Glasgow Warriors secure home URC play-off but have to work in miserable conditions against Scarlets

Glasgow Warriors' Scott Cummings celebrates winning the scrum while Scarlets' Aaron Shingler despairs during the match at Scotstoun.

This win will also act as a valuable confidence boost for Franco Smith’s men ahead of meeting the same opposition in the semi-final of the Challenge Cup in a fortnight’s time. Warriors will be hoping for much better overhead conditions for that match which will be played in Llanelli at the end of the month, because despite the positive outcome this was a real struggle. The torrential rain meant they could not play the high-tempo and free-flowing brand of rugby which has served them so well in recent months.

Instead, this was a battle of attrition between the big boys in the pack, with Warriors tight-head prop Zander Fagerson being named man-of-the-match for his heoric efforts in both the tight and loose. “We're really happy,” said man-of-the-match Fagerson afterwards. “It was a big effort from the whole pack. Our pack love to scrum and we knew tonight would be a big battle against a good Scarlets pack. We got the job done, but we know we need to back it up in a couple of weeks when we play them again at the Parc y Scarlets. I think we're getting better every week. We left a few points out there and could have scored more. We could have been more ruthless. We want to get better and it's an exciting time to be part of this squad.”

Scarlets had the better of the first half-hour and battled into a 6-0 lead through two Dan Jones penalties, before Warriors eventually managed to harness the conditions, with some smart kicking from Ali Price, Tom Jordan and Stafford McDowall putting Scarlets under pressure. The hosts came close to opening their account when veteran flanker Ryan Wilson – who announced this week that he is leaving the club after 13 years at the end of this season – was held up over the line. Then, with just four minutes left in the half, Warriors eventually got off the mark when Sione Vailanu burst from the back of a close-range maul and carried three tacklers with him as he charged over the line. Jordan didn’t manage the tricky conversion from wide on the left, meaning Scarlets took a single point lead into the break.

Ryan Wilson led out Glasgow Warriors with his children.

The visitors then struck first in the second half, with a scrum penalty handing Jones three more points, but that seemed to be the spark Warriors needed and they finally found their groove. Some powerful forward play created a sustained buzz in the Scotstoun stands for the first time in the match, and the hosts grabbed the lead with 54 minutes played when Fraser Brown finished off a line-out maul. Jordan fired home the conversion, and Warriors kept their foot on the gas – but they couldn’t find a way to extend their lead.

Scarlets nearly delivered a knock-out punch when second-row Vaea Fifita stole possession from the base of a Warriors ruck just inside his own 22 and galloped the length of the pitch to touch-down in the corner. It was an excellent piece of opportunism and athleticism, but referee Andrew Brace referred it to the TMO, who ruled that the Tongan had swooped for the ball from an offside position. Warriors breathed a massive sigh of relief.