GLASGOW'S bid to resurrect their early season form in Wales tomorrow goes hand-in-hand with the efforts of their one-time inspirational fly-half Dan Parks.
That is the view of Sean Lineen, the Glasgow coach, who batted away suggestions yesterday that Parks' loss of form in a Scotland jersey, most visibly in a turgid international display in Cardiff, was the fault of others around him.
Lineen kn
ows more than most Scottish coaches about the ravages of playing international rugby, having won 29 Scotland caps nearly 20 years ago, and having spent the weekend in Italy with many other former internationalists, he shared the disappointment felt by many who had worn the jersey in Scotland's deflating end to the RBS Six Nations.
It is his job to help lift the Glasgow players involved and after giving them a week's rest, he restores Parks, John Barclay and Kelly Brown to the starting line-up with Fergus Thomson on the bench, while Sam Pinder makes his 100th appearance for the club at scrum-half. Andy Henderson, the Scotland centre, is given another two weeks before an expected return in the derby with Edinburgh at Firhill.
The return of such key figures should help inspire the side in their bid for revenge over a gritty Dragons side that ended their lengthy unbeaten home run in January, and Lineen hopes Parks begins to recover the quality which first earned him the Scotland call-up.
"This is a great opportunity for Dan to get back on the horse and show what he can do," agreed Lineen. "I'll be honest, he hasn't played that well for Glasgow since the World Cup and he knows that.
"I think he understands because we had a good chat when he came back about how we need to move him on, how his game needs to be moved on. He's a good team man, and he's hurting, there's no doubt about that."
As for whether he was made a scapegoat, as suggested by other commentators, Lineen replied: "I wouldn't say it was his best game in a Scottish jersey over in Italy, no doubt about that. He made a couple of bad mistakes. Because the ball travels through 9 and 10 more than any other players, these mistakes can prove costly. I think he would hold his hand up and admit that.
"He gives people ammunition at times – they weren't great passes – but he didn't do it on purpose, and he was picked to play in that position for a reason. It didn't work out; he didn't play well; that whole campaign wasn't great. He now has to prove his mental strength and, as a coach, I have to help him, and point out a few things that he needs to change.
"I think he needs to get his shorts dirty a little bit more often. There are things he does well, but there are things he can do better. He needs to be helped. Everyone knows he has a great kicking game, but that's no good if 14 team-mates are in front of you. The guys in the other team know you're going to kick because there's no-one to pass to.
"There's a bit of over-reliance on what Dan does well. Other players have to help him – whether blocking or getting behind the kicker. Dan has been great this week, full of beans and very vocal, and he knows this is a great opportunity to get back and be his best."
Unlike Edinburgh, Glasgow are out of the Magners League title race after their mid-season dip, but can still fulfil their aim of reaching the top three. And Lineen has urged his men to stop being bullied by Welsh sides.
He added: "We've had a bit of a history with the Dragons and we've got to go down there and basically stuff them. We need to go down there and win. We haven't had an away win this season, and we had three last year. It's important that players put a bit of pressure on themselves."
The full article contains 692 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
