But the panic button has not been hit according to Josh Strauss, the powerhouse South African forward who produced a man-of-the-match performance in the Warriors' 24-15 defeat at Franklin's Gardens.
Playing in what was only his third match, and his second start, for the club since he signed from the Johannesburg-based Lions last month, Strauss lived up to his billing with an all-action display in which he contributed the first of Glasgow's two tries as they built up a 15-0 lead inside the opening half-hour.
But disrupted by a cruel sequence of injuries, Glasgow's advantage evaporated over the next 20 minutes, although Strauss believes the Scottish side can regroup and still make an impact in the European competition.
"Obviously, you want to start well," said Strauss. "But if you lose one game you don't want to go into panic stations and try to change things. There were a lot of positives to take out of the game, especially the first 35 minutes, which were exceptional.
"At the end of the game, the guys showed a lot of character in defence, keeping Northampton out when they were in our territory so much. Obviously there are a lot of things we can work on, but we can also take the positives and build on them too. I think we should do really well this season."
By way of contrast, Ulster had the perfect start to their Heineken Cup campaign, claiming a bonus point as they beat Castres Olympique 41-17 at Ravenhill. The decisive fourth try was scored by Springbok scrum half Ruan Pienaar, and Strauss is relishing the prospect of facing a side which has had a considerable South African influence in other areas in recent seasons.
"Watching the Heineken Cup from South Africa, Ulster were one of the teams to be reckoned with," said Strauss. "I've seen the South Africa flags being waved at their home games and I'm really looking forward to playing them."
ERC Rugby
