ADAM GOOD SHOW
But classy Hastings still outshone by Kebble the beast
WITH his dark features, wavy hair and pearly-white smile, it hardly requires a genius to work out why Adam Hastings is rapidly establishing himself as the new poster boy of Glasgow Warriors.
His performances over the opening weeks of the new season have certainly warranted such status, with Hastings being named man of the match in successive weeks as his team secured handsome victories over Munster and the Cheetahs.
Even in the debacle against the Southern Kings in South Africa last weekend, he was still the best Glasgow player on the pitch in what was only a 20-minute cameo.
He was at it again at Scotstoun on Saturday night. Not quite top form, thanks largely to a Dragons defence which targeted him specifically, but still good enough to orchestrate a Warriors attacking unit which ultimately ran in five tries.
On this occasion, though, Beauty was to be outshone by the Beast; the latter being the term head coach Dave Rennie chose to describe man of the match Oli Kebble. The loosehead prop burst through to score his team’s first try of the game after just five minutes, while his work at the scrum was the platform for much of Glasgow’s attacking play.
Born and raised in South Africa, Kebble has represented his homeland at Under-20s level, but has stated his desire to play for Scotland by the time he qualifies through residency rules in 2020.
His importance to Glasgow, however, is very much in the here and now. After Warriors had clinched this bonus-point victory, Hastings had no problems with his 26-year-old team-mate taking the limelight for a change.
‘Oli was different class and he deserved his award,’ said the Glasgow fly-half after his team’s fourth victory in their opening five games saw them return to the top of Conference A.
‘I had my hair cut a wee bit — maybe that’s why I didn’t get it this time! But no, seriously, the boys played well and it was so important we got the win after what happened last week.
‘It was tricky at times because the wind was quite gusty and the rain made the ball slippery, so the conditions weren’t the easiest.
‘It was difficult kicking into that kind of wind, and my decisionmaking could maybe have been better in certain situations. But overall I’m fairly happy with how I handled the game.’
Hastings converted Kebble’s early try, while the Dragons responded with two penalties from fly-half Arwel Robson.
But the Welsh side were disrupted with the loss of three players to injury in the first half, one of whom was the influential Robson, while another was former Wales and Lions hooker Richard Hibbard.
Hastings played a key role as Glasgow put a bit more daylight between the teams just before half-time, wriggling through a gap in the Dragons defence to feed Lee Jones, who duly went over in the corner.
The only blemish came in what followed. Hastings’ attempt at the tough conversion from out wide hit the woodwork, ending what had been a 100-per-cent kicking record this season.
Warriors had no intention of resting on their 12-6 lead after the break, starting just as positively in the second half as they had in the first. It was Lee Jones who doubled his tally, touching down after he had collected a clever offload from Alex Dunbar. Hastings missed what was, by his standards, a simple conversion.
Dragons centre Adam Warren then displayed some impressive football skills; dribbling the ball upfield to score after a Warriors mistake had given up possession in their opponents’ half.
Rennie’s men simply had too much pace and invention for the Welsh side. A fourth try and bonus point arrived on the hour-mark. Huw Jones followed namesake Lee by racing in to score in the corner after some quick hands from Ali Price and Hastings, with the latter missing the conversion.
Dunbar went over for Glasgow’s fifth try on 78 minutes, with Hastings adding the conversion from in front of the posts.
Ahead of Zebre’s visit to Scotstoun this Friday night, though, Hastings warned that he and his team-mates have yet to hit top gear.
‘We definitely feel there’s a lot more to come from us,’ he added. ‘We have played well in spells without quite hitting top form.
‘It is up to us to produce it for 80 minutes. We are still looking for the complete performance. I don’t think it’s too far away, so we need to keep pushing to improve.’