FOR three of the four teams jostling for pride of place in the play-off picture, action over the next week comes with a double goal.

Not only are Warriors anxious to secure a home semi-final for themselves but, like the rest of the sides involved, there is a second target: stop Ulster.

With the final already booked for Kingspan Stadium - the latest iteration of Ulster's traditional Ravenhill home - those jostling for position are required to keep the Belfast side from enjoying home advantage in the final.

It means Glasgow can do Munster and the Ospreys a favour tomorrow - as well as themselves - if they can beat Ulster in the final round of regular season games and ensure the Irish face an away tie in the knockout round - famously no side has ever won an away tie at that stage.

It is not just the Irish, however, who have a home record to envy. Both Glasgow and the teams they face believe Scotstoun to be one of the most intimidating places to go, a perception borne out by the realisation that they have not lost there since November 2013. Perhaps, as Rory Best, the Ulster captain, observed, there has always been an element of that ferocity, it's just that now it is matched by consistent, unrelenting and successful performances.

"It's a tough venue, we were well beaten there last year," he said. "The previous year we were beaten in the league, but we won in Europe. It has become a good place to go and play rugby. They are getting the crowds now and there is a lot more fun atmosphere there than there is, say, at Murrayfield.

"Glasgow was always a very tough place, even in the days when they were at Hughenden and then at Firhill and you had Dan Parks kicking penalties from his own 22, but they were never up at the top end of the league. In the last number of years, really I suppose since Gregor [Townsend] took over, they have evolved their game and they have a great squad of players. They are capable of making changes and rotating players and still winning. They also win in style.

"The big things for me are their ruck play and the defence, the two backbones of the game. In those areas they are one of the best in the league. When they make changes they don't compromise on the intensity of how they are rucking. They set a standard and that's how you develop a squad and bring players on."

The home players also appreciate just how much things have changed at their venue, and what an advantage it gives them. Like Best, Sean Lamont, the wing, remembers the old days and how much things have come on: "The biggest difference is not just the squad, but the fans who are really vocal now," he said. "I remember back in the day when it was one man and his dog. You would get the odd [shout of] 'Glasgow!' but now it is great.

"It is quite oppressive. We are used to going away and having it against us, so it is nice to have it here; if there is a mistake the crowd are in uproar; if the ref doesn't make a call the crowd are in uproar. They are really vocal and this is driving us.

"Crowds make a massive difference. They do sway referees and they do put pressure on the opposition and gee up the home players. It is not just the boys playing well and making top four, but the crowd has really come on. That has been one of the best things to see."

None of which would have happened without the team performing on the pitch and Lamont, who missed the last eight weeks with a knee injury, is demanding that the side make sure there is no repeat of the below-par performance in Swansea last week while he was involved in his comeback game against the Scotland Under-20s.

Can they go all the way? Of course, says Lamont: "You just have to look at the progression over the last two years, from semi-final to final and we are looking to repeat that and go one step further," he said. "We've got, the squad that Gregor [Townsend] has built and the standards he lays down, we are going the right way.

"We know we have a big task because all the top-four teams are a tough challenge. A home semi would make a big difference but it's not the be-all and end-all. After this weekend it is knockout rugby and anything can happen, whether you're home or away. With the final being away regardless, an away semi, if we had to do that, would probably stand us in better stead if and when we get there."

Glasgow can do their bit to stop Ulster making it to a home final in Belfast and then leave it to others to finish the job. Lamont is confident, Best respectful and maybe worried. That's as good as it gets.