Glasgow Warriors: Three key strengths

Ahead of Friday’s Guinness PRO14 semi-final against Glasgow Warriors (Scotstoun Stadium, 7.35pm), we take a look at some of their key strengths… Glasgow have been here before – time and again. Regularly in the hunt for Guinness PRO14 honours, they have failed to reach the semi-finals just once in their last eight campaigns, winning the title in 2014-15, a year after losing to Leinster in the final. This week, another Guinness PRO14 Final Series campaign is on the menu for Dave Rennie’s troops – against a rejuvenated Ulster. Having finished top of Conference A, the Warriors could conceivably go all the way without leaving their home city, with the final taking place at Celtic Park some seven miles or so from Scotstoun. So what makes Glasgow candidates for the throne? Dynamism in abundance There’s a strong argument to be made that the Warriors possess the most incisive attack in the Guinness PRO14. Famed for a dynamic approach with ball-in-hand, the Opta stats show that Rennie’s men top the charts for successful breaks and defenders beaten. They’ve racked up 228 breaks so far this season – only the Toyota Cheetahs and their semi-final opponents Ulster have also surpassed the 200-mark – at an average of 10.9 per game. And Glasgow players have breezed past more opposition players than anyone else – 528 have been left clutching at air. An unfaltering engine The Warriors don’t just execute with authority when they construct attacking opportunities – they also have the energy to match. Nobody has made more metres than Rennie’s side, who are top of the pile with a total of 9702. To put that in perspective, the next-best are Conference B winners Leinster, who have totted up a ‘mere’ 9234. Bona fide pedigree There’s no denying the quality the Warriors possess, with some of Scotland’s leading lights all plying their trade at Scotstoun. It’s difficult to write off a team that boasts the likes of Stuart Hogg, Tommy Seymour and Ali Price, as well as Fiji ace Nikola Matawalu. But will Glasgow’s quality be enough to claim Guinness PRO14 glory?