GLASGOW coach Gregor Townsend has named the same team to play Northampton Saints today as the one that would have played in Paris last week - but the Warriors coach hopes it will not be the same old story in European competition for his side this season.

The Pro 12 champions have never qualified for the quarter-finals of the European Cup, in which only the pool winners and the two best runners-up go through to the knockout stages. They reached the quarter-final play-offs - a round earlier - back in 1997, only to lose 90-19 to Leicester, and the best they have done since then is a second place in their pool four seasons ago.

But now, having got the team playing consistently better in the league, Townsend thinks the time could be right for them to put an end to that record of underperformance in Europe. “It’s very difficult to get through,” the coach said yesterday when asked why Glasgow had never done themselves justice in continental competition.

“It’s the best teams in Europe, and you have to play close to your best for six games to get through, and we haven’t done that. Competition is much tougher, but we haven’t played at our best over the six games, and that’s what we need to do, starting tomorrow.”

The squad should have begun their Pool 3 campaign against Racing 92 in the French capital last Saturday, but the game was called off after the terrorist attacks on Friday. Townsend has been known to alter his team quite radically from one game to another, but on this occasion decided there was no need for change.

“There are a couple of reasons,” he explained. “You pick a team to play well and win, and it would be very harsh on players not to play. We had a look at our opponents, and part of picking a team is getting the right blend and getting guys on form, but also right for the type of opposition you are going to play.

“We believe that Racing and Northampton present similar challenges. They both have big packs and key individuals in the backline as well. The team that we wanted to play against Racing is right for this week too.”

Northampton’s game against Scarlets did go ahead last week, and the English team won 15-11 to go top of the pool. The tournament organisers have yet to decide on a rearranged date for the games that were postponed last weekend, and yesterday said they had ruled out the following two weekends.

Glasgow would be happy to travel to Paris to play Racing on Saturday 9 January, when they are due to play against Italian side Zebre in Parma, and the French club look likely to agree to that date. But, as the plan is to play all rearranged games on the same date, a final announcement could still be some way off.

Glasgow Warriors (v Northampton Saints at Scotstoun today, 5.15pm, European Champions Cup Pool 3): S Hogg; T Seymour, M Bennett, P Horne, S Lamont; F Russell, M Blair; R Grant, P MacArthur, S Puafisi, L Nakarawa, J Gray, R Harley, S Favaro, J Strauss. Substitutes: S Mamukashvili, G Reid, Z Fagerson, T Swinson, R Wilson, G Hart, R Vernon, T Naiyaravoro.

Northampton Saints: B Foden; A Tuala, G Pisi, L Burrell, G North; S Myler, L Dickson; A Waller, M Haywood, K Brookes, M Paterson, C Day, J Gibson, T Wood, S Dickinson. Substitutes: M Williams, E Waller, P Hill, J Fisher, T Harrison, K Fotuali'i, JJ Hanrahan, J Elliott.