A narrow defeat in what could yet prove a crucial match in Glasgow Warriors’ now 20-year pursuit of a second involvement in the knockout stages of Europe's premier club competition, led to a piece of correspondence which is best characterised as an expression of frustration rather than irritation.

“How long can it be hidden?” its writer asked.

“Stuart Hogg is a defensive liability. He cannot tackle. As a last line of defence he constantly does not put his man down. He is willing. His problem is poor technique in where to tackle his man. He is not big enough to front-on hit, he does not attempt to go low and constantly ends up flapping arms at his man.

“You cannot fault his positional play, high ball, fielding, attack running etc. He is Lions quality in everything apart from defence. He must be helped immediately. If you possibly subtly highlight his inadequacies in an article maybe help will be forthcoming.”

Hmmm . . . I hae mah doots regarding his final notion but, what particularly struck a chord, was that I had just finished writing a biography of Andy Irvine, No.20 in our ‘100 Greatest Scottish Sporting Icons’ series, which reflected upon similar reservations having been expressed in relation to Murrayfield’s hero of the seventies and early eighties, not least by the man himself.

Irvine has repeatedly emerged as a popular choice at the top of lists of Scotland’s greatest rugby players in the years since his decade-long international career, which also encompassed three British & Irish Lions tours.

Like most flamboyant players who are the focus of much attention, he was first to admit his gambles did not always come off and he was prone to mistakes.

There is often a trade-off when it comes to the most gifted players and Hogg may be another example of that. However, heading into what will now be the decisive match in this European qualification campaign, he is invaluable as one of those who, individually at least, boasts the attacking quality which will give them a slugger’s chance against any side thereafter.

It is, of course, long overdue that Glasgow reach the knockout stages and, in returning to where this all began, they could not have a better chance.

For those of us who suffered through that solitary knockout tie in 1997, it is odd that there should be such confidence as we look back over 20 years during which visitors to Welford Road have frequently been more focused on damage limitation than anything else.

Glasgow, as they were simply known in those early days of the professional game, had put together a pretty decent campaign to reach that stage, but were mercilessly thrashed 90-19 – still a record result for both clubs.

As Scottish rugby flailed around in the years that followed, Leicester confirmed themselves as a powerhouse of the European game, the first team to successfully defend the old Heineken Cup winning arguably the most enjoyable final at Parc des Princes in 2001, then controversially beating Munster in the 2002 version in Cardiff, two magnificent occasions.

They would reach another couple of finals thereafter, but this Leicester set-up is a long way away from the Deano/Jonno era, a club in disarray and, as previously winless Racing 92 demonstrated last weekend in an encounter from which only Leicester stood to gain, they have never looked more vulnerable.

So much so that it will be a real shock if Glasgow fail to claim a place in the quarter-finals that is now long overdue.

Admittedly, as English and French rugby benefited from professionalism allowing them to make better use of their huge advantages in playing numbers and spending power, while the Irish and to a lesser extent the Welsh used their provincial and regional set-ups to maximise their effectiveness, Scottish rugby was, for a decade and more, hampered by a combination of internecine strife and under-investment by a governing body that was more unable than unwilling to match spending elsewhere.

However, Edinburgh served notice of what was achievable with a quarter-final appearance in 2004 as well as their run to the 2011 Heineken Cup semi-final and it looked as if Glasgow, when finishing second in their Heineken Cup pool in 2011/12 after years of developing competitive resilience that compensated for one of the smallest budgets in the competition, were being positioned to join the elite as the money finally became available to let them develop squad strength comparable to that elsewhere.

The European Cup failures of the past four years have consequently been a massive disappointment as they have failed even to match that campaign by finishing in the top half of their pools but, if they finally get it right when it matters at this level, they have the fire-power to do to Leicester what was done to their predecessors on the same turf two decades ago, with Hogg running riot and no one having to worry unduly about his role as a last line of defence.