Shortlist named for April Warrior of the Month

• 2 May 2023

A quartet of the club’s outstanding performers from the month of April are in the running to be named McCrea Financial Services Warrior of the Month, after a landmark run of fixtures in the professional history of Glasgow Warriors.

An unbeaten month began with the Warriors setting club records across the board in a 73-33 demolition of the Dragons at Scotstoun in the Challenge Cup Round of 16, before booking a place in the semi-finals with victory over the Emirates Lions the following weekend.

After putting the Scarlets to the sword on Plaster It Purple night at Scotstoun and raising over £21,000 for Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity in the process, the Warriors finished the BKT United Rugby Championship regular season on a high with a 29-27 home win over Connacht.

Franco Smith’s men closed out the month in unforgettable style, overturning a half-time deficit to earn a 35-17 win over the Scarlets in the Challenge Cup semi-finals and booking a place in a first-ever European final.

Supporters can vote for their Warrior of the Month until 5pm on Friday 5 May on our official Twitter channel – the nominees are:

Johnny Matthews

Hooker Matthews began the month in history-making fashion, becoming the first player in club history to score five tries in a single match in the 73-33 win over the Dragons.

Indeed, try-scoring was a theme of the month for the Liverpool-born front-rower, with scores at home to Connacht and away to the Scarlets making him the club’s all-time record holder for tries in a single season with 13.

It’s not just his try-scoring exploits with which Matthews has caught the eye, however, with his accuracy at the lineout and dynamism with ball in hand making him a key part of the club’s run to the knockout stages in both domestic and European competition.

Rory Darge

Regardless of whether chosen at blindside or openside, flanker Darge has been in scintillating form across the month of April, his defensive prowess on full display for Smith’s men.

The flanker enjoyed a run of 73 tackles with none missed during late March and the start of April, earning Defender of the Week honours on three consecutive occasions.

With ball in hand, too, Darge has been a standout; his break from deep in his own 22 sparked the move that led to Huw Jones’ length-of-the-field try against the Dragons, before powering his own way over in the Challenge Cup semi-final win at Parc y Scarlets.

Stafford McDowall

The winner of February’s Warrior of the Month award, McDowall has continued to impress in the Glasgow midfield throughout the campaign.

His efforts both with and without the ball helped the Warriors edge to narrow victories over the Scarlets and Connacht at Scotstoun, lifting the Scottish-Italian Shield alongside club captain Kyle Steyn following the latter victory.

The Stewartry product was then at the heart of the action in Llanelli, crossing for a brace of tries in the 35-17 win that booked a place in the final on Friday 19 May.

Scott Cummings

Nominated for the second successive month, April began in landmark fashion for Cummings as the second-rower reached a century of Glasgow Warriors appearances in the win over the Dragons.

The Scotland international has become an integral member of the Glasgow pack ever since his professional debut back in 2015, with no player having stolen more lineouts for the Warriors than Cummings in the 2022/23 season.

He featured in each of Glasgow’s five fixtures across the month, starting in all bar the BKT URC win over the Scarlets in which he came off the bench to slot into the back-row.

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