It’s time to stand up and be counted. Time to put up or shut up. Are we a top team, or just a speed bump on another team's road to URC victory? Are we contenders or also rans?
The last two years have seen us exit the play-offs at this stage. Once to eventual winners Munster, an honourable effort against a top team, and once a capitulation to Leinster, which cost Danny Wilson his Warriors job.
Glasgow have largely been superb all season. They’ve taken teams apart, scored plenty of tries and generally been around the top of the table all season. The last three or four weeks we’ve looked somewhat off the boil and maybe a little jaded.
Defeats in South Africa are perhaps part of the territory, especially when you play a team like the Bulls, but the display against the Lions was infuriating given the manner of it.
It meant that a good performance against Zebre was expected but this was a bizarre game.
READ MORE: Five things we learned as Glasgow Warriors scrape past Zebre
The Italian side have had a torrid time this season but they played without care on Friday night and gave many Glasgow fans a real fright as the Warriors seemed unable to put their guests away.
They huffed and puffed for 80 minutes, and there were some worried faces watching on as thoughts of blowing the chances of finishing higher up the table began to creep in…
Glasgow finally did enough in the last 20 minutes or so to put the game to bed and seal victory but in the end, it took us no higher in the table and means we have a very tough quarter-final to come.
The Stormers only lost one more game than we did and on paper, it’s a fairly even match. They’ve been finalists two years running, winning 1 and losing to Munster last year and they’re on a four-game winning streak.
They have World Cup winners Manie Libbok, Warrick Gelant (passed fit for the tie), Herschel Jantjies and Frans Malherbe in their ranks and an experienced coach in John Dobson.
They’ve faced off three times with two wins in the Warriors' favour but this is a time of the season that they excel and this will not be an easy game.
But progression for the Warrior is a must. This is a stage we’ve now reached back to back and not made it any further. I think it’s fair to say that this year, now in the second season of the Franco era, we’re looking for a little more.
And that is in no way a slight against the team or against Franco. He’s taken us to a place where we see progression and we see a team who fights and scraps for everything.
He’s given us hope but with that comes expectation and to be fair, I think no one will be demanding more than Franco himself.
READ MORE: Huw Jones fighting fit and relishing quarter-final against Stormers
Listening to him recently at the supporters' forum, the passion, drive and commitment from the former Springbok is not in question. He’s taken us from a team stumbling around in the dark under Wilson to a side who have matured nicely.
What the team need is a sold out Scotstoun, full to the brim of the Warrior Nation, ravenous for victory and a shot at the semi-finals, while the Burghers enjoy their Swiftie Saturday, we can take our slot in the final four.
Bring on the Stormers!
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