Ollie Smith believes home advantage can be key in Glasgow Warriors going deep into this season’s Champions Cup, and says Scotstoun is a venue opposition teams “hate”.
Warriors face Saracens on Sunday with their place in the round of 16 already secured.
Glasgow’s previous home game in the competition was the epic comeback victory over Toulouse last month, and with away bonus-point wins against Sale and Clermont Auvergne also banked, Franco Smith’s side are in a fantastic position to go further in the Champions Cup than they ever have before.
A win over Sarries could earn Glasgow – who never never progressed beyond the last eight – a top seeding that would ensure a route of home ties right through to a potential semi-final.
“This is probably one of the hardest places to come, mentally, I would say,” full-back Smith said.
“We’ve spoken to obviously a lot of guys in camp, and they talk about how they hate coming to Scotstoun.
“The rubber pitch, it’s usually windy, it’s usually wet, but I think when that’s your own stadium and you’ve got your own fans in here and it can get a bit hostile, like in the Toulouse game, I think it gives you a bit more grit, you kind of become a bit more steely.
“You think about this place being your place, and you know how much they hate being here and how much you love being here because it’s your place and you’re not going to let them get anything easier when they come into your house.
“So it’s a bit of pride in that way, and that just kind of comes down to our philosophy that we’ve instilled in our group.”