Gregor Townsend’s half-time blast inspires Glasgow

GLASGOW coach Gregor Townsend basked in the glow of a very Good Friday indeed, praising his side for posting their biggest-ever score against Irish opposition, after he had threatened to replace half the team at half-time.

The Warriors returned to the top of the RaboDirect PRO12 table with a stunning six-try, 51-24 defeat of Munster, but Townsend said: “They [Munster] were better than us in the first half, quicker to the breakdown, more aggressive, and we could easily have been ten points down, so I told them that we could send all the bench on there and then.

“I wanted a reaction and we got it; we fixed the issues of the first half and got on the front foot and when we play quick rugby we are dangerous. That was the best second-half performance from the team, and best squad performance, because the impact the bench made was excellent as well.”

Townsend saved particular praise for his stand-off Ruaridh Jackson, whose confidence lay at the heart of the attacking display. The ‘man of the match’, in turn, praised his forward pack, stating: “It is great to be out there playing with that confidence; not just me but the whole team. I was coming into good form before the Six Nations and it’s great when you’re playing behind a pack like that, where the boys are putting you on the front foot.

“I think that’s the best yet because that was a very strong Munster side who needed the points to get into the play-offs.”

Now with a week off, Townsend added: “We are not there yet. We are top for a day anyway, and have sent a strong message to other teams by beating Munster by 50 points, but that will also fire them up. We’ll see what happens against the Scarlets in two weeks.”