Reality check for Lions stars as woeful defeat all but dashes Glasgow Warriors' top-two hopes

After the euphoria astatine Scotstoun past Thursday erstwhile the British and Irish Lions squad was announced, this was a large world cheque for Glasgow Warriors.

Just a mates of days aft having 4 players selected for the summertime circuit of Australia, everyone astatine the nine came backmost down to world with a bump.

A woeful 33-7 decision to Benetton successful Italy volition surely fertile arsenic 1 of the poorest results and performances of the Franco Smith epoch astatine Warriors.

The Italians ran successful 5 tries and were ascendant throughout, denting Glasgow’s chances of finishing 2nd successful the URC standings.

Warriors volition caput to Dublin this play to look leaders Leinster successful the last crippled of the regular season. That would beryllium a gangly bid astatine immoderate point.

But, connected the ground of this display, and besides fixed that Glasgow mislaid 52-0 to Leinster lone a fewer weeks agone successful the Champions Cup, it could beryllium 3 figures if they don’t subordinate up their ideas.

Glasgow are inactive definite to marque the play-offs, but it is starting to consciousness similar months of dealing with injuries to cardinal players is opening to drawback up with them.

The reigning champions are limping into the play-offs. Momentum has been mislaid and the sooner they get their large hitters back, the better.

Huw Jones, 1 of the 4 Lions, made his instrumentality from a manus wounded connected Saturday and scored a consolation try.

Scotland skipper Sione Tuipulotu is expected to beryllium backmost for the travel to Dublin, with the fittingness of Zander Fagerson inactive unclear.

Scott Cummings was the different Lion picked successful Andy Farrell’s 38-man squad and Glasgow request him backmost to his dynamic champion arsenic soon arsenic possible.

On a desperately deflating defeat, caput manager Smith said: ‘We’re each precise disappointed astir this.

‘But we’re going to instrumentality the positives retired of this successful the consciousness that we can’t beryllium 2nd present basically. I deliberation that is unnecessary baggage we’re carrying astir now.

‘Hopefully, with that retired of the way, we tin conscionable attack the quarter-finals with wide minds, proceed to larn from these mistakes and get backmost to being ourselves adjacent week.

‘We needed this. A disappointment similar this tin beryllium a affirmative sometimes and I anticipation to crook this into a positive.

‘Compliments to Benetton. They person got a bully squad present and evidently bounced backmost aft the nonaccomplishment against Stormers.

‘We person got a batch of enactment to do. We’ve got to hole a mates of things and we’ll beryllium excited to get retired determination adjacent week.

‘Well done to them, they filled the field, enactment their bodies connected the enactment and showed a batch of character.’

Meanwhile, Cummings admits it was a imagination travel existent to perceive his sanction called retired arsenic a British and Irish Lion.

The large fastener missed each of Scotland’s Six Nations run and knew that enactment would beryllium interaction and go.

‘I inactive retrieve getting up aboriginal to ticker the 2013 circuit to Australia, truthful these are the benignant of moments that I’ve dreamed of for years,’ helium said. ‘I wasn’t adjacent definite if I was successful contention due to the fact that I haven’t played excessively overmuch precocious with my injury.

‘I thought that mightiness person been my chances over. I was gutted not getting to correspond Scotland arsenic good due to the fact that the wounded was conscionable the week before.

‘I was conscionable trying to combat to get backmost arsenic speedy arsenic I could. We’ve evidently got immoderate monolithic games coming up for Glasgow.

‘Every clip you get injured, coaches ever archer you it volition assistance you retired astatine the backmost extremity of the season.

‘In immoderate ways it has — I’ve not had the aches and pains immoderate of the different boys person astir apt had who person played.

‘Having a spot of clip retired has fixed maine a accidental to refresh and I’m acceptable to ace successful astatine the extremity of the season.

‘This is conscionable the beginning. Being selected for the circuit is conscionable the archetypal infinitesimal of it. We’re going implicit determination arsenic a squad and we’ve got to effort and gel arsenic speedy arsenic we can.

‘I’ve nary thought erstwhile we conscionable up oregon however it each works but I’m excited to find retired astir it and ace into it.’