ve always admired the way Chris plays and it’s hugely exciting to have him at the club following his captaincy of the ‘A’ team in Romania over the summer.

Once again, on behalf of everyone at the club, I thank you for your support. Keep checking glasgowwarriors.org over the summer and register for our weekly e-zine “WarCry” to receive all the latest news from the club over the close-season and for details of our pre-season fixtures.

Have a great summer.

All the best,
Sean