**It’s been something of a strange season for the Glasgow Warriors but when the rugby resumes, they will nevertheless find themselves primed for yet another tilt at the Guinness PRO14 Final Series.** Sitting third behind Ulster and Leinster in Conference A, last season’s beaten finalists have become a mainstay at the business end of the season ever since claiming their sole title back in 2015. But their position in this season’s edition is far from guaranteed; Dave Rennie’s side will be looking to shake the Toyota Cheetahs off their tails when they get back to Scotstoun before they can think about reeling in Ulster ahead of them. However, after a tough start to the campaign, the Warriors have more than steadied the ship - here’s a closer look at how we’ve got to this point. # **Story of the campaign so far** When the Warriors lost three of their opening four Guinness PRO14 games this season, eyebrows were rightly raised. The side were outstanding on their way to Conference A victory last term, and were only denied a second title by a resilient Leinster display at Celtic Park. And while they weren’t able to pick up where they left off when September rolled around, the significance of defeats against the Cheetahs and Scarlets were perhaps blown out of proportion, given what we now know about the qualities of both sides. But from there, the Warriors exploded, winning three of their next four, putting 50 points past the Isuzu Southern Kings and claiming victory in the first leg of the 1872 Cup against Edinburgh Rugby, all in spite of the news that Rennie would be departing to coach Australia come the end of the season. The new year started in similar fashion for the Scottish outfit, as they expertly navigated a tricky fixture to Treviso and Benetton, before buffing up the scoreboard against fellow Italians Zebre and gaining revenge on the Dragons. Their winning run was brought to an end by an imperious Leinster performance at the RDS Arena as they went down 55-19 - their last game before the Guinness PRO14 was postponed, leaving them seven points shy of Ulster and two ahead of the Cheetahs in Conference A.
