Forrest: Warriors ready to build on strong foundations

With pre-season now underway, Forrest says there is a real sense of confidence within the group, with a blend of established internationals and players ready to make their mark at senior level providing healthy competition for places.

“We’re very confident in terms of the younger players that we’ve got in our group,” Forrest said.

“Some of them are young academy players that have been promoted, some of them are actually young international players, and this is their opportunity to go and step up.”

That opportunity will be particularly evident during the opening pre-season fixtures, with Glasgow’s Scotland internationals returning to the club later in the summer following their involvement with the national team.

The current training group is expected to form the core of the side for the games against Newcastle and Bath, giving a number of players the chance to put their hand up ahead of the new URC campaign.

“We want to give these guys an opportunity. They’ve worked hard over the off-season, they’ve come back in, they’ve trained really well,” Forrest explained.

“This is their main window to go and do that.”

Forrest believes the competition for places throughout the squad will be one of Glasgow’s strengths this season, with a core group of experienced internationals complemented by players pushing to establish themselves.

“We feel we’ve got a lot of young players here that are ready to step up now, while we’ve still got the core group of senior internationals that I think everyone knows what they can do,” he said.

“I think we’re still pretty confident that the blend that we’ve got in the squad and the competition we’ve got for places will put us in a pretty good position this year.”

Staying true to the Warriors way

Despite the success of last season, Forrest says there is no need for a radical change in the way Glasgow approach their rugby.

The focus instead is on maintaining the team’s identity and continuing to develop the small details which can make the difference in the biggest matches.

“A lot of our big rocks we talk about, that’s the language we use in attack, defence and set-piece, is some of the best in the URC and Europe,” he said.

“Actually, some of the stats we’re looking at, it’s the best in world rugby. So the core of what we do, especially attack and defence, we’re not going to change. I feel we’ve got an identity on both sides of the ball.”

The lessons from last season’s knockout matches will provide an important reference point as the Warriors look to take another step forward.

“Ultimately, we just need to look at those little one-percenters about what gets us over the line in those knockout pressure matches,” Forrest added.

Hitting the ground running

The Warriors returned to training following an extended break, with Forrest encouraged by the condition of the players after their time away from the club.

“When the boys came back last week, they’re probably at a higher level than where they left,” he said.

“It’s great from a coaching perspective coming back in; we’re not really having to ease into things, we’re hitting the ground running.”

The approach reflects the trust built between the players, coaching staff and strength and conditioning team, with players given significant responsibility during their time away from the club.

Forrest says that trust allows the Warriors to maintain their high-intensity approach throughout the campaign without risking burnout.

“I just think the intensity that we look to train at day in, day out, you couldn’t come in and do a long pre-season,” he explained.

“You’re going to burn boys out by the time you get to probably the most important weeks at the end of the season.”

That philosophy is already evident in the current training environment, with Forrest seeing plenty to encourage him as the Warriors build towards the opening fixtures of the new campaign.

And with opportunities available across the squad, the assistant coach is excited to see which players seize their chance over the coming weeks.