‘Statement’ Toulouse win ‘means the world’ to Glasgow

Glasgow Warriors’ stunning comeback victory over Toulouse in the Investec Champions Cup will do wonders for their confidence, says fly-half Adam Hastings.

Franco Smith’s side looked to be heading for a heavy defeat as the six-time European champions raced into a 21-0 half-time lead.

Warriors caught fire in the second half to turn the game on its head, running in four unanswered tries to deliver arguably the greatest European win in their history.

“It was just mental,” Hastings, who was named player of the match, told BBC Scotland.

“For [the fans] to come out on a night like this, a sell out, and just get behind us, it means the world.

“It’s huge for the mental side of it as well, the confidence that we got, because we’ve had a few scoldings in Europe over the past couple of years, and it’s just good that a statement result like that, especially at home as well.”

With stormy conditions at Scotstoun throughout, Glasgow struggled to break out of their own territory in the first half, with Antoine Dupont and company threatening to take the game away as Toulouse put Glasgow under tremendous pressure.

Despite that, Hastings insists there was a belief Warriors could overturn the 21-point deficit and Josh McKay’s try early in the second half ignited the comeback.

“Playing into the wind in the first half, it was similar to the Sale [Sharks] game last week. It was just so hard to exit,” Hastings said.

“I think you saw that from Toulouse in the second half, just how hard it was. At half-time, I think we just knew we had the wind, and if we just got a bit of territory and put a few phases together, it would be sweet.

“I thought from one to 23 we were amazing tonight. The bench was on fire as well, the pace they brought when they came on. Just so happy we held onto that at the end there.”

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