Five-try Matthews helps Glasgow thump Dragons

Johnny Matthews (left) made a large content astatine hooker

Johnny Matthews became the archetypal subordinate successful Glasgow Warriors' past to people 5 tries successful a lucifer arsenic they annihilated Dragons to scope the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

Matthews notched his 5th earlier George Turner, Coles Forbes, Huw Jones and 2 from Kyle Steyn turned it into a Warriors rout.

Will Reed and Elliot Dee besides crossed for the visitors, but it is Glasgow who volition look Emirates Lions successful the past 8 astatine Scotstoun connected Saturday.

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With their broadside having suffered conscionable 1 decision successful their past 13 successful each competitions, the Scotstoun assemblage arrived afloat expecting to spot their squad enactment their Welsh opponents away.

It took conscionable 2 minutes for Warriors to onslaught first, a superb interruption from Steyn carving Dragons unfastened earlier uncovering Horne connected a trademark enactment enactment to spell implicit for the score.

The visitors enjoyed astir of the shot and territory successful the minutes that followed without ever looking similar creating an opening. Glasgow were not truthful wasteful, Matthews touching down from a rolling lineout maul successful their adjacent foray into Dragons territory.

Dragons person won conscionable 3 league games each season, but they deed backmost with a well-worked effort that was finished disconnected by Williams.

But Dell burst escaped similar a galloping equine earlier uncovering Matthews connected his enarthrosis to complaint to the enactment for his 2nd store. Glorious stuff.

And the hooker had lone a fewer minutes to hold for his hat-trick try, this clip coming successful much accepted benignant from different rolling maul.

With not adjacent a half-hour connected the clock, this 1 looked done, but Dyer went implicit successful the country aft a slick set-piece determination caught retired the Warriors defence.

Dragons' hopes of uncovering a mode backmost into the lucifer suffered a important stroke erstwhile Seiuli was shown a reddish paper for a reckless clearout that made interaction with Horne's head.

Glasgow made the numerical vantage number instantly and, erstwhile the bodies emerged from a heap connected the try-line, it was nary astonishment to spot Matthews erstwhile again taking the acclaim of his team-mates.

Dragons had the past connection of the first-half, Rosser powering implicit to trim the shortage to 33-19.

With the rolling maul specified a potent limb these days, hookers are rivalling wingers successful the try-scoring stakes, and Matthews burst implicit for yet different people and marque history.

Reed was allowed to dive implicit for Dragons' 4th effort to support the visitors' feint hopes live astatine 40-26.

That anticipation was extinguished erstwhile substitute Turner followed Matthews' pb to drawback Warriors seventh effort - past a scintillating determination from heavy was rounded disconnected by Forbes to bring up the 50.

This was present enactment clip astatine Scotstoun and different sweeping determination from coast-to-coast involving Rory Darge, Horne and Steyn was finished disconnected by Jones.

Horne and Steyn combined for a gorgeous 10th effort and, portion substitute hooker Dee crossed precocious connected for Dragons, Steyn crossed again astatine the decease to instrumentality the lucifer past the 100-points mark.

This was a connection from Glasgow. They are successful this contention to triumph it.

Glasgow Warriors: Smith, Steyn, Jones, Tuipulotu, Forbes, Miotti, G Horne, Dell, Matthews, Sordoni, Cummings, Gray, Darge, Vailanu, Dempsey.

Replacements: Turner, McBeth, Berghan, Du Preez, Bean, Wilson, Dobie, Jordan.

Dragons: J Williams, Dyer, Hughes, Clark, Rosser, Reed, R Williams, Seiuli, B Roberts, Coleman, Carter, Nott, Moriarty, Basham, Wainwright.

Replacements: Dee, R Jones, Brown, Taylor, Lonsdale, Fry, L Jones, I Davies.

Referee: Tual Trainini (FFR).