The last time Glasgow travelled to Dublin to play Leinster in a quarter-final tie it did not end well for them.
Certainly not for head coach at the time Danny Wilson who watched his players ship 12 tries in a 76-14 mauling before, unsurprisingly, being handed his P45 just a few days later.
That was three years ago now but enough players and staff still remain from that URC play-off humbling for it to remain a talking point as Warriors prepare to return to the Irish capital this Friday night on Champions Cup last-eight duty.
Nigel Carolan was one of Wilson’s assistants at the time and survived the summer transition that saw Franco Smith arrive at Scotstoun without his own backroom team.
The Irishman voluntarily brings up that ‘dark time’ in 2022 when Warriors appeared to have sunk to an all-time nadir, thoroughly outplayed by their hosts in a one-sided humiliation.
Few could have predicted then that Smith’s arrival would prove to be the jumping-off point for a remarkable renaissance and that, within two years of that thrashing, Glasgow would reach a European final and then win the URC.
Head coach Franco Smith has transformed Glasgow since their 2022 thrashing by Leinster
Warriors have been urged to show bravery in their Champions Cup quarter-final on Friday
Attack coach Nigel Carolan says Glasgow have grown as a club and learned to be resilient
Now they have another milestone in their minds as they look to reach the club’s first Champions Cup semi-final. Standing in their way is a Leinster side hitting the sort of formidable form that proved so damaging to the Warriors three years ago.
Carolan, though, believes the squad has progressed significantly since then. And it leaves them in a much stronger position for the challenge that awaits them inside the Aviva Stadium on Friday night.
‘Only a few years ago we didn’t make a very good account of ourselves there,’ recalled the attack coach. ‘That was a dark time for the club. But I think we’ve grown since then. We’ve evolved as a club. I think all our players have.
‘They’ve learned how to battle through difficult circumstances. That was demonstrated last year at the end of the URC having to go to Munster and then having to go to play the Bulls on the Highveld.
‘We’ve developed a lot of really important characteristics: resilience, belief and finding a way. Hopefully they come to the fore on Friday when we take on Leinster at the Aviva.’
It will likely take a lot more than that, however, to get the better of a Leinster side buoyed by a 62-0 thrashing of Harlequins at the weekend.
Carolan admits it could get ‘uncomfortable’ for Glasgow at times but says they need to be ready to soak up the pressure and then try to roll out their own attacking game that helped them take down Leicester Tigers on Saturday.
‘Leinster show their quality if you’re in any way vulnerable or if you don’t go in with the right frame of mind,’ he conceded. ‘So, for us we need to be brave. We need to bring the best version of our game on the field. It’s action beats reaction. We can’t wait to see what Leinster do.
‘You know what they’re going to do with ball in hand. They’re extremely dangerous. They’ve got some real quality players. With (defence coach) Jacques Nienaber they have a very aggressive defence that most teams struggle to deal with. It’s very uncomfortable. Leinster are very good at suffocating you.
‘Over the course of the week in training, we’ve got to get comfortable being uncomfortable. It’s challenging you to find solutions.
‘As we build towards Friday, if we can do that with confidence, we’ll travel with a smile on our face and look forward to the game. It’s two quality teams in a great stadium going into battle and I think it could be a great spectacle.
‘It will have a real Test feel to it but we have to be aggressive. If you let those things bother you, if you let them get on top of you, then they will.
‘For us, just getting on the front foot nice and early, travel with confidence, not get bogged down on the opposition, who we’re playing, where we’re playing, what’s happened in the past. Just embrace where we’re at now and keep building.’
Smith said at the weekend that ‘fresh faces’ could return from the sidelines to play a part in this one. Carolan revealed second-row Max Williamson could be in contention but felt Friday would come around too soon for centre pairing Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones.
‘A few of the internationals are starting to return and integrate,’ he added. ‘There’s Sione who’s not a million miles away, although Friday could be a little bit early for him.
‘With such a nasty injury, I think we’d be foolish to rush him back as much as he wants to be back on the field and is doing everything to get back.
‘Huw Jones is also starting to integrate slowly. Max Williamson is fully integrated now again so he’s going to maybe come into contention for Friday night.
‘We’ve a pretty much full bill of health from Saturday. So, to go again with them wouldn’t be the worst plan in the world. For them to have the opportunity to back up what they’ve done against Leicester would be really good for the group.’
