URC 2025/26 · Quarter-Final
Glasgow Warriors
Connacht
Scotstoun Stadium, Glasgow
Championship Standings
This is the URC playoff seeding, not a league round — Glasgow finished top of the 16-team table with 65 points (13W-5L, +141) to earn home advantage throughout the knockouts, while Connacht sneaked into the eighth and final playoff berth on 54 points, edging Ulster on wins. It's the classic 1st-v-8th quarter-final: the regular-season champions against the side that scraped in, but a Connacht outfit that won eight of its last nine to get there.
| Pos | Team | P | W | L | PD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glasgow Warriors | 18 | 13 | 5 | +141 | 65 |
| 2 |  Leinster | 18 | 12 | 6 | +145 | 63 |
| 3 |  Stormers | 18 | 12 | 5 | +160 | 60 |
| 4 |  Bulls | 18 | 12 | 6 | +160 | 59 |
| 5 |  Munster | 18 | 11 | 7 | +20 | 55 |
| 6 |  Cardiff | 18 | 11 | 7 | −19 | 55 |
| 7 |  Lions | 18 | 10 | 7 | +59 | 54 |
| 8 | Connacht | 18 | 10 | 8 | +47 | 54 |
| 9 |  Ulster | 18 | 9 | 8 | +74 | 52 |
| 10 |  Sharks | 18 | 8 | 9 | +39 | 46 |
| 11 |  Ospreys | 18 | 7 | 9 | −78 | 39 |
| 12 |  Edinburgh | 18 | 7 | 11 | −77 | 38 |
| 13 |  Benetton | 18 | 6 | 10 | −166 | 33 |
| 14 |  Scarlets | 18 | 4 | 12 | −99 | 28 |
| 15 |  Dragons | 18 | 3 | 11 | −131 | 28 |
| 16 |  Zebre Parma | 18 | 2 | 16 | −275 | 15 |
Glasgow Warriors
W3, L2Glasgow topped the table but limped into the playoffs with a wobble — back-to-back South African road maulings at the Lions (54–12) and Stormers (48–12) exposed how badly they travel, and a 22–19 home loss to Toulon ended their Champions Cup run and their unbeaten Scotstoun record across all competitions. The reassurance is that the wheels only came off away from home: they closed the league with a 40–17 dismantling of Cardiff and a gritty 26–22 win at Ulster. At Scotstoun in the URC they were perfect all season.
Connacht
W4, L2Connacht are the form story of the back half of the URC season — eight wins from their last nine league games, a run that hauled them from mid-table irrelevance into the playoffs. The standout was a 33–24 win away at the Stormers in Cape Town, proof they can win on the road against quality, and they finished with a statement 26–7 dismantling of Munster and a 26–5 demolition of Edinburgh. They are not here by accident; this is a dangerous eighth seed peaking at the right time.
Head-to-Head Record
19 – 2 – 8
Glasgow wins · Draws · Connacht wins (last 29 URC meetings)
Glasgow Warriors (19)Glasgow have owned this fixture historically — 19 wins to 8 across 29 URC meetings, including a run of dominance through the 2010s. But the recent picture is far more even, and crucially Connacht won the most recent meeting: a 15–10 grind in Galway back in February 2026. Before that Glasgow had edged a tight one 22–19 at Scotstoun in January 2025. The lopsided overall ledger flatters the home side; the last two meetings have been one-score arm-wrestles.
Recent Results
| Date | Competition | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | URC | Connacht 15–10 Glasgow Warriors |
| Jan 2025 | URC | Glasgow Warriors 22–19 Connacht |
| Oct 2023 | URC | Connacht 34–26 Glasgow Warriors |
| Apr 2023 | URC | Glasgow Warriors 29–27 Connacht |
| Jan 2022 | URC | Connacht 20–42 Glasgow Warriors |
| Oct 2020 | URC | Connacht 28–24 Glasgow Warriors |
Average score in the last 6 meetings: Glasgow lead the all-time series comfortably, but the last four meetings have been decided by 5, 3, 8 and 3 points — and Connacht have taken two of them, including the most recent. This is far closer than 19–8 suggests.
