Glasgow overpower Dragons in United Rugby Championship

A week after a sloppy performance in defeat to Edinburgh at Rodney Parade, Dean Ryan’s men suffered more of the same when outplayed at Scotstoun Stadium.

Glasgow ran in tries by Sione Tuipulotu, Kyle Steyn and Jack Dempsey in a dominant first-half display to lead 19-0, and it could have been worse.

The Dragons had been hammered on the penalty count, pinned in their own territory and outmuscled with turnovers in the 22, both from their own good work and the Warriors’ inaccuracy, saving them from a heavier gap.

They couldn’t live with the pace and power of Glasgow and the hosts had their bonus point before the hour when Lions scrum-half Ali Price went over.

The Dragons scored a pair of consolation tries through hooker Ellis Shipp and tighthead Mesake Doge either side of a fifth try by Johnny Matthews, but those efforts didn’t mask yet another URC disappointment in which they only showed flashes of what they can do.

It is now six defeats from seven games and the Dragons need to up their game in the French double-header against Perpignan and Lyon in the Challenge Cup if they are to avoid the season being over before Christmas.

When fully-loaded they are a strong side that can give most a game, but their lack of depth is shown when having to rotate or stretched by injuries.

Aaron Wainwright on the run for the Dragons in Glasgow (Image: Huw Evans Agency)

The Dragons had a lucky escape in the second minute when Glasgow kicked a penalty to the corner only to botch the lineout.

The Warriors dominated possession and territory in the opening exchanges but it remained scoreless through a combination of home errors and away determination.

The Dragons had another lucky escape in the 11th minute after a burst by flanker Rory Darge into the 22 only for Steyn to knock on.

The stats meant a home score was inevitable and it came in the 16th minute courtesy of a beautiful Ross Thompson penalty to five metres out.

Glasgow hammered away before Ali Price’s pass created a hole for centre Tuipulotu to crash over, Thompson adding the extras for 7-0.

The Dragons had a chance for a swift response but saw a lineout picked off in the 22 and it then took a huge turnover by Wales tighthead Leon Brown under the posts to prevent the hosts building a 14-point advantage.

However, it was 12-0 after 25 minutes when the Warriors went quickly from a penalty rather than to the corner and worked into the 22 before Thompson chipped to the left flank for Steyn to cross.

Jordan Williams gave hope with a scorching break on the counter but the full-back was soon helped from the field holding his right wrist.

The escapes in the 22 kept coming with one timely turnover by scrum-half Dan Babos, who was making his first start since March 2018, and then a knock-on by hooker George Turner after a snipe from a ruck and chip over the top by Price.

It looked like the Dragons would be content with a 12-0 deficit at the break but they conceded a nightmare third in the 40th minute.

A scrum against the head led to Dempsey brushing through a Babos tackle and then swatting off Sam Davies for a try that Thompson converted.

Much, much better was needed to make a game of it in the second half even if the Dragons had the breeze at their backs.

They hardly came flying out for the second half but were once again saved by Warriors handling errors that ended promising moves in their hunt for the bonus-point try.

The Dragons were agonisingly close to getting back into the game in the 53rd minute when Sam Davies chipped over the top, caught it and was denied by a majestic last-gasp tackle by debutant Josh McKay, with a knock-on allowing the Warriors to keep their clean sheet.

Any hopes of an unlikely comeback were extinguished approaching the hour when Dempsey galloped clear from a ruck and then, after Thompson botched an overlap, the impressive Price darted over.

The conversion made it 26-0 and pride was all that the Dragons had to play for, and they avoided being nilled after 65 minutes.

Strong-running centre Jamie Roberts had been denied by brave cover down the wing with penalty advantage but the Dragons came back to crash over when hooker Ellis Shipp cut a superb line, Davies adding the routine conversion.

The visitors wanted to produce a strong finale but instead they shipped a fifth try when replacement hooker Johnny Matthews peeled off from a five-metre lineout to power over for 33-7.

The Dragons had the final say when a multi-phase attack ended with Fijian tighthead Mesake Doge barging over but it was another bad night in the URC, with better needed in the three festive derbies after Europe.

Glasgow: McKay; Cancelliere, Steyn, Tuipulotu, Forbes; Thompson, Price; Kebble, Turner, Fagerson, Harley, Gray, Wilson (captain), Darge, Dempsey.
Replacements: Matthews, McBeth, McCallum, Bean, McDonald, Dobie, Miotti, Grigg.
Scorers: tries –Tuipulotu, Steyn, Dempsey, Price, Matthews; conversions – Thompson (4)

Dragons: J Williams (Lewis 31); Holmes, Owen, Roberts, Dyer; S Davies, Babos (Knoyle 45); Seiuli (Reynolds 59), Shipp (Benjamin 66), Brown (Doge 66), Rowlands, Maksymiw (Davies 59), Keddie (captain), Griffiths, Wainwright.
Scorers: tries – Shipp, Doge; conversions – Davies (2)

Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)