Glasgow Warriors v Leinster: Stuart Hogg wants to finish on high

Stuart Hogg admitted to having a wee tear in his eye as he said his farewells to Scotstoun last Friday, the only thing staving off a full blubathon being the fact that his stay at Glasgow Warriors had just been extended by a week following the evisceration of Ulster in the Pro14 semi-final.

Saturday's final against Leinster at Celtic Park will be the last act before leaving for Exeter Chiefs - and he knows what's coming.

"I get really nervous before every game and this one isn't going to be any different, especially since it's going to be the last time I pull on the jersey and I want to make the most of it," he says. "It's actually worse than nerves. Sometimes I get a little bit scared. I do, genuinely. But I love it at the same time.

"If I was relaxed and not fussed about what's happening, I'd probably play like a bag of crap, so I want those nerves and I want to win this final. I want to finish on a high."

Hogg's Glasgow story goes back to 2010, when he arrived at the club, and then into the spring of 2011, when he made his debut in a drab 16-16 draw against the Dragons at Firhill.

It all seems like a lifetime ago. The crowd that night was 1,709, against the 10,000 sell-out against Ulster on Friday and the expected 40,000-plus at Celtic Park on the weekend. Glasgow finished his debut season with six wins from 22 games in the old Magners League. They ended up 11th of 12 teams, fully 50 points behind the champions Munster, with only Aironi keeping them off the bottom.

As he's about to play his last game, that first one is something he's been thinking about.

"At one stage, there was a high crossfield kick that was heading for the far corner and I was never in a month of Sundays getting to it," he says, with a smile. "There's a photo of me running and I'm worried about the bounce of the ball, but the pitch was that boggy and sandy that the ball just sat down. I remember that well because if the ball bounced I was absolutely buggered.

"We finished second bottom that season. We played Ulster at home and they had more fans than we did. Everything's changed at this club since then.

"Everything I've achieved in the game has been as a Glasgow Warrior. The people around the club are special. They'd make you want to stay. They're friends for life. I'm excited about the next challenge but I'll be forever grateful for the opportunities I've been given here."