Pat MacArthur Scotland bid based on Glasgow glory
The 27-year-old was surprisingly absent from Vern Cotter’s first Autumn Test Series selection, despite the fact that Fraser Brown, who is behind him in the pecking order at hooker with the Warriors, was called up, and now MacArthur is desperate to put that setback behind him by proving he is the best No 2 in the country through his domestic form.
With a series of huge Guinness Pro12 encounters in prospect, starting with the visit of leaders Munster to Scotstoun on Saturday, followed by the 1872 Cup double-header with Edinburgh, the front-rower says all his focus is on doing the best job he can for Glasgow.
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Hide AdHe said: “I think I’m playing well and I’m happy with what I’ve been doing and that I am improving and developing with every game and that is my purpose at Glasgow.
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“I like to focus on each game in itself and not worry about what I can’t control. If my form is good at Glasgow then, hopefully, everything else will take care of itself. So the Munster game is a huge game, it’s first versus second and all I’m interested in is doing my best, if selected, because, if you are not doing it for Glasgow, then you are going nowhere. But, speaking as a forward, it is the type of game you relish because Munster have a really strong pack and they have some big ball carriers and a very strong set-piece. So you know that you are going to have to be on your mettle and that really focuses the mind.”
With the Scotstoun side having lost their 11-month unblemished home record to Toulouse on Sunday, MacArthur claims team spirit has become even stronger as Glasgow look to defeat the Munstermen for the third time on the bounce.
He added: “The two defeats at the hands of Toulouse were very disappointing but we are a very tight-knit dressing room and it has pulled us together even tighter and we are determined to provide a response.
“The fact that this is such a big game in the Guinness Pro12 is a big plus as it has meant focus has moved on very quickly but, at the same time, we believe we have learned a lot from the two defeats in Europe and we are still very much in it in the Champions Cup and still sitting second.
“The fans were fantastic in the game with Toulouse last Saturday and we are really determined to produce a performance and a result that will repay them.
“Munster will be looking for revenge for the Pro12 play-off semi-final defeat at Scotstoun in May, so the fans will be in for a fantastic game and we have to make sure we come out on top.”
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