Such have been the similarities between Glasgow Warriors’ European and league campaigns so far that those heading out to Scotstoun on Friday night could be forgiven for experiencing a tingling sense of deja vu.
Warriors were imperious in the Champions Cup pool stage, winning all four matches against stellar opposition including a stunning second-half fightback against French titans Toulouse. That run of results saw them enter the knockout phase as second seeds and with home advantage secured all the way to the final.
They didn’t make it that far, of course. After battling past the Bulls to land the club’s maiden Champions Cup home quarter-final, eyes were already starting to be drawn towards the prospect of a last-four joust with old rivals Leinster at Murrayfield.
Toulon, though, had other ideas. The French side may no longer be the powerhouse of the past when they were crowned European champions three years in a row but they played their hearts out to stun the Scotstoun crowd and hand Glasgow their first home defeat for a year.
Gregor Hiddleston, the impressive yet surprisingly still uncapped hooker, admitted earlier this week that the loss had ‘stung for a while — and it’s still stinging now’. Warriors, privately, believed they had what it took to go all the way to the final in Bilbao.
The United Rugby Championship at least now provides them with an opportunity to atone for that setback and the parallels that can be drawn with the European run are striking. Glasgow have again secured home advantage potentially all the way through the playoffs after finishing the regular season on top of the pile. They begin with what looks, again, a very winnable home quarter-final against Connacht.
The temptation to look ahead to a possible Murrayfield semi-final (and maybe also final if Scottish Rugby gets its act together) is almost impossible to resist. Warriors, though, would do well to heed the lessons learned from that Champions Cup regret. Connacht, like Toulon, are not among the European elite but it would be a massive mistake to write them off.
Under Stuart Lancaster’s steady stewardship, the Galway side finished the season strongly and booked their playoff place by walloping Edinburgh at the Hive on the final day. They have already stunned Glasgow once this season, bagging a last-gasp try to eke out a 15-10 victory in February, and are arguably the form team in the division having lost just once since January. In players like Cian Prendergast and the wily veteran Bundee Aki, there is plenty of international experience among their ranks, too.
Warriors supporters with a long memory will also recall Connacht stunning the then defending Pro 12 champions in the semi-finals of this competition a decade ago. The warning signs are all there.
Knockout rugby brings that heightened pressure and, while not wanting to dwell for too long on the trauma of Toulon, Smith did acknowledge that this is a challenge different to most they have faced at Scotstoun this season.
‘We’re obviously in a very good, exciting place,’ said the head coach, who welcomes back Scotland lock Scott Cummings for his first game in almost three months. ‘We’re not going to talk about opportunities lost. We did all the hard work to put ourselves (in a strong position ahead of the Toulon tie) and give ourselves opportunities. I think the supporters were disappointed that we didn’t get it done but we as a group felt let down the most by ourselves.
‘So no, that’s not part of the conversation. I’ve tried to keep any negative things out of the environment this week. It has all been about focusing on the threat of Connacht and the challenges from our side to improve on our performances.
‘Knockout rugby is different but we have prepared as normal. What is different is that the outcome can mean that you don’t continue. The boys are aware of the consequences. And I think that has focused everybody’s minds.’
Knockout rugby also eliminates the need to chase a four-try bonus point but Smith smirks at the idea he might be tempted to play more pragmatically to get the game won. Glasgow rarely kick a penalty at the posts and it doesn’t sound as if they will be moving away from that stance in this one.
‘This is going to be the 16th playoff game that we’ve played (since he came to the club in 2022) and we have been, percentage-wise, mostly successful in them,’ he added. ‘So, it is about sticking to our brand. We could take three points but the other team takes seven points and we lose. And we would be going away from our DNA.’
This will be Glasgow’s final match at Scotstoun this season regardless of the outcome. The Commonwealth Games organisers will take ownership of the stadium keys later this weekend to start their preparations that include ripping up the long-standing artificial playing surface.
A number of key players — like Johnny Matthews and Jack Dempsey — will play their last ever match here before summer moves elsewhere but Smith was more dewy-eyed about the pitch than the departees. ‘We call it the green carpet,’ revealed the South African, who has elected to start Dan Lancaster — against his dad — instead of Adam Hastings at 10.
‘It’s been a part of our system for the 10 or 11 years that it’s been there. Most of the boys started playing rugby here at Scotstoun on that carpet and so there’s a bit of sadness — or maybe nostalgia is a better word — about that.
‘It is sad to say goodbye to that but we’re also excited about the new playing surface coming in ahead of the next season. It’s the end of an era.’
Warriors fans will be desperately hoping it’s not the end of a season, too.
