Glasgow Warriors need success in the Heineken Cup to establish their credibility among the elite teams of Europe, according to Sean Maitland, the Scotland and Lions back who looks certain to be in the club's starting lineup when they take on reigning champions Toulon in the Stade Mayol on Sunday.
The Warriors currently sit top of the RaboDirect PRO12 table with a 100% record from five games. They also came within two points of the final last season when they lost 17-15 to champions Leinster. However their European form - five defeats in six - was poor, and Maitland believes they have to take things to a higher level.
"Over the past few years we have established ourselves in the Rabo," said Maitland. "But when you look at the Leinsters and the Munsters, you have to make the next step to become a great team. Edinburgh have done that [by reaching the semi-final last year] but not Glasgow. That is a goal. We think we have a pretty good pool and we have to take the next step. It's not only for the club, but for the city. We have a goal in mind. We want rugby to grow. We don't just want to hear about Celtic and Rangers, we want to hear about the Glasgow Warriors. That is our goal."
Doubts still surround the fitness of Stuart Hogg, who has a wrist injury, and Maitland will almost certainly slot in at full-back if his fellow Lion is ruled out. If Hogg is able to play, then he may move to one of the wings. However, with Gregor Townsend having used 36 players already this season, competition is strong. "There is a lot of self-belief," Maitland said. "We feel we have the firepower to go to Toulon and compete well. Toulon have not had their best performances in the last few games but we have the team to win. We have a lot of depth, too. No one is safe, not me, especially when Hoggy comes back. There will be a lot of disappointed guys who are not going to the south of France.
"If you want to become a great team then you have to do well in the Heineken. There is a lot of pressure on us. People don't talk about the Rabo as the strongest competition. All you hear about is the English and French. We have to establish ourselves this year."
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