AS he offered his analysis of his side’s first defeat of the season Jason O’Halloran may, yesterday, have put his finger on why Glasgow Warriors have repeatedly failed to make a major breakthrough in Europe.

The former Scotland attack coach, who is now on Dave Rennie’s backroom team at Scotstoun, noted that there are fundamental differences between the approach required to do well in the domestic Pro14, which regularly features weakened sides as a result of international commitments and player rotation and the heightened level of the European game.

With their all-action approach Glasgow have won all six matches they have played in the Pro14 this season, in and on a wide variety of conditions and playing surfaces.

However on Saturday they were bludgeoned into submission by the brutalist approach of English champions Exeter Chiefs. Having gone into the match as the last team in Europe with an unbeaten record, they now find themselves at the bottom of their pool table without so much as a bonus point and facing the prospect of elimination in all but name should they lose at home to three time Heineken Cup champions Leinster on Saturday.

There was a naïve look to the way Glasgow sought to take the game to their opponents at the weekend, conceding possession too easily and O’Halloran reckons that they must take note of what is required.

“It is very much the way the European championship is being played. PRO14 has been won by expansive teams in the last three campaigns, Glasgow, Connacht and Scarlets. This is a completely different competition it is win at all costs,” he said.

“It is more about winning the physical battle and trying to bully teams, particularly away from home. Winning by any means possible. If it means winning by multiples of three then that is how teams will go about it.”

He consequently conceded that it is the more creative teams that have to make an adjustment.

“I think you have to change your game,” said O’Halloran.

“In the domestic competition we have 21 games to iron out our game plan and get that right by May next year. Here in Europe you don’t get 21 games to get your game right. You have to be right from the word go. It means you have to be a bit more conservative.”

Reinforcing that message he admitted that Glasgow had also failed to take proper account of all that they were up against in the West Country on Saturday.

“We were guilty of trying to put too much width on our play at times when going around the ruck would be a better option,” he said. “And our kicking game we lost out which led to territory of 61 percent which I guess on a slippery field in a pressure game was probably the difference.

“I guess we misread conditions. When we got to the ground the field was soaked. How we planned to play was not conducive to the conditions we faced. It’s been good for us, highlighted an area of the game where we have to develop a bit more. We don’t want to be a one-dimensional team going east-west all day. We want to go up the middle at times. Hopefully we will have a bit of balance to our game against Leinster.”