Glasgow have what it takes to win mouthwatering Harlequins clash - Pen

Did Joe Strummer and Mick Jones predict this Friday night's clash at the Stoop? Probably not but the start of the column doesn’t work otherwise!

War will be declared in fairness when the sides kick off and it is bound to be one hell of a clash. Fourth in the Premiership vs second in the URC. The kind of mouth watering game that the knock-out phase of the Champions Cup throws up.

Glasgow are on good form. A tricky win against Cardiff, in horrendous conditions, followed up by a demolition of Scarlets on their own patch have the Warriors in a good place. They have their internationals back, injuries have eased a little and they look hungry and ready for the run of games coming up.

Returning internationals sometimes take a little bit of time to get back to speed with their club side or we see them out of the team for a while resting an recuperating but there is no sign of cobwebs to shakes off on this occasion and that is a testament to the atmosphere and culture that Franco has built in the squad.

Given how well the younger and fringe players have played, the returning players aren’t even guaranteed their starting spots back!

Cardiff wasn’t a great showing but it was enough to get the job done before boarding the ark and letting Noah get them to safety! It was a night to get a victory and get off the pitch. We all love a bonus point win but get the win first and given what they were up against, it was enough.

Scarlets was a different story. Dominant from the start to finish and with other gears they could have gone up though, this was Glasgow piling misery on a struggling region. Seeing the demise of the Welsh regions is sad. Scarlets away used to a horrible fixture for Glasgow to play in.

But Quins will offer an altogether different proposition. They are packed with some of the best players in the Premiership and the half back pairing of Care and Smith is a formidable force that Glasgow will have to contain in order to gain anything from the game.

Smith has the ability to do special things and pull a rabbit out of the hat when require and Care is the consummate professional who’s stats speak for themselves.

But Quins have the ability to spring anything from anywhere and Louis Lynagh will be keeping his opposite number Rowe busy in defence.  Last weekend showed the good and the bad of Harlequins and that they can be vulnerable.

They were 40-3 up, they were cruising and ended up with a slender win of 40-36 against a Bath side who felt aggrieved by a player serving only 7 minutes in the bin. The week before that it was a thumping 52-7 defeat to Saracens so there is plenty of scope for scoring opportunities.

If the Warriors can keep tight defensively and offer little chance for Quins to score, then they will undoubtedly have opportunities to add points on the board and they have to ensure that they take these.

Now that might mean three points from kickable penalties and while we know this isn’t necessarily the Warriors way, it’s knock-out rugby and bonus points aren’t important. Scoring points by whatever means necessary of the aim of this particular game.

An undoubted boost for Glasgow is the return of Sione Tuipuloto. As much as I’d have been happy to see Jordan and McDowall in the middle of the pitch had he not made it, his ability and presence, both in defence and attack, could tip the balance in favour of Glasgow and will be welcomed by Franco.  

While we’re unlikely to see ‘Huwipuloto’ for a while, if at all this season, the prospect of big Stafford lining up beside Sione is mouth watering and such is the progressions in McDowall’s game over the last few months that he easily has the ability to fill Jones’s boots.

This game is no easy task for Glasgow. A top Premiership side, away from home in London in a European knockout tie usually results in Glasgow coming out on the losing side. Yes Sarries, I’m talking about you!

But Glasgow have the ability. They have the wherewithal and they have players who can do the job. They can also look at last years Challenge Cup run and use the experience gained for these big moments.

It won’t be easy by any stretch of the imagination but it doesn’t have the feeling of lambs to the slaughter like previous years has. There is also the added factor of Danny Wilson being in the Quins technical area as head coach, the role he was fired from and Glasgow haven’t looked back since that point.

He will be desperate to get one over on the Warriors and Franco, who has shown exactly what can be done with almost the same squad that Danny had.

No matter the result, I’m sure the Warrior Nation and the XVIth Warrior will have a ball in the Cabbage Patch and represent the side brilliantly as they always do. It will be an 80 minute war on the pitch but no doubt a good time off of it! I look forward to seeing the light blue flags and hearing the chants of “We Are WARRIORS!".