Johnny Matthews in five-try spree as Glasgow Warriors break records to book quarter-final place

Records are made to be broken and Glasgow Warriors decided to smash a few against the Dragons.

Warriors' Johnny Matthews on his way to his second try of five against Dragons. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)

In an extraordinary match, they won 73-33 to book their place in the quarter-finals of the EPCR Challenge Cup where they will meet the Lions of Johannesburg back at Scotstoun next Saturday night. It was a record points tally for the home side and the first time they had scored 11 tries in a match. For Johnny Matthews, it was a special evening with the hooker becoming the first player in the club’s history to bag five in a game. Having scored a hat-trick last month against Zebre the Liverpudlian now has eight tries in his last two starts. Glasgow’s other scores came from Kyle Steyn (2), George Horne, George Turner, Cole Forbes and Huw Jones. The Dragons tried doggedly to stay in the game, and scored five tries of their own, but their cause was hampered by a red card for their prop, the former Glasgow player Aki Seiuli, after 32 minutes.

This was the Warriors’ first ever home knockout tie in Europe and they took only two minutes to get off the mark. The try was scored by Horne but created by Steyn who caught the Dragons flatfooted then slipped the ball to the supporting scrum-half for an easy finish. After that, it was the Johnny Matthews show. The hooker’s quintet included four tries from lineout drives, a well-practised and effective Warriors weapon, but the hooker also combined brilliantly with Allan Dell to run one in from deep. It was a try made and scored by front-rowers but Jones and Tuipulotu would have been proud of it.

Glasgow didn’t have it all their own way and they weren’t quite able to shake off the Dragons. Matthews’ first try - from a lineout drive - moved the Warriors 14-0 ahead after 14 minutes but Jordan Williams replied for the visitors after a smart pass from Rhodri Williams. Will Reed converted. Matthews then ran in his glory score before completing a 12-minute hat-trick, again from a lineout drive. Horne’s conversion made it 26-7 to the home side but Rhodri Williams again unlocked Glasgow’s defence, looping the ball out to Rio Dyer to score in the corner. Hopes of a Dragons comeback were dented by the red card for Seiuli, and the ex-Glasgow man could have no complaints. He was high and reckless as he lunged at Horne who took the full brunt of the head-to-head collision. Matthews took advantage from the penalty, scoring his fourth try from another lineout drive after Glasgow had kicked to the corner. Horne received treatment but recovered to convert and extend Glasgow’s lead to 33-12. The Dragons rallied and Jarded Rosser’s converted try reduced the deficit to 33-19 just before half-time.

There was further tit-for-tat at the start of the second period, with Matthews bagging his fifth before sub hooker Elliot Dee replied for the Dragons. But that was as good as it got for the visitors as Glasgow finally put the game to bed with three tries in three minutes. Matthews had departed to a hero’s ovation after 47 minutes but his replacement, George Turner, quickly got in on the act when he finished off yet another lineout drive. The next two scores were a bit special as Warriors cut loose. Jack Dempsey created the first, carrying hard then offloading to Ollie Smith who passed to Horne who in turn fed Cole Forbes who powered to the line. The next one was even better. Rory Darge started it from deep and Horne and Steyn carried on the good work before Jones finished things off. The scoreboard was whirring round at a rate of knots and Steyn scored tries 10 and 11 for Glasgow in the final nine minutes, with Dee bagging the Dragons’ fifth in between. Horne, having kicked eight conversions, was yellow carded for slapping the ball away late on, leaving Domingo Miotti to convert Steyn’s second try.

Scorers: Glasgow Warriors: Tries: Horne, Matthews 5, Turner, Forbes, Jones, Steyn 2. Cons: Horne 8, Miotti.

Dragons: Tries: J Williams, Dyer, Rosser, Dee 2. Cons: Reed 4.

Glasgow Warriors: O Smith (J Dobie 65); K Steyn, H Jones, S Tuipulotu (T Jordan 76), C Forbes; D Miotti, G Horne; A Dell (N McBeth 47), J Matthews (G Turner 47), L Sordoni (S Berghan 47-67), S Cummings (JP du Preez 72), R Gray (L Bean 65), R Darge, S Vailanu (R Wilson 34), J Dempsey.

Glasgow Warriors' Johnny Matthews scored a club record five tries in one match in the 73-33 win over the Dragons at Scotstoun. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

Dragons: J Williams; R Dyer, S Hughes (I Davies 15), M Clark, J Rosser (L Jones 67); W Reed, RWilliams; A Seiuli, B Roberts (E Dee 40), C Coleman (L Brown 40), B Carter, G Nott (H Taylor 72), R Moriarty (B Fry 65), T Basham (R Jones 44), A Wainwright (S Lonsdale 55).

Referee: Tual Trainini (France)

Attendance: 5,140