Decision to put hopes of international return on back burner pays dividends for record-breaking Parks

Published on Sunday 27 December 2009 21:23

IRONY hung in the air at Firhill last night as Dan Parks' 20-point contribution to Glasgow's victory and record of becoming the first man to break 1,000 points in Magners League history ensured he was the player most were talking about, days before it is due to be confirmed officially that this was his last Firhill derby before he moves to Cardiff next summer.

The 31-year-old stand-off was quick to pay tribute to his pack for allowing him the space and time to control this game for the first hour, and while it will only enhance the prospect of him returning to Scotland's RBS Six Nations squad next month Parks insisted putting international thoughts out of his head had been a factor in his fine recent form.

"That (Scotland return] is not really a target at all," he said. "Everyone puts pressure on themselves, but in previous years that's been a big driving thing inside me that has put extra pressure on me to try and please people when I didn't really need to please. But if I can please Sean (Lineen] and the Glasgow people then things will take care of themselves, and I've tried to have that attitude this year and I think it's paid dividends.

"The milestone (1,000-point record] was something I was aware of at the start of the season but it has come round a lot quicker than I thought. I don't want to comment about that (move to Cardiff] at this stage, but it's always special when we win games. Every derby match is special for me whether it's my first of whatever it is, but today there was extra incentive to get that milestone up and to win."

Parks acknowledged that it was only a few weeks ago that Firhill rocked to the tune of him steering Glasgow to victory over Gloucester in the Heineken Cup, only for the Warriors to be beaten a week later on the road. The obvious question now is: can they beat Edinburgh away for the first time in nine years?

Parks said: "We had a good performance at home (against Gloucester] and let ourselves down badly away. There were a lot of factors to that, not just in the game but before that. There was something that Chris Cusiter said, that we went into that game away from home not to lose; not to actually win but to be happy simply not to lose and that was the wrong attitude.

"I think that's what let us down and we won't be putting in a performance like that again. But, right now, I'm just very happy that we've won because that was our objective today and we've got a four-point break on Edinburgh now.

"The competition is so tight that we have to keep winning now, but that's all in our own hands. I've never beaten Edinburgh away from home so I'm just looking forward to that game. We have some great players in our team this year, certainly the best squad I've been involved with in my time at Glasgow and it makes a big difference. We all know the amount of danger we have got in the back line and with the way Richie Vernon is playing it's looking really good for Glasgow."

Parks has averaged 10 points a game, and while Lineen wants his side to develop a more attacking philosophy – and that is expected to be put to the test in the Murrayfield rematch – he accepts that his team owe much to their Australian-born stand-off.

"I am really pleased for Parksy," Lineen said. "It was a real derby out there, a real battle at the contact and he controlled the game well. It was not perfect, but the boys went about it the right way and what a fantastic result. The back row was outstanding – we worked on that play for Richie Vernon's try.

"We're looking forward to next week now. This is different for us to have the first game at home, and to win it, and you go through a lot of pain in the week you've lost. It makes New Year very unhappy. So we know how much they'll be hurting and it will be a massive contest, but we're not going across there to make the numbers up."

His opposite number, Rob Moffat, was clearly disappointed, but believes that Edinburgh's faults are fixable before Glasgow arrive at Murrayfield on Saturday. He had been forced into a late change in the back row before yesterday's kick-off, flanker Alan MacDonald failing to recover from a rib injury suffered last week and Dave Callam being pressed back into action just a week after returning from long-term injury. MacDonald should be fit this week and Moffat also has Jim Hamilton, the Scotland lock, fit and certain to be involved.

He praised Parks' influence and Vernon's try, but insisted: "We didn't give ourselves a chance because we didn't get our starting points right. We don't train for a lineout to go as it did today, and at virtually every restart we put ourselves under pressure.

"Some of those things were very, very basic, and what we have to look at is when something does go wrong we have to sort it out, but if we sort out these basics next week will be a different ball game."