ADVERSITY is the harshest teacher. It can also be the best. For Glasgow Warriors fly-half Adam Hastings there can be positives to be found in the darkest of defeats.
“You look at a game like Exeter and even though we’ve lost, that’s when you learn a lot, especially about game management. I don’t want too many more of those games but it has been helpful,” he said.
“We spent a long time reviewing it as a squad but also individually and I’ve had a lot of conversations with George [Horne, his half-back partner that day] and with Ali [Price], with Pete Horne.
“We’ve chatted about what we do in certain situations and I’ve spent a lot of time with Rens [Dave Rennie, the head coach] over it. We had a long one-to-one about that game. It’s something of a silver lining to take out of it.”
Something of that learning curve was on display in France where Hastings helped engineer the comeback from 18-6 down to win 27-24. His pin-point cross-field kick to set up Kyle Steyn’s try turned out to be the crucial play, giving Glasgow the lead they managed to hold to the end.
“I had a quick glance as I was running back, and saw they were tight but it was actually a call from the centres, they spotted it – then I saw Kyle with his hand up,” he said. “My all-round kicking game is something I practice a lot during the week. I’m confident doing it – thankfully it came off.”
Rennie has been good for Hastings. While Finn Russell gets the headlines for his high-profile but, sometimes risky, sleights of hand, the Glasgow head coach is more interested in a fly-half who will manage the tactics – alert to chances but prepared to deliver the basics if that is what is needed.
It means Hastings doesn’t feel under any pressure to try to emulate Russell. “It maybe suits [him] playing out in France,” said Hastings. “Really it’s only overplaying if you make a mistake and get caught; it’s not overplaying if you play wide and end up scoring. It’s about finding that balance.”
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