Glasgow Warriors will not be daunted by Leinster’s 100 per cent record

Dave Rennie is sure that his Glasgow Warriors squad will travel to Leinster in confident mood this week, despite the fact that the Dublin-based side are unbeaten in both competitions this season.
Jamie Dobie makes a break during  Glasgow Warriors' victory over Dragons. Picture: SNS/SRU.Jamie Dobie makes a break during  Glasgow Warriors' victory over Dragons. Picture: SNS/SRU.
Jamie Dobie makes a break during Glasgow Warriors' victory over Dragons. Picture: SNS/SRU.

Rennie’s team have clawed their way into the top three in Pro14 Conference A thanks to three five-point wins in a row, their latest being the 34-19 victory over Dragons on Saturday night. They still have some way to go before their place in the play-offs is secure, but they will take heart on Friday night from their most recent visit to the RDS, a 39-24 win last April.

“Leinster are tough to beat at home, but we did it last time we were over there, so we won’t lack for confidence,” the Warriors head coach said. “We have a huge amount of respect for them. They’ve got amazing depth.

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“No-one has got near them this year – they’ve won all 18 games, which is incredible. So we’re well aware of the challenge ahead, but we’ll go there and we’ll throw everything at it.”

Thanks to their 12 straight wins in the league, (their other six victories have come in the Champions Cup pool stage), Leinster have what looks like an unassailable 15-point lead in the conference. Ulster are second, seven points ahead of the Warriors, who are now three clear of the Cheetahs.

So there is a lot of work still to be done, but the Warriors have at least set themselves up well for the run-in to the campaign with consecutive wins over Benetton, Zebre and now the Dragons. “Ever since we dropped that last game to Edinburgh, we were pretty clear that we just needed to start getting wins and picking up bonus points,” Rennie added, referring to the last league match of 2019.

“That’s been the pleasing thing – the last three rounds we’ve picked up 15 points. Our future is in our hands. We’ve just got to keep winning.”

The future is certainly bright for Jamie Dobie, the 18-year-old scrum-half who made his first start for Glasgow on Saturday after half a dozen appearances off the bench. Dobie, inset, had a pass picked off for a first-minute Dragons try, but he did not allow his confidence to be affected.

“He’s a good kid,” Rennie said. “He’s worked really hard on his game, he’s fortunate enough to have a fair bit of experience in that position at this club, and those guys get their arm around him. I thought he was really strong.”

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