Glasgow Warriors 28-21 Stade Toulousain

Second-half scores from Josh McKay, Gregor Brown, Sione Tuipulotu and Gregor Hiddleston secured an iconic result for the home side, moving top of their Investec Champions Cup pool at the halfway stage of the round-robin phase.

Despite most of the early running coming from the home side, the opening score would go the way of the visitors with just six minutes on the clock. Leo Banes found open space to accelerate into, before drawing the last man to send Antoine Dupont over next to the posts. Thomas Ramos converted, and Toulouse held a 7-0 lead.

The visitors would double their advantage in contentious fashion six minutes later, with the Warrior Nation making no secret of their displeasure. Dupont’s offload to Kalvin Gourgues looked to have travelled forward en route, but with the officials deeming the pass legal, Ramos added the extras from the tee to make it 14-0 to the French outfit.

With the swirling rain continuing to fall at Scotstoun, neither side was willing to concede an inch under the floodlights. Strong carrying from Jack Dempsey and the Fagerson brothers almost found a way through the Toulouse defence as the Warriors probed on the visiting 22, only for the visitors to come up with a turnover at the crucial moment.

Toulouse were making the most of the wind advantage, and with five minutes remaining in the half the six-time champions crossed for their third try of the night. Despite some physical defence from the Glasgow pack up front to repel their opponents, slick handling eventually allowed Gourgues to fend off the tackle and dive over in the corner. Ramos added the extras once more, and Toulouse led 21-0 approaching the interval.

In search of the attacking bonus-point, the visitors continued to press at any opportunity. Jamie Dobie’s cover tackle would deny Ange Capuozzo with the clock in the red, whilst only superb scramble defence from Adam Hastings and Gregor Hiddleston prevented Toulouse notching a breakaway score just moments into the second period.

Yet the Warriors were building momentum, and with 50 minutes on the clock, the home side struck in style. Zander Fagerson and Gregor Brown brought the power in midfield, before Sione Tuipulotu and Stafford McDowall combined to release Jamie Dobie out wide. His pass was perfectly timed to send McKay racing over untouched, Hastings converting as the Warrior Nation turned up the volume.

That volume would reach speaker-shaking levels just eight minutes later, as the Warriors continued to fight. Repeated Toulouse infringements gave the Warriors a penalty 10 metres out, from which Hiddleston charged headlong into the awaiting opposition to give his side the platform. Zander Fagerson was stopped inches short, but when Jack Dempsey fed Brown, there was no stopping the Aberdonian as he bulldozed his way under the posts. The conversion sailed through against a backdrop of noise, and Glasgow were within a score as the game entered its final quarter.

If the previous score was speaker-shaking, the next obliterated the sound system entirely. Once again, the pack laid the foundations, Rory Darge and Matt Fagerson leading the charge towards the Toulouse line with a barrage of carrying for which the visitor had no answer. In the end, Tuipulotu was the one to hammer down the Toulouse door, beating three defenders to crash over in front of the East Stand. Hastings kept his calm amongst the noise, coolly slotting the extra two points to bring his side level with 16 minutes to play.

The atmosphere turned supersonic as the match entered the final 10 minutes, as the Warriors hit the front to complete a monumental turnaround. Having been at the forefront all night, Hiddleston this time was the man to bring Scotstoun to its feet, the hooker steering an unstoppable maul over the whitewash for the bonus-point score. Once again Hastings was impeccable from the tee, bisecting the uprights to give his side a seven-point lead.

It was now time for the Warriors defence to stand up and be counted, a task they took to with aplomb. Whether it was McDowall levelling his man in midfield, or Hiddleston and Darge making a menace of themselves at the breakdown, each Glasgow action was roared to the rafters by the Warrior Nation as the clock ticked down towards zero.

One final massive defensive set would end with Dobie and Alex Craig ushering Teddy Thomas into touch, Investec Player of the Match-winning Hastings leading the celebrations as Scotstoun descended into pandemonium. This was Glasgow’s night as the roars echoed around the stadium – roars that will echo all the way to Hampden Park next weekend.