Leinster’s first league defeat of the season gave Glasgow Warriors a glimmer of hope that they could yet catch the leaders but finishing first in the United Rugby Championship might not be all it’s cracked up to be, according to Franco Smith. Smith, who led the Warriors to URC glory last year after finishing fourth in the regular season, is all too aware that timing is everything in this competition. His Glasgow side got it spot on in 2024, peaking in the play-offs as they beat the Stormers, Munster and the Bulls to lift the trophy. It was the third year in a row in which the team that topped the table at the end of the regular campaign failed to win the title. Munster had finished at the summit in 2024 but were eliminated by Glasgow in a memorable semi-final in Limerick. Twelve months previously, Leinster finished top but stumbled in the semi-finals against eventual winners, Munster. And in the inaugural URC season, 2022-23, Leinster were again top but were pipped in the semis by the Bulls who went on to lose to the Stormers in an all-South African final. “I don't know if we want to finish first,” smiled Smith whose second-place side trail Leinster by nine points with five rounds of fixtures remaining. “It seems like it's a burden to finish first in this competition because nobody has finished first and won this thing. “So, we will just do what we do, and if it works out that way, it will be unbelievable to be in contention to play the finals this year.” Glasgow host the Emirates Lions at Scotstoun on Saturday night while Leinster complete their mini-tour of South Africa with a tricky game against the Sharks in Durban. The Irish side were beaten 21-20 by the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld last weekend, the only blemish on their otherwise perfect URC record this season. Leinster and Glasgow are scheduled to meet in Dublin on the final weekend of the regular URC campaign and they could clash before that in the European Champions Cup quarter-finals if both clubs win their last-16 ties. For now, Smith has eyes only for the Lions and has reintroduced a number of his Scotland internationals. Tom Jordan comes into the team at inside centre as Stafford McDowall moves to 13 to replace the injured Ollie Smith; Jamie Dobie takes over from the benched Seb Cancelliere on the wing and Gregor Brown starts in the second row. There are also places on the bench for Zander Fagerson, Rory Darge and Rory Sutherland. Smith has made seven changes in total to his starting XV, including the entire front five, as he looks to build on last weekend’s narrow home win over Munster. Nathan McBeth, Grant Stewart and Sam Talakai replace Jamie Bhatti, Johnny Matthews and Patrick Schickerling in front row; Brown and JP du Preez come in for Jare Oguntibeju and Alex Samuel in the second row. The Warriors coach is still without a number of his frontline players through injury but was positive about their respective progress. Ollie Smith, he said, could have played if it had been a cup final but he sees no need to rush him back from his shoulder issue with so much rugby still to play. Others such as Scott Cummings, Sione Tuipulotu, Max Williamson and Gregor Hiddleston are working hard with the club’s strength and conditioning staff. “Everybody's progressing well,” said Smith. “I think Scotty Cummings had a bit of a setback with his calf a couple of weeks ago. “Our medical team and S&C group have done enormous work on them. I think we've had 15 players last week who have started for us in previous games and weren't available, and their now slowly but surely becoming available. Sione, Max and Scotty Cummings, you've got Gregor Hiddleston recovering nicely. “It will be good to have these guys available for selection at the back end of the competition.” Smith doesn’t expect Tuipulotu to be ready until the play-offs. The coach will then decide if and when it is right to reintroduce the Scotland captain. “I'm not going to be in a rush. We will make sure that he's physically ready and rugby ready. I don't think we'll consider him until he's trained for at least a week or two with us. Next week he will progress his rugby involvement with the [second string] Vipers group and then we will see how it looks at the back end of next week going into the week after. “We will not rush him back. I don't think Leinster [on May 17] is a viable option for him. Obviously, if he's available for selection, it's a good conversation to have.” Glasgow Warriors v Emirates Lions (URC, Scotstoun, Saturday, 7.35pm) Glasgow Warriors: Kyle Rowe; Jamie Dobie, Stafford McDowall, Tom Jordan, Kyle Steyn (capt); Adam Hastings, George Horne; Nathan McBeth, Grant Stewart, Sam Talakai, Gregor Brown, JP du Preez, Euan Ferrie, Sione Vailanu, Jack Mann. Replacements: Johnny Matthews, Rory Sutherland, Zander Fagerson, Alex Samuel, Henco Venter, Rory Darge, Ben Afshar, Sebastian Cancelliere. Emirates Lions: Quan Horn; Richard Kriel, Manuel Rass, Marius Louw, Edwill van der Merwe; Gianni Lombard, Nico Steyn; Juan Schoeman, PJ Botha, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Ruben Schoeman, Darrien Landsberg, JC Pretorius, Ruan Venter, Francke Horn (capt). Replacements: Franco Marais, SJ Kotze, RF Schoeman, Ruan Delport, Siba Qoma, Layton Horn, Jarod Cairns, Rynhardt Jonker. Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR).