Sutherland ready for Dragons challenge

The Scotland international was part of the matchday 23 that suffered an agonising late defeat at the hands of Benetton last time out, but underlined the resolve held within the squad to respond in the best possible way this weekend.

“We were confident that we were in a strong position ahead of last weekend, so we’re obviously disappointed that we didn’t go out there and get the job done,” Sutherland told glasgowwarriors.org.

“I think we were our own worst enemy at times – we had a great first half-hour, but from then on we just made too many errors and gave away too many penalties. We let the game slip away from under our fingers and we know that.

“The focus for us this week has been to eliminate those errors that we made and just to be squeaky clean – making sure our set-piece is strong and delivering a good platform for our backs to go out and attack. That’ll be a big aim for us this Saturday.”

Despite the disappointment, however, there remained plenty of positives for the Warrior Nation, not least the performances of two of Glasgow’s ‘young guns’; an all-action display from Macenzzie Duncan saw the openside take home the Player of the Match award, whilst Jare Oguntibeju’s physicality saw the second-rower barge over for the game’s opening try.

Their displays – in addition to the pre-season form of players including Kerr Yule, Fergus Watson and Kerr Johnston – come as no surprise to Sutherland, though, as the loose-head explained.

“I remember coming in last summer when I first arrived at the club and training with the young lads in pre-season,” he said.

“I was so impressed with them right from day one – the skill levels and work ethic they possess is unbelievable.

“The quality coming through the ranks here is brilliant, and it really is good to see. Each of the young lads is working hard and putting their hand up for the jersey.

“You look at the team at the weekend, and guys like Macenzzie and Jare were outstanding. The future is definitely promising for the club, not to mention the present.”

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The Dragons are the next opponents to roll into Scotstoun, with the men of Gwent providing the challenge this Saturday night for Sutherland and company.

With Filo Tiatia’s squad coming off a hard-fought draw with the Hollywoodbets Sharks last Friday night in a match that arguably should have gone the way of the Welsh outfit, it’s a test that Sutherland knows the Warriors cannot afford to take lightly.

“We know the Dragons are a team that can cause problems, and we’ll absolutely give them all the respect that they deserve,” said the prop.

“We know we can’t afford any complacency because that’s when teams fall away. They’re going to be direct and try to get the ball wide to some rapid wingers, so we need to be ready for that.

“We just need to focus on ourselves and our own performance as a squad, and put ourselves in the best possible position.”