GLASGOW Warriors forward Adam Ashe hopes that the shock of being left out of Gregor Townsend’s team for the PRO12 final can help him claim a place in the Scotland squad for the Rugby World Cup.

The No 8 did not even make the bench for last month’s big match in Belfast, in which the Glasgow beat Munster 31-13. He was surprised by being dropped, but now thinks that he has learned a valuable lesson from his coach.

When he announced his team, head coach Townsend said he had gone for maximum physicality, and did not criticise Ashe. But in private, he told the 21-year-old that he thought he had fallen just short of top form over the preceding couple of games.

“It was a tough time for me, obviously playing in the semi-final and then missing out for the final,” Ashe said earlier this week at the national squad’s training camp in the French town of Font Romeu. “Gregor spoke to me and gave his reasons why. I've just got to use it as a learning experience: at Glasgow now you've got to be at the top of your game every time you pull the shirt on.

“Gregor obviously went for a different mix for that particular game, having a seven [Chris Fusaro] on the bench and Ryan [Wilson] in at openside. You just have to roll with it, I suppose. Gregor spoke to me and said he felt my form had dipped slightly in the couple of previous games. It didn't drop a lot, but just two or three per cent was enough for him to make the decision on that occasion.

“A lot of people said to me it was a harsh decision in some ways, but that's how it goes. Some people are going to miss out and be disappointed.

“You've got to put the team first in these situations. You want them to win and do well - and they did. We all played our part in getting us there.”

Ashe is now determined to do all in his power to keep up his best form all the time, and he is confident that, if he does so, he should keep his place in Vern Cotter’s national squad when the numbers are cut from 46 to 31 at the start of September. He is one of nine listed as back-row players, although Rob Harley - included with the locks but usually seen as a blindside - will also be among the competition.

And, although the week in France was about the Scotland squad learning to work well together as a group, that competition will keep everyone on their toes as the countdown to the World Cup continues back at BT Murrayfield. “We're a team and we all get on pretty well, but at the end of the day you're competing with guys around you,” Ashe added. “We're all pushing hard individually, but ultimately some people are going to make it and some aren't.

“It's certainly tough work,” he continued when asked about the camp in the Pyrenees. “It's been enjoyable: we've had some tough times, but at the same time there's always been light at the end of the tunnel. It's all for a purpose and everyone wants it.”