Following an impressive 36-18 victory over the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship (URC) quarter-final at Scotstoun on Friday, here are the player ratings for Glasgow Warriors.
15 Josh McKay: Always a threat with ball in hand, taking some outstanding lines off the shoulder of Glasgow’s key playmakers, while also looking to create with his passing game himself. 8
14 Kyle Rowe: Scored the second try of the game after running onto Sione Tuipulotu’s kick through and then latched onto Tom Jordan’s break to complete his brace to show his try-scoring prowess, but Rowe was ironically the least noticeable of the Warriors’ impressive back three. 7
13 Stafford McDowall: Was solid on both sides of the ball but McDowall wasn’t as effective as his backline team-mates. He is a fine, fine player but they will hope Huw Jones is fit for the URC semi-finals given his relationship with Tuipulotu. 6
Back up to speed
12 Sione Tuipulotu: Only just returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines but the British and Irish Lion impressed with his work on the gain line. Tuipulotu is renowned for his physicality, but it was his ability to put people into gaps which shone on Friday. Truly a triple threat of run, kick and pass to no doubt leave Andy Farrell delighted. 8
11 Kyle Steyn (c): Like McKay, he took some excellent lines as the Stormers struggled to contain the Glasgow attack. The captain was in support all the time and duly made things happen. 8
10 Tom Jordan: Given his running threat, the hosts intelligently didn’t always have him at first receiver and that variety benefited the fly-half. Linked nicely with Tuipulotu to stretch the visiting rearguard and made outstanding decisions with ball in hand. If there are any injuries to Lions playmakers, Jordan would be the first person we would be calling up. 8
9 George Horne: As ever, was busy around the fringes, keeping the ball moving and giving the outside backs a chance to create openings. Also kicked well, both out of hand and off the tee. 8
8 Henco Venter: A big performance from the number eight in likely his final home match for Glasgow with the South African always seeming to make ground with ball in hand, while also having some vital defensive interventions. 8
Remarkable defensively
7 Rory Darge: Some absolutely bruising defence and a real nuisance at the breakdown before taking that physicality into his carrying, particularly in the second period. One of those to be unlucky that there was so much competition in the Lions back-row. 8
6 Euan Ferrie: A sheer irritation for the opposition, which is a compliment to his effectiveness on Friday. Does the hard graft, which was shown by his 15 tackles in defence. 7
5 Scott Cummings: As consistent as ever from the second-row, who disrupted the Stormers lineout and was tireless around the field. 7
4 Alex Samuel: Like every Glasgow forward, Samuel was technically efficient as the lineout went smoothly. The lock also did his work around the field. 6
3 Murphy Walker: The scrum was the only real problem in the first half for Glasgow and it certainly cost them territory and possession when they were in control. 5
2 Gregor Hiddleston: Did his core duties really well in terms of lineout and maul, while also being a threat at the breakdown. Deserves his spot in the team over the prolific Johnny Matthews at the moment. 7
1 Jamie Bhatti: Like Walker, Bhatti had his issues in the set-piece but you could not fault his work around the field as he put his body on the line. 6
Replacements: Sam Talakai briefly gave stability to the front-row, but it was back under pressure towards the latter stages of the game. Other than that, most of the bench came on when the match was effectively won, meaning that they were solid rather than spectacular. 5
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/glasgow-player-ratings-sione-tuipulotus-performance-leaves-andy-farrell-delighted-as-warriors-south-african-star-signs-off-in-style
