Nominees shortlisted for McCrea Financial Services Warrior of the Month for April

Four Glasgow Warriors have been shortlisted for the McCrea Financial Services Warrior of the Month award for April, as the club continues its pursuit of home advantage in the BKT united Rugby Championship playoffs.

Having opened the month in free-flowing fashion by earning a 43-19 victory over Leicester Tigers in the last-16 of the Investec Champions Cup, Franco Smith’s men bounced back from defeat to Leinster the following week by claiming a 14-6 win away to a dogged Zebre Parma outfit to seal a home quarter-final spot in the BKT URC.

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Despite being edged out by the Vodacom Bulls at Scotstoun, the Warriors know that their pursuit of home advantage in any prospective semi-final remains in their own hands, beginning with Saturday’s trip to take on Benetton in Treviso.

Supporters can vote for their winner until 5pm on Friday 9 May by making their choice on the club’s official Twitter channel.

The nominees are:

Sam Talakai

Australian international prop Talakai continued his quietly impressive debut season at Scotstoun throughout the month of April, featuring in all four of the club’s fixtures to anchor the Glasgow scrum.

An impressive cameo off the bench against Leicester Tigers saw Talakai back up the work of Zander Fagerson on the tight-head side of the scrum, winning two scrum penalties in a 20-minute outing.

His work in the loose was then on full display in the victory over Zebre Parma, a thundering charge into the 22 setting up Stafford McDowall’s crucial try.

Alex Samuel

Samuel once more showed the form that earned him a senior Scotland debut earlier this season with his performances across April, as the second-rower continued to impress in the engine room for Smith’s side.

The Madras RFC product continued his run of featuring in all six of Glasgow’s Investec Champions Cup fixtures in 2024/25 by starting against Leinster in the last-eight, producing a shuddering hit on Ireland captain Caelan Doris, backing up an industrious showing off the bench against Leicester Tigers a week previously.

Samuel’s defensive efforts see him rank inside the club’s top-five for tackles made in the BKT URC this season, having missed just one match out of the 16 rounds played to date.

Stafford McDowall

McDowall’s midfield versatility was on show across the month of April, with the centre splitting his four appearances evenly between the 12 and 13 jerseys.

His game intelligence saw him pick the perfect line to capitalise on Talakai’s break in the win over Zebre Parma, crashing over under the posts for what proved to be the match-winning score.

The Scotland international was then at the heart of a Glasgow fightback that nearly yielded a famous win over the Vodacom Bulls, featuring in the back-line move that set up Kyle Steyn’s try before sprinting over for a try of his own in front of the West Stand.

Jamie Dobie

Inverness-born Dobie was another who showed his versatility in the Glasgow Warriors back-line across April, featuring prominently at both scrum-half and winger in the club’s four matches.

An impressive performance against Leicester Tigers saw him repeatedly get the better of the Leicester back-three in the aerial contest, as well as showcasing his skills with ball in hand.

Dobie then scored with his first touch of the ball against the Vodacom Bulls, collecting McDowall’s wide pass just moments after coming off the bench to race over in front of the East Stand for the try.

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