Johnny Matthews steals show as Glasgow seal bonus point win over Zebre

Glasgow Warriors returned to winning ways, defeating Zebre Parma 40-12 in their final home game of the regular league season.

The victory was as convincing as the scoreline suggests and Danny Wilson’s side had the four-try bonus point in the bag after 33 minutes. Hooker Johnny Matthews stole the show with a hat-trick of tries from lineout drives but there were also scores from Oli Kebble, Ryan Wilson and Jamie Dobie. Ross Thompson converted five of the six tries.

Having squandered a big lead against Cardiff in Wales last weekend, Warriors needed a win to maintain hopes of a top four finish in the United Rugby Championship. With three tough away games to come anything less was unthinkable and Glasgow never looked in trouble on a night which began with an emotional tribute to Federico Aramburú, their former player and Pumas international who was shot dead outside a bar in Paris last month.

Argentina flags flew at each end of the ground and Rob Harley laid an Argentine jersey on the pitch as the stadium rose for a minute’s applause in memory of the former winger.

It didn’t take Glasgow long to shake off their Cardiff blues and they were two tries to the good inside the opening ten minutes.

The coach had made seven changes, including replacing the whole front row, and it was the new boys at the coalface who produced the early scores.

Stafford McDowall put Glasgow on the front foot with a nicely judged 50-22 off his left boot which took the Warriors deep into Zebre territory. They won a penalty and kicked to the corner and when Scott Cummings plucked the lineout from the Scotstoun sky it was the cue for his fellow forwards to shove Matthews over for the game’s opening try.

The second score arrived seven minutes later, and it