Warrior brothers run riot to secure the Italian Job
BENETTON TREVISO 19 GLASGOW WARRIORS 38
Gutsy Glasgow kickstarted their Pro14 title quest – thanks to the Horne clan.
Siblings Pete and George grabbed a 23-point haul between them to make sure of the crucial win in Italy.
It was the perfect bounce-back from last weekend’s derby defeat at Murrayfield – and the ideal rehearsal for their make-or-break Euro clash with Exeter Chiefs.
Thrilled Glasgow supremo Dave Rennie hailed his side’s defensive effort after they completed the Italian job.
The coach declared: “We created some very good tries and it was a great result against a strong Treviso side.
“But the highlight was the quality and application in defence when they were putting us under pressure.
“Guys put their bodies on the line at important moments.”
Rennie added: “It was an excellent way to start the year and we need to build on it.”
The Warriors fans couldn’t have dreamed of a brighter start to 2020 as they surged ahead after less than three minutes.
Kyle Steyn made the initial break before sending Sam Johnson cruising over for the try – with Pete Horne adding the conversion.
Horne senior was back in the spotlight as he claimed touchdown No. 2 in the 14th minute.
Having been under the cosh since the start, Treviso repaired some of the damage midway through the half.
Their much-vaunted rolling maul power was underlined when Hame Faiva was driven over in the wake of a penalty line out close to the line.
The home side suffered a blow, however, as former Glasgow winger Leo Sarto was taken off for a concussion check.
Warriors clicked back into gear and their third try was snapped up on the half hour mark by the ever-alert George Horne.
It had been set up by brother Pete, who then slotted the kick to open up a gap of 14 points.
Treviso upped the tempo in the build up to the interval with their muscle-men up front to the fore.
Glasgow were reduced to 14 when prop Aki Seiuli was yellowcarded after a series of scrum collapses.
And within seconds, the hosts scored through Braam Steyn with Tommy Allan finding the target.
Warriors came under more heavy pressure in the early stages of the second half.
But they dug deep to stave off any further immediate damage.
Having weathered the storm, they regrouped to ease the jitters with another top-notch try.
Bruce Flockhart crashed down the middle to send George Horne in to complete his double and notch the precious bonus point.
Pete Horne’s strike from a tricky angle was bang on.
Treviso were far from dead and buried and the contest was blown open again as Allan goaled an Antonio Rizzi breakaway effort.
The action was delayed for 10 minutes to allow medics to deal with a serious looking head injury to Scotland centre Nick Grigg.
Despite his departure, Warriors made sure of the glory with late touchdowns by Niko Matawalu and Andrew Davidson.
Another conversion took Pete Horne’s tally to 13 points.