HENRY PYRGOS has praised head coach Gregor Townsend as the man responsible for driving Glasgow Warriors to new heights.

The scrum-half has been a key player for the club since former Scotland and British Lions stand-off Townsend took over the coaching reins from Sean Lineen two years ago.

Since then Warriors have reached the semi-finals of the Pro12 tournament in 2013 then the final of the competition in May, when they lost 34-12 to Leinster in Dublin.

But last Saturday they took a large measure of revenge for that defeat by beating the Irishmen 22-20.

Pyrgos kicked two crucial conversions in that Scotstoun triumph as his team emerged as one of the favourites for this season's Guinness Pro-12 title.

The Scotland star reckons much of the credit for Warriors' progress is due to Townsend.

He said: "Since Gregor came in as head coach the development has been great. We've been building and building.

"He's very approachable and he's always willing to help.

"With him having played as a stand-off, he understands the scrum-half's role and he goes through my game regularly to help improve my game.

"He does it with everyone, though. He works the players.

"Gregor is very hands-on in training. He does a lot of skill sessions and I think it shows in the way we play. Our handling is getting better.

"We have a really good squad of players and Gregor is at the forefront of that, leading us in the right direction."

"The coaches here are a huge factor in what we do.

"Together they plan our weeks and try to improve us as players and as a team.

Next up for Warriors is a trip to Wales on Sunday to take on Cardiff Blues, who also got off to a bright start last week with a 41-26 win over Zebre in Italy.

GLASGOW enjoyed mixed fortunes at Cardiff Arms Park last term, losing 29-20 last December in the Heineken Cup before beating the Welsh 27-20 in the Pro12 in February.

"It's equally as tough a task facing Cardiff as Leinster but I'm really looking forward to it," said 25-year-old Pyrgos, who has won 12 Scottish caps. "They have a lot of good players, a lot of Welsh internationals.

"Their 3G pitch won't make a massive difference to our preparations. There may be things like scrummaging we might have to talk about.

"But we'll go into it with the same mindset. We'll try to play our game and stay positive."

A big part of the good vibe sweeping through Scotstoun at present is down to the team spirit that Townsend has instilled at the club.

Pyrgos says the camaraderie between the big squad is one of the best in the league and has played a massive part in their bright start to the campaign.

He added: "Over the summer we lost some guys but the great thing about the culture here is that players will come and go but it's a seamless transition.

"The guys get on really well. It's a great mixture of senior pros and youngsters, and it's a great place to be."