GLASGOW Warriors head coach Gregor Townsend is looking forward to what he has called the ultimate challenge – a European Champions Cup quarter-final away to holders Saracens.

It is the toughest possible fixture for Townsend’s team, who reached the last eight for the first time with a sensational 43-0 victory over Leicester on Saturday.

But, having also seen his team beat 2016 runners-up Racing 92 both home and away in Europe this season, the coach is confident that on their day they can beat any opponent.

“I thought that before [Saturday] as well,” Townsend said. “We have to have that mindset. Saracens have been the best team in Europe over the past couple of years. To take them on is the ultimate and we can’t wait to start preparing for that game.

“It’s two months away, but it will be in the back of our minds as coaches. They’re a great side – very hard to beat.

“They haven’t lost a game in Europe in the past two seasons.

We just have to go down there and throw everything at them.

We have to give it our best and we’ll see what happens.

“Any team that plays us will know we’re a real threat. We’ve played some excellent rugby – in five of the six games we played really well and we got through a really tough group.”

Townsend reckons Scottish rugby is on the verge of something special after watching his side make history by dishing out a six-try beating to the English big guns on Saturday night.

The man who will quit Scotstoun at the end of the season to take over as Scotland coach believes the game north of the Border is witnessing a fresh dawn of hope.

He told glasgowwarriors.org: “This is a special day for all of us, for our club and Scottish rugby. It’s been a great weekend for the game here, with Edinburgh getting a big crowd on Friday night and progressing to the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup.

“There is a lot to build on and there is a lot of optimism that professional rugby in Scotland can be a success.”

Glasgow knew a win of any kind would see them qualify from Pool 1 as one of three best runners-up.

But no-one could have expected the scintillating display they put on as they swept Aaron Mauger’s men aside with a 43-0 thrashing.

Townsend added: “The players had trained really well. They were really focused and knew this was an opportunity they had talked about all season. They had worked really hard for and they were going to go out there and grab it.

“We were ambitious, we were detailed in what we had to do in defence and attack and we were accurate, which is probably the clear reason we got the tries.

“Leicester were really physical in the first 20 minutes. We had to put huge effort in just to win the ball at the ruck, so it was a huge effort to get the first try with over 20 phases.

“I’m so proud. It is more than just the 15 players who started, they did an excellent job, but you have the players on the bench, the players who weren’t involved who have made our training sessions real quality this week, and the coaching and support staff. It’s on days like this that you realise the hard work they put in is of a real quality.”

If the Warriors beat Saracens, they will have a home semi-final against Leinster or Wasps. In the Challenge Cup, Edinburgh, who completed their pool stage with a 49-3 win over Timisoara Saracens on Friday night at Myreside, will be back at Murrayfield for their quarter-final against La Rochelle.

Edinburgh were seeded third after winning Pool 5, so play the French side as they were best runners-up and seeded sixth.

If Edinburgh go through, they will be away to the winners of the Gloucester v Cardiff tie in the semi-finals.

The last-eight ties in both competitions will be played between March 30 and April 2, with the precise dates due to be announced later this week.