Extended Form
Glasgow Warriors16W, 6L
URC: 1st with 65 points (13W-5L, +141). Champions Cup: reached the QF (beat Saracens 28–3, Bulls 25–21, won at Clermont 33–21 and Sale 26–21, beat Toulouse 28–21) before a 22–19 home loss to Toulon. Recent URC: beat Leinster 38–17, Munster 31–22, Cardiff 40–17, won at Ulster 26–22; heavy away losses at the Lions (54–12) and Stormers (48–12).
Glasgow have been the most consistent side in the URC over the campaign and reached a Champions Cup quarter-final — a genuinely elite season. The defining flaw is travel: their three worst defeats all came in South Africa or on the road. None of that matters here, because the quarter-final is at Scotstoun, where they were unbeaten in the URC all season.
Connacht13W, 8L
URC: 8th with 54 points (10W-8L, +47), winning eight of their last nine league games. Challenge Cup: ran to the knockouts (75–14 v Montauban, 52–0 v Black Lion) before a 45–22 quarter-final loss at Montpellier. Recent wins include 33–24 at the Stormers, 26–7 v Munster, 26–5 at Edinburgh, 26–19 at Ulster.
Connacht's season is a tale of two halves — sluggish before Christmas, transformed after it. The late surge that carried them into the playoffs included a win in Cape Town and back-to-back routs of Munster and Edinburgh. They have real momentum and a proven away pedigree this season, which makes them a more credible eighth seed than the table position implies.
Glasgow Warriors XV
Scott Cummings returns at lock for his first appearance since Scotland's Six Nations win over France on 7 March, a major boost to the second row. Franco Smith names a near-full-strength side with Kyle Steyn captaining from the wing and a star-studded backline of McKay, Tuipulotu, McDowall and Rowe. Jamie Dobie misses out with the shoulder injury he picked up against England in February.
Connacht XV
Connacht make five changes for the quarter-final, with Cian Prendergast captaining from the back row. Dylan Tierney-Martin and Darragh Murray were both passed fit to start after recovering from injury. Sean Jansen misses out, with Paul Boyle coming into the back row, and John Devine partners Bundee Aki in midfield after Harry West was ruled out injured. Sam Gilbert starts at full-back behind a back three completed by Bolton and Jennings.
Key Matchups
The headline duel is Tuipulotu v Aki in midfield — two of the URC's biggest names trading collisions — and that's the area Connacht can win, with Aki a one-man wrecking ball capable of bending Glasgow's defensive line. Everywhere else the home side has the edge: George Horne's sniping and a back three of Rowe, Steyn and McKay offer more strike threat than Connacht can match, and Zander Fagerson anchors the more powerful scrum. Connacht's best path is exactly what beat Glasgow in Galway in February — slow the game down, win the collision, and turn it into a low-scoring scrap where they can frustrate the favourites. If it opens up, Glasgow's class behind tells.
Match Forecast
Home advantage is the whole story here. Glasgow were unbeaten at Scotstoun in the URC all season, finished top of the table, and get a knockout against the lowest seed on their own patch — the scorecard nets out at +15, firmly in strong-favourite territory. Scott Cummings returning to bolster the second row only deepens an already loaded squad, and a back three of Rowe, Steyn and McKay carries more cutting edge than anything Connacht can field. The same team that travels poorly is close to unbeatable at home, and this game is at home.
The caveat is that Connacht are nobody's idea of a soft eighth seed. They won eight of their last nine league games, beat the Stormers in Cape Town, and crucially won the most recent meeting between these sides — a 15–10 grind in Galway in February. If Bundee Aki and Cian Prendergast drag this into a low-scoring, set-piece slog and Glasgow's frustrating away-day habits resurface at the worst time, the upset is live. But playoff knockouts at fortress Scotstoun against a side with one win in their last ten visits is a tall order — Glasgow should have too much.
Glasgow to win by 12–20 at fortress Scotstoun — but Connacht's late-season surge makes them a live underdog, not a free pass.