Wilson proud of Warrior spirit

It might have been three weeks since Glasgow Warriors’ most recent outing, but you’d have been forgiven for thinking no time had passed at all following tonight’s 38-19 victory over the Ospreys.

Running in five tries against their visitors from Swansea, the home side picked up where they’d left off in December’s victory over Exeter, blending rapier-sharp attack with physically resolute defence.

It was a performance that pleased Head Coach Danny Wilson immensely as he watched on from the Main Stand at Scotstoun, as he saw his side move up to third in the United Rugby Championship standings.

“I’m really proud of the effort of this team after quite a disrupted couple of weeks,” Wilson told glasgowwarriors.org.

“Even this week has been a bit disrupted, and we know there’s still a bit to work on – we left a few scores out there and we let the Ospreys in for a soft score. We know that we’ll need to up our level again to go and get the result away to Exeter, but tonight was about getting the win.

“We did that and we got the bonus point, so it’s been a good night’s work.”

The headline-grabbing performance of Sione Tuipulotu was one of a number of standout displays from those in Glasgow colours, with the centre running in two sublime tries on his way to claiming the Player of the Match medal.

“He’s been outstanding ever since he arrived,” said Wilson of the Scotland centre.

“He’s a superb player on both sides of the ball and he’s just got better and better. Everyone can see what he brings to the team, from his carrying to his line breaks to his willingness to get up in support.

“On top of all of that, though, he’s a top bloke. He’s settled in really well with all of the boys and we love him to bits. He’s been superb so far and long may it continue.”

The next challenge for Wilson’s men will see the Warriors hit the road once more, as they make the long trip down to Sandy Park and a rematch with Exeter in round three of the Heineken Champions Cup.

Former winners of the competition and a regular powerhouse in the English Premiership, the Devonians represent the level that Wilson and his squad aspire to reach, with the Glasgow boss confident in his team’s ability to scale new heights once more next weekend.

“We said tonight that to go on to that next level, we need to be critical of these types of performance,” explained Wilson.

“We don’t want to just sit back and pat ourselves on the back, we want to analyse what we need to do to be better and identify what we need to do to go and consistently challenge the top teams in Europe.

“That’s what we want to develop into, and it’s a journey that we’ll take step by step. At the moment, though, we’ve taken some big steps forward and there’s more to come.

“We don’t want to go down to Exeter and let our win here last month look like a one-off. We want to go down there and show we can back that performance up away from home, and by getting a good away win.”