'Tough conversations' after Toulon defeat sets Glasgow Warriors up for difficult run of crucial URC fixtures

The squad travelled to South Africa on Tuesday for a two-week camp. They will first face the Lions on Saturday and then the Stormers after that in their next two league fixtures.

Warriors currently sit top of the standings with four games in total still to play in the regular season. However, they could quickly find themselves slipping down the table with a run of bad results, making their route to the final that much harder. Whoever finishes top in the competition guarantees home advantage all the way to the showpiece game, so even losing one place could hand a significant advantage to a title rival.

“So much potential” - Glasgow full-back Smith hoping current Warriors’ squad can go the distance in URC

“Obviously there are some big names leaving,” said Smith. “But I think this group as a whole has so much potential. I think we're now just at a point where we're reaping the rewards of our hard work. I think the amount of work that gets done in pre-season and off the field goes unnoticed by the outside.”

Regular Scotland starters Huw Jones and Jack Dempsey lead the list of players who are confirmed to be leaving in the summer. Adam Hastings, Johnny Matthews and Jamie Bhatti are also departing.

“You've seen with the amount of people that have played,” Smith continued. “That have made debuts under Franco and come in and been seamless and then become mainstays. I think it just shows you the work that's been done by coaches, S&C staff and stuff like that.

“It all works and everything's clicking and I think next season will be an opportunity for some boys who have maybe started to come into the fray, really put their hand up and push on. We've always known inside this group that there's potential coming everywhere and people just reap rewards when we're playing well.

“It's no surprise that other guys are going on to better opportunities and that's just the way sport works.”

Last weekend’s 22-19 defeat by Toulon at Scotstoun saw Franco Smith’s side crash out of the Champions Cup in their first ever home quarter-final in the top tier of European rugby. Smith revealed that “difficult conversations” had to take place after that result.

He said: “It definitely stings. I think we let ourselves down, having done so much hard work in the start of the tournament to get four wins and secure the second spot to have a home playoff.

“I think we've missed an opportunity, but it's on us as players. We didn't execute things the way we wanted to.

“The game plan was there, which has been set up perfectly, but we just missed opportunities on both sides of the ball. We’ve granted Toulon some easy opportunities into our half to score points and we focus on that as backs.

“We spoke about it this morning [Monday] as backs. I think the forwards fronted up fantastically well to defend in our own 22 for so long, especially some of the guys that they had in their forward pack, especially coming off the bench as well. I thought they were outstanding, but as backs, we just weren't good enough in stopping some of their boys and, like I say, giving them easy points.

“I think we just have to be diligent enough and blunt enough with each other to say that it needs to be better and if we want to take something away from this season, we've worked so hard to get to the position we're in, that needs to be better and we need to just figure out the solutions I guess.

“It is difficult , but I think it's never personal and I think the kind of connection and cohesiveness we've got as a squad now. There's a lot of focus and a lot of stuff said this week about how it's been four years in the making since Franco's been here.

“I think if it was a case of having a cat fight with each other, if people got things wrong, then you're never going to grow as a team. Yeah, they're tough conversations but it'll allow us to improve and be better and we just need to keep improving if we want to be successful.”

Glasgow Warriors head to South Africa to face Lions then Stormers

Warriors begin their South African double-header against the Lions at Ellis Park this Saturday. They currently have just a four-point lead over second-placed Stormers at the top of the table, who they face next weekend.

For Smith, the tour is a great opportunity to put the disappointment of their Champions Cup exit behind them. “I think that's just the beauty of the sport,” he added. “It doesn't really stop for anything.

“It's a tough challenge going to play against the Lions, who have been outstanding at home at Ellis Park. Some of the teams they've played and the performances they've put in there are outstanding and we don't underestimate them at all.

“We'll have to focus on that and then Stormers is another opportunity in itself and another challenge. We just have to try and get back to the sort of clicking we've spoken about that something just doesn't feel like we're off a little bit in some certain areas. It was the same in the Bulls game.

“It wasn't as clean cut as we would have hoped, but that's the focus now. We've got two more opportunities away from home to get back on the horse.”

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