Why URC top spot has lost some its lustre for Glasgow Warriors - not even Celtic and Rangers can ride to rescue

The big reward for being at the URC summit is hosting the grand final - should you make it that far. But it is now looking increasingly unlikely that there will be a venue available in Scotland to stage such a match if Glasgow do go all the way.

Scotstoun is being used for the Commonwealth Games, both Hampden and Murrayfield are staging concerts, Celtic Park is having its pitch relaid and the Ibrox playing surface is too small to comply with World Rugby regulations.

It means the Warriors may have to consider playing a ‘home’ final in Belfast’s Affidea Stadium, formerly known as Ravenhill.

Of course, it may be a moot point. There are still three games to go in the regular season, followed by play-off quarter-finals and semis. A lot can happen between now and June 20, the date for which the URC final is scheduled.

A little bit disappointed

But, as things stand, Glasgow are in pole position. They lead the standings on 55 points, four clear of the Stormers and Leinster. On Saturday, they will face the Stormers in Cape Town, a top-of-the-table clash that will go a long way to deciding who ends up in first place.

On the surface, it seems like an occasion to savour, with Franco Smith predicting a 30,000 crowd at the DHL Stadium, but there is also now the sense that finishing top is not all it's cracked up to be for Glasgow and that Saturday’s match is something of a phoney war.

Smith, the Warriors head coach, admitted the likelihood of not being able to host a potential URC final was a blow but said that the club would use it as motivation.

“When we heard of it the first time, one was a little bit disappointed, obviously,” said Smith. “But we've known this now for quite a while and we learned to deal with it. And now it's not a hindrance, it's more of a motivation for us to become the best of the best, to be able to win, not at Scotstoun.”

URC rules state that whoever finishes in the top four at the end of the regular season will have home advantage in the play-off quarter-finals. The highest ranked clubs remaining will then have home advantage in the semis.

Country singers take priority

Scotstoun, Glasgow’s home ground, is to stage athletics at the Commonwealth Games, which take place between July 23 and August 2. Converting the stadium into a track and field arena means the last home game the Warriors can play at Scotstoun is a potential URC quarter-final on May 29-30. If they were to make it through to a home semi, the game would be played at Murrayfield the following week. But after that the national rugby stadium is unavailable because it is hosting concerts by Zach Bryan on June 14 and Luke Combs on July 24 and 25.

Why Scottish Rugby is prioritising country singers over its core business seems a reasonable question to ask and the answer would doubtless be provided by a quick perusal of the union’s accounts which show combined losses of £25 million over the last three years. Murrayfield concerts are big business and are needed to drag the finances back into the black, which is the direction they are heading.

Boks halfback pairing poses a threat

In the meantime, Glasgow must try to negotiate an extremely tricky match against a multi-talented Stormers side who boast exciting halfbacks Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Cobus Reinach.

The Warriors suffered a 54-12 loss to the Lions in the first leg of their South African jaunt in Johannesburg last week and have made ten changes for Cape Town. Captain Kyle Steyn and fly-half Adam Hastings both return and there is also a start for scrum lynchpin Zander Fagerson. But the game has come too early for George Horne, Scott Cummings and Matt Fagerson. Smith hinted that they might have played had it been a play-off match but the coach has decided against rushing them back from their respective injuries.

It means there is a space in the starting side for Ryan Burke who made his Glasgow debut last week off the bench. The 21-year-old is a local boy made good and Smith revealed that Burke’s grandfather had flown in for the match. “It brought some tears into the changing room,” said the coach.

It will also be an emotional occasion for the Stormers following the sudden death of their team manager Chippie Solomon at the age of 64. His funeral was held on Tuesday.

How they’ll line up in Cape Town

DHL Stormers v Glasgow Warriors (BKT URC, DHL Stadium, Cape Town, Saturday, 12.45pm BST)

DHL Stormers: Damian Willemse; Wandisile Simelane, Ruhan Nel (capt), Dan du Plessis, Leolin Zas; Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Cobus Reinach; Ntuthuko Mchunu, André-Hugo Venter, Neethling Fouché, Adré Smith, Ruben van Heerden, Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon, Evan Roos. Replacements: JJ Kotzé, Oli Kebble, Zachary Porthen, Marcel Theunissen, Keke Morabe, Imad Khan, Jurie Matthee, Markus Muller.

Glasgow Warriors: Kyle Rowe; Kyle Steyn (capt), Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Ollie Smith; Adam Hastings, Ben Afshar; Patrick Schickerling, Gregor Hiddleston, Zander Fagerson, Ryan Burke, Alex Samuel, Euan Ferrie, Angus Fraser, Jack Dempsey. Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Nathan McBeth, Sam Talakai, Dylan Cockburn, Jare Oguntibeju, Sione Vailanu, Stafford McDowall, Jack Oliver.

Referee: Eoghan Cross (IRFU).