EDINBURGH and Glasgow secured their own and Scotland's best-ever finish to the Magners League on Saturday and confirmed their arrival as a serious force in Celtic rugby.
The secret, according to Sean Lineen, the Glasgow coach, is putting the professional teams before Scotland, and learning the real value of hard work.
"That has been the difference," he said yesterday, having arrived back at Prestwick Airport and
headed straight for a mini-rugby tournament in Glasgow. "This team is beginning to mean a lot to Glasgow and I'm very proud of what the players have achieved, for themselves, for the club, for this city and Scottish rugby as a whole.
"I don't think people realise how difficult it is for Scottish teams to compete with clubs as big as Munster, Leinster, Cardiff, the Ospreys – the finances they have, the sponsors, the crowd figures. But we're beginning to build something and finishing with five wins in a row, three away from home, is a confident statement.
"But it's what they have learned that will make the difference going forward now. We now have a bunch of lads who want to play first for Glasgow and then for their country second; that understand pro rugby is about training hard and performing week in, week out for their club, and then gaining the rewards and caps that may come later, as opposed to thinking the caps are theirs by right and that the club is just where they play between internationals.
"That might not seem a big thing to some people, but it's a crucial change. There is some real talent there, a special group, but they are realising how much work they have to put in to compete at this level, and the rewards you get for it. They are also starting to develop the experience teams like Munster have in abundance – the knowledge of how to win playing badly.
"I'm delighted for Edinburgh as well and, hopefully, this finish to the season by both of us can help take our game forward."
After successive seasons where both sides competed well, but dropped off during and at the end of league campaigns, the Scots finally ended strongly on Saturday night.
Glasgow defeated an almost full-strength Munster 21-18, in their last dress rehearsal for the Heineken Cup final, while Edinburgh notched the double over Llanelli, last year's Heineken Cup semi-finalists.
What made the results particularly special was both came away from home in front of two of the most passionate home crowds in the leagues, and backed up away wins achieved the previous week.
For the first time since the tri-nations league was created in 2003-04, both Scottish teams finished among the top five with Edinburgh in a new high of fourth – only missing out on third on points difference to Munster, who grabbed a bonus in defeat – and Glasgow a first-ever fifth spot.
The achievement of two sides with the funding levels that rate them only above Connacht, at the foot of the table, is welcome proof that Scottish sides can punch above their weight.
Also, when one casts a closer eye back through the league season, and the disappointing defeats when the sides allowed themselves to drop off the pace, the potential of these relatively young squads is exciting.
Both teams scored 39 tries, a ratio pleasingly closer to two per match than one, with Glasgow the fourth highest points-scoring side and Edinburgh seventh in the league, and Edinburgh the fourth best at keeping sides out and Glasgow sixth.
Rob Moffat, Edinburgh's backs coach, admitted: "We're pleased to have the tries spread out across the team, but one thing I would like to see next season is an Edinburgh try-scorer hitting double figures.
"But that's the beauty of now, being able to look ahead from a position where I think both Scottish sides can be pretty pleased.
"From our point of view, the team spirit has been probably the biggest single factor, from the guys everybody knows really well to those who don't start every week – particularly those guys actually, whose work ethic has really underpinned the improvement.
"There is no doubt Andy (Robinson] has made a big difference this season, but the team spirit has really been the crucial thing.
"We have a good number of players who have stepped up to the plate, many guys everyone knows, but also the work and ethic what you might call squad players have brought has underpinned the rise.
"Jim Hamilton and Chris Paterson coming in this summer will strengthen the squad and players who have come through this year will be stronger. Winning three and drawing one in Wales is a fair achievement.
"It's been a very positive season and one which allows us all – players, coaches, supporters and sponsors – to genuinely look forward to next season. But nobody will be sitting back saying 'it's great we're fourth'; we'll be kicking on next season."
Glasgow are heading to France for a pre-season tournament involving Sale, Clermont Auvergne and Perpignan, while Edinburgh play Wasps at home and Bath away, one of whom could by then be Guinness Premiership champions as the two square-off in the semi-finals of that tournament next weekend.
Things are looking up for the Scottish teams.
The full article contains 896 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
