Glasgow Warriors 49-0 Dragons

Glasgow Warriors returned to winning ways on home soil this evening, as Franco Smith’s men overpowered the Dragons to claim a 49-0 victory at Scotstoun.

A brace from George Horne, coupled with tries from Johnny Matthews – on his 100^th appearance in Glasgow colours -, Kyle Steyn, Gregor Brown, Gregor Hiddleston and a penalty try ensured that the Warriors would secure all five points in front of the Warrior Nation.

With the energy of the Scotstoun faithful behind them, Smith’s squad immediately set about imposing themselves on their visitors with ball in hand, enjoying the lion’s share of the early territory and possession. Their early endeavour was rewarded with 10 minutes on the clock, as Sione Tuipulotu’s superbly delayed inside ball sent skipper Steyn haring over under the posts for the opening try. Adam Hastings added the extras, and the Warriors led 7-0.

The home side continued to enjoy the upper hand, yet were unable to capitalise on field position as the Dragons scramble defence kept the men in black at bay. An audacious through-the-legs offload from Ollie Smith almost sent Josh McKay through a gap, whilst Alex Craig and Scott Cummings were forming a powerful tandem with ball in hand.

A second try was coming, and it arrived after 26 minutes. Brown was the catalyst, the blindside charging clear out wide after being put clear by McKay’s pass. The ever-present Horne was on his flanker’s shoulder to collect a beautifully-timed offload, diving over for a score that – allied to Hastings’ excellent conversion from the touchline – gave his side a 14-0 lead.

Try as they might, however, that would be the extent of the Glasgow scoring for the opening stanza, as the Dragons set about looking for a response of their own. The home side’s defensive wall held firm until the interval, though, a big defensive set on their own 22 ended by Euan Ferrie holding up the maul to bring an end to the first 40 minutes.

It took the Warriors all of three minutes of the second half to extend their lead, as the Warrior Nation raised their volume levels once more. This time Brown would turn finisher, the flanker bursting onto a short ball and showing enough pace and power to ride the tackle of the last defender and reach out for his first try in Glasgow colours. Hastings added the conversion from in front of the posts, extending his side’s lead yet further.

Buoyed by their swift start to the second half, the Warriors duly went straight back on the attack, and were celebrating the bonus-point score with 47 minutes played. A sublime 50-metre touch-finder from Hastings gave the men in black a lineout five metres out, which Smith’s men wasted no time in converting. Hiddleston was the man to emerge from the maul having touched down for the score, Hastings making it four from four from the tee.

The Dragons continued to push for a score of their own, and almost found the breakthrough as the game ticked towards the hour mark as Tinus de Beer’s chip and chase saw the fly-half link up with David Richards to send the winger over the line. The Television Match Official had other ideas, though, calling play back for a forward pass and chalking off the score.

Instead, the next try would belong to Glasgow and arrived in vintage style. Steyn’s power and pace saw the winger sear through the defensive line following a quick lineout, and once again Horne’s support line saw the scrum-half apply the finishing touch. Horne converted his own try before departing the field, the scoreline reading 35-0 in his side’s favour as the game moved into the final quarter.

With replacements entering the field for both sides, the Warriors continued to make the most of their momentum as the Warrior Nation roared for more. It would arrive in crowd-pleasing form, as the club’s newest centurion Matthews barged his way over from close-range after a barnstorming burst from Cummings. Dan Lancaster converted to open his own personal account of points in Glasgow colours, extending the lead to 42-0 with 10 minutes remaining.

The result might have been secure as the final minutes ticked by, but there would be one final scoring action on a successful night at Scotstoun. With the clock in the red, Lancaster’s cross-field grubber was destined for the hands of Jamie Dobie, only for Rio Dyer to tackle the Glasgow flyer off the ball. A TMO review confirmed Dyer’s fate, with a yellow card for the Dragon and a penalty try for the Warriors. The final whistle followed suit, as the Warrior Nation rose to acclaim their side.

The ideal response from the Warriors to last week’s disappointment – a trip to Bridgend awaits Smith’s men in seven days time, with the Ospreys lying in wait next Saturday night.