GREGOR Townsend has told his cubs to make themselves at home in first-team shirts while the senior Warriors are away at the World Cup.

Glasgow's PRO12 title defence will hinge on the second string keeping momentum going while their international elders are playing for rugby's greatest prize.

And coach Townsend has put his faith in 19-year-old Zander Fagerson and 18-year-olds Scott Cummings and Andrew Davidson to keep the home fires burning after impressing in a training clash with French giants Clermont.

"They stood up well, this is their opportunity to go out and grab," said Townsend at the Guinness PRO12 season launch in London.

"They were getting stuck into one of the best sides in Europe who were getting ready to go into action in the Top 14 the following week.

"The leaders and experienced players in the group have also been outstanding. We have a leadership group with Peter Murchie, Pat McArthur, Chris Fusaro, James Eddie.

"Supporters know these players well – they have been with the club for five, six years or more – and it is good that the team will be led through this period by people who know the club inside out."

After Warriors claimed the title in Belfast in May, Townsend said his task was to make sure it was the start of something big for the team, and 10 weeks later he has not changed his mind.

"The standards that we have set over the last few years, we are going to have to live up to them and improve them because this year will be tougher," he said.

"We have got to work harder and learn quicker than the opposition while reproduce the consistency we have achieved in the last few years because that is what drives us into semi-finals and finals. I would like to think that teams play us pretty full on whether we were runners-up or champions."

Today the Warriors are flying to Nova Scotia to face Canada and Townsend believes that match – like the tussle with Clermont – will have his team steeled for the tournament opener against Scarlets at Scotstoun on September 5.

"It was an invaluable chance to play and train with and against Clermont, and Canada should be similar," he said. "It is going to test us.

"Now we have a game against an international side in a different environment, against an international side way from home, which will challenge our players.

"We want be in the best position possible going into the Scarlets game and think it will be really good preparation for us."