Glasgow roared into their first European Champions Cup quarter-final with a crushing six-try rout of a humiliated Leicester at Welford Road.
Warriors, just needing a win to secure a last-eight spot, had four tries and a bonus point in the bag by half-time.
Tommy Seymour stretched over before Glasgow earned a penalty try, Mark Bennett and Jonny Gray also crossing.
Ryan Wilson and Tim Swinson added further scores, the outstanding Finn Russell adding 13 points with the boot.
It was Leicester’s record European defeat, surpassing their 38-0 defeat at Munster earlier in this season’s group stage.
Rather than playing with the burden of pressure and expectation on their shoulders, Glasgow were carefree and thrilling. They grabbed the game by the throat and didn’t let go.
From the opening minutes, when they went through 27 phases before Seymour finished brilliantly in the corner, their quality was not in a different league to Leicester’s, but a different planet.
They came with bazookas and found that Leicester were packing peashooters. Wilson and Swinson were ridiculously good as ball-carriers and leaders but they had a heavy-duty cavalry with them.
The wit and variety in Glasgow’s game was a joy. Leicester – missing some big names, it’s true – were utterly humiliated in their own back yard. Their heroes of the past would have turned away from it all after barely 20 minutes of play.
Russell’s boot had Glasgow 10-0 ahead by then. Mathew Tait was harshly binned soon after for a late shoulder on the splendid Lee Jones and while he was away, Glasgow accumulated a points mountain.
Leicester had no ball, not a lot of discipline and no way of surviving.
When Glasgow went for a try off a driven line-out, the Tigers collapsed it and a penalty try was given. Before Tait returned, Glasgow scored again. Another beauty.
It began in midfield when Gordon Reid and Swinson kept it alive in contact. Russell swept left where Glasgow had numbers, and Jones and Wilson put Bennett over in the corner.
Russell’s conversion made it 24-0. The relentless barrage and total monopoly of the ball carried on and on.
Tait returned to the defensive line, but it made no difference. Clever footwork from Jones put Gray over for the bonus-point score. The conversion made it an eye-watering 31-0.
Within eight minutes of the start, Wilson got on the ball yet again from a clever line-out routine and blasted through what constituted Leicester defence. A brown paper bag would have offered more resistance.
Wilson finished what he started to bring it to 38-0. Swinson added another just after the tour – two huge performers on the day getting their reward.
The Leicester fans were vanishing now. This was mortification on an epic scale.
For Glasgow, it was lethal and historic. They had to front-up and they did. To a man, they were remorseless. A momentous day in Glasgow’s story.
Leicester head coach Aaron Mauger told BBC Radio Leicester: « Glasgow played very well but they broke us down and sapped our energy.
« We just weren’t good enough. There’s nothing we can take out of the game as a real positive.
« It was clearly embarrassing for all involved and it’s not a situation I’ve found myself in through my career, I’ve always been part of successful sides.
« It’s not through a lack of effort or a lack of wanting to be better, but a lack of execution and collectively we need to be better. »
Leicester Tigers: M Tait; A Thompstone, P Betham, J Roberts, T Brady, F Burns, B Youngs; G Bateman, T Youngs (capt), D Cole, E Slater, M Fitzgerald, M Williams, L McCaffrey, L Hamilton.
Replacements: H Thacker (for T Youngs, 63), E Genge (for Bateman, 50), P Cilliers (for Cole, 67), D Barrow (for Fitzgerald, 62), W Evans (for McCaffrey, 75), S Harrison (for B Youngs, 50), G Worth, M Smith (for Betham, 65).
Yellow cards: Mathew Tait (21), Ellis Genge (79)
Glasgow Warriors: S Hogg; T Seymour, M Bennett, A Dunbar, L Jones, F Russell, A Price; G Reid, F Brown, Z Fagerson, T Swinson, J Gray (capt), R Harley, R Wilson, J Strauss.
Replacements: P MacArthur (for Brown, 59), A Allan (for Reid, 64), D Rae (for Fagerson, 64), B Alainu’uese (for Swinson, 70), C Fusaro (for Strauss, 56), H Pyrgos (for Price, 56), N Grigg (for Dunbar, 64), P Murchie (for Hogg, 70).
Referee: Mathieu Raynal (France)
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European Champions Cup, Sun 22 Jan, 15:15 GMT, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire
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