‘We know what’s coming’ - Cole Forbes braced for Exeter onslaught as Glasgow Warriors chase Euro double

Cole Forbes rates Glasgow Warriors’ win over Exeter Chiefs last month as their best performance of the season but knows they will have to take it up another level when the sides meet again in Devon on Saturday.

Cole Forbes rates Glasgow Warriors' win over Exeter at Scotstoun as their best performance of the season. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

The sides have plenty of shared history in the Champions Cup and this weekend’s clash at Sandy Park will be the ninth time they’ve locked horns in Europe’s elite club competition.

Glasgow have the edge, with four wins to Exeter’s three, with one game drawn, but the English club are a formidable prospect on their ground.

The Chiefs have won their last three home games against the Warriors, including a 42-0 victory in the pool stage last season.

Cole Forbes (centre) tries to find a way through in the Champions Cup win over Exeter Chiefs at a misty Scotstoun. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

That was a chastening occasion for Glasgow but Danny Wilson’s side have come on leaps and bounds since. The recruitment of players such as Rory Darge, Jack Dempsey, Josh McKay and Forbes has turned them into a far tougher proposition as evidenced by the 22-7 win over Exeter at Scotstoun before Christmas.

“I’d say that was the best 80-minute performance this season,” said Forbes. “The boys knew what was coming, put the gameplan out there and executed it perfectly for the full game.”

Repeating the feat at the home of the 2020 double winners will require something special and Forbes is braced for an onslaught.

“It will be similar to last time. But they’ll have a bit more of an edge after losing the last one,” said the winger.

“They’ll want to come back harder and show the team they really are. We know what’s coming. We just have to play tactically and right into the pitch and take our opportunities like we did the last time.”

It’s coming up for a year since Forbes pitched up in Glasgow, initially on trial, and the former New Zealand U20 international is now a key member of the squad.

“It’s definitely gone a lot better than I had hoped when I first got here,” said Forbes, who is Scottish-qualified and has been involved in a couple of Scotland camps. “When I arrived I was only here on trial so I thought it would only be for three months and would struggle to get gametime. But I’m lucky that Danny has given me an opportunity and I’ve loved every minute of it.”

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