1997–98 Glasgow Warriors season
| Ground(s) | Scotstoun Stadium (Capacity: 10,000) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Coach(es) |
 Kevin Greene to November 1997 Keith Robertson from November 1997 |
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| Captain(s) | Gordon Bulloch | ||
| Most caps |
Gordon Bulloch Gordon McIlwham Guy Perrett Fergus Wallace Fraser Stott Tommy Hayes Craig Sangster (10) |
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| Top scorer | Tommy Hayes (103) | ||
| Most tries | James Craig (6) | ||
| League(s) | 1997-98 Scottish Inter-District Championship | ||
| 2nd (Runners Up) | |||
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The 1997-98 season is the second in the history of the Glasgow Warriors as a professional side. During this season the young professional side competed as Glasgow Rugby.
This season saw Glasgow Rugby compete in the competitions: the Scottish Inter-District Championship and the European Champions Cup, the Heineken Cup.
Notwithstanding the 'Gang of Four' pressing for the club teams to be used in Europe instead of the district teams, further disquiet was building against Kevin Greene's dual role as Glasgow Hawks coach and Glasgow Warriors coach. The matter was brought to a head when Greene signed Tommy Hayes for the Glasgow side and Kilmarnock RFC complained that they had not been given an opportunity to bid for the player; as one club team in the district would be assigned the player when not in use by the professional Glasgow side.
Hayes was later assigned the Glasgow Hawks club; Greene's club side.
Getting out of the Heineken Cup pool stage was extremely positive for the Glasgow side. However the manner of the defeat in the play-off for the Quarter finals by Leicester Tigers brought further grist to the mill as far as the 'Gang of Four' were concerned. Such was the ease of the win by Leicester that one of their players Dean Richards went off-pitch for a toilet break in the middle of the match without the Tigers replacing him.
The result though probably wasn't helped by the prior announcement that the Leicester Tigers match would be Greene's last in charge of Glasgow. To the SRU this season's European results showed that their current model of professionalism wasn't working and they resolved to change the structure of the newly professional game in Scotland. The effects of this resolve were to be seen in the following season.
Ulster Rugby made overtures to Kevin Greene about being their new Director of Rugby, straight after Glasgow's defeat of Ulster in the Challenge Cup. Greene however turned them down, preferring to go home to his native New Zealand. He had already agreed with Jim Telfer that he would act as an 'agent' for Glasgow Warriors and Scotland in New Zealand by helping out the training of the Silver Thistles. Glasgow later used Greene on the same basis for their 'academy side': the Glasgow Thistles.
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