There was a wonderful sense of renewal around Scotstoun yesterday afternoon.

The newly-laid pitch shimmered, emerald green in the early autumn sunshine. Sky TV staff scuttled about the stadium, laying cables and setting up camera positions. Advertising boards were being slotted into place, signalling the arrival of Guinness as the PRO12's blue-chip title sponsor. Everything felt so fresh.

Or it would have done had the talk in the ground not centred on the imminent arrival of Leinster, the side that has firmly established itself as Glasgow's nemesis over the past three seasons. The Warriors' last competitive game of the 2013-14 club season was their 34-12 loss to Leinster in the PRO12 final in Dublin in May, just as they had closed out the two previous campaigns by being beaten by the same team at the semi-final stage. Glasgow's video analysts are not short of footage ahead of today's season opener at Scotstoun; Glasgow's players are not short of motivation either.

The official line from the backroom staff was that today's game should not be seen as any sort of revenge mission. The more honest, if indiscreet, view of Rob Harley, looking ahead to what will be, staggeringly, his 100th appearance for the Warriors, was that a spot of score-settling was perfectly all right with him.

"We're definitely going to use that and it'll be a motivating factor for us," said Harley, the seven-times capped flanker. "But I think with this squad, having had that game, we're more focused on what we can do this year. There's no better way to start than hosting the champions."

There is certainly no better time. Due to Irish international protocols, top players usually sit out the PRO12's early games when they have been involved in Test matches during the preceding summer. The Sky executives might not be overly excited by the absence of Jamie Heaslip, Rob Kearney, Eoin Reddan and their like, but Glasgow should view it as a chance to steal a march on the champions.

That, after all, is what they did last September when, in a feisty and sometimes bad-tempered game, they took advantage of the fact that Leinster were understrength and seized a psychologically significant 12-6 win. Perhaps more than any other result, it was an outcome that announced Glasgow as serious title contenders, and it was especially satisfying for head coach Gregor Townsend, who considers Leinster to be the side that sets the standards for every other team to follow.

Townsend said: "They are the role models in so many things. The way they play, their consistency, they can change players around and still produce a performance that is very hard to beat.

"We had the most wins in the league last season so we showed consistency, but Leinster are still the template for success. In the final they were very good at keeping their performance level high. I felt we played well at times and didn't take our chances, but they played at the same high level for 80 minutes."

In terms of selection, Townsend's own options have been limited by a Glasgow injury list that now has 14 names on it. The most recent to be added were Duncan Weir and Finn Russell, the two fly-halves, a double twist of misfortune that has seen Peter Horne pressed into playmaking service in the No.10 slot.

Bench cover will be provided by Stuart Hogg, who dabbled in the position on the Lions tour to Australia last year, but who is still seen as a full-back by his coach.

"Stuart has all the fundamentals at first receiver," said Townsend. "He has a good catch and pass and obviously a good kick.

"We are excited that we have two players of Peter and Stuart's standard who can play 10 so well. Stuart can cover at 10 but primarily we still see him at full-back."

In effect, Glasgow also have an all-new front row, with loosehead prop Alex Allan and hooker Fraser Brown making their first competitive starts for the club - despite the fact that both have already played for Scotland at full Test level. Alongside them will be Euan Murray, returning to his first professional club after a seven-year absence in England and France.

Townsend dismissed that his front-row choices represented a gamble, although he has the security blanket of having Pat MacArthur and Gordon Reid covering Brown and Allan's positions from the bench. South African newcomer Rossouw De Klerk is there to take over from Murray if needed.

In the continuing absence of Al Kellock, the Warriors will be captained by No.8 Josh Strauss. For Leinster, the leadership duties will be taken by Sean O'Brien, who missed much of last season with a serious shoulder injury.

O'Brien has a reputation as a beast in the breakdown, although Glasgow insiders hope that referee Nigel Owens does not pay it too much respect. Owens is recognised as the best match official in the world, but his laissez-faire attitude to contact situations has raised Glasgow eyebrows in the past at games against Leinster.

Against that, some say he also has a tendency to favour home teams, so perhaps those two traits - if they actually exist - could balance each other out. Whatever the stewardship pattern, a momentous season opener lies in store.