Glasgow Warriors 50-0 Southern Kings: Eight-try hosts kick-start season
- Published
Prop Oli Kebble raced through to secure the bonus-point with barely 25 minutes played
Pro14: Glasgow v Southern Kings |
|---|
Glasgow Warriors (29) 50 |
Tries: Stewart, M Fagerson, Gibbins, Kebble, Matawalu, Z Fagerson, Penalty Try, Tagive Cons: Hastings (5) |
Southern Kings (0) 0 |
Glasgow Warriors kick-started their Pro14 season with an eight-try demolition of the Southern Kings at Scotstoun.
With just one win in their opening four games, the Warriors had the bonus-point wrapped up before the half hour mark.
Forwards Grant Stewart, Matt Fagerson, Callum Gibbins and Oli Kebble all crashed over, with Niko Matawalu also crossing.
Zander Fagerson, Ratu Tagive and a penalty try completed the rout.
The win moves Glasgow up to fourth in Conference A, while their South African visitors stay bottom of Conference B having lost all five matches so far.
Following uncertainty around head coach Dave Rennie's future and a poor start to the Pro14 season, there was some pressure on Glasgow to lay down a marker against an admittedly poor Southern Kings team.
Rennie has committed to seeing out his contract at Glasgow, which runs to the the end of the season, but admitted on Friday he had been contacted about replacing Steve Hansen as head coach of his native New Zealand, having also been linked with the vacant Australia post.
The talk must have been somewhat unsettling for the squad, but buoyed by the return of five of Scotland's World Cup contingent, they overpowered their feeble opponents.
No fewer than five of the starting eight forwards barged their way over, as well as a penalty try from a scrum after the break. Stewart and Fagerson were the first to do so from close range in the opening 20 minutes, while Gibbins clattered past a series of red shirts to score shortly after, with prop Kebble showing a surprising turn of pace to add the crucial fourth.
Scrum-half Niko Matawalu added his usual touch of magic to proceedings as he gathered his own kick, which he released in his own 22, to add the fifth try after just 29 minutes, though there would be no further scores before the break.
Glasgow brought the same physical dominance to the second half, if not quite the same intensity. Zander Fagerson burrowed over to join his brother Matt on the scoresheet, and after the penalty-try award, Ratu Tagive gathered a looping pass on the right wing to waltz over for the eighth and final try.
Adam Hastings converted, his fifth of the night, to bring up the half century and wrap up a much-needed win at Scotstoun.
The rest of Glasgow's Scotland contingent will return in the coming weeks, and they will expect to keep climbing the table and make a good start to their upcoming Champions Cup campaign, which starts at home to Sale on 16 November.
Glasgow: Bryce, Matawalu, Jones, Horne, Van der Merwe, Hastings, G Horne, Kebble, Stewart, Z Fagerson, Swinson, McDonald, Harley, Gibbins (c), M Fagerson.
Replacements: Turner, Allan, Rae, Davidson, Fusaro, Dobie, McDowall, Tagive.
Southern Kings: Banda, Hollis, Cronje, Kruger, Sithole, Jackson, Allderman, Schoeman, Du Toit, Scholtz, De Wee, Fortuin, Burger, Bholi, Lerm (c).
Replacements: Van Rooyen, Vos, de Klerk, Sexton, Louw, Mills, Masuku, Van Breda.