Shortlist for McCrea Financial Services Warrior of the Month unveiled

A quartet of Glasgow Warriors are in the running to be named as the McCrea Financial Services Warrior of the Month for October, having been shortlisted by Franco Smith and his coaching team at the end of a rollercoaster of a month for the club.

Having opened the month with a disappointing defeat to the Ospreys in Swansea, the Warriors made a statement upon their return to Scotstoun, running in five tries and outmuscling the Vodacom Bulls in a 35-21 victory in front of the Warrior Nation.

A battling performance in defeat to the Cell C Sharks in Durban preceded the postponement of the scheduled BKT URC Round Six with the Emirates Lions, as the squad suffered the impact of severe gastrointestinal illness while in South Africa.

Smith’s side returned to Scotstoun to round out the month in style, however; six tries and a dominant performance saw the Warriors shut out Scottish-Italian Shield rivals Benetton, earning a 37-0 victory under the Friday night lights.

Supporters can vote for their chosen winner on our Twitter page, with voting closing at 5pm on Friday 4 November.

The nominees are:

Sebastian Cancelliere

Argentinian international Cancelliere has only increased his popularity amongst the Warrior Nation over the course of October, with the winger having been in scintillating form in both attack and defence.

The 29-year-old was electric in Glasgow’s dispatching of the Bulls, a superbly-finished try and a world-class cover tackle on Stedman Gans the pick of the highlights from an all-action display.

His performance in Friday’s win over Benetton was arguably even better, as the flyer linked up superbly with fellow Argentinian Domingo Miotti to cross for one of the Warriors’ six tries in a Player of the Match-winning display.

Scott Cummings

A broken foot sustained in Scotland camp came at the most inopportune of moments for Cummings, the second-rower having started the 2022/23 season in excellent form for his hometown club.

His work at the set-piece has been particularly prominent, his total of five lineout steals to date landing him in joint-second in the URC to date, behind only Will Rowlands and Peter O’Mahony’s tally of six.

Cummings’ work at the maul has also caught the eye of observers across the URC, with his defensive acumen repeatedly tearing the Bulls’ maul apart during the 35-21 victory at Scotstoun.

Thomas Gordon

Openside flanker Gordon showcased his own impressive form over the course of October, with only a calf injury sustained in South Africa ruling him out of contention for a Scotland debut in the Autumn Nations Series.

A late try in defeat to the Ospreys was just reward for his tireless work ethic in both attack and defence, a feature that was on show once more in the victory over the Bulls a week later.

Gordon then highlighted his ability with ball in hand by running in a brace of tries against the Cell C Sharks, the second coming from 40 metres and featuring a delightful sidestep of South African international Aphaele Fassi.

Tom Jordan

One of only two players to feature in each of Glasgow Warriors’ 2022/23 fixtures to date, fly-half Jordan has quickly adapted to life on the professional stage.

The former Ayrshire Bull started at fly-half against the Ospreys, the Bulls and the Sharks, before showing his versatility by coming off the bench to play at inside-centre in Friday’s shut-out of Benetton.

His physicality in defence has also been on full display alongside his distribution in attack, with the New Zealand-born 24-year-old having made 28 tackles this season to date.

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