HAVING been a member of the All Blacks squad that won the Rugby World Cup back in 2011, Corey Flynn is not the sort to be easily intimidated by any opponent. So when he looks ahead to a match against a team with as imposing a track record as Saracens, the Glasgow Warriors hooker sees it as just the sort of challenge he enjoys.

The English club are domestic and European champions, with a home record which is the envy of most other clubs in the world. But according to the 36-year-old New Zealander, that record works both ways: it can bring a sense of security to Saracens themselves, but can inspire opponents into trying to be the ones who inflict a rare defeat on them at Allianz Park, their ground in north London.

“It’s a good position for them to be in,” Flynn said yesterday. “It’s equally good for a team coming up against them: they can be the team that breaks their run; they are the team with nothing to lose.

“Saracens are defending champions of Europe. They’re unbeaten in Europe for the last two years. We’re just the team that’s going in there to try and knock them off their perch.”

Flynn knows that if they are going to knock out the champions, Glasgow will need to be at their best. Since moving from Toulouse last summer he has seen how impressive the Warriors can be on their day, but accepted that they will have to be firing on all cylinders on Sunday to pull off what would be the biggest upset of the competition so far.

“We’ve cleared the first hurdle in the pool stages,” he added. “It’s going to be bitter sweet if we can’t get through. We have a mammoth task. If we can get all our ducks in a row there’s no reason why we can’t go down there and have a crack at them.

“We need to get the set piece right, as we have a fairly good attack. We need to get our defensive set piece right and not allow them to play as much as possible.

“They’re big boys, so our first tackles will be really important. They have a big aggressive pack, and no doubt they’ll be coming down our channel.”

Warriors assistant coach Dan McFarland, meanwhile, believes the initial task to confront the team on Sunday will be the pressure which Saracens like to exert on opponents. “They base their game on pressure,” he explained. “They certainly have the ability to play with width and tempo and play attacking rugby, but it isn’t the primary issue you have to deal with. You have to deal with the pressure game first - because it can be stifling.

“You can find yourself on the back foot, having points chipped off you. In Pat Lam’s first year at Connacht” - where McFarland coached before moving to Glasgow for the start of last season - “we had Saracens. We did all right at home, but away from home we lost by 60 points, and that’s because we got behind on the scoreboard early in the game, were left chasing the game, and they exploited us ruthlessly.

“We can’t afford to let that happen. We have to match them in the areas where they’re strong, which is around their set piece and their kicking game. We think we’re a pretty decent attacking side, so we’d like to think we’ll see that.”

Glasgow will find out tomorrow if Tim Swinson is free to play in Sunday’s match as the lock forward has an appeal hearing into the red card he was shown for a dangerous tackle in the PRO12 win against Connacht last Saturday. But if the Scotland lock is banned, McFarland is confident that the fast-improving Brian Alainu’uese can take over and partner Jonny Gray.

“When Brian came he was effectively a part-time player. You also have to remember he’s only 23 years of age. But when he came he was clearly a naturally gifted rugby player.

“The main thing he’s got here is just consistent training. When Brian arrived here he was 134 kilogrammes, and when a guy arrives at that weight who hasn’t been professional before the typical process would be they lose a bit of weight. Because they’ll be carrying a bit of fat or whatever and then training hard they’ll come down a bit. Then conditioning, they’ll start to build muscle and get heavier again.

“Brian didn’t. Within six weeks he was 140 kg and had far less fat. He’s an extraordinary athletic specimen, because he’s actually quite light on his feet for such a big guy. He’s never going to be an explosive Lee Jones-type player, but the professional training has added so much more for him.”

If they win on Sunday, the Warriors will play their home semi-final at Murrayfield. It has been known since the draw was made back in January that they would have what is called “home country advantage” in the semis, and they had hoped to be able to keep the tie in Glasgow. It is understood, however, that the other stadiums looked at were unavailable on the weekend in question.