Greatest rugby sides: Glasgow Warriors 2015

David Skippers

Glasgow Warriors Captain Al Kellock lifts the trophy after the Guinness PRO12 Final at the Kingspan Stadium, Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday May 30, 2015. Photo credit should read: Craig Watson/PA Wire

We take a look at the best ever teams to have graced the sport from years gone by and today we delve into Glasgow Warriors’ side that won the PRO12.

Success for Scottish sides have been sparse since the inception of the Celtic League (what is now known as the PRO14), with Edinburgh constant underachievers and the Border Reivers, who continually struggled and eventually disbanded in 2007.

That left the Warriors, a team that followed a similar pattern to their rivals from the capital for much of the 2000s, but that changed at the end of the decade. As the 2010s began so started a Glasgow surge.

It didn’t happen immediately with an 11th place finish in 2011 but, in Sean Lineen’s last season in charge, they finished in fourth place in the newly-formed PRO12.

Scottish Rugby then took the bold and rather surprising step by replacing Lineen with one of their great players, Gregor Townsend, which proved to be a masterstroke. The former utility back, who garnered 82 caps for the national team, revolutionised the club as they began to see significant improvements.

Townsend implemented a free-flowing style and, following successful campaigns in 2013 and 2014, they finally claimed the silverware their efforts deserved.

What made them great

While Scottish Rugby are beginning to produce the type of athletes to rival those of their European rivals, particularly up front, that has rarely been the case, so they needed a point of difference at the start of Townsend’s tenure. They could rarely overpower opponents, meaning the Warriors had to be savvy for them to be successful in the PRO12.

They did not lack excellent forwards that were adept in the tight exchanges. For years the Scots have produced nuggety back-rowers that were excellent at the contact area and locks that were superb lineout options, but they didn’t have the carrying prowess in traffic.

As a result, the focus was on moving the ball quickly and getting a backline that was creative, skilful and pacey to garner victories. And it all came right for Townsend as they did just that, bringing together a wonderful mix of players that had the balance to win the league title in 2015.

Key players

There was obviously a Scottish core with Finn Russell the architect at fly-half and Stuart Hogg the counter-attacking threat from full-back. Arch-poacher Tommy Seymour also provided class out wide, but they were supplemented by some outstanding imports.

New Zealand-born Sean Maitland, who qualified for Scotland through his grandparents, joined the Warriors in 2012 and added Super Rugby class, while Niko Matawalu enjoyed a remarkable campaign. The scrum-half, who could also play on the wing, didn’t have the greatest passing game, but his ability to break a match open and produce moments of magic were priceless during their title-winning season.

Up front, fellow Fijian Leone Nakarawa played a similar role to Matawalu. Adept at his core duties, the second-row was never lacking in the tight exchanges, but Nakarawa’s excellence in the loose set him apart from his contemporaries. The lock’s long arms and talent to get the offload away constantly kept Glasgow on the front foot and was a key reason for their success.

Alongside Nakarawa in the pack was South African Josh Strauss, who provided the power at the base of the scrum. The former Lions player was their primary ball carrier in the tighter exchanges and provided solidity in that number eight position.

Landmark performance

After the disappointment of the 2014 final, which saw them overwhelmed by Leinster 34-12 at the RDS Arena, the Scottish outfit learned the lessons heading into the showpiece event a year later.

The 2015 grand occasion was the first to take place at a neutral venue but it still favoured Glasgow’s opponents on the day, Munster, who had a shorter distance to travel to Belfast’s Kingspan Stadium. Their fans flocked to Ulster’s home ground expectant of a victory but, despite being up against vociferous support, Townsend’s charges utterly dominated.

Their big players all came to the fore. Nakarawa was simply brilliant, setting up the first two tries by producing stunning off-loads for Rob Harley and DTH van der Merwe to finish for a 14-3 advantage. Hogg then showed his class, scampering through a gaping hole and providing scrum-half Henry Pyrgos with an easy run to the line.

It was an exhibition from the Warriors, whose hard work for the past few seasons culminated in a stunning performance. Despite Andrew Smith’s try reducing the arrears at the interval, the Scots were simply a class above on the day and secured their first title when star pivot Russell crossed the whitewash in the second period.