Table toppers Glasgow Warriors are coming to South Africa full of confidence that they can score two wins on the Highveld and up their chances of keeping their spot at the summit of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship log.
Two weeks ago they handily beat Zebre 40-9 in Parma and leapfrogged Leinster, who had lost to the DHL Stormers with a second-string side and focused their attention on the Investec Champions Cup.
And now they face one of the toughest tests when they head to Loftus Versfeld to face the Vodacom Bulls at altitude, with the home side intent on grabbing a home victory to get themselves a chance of being in the top two at the end of regulation play.
Munster’s incredible win at Loftus three weeks ago has upped this belief along with their own superb form, with fullback Josh McKay not shy to say that they are excited and confident heading to South Africa.
"Absolutely. There's a lot of belief in this group," McKay told Scotland Rugby News. "Everyone is motivated. It would be a massive step forward for the club. But we've still got a big job ahead of us in South Africa and back at home when we play Zebre again.
'IN A GOOD SPOT'
"There are still three big games left before we start putting our eyes on that. The excitement is definitely there in the group to go and do the job.
"We've put ourselves in a good spot to go deep into this competition. You definitely can't take that for granted. We're all riding it until the end, everyone is going all in on it. We're no longer in Europe.
"I think the way the competition is going to finish up, leading into play-offs will suit us with a couple of weeks off where we can really hone in on the training but also get fresh with no games at the weekend.
"South Africa is going to be huge for us and can be a good springboard into the tail end of the season."
With home advantage a premium for all teams, the Warriors are eyeing that home spot for the run into the finals, with them last having lost at home to Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup.
"Of course, any team is going to want to play at home over going away aren't they? We would love to play as many games at home as possible in front of our friends and family," McKay said.
"But we don't want to look at it from far back, we just want to take it one game at a time and by doing that, to keep it simple, we've just got to keep winning, not get too far ahead of ourselves.
"You need a big squad that is ready to go and can turn up on any day, because it's such a long season with both competitions, Europe and the URC.”
"It takes a toll on a lot of boys. We lose a lot during the test windows as well.
"I think Franco has done a really good job at blooding a lot of players. A lot of players are not just getting one or two games a season, there are a lot getting good-quality minutes and when they step in, they're doing a good job.
"The depth is crucial... you need a good squad to go deep into these competitions."
