This was the greatest win in Scotland’s rugby history, SAYS ANDY NICOL

What a performance from Glasgow Warriors. Winning this championship in Pretoria against the Blue Bulls – in front of 52,000 partisan fans – is nothing short of phenomenal.

In fact, this is the biggest win in Scotland’s rugby history. I don’t write that freely. The Grand Slams of 1925, 1984 and 1990 were great moments from our past, but I think what the Warriors did on Saturday is the best.

It definitely surpasses what they did in 2015 when they won the Pro12 by beating Munster in Belfast. I was there that evening in my role as broadcaster. It was very emotional for me knowing how far Glasgow had come since the start of professional rugby in 1996. I joined the club from Bath in 1999 when the club and professional rugby in Scotland were in trouble.

The club was then called Glasgow Caledonians and we played matches across the region we represented, with games in Glasgow, Perth, Aberdeen, Inverness and Stranraer! There were fewer than 1,000 people playing in the Welsh-Scottish league. The team traveled by bus to South Wales every fortnight to get beat before returning home in the early Sunday morning. It was grim.

That was why the victory in Belfast almost ten years ago was now so good for the club. It showed how far they had come. It showed that Glasgow Warriors were a real club that could win big trophies.

Center Huw Jones comes in for a try in the second half of Glasgow’s epic victory

Marco van Staden is tackled by Warriors’ Argentinian wing Sebastian Cancelliere

Yes, a silverware gap has emerged since Belfast and Pretoria. The Warriors made it to the final in 2019 when it was played at Parkhead, in front of more than 50,000 spectators against Leinster, but unfortunately couldn’t quite get the job done. They also reached the final of the European Challenge Cup last year, but lost to a very good team from Toulon.

Since 2015, the Pro12 has morphed into the United Rugby Championship, with the South African teams adding their collective quality to the competition – and making it so much harder to win than it was back then.

So that’s the context in which Saturday’s victory is the greatest result in the history of Scottish rugby.

It’s so damn hard to win a big game these days. The quality of the teams is so much better than ever before. Add to that the crazy travel that comes with traveling to and from South Africa and playing at high altitudes and it seemed almost impossible for the Warriors to win.

Not only did they win, they won it the hard way, playing away from home in both the semi-finals and the final.

I’ll be honest: I feared Glasgow had blown their chances when they lost back-to-back games in South Africa towards the end of the season.

They looked good for a top two finish, perhaps even first, which would have given them home advantage until the home final.

Because of those defeats they finished fourth. They negotiated the home game with the Stormers, but then had to go to Munster in the semi-final.

Winning that and doing the same thing again a week later in South Africa is about as tough as it gets on the rugby stage.

Franco Smith deserves so much credit for what he has done since arriving at Scotstoun two years ago.

I interviewed him earlier this year at a charity event and I was struck not only by his intensity, but also by his humanity.

He clearly cares about the players, the club and the fans. He fully deserves this victory.

The players were tremendous. The big boys stepped up when it came to the business end of the season; Matt and Zander Fagerson, Jack Dempsey, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Kyle Steyn, Richie Gray, Darge, they were all fantastic.

However, we should not forget that it has been a very long season, with many fringe players stepping up and ensuring the team won games when the big stars were not playing. Again, this is where Franco Smith excelled.

Warriors captain Kyle Steyn smiles at full-time after the win in Pretoria

Glasgow players celebrate full-time after winning the URC title in Pretoria

He gave young players their chances, he supported them and they delivered results. He chose the same starting fifteen for the three knockout matches, demonstrating his absolute clarity in selection and his superlative quality. The players executed it perfectly.

Also remember that this Bulls team beat a full Leinster side the week before. Further proof, if it were needed, of what Glasgow Warriors achieved in Pretoria this weekend and how difficult it must have been.

The only negative was the fact that a full contingent of traveling fans couldn’t be there to share in their team’s triumph.

The tournament has its flaws, that’s for sure, and how to organize knockout matches and finals in such diverse countries – and on such short notice – is almost an impossible task.

However, that’s a discussion for another day. Let’s enjoy Glasgow Warriors being crowned champions of the United Rugby Championship.

The greatest result in Scottish rugby history? Definitely.