An outstanding run of form in recent months has taken Glasgow to their first European semi-final and put them within touching distance of a home quarter-final in the URC play-offs.

They have earned plaudits for their attacking prowess, have defended excellently when required, and have made significant improvements to the depth of their squad since Franco Smith took over as head coach eight months ago.

But now, with a series of big games looming, the pressure is on. And last night Zander Fagerson warned that all the fine things the Warriors have done this season will count for nothing unless they deliver over the next few weeks.

“Franco came in and he was all about honesty and hard work,” the Scotland tighthead said. “He definitely instilled that in us from the first day of pre-season until now. Boys are gelling well, we know how we want to play and we’re fitter –we’re reaping the rewards from that.

“But it doesn’t matter how well your season has gone up until now if you don’t back it up in the games towards the end of the season. So we’ve got to keep training hard and put the performances out on the pitch that we know we’re capable of.”

The coaching team and the players were in agreement that their performance against the Lions last Saturday had been flawed, and Smith suggested that the team had felt the pressure of playing in a first home quarter-final in the Challenge Cup. Even so, while the usual cutting edge in attack was conspicuous by its absence, the defence was first rate as the Warriors prevailed 31-21 to set up a semi-final at the Scarlets at the end of the month.

Coincidentally, the team from Llanelli are next up for Glasgow when they visit Scotstoun in the URC on Friday. A win for the Warriors will secure that home quarter-final in the play-offs, and that outcome might look likely given nine places in the 16-team table separate the sides.

But the Scarlets were highly impressive in their own Challenge Cup quarter-final win last weekend, coming from behind in the closing minutes to beat Clermont-Auvergne 32-30. So Fagerson, while confident that his side can win, insisted they would not under-estimate their Welsh opponents.

“Scarlets are going really well. We watched that Clermont game and they’ve got a really dangerous back line as well as a really solid forward pack with two big Tongans in the second row. It was a really close game against Clermont. They pushed them for the full 80 minutes. Scarlets scored some great counter-attacks and they’ve got some real electric wingers as well. They’ve got threats all over the park.

“We’ve had some good ding-dongs in years gone by, so it’s a challenge we’re not taking lightly. We’ll need to be on the money on Friday. But with the boys that we’ve got and the way that we’ve been playing, if we stick to our game plan I’m sure we can get the win.”

As his country’s first choice in the most important position in the scrum – and arguably in the whole team – Fagerson knows that his principal job is exerting his sheer physical power. But under Smith he has been given more of a chance to make his presence felt in the loose as well, and admitted to enjoying that more varied role.

“The key thing for me still is the fundamentals – scrum and maul and hit my breakdowns. If I get a few carries that’s a bonus. But I seem to be getting my hands on ball. It’s a side of the game that I enjoy and it’s another way of getting stuck into the opposition. I’ll take that at every opportunity.”

Fagerson missed the start of the Six Nations because of a hamstring injury sustained towards the end of last year, but he is back to full match fitness now and is sure to be heavily involved in the crucial run-in at the end of the campaign. If he is to get a break over the coming weeks it could be in the last regular-season game against Connacht, as the Warriors seem set to select their strongest possible team for Friday’s Scarlets match, according to assistant coach Nigel Carolan.

“In the business end it’s about putting the best team out every week, and sometimes that does mean rotating so that you can put out the freshest players or the guys who can deliver on a certain game plan,” he said. “In terms of the URC, we can say that if we do the business this week then maybe the last week against Connacht has less of a bearing.”

Back-row forward Sione Vailanu could return against the Scarlets after sitting out the Lions game, but winger Sebastian Cancelliere is “about another week away” according to Carolan. Both men are recovering from knee injuries.