Glasgow Warriors marched into the quarter-finals of the Investec Champions Cup with a ruthless display at a bouncing Scotstoun, overwhelming Leicester Tigers 43–19 to set up a heavyweight showdown with Leinster.
With six tries and a near-complete performance across the park, the home side delivered a statement win, driven by a brace each from Henco Venter and Sione Vailanu, and standout contributions from Adam Hastings and George Horne.
The Tigers opened the scoring early through Olly Cracknell, but that was as good as it got for the visitors. Once Glasgow clicked into gear, they were relentless.
Venter’s first try came after a sustained spell of pressure and a sin bin for Leicester’s Jack van Poortvliet, the big back-rower crashing over from close range. Hastings added the extras, and just minutes later, the Glasgow scrum earned its reward—dominating Leicester on their own feed to tee up Vailanu for his first of the night.
A penalty from Hastings gave the hosts a 17–5 lead at the break, and the Warriors came flying out of the blocks in the second half. A textbook set-piece forced Leicester behind their own line, and Venter’s barnstorming carry laid the groundwork for Vailanu to grab his second. Hastings converted, extending the lead to 24–5.
The scoreboard kept ticking. A sharp lineout move and a strong burst from Kyle Steyn set up Hastings for Glasgow’s fourth, before Kyle Rowe broke clear and unselfishly put Horne under the posts for number five.
Leicester fought back with tries from Solomone Kata and skipper Hanro Liebenberg, both converted by Handré Pollard, but they never truly looked like reeling Glasgow in. Any faint hope was dashed when Venter powered over for his second, capping a superb individual display and sealing a memorable win for Franco Smith’s men.
A final Leicester attack was swatted away by a resolute home defence, and the celebrations began as the full-time whistle sounded.
