Glasgow Warriors reaction: Belfast is a ‘nice place for a final’

Glasgow Warriors beat Ulster in Belfast for the first time in 13 years and Franco Smith hinted he would be happy to return to the city for the United Rugby Championship final, should his team make it.

The 26-22 bonus-point victory at the Affidea Stadium ensured Smith’s side finished the regular season in top spot, giving them a home pathway in the play-offs.

They will discover their quarter-final opponents on Saturday and the match will be played at Scotstoun, probably on May 29. A win would see them move to Murrayfield for the semi-finals but the national stadium would be out of action for a potential final because it is staging a concert by country singer Zach Bryan.

Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith reckons the URC is tougher than ever. | SNS Group

If Glasgow make it to the final they would have to give up their home advantage as no suitable stadium in Scotland is available and Belfast has emerged as a preferred option, although the URC is expected to make a call on it next week.

A massive achievement

In the meantime, Smith was happy to finish the regular campaign on a high, with a late Kyle Rowe try giving them their 13th league win of the season. The bonus-point triumph means they can’t be caught by the Stormers, who lost 22-16 to Cardiff, or Leinster, who host the Ospreys on Saturday.

“It's a tough season,” said the Warriors head coach. “To stay on top of these teams is a massive achievement for my players' perspective and the club and the coaches' perspective. I'm very happy. It's arguably the toughest competition this year that we've ever been part of.”

Glasgow led 21-12 at half-time thanks to tries from Stafford McDowall, Nathan McBeth and George Horne, with Zac Ward replying with a double from Ulster. The hosts took the lead in the second half through scores from Ethan McIlroy and Jack Murphy but Rowe won the game for Glasgow with four minutes remaining.

Things change in the play-offs

Smith admitted his team could have been more clinical but he expects to see a more ruthless Glasgow in the play-offs.

“We talked about the execution at half-time,” said the coach. “I think we got held up three times over the line. The execution of those [types of] opportunities in play-off rugby is going to be massive.

“But it was round robin rugby, not finals rugby, so things change once we go there. We wanted five points out of this game tonight, that was the mission. But it changes when you start play-off rugby again.

“It's a different game, a play-off. With Glasgow, we've now had 15 play-off games since 2022. It's a lot and we know that it's quite different from the round-robin games and the approach is slightly different. Also, the opposition will be approaching it differently.”

The Affidea Stadium in Belfast could become a 'home' venue for Glasgow Warriors if they make it to the URC final. | Getty Images

With so much rugby still to be played, Smith was understandably reluctant to talk about the final - “I can't talk about something that I don't have” - but conceded that he wouldn’t be adverse to returning to Belfast, should Glasgow qualify.

“Yes, it's a nice place for a final to be played,” he smiled.

Concern over Gregor Brown

Glasgow have a special affinity with the stadium having won the Pro12 final there in 2015.

The Warriors now have a free weekend before the play-offs and will use it to rest and recuperate. They lost Gregor Brown in the early stages against Ulster and the forward was later seen wearing a medical boot. It is particular tough on the Scotland international who had only just returned to action following a hamstring injury he sustained in the Six Nations.

Ulster, meanwhile, must await the result of Saturday’s Munster v Lions game to see if they make the play-offs. They will take on Montpellier in the final of the European Challenge Cup in Bilbao next Friday.