Glasgow Warriors 73-33 Dragons: Five-try Johnny Matthews creates club record to reach Euro quarters

Johnny Matthews became the first player in Glasgow Warriors’ history to score five tries in a match as they annihilated Dragons to reach the European Challenge Cup quarter-finals.

Matthews notched his fifth before George Turner, Coles Forbes, Huw Jones and two from Kyle Steyn turned it into a Warriors rout.

Will Reed and Elliot Dee also crossed for the visitors, but it is Glasgow who will face Emirates Lions in the last eight at Scotstoun on Saturday.

With their side having suffered just one defeat in their last 13 in all competitions, the Scotstoun crowd arrived fully expecting to see their team put their Welsh opponents away.

It took just two minutes for Warriors to strike first, a brilliant break from Steyn carving Dragons open before finding Horne on a trademark support line to go over for the score.

The visitors enjoyed most of the ball and territory in the minutes that followed without ever looking like creating an opening. Glasgow were not so wasteful, Matthews touching down from a rolling lineout maul in their next foray into Dragons territory.

Dragons have won just three league games all season, but they hit back with a well-worked try that was finished off by Williams.

But Dell burst free like a galloping horse before finding Matthews on his shoulder to charge to the line for his second store. Glorious stuff.

And the hooker had only a few minutes to wait for his hat-trick try, this time coming in more conventional style from another rolling maul.

With not even a half-hour on the clock, this one looked done, but Dyer went over in the corner after a slick set-piece move caught out the Warriors defence.

Dragons’ hopes of finding a way back into the match suffered a significant blow when Seiuli was shown a red card for a reckless clearout that made contact with Horne’s head.

Glasgow made the numerical advantage count immediately and, when the bodies emerged from a heap on the try-line, it was no surprise to see Matthews once again taking the acclaim of his team-mates.

Dragons had the last word of the first-half, Rosser powering over to reduce the deficit to 33-19.

With the rolling maul such a potent weapon these days, hookers are rivalling wingers in the try-scoring stakes, and Matthews burst over for yet another score.

Reed was allowed to dive over for Dragons’ fourth try to keep the visitors’ feint hopes alive at 40-26.

That hope was extinguished when substitute Turner followed Matthews’ lead to grab Warriors seventh try – then a scintillating move from deep was rounded off by Forbes to bring up the 50.

This was now party time at Scotstoun and another sweeping move from coast-to-coast involving Rory Darge, Horne and Steyn was finished off by Jones.

Horne and Steyn combined for a gorgeous 10th try and, while substitute hooker Dee crossed late on for Dragons, Steyn crossed again at the death to take the match past the 100-points mark.

This was a statement from Glasgow. They are in this competition to win 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).