Glasgow Warriors' budding Scotland star scores classy try in front of Gregor Townsend to buck trend

Four of the hosts’ five tries came from lineout drives, a tried and tested formula which remains such an effective weapon for Franco Smith’s side. Gregor Hiddleston bagged two of them and there was one apiece for Rory Darge and Seb Stephen.

The other try was a cracker. In front of the watching Gregor Townsend, Josh McKay finished a delightful move involving the kicking skills of Dan Lancaster and Jamie Dobie. McKay becomes Scottish-qualified next month and the full-back might just have given the national coach something to think about as he ponders his squad for the autumn leg of the Nations Championship.

Glasgow didn’t have it all their own way. They were under the cosh for most of the first 15 minutes and then had to withstand a second-half comeback from the Irish visitors but in between they scored 26 unanswered points to put some distance between themselves and Connacht.

It was a second bonus point win in three games for the Warriors who move on to 13 points. The only slip-up was last week’s draw with Ulster.

There was some crunching collisions, with Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu enjoying their own private duel at times.

In the early stages the Warriors had to defend against wave upon wave of Connacht attacks but the dam finally broke when No 8 Sean Jansen scored from a tap penalty move from close range after Sam Illo had slipped him in with a disguised pass. Ciarán Frawley converted.

The try seemed to rouse Glasgow who made their first incursion into the opposition 22 soon after. They kicked a penalty to the corner, then produced a massive lineout drive from fully 12 metres out and Hiddleston was at the end of it to claim his first try of the night.

Connacht shape issue punished by Glasgow Warriors

The score signified a change in momentum. Connacht lost their shape and began conceding too many penalties which Glasgow gleefully accepted. Dan Lancaster was happy to kick them to the corner, knowing the home pack would do the rest.

The second try wasn’t quite a carbon copy of the first but it was another drive from distance and this time it was Darge who finished it off. George Horne, who was supposed to start this game on the bench, landed the conversion after missing his first one. The scrum-half was drafted into the starting side late on when Kyle Rowe called off due to illness, with Dobie switching from wing to scrum-half to accommodate Horne.

Glasgow had their tails up and as the clock ticked towards half-time they were keen to press home their advantage. Connacht were becoming more and more ragged and were warned by referee Ben Breakspear. They didn’t heed it and Illo was sent to the sin-bin for trying to bring down the maul.

Glasgow dusted themselves down, kicked to the corner and ended the half by scoring their third try from a lineout drive. Hiddleston was again the scorer and Horne added the extras to make it 19-7 at the interval.

If the Warriors forwards had stolen the backs’ thunder in the first half, the latter showed their worth soon after the break with a classy try.

Lancaster found Dobie on the right wing with a well judged kick-pass and the winger produced a diagonal grubber into the path of the supporting McKay who had the pace to score.

Glasgow appeared to be in a commanding position but Connacht found a second wind. Two tries in 12 minutes from their full-back, Josh Ioane, brought them to within seven points of the hosts.

The first was from close range after some big carries from Sean Jansen and Cian Prendergast. The second came from some quick hands, with Ioane going over in the corner. Frawley converted the first but not the second and Glasgow’s lead was trimmed to 26-19.

Connacht’s hopes of pulling off an unlikely comeback were not helped by a second yellow card. Replacement flanker Josh Murphy was the culprit, catching replacement hooker Stephen high with a glancing head-on-head blow.

The Warriors took full advantage, with Stephen - on for Hiddleston - on the end of yet another lineout maul for Glasgow’s fifth try of the night.

Horne converted from out wide and made way soon after, allowing young Aberdonian scrum-half Callum Reidy to make his Warriors debut.

Lancaster kicked a late penalty to make it 36-19 to the Warriors.

Glasgow Warriors 33-19 Connacht tries and scorers

Scorers: Glasgow Warriors: Tries: Hiddleston 2, Darge, McKay, Stephen. Cons: Horne 4. Pen: Lancaster. Connacht: Tries: Jansen, Ioane 2. Cons: Frawley 2.

Yellow cards: Illo (Connacht, 40+2min), Murphy (Connacht, 62min), Cummings (Glasgow, 74min).

Glasgow Warriors: J McKay; J Dobie, O Smith, S Tuipulotu, F Watson (B Kuenzle 69); D Lancaster, G Horne (C Reidy 69); N McBeth (P Schickerling 55, N McBeth 79), G Hiddleston (S Stephen 55), F Richardson (S Talakai 55), M Williamson (J Oguntibeju 55), S Cummings, M Fagerson (G Brown 41), R Darge, M Duncan (A Miller 75)

Connacht: J Ioane (S Naughton 75); S Bolton (F Bealham 44, S Gilbert 53), B Aki, C Forde, M Hansen; C Frawley, C Blade (C Reilly 56); B Bohan (F van Wyk 50), E de Buitlear (M Victory 50), S Illo (S Bolton 50), D Murray, N Murray (J Murphy 52), C Prendergast, P Boyle (S Hurley-Langton 50), S Jansen.

Referee: Ben Breakspear (WRU)

Attendance: 6,970.