Within touching distance of Murrayfield semi-final: Glasgow Warriors urged to seize the moment

The Warriors booked their passage into the last eight with a 25-21 win over the Bulls in the round of 16 at Scotstoun on Saturday evening.

They will return to the stadium this Saturday to play three-time winners Toulon in the last eight, knowing a victory will see them qualify for the semi-finals for the first time in the club’s history.

The added incentive for Franco Smith’s side is that they will also have ‘home country’ advantage if they make it to the semis where they would face either Leinster or Sale Sharks at Murrayfield for a place in the final.

Play the match, not the occasion

One game at a time is the mantra in the Glasgow camp but assistant coach Nigel Carolan knows they need to make the most of playing on home turf.

“I think we don't want to let the opportunity go or the occasion, but we don't want to play the occasion,” said Carolan. “We want to be able to just play the game that's in front of us. I think it's important that we respect the opposition rather than assuming that just because we've got a home quarter-final that that's going to be enough to get us across the line.

“Based on our own foundations of a team, we're built upon hard work. We're built upon effort. We're built upon detail. If we don't bring that, just by being at home is not going to be enough for us.”

Having home advantage is a consequence of the hard work Glasgow put in at the pool stage. They won all four group matches with a bonus point, including a victory over six-time Champions Cup winners Toulouse, and it meant they were the second-highest ranked side to qualify for the knockout phase, just behind holders Bordeaux-Begles. Both Glasgow and Bordeaux were thus rewarded with the home pathway.

“It's huge for the club,” added Carolan. “We've put ourselves into this position by how we've performed in the pool stage and a very gritty game against Bulls at the weekend in horrible conditions.

“We're within touching distance of a semi-final and to have that in Murrayfield would be huge, but we can't look that far ahead. We can only look at what happens this weekend first.”

Toulon’s Top 14 travails

Toulon booked their place in the quarters with a narrow home win over the Stormers. It was a welcome boost for the French side who have been struggling domestically and are currently 11th in the Top 14 and without a win in their last five league games. While their form may have tailed off after a bright start to the season, Carolan is wary of reading too much into their position.

“I think that's the nature of the Top 14,” he said. “You see the same with La Rochelle. They're at the top of the table one year and they're struggling this year. It's a very competitive league, but when you look at the makeup of the [Toulon] squad, it's littered with real quality players, both French and foreign. Just where they're sitting in the Top 14 table, we don't really look at that at the moment.

“They're still a huge team. They have a history in this competition, they've won it numerous times, so they know what it takes to win this too.”