SO how, precisely, can Glasgow Warriors take the next step in European competition, and ensure over the next few seasons that they do not only qualify for the knockout stages, but make an impact once there?

That, as Lee Jones said in these pages yesterday, is the magic question: one to which there is no simple solution in practice.

They could have done with getting an easier draw than Saracens away for their first Champions Cup quarter-final, but we’re not talking here about a club that hopes for the odd one-off win thanks to a stroke of good fortune. Two years on from their first PRO12 title, the Warriors’ aim is to build a side that is consistently in contention for the main prizes in Europe. They want to get steadily better across the board: in every position on the field, and in every competition they enter.

The 38-13 defeat on Sunday demonstrated just how tough a task that will be, but it is by no means impossible. While most if not all of the teams who have reached the Champions Cup final have had bigger budgets, Glasgow have nonetheless been reasonably well financed by Scottish Rugby. They have also been able to compete on something close to equal terms with their three league rivals to have won European club rugby’s premier prize - Ulster, Munster and Leinster.

Since that PRO12 victory in 2015, however, they have arguably not evolved enough. There have been some significant additions to the first team, such as the arrival of Zander Fagerson, and others such as Tommy Seymour who have been around for longer are undoubtedly better players two years on. But on balance, the squad at present lacks a bit of the star quality it had then, and could have done with an extra couple of key recruits for the start of this season.

A look at the line-ups from the PRO12 final and the Champions Cup quarter-final should highlight that:

Glasgow Warriors v Munster (PRO12 final, May 2105): Hogg; Seymour, Vernon, Horne, Van der Merwe; Russell, Pyrgos; Reid, Hall, De Klerk, Nakarawa, Gray, Harley, Wilson, Strauss. Substitutes: Brown, Yanuyanutawa, Welsh, Kellock, Fusaro, Matawalu, Weir, Lamont.

Glasgow Warriors v Saracens (Champions Cup quarter-final, April 2017): Hogg; Seymour, Horne, Dunbar, Jones; Russell, Pyrgos; Reid, Brown, Fagerson, Gray, Alainu’uese, Harley, Wilson, Ashe. Substitutes: Flynn, Allan, Puafisi, Peterson, Fusaro, Price, Grigg, Hughes.

Nine starters were the same in both games, Fraser Brown was on the bench for the first match and started on Sunday, and one player (Chris Fusaro) was a sub both times. And, while the likes of Fagerson have brought an undoubted boost to the squad, other changes such as the loss of Leone Nakarawa and DTH van der Merwe have been sorely felt, even though their successors, Brian Alainu’uese and Jones, were two of Glasgow’s best performers at Allianz Park.

As ever, injuries have played a part: Josh Strauss and Simone Favaro would both start in the back row if fit, while Leonardo Sarto would have been a contender on the wing.

Strauss and Favaro are moving on in the summer, of course, with Callum Gibbins joining from the Hurricanes as a back-row replacement. Huw Jones and Oli Kebble are among the other new seasons who will also be on board by the start of the new season - although the former will still be completing his rehab from hamstring surgery when the season begins - and so, of course, will be new coach Dave Rennie.

For all that the Warriors have underperformed in the PRO12 this season, the squad remains a very solid one. Those new signings do not come with any guarantee of success, but they could be just what is required to restore a consistent cutting edge that has been lacking in quite a few big games.

The fan base, once negligibly small, has already taken the next step in Europe, as was shown by the magnificent turnout of around 6000 for the Saracens match: it’s time the team followed suit. This campaign may be ending in disappointment, but it’s a fair bet that a newlook Glasgow team under their new coach will be an altogether different prospect next season.

And another thing . . . .

After the negative reaction to the experimental use of video reviewing during last week’s football friendly between France and Spain, it was reassuring to see the system work with consummate smoothness at Allianz Park on Sunday. The Television Match Official was called into play four times in the first half alone, on every occasion to judge whether a Saracens player had put a foot out of play before touching the ball down behind the Glasgow try line, and at no time did the crowd appear confused or disgruntled.

One crucial difference, of course, between the two sports is the length of time the TMO system has been in place in rugby. Everyone in the ground is aware of what is going on, giant screens replay the relevant incident from a number of angles, and only when the referee is unusually hesitant do people become impatient about the length of the delay.

Admittedly, rugby is more accustomed to stoppages for set pieces than football, with scrums and lineouts taking longer to set up than, say, corners. But as long as football spectators are involved in the process and are told and shown clearly what is happening, they will surely soon shed any impatience and learn to respect a system that produces a fairer outcome.