Two-try Steyn praises full squad effort

As birthdays go, Kyle Steyn is likely to remember his 28th for a pretty long time.

After all, it’s not every day that you get to celebrate by running in two tries in a bonus-point win.

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“I’m pretty chuffed, I won’t lie,” Steyn grinned as he spoke to glasgowwarriors.org post-match.

“I got a bit of a fright waking up today and realising I was 28! I’m glad I can still run around with the youngsters out there!”

For the Scotland star, though, the best present was delivered by his fellow Warriors on the field. A 42-20 victory over Connacht ensured that Danny Wilson’s side would keep pace with the leaders in the United Rugby Championship, as well as sending out a statement to the watching rugby public following last weekend’s Champions Cup disappointment.

“To deliver that kind of performance out there today was excellent from the boys,” said Steyn.

“We know that it’s always tough to come over to Connacht and to get a result, so to come away from Galway with a bonus-point win is outstanding.

“We’re really pleased with how today went and the boys know exactly how much it means.”

Having been pegged back to 20-20 with half an hour to play after leading at the interval, Steyn was particularly pleased with the diligence with which the Warriors stuck to the task at hand.

A total of 22 unanswered points in the game’s final quarter was the reward for said diligence, as a full squad effort ensured the points would be coming back on the plane home to Glasgow.

“We just kept talking about focusing on the next job, really,” said Steyn.

“In a lot of situations in the last two weeks, we’ve been our own worst enemy and it’s been something we’ve talked about internally.

“Being hyper-critical of ourselves, we probably still let ourselves down in the middle of that game with a few discipline issues, but I’ve got to give credit to the boys for the way we stuck it out.

“We were committed to getting the right result out there today, and we kept our focus and that showed just what we can do.”

Glasgow’s squad depth was also on full display in the Galway sunshine, as a host of Warriors caught the eye in a much-changed side due to international call-ups and injuries.

Fellow outside backs Ollie Smith and Sebastian Cancelliere were two such players name-checked by Steyn, with Thomas Gordon and Ally Miller also earning plaudits from the Premier Sports broadcast team.

“That’s such a brilliant thing for this club,” said Steyn.

“Everyone that got an opportunity today really put their best foot forward.

“Ollie was outstanding today, I thought he was really composed and he looked really dangerous with ball in hand. Seb, too – he sets it alight in every training session, so it was so good to see him turn it on out there today.”

With five point secured, the result briefly sees Glasgow leapfrog into second place in the URC standings, as the pursuit of a playoff place continues.

Fellow challengers Munster are next up for Wilson’s men, as a potentially crucial run of games now stretches out in front of the Warriors.

“Our focus hasn’t changed throughout the year – we want to be in that top four and challenging at the business end of the season,” reaffirmed Steyn.

“With the rescheduled games, there’s a good run of games coming up for us over the next few weeks and during the Six Nations period, so it’s a good opportunity to build on today’s win and get stuck into it.

“There’s definitely still more to come. There are boys who are dying to have a crack and get out there, and there’s such a great energy in the squad right now.”