Hurt at missing out on trophies will spur Glasgow Warriors on this rugby season, says ex-Howe of Fife No 9 George Horne
Former Howe of Fife scrum-half George Horne says he and his Glasgow Warriors team-mates will use missing out on silverware last time round as motivation ahead of the new United Rugby Championship season starting this weekend.
Warriors went out of 2026’s championship play-offs in the last four 22-21 to Pretoria’s Bulls in Edinburgh in June two months after their 22-19 quarter-final exit hosting France’s Toulon at home at Scotstoun Stadium, with Horne missing both those knockout ties injured, and the 31-year-old says getting so close only to end up with no cigar on both fronts will spur head coach Franco Smith’s squad on this term.
“It was horrendous,” said the 47-times-capped Scotland international.
“Ask anyone and they’ll say the same because it’s an 11-month season now and you work so hard to put yourself in that position. We did all that hard work pretty much for nothing.
“You have those amazing days, some of the best games of your career, and it all culminates in absolutely nothing. It was something that really hurts.
“Sione Tuipulotu and Kyle Steyn are brilliant, as our two main leaders in the squad, at highlighting how important it is to acknowledge that but also to look at how much work went into it and how positive it was.
“Let’s not have ourselves come whenever in May or June time, having put all that work in for nothing. Let’s remember how much it hurts but also think how do we take that next step? – and that’s what we’re all keen to do.”
This season will be Horne’s 11th at Glasgow, having arrived in 2015, and he’s hoping there’ll be a few more to follow, adding: “Hopefully I’ve got a few more years left, at least.
“I love playing at Glasgow – I hope that’s clear to see when I’m on the field, how much it means to me.
“I’ve played here my whole career, growing up watching Glasgow obviously with my older brother Pete playing, and it’s somewhere that I genuinely enjoy coming to work each day and representing the city, the club and the people.
“My thoughts are just fully on trying to win more competitions at Glasgow at the moment.”
Warriors begin this season away to Munster this Saturday and that’s a 5.30pm kick-off.