Franco Smith teaches Ivan van Rooyen a coaching lesson

03/29/2025 05:58 PM

MATCH REPORT: Springbok Franco Smith taught Ivan van Rooyen a harsh lesson in coaching and tactics at Scotstoun in Glasgow on Saturday.

Glasgow Warriors made the Lions look like rank amateurs with a 42-0 whitewash in a game of stark contrasts.

The bonus-point rout - with all the points scored in the first half - ensured the defending champions cemented their second place on the United Rugby Championship standings.

Glasgow played with a powerful wind, gusting at about 80 kilometres per hour, at their backs in the first half - dominating possession and territory, spending almost 80 percent of the time in the Lions' half.

Even a restart was blown back into the Lions' half, after being kicked from the halfway line.

The Warriors produced quick recycled ball with clinical execution and played fast, flat on the gainline.

The Lions, in contrast, played deep and ponderously sideways, with their forwards occasionally carrying directly forward.

After the break the Lions, even with more possession, simply made too many brain-dead decisions that gifted the home team easy territorial gains.

It did not help the visitors that Marius Louw, a serial offender and the team's worst player by some distance this season, along with flyhalf Gianni Lombard aimlessly kicked possession away - even with the wind at their backs.

The Lions coach should take full blame for selecting these players, who have been underperforming all season and are getting worse.

* To recap all the drama, CLICK HERE!

* Article continues below ...

Glasgow applied the early pressure, taking the ball through the phases. However, the Lions won a crucial turnover at the tackle after three minutes of being under the cosh.

However, with a powerful wind at the Warriors' backs, the Lions were unable to get out of their 22.

Prop Nathan McBeth charged over from close range to open the scoring. Flyhalf Adam Hastings added the conversion - 7-0 after as many minutes.

The visitors were forced to make plenty of tackles, but Jamie Dobie eventually found his way over the line after another series of raids inside the Lions 22. Hastings added the conversion, making it 14-0 after the end of the first quarter.

Dobie also scored the next try, as the Lions' defence started to creak under the constant pressure. Hastings made it 21-0 with the conversion.

The wing, Dobie, became the creator as he put scrumhalf George Horne over for the No.9 to become the Warriors' all-time leading try scorer. Hastings made it 28-0 on the half-hour mark.

Hastings was next to score, as the Lions' defence started to disintegrate under the constant pressure. His conversion made it 35-0.

That was followed by a yellow card against scrumhalf Nico Steyn, for a cynical play near his tryline - not retreating quickly enough.

A quick tap saw hooker Grant Stewart over for the sixth try, with Hastings' conversion making it 42-0 at the break.

[rp-mc-teams-penalties id="204|942337|2025"][/rp-mc-teams-penalties]

Ten minutes into the second half and with no change to the score, the Lions cleared their bench - Franco Marais, SJ Kotze, RF Schoeman, Sibabalo Qoma and Rynhardt Jonker all too to the field.

However, the Lions looked even more clueless and uncoached than they were in the first half.

No points were scored after the break, as the Warriors schooled the Lions.

Man of the match: Forwards like Henco Venter, JP du Preez and Sione Vailanu were the most impressive, while Kyle Rowe and Adam Hastings made the most of the many opportunities that came their way in the backs. My award goes to Glasgow Warriors captain Kyle Steyn - the South African-born Scotland international who was everything good about the Warriors, creative and clinical.

The scorers

For Glasgow Warriors
Tries: McBeth, Dobie 2, Horne, Hastings, Stewart
Cons: Hastings 6

For the Lions
None

Yellow card: Nico Steyn (Lions, 40 - cynical foul, not retreating quick enough)

Teams:

Glasgow Warriors: 15 Kyle Rowe, 14 Jamie Dobie, 13 Stafford McDowall, 12 Tom Jordan, 11 Kyle Steyn (captain), 10 Adam Hastings, 9 George Horne, 8 Henco Venter, 7 Sione Vailanu, 6 Euan Ferrie, 5 JP du Preez, 4 Gregor Brown, 3 Sam Talakai, 2 Grant Stewart, 1 Nathan McBeth.
Replacements: 16 Johnny Matthews, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Zander Fagerson, 19 Alex Samuel, 20 Olujare Oguntibeju, 21 Rory Darge, 22 Ben Afshar, 23 Sebastian Cancelliere.

Lions: Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Richard Kriel, 13 Manuel Rass, 12 Marius Louw, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Gianni Lombard, 9 Nico Steyn, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 JC Pretorius, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 Juan Schoeman.
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 SJ Kotze, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 Ruan Delport, 20 Siba Qoma, 21 Layton Horn, 22 Jarod Cairns, 23 Rynhardt Jonker.

Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Italy)
Assistant referees: Ru Campbell (Scotland), Fin Brown (Scotland)
TMO: Stefano Penne (Italy)

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