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Captain Fraser Brown calls out Glasgow's bench after loss to La Rochelle

By PA
Will Skelton /Getty

Glasgow co-captain Fraser Brown criticised his side’s workrate in their 20-13 Heineken Champions Cup defeat to last season’s runners-up La Rochelle and called for a stronger performance at home to Exeter next weekend.

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The visitors led twice in the game – 6-0 and 13-10 – and left France with a losing bonus point after Kyle Steyn crossed over and young outside half Ross Thompson added eight points with the boot.

Scotland international Brown missed the game at Stade Marcel Deflandre due to injury but made his observations and asked for more.

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“We were the best team by far in the first 25 minutes. Then the energy and workrate went for whatever reason,” Brown told BBC Scotland.

“That can happen in a game but you need to nip it in the bud quickly and make sure your intensity stays high. After 26 or 27 minutes our intensity never really got back up there.

“A lot of errors came through not working hard enough to get set. It is a mindset.

“I was disappointed by the energy and impact off the bench in the last 20 minutes. It was a little bit underwhelming and the last five or 10 minutes summed it up for me.

“There was a great ambition to play, but nowhere near hard enough to get into the right position to open up the space that was needed.

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“I think we should have won the game even though we were quite a way away from our best. We had enough opportunities.”

The Warriors now have to get ready for a home clash with Exeter, who launched their campaign with a 42-6 home demolition of Montpellier.

That scoreline included a hat-trick of tries for Scotland second row Jonny Gray, who will be returning to Scotstoun to face his older brother Richie.

“It’s another huge challenge. Every game in Europe is a massive challenge because you play the best teams,” added Brown.

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“Exeter will be completely different opposition to La Rochelle.

“Exeter have pace and power out wide and the ability to cut you to pieces. They generally do that after they have bludgeoned you up front in a different way to La Rochelle.

“I didn’t think La Rochelle were ever going to take Glasgow to pieces unless were got sloppy and loose. Exeter will go out right from the start and keep trying to batter you.

“When they get into the 22 you know exactly what’s coming, but it is hard to defend.

“The lessons from La Rochelle have to be taken on board quickly and workrate and defence will be massive.”

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Hellhound 6 minutes ago
South Africa player ratings | 2024 Autumn Nations Series

There is this thing going around against Siya Kolisi where they don't want him to be known as the best national captain ever, so they strike him down in ratings permanently whenever they can. They want McCaw and reckons he is the best captain ever. I disagree.


Just like they refuse to see SA as the best team and some have even said that should the Boks win a third WC in a row, they will still not be the best team ever. Even if they win every game between now and the WC. That is some serious hate coming SA's way.


Everyone forget how the McCaw AB's intimidated refs, was always on the wrong side, played on the ground etc. Things they would never have gotten away with today. They may have a better win ratio, but SA build depth, not caring about rank inbetween WC's until this year.


They weren't as bad inbetween as people claim, because non e of their losses was big ones and they almost never faced the strongest Bok team outside of the WC, allowing countries like France and Ireland to rise to the top unopposed.


Rassie is still at it, building more depth, getting more young stars into the fold. By the time he leaves (I hope never) he will leave a very strong Bok side for the next 15- 20 years. Not everyone will play for 20 years, but each year Rassie acknowledge the young stars and get them involved and ready for international rugby.


Not everyone will make it to the WC, but those 51/52 players will compete for those spots for the WC. They will deliver their best. The future of the Boks is in very safe hands. The only thing that bothers me is Rassie's health. If he can overcome it, rugby looks dark for the rest of the rugby world. He is already the greatest coach in WR history. By the time he retires, he will be the biggest legend any sport has ever seen

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J
JW 21 minutes ago
'They smelt it': Scott Robertson says Italy sensed All Blacks' vulnerability

No where to be seen OB!


The crosses for me for the year where (from memory);


This was a really hard one to nail down as the first sign of a problem, now that I've asked myself to think about it. I'd say it all started with his decision to not back form and fit players after all the injuries, and/or him picking players for the future, rather ones that could play right now.


First he doesn't replace Perofeta straight away (goes on for months in the team) after injury against England, second he falls back to Beauden Barrett to cover at fullback against Fiji, then he drops Narawa the obvious choice to have started, then he brings in Jordan too soon. That Barret selection (and to a lesser extent Bell's) set the tone for the year.


Then he didn't get the side up for Argentina. They were blown away and didn't look like they expected a fight and were well beaten despite the scoreline in my opinion. Worst performance of the year in the forth game and..


Basically the same problems were persistent, or even exaggerated, after that with the players he did select not given much of an opportunity, with this year having the most number of unused subs I can remember since the amateur days.


What I think I started to realise early on was that he didn't back himself and his team. I think he prepared the players well, don't get me wrong, but I'll credit him with making a conscious choice in tempering his ambition and instead choosing cohesion and to respect (the idea of it being important in himself and his players) experience first and foremost (after two tight games and that 4th game loss). I think he chose wrong in deciding not to be, and back, himself. Hard criticism.


And it played out by preferring Beauden to Dmac on the EOYT (though that may have been a planned move).


I hope I'm right, because going through all the little things of the season and coming up with these bullets, I've got to wonder when I say his last fault is one we have seen at the Crusaders, playing his best players into the ground. What I'm really scared of now is that not wanting a bit of freshness in this last game could be linked with all these other crosses that I want to put down to simple confidence issues. But are they really a sign that he just lacks vision?


Now, that's not to say I haven't seen a lot of positives as well, I just think that for the ABs to go where they want to go he has to fix these crosses. Just have difficult that will be is the question.

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