Rugby: Barclay banks on Glasgow's team spirit

Some of the stars may be gone but flanker is keen to build on this year's success, finds David Ferguson

HAVING EMERGED from the disappointment of Friday night's Magners League play-off exit at the hands of the Ospreys, Glasgow's John Barclay was adamant that the semi-final defeat need not be an isolated high point in the team's history.

Edinburgh look back at their run to the Heineken Cup quarter-final in 2004 with misty eyes these days, having not come close to matching that achievement, and the return to Scotland yesterday on the back of a 20-5 defeat brought the sobering reality that Glasgow's most successful league season was over and that a handful of key players would now be heading to pastures new.

Dan Parks will join Cardiff this summer, Kelly Brown moves to Saracens, Mark McMillan to Bath and locks Dan Turner and Tim Barker are heading to Japan and back home to Ulster, respectively. All five were central figures in Friday night's match and the flood of tears after the final whistle was further evidence of their sadness at leaving.

However, while he agreed that he would like to see the SRU invest more to strengthen the Glasgow squad, Barclay said he believed that the achievement in reaching the semi-finals and pushing hard one of the richest teams in British rugby had the potential to be a stepping stone to more success.

"There are a lot of guys leaving and it's hard for them," he said, "because they've enjoyed their time at Glasgow and it's a pretty tight squad. We wanted to get another chance to play together, and unfortunately that hasn't happened.

"We were as physical as them (the Ospreys], but a couple of lapses in concentration for the tries cost us, and our discipline was poor.

"We know that we didn't play particularly well, which is frustrating, but one of the best teams in Europe maybe didn't struggle against us but certainly didn't play free-flowing rugby because we make life hard for every team we play against now.

"There are some guys moving on, but in those positions there are exciting guys coming through. They won't be at the same standard maybe straight away, but they are getting there. Guys like Richie Gray are coming through and a few that have played small parts this year will now be playing bigger parts and they have to step up.

"Dan Parks has been pivotal in this team for seven years now and someone's going to have to fill his shoes now, but we've got guys around us like Ruaridh Jackson and Duncan Weir who have a great future ahead of them.

"Jacko has been here a couple of years and when Parksy leaves he'll realise just how much he's learned off him. I think you'll see a more mature Jacko next year because he'll be steering the team and will have to take a lot of responsibility on his shoulders.

"We'll find out next season what we've learned from this, but there is a great team spirit and training has been more physical and intense than it has been in the six years I've been here.

"There is a real desire to improve and competition for places, and we have to continue that if we are to succeed."

Barclay is still only 23, the youngest of the so-called "killer Bs" back row, which will be broken up by the departure of Brown.

Barclay remains, however, and so does No 8 Johnnie Beattie. Richie Vernon and James Eddie will come into the frame for a new back row unit, and despite his tender years Barclay will be one of the senior figures.

Next season they will need his strength of character. But with two Italian teams joining the Magners League, adding four more games for every side, Glasgow will be playing more games without the internationalists and the openside flanker insisted that will ensure the load is spread.

The Ospreys are rumoured to be looking at a squad of more than 50 players to cope while the Italians are said to be kicking off with budgets of around 6 million each, double what the Scots pro teams have to play with. Barclay added: "There is a large difference in budgets though that's nothing to do with us; we're just players and just have to get on with it. When you look at their (Ospreys] squad they could put two internationals teams out there, and we certainly can't do that, so it would be good to see a bit more investment.

"It will be tough and the Ospreys won't struggle as much as us, but it's not all about the players you have. It's also about the character you have in the squad; what playing for your club means. Playing for Glasgow means a lot to our guys. It's not all about names, it's about performing. We're perhaps not the flashiest team but we work hard for one another and we want to win and I'm confident we will learn from this and be better next season."