TIME is said to be a great healer ...

yet there is still an aching inside Tim Swinson.

It doesn't matter how you count it up. Two hundred and twenty three days, 5,352 hours, 321,120 minutes or even 19,267,200 seconds, the twinges of pain caused by defeat still trouble the Glasgow lock just as much as they did back in May last year.

In what was still one of the finest days in Warriors' history, the Scottish side went down 34-12 in last season's Pro12 final to Leinster.

The event was the highlight of many of the squad's careers, including Swinson, but the competitive nature within the camp meant little satisfaction could be garnered from simply taking part in the event as their Irish opponents celebrated exuberantly at full-time.

It is a memory that, even given the time which has passed, is still a motivational factor for Glasgow.

And, as Gregor Townsend's team look to secure a win over Scarlets tomorrow which could see them go top of this year's table, Swinson revealed how he is still haunted by that disappointing day in Dublin.

"Losing a final never leaves you," said the 27-year-old. "I still think about the final I lost when I was 19 in Australia, and that was a good few years ago now.

"It's not a great feeling. Yeah, it was great we got to the final last season, and yeah, it was better than the year before, but we are still aiming to win the title. That's our focus just now and that is something that spurs us on.

"When you are at the top of the table, every game is a must-win game and we have to focus on that at the start of the week.

"We want to be one of the top sides in this competition and that means beating other teams regularly. So this is a must-win game."

As if they needed any incentive to get their 10th win of the Pro12 campaign, Warriors are also out to prove a point tomorrow night at Scotstoun.

While the defeat at BT Murrayfield last Friday to lose the 1872 Cup to Edinburgh was probably the lowest point of the campaign, Townsend's team have been accused of not performing to their top level for a few weeks now, despite continuing to grind out results.

Swinson knows there are things that need improved from last week, but the Scotland international is unconcerned about the pursuit of perfection.

He said: "It's a case of focusing on meeting our standards. It's one of the personal things I always joke about that I'll retire on the spot when I've played the perfect game. I've been playing now for eight or nine years and I still haven't managed it.

"We aim to really succeed at what we do and perform to the best of our abilities, but obviously from week to week there's things we need to change and maybe one or two things we didn't do quite right.

"Against Edinburgh there were a lot of things we didn't do very well and that's what we've got to change. We must focus on fixing things and play to our strengths."

Looking to tomorrow night's opponents, Swinson added: "Scarlets are a tough side anyway. They beat us earlier in the season and last year it was two hard-fought games.

"They have a lot of quality players and play at a high pace just like us, so it should be a good game of rugby."