Glasgow Warriors 'genuine contenders' for Champions Cup title

SPOTLIGHT: Glasgow Warriors assistant coach Nigel Carolan says his side are ‘genuine contenders’ for the Champions Cup title ahead of their Round Three clash against Racing 92.

The reigning United Rugby Championship holders who took the hard road to claim the title by beating the two previous winners (Stormers and Munster) before downing the Bulls in Pretoria are taking huge confidence from their recent experiences.

“With the way we ended last year, we’ve proven we’re one of the best teams around when we’re on it,” Carolan said.

“Of late, we’re just a little bit inconsistent and there have been a lot of guys out injured but we’re there or thereabouts.

“We showed in the Sale [Sharks] game, especially in that first-half, that we can rip teams apart.

“It’s now about delivering that week on week.”

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They made a statement of intent in their 38-19 victory over Sale Sharks in Round One of the Champions Cup before falling short to former three time champions Toulon in Round Two.

With two pool matches in hand to secure qualification to the Round of 16, Carolan says they have what it takes to go far this season:

“We spoke about being genuine contenders in the URC last year and this year we’re talking about being genuine contenders in the Champions Cup.

“At home against Sale and away to Toulon, even with the teams that we did have out, we’ve shown that we’re very competitive and when we put our full game together we’re definitely one of the most exciting teams around.”