Skip to content

PRO12 title a reward for Glasgow hard work says Jon Welsh

Peter Horne and Jon Welsh of Glasgow Warriors
Image: Peter Horne and Jon Welsh of Glasgow Warriors celebrate their title success

Glasgow prop Jon Welsh believes the Warriors' Guinness PRO12 title triumph is their reward for refusing to settle for second best.

Gregor Townsend's team became the first Scottish professional outfit to win the competition after beating Munster 31-13 in Belfast on Saturday evening.

Retiring skipper Al Kellock lifted the trophy in his last ever match - 12 months after the Scotstoun side fell at the final hurdle as they lost to Leinster in Dublin.

But Welsh, who will join Newcastle this summer, said Townsend and his squad refused to accept that coming close was as good as it got for the Warriors.

More from Guinness Pro12 2014/15 Final

The 28-year-old said: "We lost out last year but we kept building and raising the standards.

"We knew what we had to improve on to make that next step and become champions.

"Each year I have been at this club the details have gotten finer. We worked on those areas and it's now paid off.

"This win has not sunk in yet. It's amazing. I'm now moving on and it means so much to me. How else can you end a career at a club? This is massive."

The Warriors scored four tries to blow their Irish opponents away and full-back Stuart Hogg claimed the key to his side's victory was their ruthlessness in attack.

The British and Irish Lion, who missed last year's final after being dropped by Townsend, said: "It's amazing. We had a goal at the start of the year to win this league and it's a brilliant feeling to have now done it.

"All week we have been working hard towards this and we have been calm and collected the whole time.

"That showed in our performance. We got some cracking tries early doors and then really shut Munster out."

Around Sky