URC: George Horne makes try-scoring history as Glasgow swat aside the Lions
03/29/2025 07:02 PM
Glasgow 42
Emirates Lions 0
GRAEME MACPHERSON @Scotstoun
GIVEN his perfectionist nature, it was perhaps not a surprise that Franco Smith took as much satisfaction from Glasgow's scoreless second-half performance here as he did from their six-try first-half display.
Those 40 minutes before the interval saw Warriors make the use of a fierce wind to put the Emirates Lions to the sword and move back up to second place in the URC table.
The feeling was that the tables would likely be turned once the teams switched ends and the conditions then favoured the South Africans.
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But, although Warriors couldn't add a seventh try to their tally, their visitors were similarly denied in a rare scoreless second half.
Smith was delighted with that clean sheet and the fact that his players elected to keep the ball in hand rather than take the easier – but riskier – way out by kicking to safety.
Asked if he was pleased with the first half, the South African replied: "No, I'm pleased with the whole game. I don't think people realise how tough it is to play into this wind. We didn't kick the ball once. Stafford [McDowall] kicked it once in the second half. To keep the ball on your side of the pitch, you end up them having 14 on the front line. You can’t find space.
"There was good heart on both sides of the ball and good application of what we wanted to do. In the first half, obviously, we set the tone in what we wanted to achieve. We’re really proud of the effort tonight. The zero [for Lions] says a lot. They ripped us apart last year – in five minutes, they scored four tries last season. We were aware of that. They are a dangerous team.
"We’ve won so often here in Scotstoun that some of the victories were even criticised. But we must always appreciate the victories."
It was a memorable night in particular for George Horne. His try – Warriors' fourth of the night – took him one clear of DTH van der Merwe on 55, a new club record. It burnished another lively performance from the scrum-half and Smith was naturally delighted for his No. 9.
He added: "I'm really proud of him. The energy that he brings to the team, what you see out there is exactly how he’s every day at training. He’s positive and works really hard. He’s a very good rugby player as it is, but he’s learned how to use the system to his benefit, the way we play. He’s been converting some very good line breaks. He’s a real asset to the club."
Warriors moved in front after just five minutes and would go on to dominate the remainder of the contest through scintillating attacking before the interval and uncompromising defence afterwards.
Nathan McBeth was the man to land the first try, the prop scoring for a fourth match in succession, after strong carries from both Henco Venter and Stafford McDowall.
Horne then set up man-of-the match Jamie Dobie for the first of his two tries, with Adam Hastings teeing up the scrum-half-turned-winger for his second when he burst through a gap, fended off two attempted tacklers and crossed the line.
Dobie then set up Horne for his history-making score before Hastings threw a dummy and stretched for the line for Glasgow's fifth try.
Lions – who take on Edinburgh in an EPCR Challenge Cup last 16 tie on Friday – then lost Nico Steyn to a team yellow card, with Glasgow capitalising with their sixth, and final, score claimed by Grant Stewart.
The only downside on the night was Jack Mann being scratched from the line-up with a calf injury but Smith didn't expect it would be a long-term injury.
He added: "He hurt his calf on Tuesday. It just stiffened up. The scan didn't present that much but for where we are in the season, and with Jack Dempsey out, we just didn’t want to take a risk. We might need him going forward. For now, it was more precautionary."
With players like JP du Preez and Sione Vailanu continuing their comeback from long-term injury with strong displays, Smith won't be short of options for the run-in. And he couldn't help pointing out that not everyone was convinced initially of his thirst for squad rotation.
"From the outset, three years ago, I was frowned upon when I picked a team against Bath in the first season. I’ve been called a Tinkerman for changing the team so often.
"We had to build the squad, enlarge it to be competitive. Now we're talking about [players not getting] access. That is a compliment to everybody’s work here, a compliment to the players, understanding what we want, acting on the direction.
"The coaching group, the players, the management that’s here, allowing and creating an environment where these boys flourish and get better and now becoming the best version of themselves. Now it becomes my problem again. Who do you pick in the end?"
Teams –
Glasgow Warriors: K Rowe, J Dobie, S McDowall, T Jordan, K Steyn, A Hastings (S Cancelliere 52), G Horne (B Afshar 67); N McBeth (R Sutherland 52), G Stewart (J Matthews 52), S Talakai (Z Fagerson 52), G Brown (J Oguntibeju 72), JP du Preez (R Darge 57), E Ferrie, S Vailanu (A Samuel 52), H Venter
Emirates Lions: Q Horn, R Kriel, M Rass (R Jonker 41), M Louw, E van der Merwe, G Lombard (L Horn 70), N Steyn; J Schoeman (SJ Kotze 48), PJ Botha (F Marais 53), A Ntlabakanye (RF Schoeman 50), R Schoeman (S Qoma 50), D Landsberg (R Delport 64), JC Pretorius (J Cairns 64), R Venter, F Horn
Referee: G Gnecchi (FIR)
Scorers –
Glasgow: Tries: McBeth, Dobie 2, Horne, Hastings, Stewart; Cons: Hastings 6
Scoring sequence (Glasgow first): 5-0, 7-0, 12-0, 14-0, 19-0, 21-0, 26-0, 28-0, 33-0, 35-0, 40-0, 42-0, h-t
Yellow cards –
Lions: Steyn (39 mins)
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