The Herald reports
Shaw: we must start fast and play to our potential

Neil Drysdale
Sports Journalist
Colin Shaw believes Glasgow Warriors need to get out of the blocks quicker when they tackle Edinburgh in the second match of the 1872 Cup on New Year's Day.

The first contest at Murrayfield ended in a 23-23 draw but only after a late fighback from Sean Lineen's men, who trailed by 10 points going into the final quarter. Shaw said that despite his team having now amassed a seven-game unbeaten run in the RaboDirect PRO12 competition, Glasgow have to be sharper off the mark than they have been in several recent contests,.

"We started extremely slowly against Edinburgh and it isn't the first time it has happened this season, so that is one of the areas in which we will be looking to improve when we meet them again," said Shaw, who replaced the injured Rory Lamont and whose 62nd-minute try was the catalyst for Glasgow's late recovery, which might have earned them victory but for two missed kicks from Ruaridh Jackson. "The way we fought back showed the talent we have in our side and we might have sneaked it at the end, but a draw was probably a fair result.

"However, I think we have to put points on the board early on Sunday, and we will be aiming to come out all guns blazing because if we can get our supporters behind us, we believe that we have the ability to beat almost anybody at the moment. We were behind in other matches as well [including the Heineken Cup victory against Bath and draw with Montpellier], but there is a real sense of confidence among the boys.

"I'm not sure why we have started slowly in some of these matches, but we have finished them all strongly and the key will be performing to our potential for the whole 80 minutes. This isn't just about the 1872 Cup or the RaboDirect tournament, it is also about guys taking on friends and rivals and you saw the intensity during Monday's fixture."

Shaw appreciates the threat posed by his Edinburgh rivals, with the flying Dutchman, Tim Visser, serving ample notice of his menace at Murrayfield, but it's clear that Glasgow's personnel recognise they are in the driving seat at the midway point in the inter-city duel. However, as Shaw observed, nobody in their squad is taking anything for granted and there will be no premature Hogmanay celebrations.

"We have these big matches every year at this stage of the season, so we know we have to focus on New Year's Day and nothing else matters except being ready for the challenge, because Edinburgh have a lot of good players and they will be aiming to regain the cup," said Shaw. "Our fans were tremendous at Murrayfield and I'm sure they will turn up in big numbers on Sunday and the fanbase is building all the time. So we have to get them making a lot of noise as early as possible."

This article was posted on 29-Dec-2011, 08:03 by Hugh Barrow.