Glasgow Warriors 35-19 Hollywoodbets Sharks

Glasgow Warriors opened their 2025/26 campaign in perfect fashion under the Friday night lights, running in five tries to claim a 35-19 victory over the Hollywoodbets Sharks at Scotstoun.

Tries from Kyle Rowe, captain Stafford McDowall, Player of the Match Rory Darge and Jamie Dobie secured the maximum points tally for the home side, a penalty try rounding out the scoring in front of the Warrior Nation.

In a frenetic opening to the campaign, it was the visitors who struck first under the Friday night lights. Swift hands inside the Glasgow 22 sent Edvill van der Merwe haring through a gap, the winger just about getting the ball down despite a herculean effort from George Horne. Jaden Hendrikse’s conversion was pulled wide, but the Sharks led 5-0 after nine minutes.

Undeterred, the Warriors set about in search of a reply in kind, one that duly arrived just three minutes later. Horne’s inside ball to Johnny Matthews sent the hooker charging towards the line, and when the ball was whipped wide a couple of phases later, Josh McKay and Adam Hastings – on as a blood replacement for Dan Lancaster – kept the ball alive brilliantly to send Rowe over in the corner. Horne added the extras, giving the Warriors a two-point lead.

Glasgow were now exerting phase upon phase of pressure inside the Sharks 22, with Lancaster restored from the blood-bin and sending penalty after penalty to touch in the South Africans’ territory. Matthews joined the Warrior Nation in thinking that he had extended his side’s advantage from a rolling maul on 20 minutes, only for the Television Match Official to intervene and rule out the score.

Matthews would see a second try chalked off just moments later after a knock-on in the act of scoring, but the Warriors were motoring. Their second try eventually arrived with nine minutes to play in the half, McKay’s wide pass under pressure freeing Euan Ferrie. Whilst the blindside was stopped just short, there was no denying McDowall on the follow-up charge, Horne converting for a 14-5 lead.

Yet with the clock ticking into the red, the Sharks struck for a response of their own. A superb last-ditch effort from Matthews denied van der Merwe from breaking clear, but captain Vincent Tshituka found a gap close to the ruck to dive over and dot down. Hendrikse converted, making it a two-point game as the half-time whistle sounded.

Once more, the early endeavour in attack at the start of the second half came from those in black. Rowe and Ollie Smith both went close, before try number three eventually arrived on 49 minutes. Lancaster’s penalty to touch found its mark five metres out, with Darge tucking himself away at the tail to rumble over. Horne once again split the uprights with the conversion, taking the scoreline to 21-12 in the home side’s favour.

The game was increasingly being played between the 22s, a series of shuddering physical hits in midfield underlining that neither side was willing to give an inch. It took until the 66^th minute for the next score to arrive, and it would go the way of the visitors. Van der Merwe’s strength and elusiveness saw the winger evade the tackle of Jamie Dobie after collecting Lukhanyo Am’s cross-kick, before offloading back inside to send the centre over the whitewash. Hendrikse’s conversion narrowed the deficit to two points once more, as the Warrior Nation looked to rally their side.

The response was almost instantaneous. Strong carrying from Scott Cummings and Sam Talakai in midfield put the Warriors on the front foot, allowing Dobie to snipe through the breakdown and offload to Horne. The scrum-half drew the last defender before returning the ball to the onrushing Dobie, the East Stand roaring their approval as he dived under the posts. Horne converted the all-important fourth try, taking the scoreline to 28-19 in favour of the hosts.

With the bonus-point secured, Franco Smith’s squad set about looking to put the game beyond any semblance of remaining doubt. The pressure eventually paid off, as repeated penalties inside the Sharks 22 eventually saw referee Craig Evans head under the posts to award a penalty try, as well as dispatching Tino Mavesere to the sin-bin.

That would be the final scoring action of the evening, Hastings sending the ball to touch to bring down the curtain on a successful first outing of the new season. Five points in the bag – the Warriors now hit the road for the first time in 2025/26, as they head to Treviso for a showdown with Benetton next Saturday.