URC champs wary of ‘electric’ Stormers

Adam Hastings is well aware of the threat that Glasgow Warriors have to contain when the likes of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Warrick Gelant run the Stormers attack on Friday night.

Having steered Glasgow to a 28-17 win in Stellenbosch earlier this season, the flyhalf knows the Stormers bring firepower, flair and ambition to the Vodacom URC quarter-final clash at Scotstoun Stadium.

“They’re a fast-paced team who have a lot of flair players throughout that backline – they can cause you problems from anywhere,” Hastings told the club’s official website. “We know they’ll look to keep the ball alive with their offloading game, so it’s important for us to shut that down.”

The Stormers will arrive in Scotland on the back of a 34-24 win over Cardiff in round 18 that booked their fourth straight playoff appearance. Boss John Dobson’s backline options include Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Gelant and Manie Libbok – all capable of breaking open defences.

For Hastings, who returned to Glasgow this season after three years at Gloucester, the key will be structure and precision at set piece.

“Set piece is going to be massive for us, too,” he said. “We know we need to nail our roles there and make sure we execute on first phase. 

“We’ve got some pretty electric backs that we want to get the ball to in space, so that’s definitely been a focus for us as we sharpen up this week.”

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While not part of the squad that lifted the URC title last season, Hastings insists the defending champions can tap into the emotional edge that powered their 2023 campaign, which included a 27-10 quarter-final win over the Stormers at Scotstoun.

“I watched last year’s knockout games on TV, and just the intensity the boys played at was something else,” he said. 

“The emotion that was shown throughout the team was something you could really feel, and that’s something we want to re-create this year.”

It will be Hastings’ first taste of URC playoff rugby since returning, and he’s expecting the Warrior Nation to lift the team once again.

“You play all year to make it to the knockout games, so to have a home quarter-final is amazing,” he said. “We love playing at Scotstoun because we know the difference the supporters make.

“If they can bring the noise and wave those flags, that’ll be great.”

Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images