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Damian McKenzie weighs in on NZR's approach to eligibility after departures
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'There's always a lot of chat with them. They're quite mouthy'
By Bryn Palmer
Glasgow lock Alex Samuel admitted their traumatic trio of defeats in Dublin towards the end of last season made Warriors extra motivated to redress the balance in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship victory over Leinster.
The rivalry between the two URC big-hitters has been largely one-sided in recent years, with Leinster’s crushing 76-14 quarter-final win over Glasgow in June 2022 precipitating the departure of previous head coach Danny Wilson.
Warriors suffered a 40-5 defeat at the RDS in Franco Smith’s first season in charge before beating a depleted Leinster 43-25 at Scotstoun in October 2023.
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That was Leinster’s last visit to Glasgow’s West End until Saturday, with Warriors suffering three defeats in Dublin in the space of eight weeks last season – a 52-0 hiding in the European Champions Cup quarter-finals, a 13-5 defeat on the last day of the regular URC season before a 37-19 loss in the quarter-finals of the same competition.
“It was only one team who ended our season last year twice, so there was a bit of extra motivation to go out and get it done,” said Scotland international Samuel, who was named Player of the Match for a thunderous display in Glasgow’s 38-17 win.
United Rugby Championship
P
W
L
D
PF
PA
PD
BP T
BP-7
BP
Total
1
Glasgow
13
10
3
0
50
2
Stormers
13
10
3
0
46
3
Ulster
13
8
5
0
42
4
Leinster
13
8
5
0
41
5
Cardiff Rugby
13
8
5
0
40
6
Munster
13
8
5
0
39
7
Lions
13
7
5
1
38
8
Bulls
13
7
6
0
35
9
Connacht
13
6
7
0
35
10
Ospreys
12
5
5
2
29
11
Sharks
13
5
7
1
29
12
Edinburgh
13
4
9
0
23
13
Benetton
12
4
6
2
23
14
Scarlets
13
4
8
1
21
15
Dragons RFC
13
2
8
3
20
16
Zebre
13
2
11
0
12
“I played in all three of those games last year, so it was awesome to get one back on them. That wasn’t a bad team they picked. They picked Jack Conan and Rónan Kelleher, who played in all the Six Nations games. I think it was a good sign of respect for what we’ve built here, because Scotstoun’s a tough place to come on a Saturday night.
“It gives us a bit of motivation as well. I don’t want to go out and play against an academy team. We want to go out and play against the best players and show what we can do.”
There were several flashpoints during a feisty encounter, with Glasgow celebrating their six tries – three of them while Leinster were down to 13 men in the first half – and a series of turnover penalties with gusto.
When George Horne scored his second try late on, a mass scuffle broke out which eventually saw Warriors replacement fly-half Adam Hastings and Leinster replacement prop Rabah Slimani both yellow-carded.
“There was a lot of chat,” Samuel said. “There’s always a lot of chat with them. They’re quite mouthy. It’s quite rare we have really had an opportunity to say much back. I think some of the boys made the most of it tonight, but come the play-offs, that’ll be another step up for us.”
Samuel himself was seen aiming a few words in the direction of Leinster fly-half Sam Prendergast, who he felt had made the most of some contact after chipping the ball over the Glasgow defence.
“I mean, I thought he dived,” added the 23-year-old. “He made the most of it, so I turned around and said, ‘what are you doing?’ They gave me a bit for that, but it’s all part of the game.”
Warriors head coach Franco Smith praised Samuel’s response to suffering a shoulder injury before the Six Nations which prevented him from competing for a Scotland place, although he was called into the training squad in the final fortnight.
“He applied himself so well in contact and from a defensive perspective, and a solid performance around the lineout as well,” Smith said. “He works really hard, he’s very diligent in the week to make sure he gets everything right, so he merits every accolade.”
Victory lifted Glasgow eight points clear of third-placed Ulster and nine ahead of defending champions Leinster in fourth as they aim to nail down a top-two finish which would guarantee home advantage through the play-offs.
But after spending most of last season in the top two before slipping to fourth in the final weeks of the regular season, necessitating that trip to Dublin in the semi-finals, Smith is looking no further than the visit of Benetton to Scotstoun on Friday.
Three of Warriors’ final five games are away from home, including two in South Africa – against in-form Lions and second-placed Stormers – plus a last-day trip to Belfast to face Ulster.
“A lot of things can go wrong, right?” Smith added. “Last year we were sitting second until the last three games and ended up being fourth, so I’m not going to get ahead of anything here.
“We’ve still got to go to South Africa, which is going to be a tough outing after the recent performances of the South African teams. We have the European Cup in the middle of it and a lot of expectation to bat away from the team so that we can focus on how we’re going to go about it. For now, we just focus on Benetton. That’s going to be another big challenge.”
