IT MAY have been 14 years since Leicester last won the European Cup but they are still regarded as one of the biggest names in the competition and for the Glasgow players that means an extra buzz in the camp this week as they prepare to face the English outfit tomorrow night.
For Rob Harley, who was still at school when the Tigers last ruled Europe, the chance to face a team with that kind of pedigree just adds an extra thrill to preparations as the Glasgow players prepare to step up to the kind of intensity and level they can usually hold back for international duty.
"This is why we play," he said with a broad grin. "You get a buzz playing against big-name teams and that definitely applies to Leicester. They have changed their style of play and are more expansive than they have been in the past. They can go back to their traditional strengths too in that they are good in the scrum, they are good in the maul, especially as a forward pack.
"The level of training has been really high and you can tell the excitement is building. We are conscious that we are striving to do well in European competition this year. We are trying to progress further than before. It is important we raise the standard we are playing at and to challenge ourselves to play better than we have before."
He is not alone in his excitement. None of the Glasgow players have made any bones about the desire to make the big breakthrough in European competition and reach the quarter finals after 17 failed attempts.
Their opponents have no such qualms. They won it back 2000 and retained the trophy – then the Heineken Cup – the following season. Though they have not won it again, they have not fallen by the wayside either, reaching finals in 2007 and 2009, and in the six years Harley has been competing in Europe Leicester have reached the quarter finals four times, going on to a semi final last season.
There have, however, been a few signs of a slightly shaky start to this season. While they have won four out of six games so far – the same as Glasgow – there were warning bells in the way they conceded 34 points to each of Wasps and Sale plus 31 to Gloucester and last week they dumped Scott Hansen, the defence coach.
Last week, however, they also rested a few key players and still managed a workmanlike win at the other Warriors – in Worcester – so there is no doubt they enter the European phase of the season in the decent enough shape without having quite clicked.
Yet, while Leicester have been there, or there abouts, when it comes to scaling European peaks, Glasgow have been stuck in the foothills. Under Gregor Townsend they have twice finished last in their pool and twice third. Only one side has a true European pedigree and Harley has had plenty of time to study the English club and see the dangers they bring.
"I'm very impressed by their pack," he said. "They have a good maul – that is a big threat for them – and they are good at the scrum. They also have lots of dangerous runners.
"To play in the European cup is exciting. This is my sixth season playing in Europe but I know how the younger guys will be feeling – what it is like to be a first year pro, making that first step. I remember playing games at Firhill under the lights against Toulouse.
"We have that excitement throughout the whole squad and are looking forward to a game in front of our own fans. I have never played against Leicester before. This is an exciting chance for me to play against one of the best known, big famous clubs in Europe.
"We are just focused on this game rather than thinking what it means for the rest of the competition. We have a boost starting at home and are looking at getting our performance indicators right. They have a lot of strengths but if we are playing well, that is all we can ask for. The result takes care of itself."
Glasgow are hoping for some relief from the injury problems that have forced Harley to return to the second row, the position he played in junior rugby before moving to the back row when he turned professional – even though it did mean a reunion with Rob McAlpine, his lock partner all those years ago before their careers headed in opposite directions.
Now, everybody is hungry for success, Harley even more strongly than the 7,000 in the stands. Friday is the moment of truth for all of them: "I am aware how much Europe means to the team, also to the fans, and the potential it has to lift everyone. Here's hoping we can give everybody a lift by beating Leicester," he finished.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here