| Glasgow Warriors: (21) 40 |
| Attempt: McKay 2, McDowall 2, Afshar, Cordero. Cons: Thompson 4, Weir |
| dragon: (0) 7 |
| Attempt: lead Cons: O'Brien |
Two tries in the first three minutes give Glasgow Warriors a bonus point victory over the Dragons in the United Rugby Championship.
Josh McKay got his first try within 30 seconds, followed quickly by Stafford McDowall.
Ben Afshar added his third goal in his first professional start after the break.
Will Reid put the visiting Welsh team on the scoreboard, but debutant Facundo Cordero and McDowall responded to secure a comfortable victory.
This moved the hosts to second place in the URC table, with the Dragons second from bottom.
Full-back Mackay made a lightning start at Scotstown, winning a high ball near the 40-metre line, twisting his body and side-stepping past two Dragons players before crossing for Ross Thompson. Added the first of four conversions.
Hooker Jonny Matthews stole the ball from the Dragons' lineout and center McDowall charged through and Franco Smith's side quickly grabbed their second try.
Despite a rough first half, Glasgow put the game in doubt just before the interval when McDowall broke his line and sent a pass wide, and Mackay crossed.
Scotland U20 scrum-half Afshar received a pass and continued to play over, earning him a bonus point within four minutes of the restart.
Lock Matthew Screech touched down at the other end, but Dan Lydiate was penalized for interference and the try was disallowed due to video evidence.
The Dragons eventually benefited from sporadic pressure when substitute full-back Reid added a ducking conversion after receiving a quick pass from Angus O'Brien.
This sparked a strong finish for the home side, which ended with a clever move from Duncan Weir who played a long pass down the right flank which was crossed by former Exeter Chiefs back Cordero.
McDowall capped off an impressive display with a second cross with five minutes remaining, before Weir spiked the score.
Glasgow Warriors head coach Franco Smith: “I was really happy with the win and at times I thought we played some good rugby.
“We had a lot of line breaks and missed chances. That's natural. They haven't played in a long time. Even in the last three games, not everyone was involved, so they haven't played since last year. But it was good that they took responsibility and stepped up, and I thought they did a really good job.”
Glasgow Warriors: McKay. Cordero, McDowall, Jordan, Doby. Thompson, Afshar. Batty, Matthews, Soldoni, Williamson, Samuel, Ferry, Gordon, Venter.
Replacement: Weir is Thompson (58), Macbeth is Batty (56), Fraser is Matthews (21), Kebble is Sordoni (56), Hart is Williamson (76), Mangezi is Samuel (56), and Hiddleston is Gordon (62). Unused: Kennedy.
dragon: C. Evans. J. Rosser, Hughes, Owen, Andrew. O'Brien, Blacker. R. Jones, Benjamin, Coleman, J. Davis, Screech, Lonsdale, Young, Lydiate.
Replacement: Reid is C. Evans (16), Hope is Blacker (60), Saiuri is R. Jones (45), Yendl is Coleman (58), Langton-Crier is J. Davis (61), Coghlan is Young (10), The scarf is Lydiate (61). Unused: Westwood.
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU).
