IT WILL be all about redemption when Nick Grigg takes to the field for Glasgow Warriors against Scarlets on Saturday.
The Scotland centre knows he did not have his best game when the same teams met in the Guinness PRO14 semi-final in May and is determined to make amends.
"I was gutted with that final against them. Me, personally, I missed a couple of tackles in that game so it was a bit frustrating.
"Definitely I've got a point to prove and it will be good to hopefully get the win here at Scotstoun against the Scarlets," he said.
"We had a lot of steam leading up to that semi-final. Everyone in the team believed we were going to do it. I said from the start of the season that we were going to do it. So it was disappointing to lose that game.
"It will be good to get that redemption and another shot taking them on at home at Scotstoun and proving we can put in an 80-minute performance instead of a 40-50 minute performance."
That the game will be Grigg's 50th for Glasgow since arriving in Scotland without any promise of a professional contract only adds to his sense of anticipation, though he admits it was only a message from the other side of the world that alerted him to the landmark.
"My dad [Trevor] reminded me actually on Facebook Messenger," he revealed. "He was like, ‘ah it’s your 50th game coming up’. He’s probably my number one supporter so he made sure I knew that it was my 50th game.
"Half a century is pretty awesome. I wouldn’t believe, when I was sitting back in Wellington a few years ago playing club rugby, that I’d be playing my 50th game for Glasgow Warriors."
His other goal is to use the next month not only to see off competition for his place in the club side but also to use it as a platform to try to regain his place in the national team after being part of the Scotland squad throughout November without getting on the field.
"There’s a lot of competition and it’s always been like that since I started here and competition is good," he said.
"You want to be somewhere that pushes you as opposed to somewhere where you’re coasting and playing every week.
"That’s the awesome thing about the team is that there is so much depth. One week you can be starting and the next minute you are not playing.
"I was happy Gregor decided to pull me into the squad and it was good training with the boys over those few weeks.
"I was obviously disappointed not be involved as I feel I’m in quite good form but you’ve got to take it on the chin and keep working hard. Hopefully I might get another shot in the Six Nations," he added.
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