Warriors rout hapless Benetton
MATCH REPORT: Glasgow were convincing winners in a 37-0 bonus-point victory over a disappointingly flat Benetton at Scotstoun, despite being without their Scotland contingent.
Not only did Warriors score six good tries, they did not allow their opponents to trouble the scoreboard.
Sione Vailanu crossed twice for Glasgow, while Sebastian Cancelliere, Stafford McDowall, Fraser Brown and Rufus McLean also got on the scoresheet, while Domingo Miotti kicked seven points.
The hosts started brightly and took a 10th-minute lead when new boy Vailanu – making his first start and home debut – scooped the ball from the base of an unguarded ruck near halfway and spotted a yawning gap he was happy to charge through.
Only Giacomo Da Re stood in his way and the diminutive Italian flyhalf was easily dispatched with a pronounced dummy, with the giant Tongan No.8 raising his arm in triumph as he crossed the line.
Warriors struggled to kick on, but Miotti added a ruck penalty from directly in front of the posts just before the half-hour mark and the home side finally clicked back into gear just before half-time with two tries in quick succession.
Cancelliere made the most of a cute chip over the top by Jamie Dobie, and McDowall crossed following a break from deep by Josh McKay.
That second try was scored while Benetton full-back Rhyno Smith was in the sin bin for a late tackle on Miotti in the lead-up to Cancelliere’s try.
Within moments of his return to the field, the visitors were down to 14 men again. This time replacement prop Thomas Gallo was sent to the cooler for riding up the side of a Warriors maul.
Glasgow kicked to the corner again and claimed the bonus-point try through hooker Brown off the back of yet another line-out drive.
They then repeated the trick nine minutes later, with Vailanu adding the final touch on this occasion.
It looked like Cancelliere had claimed his brace a few moments later, but the TMO ruled there had been a forward pass during the build-up.
That elusive sixth try eventually arrived when McLean managed to gather his own hack ahead – only after it had bounced awkwardly between his legs – and flop over the line.
The scorers
For Glasgow Warriors
Tries: Vailanu 2, Cancelliere, McDowall, Brown, McLean
Cons: Miotti 2
Pen: Miotti
For Benetton
None
Teams:
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Josh McKay, 14 Sebastian Cancelliere, 13 Kyle Steyn (captain), 12 Stafford McDowall, 11 Rufus McLean, 10 Domingo Miotti, 9 Jamie Dobie, 8 Sione Vailanu, 7 Gregor Brown, 6 Ryan Wilson, 5 Alex Samuel, 4 Sintu Manjezi, 3 Murphy Walker, 2 Fraser Brown, 1 Oli Kebble.
Replacements: 16 Johnny Matthews, 17 Nathan McBeth, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 JP du Preez, 20 Lewis Bean, 21 Euan Ferrie, 22 Sean Kennedy, 23 Tom Jordan.
Benetton: 15 Rhyno Smith, 14 Ignacio Mendy, 13 Joaquin Riera, 12 Marco Zanon, 11 Mattia Bellini, 10 Giacomo Da Re, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage (captain), 8 Henry Stowers, 7 Sebastian Negri, 6 Giovanni Pettinelli, 5 Carl Wegner, 4 Scott Scrafton, 3 Tiziano Pasquali, 2 Federico Zani, 1 Nahuel Tetaz.
Replacements: 16 Manuel Arroyo, 17 Thomas Gallo, 18 Filippo Alongi, 19 Marco Lazzaroni, 20 Abraham Steyn, 21 Alessandro Izekor, 22 Alessandro Garbisi, 23 Marcus Watson.
Referee: Craig Evans (Wales)
Assistant referees: Finlay Brown (Scotland), Michael Todd (Scotland)
TMO: Sean Brickell (Wales)
