A FORTNIGHT ago, Glasgow Warriors missed an opportunity to take the most direct route to BT Murrayfield for next week’s PRO12 final when they lost to Connacht in Galway. Today, against the same opponents at the same venue, they can show that their enforced journey to the west of Ireland for the semi-final is just a diversion rather than a road out of the competition.

It is not often in sport that a team gets a chance to make amends so swiftly, with such a significant prize on offer. The Warriors can seize that chance this evening, but only if they improve markedly on their performance in that 14-7 defeat in the last game of the regular season.

That result halted the run of nine straight wins which had taken the champions to the top of the table, and forced them down into third place, meaning they would not play their semi-final; at Scotstoun. Yet if at the time there was a feeling of stalled momentum, the reality is that, with a full two weeks between the games, both teams must start afresh today.

Gregor Townsend’s squad know they can play far better than they did last time out at the Sportsground. They are more versatile, and, at least when at the height of their powers, a better team than Connacht.

But the Irish province, at this stage of the competition for the first time, have been a revelation this season. On home turf, they will back themselves against anyone, and the forecast conditions of wind and rain should play into their hands. What is more, in all previous seasons since the play-offs were introduced, the home teams have emerged victorious from the semi-finals.

The Warriors will have their work cut out for them, then, but Townsend has a very clear idea of what they must do to end up on top. “We need to keep our emotions in check, keep our discipline,” the head coach said, referring not only to Sila Puafisi’s second-half sending-off in the last match but also several other instances of lost composure.

“And there have been a few tactical things we know about and have worked on. We have to be across the board ten per cent better in our aggression around the contact area and defence, and we need to take our opportunities when we create them.

“We did that at the beginning of the last match, but didn’t take them. At this level, playing a quality team away from home, we have to take our opportunities if we want to win.”

A packed Sportsground is one of the noisiest and most intimidating venues in the league, and Townsend believes it is just as important that the referee, Marius Mitrea, keeps a cool head amidst the mayhem. “The need for a strong ref is really important,” he continued. “The Sportsground is a different and tough environment for players and refs at the best of times, so for a semi-final it will be even wilder than usual. It’s going to be noisy, and different to what you get at bigger stadiums.

“It’s a very important game involving two teams that are going to be very aggressive. So because of that the ref needs to be strong, as it’s the most important game of the season for both teams.

“Marius Mitrea will be doing international rugby in the next few weeks. I expect him to perform well, just like I’m expecting the players to perform well and to be strong. The positive thing for us is that we’ve experienced it and know we have to keep our emotions under control.”

Henry Pyrgos returns at scrum-half after missing the last match through injury. Ali Price deputised for the Scotland international then, but this time misses out altogether, with Grayson Hart holding on to his place on the bench.

There are five changes in all from the Warriors team that lost that game - three in the backs and two in the pack. Mark Bennett comes in at centre for the injured Alex Dunbar, Sean Lamont replaces Lee Jones on the left wing, Zander Fagerson is at tighthead prop instead of the suspended Sila Puafisi, and specialist openside Simone Favaro is preferred to Rob Harley in the back row.

“It has been a huge boost to have someone of Henry’s talent and experience back available for such an important game,” Townsend added. “He’s trained fully for the last ten days, so he’s feeling healthy and ready to go. As for the other changes I’ve made, I felt we have the right blend in the back row with Simone Favaro coming in at openside and Ryan Wilson on the other flank in place of Rob Harley, who’s unlucky to miss out with Josh Strauss at No 8.

“Having Ryan, Josh and Simone gives us options in attack and defence and looks a good blend. Adam [Ashe] has played well for us and provides something a bit different on the bench as he can cover eight and six and is a key ball-carrier for us.

“Now that we’ve played Connacht, seen players come up against Connacht, we know what we believe will work against them. We have guys like Ryan Grant available again, but it’s tough for guys to miss out. Two guys miss out through injury and suspension while others miss out who have been on great form - Ali Price, Lee Jones, Rob Harley. To leave players out like that is tough for them, but it shows the competition we have.”

That strength in depth may be the crucial factor that tips the tie in the Scots side’s favour, although the absence of Dunbar could be a loss in defence, given Connacht centre Bundee Aki’s bulldozing runs. It looks sure to be a tight contest, but if Glasgow get the right mix of passion and precision they can progress.

Glasgow Warriors (v Connacht, today, 6.30pm): S Hogg; T Seymour, M Bennett, P Horne, S Lamont ; F Russell, H Pyrgos; G Reid, F Brown, Z Fagerson, J Gray, L Nakarawa, R Wilson, S Favaro, J Strauss. Substitutes: P MacArthur, R Grant, D Rae, T Swinson, A Ashe, G Hart, D Weir, T Naiyaravoro.