PISTOL PETE
PRO 14 DRAMA LATE NIGHT ACTION Horne calls the tune as Warriors survive a late scare to seal glory
DAVE RENNIE hailed his Warriors for their “arm wrestling” qualities after suffering a late scare at sodden Scotstoun.
Rennie’s men had been on course for a runaway triumph to extend their Pro14 winning run but they had to stave off a stirring fightback from the Italians.
The opening exchanges were error-strewn and disjointed as the sides struggled to control the slippy ball after a downpour before pre-kick.
And the Glasgow boss said: “Treviso had been going really well and we expected a tough night.
“The contest became a bit of an arm-wrestle and thankfully our guys got there in the end.
“It became really close because our discipline was not the best – nor was our game management.
“We gave away too many penalties and allowed them to score a couple of soft tries.”
Glasgow earned plenty of early possession but a spate of knock-ons stopped them from establishing meaningful momentum.
But the bulk of the crowd were roaring in the eighth minute when Tommy Seymour announced his return to duty in trademark fashion.
Fresh from his exploits for the Lions, the winger sprinted in under the crossbar to give Pete Horne an easy conversion.
Horne then banged over a penalty to give his side some breathing space. However Treviso replied strongly with Marty Banks getting them off the mark from close range.
But that simply stung the Warriors into more attacking action and Rob Harley powered over for their second score at the end of a slick build-up.
Horne’s kick stretched the lead to 14 points only to see Banks again repair some of the damage.
The Italians embarked on a spell of powerful phase play before the break and Banks completed his penalty treble.
Treviso were reduced to 14 men after the restart when winger Angelo Esposito was yellow-carded.
And Horne immediately added another three points that was the signal for a spate of bench changes.
Man-of-the-match Horne then appeared to seal the fate of Treviso by skipping in for a top-notch touchdown and then adding the extras himself.
But the visitors were not killed off yet and lock Marco Lazzaroni’s rolling maul score kept them in the contest.
The tension level rose 10 minutes from time as Federico Ruzza rumbled through for another Treviso counter that was then goaled by Banks.
But substitute marksman Brandon Thomson eased the home jitters with a penalty that proved crucial.
And Sam Johnson snapped up the bonus point in stoppage time.