Henry Pyrgos eager to learn from Blair at Glasgow

Scrum-half Henry Pyrgos has benefited from video analysis. Picture: SNS

Blair announced last week that he will join Glasgow from Newcastle Falcons on a two-year deal, which will also help facilitate his move to full-time coaching.

The 33-year-old’s arrival came just two weeks after New Zealand-born Grayson Hart’s summer move along the M8 to Glasgow from Edinburgh on similar terms was confirmed. But Pyrgos has rejected any suggestions that Blair’s move west is purely for pension purposes.

“Mike has been a great help to me, mainly through video analysis, over the last few months. He has a fantastic career behind him and so much insight and experience to draw upon and there is no doubt I have learned from him and will continue to do so when he comes to Glasgow in the summer, but he is also a tremendous competitor and from that point of view he is not joining us just to provide cover,” said Pyrgos. He continued: “But I think with Mike joining up and also Grayson Hart arriving in the summer then we have done really well to strengthen at nine and have real depth and experience which will offset Niko (Matawalu) leaving.

“Previously I benefited a lot from Chris Cusiter being at Glasgow and I am now really looking forward to Mike coming here and working with him day-to-day.”

Pyrgos will surely be a strong candidate to reclaim the starting jersey at nine from Niko Matawalu, whom he replaced against Leinster following the Fijian’s sin-binning and his own return to full fitness two weeks ago.

With Glasgow looking to make the most of home advantage on Friday night against a Cardiff side in free-fall and missing front-row Gethin Jenkins through injury while stand-off Rhys Patchell is still sidelined following concussion, Pyrgos was pragmatic about any expectancy of a bonus-point win being harvested against the Blues.

The scrum-half said: “Last season we lost home and away to Cardiff in the Heineken Cup, so we know exactly what they are capable of and our only focus has got to be on getting the win.

“So any talk of anything else (bonus point) is something we are not interested in. It might be an old cliché but it has to be one game at a time and the only focus is to win your next game.”