Farewell to the talismans: Glasgow Warriors want greats to go out on a high

There would be no better way than by reclaiming the United Rugby Championship title they won so impressively in South Africa two years ago.

To do so, they must first reach the final and old foes the Bulls stand in their way. Saturday’s semi-final is a repeat of the 2024 finale and this time around Glasgow will have home advantage, albeit the game will be played at Murrayfield not Scotstoun.

Jack Dempsey, Huw Jones, Johnny Matthews and Jamie Bhatti were all part of the Warriors team that beat the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld but will be leaving the club in the summer, along with Sione Vailanu, who missed the 2024 final through injury, and Adam Hastings who rejoined the club that summer.

Matt Fagerson says the departures will be used as motivational fuel as Franco Smith’s side look to make the most of their home advantage - their prize for finishing top of the table in the URC regular season. They also want to atone for being knocked out at home by Toulon in the quarter-finals of the European Champions Cup.

“It would be massive,” said Fagerson. “I think we've put in a lot of hard work this year, especially because we've got a lot of our talismans leaving - Huw Jones and Johnny Matthews and Jack Dempsey and stuff - they were obviously a massive part of our winning run a couple of years ago.

“We probably feel we let it slip a little bit in the Champions Cup, with all the hard work we've done throughout the year to have a home quarter. So, yeah, it would be absolutely massive to win it again with this group. There's some quality, quality players in here and that's what everyone's striving towards.”

The triumph of 2024 remains a fresh memory for Fagerson and his team-mates but to repeat the success they must overcome firstly the Bulls and then the winners of the other semi between Leinster and the Stormers. If Glasgow do make it to the final, it would be at Murrayfield.

“I think obviously for the majority of the boys, that was our first title two years ago and Franco talks about it a lot, that once you get a taste of it – the cigars and whisky as he calls it – it's an incredible feeling and it's something that is never brushed over,” said Fagerson.

"It's an incredibly hard competition to win. You're playing against top, top quality teams, especially the latter end. I think to win it again, the competition has grown and grown over the last four or five years and the South African teams having added so much to it as well. So, yeah, I think to win it again would be incredibly special.”

With Dempsey one of the stalwarts who will be leaving Glasgow, a vacancy will be created at No 8 and Fagerson would happily shift over. He has played there many times before, for club and country, but tends to operate more often at six. With Jamie Ritchie set to join the Warriors for next season, it would clearly make sense for Fagerson to move to eight and for Ritchie to slot in at blindside. With Rory Darge at openside, it would be a formidable back row.

“We've had discussions, obviously,” said Fagerson. “I've played eight a lot at the start of my career and really enjoyed it. I've sort of felt like my carrying came into its own then.

"When Jack came, I probably had to learn a bit how to play six. Maybe I wasn't as much of a lineout forward before then. So yeah, we've had conversations about it, but it's not about trying to replicate what Jack does because I don't think I would do it justice.”

Fagerson describes Dempsey as “irreplaceable” but would love a crack at No 8.

“It's an incredible place to play,” he said. “You're in the backfield more, you're carrying off of set-piece. It takes a couple of weeks to get back into the groove of your running lines and the role you have in the team, and a lot of the pressure is on you for the front foot ball. So yeah, that's a challenge I'd love to play more at.”

For now, the focus is on the Bulls and the latest installment of a fixture that has thrown up some compelling matches in the five-year history of the URC.

“Yeah, it has become a bit of a rivalry, hasn't it?” smiled Fagerson. “Probably from the first game that we played them here at Scotstoun, it's probably set the bar for us in terms of physicality. That was probably one of the most physical games I've ever played in and it's just the way that they play and the kind of athletes that they are. You have to front up and if you don't, it can be a very long day.

“You've seen what they do to teams out in the Highveld. Look, we've had some brilliant match-ups over the last two or three years and they'll be ready to go. We've played them twice already this year, obviously, and they've improved a lot, even since the last time about two months ago here. So, I would say it's a great rivalry at the minute and it's a challenge that we're looking forward to.”