Franco Smith says his side still have enough in the tank as they enter the business end of the season

Despite conceding eight tries in Johannesburg, Warriors remain top of the URC standings.

Dan Lancaster and Stafford McDowall scored tries on either side of half-time for Glasgow, but the visitors were never in contention as the Lions controlled the contest throughout.

Henco van Wyk crossed twice before the break, while Erich Cronje and SJ Kotze also touched down in a dominant first-half display from the hosts.

The Lions maintained their intensity after half-time, with Ruan Venter, Morne van den Berg, Siba Mahashe and Quan Horn all adding tries to complete an emphatic victory.

The result lifts the Lions to fourth in the table, while Glasgow stay four points clear of the second-placed Stormers, whom they meet in Cape Town next Saturday.

Despite the heavy 54-12 defeat, Head Coach Franco Smith rejected the notion that Warriors are running on empty as they approach the business end of the season.

Some observers have questioned whether a demanding schedule is catching up with the Warriors at the worst possible time. Many of Glasgow's key players came through a gruelling Six Nations campaign before returning for two huge European fixtures, while the Lions have faced a far less demanding run.

Smith, however, has no concerns about his side's energy levels heading into the decisive weeks of the season.

Asked whether Glasgow have enough in the tank this season, Smith said: "You know, I've got no doubt that we will, no doubt at all.

"If you guys have travelled down here before, you would come and realise how tough it is. I mean, it's happened to Edinburgh now. It's happened to Dragons.

"It's happened to everybody here. They score. They're a try-scoring team. They're a fit team. And they make well use of the conditions. So, you know, they don't lose many players to the national teams.

"They do not play in the Six Nations period much. So there's a good opportunity for them to get their six-week, seven-week injuries back on track. So this is a purple patch for them in the season that we were receiving today."

The game was effectively over by half-time, with the Lions racking up four tries while Glasgow were far from their best.

Asked what went wrong, Smith replied: "You guys already have the answer, so I will just... It doesn't sound like some excuse today. You know, they played some excellent rugby, well done to them. They're an in-form side.

"They made use of the last two weeks where they were not involved. They've not got many injuries because they didn't play much during the Six Nations.

"So, they've done well in using the time when they were not involved in the EPCR round of 16. And obviously, last week in the quarters, they used the time well and they prepped the team really well.

"I must say, all hats off to them. They've played a brand that we like to play. And they used the conditions to tire us out very well. So, hats off to them.

"Yeah, the scoreline now looks heavy. But, you know, we also in 2024 lost here on the 18th of May, 44-20.

"It's tough to come here and play, you know, fly over, change the temperature, and the heavy field."