Glasgow top URC after comfortable win at Zebre
Scotland's Stafford McDowall started at centre for Glasgow
- Published
United Rugby Championship
Zebre (6) 9
Pens: Dominguez 3
Glasgow Warriors (14) 40
Tries: Hiddleston 2, Steyn 2, Dobie, Horne Cons: Thompson 5
Glasgow Warriors moved top of the United Rugby Championship with a comfortable bonus-point win over Zebre in Parma.
Two penalties from Thomas Dominguez put Zebre in front, before Glasgow hit back with two tries from Gregor Hiddleston.
Dominguez split the posts again after the break, but Kyle Steyn crossed twice, and Jamie Dobie and George Horne scored late on to ensure a sixth successive league win.
Leinster missed the chance to return to the top of the standings, losing 42-12 to Stormers in Cape Town later on Saturday.
Glasgow started slowly in the Italian sunshine as Franco Smith's much-changed line-up struggled for both possession and territory, while conceding a string of penalties.
Zebre scrum-half Dominguez took advantage of that indiscipline to kick the hosts into a deserved six-point lead.
With Glasgow struggling for any fluency, it was no surprise that their most reliable attacking weapon got them on the board.
Hiddleston was the beneficiary of two strong rolling mauls in the lead-up to half-time, putting Warriors eight points in front at the break.
Dominguez kicked another penalty at the start of the second half to bring Zebre back into the contest, but a stroke of good fortune then led to Glasgow's third try.
After a generous bounce of the ball fell for Henco Venter, Scotland winger Steyn was in support and swerved away from a couple of defenders to score under the posts.
The Glasgow captain's try-scoring instincts were on show again not long after when he raced down the right wing following a pin-point pass over the top from scrum-half Horne.
With the bonus point in the bag, Glasgow opened up a touch and blew the Italian side away with some delightful running rugby.
Dobie ran onto Tom Jordan's offload to score under the posts, before another lovely pass out of contact from Jordan set Euan Ferrie away.
Ferrie found Horne on his left shoulder, who cruised to the line for Glasgow's sixth try. Five conversions from fly-half Ross Thompson saw the visitors hit the 40-point mark.
Line-ups
Zebre: Pani; Trulla, JR Smith, Lucchin, Gregory; Prisciantelli (capt), Dominguez; Fischetti, Manfredi, Hasa, Krumov, Leeuw, Volpi, Bianchi, Ferrari.
Replacements: Ribaldi, Taddei, Pitinari, Canali, Sisi, Jelic, Paea, Fox-Matamua
Glasgow: McKay; Steyn (capt), McDowall, Tuipulotu, Rowe; Thompson, Dobie; Dell, Hiddleston, Sordoni, Manjezi, Williamson, Miller, Gordon, Venter
Replacements: Stewart, McBeth, Z Fagerson, Cummings, Ferrie, Brown, Horne, Jordan.
Referee: Eoghan Cross