Alastair Kellock ended his career on a high as Glasgow triumphed in the Pro12 final
Last Updated: 01/06/15 3:17pm
Veteran lock Alastair Kellock will head into retirement on a high after Glasgow Warriors made up for defeat in last year’s Pro12 with a convincing 31-13 win over Munster in this year’s decider.
The 33-year-old Kellock has been a fantastic servant for Scotland and Glasgow and, having been named on the bench for the final, he received a huge cheer from the Warriors fans when he came on during the second half.
Inspired by Fijian lock Leone Nakarawa, Glasgow scored four fine tries in the final, and Kellock says victory was reward for the hard work they have been putting in.
“What a way to finish the season,” Kellock said. “We worked so hard to top that group, to get that home semi-final.
“The effort out there was unbelievable and some of the skill in the first half was brilliant.
“Munster came back into it the way we knew they would and we had to take it on again. This man (Nakarawa) was absolutely outstanding.
“I don’t think we could have won it any other way, we had to play our brand of rugby. We had to attack them, we had to take on their drift defence. We did that and we got our big ball carriers into the game.
I don’t think we could have won it any other way, we had to play our brand of rugby. We had to attack them, we had to take on their drift defence. We did that and we got our big ball carriers into the game.
Alastair Kellock
“We knew what their strengths were and we had to take their strengths away from them. I thought we did that very well.
“We have got better year-on-year. We said last year we wanted to go one step further and that was winning the final.
“We are going to enjoy it, have a good night, and we will be able to look back and be proud of the way we played.”
Nakarawa made two of the tries with thrilling runs followed by delightful offloads but coach Gregor Townsend revealed that the second row man was not strictly following orders.
“I'll let you into a secret," Townsend said.
“Before the game, I said to Leone, 'Leone I just want you going forward, I'll be very happy if you don't make an offload today'.
“Two offloads and two tries - he delivered big time!”
Townsend was in an emotional mood after the victory and added: “Proud is the key word, I'm so proud.
“I've not been in this situation before, winning a trophy as a coach. I'm just trying to hold back the tears.
“Seeing what it means to them, seeing what it means to our supporters as well, what a fantastic occasion and what a performance they delivered today. Best moment of my coaching career, that's for sure.
“It's a start. We've got a young group and we can build on this.
“We really want to do better in Europe next year. We want to make sure that we're as consistent as we have been the last couple of years in the league. We now have the experience of winning a trophy, so that will help us out in the future.
“We'll be on a plane by midnight, going back to Glasgow. There will be a few champagnes on the way!”