Glasgow Warriors 42-10 Benetton

A six-try showing saw Glasgow Warriors record their first win of the 2024/25 season in style this evening, overpowering Benetton to claim a 42-10 victory under the Friday night lights at Scotstoun.

Kyle Steyn’s brace of scores capped a Player of the Match-winning display for the captain, with Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge, Jamie Dobie and Euan Ferrie also crossing the whitewash.

It took the defending champions just six minutes to click into mesmerising gear. Clean ball off the lineout was quickly whipped into midfield, with Adam Hastings and Sione Tuipulotu combining to find Josh McKay on the outside arc. The full-back timed his pass superbly to find Kyle Rowe, the winger flipping the ball back inside to send skipper Steyn racing under the posts untouched. Hastings added the extras, and the Warriors led 7-0.

Having enjoyed the bulk of possession prior to Steyn’s score, though, Benetton swiftly set about hitting back at their hosts. With 13 minutes on the clock the visitors thought their response had arrived, Paolo Odogwu – with his first touch after replacing the injured Onisi Ratave – grounding in the corner despite pressure from Rowe. After a lengthy review from the TMO, however, play was brought back for a forward pass, much to the delight of the Warrior Nation.

Franco Smith’s men would take full advantage of their reprieve just three minutes later, a scrum penalty on halfway taking them into Benetton territory. Tom Jordan’s incision into midfield then saw the centre free his arms excellently to find the onrushing Matt Fagerson, the number eight galloping over for a score that – once converted by Hastings – sent his side into a 14-0 lead at the end of the opening quarter.

On a crisp early autumn evening, both sides were looking to play at every opportunity. Lively carrying from Odogwu in midfield forced the Glasgow pack to be on their toes, before Rowe was a fingertip away from reeling in an interception on halfway.

The visitors would be next to strike, registering their first points of the evening with 32 minutes played. A penalty dispatched to the corner allowed the Benetton maul to go to work, with Mirco Spagnolo eventually grounding the ball on the line after a titanic battle between the two packs. Jacob Umaga added the extras, narrowing the gap to seven points as the Warrior Nation urged their side to respond.

Tuipulotu almost delivered the requested response with two minutes left in the half, the centre’s grubber brilliantly batted back into his arms by Jordan to send him over the whitewash. The TMO had other ideas however, spotting a toe on the touchline and chalking off the score.

A red card for Scott Scrafton for a cheap shot on Hastings provided late drama at the end of the opening stanza, yet the first points of the second period went the way of the visitors; a second successful kick of the night from Umaga brought Benetton within four points, underlining the challenge that still awaited the Warriors.

It was a challenge Smith’s men duly met head-on, crossing for their third score of the night just seven minutes after the restart. Jordan was once again at the heart of the action, ripping the ball from Toa Halafihi on the Benetton 22 and reacting the fastest to the loose ball to put Darge through a gap. The openside sprinted clear to dive under the posts, Duncan Weir – on for Hastings after the shot from Scrafton – adding the extras for a 21-10 lead.

The East Stand were clamouring for a bonus-point score, and it would duly arrive just three minutes later. Advantage in hand from the scrum, Fagerson’s break down the blindside saw the number eight flip the ball to Dobie, who in turn found the onrushing Steyn. The skipper was stopped five metres out, but his offload off the floor to Dobie allowed the scrum-half to step and dart his way over for the score. Weir made no mistake from the tee, extending the lead to 28-10 with 51 minutes played.

Another card – this time a yellow shown to Odogwu for taking out Steyn in the air – provided the platform from which the Warriors crossed for their fifth try of the night as the clock ticked past the hour mark. It took just two pinpoint wide passes from Dobie and Tuipulotu to send Steyn over for his second of the night, Weir converting to extend the lead once more.

With Riccardo Favretto the next visitor to the sin-bin and Benetton down to 12 on the field, Glasgow thought they had struck for try number six as the game ticked into the final 10 minutes, Johnny Matthews diving on a loose ball in-goal to touch down. The TMO once again had the final word, though, eyeing a knock-on from Darge in the build-up to deny the prolific hooker.

There would be one final score for the Warrior Nation to cheer, though, coming with the final play of the game. Another advantage provided the platform for Weir and Jordan to spin the ball wide to Rowe, the winger combining with McKay to send Ferrie over in the corner. The conversion from Weir sailed between the uprights to apply the finishing touch, leaving the scoreboard at 42-10 to the men in black as the full-time whistle sounded.

A convincing bounce-back from their opening round setback – Cardiff provide the next test for Smith’s men in just six days’ time, as the Warriors travel to the Arms Park for the first time since 2022.