Nip Of Champions

Whisky has long been associated with moments of triumph, including a recent example of clever sporting motivation

- EUAN DUGUID

ΟNE of the highlights of the sporting year was somewhat eclipsed by the vagaries of football fever.

Just 24 hours before the Scotland football team were stunned and sent sprawling to the Euro canvas, an audacious fightback off the ropes transpired much further south.

Glasgow Warriors were underdogs in the United Rugby Championship Grand Final against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria.

It wasn't just the altitude that was bearing down on the travelling team. The Scottish side were all but deafened by 55,000 raucous home fans in the Bulls' fabled stadium-turned-cauldron.

Amid a swirling cocktail of thick din and thin air, the well-acclimatised home side kicked on to a comfortable 13-0 lead by half time.

Yet, in an outrageously defiant effort, the hardy Glaswegians fought back, ultimately winning 21-16.

And their gnarly coach, Franco Smith, revealed the water of life had a part to play in the win of a lifetime.

When he started at Glasgow more than two years ago, one morning - at 7am - he produced a bottle of whisky to give the squad a taste.

He told his charges to savour it, keep it in mind and then one day, as soon as they won something big, he announced, "We will have an evening when we can have a dram and a cigar."

"Tonight I think these guys merit that," he told reporters after the historic African victory.

Smith was good to his word. But it's not the first time a simple dram has been used to mark or be part of - acts of incredible achievement and endeavour.