The old jibe about Glasgow being a nice team to watch but an even nicer team to play against can finally be laid to rest.

There was nothing very pleasing to the eye in this stern, pragmatic victory in the south of France and nor will the Montpellier players relish the prospect of the January return fixture in Scotland.

It is perfectly feasible, of course, that only a handful of those who played in the Altrad Stadium on Saturday will actually make that trip. French sides and French coaches make no secret of their disdain for European competition when they have no realistic hope of progress and that might well be the case for Montpellier by then. With Toulouse beating Bath as well, pool 4 is now the very definition of two-speed Europe.

Glasgow have pottered along in the European slow lane for much too long, but their performances in this season's Champions Cup have put them on a different track. Their season will now hinge on their back-to-back games with Toulouse in December, where even one win would put them on the cusp of qualifying for the last eight for the first time. Jeremy Guscott is probably unfamiliar with the taste of humble pie, but he should try a few scoops of the stuff after his haughty dismissal of the Warriors' prospects before this competition began.

As, indeed, should anyone who still peddles the idea that a side led by Gregor Townsend will play fur-coat-and-no-knickers rugby. This was a performance of substance, built firmly on the coach's appreciation that winning in France is not all about zip and dazzle. Glasgow came up against a mighty side here, but they matched Montpellier's muscle in almost every area. Guy Noves, the Toulouse coach, will certainly take nothing for granted ahead of the return meeting in December.

After their two losses to Cardiff Blues in rounds three and four last season, Townsend admitted that his man-management was poor when it came to reintegrating players who had just returned from Scotland's November Tests. With 17 players in this year's autumn international squad, it is one thing that he will certainly have to get right. Toulouse, atypically, have only a handful of players in the French squad at the moment.

"I will have a good chance to reflect," said Townsend. "We have a game against Treviso to play [on Friday] and then the Dragons the week before we play Toulouse. It's about looking at who we want to bring in. The players who are playing Test matches will have a break, either straight away or after Europe. It's not an exact science. I feel we didn't get it right last year so we have to look at ways of doing it better this year.

"A lot will depend on what happens in November. We could have 10 players in the Scotland team or we could have six or seven. We could have guys who have played really well and want to keep the form going, and guys who might need a rest after that period. I can't say now what we are going to do, but we have to make sure we do better than last time."

As the first of the Toulouse games is on a Sunday, Townsend already knows that he will be without Euan Murray, who refuses to play on the Sabbath. It is a significant loss, as the 34-year-old warhorse was a rock in defence as he put in a magnificent shift against Montpellier. The fact that Townsend kept the old fellow on the pitch for all but the last few seconds speaks volumes about the prop's importance to the side.

And yet, with cap duly doffed to the veteran Murray, the overarching theme of the game was still the astonishing maturity of Townsend's side. Finn Russell was making his first European start, but the 22-year-old's cool-headedness at fly-half - and, after the break, at centre - was remarkable. The 21-year-old Mark Bennett outshone, and out-ran, every member of Montpellier's illustrious backline. It is sometimes easy to forget that Stuart Hogg is still just 22, Jonny Gray not yet 21.

But then, these players have no reason to believe their ages have any significance. There are still a few scarred souls around Scotstoun, but the place is now dominated by players who are more used to winning than losing. The Glasgow supporters who came to Montpellier - and they could be counted in three figures rather than two - might struggle to believe what they are seeing these days, but many of these Warriors have never known anything else.

Russell's five penalties brought all of Glasgow's points. For a player who was knocking around Scotland's Premiership grounds at the start of the year, it was a wonderfully assured performance, not least against a backdrop of noisy derision from Montpellier's fiercely partisan supporters.

"His composure as a goalkicker was superb," said Townsend. "I've always thought he had a great temperament to play at the highest level, but to be kicking your goals when thousands of people are booing is excellent."

Townsend played one season for Montpellier towards the end of his career, so at least one Scottish fly-half got a warm reception from the crowd. However, the coach stopped short of calling it a perfect day and admitted he was disappointed his side could not do more with the ball.

"We were hoping to get our fast-paced game into play," Townsend said. "It is something we have done for most of the season. But sometimes games create their own story, and obviously the set piece was an area that became quite dominant.

"We were outstanding defensively but there are a few areas where we have to improve. Discipline is one because when you are away from home you can't let the opposition get the crowd behind them."