{"id":23604,"date":"2025-04-16T02:33:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T02:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/23604\/"},"modified":"2025-04-16T02:33:10","modified_gmt":"2025-04-16T02:33:10","slug":"glasgow-learning-from-pain-of-leinster-loss-as-pete-murchie-breaks-down-where-it-went-wrong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/23604\/","title":{"rendered":"Glasgow learning from pain of Leinster loss as Pete Murchie breaks down where it went wrong"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Glasgow have been reflecting on their painful Champions Cup loss to Leinster. Image: \u00a9 Craig Watson <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a> <\/a><\/p>\n

PETE MURCHIE says Glasgow can\u2019t afford to allow their heavy Champions Cup loss to Leinster to define their season.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Murchie concedes a combination of Leinster\u2019s attacking brilliance and poor Warriors defence contributed to the quarter-final shellacking<\/a> at the Aviva Stadium on Friday night.<\/p>\n

A forensic review of the 52-0 defeat has been taking place at Scotstoun over the last few days with defence coach Murchie leading the analysis of how Leinster were able to run out such comfortable winners.<\/p>\n

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Few teams in the world can live with the province in this form but Murchie also acknowledged there were areas in which Glasgow could have performed a lot better, especially in the period when they lost Adam Hastings<\/strong> to a yellow card.<\/p>\n

And with Franco Smith<\/strong>\u2019s side still to return to Dublin to play Leinster at least once \u2013 and possibly twice \u2013 before the season is over, Murchie knows lessons need to be learned.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to give Leinster credit for the performance they put out,\u201d he said. \u201cThey were able to build a lead in that yellow card period in particular, and they applied a lot of pressure in all areas of the game, through their attack and through their defence.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut at the same time, we feel we didn\u2019t put out our best performance, in terms of how we structured the game, how we defended, how we attacked. Areas of our game didn\u2019t function the way we\u2019d like them to. Some of that is because of the pressure they applied. But when we reflect, there are a number of things we could have been better at.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat yellow card period was costly. We lost 19 points in that period. That allowed them to grow in the game and defensively they kept coming. When you\u2019ve got that lead, you can take more risk, so it becomes a loop: the more you get ahead, the less you\u2019ve got to lose, on both sides of the ball, so they can fly harder, they can start running from their own 22 and it really suits the way they play the game. So we can definitely be better in lots of areas of the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s about being specific. When you\u2019re under the pressure that we were, it can take a toll in terms of the way you act and move and how you deal with things.\u00a0You need to break it down and be specific, say, \u2018right, this was the situation, we had a yellow card, this is how we look, this is how we\u2019re acting, what\u2019s our process to deal with this and where are we doing it?\u2019 And quite often the case is that we weren\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of that is actual stress in terms of the stress we were under and some of that can be perceived stress with the scoreboard. If it\u2019s everything, it\u2019s pretty hard to compartmentalise that, but there\u2019s some real specifics there that we can improve and try now.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t want to brush it under the carpet, but you can\u2019t let it bog you down. We\u2019ve learned lessons, some pretty harsh ones, and now we crack into the week.\u201d<\/p>\n

While that pragmatic self-reflection is obviously necessary, it doesn\u2019t help to erase the pain felt by the Glasgow players who went into the tie with such high hopes only to see their confidence punctured so brutally. Murchie, though, believes that some mental suffering is necessary.<\/p>\n

\u201cNaturally it hurts,\u201d he added. \u201cIt was a Champions Cup quarter-final and the scoreline obviously hurts. I\u2019d be a bit concerned if the guys weren\u2019t feeling it, as we all are, off the back of that. But then you quickly flip it around to how you use it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know we\u2019re going to have to play Leinster again in the Aviva, so straight away that focuses the mind. And we\u2019re back into action this weekend, in a different competition and a competition where we\u2019ve got it all to play for [away to Zebre in the URC].<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mindset is now switching around to looking at what the lessons are. When you break it down and you take the emotion out of it, there are some pretty obvious lessons there for us. Ones where as you get into these knockout games, we\u2019re going to have to be better. That\u2019s definitely my mindset: do we flip this and actually get something from what is obviously a pretty tough loss?\u201d<\/p>\n

Murchie expects to see a reaction from the players as they head to Parma to play a Zebre side fresh from three weeks off and enjoying one of their best seasons of recent times.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have a tough experience like that, of course you want to have a reaction. It\u2019ll be a difficult game \u2013 they\u2019ve had three weeks of prep for us, they haven\u2019t played Europe. I\u2019m sure they\u2019ll have a clean bill of health and it\u2019s a tough place to go.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve turned over quite a few teams, as we know, close to home [winning 22-17 in Edinburgh<\/a>] and had some successes on the road. The league is so tight that where they are in the league maybe doesn\u2019t reflect how many wins they\u2019ve got this season.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it\u2019s an opportunity for us to turn the page, refocus and put down a stamp for where we want to go in the big few weeks. So we do have to move on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zander Fagerson<\/strong> should return from his concussion protocol and Josh McKay<\/strong> is available for selection once again after recovering from ankle surgery. But Saturday night is still too soon for the likes of Sione Tuipulotu, Huw Jones <\/strong>and Jack Dempsey.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe others are getting closer, but they\u2019re not going to be [involved] this weekend,\u201d confirmed Murchie. \u201cSione\u2019s been back on the pitch. Demmo, we\u2019re still waiting on that one, but he\u2019s working hard on his rehab. They are getting closer, but not [for] this week.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was good news, of sorts, on Matt Fagerson<\/strong> who doesn\u2019t appear to have broken his leg as first feared in Dublin on Friday night<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cFingers crossed, it\u2019s maybe not the break that we thought it might be at the time, but we\u2019re still waiting for the scan to be specific on what the actual damage is there. At this moment in time, yes, there is a chance he could play again [this season], but until we actually know what we\u2019re dealing with, then I\u2019d be speculating.\u201d<\/p>\n

Warriors have been linked with a summer move for Racing fly-half Dan Lancaster<\/strong> to replace the departing Tom Jordan<\/strong> but Murchie doesn\u2019t see it happening.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s anything in that. I think it\u2019s probably a case of people putting two and two together. It\u2019s obvious with TJ moving on that there could be a spot there. But there\u2019s nothing in that one.\u00a0I\u2019m sure it\u2019s something the club are looking at. But you want the right person, it has to be the right fit.\u201d<\/p>\n

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