Glasgow Warriors broke new ground in the Investec Champions Cup by defeating Leicester Tigers 43-19 in the round of 16 at Scotstoun. It is the first time they have won a knockout match in European rugby’s elite club competition and they did in style, scoring six tries in a comprehensive dismantling of the two-time winners. Their reward is a quarter-final tie against Leinster in Dublin on Friday at 8pm, a daunting assignment but one they will relish after this sparkling performance. It is no wonder that Leicester have been credited with an interest in Franco Smith. Michael Cheika is leaving at the end of the season but on this evidence, Smith would be taking a step down if he were to move south. He has transformed this Glasgow side into serious European contenders and the URC champions will head to the Aviva with their tails up. Glasgow were superior in most departments. They won the battle up front where Zander Fagerson bossed the scrum and Henco Venter and Sione Vailanu took the game to the visitors. The two back-rowers each weighed in with a brace and there were also tries from Adam Hastings and George Horne. Hastings added a further 13 points with the boot, from five conversions and a penalty. It was a chilly evening and Glasgow were caught cold in the early stages. Nathan McBeth was penalised at the scrum and Leicester turned down an easy three points in favour of kicking to the corner. It paid off. From the lineout maul Olly Cracknell burrowed over. There was only two minutes on the clock and the setback seemed to galvanise Glasgow. They pummelled the Leicester line but the visitors held firm, even if they did concede a smattering of penalties. It was an impressive defensive effort from the Tigers but their resolve crumbled when they lost Jack van Poortvliet to a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on. The Warriors took advantage, scoring two tries while the scrum-half was in the sin-bin. Venter got the first, with Hastings providing the assist. Glasgow’s early attacking lineouts had been dealt with by Leicester but this time they threw the ball over the top and Hastings was able to field the bouncing ball before offloading to Venter, who piled over. A noisy Scotstoun crowd didn’t have long to wait for the second try. From a scrum five metres out, Sione Vailanu picked out the back and steamrollered over Solomone Kata to score. The whole game was being played in the Leicester half and the English team were lucky not to lose another player to the sin-bin when Emeka Ilione caught Johnny Matthews high. It was shoulder to head but, after a consultation with the TMO, match referee Craig Evans decided it was “a rugby incident”, with no obvious foul play. Matthews went off for a head injury assessment and never returned, Grant Stewart taking his place at hooker. There was a bit of edge to this one. Evans had already spoken to both captains after the Vailanu try sparked a bit of ‘afters’ but Glasgow needed to keep their heads. They were the better team by far, certainly more adventurous. They were also enjoying dominance in the scrum, with Zander Fagerson relishing his battle with Nicky Smith, Leicester’s Welsh loosehead. The Tigers were creaking and they suffered another sin-binning in time added on at the end of the first half. Cam Henderson, their Scottish international lock, was the offender, handling in the ruck. Hastings kicked the three points to put the Warriors 17-5 ahead at the turn. The lead probably should have been bigger but Glasgow addressed that in the opening exchanges of the second half, scoring three tries in the first 11 minutes. It must have been hard to watch for the travelling Tigers supporters. Cracknell made a mess of the kick-off, dropping the ball under pressure from Kyle Steyn, and the hosts won a five-metre scrum. Venter picked off the base, was held up just short, but Vailanu was there to score his second. Glasgow’s backs then got in on the act. From a lineout on the left, the ball was worked out the line and Steyn was tackled in the corner. The ball was quickly recycled and Hastings got over. The fifth try came straight from the restart. JP du Preez won the ball then Kyle Rowe sped deep into Leicester territory before playing it back inside for Horne to score. Hastings made it 38-5. Leicester were flailing but Kata at least reduced the margin by nipping in to score their second try, which Handre Pollard converted. Hanro Liebenberg, their captain, then further restored some respectability with the Tigers’ third try after a tap penalty. But the night belonged to Glasgow and Venter crashed over for his second try of the night - the Warriors’ sixth - after a lineout close to the Leicester line. Hastings, for once, couldn’t make the conversion, his effort striking the post.