Glasgow Warriors went top of the table tonight after scoring ten tries in their 70-10 win over Zebre – their biggest ever in the Guinness PRO12. The Italians started the contest well but after Leone Nakarawa and Kayle van Zyl exchanged tries, the Warriors ran riot at a sold-out Scotstoun Stadium to book their place in the play-offs for a fifth consecutive season. Adam Ashe, Taqele Naiyaravoro and Glenn Bryce all crossed the whitewash in the first half as the hosts went into the break 35-10 ahead, after Tommaso Boni scored just before the interval. And Nakarawa completed his hat-trick within 13 minutes of the restart and there were also tries for Greg Peterson, Ali Price and Duncan Weir – who also kicked ten conversions – as Glasgow extended their Guinness PRO12 winning streak to nine games. Connacht’s losing bonus point during their dramatic 22-21 loss at Benetton Treviso tonight saw them replace Leinster at the top of the table for an hour but Glasgow’s emphatic victory means they are now two points clear at the summit, while opponents Zebre slipped to the foot of the table. It was the Italians who had the chance to take the lead after just two minutes at Scotstoun but Gonzalo Garcia was unable to convert his penalty from halfway. Zebre started the contest well and entered Glasgow’s 22 on several occasions in the opening ten minutes, without making the territory count. But it was the hosts who were to grab the first try on the quarter-hour mark through one of their many players set to depart at the end of the season, Nakarawa. Glasgow produced clean ball from a line-out in the Zebre 22 and Nakarawa slipped through a few tackles to score under the posts. The visitors almost responded immediately though as they broke from the restart and thought they had scored in the corner, only to be denied by the TMO. However, two minutes later they did reduce the deficit following a maul, as Luke Burgess released Van Zyl to score in the corner. Carlo Canna missed the conversion though and it wasn’t long before another well-worked move saw Warriors extend their advantage through Ashe. Glasgow really took control of the contest with a third try as Bryce ran from outside Zebre’s 22 and broke tackles before touching down in the corner. The bonus point was secured minutes later when Naiyaravoro latched onto a loose ball close to the touchline to run in. And the hosts’ made it five tries inside 36 minutes when the ball was moved through the hands before Bryce finished off the beautiful move. The Italians did grab a second score before the interval as Boni touched down after some good play by Canna, although the fly-half missed another kick to send the teams in at 35-10. But Glasgow came out for the second period with all guns blazing and Nakarawa broke a few tackles for his second score just three minutes after the break. The lock then completed his hat-trick after breaking through more tackles to score under the posts and it was Nakarawa who offloaded to Peterson close to the try-line for his try. And two minutes later Price gathered the ball deep inside his half before running the length of the pitch to dot down. Weir had been exceptional with the boot all night and that was recognised with six minutes remaining when Mark Bennett ran in under the posts and gave the ball to the fly-half for a deserved try. His conversion made it ten from ten from the tee and the Scotland international received a standing ovation from the home crowd when he was replaced by Finn Russell moments later. Glasgow turned down a penalty attempt late on in search of their 11th score but in the end had to settle for ten as their remarkable run in the Guinness PRO12 continues. To buy tickets for the Guinness PRO12 Grand Final click here. Also follow us on Facebook, join the conversation on Twitter, sign up to our YouTube channel for extensive match highlights and sign up for our newsletter for regular updates on the Guinness PRO12.
